Tales of Midbar: Secret Priest
I Art Sixteen - part 5

We ran across the road and onto the bridge. As we got closer it was apparent they both had one shoulder bare and were wearing the wide, sparkly harnesses that were popular with teenagers. Also I couldn’t see any tattoos so they were obviously young, Winemakers or both. Fortunately the girls stopped and turned towards us. It was now clear the red haired one was indeed an anavah and the other a nibeyah. I was also fairly sure the red-head was a teenager but the other one looked rather older, she was taller and there was something very grown up about her. I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of equipping with the nibeyah present. Before I could think of anything, Dwendra spoke in Semic and the red-haired anavah replied in the same language. They proceeded to have a discussion which I didn’t really understand but I could guess. Then the nibeyah said something in Semic.

“If she speaks Semic we might as well speak Faharni so I can understand,” I said.

“I thought you spoke Semic,” said the nibeyah.

“Only a bit and it’s mostly religious and legal terms.”

“I’m not allowed to take money for equipping people yet,” said the redhead in Faharni, “but I’m trying to equip as many anavim as possible as I believe we’re going to have to fight a war soon. We’re busy buying supplies for the magic conference right now but you could help us.”

Breeze took us to a building in the Vineyard and asked to talk to me alone inside.

“I wanted to speak to you alone,” she said scrunching up her nose, “because I didn’t know how much your girlfriend ...”

“She’s just a friend.”

“That’s what they all say,” she smiled.

“She’s obsessed with marrying a Yohoist priest.”

“How’s she going to replace one?”

“I’m not sure she can.”

“Anyway, I don’t know how much she knows or how much you’d like her to know. You’re already a chelas but you just have protective spells on you.”

“Yes I know and I think she does.”

“Who did this to you?”

“My father.”

“Who’s he?”

I shouldn’t have said that as I didn’t think she’d help me if she knew who I was but I couldn’t think of a way of evading the question, “Latchmir.”

“Never heard of him.”

“He doesn’t use his magic much.”

“That’s odd because this is quite a professional looking job and I’ve seen similar work before. What’s so important about protecting your intestines?”

“I don’t know, they’re not the most vital part and can be repaired.”

“So why are there a lot of protective associates in yours?”

“I’ve no idea.”

“Anyway it’s not a problem for me.”

I materialized in a boys’ toilet stall at school. I’d used visioning to check that the toilet was empty before teleporting of course. I’d left Dwendra with the shopping in the disused part of Grisnarl station a few hours later. I left the stall, just as Buldis came in with his arms round a hipsickah I didn’t know.

“Taking care of your inability to get girls!” said Buldis smirking.

“None of your business!” I said.

“Shove off Clindar!” said the girl. “Everybody hates you, get used to it!”

“I’ve just got to wash my hands,” I said.

I went to the sink as Buldis pushed the girl into a stall with a hand on her breast.

With all the other stuff I had going on, I’d actually forgotten it was the last day of school. That meant it wasn’t very productive with lots of people taking what may be their last chance to have sex with each other, at least for three ten cycles. I was feeling tired as my body thought it was several hours later than it was, I hadn’t slept well the night before and I never replace blue day very inspiring. People asked me where Miandri was. I wasn’t sure, she wasn’t out of bed when I’d left home. I didn’t see Narblo either, which was fortunate because I’m not sure I could have prevented myself from doing something very nasty to him.

When school finished, I went to a boy’s toilet and teleported back to Grishnarl station to meet Dwendra. We’d made sure we could teleport with the shopping between us.

Dwendra and myself got home with the shopping, some new clothing for Dwendra (Breeze and her nibeyah friend, Eleprin, had got her deals on these) and some newly bound associates we didn’t really know how to use. We were now chelases, not yet proper magi. I’d been a chelas before but my associates had only given me protective magic. Breeze had agreed to start with some combat abilities.

“I’m home!” I shouted.

“Ah, I was starting to wonder where you’d got to,” said a large, faharni hipsick I didn’t recognize. “I’m detective Traivanin. I’d just like you to clear up something about that incident the other night. Perhaps you’d like to talk in the kitchen.”

“You aren’t supposed to talk to me without a parent or lawyer,” I said.

“Hey!” said Miandri coming out the living room and giving me a hug and a kiss. “It’s nice to have you back. Who’s your friend?”

She showed no sign of being suspicious of Dwendra but she seemed to have very little hostility and nothing seemed to phase her.

“Dwendra, Miandri,” I said crossing my arms and pointing at both of them. “Dwendra’s going to be sharing your room, if you’re staying.”

“Yeah, my home’s still a mess,” said Miandri, “and Mum’s got to go to this mega conference soon with all the important magi.”

I was fairly sure that wasn’t entirely true.

“I thought about going unto that but it art fully booked,” said Dwendra, “and I art neither a mage, nor an avatar.”

“Oh wow you like talk totally pre-Cataclism,” said Miandri.

It was weird installing Dwendra in Attan’s room, although she didn’t have much stuff (only what we could teleport with). Miandri seemed happy to have an anavah roommate. I think in situations where normal people would shout and perhaps hit somebody, she acted cool but took revenge on the universe by doing something irrational. As Dwendra didn’t have much stuff, it didn’t take long to replace a box to put it in (as all the draws and cupboards in the room were full of Attan’s things). Miandri had a very subtle way of asking Dwendra about herself. Dwendra responded by dropping bits of her, mostly untrue, history. This was basically that she’d had a very sheltered upbringing on a farm in northern Pax. Her parents were Yohoists and her family had probably been practicing Yohoism in secret since the Cataclysm. Her parents had, under pressure from Nuharas, converted to Nuhara but Dwendra had refused. The Nuharas had proceeded to destroy the farm and kill the rest of her family but she’d survived. Some farms had really been attacked and destroyed and their occupants killed in northern Pax. It was generally believed the culprits were Nuharas but the government seemed reluctant to admit this, so as not to upset the Nuharas. Therefore, this aspect of Dwendra’s story would seem plausible. She claimed she’d basically been wandering around Pax, working odd jobs and begging, since. Mind readers can be fooled, if you tell yourself something so much you nearly believe it yourself or you think of it like acting, rather than trying to deceive the mind reader.

We were in the living room, discussing the relationship between Yohoism and Trulist Yoho worshipers, when Attan came home with his friend Garmas. This was a bit of a relief because I didn’t think I could take more of being caught in the middle of Dwendra’s fundamentalism and Miandri’s irrational mysticism. Miandri’s main way to argue a point was to say, “I’m sure this is true!” or “It’s predestination.”