Branches of Time, The (2 page)

“Priestess, can I ask you something?”

“Miril. Call me Miril. There are so few of us left. Perhaps formalities are no longer necessary.”

Lil couldn't hide her astonishment. A distant and inaccessible figure, the priestess had always embodied mystery. Lil had only come close to her during the most important rituals. They said she spent most her life shut up in the Temple. Whenever she left, searching for some plant or mineral, Lil would watch the priestess walk along the paths of the island, alone. Nobody dared say anything to her. The Elders called upon her from time to time to settle disputes they were unable to resolve themselves. The priestess' judgment was always accepted with absolute obedience.

Rather abashed, Lil continued: “M-Miril, I wanted to ask you, if you could tell me, what do you think...what happened?”

Miril studied the girl's black eyes. Lil felt her gaze penetrate deep into her soul. It seemed as if the priestess had only then noticed her presence.

She really is gorgeous
, Miril mused. It was hardly surprising that most of the island had admired this maiden's attributes. Her limbs were perfectly proportioned. Her complexion was dark, her frame petite. The contours of her face were flawless, and her dark hair spilled down over her shoulders in graceful curls.

“I'm sorry, Lil. I don't have an answer yet. I sensed a very strong black magic. I doubt the wizards of Isk are able to manipulate that kind of energy or command the elements so effectively. Yet...I still don't have an explanation.”

Miril felt slightly guilty. There was so much more she could have told Lil, but only she and the priest could know those secrets. Since their people had come to the island two thousand years ago, the priests were responsible for handing down the truth of their past. The Elders, however, told the people only part of what had happened through a few different legends. The truth was too dangerous. They were convinced that ignorance of their own past would protect them, allow them to build their new homes and continue on with their new lives.

But now something had gone terribly wrong.

Did our protections fail? What can I tell her?
Miril wondered, as the girl's questioning eyes peered at her.

“Lil, do you know why our people live on this island?”

“I know that our forefathers came here from far, far away, because the land where they lived before was freezing,” Lil rattled off unceremoniously.

“That part is true. The Northern lands were no longer habitable, so our ancestors traveled over the seas to find a new place to live. When they found this island, they decided to settle down and prosper. What else do you know?”

“Not much. The Elders don't like it when people talk too much about the past. They say it's better to focus on our work.”

“Lil, what you know is the truth. But it's only a part of the truth. The rest is not so easy to explain.”

Behind them, Bashinoir stirred. Miril and Lil went to his side. His forehead was burning. His fever had returned.

The priestess quickly left the room to prepare another infusion. Lil wiped the sweat from her husband's forehead. Upon Miril's return, they woke him up so he could drink. Bashinoir moaned. He tried to speak but was only able to grunt. Miril and Lil continued tending to him until the fever came down once again.

Finally, in the darkest hours of the night, the two women barely had enough strength left to drag the cushions in front of the fire. The priestess didn't want to return to her own quarters and leave the man and woman alone.

“Lil, take these cushions and put them a few feet away from the fire. We can sleep here tonight. Tomorrow we'll try to carry Bashinoir to a more comfortable place.”

Lil did as she was told. Miril headed towards the cushions, carrying a skin. It was the only one left in that room. She gestured for Lil to lie down next to her. Somewhat reluctant, Lil stretched out along the priestess' side. Again, she felt embarrassed, but soon the fatigue accumulated during that long day came over her and she fell asleep.

Miril admired the perfect lines of Lil's face.

How could something like this have happened? She had never felt an energy as strong as the one she had felt that day. There was no question in her mind that the dark influence had come from the Northern lands. So they hadn't stopped looking for them after all. After so many years, the lords of those lands still nourished an insatiable thirst for revenge.

I need to get some sleep. The next few days are going to be very long indeed
. She glanced over at Lil's face once again.
She really is beautiful,
she thought.
 

4

“We can escape from this island,” Anodil said.

“Are you crazy? What's come over you? You know full well that we shouldn't talk about those sorts of things,” Lil retorted.

“Even if we shouldn't talk about them, we still can. Who said we have to stay here forever? We can keep it a secret. I could build a boat for us to sail away. If our people managed to come to this island, then it must be possible to leave it!”

Lil's hand caressed the bark of a tree trunk. Her gaze was lost in the leaves.

“Anodil, I...I wouldn't go with you. This is my home. This is where my parents are, where my brothers, my sisters, my friends live. And...my husband!”

“But you don't love him. Don't lie. You love me!”

“That's not true. I don't love you. I am and I always will be faithful to my husband.”

“Lil, your parents forced that marriage on you. You can't bear to be around him. It's written clearly all over your face, every time I see you two together.”

“I told you that's not true!” Lil interjected, immediately wishing she hadn't raised her voice so much. She looked around, afraid that someone had been listening to their conversation. “Stop it, just stop. I'm leaving!”

She started off but Anodil grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. Lil shook him off violently, losing her own balance and falling against a tree, scraping her elbow.

Anodil came closer to help her but Lil brusquely stepped back, then continued on her away.

“Lil, don't leave. Please!” Anodil implored her. Lil turned around to look at him. Wounds oozing out streams of blood appeared across the boy's face. Lil flinched, horrified. Anodil held a hand out towards her, as if asking for help. A shard of rock pierced through the flesh of his arm.

“We can escape. We can go together. We can get out of here. We can love each other. We can escape...” Anodil repeated, in a macabre singsong, falling to his knees. His skin was already almost entirely covered with blood. A dark stain spread out across his shirt.

Lil wanted to escape, but she couldn't get away from him. As she backed away, she tripped over a root, falling to the ground. Anodil, moving forward on his knees, came towards her.

“We can be together forever, in a marvelous place...”

Lil wanted to scream. She opened her mouth but no sound came from her lips. Anodil's body was almost next to her own. She couldn't move. The arm he held towards her suddenly broke off. His hand and forearm fell at Lil's feet. A heart-wrenching scream exploded inside of her.

“Lil, wake up. It's just a nightmare.”

The girl's eyes flew open, meeting the concerned gaze of the priestess, just a few inches away from her face. She felt her body and face drenched in sweat.

“Lil, it was just a dream. It's alright. We're in the Temple. You're safe.”

Lil looked around her. The flames crackled cheerfully in the hearth. She turned towards her husband and couldn't hold it in any longer: she burst out sobbing. In that moment, the tears she had been trying to hold back all day long, as she strived to match the strength of the priestess and her husband, exploded in a delirium.

“Go ahead and cry, Lil. It'll do you good.”

The young woman couldn't rid her mind of the horrible images from her dream, all muddled up with scenes from the wedding that had been transformed into a bloodbath. Once again she saw the thousands of piercing shards fall from the sky as human beings were transformed into deformed, bloody heaps of flesh.

Miril softly hugged her and Lil started to calm down, now somewhat stunned and ashamed.

“Everything's going to be alright. Don't worry,” Miril whispered softly. “Let's try to get some sleep. The sun will rise in just a few hours, and we have lots of work to do tomorrow.”

Lil laid back down, as did Miril, who pulled her close in a gentle embrace. Lil laid her head on the priestess' chest, who caressed the young woman's hair.

“Things will work out. We'll be just fine. You'll see.”

Lil's eyes were still open. Feeling the priestess' hands upon her made her tense up. After a few minutes, however, fatigue once again got the better of her and she let herself surrender to the embrace, the caresses, and sleep.

5

The morning light came bursting through the Temple windows. When Lil awoke, the first thing she noticed was the fire crackling in the fireplace. She looked around for the other two. Her husband was still asleep. The priestess was gone.

She rose to her feet and headed towards Bashinoir. His bandage had recently been changed; Miril must have already taken care of him. She left the room and headed towards the sacred fire. The heady fragrance of incense hung in the air. The priestess was sitting in front of the flames, meditating.

“Come here, Lil.”

“Pardon me, priestess. I didn't mean to disturb you.”

“I asked you to call me Miril yesterday. Don't you remember?”

“Yes, I'm sorry...Miril.”

“No apologies are necessary,” the priestess replied, smiling.

Yet again, the memories from the previous day washed over her. Lil burst out crying. Miril walked towards her.

“Lil, don't worry. We'll find a solution.”

Miril had been saying the same thing to herself since she had awoken at the first crack of dawn.

Everything will be alright. We're within the Temple walls, after all. Nothing can happen to us here. Whoever did all of this probably can't even sense us. They won't care about a measly three survivors. If they've spent all these years looking for a way to take revenge, then they're probably satisfied now. But what if I'm wrong?

“Miril, I have to worry. They're all dead. All of my family. There are just three of us left on an island that has no contact with the external world. What are we going to do? How are we going to stay alive?”

“I know, Lil. It's not easy. It seems as if the gods have forsaken us. But if this is the destiny they chose for us, we must accept it. This is our trial. Now calm down. Try to relax.”

“My husband still hasn't...woken up!”

“No. I'm afraid he's lost a lot of blood, he's quite weak. Unfortunately, you and I are the only ones who can bury the bodies now.”

“But -”

Lil wasn't at all sure she would be able to handle that. Yet again, yesterday's horror flashed through her mind. How could she bring herself to touch those bloody hunks of flesh, which the nighttime frost had probably already frozen into stiff, ghastly postures?

“I'm frightened, too. But there's nothing else we can do. Those people deserve their funeral rites, and we can't leave their mangled bodies lying outside the Temple, at the mercy of the winds and the wild beasts.”

Help her burn the body of every person she had ever loved in her life. That was what the priestess was now asking her to do. The young woman would never have dared to question the priestess' orders. And now, reluctantly, she acquiesced, muttering in a faint voice: “As you wish.”

Miril smiled at her sweetly. “We'll get to that soon enough. Come with me. I've prepared a lovely infusion for you.”

Somewhat hesitant, the two women moved towards the main door of the Temple. The priestess had changed into work clothes, something Lil had never seen her dressed in before. She offered Lil a change as well. They both moved clumsily, hampered by the weight of the heavy leather garments.

“It is time. May the gods be with us,” Miril said before flinging the heavy wooden doors open.

Awestruck, the two women stared at the scene in front of their eyes. Neither was able to speak. The space in front of the Temple was immaculate, a pure white blanket marred only slightly by the tracks of a few small animals here and there.

“How could...” Lil managed to squeak out.

The priestess didn't reply. She walked down the Temple stairs straight into the snow. The sun shone in the sky and the chilly wind nipped at her skin. Lil stood standing in the doorway, watching Miril.

Moving very carefully, the priestess dug through the snow in several places before finding what she was looking for: a stain of blood in the lower layers. Yes, a body had fallen there, in that spot.

But where is it now?

She looked around, suspicious, as if someone or something was going to jump out from the trees. The forest appeared to be calm. The snowfall had wiped away every trace of horror from the previous day.