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Gage woke with the morning water chimes but did not rise. Instead, he savored the morning coolness. It was refreshing, as it was the only time of day the settlement was truly quiet, with everyone waiting for their chance to collect some water. He was entirely uncertain how early the skryftling and crocodile-man rose to deliver the water, but he now knew they were not the only team out on deliveries. Each morning the bazaars stood as the distribution points, only the water guard and the delivery teams allowed inside until the last team had gone out.
This left the mornings cool and the alleys empty. With a deep breath, Gage rolled up into a sitting position and absentmindedly petted Eshu as he thought over the night before. He had spent the evening in quiet contemplation, his mind directed inwards toward his Haven. If he had not placed his hand in the outflow from his Haven over a month ago, it would have taken him much longer to figure out .
He had to simply step into his pool, and he could feel the prayers swirl around him like a school of fish. Gage only needed to close his eyes and concentrate on one voice at a time to hear the prayers. He let most of them slip through his mind and sink back into the pool, as they were simply affirmations of thanks, or came across as a general sort of check in. Many had reminded him of the prayers that some of his family had done when sitting down to dinner while he was growing up.
There was a small bulk of prayers that he could do nothing for. There were pleas for information on lost loved ones, requests for water or relief from the heat, and even a few… demands for smiting and vengeance. Most of these he let back into the pool as well. Gage did not have the power to bring back the dead or search the world for missing persons. For these types of prayers, he tried to impart a feeling of warmth and contentment. He hoped that this might help them worry less and ease their grief as he urged these prayers into the outgoing stream.
The prayers about the heat and water he regretfully had to return to the pool as well. There was nothing he could do about either of those. Perhaps Xarax, if he, or she, was actually another new godling, they would do something in response to these prayers should they be receiving them. As for the demands for violence, especially those filled with hatred and anger, he sunk those to the bottom of his pool where they would hopefully be ground away by the churning water. The ones that were called for from grief, despair, and helplessness, he picked up and offered what he hoped were soothing words before sending them out.
The remaining prayers had been a few he felt he might be able to deal with. Perhaps not right away, but later on down the line. Maybe after I get some priests and clerics? These had been prayers of healing, understanding, and requests of protection from life’s hardships.
In the morning’s quiet moments, Gage could only hope what he had done would be sufficient. He gave Eshu a final pat and got dressed. After leaving his compartment, Gage readied the dog’s morning food and water. He grabbed some bread and cold meat for himself before stopping at the shrine with a small cup of broth. As he was leaning down to place the cup, he froze and ogled the shrine. Among the rocks and moss were a great many different objects. Little cups and jars, plates of food, detailed dolls, and bundles of goods and tools littered the space.
Littered may be a little harsh, for it all looked very neatly placed and organized, but there was just so much of it. Gage could only guess as to what it all was, and a slightly satisfied giggle from Ma’tuk confirmed it for him. These were the offerings people had been leaving at his shrines. Some of it had to been left for some time as Gage could not fathom it was from last night alone.
It was very unlikely that any of the new additions to the shrine would go unnoticed. So, he resolved to tell anyone who asked that he had commissioned them for the shrine. With a nod to the shrine, he placed the cup and headed out.
His walk to the healer’s hut was done in an awed stupor. So much so, he didn’t even notice the kumdahari guards that flanked the tent. It was not until he was inside that he noticed what was going on. In the main space of the tent, sitting on a stool, was a kumdahari woman. She wore an elegantly ethereal dress of white and grey that resembled moonlight cascading over fine silk. The fitted form of the dress enhanced her graceful figure with an intricate bodice adorned with fine, delicate chains and precious stones. The central piece of her attire was an armored corset that cinched at her waist, creating a dramatic silhouette. The lower part of her dress flowed into a long, elegant train.
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A collar of stacked gold rings was fitted around her neck. She had long, flowing sleeves that were partially sheer and were cinched at the wrists with ornate, metal bands. The headdress she wore was captivating, as it framed her long, white hair. It was a large, circular disk that radiated out from the back of her head like a halo. The disk had a gradient of color, with a warm, sunrise-like palette at the bottom blending into a celestial array of pastel hues towards the top.
In one hand, she held one of her metal wrist clasps. The sleeve had fallen away in strips of cloth. Gage paused and frowned at the sight. The woman was smiling and deep in conversation with Hye-jun, who was seated next to her. Hye-jun was in the middle of wrapping the woman’s arm with strips of cloth talismans. Around the room were a half dozen kumdahari guards who had all turned to look at Gage as he entered but made no other moves. One of them even gave him a friendly smile.
Gage gave the friendly guard a nod before speaking, “Daja Hye-jun?”
Hye-jun looked about and spotted him. With a smile, she waved him over. “Gage’kin, glad you made it. Come, I would like to introduce you to someone.” As Gage approached, she continued. “This is The Respected of the Akalahari tribe. Respected, this is my student, Gage’kin.”
Gage blinked at the formal use of his name but gave a slight bow of his head. “It is an honor to meet you… Respected?” He couldn’t help but inflect the word as a question.
The Respected smiled at him warmly. “It is an honor to meet you as well, Gage’kin.” Her voice was as warm and smooth as honey but held a deep echo of power. “Hye-jun has been telling me praise of your studies.”
Hye-jun snorted but kept a steady hand with her work. “Don’t go telling him that. I need him working, not sipping honeyed broth.”
Gage pursed his lips at the saying. He had heard it a few times before and as far as he could tell, it meant something along the lines of having his head in the clouds. He chose to ignore it for the moment. “Is there anything I can do to assist, Daja Hye-jun?”
“You can get started on grinding down some xik. I have enough for what I need here, but the jar will need refilling.” She suggested, waving a hand to the supply cabinets.
It was then Gage took a closer look at what she was doing. Laid out on a tray next to her were the strips of talisman cloth, spelled to ward off infection and to keep the wound clean. The backs of the talismans were smeared with the burn poultice she had taught him to make. His eyes glanced at the Respected’s arm, and he saw the angry, bubbly flesh of a very sever burn.
“I was careless,” The Respected’s voice drew his gaze up to look at her. “I spilled the oil of a lit lantern upon my arm as I got ready for a constitutional. It was unfortunate but allowed me the chance to visit my friend here.”
“You know you can visit without injuring yourself,” Hye-jun spoke up cheerily, but with a reproachful look. “I am just saying.”
“I have been neglectful of my friendships of late.” The Respected responded with mirth. Gage had moved away and was pulling out the tools he would need to grind the xik into an effective paste. He missed the pointed look the Respected gave him, and Hye-jun’s responding nod. Satisfied, the Respected continued. “Lines are starting to be drawn in the sand. The Son has made things… difficult for the smooth functioning of the settlement.”
“I heard him,” Gage started off-handedly, though he stopped when he realized both women were looking at him. “Uh, a few weeks ago. He was giving a speech in the merchant’s bazaar. It was… strange. Like he was saying one thing but meant something entirely different. He felt…cold? No. That’s not right. Intense, like the hottest part of the day.”
“He has often spoken pretty words of late. Though he truly advocates for… isolation.” The Respected stated as Hye-jun continued to wrap her arm.
“Can you get more isolated than the middle of a desert of unknown size?” Gage asked, not daring to pause setting up his workspace. Especially when he noticed Hye-jun watching him work out of the corner of her eye. “Actually, why would that cause issues for the settlement? We are pretty much entirely self-sufficient.”
“He speaks for kumdahari isolation.” Gage froze at The Respected’s words, for only a moment, before he continued his work.
As he opened the jar holding the xik moss, “You mean, he wants to kick everyone else out? All the refugees?”
The look on the Respected face, had it been on anyone less regal than herself, would have been called shame. “And to keep anything he can get his hands on, ‘for the tribe’. His words have been gaining some traction, especially with the emergence of Xarax and his worship. The words of our ancestors are lost upon them, particularly the younger generation. He plays on their fears and concerns. While we have managed to negate many of the scarcities we encountered in the beginning, he speaks as if those not of the tribe are a drain. A parasite.”
Hye-jun was the one to break the silence. “Respected, has he…” She hesitated a moment.
“No,” The Respected answered firmly. “I am still head of the tribe. The ancestors still speak through me, and he would not dare to cross that final line.” Her voice softened and cut the tension from the air. “Now, I wish to set aside these matters and enjoy breaking my fast with my friend.” She looked pointedly at Hye-jun until the healer smiled.
Hye-jun snapped her fingers. “Gage’kin, break out the good tea.”