Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2021 17:42:46 +0400
From: Nell Bas <helledon12@gmail.com>
Subject: the last feres/ the feri war 8

Happy reading!

			       The feri war
				 Chapter 8

'My name is Anya. You used to call me Nana.' She edged closer and sat next
to me on the sofa. 'You were entrusted to me when Amegra brought you to
Mathyel. I nursed you alongside Maya.'

So she was Maya's mom.

'And yours too even if it was just for a while.' She reached up and pushed
my hair off my forehead caringly. 'I raised you until you had to leave
us. You were a quiet child.'

'Too quiet if you ask me,' Grandma Celia said from across the room.

Anya didn't have to tell me a anything more. She had only to think about
it. I was already in her thoughts.

The sky was grim and the air was chillingly cold on Anya's face. She and
all the women of Mathyel were assembled at the bottom of the stairs
waiting. She held a sleeping babe to her chest. It was baby Maya I
realised.

'There was an attacked on the Notwitt Citadel. The Queen has fallen and her
child needs our protection,' grandma Celia said to the assembly.

There were murmurs in the crowd. 'Where is King Joen?' One of the women
asked.

'He is tracking those responsible and he needs our help to care for the
child in the meantime. My daughter is on her way now with the babe. I don't
know how long it will take him but we need to do this for him.'

There were countless agreements in the crowd and grandma Celia nodded her
approval. Then she turned facing the gate. 'They're here.'

All eyes were on Amegra as the doors closed behind her. The wispy breeze
and the sound of her boots hitting concrete were the only noise that could
be heard as she ascended the stairs.

'Mother. My sister Rosalia. She's dead!'

Grandma Celia took Amegra in her arms and hugged her. 'I know, larkin. I
know what she meant to you. I know what they all meant to you. You
delivered them their stones. That's all you could have done for them.'

Amegra cried. 'Joen should have heeded the warning but...'

'But he thought he could prevent the prophecy. I know larkin. He wouldn't
be the Feres King if he didn't try to save his circle.'

'Let's see the little prince,' Grandma Celia said.

Amegra untied the knot from the bundle she had on her back and carefully
retrieved the baby.  'There maybe something wrong with him. He hasn't cry
once since he appeared in my arms. That's not normal, is it?'

'No it's not. All babes cry when they are hungry or uncomfortable. Here,
give him to me.'

Grandma Celia took the baby in her arms. All the women Huddled around
her. She freed me from the cloth and exposed me to the chilling air. Still
he didn't cry.

'His eyes are wide open and his mouth is dry. He must be hungry,' the woman
they called Mother Greta said.

'Anya. You're the only nursing mother here. Will you feed him?' Grandma
Celia asked.

'Yes. I will be his wet-nurse for as long as I'm needed.' Anya hand over
her sleeping baby to another woman before extending her arms to receive the
prince.

Without a word she turned to leave. A few women followed her.

In her quarters, she sat in an armchair and untucked a heavy breast from
her robe. Immediately, the baby latched on to it and started suckling as my
life depended on it.

The women watched and made comments from his looks to his weirdness. But by
the time he fell asleep, they were gone. Anya carried and placed him in the
crib next to a sleeping Maya. 'Don't listen to them, larka. As long as you
have me, I will protect you.'

The memory suddenly became hazy and I realised it has shifted to
another. Clanging noises preceded the scene before it unfolds. Like a dozen
women, Anya sat behind a bulky wooden contraption. I realized it was a
handloom weaving machine when I noticed the threads working their way
around the wooden structure to the forming cloth at the end. They were
making fabrics out of what I didn't know.

My focus turned to the two youngsters about 4 years old that stood by
Anya. She was busy working but one of the boys was tugging her
robe. 'Nana. We want to play...,' he said. By the looks of him, he must be
Maya. The other stood quietly by his side.

Anya huffed. 'Ok. You can go outside and play but make sure...' They didn't
wait for her to finish when they bolted from the room shouting as they
went.

'You know that means trouble, right?' One of the other women said laughing.

Anya laughed too. 'Don't remind me.' She went back to work until someone
shouted from outside followed by kids laughter.

'Anya! Anya!'

'What now,' Anya said rushing out to yet another courtyard. This one was
littered with three dozen circular basins with different coloured waters
were women were dyeing cloths.

The working women had stopped to laugh at their sister running after the
two boys with a stick around the dyeing basins.

Anya laughed as the children rushed towards her. They looked like two
little red devils soaked head to toe in red dye. They hid behind Anya who
now was facing the woman chasing the boys.

'What have they've done, now?' Anya asked.

'You can see for yourself. They almost ruin a good fabric while frolicking
in the dye pot.' Anya sniggered. 'It's not funny sister. This is not the
first time, and quite frankly I had enough of these two little nymphs.'

'They're being children. What will you have me do? 'Anya said.

The woman pointed a dyed finger at Anya and yelled angrily. 'You're too
soft on them. Their mischievous behaviours are getting out of hand. They
should be punished accordingly so they won't think of doing it again.'

'Don't worry, sister. I'll see to it,' Anya said. She grabbed the
children's by the arms and half dragged them to her quarters.

They didn't protest as they went.

'Good riddance,' the woman muttered before yelling at the rest of her
sisters, 'get back to work.'

Unoffended, they sniggered and went back to work.

'What did I tell you two about disturbing Millie and the sisters.'
Squatting in front of the children, she put on a stern face.

Solemn, the boys gazed at her with puppy eyes. 'We'll listen to you Nana,'
Maya said.

Anya turned to the quiet boy. 'And you?'

'I'll listen to you too, Nana.'

Anya's stern face fell and her smile cropped up. 'You two will be the death
of me.' She sighed. 'Now get rid of those clothes and hop in the tub. Come
on.'

Naked the boys got in the tub. Anya took her time rubbing the dye off their
skins. The boys were still quiet. 'Are you going to punish us, Nana?' Maya
asked.

'No, my darling. I'm just glad you didn't drown yourselves in the pot. Now
sit still while I rub you off.'

The prince giggled when Anya rubbed his arm. 'That tickles.' He trashed his
feet splashing water on Maya. Maya retaliated. He splashed water on the
prince and soon a slashing war began. Anya wasn't spared. When she got
splashed the boys ceased their little game, afraid they'll be punished. But
Anya splashed them back and soon they were all giggling and splashing each
other.

The memory shifted again. We were back at the gated courtyard where a man
in blue attire stood with his arms crossed at the chest.

'Greetings, Your Majesty,' grandma Celia said. 'You've come for the boy.'

'Mother Celia, ladies,' he said inclining his head slightly. 'Yes.'

'What will happen to him? Will you be taking care of him yourself? I could
send Anya with you.'

'Thank you, but there's no need. I'm sending the boy away to be raised in
the human realm.'

'But why? He's safe here with us. We can protect him,' Anya said. Then she
realised she spoke out of turn. 'Forgive me, Your Majesty. It wasn't my
intention to be disrespectful.'

'It's fine Anya,' he said addressing her by name, which surprises
Anya. 'The prince is a threat to our enemies. And if he stays here you all
will be in greater danger. Trust me, it's safer this way.'

Joen studied the prince's face, then Anya.

'Don't worry. You'll see him again, I promise. And he'll be needing your
help. Do right by him and he will remember you for what you are.'

The Feres King unfolded his arms and thrust one forward. 'Come, my son. You
have a long journey ahead of you.'

Both Anya and Maya were in tears as they hugged the prince goodbye. And for
the first time, according to Anya memories, the boy cried.

Misty eyed, Anya watched the little prince disappear through the gate. But
she had a smile when I came out of her memories. 'I've missed you,' she
said.

'Me too.'

Maya and Connor re-entered the room with smiles. 'Someone had a naughty
childhood,' Connor teased.

Anya's memories didn't just soothe me but also jogged the happy moments I
had with them. I remembered all the fun Maya and I used to have. Believe
me. They were aplenty.

'Maya!' I said opening my arms to her. She accepted my embrace. 'I've
missed you.'

'Me too Rye,' she said softly.

Wren came and sat beside me. I leaned into him. He kissed my forehead. 'You
were a weird child, atsa.'

'Hey!' I protested, to which everyone laughed.

A pregnant moment passed before grandma Celia broke the silence. 'Well,
that did the trick.'

Everyone looked at her in puzzlement.

'The trip down memory lane. It worked. His Majesty is no longer
projecting.'

Anya, Maya and I spent the whole morning catching up on each other's
lives. They were mostly interested in my life in the human realm. They were
fascinated with human technology. As Anya puts it, they've created their
own magic.

After a quick lunch, Anya and Maya went to work while Devlin through Keene
sat in the cleared space in the living room to practice my psionic
powers. Meanwhile, Wren and Connor took the time to chill o the balcony
outside.

At one point, I couldn't help but hear the conversation they were having.

'I'm so fucking horny cousin. That stupid cock of mine haven't gone down
since your bondmate's luscious dream.'

Wren sniggered. 'I could ask Rye if you want to join us.'

'No. Your bondmate loves you cousin. I don't want to get in the middle of
what you have.'

'It's not a big deal. Rye would understand.'

Connor must be thinking about it because it took him a while to answer. 'I
don't know man.'

Another pregnant minute passed. 'What about Maya? She could be down for
it. Ask her?'

Connor sighed. 'You didn't see it, did you?'

'See what?'

'Her glyph. She's a spadis.'

'Oh!' Wren only said.

So Maya was a spadis. Which means she isn't interested in having a sexual
relationship of any kind.

'Rye, focus on your training. It's imperative you get this right,' Devlin
interrupted my snooping.

I nodded in agreement and went back to the task at hand.

That evening we had dinner in the communal hall of Mathyel. All the
residents were there. My companions and I sat at a table with Grandma
Celia, Anya, Maya and two other women who shared leadership duties
alongside Wren's grandmother.

While grandma Celia, mother Celia as she was known by the others was in
charge of the day to day running of Mathyel, mother Gretel was in charge of
work duties and trading with the outside world.  Mother Gina on the other
hand was the spiritual leader. She was the one preparing my healing ritual.

'Tomorrow, we'll start your healing,' she told me. 'Be read.' I've been
patient enough to the point that I was tired of dwelling on it. So, I ask
nothing. However, She took silence for curiosity because she started
explaining details about the process. To me, it sounded ritualistic. I
wasn't religious.  Although, I know how religious people can get when they
can't convince you of anything. So I nodded and said yes at the appropriate
time to cover my wandering mind.

I never realised until then how green everything in Mathyel was. I didn't
mean in colour, well that too, but more to the point that they had way too
many indoor plants. The walls, the columns, the ceilings, all was covered
with creeping flowering vines as if we were in a fairy court or
something. I have to ask Maya about that later.

Speaking of Maya. She was acting weird. She kept staring candidly at
Keene. And she wasn't the only one. Anya too. I was curious to know
why. Yet another thing I have to ask later.

My eyes turned to Wren and Connor. They were trying very hard to eat their
food but I know they weren't enjoying it. It didn't take a mind reader to
know why. Tonight's menu didn't contain the meat of any kind. As shifters,
this meal was like torture to them. I inwardly smile.

'Is everything aright, Your Majesty?' Mother Celia asked.

I forced a smile. 'Sorry about that. I'm a little bit tired.'

She and Mother Gina smiled apologetically. 'After what you've been through
today. I'm not surprised.'

Wren, Connor and Maya left the communal hall for our little cottage. I
clung to Wren as we went.  And then the craziest thing happened. As we
passed the statue of the naked crying girl, I thought I heard someone
groan.

'What is it?' Wren asked when I missed a step.

'I thought I heard something. It's probably nothing. Let's go.' I said
dismissively. I figured the groan must be in my head otherwise Wren and
Connor would have had noticed, with their superior hearing.

....................

End of chapter 8