PART FIFTEEN Cont'd:
A treasure for your trouble:
"Maybe he sleepwalked out of here." Joked Duhan, Bronid's younger brother as he inspected the creaky door in the room that had housed the comatose and embellished stranger.
"Its not funny, you know." Dismissed his brother broodingly. "I mean, he had been immobile for a long while. It is quite impossible for him to have just gotten up and left. Even more strange is the surprising fact, that no one heard nor saw anything."
"It could be that his friends came by to get him." Supplied his jesting brother again. This time however, struggling to look serious for the sake of maintaining peace. "What friends?" Asked Bronid, shaking his head dismally. "Listen", the younger man continued. Seeing that his older brother was still very much disturbed. "Let's give it a few days. Something or someone might come up or show up. You never know. There might be a clue or information as to what might have happened." After observing his brother, who had his head lowered for a few moments. Duhan walked over to the now precariously hanging door.
"Meanwhile, I will just fix this door. It appears broken and loose," he offered. He was a builder by proffession.
"Okay, sounds good to me." Agreed Bronid as he got up from where he sat. The offer acted as a distraction and mood booster. "I will go and check up on father. He was with the boys earlier. I really need his input on some new herbal mixtures." This he explained as he headed for the open door to leave the room. His younger brother had actually come over at the request of their father. Duhan had been enstranged from Bronid for some time now. Ever since he resurfaced from his coven and cult experience with the high priestess, a rift had been brewing. The period he was missing, had caused both mental and emotional strain on his family. That effect was just wearing off between the brothers. The younger brother however, still felt Bronid owed them a detailed explanation of what really happened while he was gone. And better still where he had been. To him, that information and revelation was highly relevant.
"What?!.... What have we got here?!" Exclaimed Duhan, suddenly interrupting his brother's temporary reverie. "What is it?" Asked Bronid absentmindedly. He thought his brother often got excited quite easily. "This is it!" Replied the younger brother even louder, getting just as excited as he was expected to. "Take a look!" He continued, as he held the lop-sided door with one hand while pointing to the area of fascination with the other. He had his eyes trained on an object wedged between the door's hinges and the mud wall. "Little wonder the door was half way falling to the ground." The builder stated with a tone of expertise. "This surely should have been very hard to miss... Huh?" At this point, Bronid had moved away from the door's threshold and headed towards his brother to see for himself what the fuss was all about. Even though admittedly for him, the mood of astonishment had become contagious.
"Take a good look at this. How is that even possible?" The younger brother was still awestruck by whatever it was he was observing. "Such magnificence!"
"Wow!" This was now Bronid, who had finally locked his eye into the object of amazement.
"Such magnificence indeed!" Proclaimed the healer as he simultaneously reached forward to lift a not so small and glittering piece. It was a precious stone, carefully placed between the door and the wall.
The MONITORS (The mark of the saint):
"Cuss me! I can't seem to get past this blazing barricade." Barked the sixth of the main monitors. "She keeps evading my arrows, without even trying."
"Surely you know by now, that is something we have to put up with and deal with." Scolded Heinus with practiced resignation. "She is densely covered and that is what it is. However, there is still a way around." He supplied with a devious air of mischief and intrigue.
"Really. And how will that be accomplished now?" Asked the sixth monitor, with peaked interest.
"In this scenario, send people to her who will act like they have the same interests, stance and persuasion as she does." Heinus paused for dramatic effect. "Then when she gets comfortable around them and lets her guard down, you get them to strike."
"That sounds easy." Muttered the sixth monitor to no one else but himself.
"Works all the time." Added Bivus, who had been listening and now walked over to where the two were. "Hmm...." Was all the monitor managed, as he set to work.
"Interesting", Heinus murmured to himself. "I am still trying to figure out, where and on whom this mark would show up."
"What mark?" Asked Xitus who was intently monitoring some previously manipulated and doctored images.
"The mark on the 'one' who would usher in, or serve as a catalyst for the dreaded ingress of course. You know, as was foreseen and foretold. The one who would be the vessel of expediation for an ingress, would bear a distinct mark. They would usher in the final and seventh destructive occupant of the governing circle. All this to our detriment, might I add. So be sure to remember to staple that to your faculties." Snarled Heinus almost out of smoke from the winded outburst. And who understandably, got exceptional touchy at the subject of their end.
"And how would he 'the one' bear the mark?" Asked the fifth monitor, who had been sitting by and listening with very keen interest.
"There in lies the invaluable question." Heinus quickly submitted as he went ahead to reiterate his point. "We cannot know now, who, what, where or how. The enemy has seen to that. Remember, He moves like the wind. Having no beginning source nor an ending. Implementing strategies in ways that cannot be found out." The head monitor's disgust was obvious.
"So why then do we still attempt and persist with tricks, schemes and plots? If we already know these to be His way of operation and attributes of action." The surbodinate monitor was adamant. Heinus howled convulsively before speaking. "A little naive or a lot stupid are we today, huh? Why do we attempt?! Did you really just ask me that? Well let's see, because he is the 'blazing enemy' that is why!" Heinus was livid and visibly shaking in his rage now. "If our damned fate lies in His annoyingly spotless hands and plans. Then the least we can do is annoy him by interrupting and disrupting the senseless humans."
"But from history's record, things keep moving forward as He had planned anyhow." Supplied Xitus with a defeated sigh.
"Things may be moving forward," interjected Heinus. "But I assure you, it is with less participants for and with Him. And more damned ones like us for and with us." He finished with a celebratory jump and a victorious howl.
"Is that a plus then?" The other monitor still wanted to know.
"It is. If it causes Him any grief, it is." The head monitor was besides himself in indignation.
"So then back to the mark of the chosen 'one', or the signature of the trouble maker as it were." The fifth monitor insisted. "How can we know who to stall, disrupt or kill?"
"By doing what we do best stupid!" Heinus countered again, flustered and smoking. "By watching, observing and monitoring, in a nut shell. Stalking every male within the expected age group. Interrogating and torturing every midwife or healer to find out if they saw any strange marks. with sheer dilligence and relentlessness too. The dots will eventually connect, the lines will be drawn and the foolish mortals will slip-up as always. Or better still willingly give us all the clue and leeway we need, in exchange for power and imagined immortality."
"By these 'cursed flames' they finally got it!!" Bellowed the 'fly-lord' from wherever he was.
Invite, Intrude and conquer:
"Hold it right there," said the market woman to Reinah indicating a spot with her hand. "I want to tie it securely, so it won't fall apart like it always does. I think I am getting too old. But then again I don't expect you to understand." She finished with a playful chuckle. They had been binding plants for the most part of the afternoon. The princess really wanted to leave the now rowdy market arena. She had felt an inner tug to get away from the crowd. But when she got ready to step out, she saw three of the girls from the earlier group by the stream. They were chatting and giggling in front of the woman's stall. So she went back inside, to busy herself with the market woman. Although she had her back turned to them. And they carefully whispered their conversation, Reinah was stll able to hear what they were saying.
"No one really knows where she came from," stated the first girl in the group. "I bet she feels important because she is kind of tall and pretty," put in the second girl. While she discreetly and curiously peered through the shoulders of the other two, who had their backs turned towards the stall.
"Important or not," put in the third girl. "We have to find out where she is going and what she will be doing, when she leaves this place." "You mean follow her home?" Asked the first one.
"I mean follow her to wherever she goes. Something about her bothers me. Or should I say scares me."
"Then follow her we will," finished the second girl. As all three nodded their consent.
The market woman handed Reinah something wrapped in large thick green leaves. It was food for her to eat later that evening. Then she hugged her young helper as she got ready to leave the stall. "Thank you for your help, my little angel. How I wished these loittering around in search for trouble, could learn a thing or two from you." Said the woman, regretfully shaking her head. The princess only nodded as she began to step away from the stall. No sooner had she stepped out, than one of the girls from the chattering group marched up to her.
"Hello Rinoh," she said flashing a stiff and plastic smile. "It is Rinoh isn't it? Or was it Rinah? I completely forgot." The smile widened.
"No not at all," disagreed the princess politely. "My name is actually Reinah."
"Oh...., well I am Slaia. But my friends call me Slai. You can too. And my other friends who are about to join us are Manipa and Envila." And just as well, the aforementioned duo joined them immediately.
"Nice to meet you all," said Reinah with a smile. "But I really have to go now."
"We can walk with you if you don't mind," shot in Manipa eagerly. "We had no plans to go anywhere else. Or did we?" She looked to her counterparts and then quickly back at the princess.
"No, we did not." The other two replied in unison and just as eagerly.
"You are not in a hurry are you?" Pressed Slai for further clarification. "We just want us all to get to know each other more."
"Okay," answered the tired princess. And then instinctively turned back, to look towards the stall. Just in time to see the market woman watching them, with deep sadness etched across her face.
If you can't beat them, then bad-mouth them:
"She finally saw the slave princess. How is that possible? Was she hiding her in her quarters the whole time? And then claimed the girl was missing." Tufad the magistrate's wife spat out her words in disgust. Then she looked behind to make sure there was no one around or approaching where she sat with her companion in the cool shade of the palace's back garden.
"Oh, so the princess has been found." Stated her companion, as that one struggled to stifle the rising feeling of elation and expectation that she felt.
"Found? Was she ever lost?" Countered Tufad's wife angrily. "For all we know, it might have been a ploy to be relevant or noticed. And will you stop calling that girl a princess! She is a slave girl. The descendants of slaves. A group we best keep in their lowly place."
"Do pardon me please," started her companion cautiously now wearing a serious expression. "I really mean not to offend. But are you of noble birth yourself?"
"What kind of a question is that? Is your intent now to insult me? I may not be of noble birth, but I am sure not of such despicable and lowly descent as that invading truant and her people are!"
Tufad's wife was now eyeing her companion with suspicion and disdain, laced with confusion. That one however remained silent and thoughtful. After a few moments of heavy silence, the raving gossip continued with her rant. "So like I was saying, before you shifted the blame to me. Her majesty as you all call her, claimed she saw the princess roaming the courtyard. I mean, who really cares? Such attention seeking tales." She then hissed so loudly, making a gesture that completely distorted her face.
"The king cares. It is his princess afterall you know. And by stature of the queen's position, reputation and contributions to the kingdom and province. She remains relevant. She need not seek anything, she just is." Finished her companion gently but deliberately.
"You know what?" Snapped Tufad's wife at the point of belligerence. "I believe this meeting is over and I may not want to see you again. Are you even my friend? And whose side are you on anyway?" With this final retort, she grabbed her shawl previously drapped on the garden stool on which she was sitting and stalked off. Head held high in a huff and imagined importance.