Eve’s search for a miracle took a back seat while passing in front of the powercar recharging building, the only stone structure in the entire outskirts, all others being made of wood. She’d never imagined wood – and expensive wood like teak, sal and mahogany – being used for such mundane purposes and in such massive quantities. Strange as it seems, stone and brick were more costly than wood around these parts.
Well, probably not so strange, she decided as her eyes traveled up the mountainside behind the city. It was a riot of green. Of course, to the Clerics, gold was as meaningless a concept as snow was to her, though for diametrically opposite reasons.
Four Guards and a Journeyman Cleric in dark cloak were standing beside and just inside the entrance, presumably to make sure no unauthorized personnel entered the daunting structure. It was squat; only two-story tall, but well-spread out, encompassing a large area, well over a square mile. Since the powercells of the cars, each charged by a Power Cleric, were notoriously unstable in the hands of the untrained, she reckoned the security was necessary. Still, there seemed to be more Clerics – Builders in their muted brown cloak, and of course the ubiquitous Power Clerics clad in all black – here in Shillang than in Aimingar, the only large city she’d previously visited, her one and only experience there leaving her with no desire to repeat the journey.
Seeing only a token Guardhouse with a solitary, bored-looking Guard sitting outside and no Clerics, Eve uttered a silent prayer to Allmother and took the side street going into the eastern part of the city-proper. She very much doubted getting out was going to be as easy as getting in.
Inside the walls, it was teeming with Guards, all seemingly taking their patrolling duties more seriously than the one now dozing behind her. And while none gave her more than a passing glance, an itch started to claw up her backside as she noticed something extremely disturbing. On several fronts.
Some pedestrians were being questioned for no rhyme or reason.
Well, no reason other than being born with a fairer skin or having lighter hair. Eve was safe on both counts as were the majority, but she saw more than few stonehorns, not to mention dozens of half-stonehorns who were taller, physically less robust, and possessed shorter horns, being harassed by the men and women in the dark-brown uniform of the Guards.
Half a bell later, she’d worked up a sweat navigating the hilly cityscape, and was considering who to ask for directions when her gaze fell on a half-aditaru, effortlessly gliding up the sheer inclined sidewalk like a swan, or he had been until he was ordered to stop and produce identifying documents.
And then, of course, there were the other humans, the true targets.
By now, she’d gotten a feel for the city. The average citizen was slapbang in the middle of the spectrum in terms of skin-tone – between the light-brown northern Arunians and Aiminians living in the south and east of the country who were born with dark chocolate skins. With the equator passing over Aimingar, such a spread was, of course, entirely natural. Still, since the spectrum was so narrow, a typical human born and brought up in Shillang was only marginally darker-skinned than an Arunian from the Southern Satrap which was on the other side of the Kailash. That didn’t seem to matter to these Jukatis-blasted Guards, however. The difference was noticeable enough for prejudicial action.
Eve put her head down and moved on with hurried feet, mimicking her fellow pedestrians, all the while hating herself for remaining a silent observer.
After quarter bell, suddenly realizing that if the Guards had her description, she would’ve been behind strelenium bars long ago, she allowed herself to relax, though still keeping her eyes on a swivel, and earth senses passive. Acting jumpy whenever some harmless guy in a cloak glanced her way was only going to make peeps more suspicious. With so many damned Clerics in the mix, if questioned, lying through her teeth wasn’t going to be a viable option either.
So Eve willed herself to act nonchalant, even chatting up a street vendor while nibbling on a piece of chicken kebab. This, perhaps inevitably, necessitated a hurried visit to the neighboring fruit-juice stall, since the amiable old hawker had somehow confused the idea of meat and added ingredients. Instead of meat with a lot of spices, it had been transformed into a shitload of spices with a few pieces of chicken thrown in as an afterthought, setting even her seasoned tongue aflame. A glass full of pomegranate milkshake, with a spot of cardamom, and still both her cheeks and ears remained beet red. Seems the citizens of the Spice Capital of Gaia took the moniker a bit too seriously.
But the encounter, beside upping her spice tolerance level several notches, also served to provide some much-needed information as within half bell, Eve found herself standing in front of the Dancing Deer, a tidy and respectable-looking inn that was reputed to be less dishonest than most.
The inside front of the ground floor consisted of one large room where a dozen or so mostly unoccupied tables were arranged haphazardly. The room was made of wood, as was the entire building, giving the place a feeling of coziness that stone or brick buildings lacked.
At the end directly opposite the entrance was the bar, where a rotund man wearing an apron over his shirt and trousers paused in his attempt at cleaning a perfectly clean jar, and glanced her way. He was apparently the innkeeper because the wholly unnecessary efforts at cleaning promptly ceased. Slinging the rug over his left shoulder, the man looked her over, and then asked in an amiable voice, “What can I do for you, young lady? You looking for a drink? Or a place to stay?” he said, glancing at her bag.
“Both. Need a room for the night. Also, could do with a nice hot meal.”
“That’d be four silvers for the room and one for the meal. We have rice, roti, chicken, rohu fish, mutton, cabbage, and potato curry.” He seemed curious but was shrewd enough to keep quiet, at least until the glint of silver was visible.
He was going to be disappointed, Eve thought as she took out one of the four remaining gold coins from the purse in her pocket and placed it on the counter. “I’ll have mutton curry and roti, if they’re fresh.” As luck would have it, she was all out of change.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have shown the purse, she realized belatedly. Well, what’s done is done. He doesn’t seem to be the robbing type.
But then again, looks can be deceiving, as her father was so fond of saying.
“They’re quite fresh. Cooked not a bell ago.”
The innkeeper had lost some of his earlier reserve, but anxiety had replaced it, and that anxiety was highly nuanced, hiding some concern other than his latest patron who was apparently flush with gold. But reading kernel signatures wasn’t her strong suit, and not just because she couldn’t sense the channels. She also lacked what her mother called ‘resolution’ when it came to sensing the Chakras, a fact which had, on more than one occasion, caused her to pick a fight with a far more powerful foe than advisable.
Eve grimaced, absently rubbing her right shoulder, the memory of the pain still fresh in her mind. It was a lesson her elder brother had taught her, at the behest of her father.
“Wine or lager?”
“Only water please,” she replied, resisting the urge to order a glass of lager. If she was ever going to need her wits about her, it’s now.
The innkeeper nodded, placing five silvers on the counter, then headed for a side door to the right.
She sat down in one of the chairs, placed her bag underneath the table, and breathed a small sigh of relief.
Eve had long since realized she’d have to invent a story about why a young unmarried woman was wandering all over Aiminia all by herself. Given the rarity of such an event, it’s bound to raise a few eyebrows. She’d decided, after long internal deliberation, to go with a lie laced with truth. Easier to keep it straight in her own mind.
As for her ultimate goal, she’d cross into Arunia and try to enroll in the University, or failing that, the Arunian army.
Eve was very conscious of the gaps in her education. She had no formal training in earth Manipulation other than what she’d taught herself. From reading the dozen or so books in the village school, through countless bells of practice and what her mother, who was an accomplished Journeyman Healer but possessed limited earth Manipulation skills, had taught her. It might prove insufficient for the reputedly lofty standards of the University, but she’ll give it her best shot and let Allmother decide the rest.
Her mother had hoped she would enroll at the Academy one day, as she had, and pass as a Master, unlike her. Every parent’s greatest desire, to see their dreams come to fruition through their children.
Realistically, Eve knew that while she wanted to be a soldier, a potential earth Cleric would not be allowed in the army, at least not as a soldier. She’d have to graduate from the Academy as a Battle Cleric. Which is what she’d worked for all her life. Of course, that was before her father’s revelations.
All a female with her heritage was good for was being a broodmare. Or rather, all she would’ve been unless she had ‘bad blood.’
Eve ground her teeth in anger.
Now as an outlaw accused of matricide, even that despicable option was a distant dream. Which meant only one path was open before her. Flee the country of her birth and get herself admitted into the University of Jivanpur, by hook or by crook.
“There you go, Miss.”
The innkeeper placed a plate containing roti, thick mutton curry, spicy mustard sauce, a mix of raw onions, green chilies, tomatoes and freshly cut lemons as well as a glass of water on top of the table.
“The salad is on the house,” her host declared, then wiped his hands with the spotless apron and stood there shuffling his feet, debating with himself for a moment.
Between curiosity and caution, the former gained the upper hand. Unfortunately.
“If you don’t mind me asking, Miss…” began the innkeeper.
She did, but she also knew there was no stopping the man now.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“What’s a young lady like you doing in Shillang, all lonesome-like?”
“Going to Garbal to visit my uncle and start on the job as a teacher at the local school. He recommended me to the Headmaster, and I was fortunate enough to get accepted.”
Something in the man’s demeanor convinced her to change the story she’d prepared earlier. Not a great deal of change, only the destination, since the innkeeper wasn’t the only one listening.
“I see. So you going to be taking the morning powercar, then?”
Eve smiled, nodding. “Sure am.” Especially since you’re so keen on getting rid of a paying customer, she thought and started eating, hoping the man might lose interest.
“Tell me if you need anything else.” He wiped his hands again and left, seeming somewhat relieved.
Her stomach churned, but Eve knew she’d need sustenance for what’s to come, and by now she understood in her bones what it felt like to go hungry even with a pocketful of gold.
Both the curry and the roti – circular flatbread made from wheat flour that was a staple diet all over Gaia – were indeed fresh and contained a more sensible proportion of spices. Halfway through her meal, she cast a casual glance up toward the other end of the room, sensing earth Manipulation. The only other patron in the whole inn had finally decided to make his presence known, though Eve had noticed him long ago.
A middle-aged man with a scar on his left cheek, having just finished his lunch, was leaning against his chair, eyes closed. At first glance he appeared to be fast asleep. But both his hands were placed on top of the table in a manner that seemed natural, yet was not.
Eve frowned. From what she could determine with her earth senses, or to be more precise, essence, earth and wood senses, the man was scanning her and all objects in her vicinity. Before he realized she’d noticed his scan, she averted her eyes and kept eating, keeping all her senses, both essence and mundane, alert. And passive.
Presence of only two secondary Chakras, both on his right hand, suggested he was a scout or informant, though probably still a Journeyman, given that he’d opened one and Awakened three primary Chakras, one less than her. This undoubtedly painted a bigger bullseye on her back.
Before she could stop it, Eve’s left hand shifted to her throat.
To the scarf.
To the lone bridge between her parents.
Some might call her paranoid, but paranoia had kept her alive till now, and that same paranoid Crown Chakra was telling her, in no uncertain terms, to accelerate all her travel plans. Eve silently cursed all nosy innkeepers in the world.
After a few more blinks, the man got up, and dropped a coin on the table. “Here you go, Gabe,” he called out, then left whistling a dancing melody even before the innkeeper reappeared from the depths of the kitchen.
Gabe, which she gathered was the prying innkeeper’s name, picked up the coin – a gold one – pursed his lips, then headed toward the door leading to what was presumably the side yard holding the stable.
Soon, a young girl about Eve’s age came skipping out of the kitchen and bobbed her head in curtsy.
“Anything else, miss?”
“No, thank you. Oh, and the combination of the sauce and the curry was wonderful. Please, thank the cook for me.”
“Ma will be mighty pleased to hear that, she be the cook.” The girl smiled and turned to leave.
Eve was about to get up and ask for directions to her room when the front door slammed open and three roughly dressed individuals limped inside, arguing loudly.
“Old Ben hadn’t been paying his due shares,” insisted one of the men who seemed to have an aversion to bathing as evidenced by the foul olfactory assault on her senses.
“Sigrid’s Balls, that boy was slippery as an eel.” This one was stoutly built and nursing a black eye. The swelling had all but closed his eye, Eve was happy to note.
“By Aimin’s Beard, we gonna get the gang together and pay him back thousand-fold. And then those pesky kids. Never had the nerve to challenge us before today. A minor tussle and thought we’re easy pickings.” The speaker was tall, built like an ox, bruised all over and seemed to be the leader of this trio of miscreants, who had clearly been at the wrong end of a scuffle. Eve inwardly cheered whoever this boy was.
“Hey, Jenny darling, bring us some drinks,” the tall ox shouted, and then grimaced in pain. After giving Eve a good long lusty look, all three slumped down in chairs about ten feet from her. Then, the rank smelling man took out a knife, whetstone and started sharpening.
This is going to be trouble. Not what I need. She debated whether to stay or take a nap in her room. Gabe was back from whatever errand he’d been on and was looking at the three ruffians with resigned eyes.
Once Jenny got them a bottle of whiskey and three glasses and turned to leave, the ox, who Eve had already identified as nuisance incarnate, grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap.
Jenny whimpered, “Let me go!!!” and looked to her father who was so furious the veins in his temple were visible.
Eve was starting to get the impression this wasn’t the men’s first encounter with the poor girl, though her reaction suggested things had never gone this far before.
Something stirred in the deep dark depths of Eve’s Heart.
“Do you want me to call the Guards? Let her go, Billy,” Gabe said through clenched teeth.
“Go ahead. The whole Guards and Cleric division are busy trying to catch those damned visitors, lava-cursed slippery eels. We’ve had a rough day Gabe, no harm if Jenny here cheers us up a little, now is there?”
He started tearing up Jenny’s shirt while she screamed and kicked ineffectually. An enraged Billy then knocked her so hard that she ended up on the floor, groaning in pain.
Seeing the girl getting smacked around brought back memories.
Though the last encounter with her father lacked the sexual connotation, it more than made up for it with sheer violence. Being beaten black and blue by your own father, for the simple reason of existing, for being his daughter.
And this was happening while her mother’s corpse lay beside her feet.
It’d proven too much as Eve’s Crown had simply stopped working. She’d been too stunned with shock to even resist, and had taken refuge in her mind. Just as the pain and shock – the mind-numbing pain and shock – reached a crescendo, her father had raised a bloody fist for the fatal blow.
And then, seeing something in her eyes, he had hesitated.
At that moment, something had snapped inside her.
Something primal.
That primal self was aroused again as her blood boiled, heart thundered. Her senses sharpened, and she saw the room, her surrounding environment, with absolute clarity. The urge to fight became overwhelming.
And then, the dam broke.
Outwardly calm, internally seething, Eve rose to her feet. Within fraction of a blink, using subtle earth Manipulation to hasten her steps, she found herself standing right in front of the murderous Billy. Before the man could even react in anger, she jumped up, placed her hands on either side of his head and twisted, breaking the bull-like neck, his dead eyes still frozen in shock.
The man stinking of half a year of waste reacted first. He attacked with the large knife he was sharpening.
Eve evaded his thrust with effortless ease, then punched him in the chest, not bothering to pull her punches as she usually did. His rib-cage shattered on impact with her closed fist, sending him flying off to smash into the wall, where he was pinned by his own bent and broken bones.
The last remaining man, who was standing with mouth agape, looked at all the carnage with a stupefied expression. After his Crown failed to make heads or tails out of it, instinct took over and he tried to bolt, only to crash into an adjacent table, depositing him flat on the floor.
Eve gave the scared-shitless man an evil grin, took one step, then jumped up, cracking the wooden board in the process.
And landed right on top of his head, pulverizing the skull with the heel of her right boot.
Gabe, Jenny and another middle-aged woman, in all likelihood the cook and Gabe’s wife, stood in silence watching her with horrified eyes.
Then, Jenny began screaming and crying – both at the same time.
Gabe quickly shushed her, and as her mother went to comfort the hysterical Jenny, he slowly came up to Eve, having overcome his shock to some extent.
“How? How did… You’re a Cleric?” Gabe gulped, his expression more eloquent than words.
Not technically. But most common folks wouldn’t understand the difference, so Eve gave a non-committal nod, mind still stuck on the battle. Or massacre.
“Sorry for messing up your floor,” she absently mumbled. “And wall.”
Gabe gave a lukewarm smile in return. “Don’t trouble yourself with that. Blood can be cleaned. Once lost, my daughter’s honor couldn’t have been regained.”
Eve gave an agreeing grunt, eyes on the macabre decoration on the wall that had been a living breathing human being only moments ago.
Her own strength and reflex sometimes took her by surprise, especially when she let her primal self loose. But things had taken a nasty turn after, even during, the battle with her father, at least at the tail end. Some manner of ailment that messed with her kernel and made her temporarily stronger. And faster, even considering the opened Spine. Not as strong as her father, but almost as fast. Which is what had allowed her to escape with her life then, and what had made mincemeat out of these idiots now.
A small part of her mind scolded her for continuing to exercise willful ignorance. It was nothing as simple as an unknown ailment, but something far more sinister. Far more permanent.
The curse of her father. Curse of Bloodline Resonance.
After entering puberty, it had started to rear its ugly head, and now, at nineteen, she was fast approaching the peak, if she let herself embrace her primal self and the power it promised. Which she won’t. That way lies madness. Not the Power kind, but far worse.
Eve grimaced. Seems she’d have to flee again.
“Is Jenny gonna be alright?” she asked, trying to distract herself from those morbid thoughts.
The feelings of total incomprehension, abject fear and utter revulsion visible in Jenny, her mother, or even Gabe’s eyes were easy to identify. She’d possessed that same look in her own eyes when her father had butchered her mother, as she stood there and watched.
“She’ll be fine, I… I must thank you…without you…” Gabe looked down and swallowed. “I know this is poor repayment for what you just did, but you must go now.” His voice turned urgent. “No matter how busy the Guards are, they’ll be here soon.”
Outside, a few shouts could be heard. Jenny was still staring dumbly at the man stuck like a pig on the wall.
Eve sighed. “I understand.” She’d even used active earth Manipulation during the jump.
“I’ll get you some food and supplies.” Gabe said, hurrying into the kitchen. Seemed his earlier fear, although not entirely gone, had diminished somewhat.
“I’d appreciate that,” Eve told the empty air, wishing he wouldn’t feel so threatened by her. She wasn’t some rabid beast, out for blood.
Ever since reaching puberty, she’d known she was stronger than most grown men twice her weight, and not just because of her Awakened or opened Chakras. Now the effect seemed even stronger. But it’d never resulted in someone’s death before. Then again, she’d always made a conscious effort to hold herself back, not giving in to that intoxicating urge to fight.
Always. Until today.
Guess I should be feeling guilt or remorse after what I just did, but I don’t. Not sure whether it’s a good thing or not.
“Allfather will be the judge,” she murmured, “as He always is.”
Gabe soon returned from the kitchen with a small bag stuffed with roti, butter paneer and Amsattaa, a kind of sweet dried mango slice mixed with honey, lime juice and spices – an excellent snack with high energy content.
As she was about to exit the inn, two long whistles rang out.
On the street outside the inn, to the left almost two hundred yards away, a squad of Guards in their distinctive brown uniform could be discerned, all of them heading her way.
Eve unhesitatingly turned right and fled. Even if these particular Clerics hadn’t received the list of fugitives yet, they’d have to be morons not to be able to put two and two together soon enough.
Wishing she had a map of this Aimin-cursed city, Eve fixed north from the position of the twinsuns and headed toward the gate as fast as her feet could manage, using Manipulation to hasten her steps since there was no point in trying to hide anymore. Among that squad of Guards was an Earth Cleric, and he’d clearly sensed her earlier Manipulation.
Just as she reached an intersection of four streets, with her destination, the North Gate, barely visible in the distance, Eve slammed headfirst into someone coming from the street to her left.