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read slowly!
Two days ago!
before the big nuclear explosion in the shadow islands.
....
IXTAL
"I"m starting to sweat, Bayal. Don"t let me sweat please?"
Qiyana"s servant fidgeted with the words. He gathered the small control he had over the elements, concentrating on forming a magical mist. Within seconds, the fog surrounded Qiyana and cooled, dispersing the warmth of the jungle.
"Much better," said Qiyana. "If I"m going to do that, I need to be able to concentrate."
She began to slowly rotate her ohmtatl around her body, bending and separating the jungle woods with each rotation of the circular blade. Roots and stems burst, throwing remnants of dirt until finally a narrow trail revealed itself in the bushes.
"Here it is," said Qiyana, who immediately started down the winding path.
With each movement of her ohmlatl, the thick vineyards of the rainforest receded before her. Just after she pa.s.sed, the forest slid back into place, hiding the way. Bayal stayed behind long enough to be caught in the growth of the writhing plants.
"Let"s go, Bayal," said Qiyana. "Honestly, see ... You only have one task."
The servant ran over the newly grown woods, struggling to reach Qiyana and maintain the temperature of his mist.
When the two of them finally emerged from the forest, the sun was low in the sky and the golden light of dusk shone on a small village. Qiyana looked back one last time to see if the secret path had been completely buried through the forest. Three village elders greeted her with a respectful Ixtalese greeting, arms firmly crossed in front of their chests, and led her to a square inside the establishment.
Towards the end of the square, a large Piltovan machine was lifeless and defeated, the spoils of a recent jungle battle. Qiyana paid little attention as he sat at a small table full of fruits and nuts.
"To what do we owe this honor, Yun Child?" Asked an older woman, leaning forward to get a better look at Qiyana.
"I heard the news of your mayor"s death. You have my condolences," Qiyana said.
"Killed by outsiders ..." an old man replied pointing to the Piltov machine behind him. "He tried to stop one of these from felling trees to feed his mines."
"That"s what they told me," said Qiyana. She sat down perfectly when she reached the goal of her visit.
"It seems that Tikras needs a more capable ruler. Someone who is strong enough to stand up to the outsiders and their toys," Qiyana said confidently. "Someone like me."
The elders looked at each other, confusion growing in their weathered faces.
"But, Yunalai, with all due respect, we already have ... Someone like you," said the old woman. "Your sister is here."
"What?" Qiyana said irritably.
As if arranged, a procession of native servants marched across the square toward Qiyana. Four of them carried a litter on their shoulders.
As the litter approached, Qiyana saw a soft bed, several thin silk cushions, and her sister Mara reclining and with a gla.s.s of wine in her hand. A silver platter of exquisite dishes lay beside it, and two servants refreshed it with an elemental magic far stronger than Bayal"s. As Qiyana wiped a single drop of sweat on her forehead, she looked bitterly at the servant.
"Qiyana. Very ... nice to see you," Mara said uneasily as her litter was placed on the floor.
"Mara. You seem to be having fun," Qiyana said.
Mara writhed under her sister"s piercing gaze, looking until she wanted to retire to the soft bed.
"Would you like some wine?" Mara offered as she took a tense, joyless sip from her gla.s.s.
"You should protect this village, not empty your pantry," Qiyana said as she turned down the drink. "You should resign. Let me be mayor."
Mara froze and forced the wine through her stiff throat.
"I can"t do that," she said. "You know very well. I"m older than you."
"A whole year older," Qiyana replied. "And they are still so far behind."
She approached her sister"s bed with her smug expression slowly turning into a furious countenance.
"I just say that as a statement of fact. You know it"s true. What would happen if the miners discovered this village?"
"I would defend him," Mara said sweetly.
"You would die. Just like everyone in this village. We both know that," Qiyana told everyone in the square to hear. "I can protect them."
A murmur was born and spread throughout the square. Mara bit her lower lip, something she had been doing since childhood, particularly when her younger sister beat her on something.
"I ... I can"t give you the village. The Yun Tal would never allow it," Mara said shyly.
"They would allow you to resign," Qiyana said. "Come home. Go back to Ixaocan. Take care of your water garden. I"ll take responsibility here."
She watched Mara"s eyes turn to the elders, as if searching for someone"s face to save her.
"The law is clear," said Mara. "We will not have a new mayor as long as I can govern."
Clenching his jaw in anger, Qiyana turned to the large machine in the corner of the square. She twisted her ohmlatl around her body, startling the elders who were sitting. Drawing elements around the square to the blade, she threw them toward the machine. In an instant, the great metal giant was buried in ice, crushed by rocks and smashed by vineyards, all under the command of young Yunalai.
The elders and servants in the square let out an audible sigh with such a display of power.
"You think you already have someone like me ..." Qiyana said. "But there is no one like me."
The elders frowned at him and reaffirmed the decision. "As long as Yunalai Mara is able to rule, the position belongs to her."
The words echoed in Qiyana"s head as she turned and left the square quietly, disappointed. She drove Bayal back to the edge of the village, where they were greeted by two elementalist sentries.
"They don"t need to escort us back," Qiyana said. "I know the way and I know what to do with it after I use it."
With a flick of her ohmlatl, she broke the bushes and revealed the path leading back through the jungle. With the servant struggling to cool the air around her, she walked back to Ixaocan"s great archeology, opening the secret path and covering it again after pa.s.sing.
As soon as they were out of sight of the village, Qiyana"s ohmlatl slowed down. Behind them the path was now uncovered, exposed to the evening sun.
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"My Yunalai, you forgot to cover the way," said the servant.
"Bayal, does your only task have anything to do with this path?" Qiyana asked.
"No, my Yunalai. But ... what if someone finds the village?"
"Ah, don"t worry. I"m sure the new mayor will defend you," Qiyana said.
***
The next morning Qiyana woke up in Ixaocan to the sound of sobs and weeping.
"Outsiders. They found Tikras!"
Her sister"s cry came from the corridor outside her room. Qiyana put on her robe and opened the door to find Mara, crying in Bayal"s arms.
"Mara. What happened ?!" Qiyana asked, struggling to look worried.
Her sister turned to her, her face shaking and red, covered with fresh scratches from the jungle escape.
"The miners ... They broke into the village. Half the people are dead. The other half are hiding. I can barely escape ..."
Qiyana hugged her sister, suppressing the smile over her shoulder.
"Do you understand now? I was just worried about you," Qiyana said. "Being a mayor is a dangerous responsibility."
"I should have listened. You ... you would have crushed the old people," Mara lamented.
"Yes. I really would have," Qiyana replied. She smiled as she thought of the miners and mercenaries who plundered the village, how easily she would kill them, and how the surviving elders would creep in thanks to her when they came to the same conclusion that she was reaching her sister now.
"You should be the mayor of Tikras," said Mara.
I should ..., Qiyana thought. I deserve.
.....
leave a comment please!
send stones of power !!!!!
send presents too!
If you don"t give it a grade, it discourages me a lot.
rate the work to keep me motivated!
...