The Waters of Destiny ( English Version of " Les eaux du Destin"

Chapter 28: Iknimaya

Hi! Here's the next part of the story with Sarya's Iknimaya. Feel free to vote if you liked it or to comment.

Sarya's viewpoint

No sooner had Linta finished taking us to the Kelutral of the Aranahe, than she headed back into the forest. Etuwa, who was with Nefika not far from the Kelutral, was informed of the situation and of the struggle of the Night Archers against the Sky People, and that this may have saved E'etu from an unfortunate situation. Unfortunately, Zomey's death was also communicated, which didn't help Etuwa's condition. Her fiery look was a bad sign. E'etu took his leave, still not over the death of his flying friend, leaving us alone.

Nefika: When your mother took that look, it always ended badly.

Reassuring. And this was confirmed when Etuwa asked me to link up with the Kinglor queen, to find out what was tormenting her and her swarm.

Nefika: It's dangerous. We could be banished for this.

Etuwa: The night archers fight against the Sky People to preserve life. I'm sure the sawtute are responsible for the kinglors' unhappiness. But we have to be sure.

Nefika: In that case, we'll have to be quick and discreet. The Shrine of the Tree of Voices to the east, near the Ark, will be the ideal place for this.

So my teacher asked me to fetch some sweet cave hive nectar, which would be a remedy for the kinglor queen's sting. As I explored the caves, I couldn't help thinking about my encounter with the Night Archers, in particular Tsany and Linta. The former seemed to know a lot, judging by the sympathetic looks she was giving me. What did she know about my People? As for the third, I was surprised to see such a young Palulukan Makto with such a wild spirit. It seemed that she and Tsany weren't related for nothing. Nevertheless, I still had no clue about this Tsikey. Perhaps I should wait a little longer. So, I explored the cave, wading through the water as the drops from the stalagmites touching the ground disturbed the calm. I could also see mushrooms glistening, as well as other vegetation, giving a certain beauty and lighting my way. So I moved on, discovering more of Pandora's beauty. Following Nefika's description and what I knew of TAP, I was on the lookout for any hives. So I observed the walls, hoping to see one. Finally, I found one, where I could recognize the wasps circling around it. Nervous, I approached calmly. Holding out my hand, I could feel my heart beating wildly, showing my nervousness. Slowly, I approached and closed my grip on the smallest possible piece of the hive, easily detachable from what seemed to me. I could see the nectar guardians starting to stir at my movement. Realizing that time was of the essence, I closed my grip and took a long pull. With sufficient strength, I managed to extract it with a quick yank and hurried off, while the wasps agitated themselves aggressively. Fortunately, the brightness of the underground guided me towards the exit and I made it, even though the wasps continued to pursue me, as if enraged. How was I going to get out?

Later,

I grimaced as Etuwa nursed me back to health.

Nefika: Well, my pupil, I think we can say that you've learned that haste is bad advice.

Me: Yes, you could say that. At least I've got the nectar, though.

So I took it out of my satchel. The young Tsahik took the food preciously and began to prepare the remedy. I watched her nervously. Knowing what was going to happen next.

Nefika: Don't worry, my pupil. Everything will be fine.

Me, nervous: Does it hurt?

Nefika: Well...let's just say, slightly.