Keep Them Dry 4

More? Yes, there is more!

 

The room was still dusky in the early morning light and Ella knew she had some time before the Council of Elders gathered for their daily afternoon meeting. She reached behind her and pulled the large Book of Delic from under the covers. The smell of the book brought back her last moment with Ana, sweet like the reeds and as bitter as the berries. Saying a goodbye, forever, is an indescribable thing; a thing that Ella would struggle with for a long time. She trusted that something higher had taken Ana from her and for a reason that was good and true. It didn’t matter whether or not Ella knew what that reason was. Some things mere mortals don’t get the pleasure of knowing. She settled back against the pillows, knees up with the opened book balanced across her legs, holding the warm cup in her left hand. She turned the first page and began to read.

I am the DelicPetra and I am the first. I have decided that all things should be recorded in a book so that those who follow will be able to refer to my experiences, triumphs and mistakes. The Council of Elders and I have agreed that the best way to use something abstract like history is to learn from it. If we can make these journals into a tradition, then surely our future citizens can stay connected with their ancestors, forever entwining both fates. To allow your past to “speak” to you, even through written words is surely a blessing that we must use to our advantage. So begins the first page in the first book of what will be a grand and prosperous society.

We have come to this barren land in hopes of freedom. There are many of us, and varied are we. Each of us no longer wishes to live by the standards of idle and vengeful gods. We all wish to put our faith in something that is proven to give life. Here we have found the perfect entity, a natural miracle, something no living thing can survive without; water. Here we will create an atmosphere in which what we find sacred can not possibly be taken for granted. Is that not the truest form of worship? To be grateful for what one has? We shall not seek over abundance, we shall not wish for more than what we have. We have decided to keep the most basic and natural of gods in our hearts as well, for a group without faith is a group without soul. We give thanks to Tinali, of the moon and Tansik, of the sun. We praise the sand, the animals, fire and wind. Of course, we hold sacred the very thing that makes any kind of faith necessary; the human soul. There is nothing greater, nothing more true and pure. And the soul we hold equal with our precious water. It is our belief upon coming to this dry desert that we can begin anew, with pure hopes and untainted love. We are in control of our own destinies and yet we hold fate close to our hearts. We are thankful for the simple and clean. We shall be free here, as will our children and theirs, and so on.

DelicPetra

 

Ella realized that she had been thinking of Ana. It was odd that her friend, who she was trying to avoid thinking about just yet would appear in Ella’s thoughts so nonchalantly, sneaking in to speak to Ella in the form of a muted memory. Ella wondered how often she had thought of Ana this way, her face floating by or a little bubble of Ana’s words bumping into the walls of her head.

“Perhaps I took Ana for granted.” Ella said aloud. She scrunched up her eyes, unwilling to cry. She knew that if she held the book beneath her face and continued reading, the tears would stop. She knew she could never risk a tear ruining the lovely purple ink and spoiling the prose of her ancient sister delics. She sniffled once to clear the tears and threw herself back into her reading.

 

We have updated our information regarding the choosing of a delic. Although we are still debating when and how exactly a delic will be chosen, we have agreed upon some basic guidelines. It took some time to finally reach these decisions, as some of them are slightly controversial. First, the Council of Elders and I have agreed that delics will always be females. We came to this decision because we believe that all though all humans are capable of spiritual awareness and wise leadership, women are more in tune with our selected sacred element. We can see this in the reproductive nature of females. A woman, carrying child, surrounds the baby with a protective blanket of water, which holds and nurtures the being until the time of birth. When not pregnant, a woman’s blood is pulled by the moon. The moon also controls the tides in the great ocean. And when a woman can no longer create life, her blood dries up and she no longer runs in monthly waves like her sister ocean. In our eyes, the blood of a woman is like the water of Mother Earth.Farren peeked around the corner of his master’s bedroom quietly. He had finished the roof, but it had taken him all of last night and a good part of the present day. He wanted to make sure Malice was asleep before he snuck off to the town again. He was famished, and like it or not, he would have to go into Charstey to get food.

These revelations have brought us to adopt the following rules regarding the age of a delic.

1) In order to become a delic, the women in question must have felt the pull of the moon for at least twelve moon cycles. If she has not begun her menstruation, she may not yet be considered for the position of delic.

2) When the chosen delic has ceased feeling the moon’s pull, she will cease to be delic. She may stay on as an advisor and mentor to the newly selected delic, but three moon cycles after she has stopped bleeding, she will resign her post.

So here, at least, we have a beginning and an end to the leadership of a delic. It has also been decided that although a delic will take on heavy responsibilities as far as guiding the village’s spiritual paths and keeping the sacred well blessed and safe, she will not be solely responsible for the village’s well-being. The village will be run by a combination of the delic, the Council of Elders, and the townspeople themselves. Also, any retired delic is free to commission themselves for a place on the Council of Elders. I feel that we are making excellent progress in setting up our system of government. This will not be a dictatorship, but neither shall it be an anarchy. I have good reason to believe that this will be a peaceful and productive place to live.

DelicPetra

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“Farren! Good day to you, pitiful creature.” Malice shouted loudly, noticing Farren’s gray eyes peeping into the gloomy room.

“Good afternoon, master. I was just making sure you had all you needed before I went to get some things for myself.” Farren said, head hung low.

“Not so fast, boy, not so fast. I want to talk to you for a bit.” Malice sat up, causing the body of the delic to slump halfway over the bed. “Damn the wretched shells of human beings. They seem like so much fun in the night, but the next morning they’re still here, dead weight taking up your bed space.” Malice burst out laughing. “Dead weight, Farren, hah! Get it? God, I kill myself.” Malice sniffed and sighed, rubbing his eyes.

He scanned Farren up and down with those haunting eyes and Farren shivered in spite of himself. He looked at the delic’s body, slumped over the bed and felt the bile rise in his throat. Her once lovely pale hair had been tainted a vulgar pink by her own blood. Her lips formed a blue “O”, tongue hanging out of one side. He could see that several of her teeth were missing. He shuddered to think what Malice had done to the proud and gentle woman. He realized how he must look to Malice at this moment and straightened up, blinking away the grisly thoughts of what must have happened in the long night.

“What do you need, sir?” he asked Malice quietly.

“I believe, going on my experience with this woman last night, that this town will be a bit more exciting than the others. Don’t get me wrong, my boy, I did my research before coming here, and taking out this little delic tart was the best way to start. A town without a leader will fall more quickly. Hah!, but I don’t have to tell you about that, do I Farren? Regardless, she was strong and not the least bit afraid of me. It was flat out bizarre, I tell you. Bizarre. If the leader is so strong, perhaps the people will be as well. There is only one way to find out what we are really up against here, boy, and that is you going into that town and making nice with the beastly human herd. Surely they will be replacing this delicious delic with a new one.

“I’m sure they will master, but you already have a plan. Why not just stay the course with that one and not worry about the townspeople. When have we ever run into a town that doesn’t comply with your demands immediately after you begin to dangle their most desired want over their heads? Why should this place be any different?” Farren tried to sound convincing, but even while saying it, he knew that this place was indeed different than the others.

Malice eyed him suspiciously and then yawned, sharp teeth jutting out like a tiger’s fangs. “Success in the past is no reason not to prepare for the future, stupid. Get to know the new delic if you can and starting next week, we will begin our little “water for blood” trade. Despite my concerns, I believe we will still come out victorious. Go away now, I want to sleep, and your pathetic presence is irritating.”

“Yes, master.” Farren nodded obediently.

“Oh, and Farren, get rid of this trash before you go.” ordered Malice, kicking the delic fully off the bed, causing her to thud on the floor gracelessly.

 

Ella stopped reading and contemplated the writing. She had been correct in her theory, at least as far as understanding what a delic ought to. Water and the soul are equal and interchangeable in the world of Charstey. She let the pride dance in her heart for a moment and then put it to rest. Too much pride is the gluttony of any soul; too little is the starvation. She remembered Ana telling her that long ago, after Ella had told her of winning her school’s “quick calculations” competition. She had strutted for days, bragging to all of her school friends and townspeople alike. Ana nipped that in the bud quickly, though, and thankfully so, or Ella might not have had any friends left. Ella awoke the next morning, sore from fighting terrors in her sleep. She had never had such a restless night, but she knew somehow it would not be her last. There was a tray on the bedside table with coffee and sweet cakes on it. She sat up, slowly and stiffly, grabbing the mug with both hands and taking thin sips. The coffee drenched the pain in her belly with warm sweetness, comforting her and chasing the sleep from her eyes. She tried not to think about Ana. She knew eventually she would be able to, but for now, the pain was fresh and raw, and Ella wasn’t ready to deal with dealing yet. She thought about going back to sleep, to escape the reality of her best friend gone, and then thought better of it, remembering the horrid dreams of blood and death. She wondered if anyone else knew that Ana would not be returning and figured they probably didn’t. She would have to go to the Council of Elders today and speak to them earnestly. She had always looked forward to the delic training and realized now that all she had to guide her in her new life was six books and the bits and pieces Ana had revealed to her in their casual chats. It would have to do, and she would do her best. The people needed her, now that Ana was gone. The thought of people needing her scared Ella. She doubted that, at this point, she had the maturity and life experience to keep a village calm, balanced and in tune with their sacred element. Still, she realized that with or without doubt, this was her place now and Ana had chosen her with confidence. That had to mean something.