In Lost Dreams the Four Were Bound

24 - ERROR - The Mumbling of Worms II

[Be empty, be free.] The words echoed in Thaimi's head as she sat with her back against the wall of the elders' hut. Across from her was the venerable, old talvuo who made up the council that presided over the village. Ever since her night with the dark-skinned Delvori, she had been pained by visions and hallucinations. But the more she gave in, the brighter the world seemed to be. She felt thinner and lighter, faster and cleaner.

At first, Thaimi felt disgusted with how she had been seemingly violated and abused. The things she allowed the Delvori man to do were unbeknownst to her, but her virgin frame was defiled when she awoke the next day. But the other nectar maidens soothed away her worry. They told her how happy they had come to be and how much better things would get in time.

"Vivahr Nerin, we are not comfortable with making such a display of Hyun's legacy at the ceremony. Her mark touched all who hold the term 'Hyunisti' dear. Our namesake cannot be ignored," Thelais, the eldest of the council leaders, said. Her frail hand shook as she motioned across the room from her pillowed seat. Crossed-legged, she shook her head, pointing to the artifacts that Nerin had presented. "These journals and mementos are sacred to our people."

"With all due respect, my gracious elders, this ceremony means no disrespect to you and your founder, but is meant to cleanse us of the shackles of the past," Nerin said. "The burning of these articles is to represent the cleansing of your most humble matriarch's worries and grief. Through this journal, it is evident that she suffered many woes from the burden carried by her people. I wish only to put her spirit at ease."

Looking at the silk-clad rogue, Thaimi felt overcome with mixed emotions. Through the aid of her sister maidens, she knew that though the path she took was hard, one so young and inexperienced was more apt to find love and lust confusing and terrifying. But her disgust was dissipating. With every word, she saw the light burning through the darkness of her lord's skin. She thought it should feel strange, frightening, but her sisters and the voices hollowed out her apprehension.

[Be empty, be free.]

"I know better than anyone how Hyun was troubled," their record keeper said from beside her glowing lord. She was voluptuous, with skin the color of the distant sands as the sun turned the sky yellow and crimson. Her hair was spun like woven gold, and her talvuo ears adorned unlike any others in the village, covered with gilded ruby hairs. With amethystine eyes, she stood in defiance of her lord's wishes. Though her sisters bemoaned suspicion of the enigmatic talvuo, Thaimi could not help but revere Elis Renai, who had lived in the time of Hyun.

"Hyun never forgot the plight of her people, and through her years wished for a peace that she could never see. If she were alive today, she would be overcome with the joy of seeing her people still moving forward. The fact we meet traders from the north and south would bring happiness to her heart, and with how we have kept our air of tolerance, Hyun would pray blessings upon us—"

"Vindal Elis, what is the . . ." Lord Nerin asked, breaking into Elis's speech, a mocking grin on his devilish face.

[Be empty, be free.]

"Be empty, be free, sister," Mais whispered into Thaimi's ear, leaning over her shoulder.

"The point, vivahr Nerin," Elis said. Her words carried a righteous heat that filled Thaimi's heart with admiration, but something deep within gnawed at that feeling. Her heart skipped a beat as she continued to listen. "One thing Hyun prized above all else was us retaining our knowledge and history. To discard them, as our Delvori brother suggests, is an affront to the ideals she held dear, to her hope that her people would never forget the good and the ill that had befallen them. From our strife, we would emerge richer, knowing what paths to tread when the storm clears."