Chosen: The Legend of Saqui

BOOK I CHAPTER III

CHAPTER III - SPIRIT OF THE VIDRÜSSE

The vidrüsse was an animal about the size of a raccoon. Its skin was very tough, almost impenetrable. That was its biggest defense against predators. It also possessed amazing healing abilities.

The next morning, she met Inalef and Rimac at the house of Meulen the tribe elder. He brought out a stick.

"First, I want you to think 'Protect'."

She closed her eyes and tried to clear her head, thinking only "Protect". The elder reared back and swung the stick at her leg.

"Ow!" She was not thinking hard enough.

"Again," Meulen commanded.

She thought harder. Again, it was not enough. Many more times, she failed the test. She started getting frustrated. And angry.

The elder swung one more time. Just before the stick hit her leg, her skin turned to rock. The stick shattered.

"Very good. Now, walk toward the door."

She could not move. Her body was one solid rock. She could not even speak.

"Relax just a little bit," he suggested.

As she did, her arm started to move, then her head. She picked up her foot. Very slowly, she began to move. She tried to talk, but all she could muster was inaudible noise.

With more practice, she was able to move as freely with her armor as she could without.

"Very good. Now, let us try something else. Try to protect just your right arm, nothing else."

"I do not think I can."

"You must. Protect only your right arm."

On her first try, she managed to armor her top half.

"Try again."

This time, she armored her right side.

"Again."

On the third attempt, she succeeded. He had her do the same with her left leg, her back, and her head.

"Very good. Now, another attribute of the vidrüsse is the ability to heal itself." He pulled out a knife and sliced her arm.

"Ow! What did you do that for?"

"Now, heal yourself. Make the wound go away."

She closed her eyes and concentrated. Blood continued to flow.

"If this were a battle, you would be dead. Heal yourself!"

She concentrated harder. One of the suns on her back began to glow. The wound slowly began to close.

Once the wound was closed, the elders explained to her that she could not use the powers of more than one spirit at the same time. They worked with her to switch between the vidrüsse and the sixxyk.

As she was learning, Rimac was assembling an army to overthrow Rumi, the man Amaru left behind to rule over Nielol. They would wait until nightfall to sneak into the dwelling, since the Chican had no palace, and overthrow him.

As Cuminao broke the horizon, the assault began. The guards were caught by surprise. The Chican had had enough of their forced rule and would not be denied vengeance.

As they fought, Peyeche used the speed of the sixxyk to make her way to Rumi. She ran circles around him, smacking him around.

"Quit playing, little girl. Stand still."

"Okay."

She stopped right in front of him and used the armor of the vidrüsse. She balled up a fist and hit him square on the jaw. Rumi dropped like a sack of potatoes.

The Chican took great pleasure in throwing Rumi and his soldiers from the city. Then, they bowed to Peyeche and chanted "Saqui". At her feet was Eluney.

"I am sorry I turned you away. I hope one day you can forgive me and give me a second chance."

"You are forgiven, little boy," she told him. "But you had your chance. You blew it."

He understood and walked away.

She would spend one more night with her family. In the morning, she had to leave to learn her next spirit.

As she woke the next morning, Peyeche was sad. She knew it would be a long time before she would see her mother and grandfather, but she had to complete her quest to learn all the spirits to defeat Amaru. She gave them each a big hug and got on her belyr.

She took one last look back at the city she called home and left for Sayarumi, the home of the Tobbi.

Just minutes away from the village, she started feeling a bit homesick.

"Do not worry, Saqui," Rimac told her. "When our quest is complete, you can visit your family any time you wish."

As the village went out of view, Peyeche asked Rimac, "Am I the first Saqui? Have there been any Chosen Ones before me?"

Rimac stopped to think for a minute.

"Yes, there was one prior to you. It was more than two hundred years ago. I believe his name was Honovi. He came from the village of Olujimi, the home of the Wuyi.

"Unlike you, he did not know he was the Chosen One until he was twenty-three years old. The need to know never arose until then."

"And he learned the powers of the Great Spirits, too?" she asked.

"Yes, though he was not rushed to learn them as you are. He took a great deal of time and learned the powers in great detail. He was proficient in all the spirits."

"Are there any great stories about him? Any quests?"

"Alas, no. Shortly after he united the tribes, he was killed."

"How?"

"He was poisoned in his sleep. It was never determined what the poison was that killed him?

"The Wuyi said the Hinun poisoned him with Eurymencium, a very powerful poison. The Patamon said the Tobbi poisoned him with Peristrodeia, a poison with no discernible symptoms. The Chican said the Lefitray poisoned him with Xanthillius, which would kill him instantly.

"In the end, what once united them divided them."

She started to worry. "Do you think something like that could happen to me?"

"No, I do not think so. Especially if we can stop Amaru from using the Quesmi."

Meanwhile, in Olujimi, survivors from the coup in Leyati found Amaru.

"What are you doing here?" Amaru asked them.

"The Hinun have reclaimed their village."

"That is impossible. Where is Guayra?"

"He was killed by the Saqui."

"I beg your pardon. Do you say he was killed by the Chosen One?"

"Yes, my king."

"So, the prophecy is trying to stop me. No matter. Once I have the six Quesmi, I will be invincible. Not even the almighty Saqui will be able to stop me."

A man wearing a cloak and carrying a staff approached Amaru. He was Cunac, a wizard who served the dark prince. He carried with him the Staff of Pillan.

"Sire, we have found the fourth Quesmi," he told Amaru.

"Excellent. Two more and we will rule the six tribes."