Note :: This story was originally written on 31 October 2010. It's another bit of character and world development for Laikhostra, this time centered on Kerai, one of the main characters, and the religious beliefs she ascribes to.
"By the holy waters, by the blood of the land, Great Mother, I offer--"
"Kerai?"
Eyes narrowing in annoyance, I continue with my prayers and do my best to ignore the intruder.
"By the holy waters, by the blood of the land, Great Mother, I offer my blood in Thy service. By the land beneath my feet, by Thy hallowed body, Great Mother, I offer my body in Thy service. By the winds, by the breath of Thy words, Great Mother, I offer my voice in Thy service. By the cleansing fire, by the powers of creation and destruction, Great Mother, I offer my life in Thy service. By the power of love, by Thy sacred spirit, Great Mother, I offer my heart and soul in Thy service. As seen, as unseen, all that I am is because of You, and all that I am is offered to You, willingly and freely. As I was born, as I live, as I will one day return, I am in Thy service, Great Mother. So it is said, so it is, so it shall be."
Pressing my fingers to my lips for a few seconds before stroking them over the eternally warm Soulstone embedded in my chest, I reflect on the mysteries of the Great Mother, mysteries that have been nearly forgotten by the general masses. One of the few memories I still have of my mother and sisters involves praying to the Great Mother on a daily basis, morning and night. Even when I thought I was Chosen by Child, I kept up my prayers to the Great Mother. It's as much a part of me as my name, my lungs, my heart.
At the soft, disgusted sigh from behind me, I finally turn around to face the intruder upon my moments of calm meditation. There's no surprise whatsoever that Jeress is standing in the doorway of my room. Schooling my features to a carefully neutral expression, I study her for a few moments longer. Just when her body starts to twitch at the lack of proper recognition, I speak.
"Did you need something, Jeress?"
"Denna sent me to retrieve you," comes the reply through tightly clenched jaws. "You could have acknowledged me when I first came in, Kerai, so I could give you the message and leave."
Chuckling softly, I shift up to my feet slowly, grateful to have my cane to assist me. "You know full well that I am in meditation to the Great Mother every day at this time. Denna certainly does. You could have written the message and left it for me, as most others do."
"Why do you even bother? The cult of the Great Mother is dead, Kerai, and has been since long before you or I were even born."
Biting back the sharp retort I'd have said in my younger, brasher days, I simply take a deep breath and let it out. "That is your choice to believe such, Jeress, but it is not mine. And now, if you'll excuse me, I will seek out Denna and see what she wanted of me. May the Five Deities bless you, Jeress," I say, walking past her out of the room.
"May the Four Deities bless you as well, Kerai."
This work by A. Sadie Timm is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
No comments:
Post a Comment