8 Years ago
"Truzari." A woman in a burgundy kimono cape and a long tan flowing dress that slowly followed behind her like an ethereal after image, whispered.
"Nnnhh." Truzari grumbled from underneath the covers, draped over his face.
She gently sat down, rattling the jewels and rubies around her neck that was required of her to wear, on the edge of his bed and caressed the covers and sheets from his face. "Come on, now. The sun has been up for hours now and the birds have started to hum. They were singing when the sun came up but you were still sleeping."
Truzari pinched his eyes closed tight. "I don't want to get up. I don't want another lesson. I can never tell what she means. It's for someone else not me. I don't know how to read the words, mother."
She could hear Truzari's voice crack and feel his hopelessness. "My son."
Carausi peaked from the edge of the door frame at his dejected brother. "Is he up? Our master is growing impatient. I told her that he was feeling dizzy and would be out shortly, but that was two hours ago." His tone wasn't one of complaint. In fact Truzari had never heard his younger brother let out a whine let alone a cry of complaint or refusal. He was perfectly content to do as he was told, yet it wasn't content but unfeeling and complete malleability. To be what was needed in every given situation and he envied him for it. He excelled as a true talent. There wasn't anything he couldn't do.
His mother waved her hand softly towards him. "Run along back, Caru. Your brother and I are right behind you."
"Okay mother." He turned and slowly slid from the door.
Truzari laid curled up against his chest, eyes closed. His mother caressed his head down to his chin, turning it towards her. "Come on."
"No I don't want to." He knew what she wanted.
"Open up." Her voice was caring and not forceful or demanding. "Let me see you."
He unclenches his eye lids and let them slowly widen. His eyes were white as the marble in the throne palladium that he could always find his father in though he had no idea. "But I cant see you."
She placed her other hand on his cheek. "Can you feel me, Truzari?" Though they were crystal white she could see the tranquility fill his eyes. She could see his thoughts through his eyes.
"Of course." Her hands were gentle and warm. "They are warm and peaceful."
"When I look at my hands I don't see any of that. They are just a thing attached to my wrists. You can feel them in a way that I could never. Just like when I look into your eyes I can see what you can't. You need to touch me to feel me and I need to look into your eyes to see what you're feeling." She placed her hand on his back and raised him up. "Come on lets get you to your lesson."
Truzari was led to the temple where Carausi and his master waited. He panicked as he felt his mothers guiding hands leave him. He tried to find her again with his outstretched hand.
Carausi jumped up and slipped towards his brother grabbing his hand. "This way brother."
His mother nodded towards Behitha. "Thank you for your service."
"Ghigau." She bowed her head and waited for her to leave the room. "Let go of him!" Carausi let go of his brothers hand. Truzari raised his arms slowly feeling for something to grab onto, finding nothing.
"Master Behitha, please. There's nothing." He dropped to his knees. The training room was made of wood and surrounded by stone columns.
He could hear the floor boards creak as Behitha stood up in a flurry. "How many times have I told you. You have four other senses. Stop focusing on your one weakness."
When she jumped in the air he could feel the wood bend and snap back. He could hear the quick whooshing sound as she Glowed a large red scythe. Feeling her kick off he rolled to the side before she could slice at him. "See! You can see what you need to see. Not with your eyes but with the soles of your feet. With your ears." After Behitha pulled the scythe out of the plank of wood forcefully he winced. "Now go over to where I kicked off from."
He did as he was told and with deft precision he found the place in the large room and kneeled over a pillow and Carausi took a seat on the pillow next to him.
Truzari and Carausi finished their lesson and found their mother in her study. She was very studious and enjoyed reading the histories of Croqowei. She had come to their country on land as she said after being betrothed to their father. She hadn't grown up there so she felt it her duty to learn as much as she could about the land dwellers when she became the matriarch.
Carausi led his brother into the room and upon seeing them she smiled, relieved. "My boys."
Truzari let go of his brothers arm and whisked across the room to his mother making her let go of the book she was holding. "I'm so hungry. Can we go on a walk and have a picnic in the garden?"
She looked over to his brother. "How was your lesson?"
"Behitha has no patience for brothers condition." He looked at his older brother and Truzari felt something strange like encouragement.
"You mustn't cower when she asks you to do something. Just try your best." His mother said reassuringly.
"I do. She won't believe me when I tell her that I can't use Glow."
"He's not even trying." Carausi said under his breath.
"I am. I can't see what she's telling me to do."
"It's not about seeing. It's about feeling."
"I can't feel what you feel."
"That's enough boys." She looked at one of her attendants. "Can you make us a small meal and meet us in the garden."
"Of course, Ghigau. We'll get right to it." She clapped her hands and the other girls that were sitting around reading and dusting the library snapped to attention.
They set off into the garden. Truzari was clutched tightly to his mothers arm and Carausi trailed closely behind.
"Oh these must be the orchids." Truzari exclaimed as they passed into the field of blossoming flowers.
His mother reached down and tussled his head. "Your sense of smell is as keen as ever."
"I can tell because some of them are foul and some are pleasant enough, but when they're together they give off a unique scent." He looked up at her, his marble eyes glowing up at her.
"Is that right?" She spun her head to Carausi. "How are your lessons, Caru?"
He looked out to the fields of flowers and murmured painfully. "Beautiful."
"What was that?" His mother craned.
"My lessons are going well. Behitha says she is running out of things to teach me. Today she said she might send me to the Peace Corps early for more advanced techniques."
"That's amazing." She said gently. She reached her hand back and he took it. She pulled him in nearer to her side. "We'll be so sad to see you go. Won't we Truzari?"
Truzari let his head fall. "Yes. If you go Caru, then who will help me. It will just be me and mom, and Behitha will have no one to lift her moods during our lessons. I imagine she'll be even harder on me."
His mother looked down at him. She could tell how much this troubled him. He clenched the dregs of her kimono tighter. Before she could say a word she was beat by Carausi.
"I know you're scared brother but you can do it. I know you can." His voice was shaky, but determined. "You can do it. You have to. One day you will lead the Siwa Tribe like father. You have to be strong."
Truzari was becoming morose at the prospect of having so many people look at him and ask him questions. He never liked having any attention focused on him. He couldn't see them but when he walked through the halls he could feel their disapproval. It would have been fine if he had been born second, but no, he was the eldest son to the leader of the Siwa Tribe. Carausi was the better son. He was the son that should have been the next in line, but he wasn't. It was him the, blind and lame, the useless son. The son that couldn't even manifest the slightest sparks of Glow.
He had been scolded many times by his teacher for it. Feel it in his hands, she would say. Like this, no like this she said. Rapping him on the arm, the head, on his butt. Berating him, useless this and worthless this. The unworthy son. He was unworthy for what awaited him. She drilled this into him if not anything else. Not that he needed it. In the corners of Croqowei and in the vast desert they drank to Truzari the Unworthy, the son that Enol deserved that would bring doom to the Siwa Tribe.
Truzari was distracted as he heard the hurried foot steps behind them. He smelled roasted turkey and tomatoes. He heard the slight scratching of wheat bread crust against the napkin it was wrapped in.
"Ghiggie, Ghiggie." The servant girl called out to them, a basket bouncing up and down against her side. She was young and about the same age as Carausi and Truzari but a head taller as girls grew faster than boys even here. "Where would you like me to set it up."
Their mother slowly raised a gentle hand, pausing the servant girl. "Wait a moment. Truzari would you like to do the honors?"
He pointed out along the horizon from behind his mother. "There." He said surely. "It has a lot of shade and there are no flowers over there just low growing grass."
The servant gasped looking deeply into Truzari's face. "Incredible. I had no clue you could see. Is your vision faint?" She asked.
Truzari closed his eyes and spun away from her. "I can hear the leaves of the trees. There is a loud tussle coming from that way and I can hear the soft tottering of the grass. I don't hear any flowers."
"Amazing, sorry." She realized that she had embarrassed him.
Their mother rested her hand on the girls shoulder slowly and guided her towards the clearing. "Come on boys."
The servant girl pulled a knitted quilt from the basket and laid it out flatly in the grass. It had a large burning red phoenix design in the center. There were light grey swirls of wind traveling around the edges of the creamy white backdrop. Picnic quilts were commonly made by the mother and this one was made with a little help from the other servants. She wasn't from Croqowei and wanted to participate in all of the traditions and this was one of them. The designs weren't vleanly shaped or knitted but the other women told her it wasn't the design but the love in the stitches.
The girl pulled out four deep orange rocks and placed them on the edges so the quilt wouldn't be blown up by the breeze. She sat down and reached for the basket but their mother kneeled down blocking her and grabbed it ahead of her. "Let me please."
The servant started to get up. "I'll go then."
Their mother gently tapped the servants girls knee. "Please stay." The servant took her seat again. Quietly she looked from Carausi and Truzari. She didn't know what to say to them usually she was told she spoke too much. Given tasks that would keep her out of the way and alone.
Their mother pulled the sandwiches from the basket and without looking up she spoke. "I have to admit I don't remember your face." The girl jumped.
"Dyani, my name is Dyani of the Zuni Tribe, Ghig..." She yelped. "Ghigau." She corrected herself realizing what she had called her as she ran up.
"The Zuni?" Their mother rummaged around in her mind for any information she had about the Zuni Tribe. "Zuni, Zuni, ummm Zuni?" She repeated in a sing song voice, puzzled.
"We were apart of the few tribes that stayed loyal to the Siwa and refused to join the in fighting during the long disappearance of Ehecatl."
"Yes!" She said as she began to remember. "The Zuni and Algonquin Tribes were the only two tribes with the few Siwa to reject the Battle Never To Be at Huocachina."
"Ghigau you are so well versed in the histories of Croqowei. There are so many lesser tribes I am truly grateful to be remembered." She bowed her head.
"No need to be so formal. Are you hungry? All living things share an equality in their desire to satiate their hunger. No lesser or greater. That is what we believe where I'm from." She smirked and handed Dyani a sandwich and handed the boys sweet potatoes filled with creamed corn.
Dyani put up her hands kindly rejecting the meal only to have her stomach give out a kurt grumble. Her eyes shied away and she collected the sandwich gently handed to her. "Thank you Ghigau."
"Call me Ghiggie." She smiled. "Tell us about yourself. You're interested in more than making sandwiches and stuffing sweet potatoes." She pulled out another sandwich and laid out a bowl of mixed berries and nuts.
Dyani felt a tad bit uncomfortable but it only lasted a moment despite being formal she wasn't a very shy girl. "I'm not sure if you know it but the children from the Zuni and the Algonquin train with Behitha. I enjoy my training lessons. Behitha speaks highly of your son." She looked at Carausi with a tenge of jealousy.
Truzari squirmed in his seat eyes closed.
"Both of them." Dyani realized her mistake and quickly added.
Truzari pushed his spoon inside of the potato. "It's okay. I know how talented my brother is."
"Young Chief that is not what I meant. I just." She couldn't recuperate. He pulled the spoon out and traced around the potato deftly to her surprise. "How can you do that?"
"Do what?" Truzari continued to trace around the edges of the potato transferring the sliding creamed corn back into the center.
"That!" She exclaimed louder than necessary. "You are blind right? At least I had heard." She mumbled.
He opened his eyes and stared blankly in her direction. His pupils were grey and clouded. They blended into his pearly white iris'. "I am blind, but I can feel the vibrations through the spoon and in my hand. And…"
He stopped but she was interested. "And what?"
"Well it sounds creepy but I can hear really well too. Like the leaves, I can hear it sliding." He closed his eyes again.
"That is.."
"Creepy, I know."
"No that is amazing. How much can you hear? How do you do it?" She jumped onto her knees.
He winced and grabbed his ears, dropping his potato.
"Truzari!" Carausi reached out and caught it. "Sudden sounds are hard on him as well as loud sounds."
Dyani gasped and whispered. "I'm so sorry." Some of the creamed corn spilt on the eye of the Phoenix. She grabbed a napkin and cleaned the creamed corn off of the quilt.
To Be Continued…
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