Chereads / Through Fear and Darkness in the Highlands / Chapter 2 - A New Journey Begins

Chapter 2 - A New Journey Begins

"Merciful Father, creator of all,

Please, open your arms and receive this soul,

Forgive the sins he might have committed in life,

And guide him back to the afterlife,

Where his ancestors wait for him,

Where they will rest on endless fields,

Until the day they will be born again."

"Selah!"

The old priest finished the funerary prayer, everyone gathered to pay their respects to the deceased Lord before the funerary pyre was lit. It was common practice that warriors and other high-status individuals to be cremated instead of buried. For the occasion, many warriors from the six major clans were present. The sudden passing of the Lord was a surprise to everyone; despite being old the man enjoyed a healthy life and was loved by his people. During his long life, the man gained a number of enemies and rivals, all of them came to express their respects one last time to the enemy they themselves couldn't defeat in battle. They might have been enemies in life but a warrior's sense of honor extended even to his enemies and the boundaries of battle.

Watching dutifully and diligently taking notes for herself, there was the priest's assistant and a priestess herself, a young teenage girl named Nina Valdir. This was her first trip as Field Priestess, as every priest must do to advance to the next rank. Alongside her, the veteran Field Priest Verkan, that has been accompanying her in her journeys for the last few weeks.

This has been her first actual service, and the old man has offered to do it himself, being an old acquaintance of the late Lord, and that he has noticed how nervous she was when after overhearing the girl practicing her lines and messing with the words a little. The funeral of a Clan Lord was not something that happened very often and definitely not the perfect time for a first-timer priestess to debut.

Being a priest was not easy. To qualify, each aspirant has to pass an exam to be accepted as an apprentice. Once accepted, they must study rigorously for the next five years before being given the first rank, Field Priest. Their studies involve how to read and write if the trainee isn't already literate. After that, they are trained on all the church rites, the Sacred Scripts, and first aid. All priests must then complete five one-year-long trips on pagan lands, normally in the company of another more experienced priest or by themselves, to qualify for the next rank in the Church hierarchy. Preaching about the Seven Gods and doing their best to guide and help people in their daily lives.

Each priest must have knowledge about a specific field, but all of them must at least know basic medicine. Although many of them become accomplished doctors after they finish their training, others dedicate themselves to the study of architecture, engineering, history, mathematics, and other sciences. The ultimate purpose of the priest of the church is to guide his herd and increase their quality of life.

Nina couldn't be more thankful that she was assigned to such a caring and understanding mentor. Among all the priests, Verkan was a living legend. He has completed fifty-two trips on the Highlands, more than twice than any other priest. He is beloved by the people and the services he provides are greatly appreciated, even by the proud and stubborn warrior caste, which are not particularly known for their humility.

Despite having been born among them, Nina knew little about her own people. The girl was raised in seclusion, in the heart of the respected Valdir household, outside the clan territories. Although she had grown hearing stories and read everything that was available about the custom and traditions; there was still a lot that was unknown to her. Being the passionate student of the history that she was, she hoped to be able to witness and learn the way of life of the people during her trips on the Highlands, and write down everything she could about the history of her own people, a subject that until now seemed to have very little attention from historians and scribes.

She wanted to write her own book about the subject, and present it to the Head Priest as her thesis for the next rank in the hierarchy. Nina dreamed about one day earning a place in one of the Empire's universities, to teach future students about the way of life of the Clans. Or maybe, she would wander the highlands just like old Verkan has done for the last fifty years, and teach the highland people who were mostly illiterate. They were her people after all.

Nina watched her mentor and friend in awe, as he performed the ceremony. Who knows how many times he has done these rites before? She felt a profound admiration towards the old priest, a patient and serene man with vast knowledge and experience. The people also respected him deeply. He knew these proud and stubborn people would not change their old ways overnight, but the new religion was spreading fast among pagan lands. He was actually performing an old pagan funerary ritual, instead of those mandated by the Church, but he knew the late Lord enough to know that he would have wanted to be sent off to his ancestors the old-fashioned way.

She lifted the urn that contained the incense, allowing the old priest to recite the final prayers. The ceremony lasted longer than expected, as there were many people who wanted to pay their respects before the pyre was lit. Nina left out a sigh of relief and went towards her mentor Verkan to relax and engage in some casual conversation, but the man found himself now overwhelmed by the crowd, who wanted to thank him for the service, including some very important people among them, the Lords and elders from other clans.

Wasting no time, the old priest introduced her to them, many of them already knew about the newest priestess in their lands but this was the first time they met in person. Just fifteen years ago, her parents led the resistance against the imperial invasion and expulsed the Imperial Legions from their lands. Nina felt a little uncomfortable, she wasn't used to social events of any kind, much less of this importance. Besides that, they apparently knew much about her yet she knew nothing about them, but Verkan reminded her that her identity could not remain a secret for so long and that she would have to get used to it.

Being the only daughter of a renowned High Priestess and one of the most formidable warriors the highlands has ever seen was exhausting, to say the least. People were expecting a lot of her and they made a habit of reminding her of that. It was one of the reasons she was raised in seclusion in the first place, her family wanted to relieve her out from some of the pressure on her shoulders and allow her to have a peaceful childhood. Her mother died after her birth, and her father went to fight in faraway lands. So Nina was raised by her mother's numerous extended family, among her cousins, aunts, and grandmothers.

Her bloodline descended from a long line of oracles, clerics, fortunetellers, and priests, who served the people of the highlands for many generations. They enjoyed a high status and were respected by the Lords from the different clans and their people. Although many of them still practiced the old pagan religion, the current matriarch was open-minded enough to allow the family to join the new Church.

She knew that the responsibility of becoming the leading priest would befall on her one day, as Verkan had reached the age of retirement many years ago. But the old man still had strength on him and refused to retire, preferring to serve the people while he still could and would probably do so until his final days. Yet she still had to give a good impression early on, especially to the Clan Lords who were most reluctant to take the Church seriously.

They went to the town center, where a huge banquet has been prepared. There were several tables where hundreds of people would soon gather, all of them eager to taste the most delicious cuisine and delicacies in the country. For the occasion, the Irfis Clan contracted the services of the most famous cooks in the highlands and spared no expenses. They were serving foods worth of a King's court and Nina was delighted to taste it. Meanwhile, Verkan was having small talk with the cook's chief, an old woman named Nana whom he seemed to know. Curiosity got the better of her and she sat in a spot near them, mischievously listening to their conversation. The old woman seemed to know Verkan from a time prior he became a priest. And judging for their choice of words, she apparently was an old flame of his.

Nina let her imagination run wild, her mentor and friend Verkan was extremely reserved on what his personal life was concerned. Hearing him open like that with someone was pure gold. She could only imagine it but apparently, he was quite popular with the ladies. How could he not? Even at old age, his icy blue eyes, white hair, and rugged looks were hardly unpleasant to the eyes. The fact that he was always smiling did not help either, the years were very kind with old Verkan. The old man aged really well.

The woman next to him, however, had seen better days. Nina was assuming that she was at least a decade older than him until she heard otherwise. Nana was a hard-working woman and had many children in her youth; in fact, she ran a successful and very respected cooking enterprise that was the most requested in the Highlands. She contracted the service of several girls; many of them were her great-granddaughters that were working for her, to help her in this endeavor. Nana was from the Lowlands and had no Clan, so they had to be resourceful just to survive. The fact that she came so far was astonishing.

Nina leaned a little closer, not wanting to miss their conversation. To avoid any suspicion, she was facing the opposite side Verkan and Nana were standing, next to each other, but she kept peeking at them looking at their reflexes in a nearby glass window.

-"Well, well, what a nice surprise" Verkan said, breaking the awkward silence.

-"I wish I could say the same about you" replied the old woman, with a bit of anger.

-"It's nice to see you too Nana" Verkan replied back.

-"What do you want now?" was Nana's cold response.

-"To talk with an old friend... if you are willing to of course" said the old man, leaning closer to her.

-"I guess I can't say no this time, I've always had a soft spot for you" replied Nana after letting out a loud sigh, this time with a much calmer tone.

Apparently, they knew each other so well they could talk with absolute comfort despite the sheer hostility that their choice of words could initially tell.

-"Don't take it personally, I have to be stern with everyone, you know how it is" the old woman explained.

-"I know, I know, if you ever get soft with them..." replied Verkan, knowing well what she meant.

-"It wouldn't kill you to be a little nicer though…" he added.

-"I am nice with the people I want Verkan, but those girls need someone to look up to, you know" she replied, moving her head toward the tables her employees were getting ready for the upcoming feast.

-"They are all grown up now" Verkan commented, looking at the girls his old friend signaled.

-"It's amazing how fast they have grown" Nana agreed with him.

-"That one is Lili, isn't she? Verkan signaled toward one of the girls which he seemed to recognize. Nana nodded with her head, smiling in silence.

-"It was not long ago that I helped her mother gave birth, you wouldn't believe it Nana, but she fit in this hand right here, and look at her now" Verkan added, pointing with one of his fingers to his other hand, remembering the time when there was no medic around and he had help the mother deliver the baby. The same baby that was now a beautiful young woman.

-"By the way, how is her mother?" he asked, changing the subject.

-"She is fine; she had a baby boy not long ago" replied Nana, still smiling fondly at the memory of her most recent great-grandson.

-"Another boy? That's some good news" said the old man.

-"He'll probably follow in his father's footsteps and help in the trading company" commented the old woman, referring to her granddaughter's husband, a fairly successful merchant.

-"But I don't see any of the boys around, the girls, however, they do stay to help you" Verkan replied, talking about several of Nana's granddaughters and great-granddaughters that were working in front of them.

-"I don't like to play favorites, but Lili is the one I care about the most" Nana replied back

-"She has grown a lot" the old woman added.

-"Indeed, she looks almost exactly like you, sixty years ago" said the old man, wanting to tease his friend a little bit and trying to get the conversation in another direction.

-"I was quite the looker back in the day, you were not so bad yourself either, even to this day" the old woman teased back.

-"Thank you" Verkan thanked his friend for the flattery.

-"I really hate to admit it, but always wondered why you never looked at me, all the girls in town had a thing for you" Nana asked without a bit of shame, they were getting too old for formalities.

-"I was stupid enough to fall for the only one who didn't" Verkan replied, regretfully reminiscing old times.

-"I still remember what happened, it's a shame really" Nana commented, not wanting to go further into the distressing subject.

-"It's a shame indeed" the old man replied.

Who would have thought it? The old Verkan grieving a lost love. He must have loved that woman so much as to grief her loss for the rest of his life. Nina would have never dared to ask such a thing, neither would have Verkan just tell her about it out of the blue.

It was this kind of things that you only talk about with the closest of friends. Nina felt really bad for eavesdropping into such a private conversation. She felt pity for poor Verkan. Was this the reason why he turned into a priest? It must have hurt him so much.

It has probably been decades since the last time the two friends saw each other. It wasn't good to dwell in the past, she thought, yet, it's ok to let out the things that hurt you, once in a while.

Doesn't it?

-"I can understand why you are so hard to approach Nana, you have to keep all the vultures at bay from your girls" Verkan asked, wishing to change the subject again.

-"I don't want them to go through all I went through" the old woman replied. Changing her previously smiling face into a frown.

-"Nobody wants that for their children" replied the priest.

-"I want them to marry the man they choose, and fall in love and be happy" Nana said, with her eyes locked at her girls.

-"I understand" Verkan replied, he remembered how Nana's parents arranged her marriage to a high-ranking warrior, a lifetime ago.

-"I hated my husband you know, the truth is that I don't miss him" the old woman confessed to her old friend.

Verkan heard her out in silence and let her continue. Now it was her turn to let it all out.

-"I never forgave him for what he did to Argon" said the old lady, remembering a past love that could also never happen.

-"You can't blame him, Nana, that's their way of life" Verkan reminded his friend of the way of the Clans.

-"I know, but poor Argon lost that fight already, he didn't have to kill him" replied Nana, reminiscing her own lost love that couldn't be.

-"A warrior's honor can be difficult to understand" the old man replied. The Priest knew about the quarrel between both suitors, the man who would become Nana's husband and the pretender who won over her heart but lost the fight.

Such was the way of the Clans, warriors would duel to solve almost any problem they couldn't solve talking. They would often fight until one of the parties was satisfied, but sometimes they would fight to the death, especially over the matters of honor and love. Verkan knew the late warrior enough to know that he would have preferred death than to lose the love of his life to his rival.

Other people would consider it an honorable death, and so did he. But he could also understand his poor friend, who was forced to marry her suitor's murderer.

-"Don't get me wrong, I never refused my duties as a wife, I learned to tolerate him through the years but I never loved him" the old woman continued.

-"I do love my children however, I never blamed them for what that bastard did" Nana said a bit agitated. She didn't felt like sharing this much with anyone but at the same time, rare were the chances to be able to open up like this with an old friend.

-"At least he was a good father, he provided well and we never lacked anything" she added.

-"And he gave me five beautiful children, and they had at least a dozen grandchildren themselves" the old woman finished, looking at her grandchildren working in front of them.

-"Quite the numerous family" Verkan replied.

-"Not to mention great-grandchildren" she added.

-"The best thing Imran did for us was dying young, I began cooking for others ever since" Nana continued.

-"There is always a bright side" Verkan commented. His old friend smiled at him again.

-"I started to get requests from so many people that I couldn't handle them alone anymore, some of my children helped me through the years, and later their children too" the old woman reminisced the time when she started her business.

-"They all learned from the best, your food has always been fantastic" the priest interrupted. He was more than eager to try her food again.

-"All my children went different ways and live their own lives now" Nana replied.

-"Although some of them are coming back" replied the old priest.

-"Their help is always welcome, Lili is a bit clumsy, but has a knack for cooking" said the old woman, looking at her great-granddaughter preparing the tables. The girl noticed that both of them were looking at her and smiled fondly and waved in their direction.

-"She has not realized it yet, but she surpassed me long ago" Nana confessed while waving back at her great-granddaughter.

-"I'll make sure that one day she inherits the business when my time comes" she added.

-"Come on Nana, you still have a decade or two ahead until you freed us from your stubbornness" Verkan jokingly teased his old friend.

-"If you say so" replied the old woman.

-"But enough talking about me Verkan, what about you?" Nana asked her old friend.

-"There is not much to tell, just traveling, doing the same things, helping people, you know the rest" replied Verkan without thinking much about it. For the old man, all his commitment and dedication wasn't something so special. For him, it was just his job.

-"You always were good with people, I've always admired that" said the old woman.

-"What can I say? I'm just as stubborn as you are" he replied.

-"And what about that little aide of yours?" asked the old lady, talking about Nina, who she saw helping Verkan during the ceremony.

-"Aide? You won't believe this, but she is a Field Priestess already, her name is Nina" said the priest. His words held a profound respect for the young girl that although inexperienced, had a promising career ahead.

-"Nina? I recall that name" Nana replied, trying to recollect her thoughts.

-"You should" Verkan commented.

-"Don't tell me that's Elia's child!" Nana responded with no small amount of surprise. Verkan smiled and silently nodded his head in approval.

-"Speaking about growing fast..." the old woman added.

-"She might not look like it, but that girl is smart and incredibly talented, she will take my place one day, I'm getting too old for these travels…" Verkan replied, sending a knowing glance at his friend and signaling with his head to the place where Nina was sitting.

-"Come on Verkan, you still have a decade or two ahead until you freed us from your stubbornness" Nana replied.

-"If you say so..." replied the old priest. Echoing his friend's previous response.

They kept talking for a while, but the increasing noise of the preparations made overhearing difficult for Nina. She looked over the tables to see if she could distract herself with something when Verkan touched her shoulder. She froze; the girl was having a blast hearing behind their backs. Verkan being the old learned man he has probably figured it out but instead of calling her out on her misbehavior, he introduced her to his old friend.

Finally, the preparations were done and the tables were ready, just in time as the guests were starting to arrive by the many. The tables were arranged in the center square of the small village, and a captivating smell emerged from one of the houses the cooks were using as kitchen, Nina let her nose feast upon the sweet scent and could only imagine what kind of food could be the source of it.

The attendants led her and the old pair to their tables, Nina sat next to her mentor, while Nana excused herself to oversee everything. Nina felt a sudden admiration for the old woman, watching her bossing around her workers and guests alike. One could think she was kind of rude to everyone, and maybe she was. The Clans, however, respected authority and if there was one single thing they respected more than a Warrior and his sword or a Priest and his faith, it was an old master and her art.

And it was art indeed. When Nina saw the attendants serving the food all she could do was gape in awe like a fish. Among the culinary delicacies that were being served, she could see the meat of exotic animals, dressed in sauces of many flavors, fruits cut in complex shapes and forms, and salads of different varieties and colors. She could only describe it as the banquet worth of a King. More than a cook, old Nana was an artist on her craft.

The Clans were not used to this kind of luxury, however; Verkan explained to her that as wealthier they may be, they led an austere way of life. Each Clan was different from the other, but they all had some form of class divisions.

The Elders formed a small council that chooses a Lord through a series of different Trials. The Elders were usually retired warriors, masters of a specific craft, or oracles from the old religion. The Lord rules over the clan and leads the Warriors that form the military force of a clan. Beneath them are the workers and farmers that are the working force. The people themselves are the collective property of the clan and each clan defends its people from attacks of other clans, clan-less bandits from the lowlands, and raiders from the North.

The Clans evolved through the generations from small family cores towards large organizations of thousands of people. The people pledge allegiance to a clan by giving away something, usually their current or future children in exchange for membership and protection. The children are separated from their families at the age of seven and are trained in the care of clansmen alongside other children. Their training consists of the basic daily routines, customs, indoctrination into Clan culture, and basic fighting skills. It is expected that they become highly competitive and by the time they reach thirteen they can bid for a place among the warriors.

They face several Trials that often involve combat. If the aspirant passes, they become part of the Warrior caste, as atkan, the lowest rank. From there, a warrior must earn each following rank by passing other trials, or by their prowess in battle. If the aspirant doesn't pass, however, they are relegated to the civilian cast as Laborers or Artisans. If the worker is skilled enough or shows proficiency at a certain craft, they can become apprentices of artisans, blacksmiths, or carpenters. But even the civilian cast is in its core, highly military in nature, and everything in their daily life is focused to support the Warrior cast in one way or another. Even the lowest of laborers is expected to have basic combat training.

Each clan has a different kind of relationship between their Warriors and the civilian caste. Some of them are focused almost exclusively on martial prowess and neglect their civilians, who are mostly relegated to be bargaining chips in the struggle for power with the other clans. While in others, the warrior caste sole duty is to protect their civilians, who are the most valuable assets.

Clan Irfis was among the former, although their civilians were treated relatively well, their obsession with martial prowess cost them dearly; their harsh trials resulted in excellent warriors but too few in numbers, as their fanaticism and blind obedience to their code of honor often cost them their lives. Something the late Lord failed to address properly.

Verkan was hoping to help the new Lord to restore the Clan's former glory. He had gathered the Lords from other clans and arranged for them to witness the upcoming Trial of Position to avoid unnecessary bloodshed since Clan Irfis warriors were known for their particularly bloody trials.

The Clans were firm believers of the sanctity of life and were against senseless carnage. They practiced a form of bondage known as "Bondage by Honor", a defeated warrior was forced by his own sense of honor to serve those who defeated him as bondsman for a certain amount of time. If the person who defeated him, the bondholder was satisfied, he would later free the warrior from his bond and allow him to return to his clan without the loss of honor.

Conversely, if the bondholder was a high-ranking warrior, he could adopt the bondsman into his clan, if the defeated warrior so desired. The same applied to the civilian caste. Warriors from other clans would lay claim to resources like cattle, crops, harvested grain, and even entire villages full of people or other territories and fight over them. The defender warriors then would choose a place for the battle to take place and bid forces until both sides were paired. This form of ritualized warfare ensured that the fight was fair and no civilians would be harmed. Surprise attacks, any form of deception, the use of civilians in battle, the senseless slaughtering of warriors and civilians, or a defeated party refusing to abide were frowned upon and considered highly dishonorable.

But at last, one of the many attendants promptly interrupted Verkan's quite lengthy explanation to serve the food. She was served with a rather large slice of meat she was sure she could not fully eat on her own. It was covered with an exotic white sauce and next to it, a very appealing mix of beans of different colors and rice.

Nina didn't waste much time; she had a small bite of the meat and tasted its exquisite flavor. If Nana was to be believed, that girl in charge of the cuisine was truly a worthy successor. She couldn't resist a second bite, but she had to stop herself before a third after Verkan reminded her that they haven't said the prayers yet.

She panicked. Verkan has agreed to make the funerary rituals for her in exchange that she performed the prayers at the banquet. She looked at the guests, and judging at how many were seated on each table, she quickly calculated at least two hundred. Not a very good time to have her debut as Priestess for someone as shy as her.

Nina has practiced this countless times. Is not like she was cripplingly shy or sensitive, but there was a difference between performing the prayers in front of a small group of people, and a staggering two hundred of very, very important people, and she couldn't help but feel intimidated by it. What if she screwed up? What would they think? Still, she felt no small amount of reassurance when Verkan gently touched her shoulder and gave her a look and a smile that said "you can do it".

The young girl put her plate away and took a deep breath. She used a knife to hit a glass coup, making a distinctive blink sound. Yet the sound was drowned by the noise the crowd of people was making. She stood and tried it again, yet only a few people turned their glances at her. She then looked at Verkan who only shrugged. She wondered in a way to get their attention, she tried again to no avail.

She then climbed over the table, immediately silencing the crowd and gathering all the people's attention on herself. She immediately regretted doing that. Why in the world did she climb over the table?

Nina looked at her mentor again, who was trying hard not to laugh at her boldness. The old man was delighted; it's been a while since his apprentice showed such courage. He, however, looked at her straight in the eyes and gave her a reassuring nod. She then faced the crowd.

"Merciful Father, please bless these foods on our table that we receive from your generosity"

"Give us the grace so we can also provide a roof for the poor, food for the hungry, and water for the thirsty"

"You who reign with wisdom and justice"

"Forever and ever"

"Selah!"

The girl almost fell from the table when the crowd replied all in unison the last part of the prayer. The crowd then returned to their business, and the night was again filled with the noises of their talking.

Nina descended from the table and sat on the same spot she was previously. Verkan smiled in approval and she smiled back. She was happy she has just passed the test. The first of many that would come soon. But there would be time to worry about the future, for now, she was going to focus on her delicious dinner.

Nina lost any sign of shyness when she asked for a second plate. Of course, the old man couldn't help but make fun at the young girl's expense, but she didn't mind. She was really having a good time talking with his friend and later with Nana, who joined them after leaving everything at the hands of her employees.

But even now that everyone has finished their meals and were starting to drink, she felt a heaviness in the air she could not describe. Everyone was having a good time and there was joy in the faces of all the guests except for one single man, who was sitting across the same table that Nina and Verkan were. His expression was one of complete seriousness; as if he was waiting for something to happen. She noticed that he had covered his cup with his hand when one of the attendants tried to fill his, to avoid being served a drink. There wouldn't be any drinking for him tonight.

He then turned his eyes towards her, and for a brief moment, they locked eyes. Nina saw in them so much coldness that she has to turn her head away from his piercing gaze.

She turned towards Verkan who had noticed the exchange. The old man saw her young friend with a frightened expression and leaned towards her.

-"That's Nero, the Clan Irfis champion" Verkan said to the young girl.

She was still a little startled, it was the first time someone stared at her with such intensity, but when Nina asked why he was so serious, the old man replied:

-"You would also be if tomorrow was your Trial of Position"

The girl's heart sank in defeat, as she realized that tomorrow would be a long and difficult day.