Post by Fireland on Apr 18, 2013 19:51:02 GMT -5
Chapter I
Sinbad walked to Firouz. They had spent the afternook scouting the ruins. Bryn used her accute sensitivity to locate the others.
‘’How many ?’’ Sinbad asked the scientist.
Firouz turned his face to his captain. ‘’Bryn just found the fifth one,’’ he answered with sadness in his voice.
Sinbad looked down, shaking his head. He felt disgusted by all this. Who could have killed so many innocent children and leave their frail bodies in such a devastated place ?
***
*You’re still thinking about this, aren’t you ?* Dermott asked his sister. Maeve had walked away after finding the first child skeleton. She felt exhausted an needed to compose herself.
She nodded as an answer to her brother’s question.
*I wished I could have been there for you. I should have protected you. I feel I’ve failed you.* Dermott muttered, angry at himself.
*Oh, Dermott … You had been turned into a hawk by then. Don’t be so harsh on yourself. You’ve always been there for me. You still are, as we speak.*
Dermott suddenly screeched and he flew away. Maeve turned a surprised gaze to Sinbad, who now stood beside her. ‘’Are you feeling better ?’’ he asked worriedly. ‘’You were so upset …’’
‘’Don’t worry’’, she answered. ‘’I’m only trying to make some sense out of all this. Who were they, who did this, why …’’
‘’Do you think Isha would know something about this ? She knew about the sanctuary and how it’s been destroyed. Maybe she has all the answers you’re looking for. ’’ He sighed. ‘’Even though we all would prefer never to hear about such atrocities’’.
Maeve nodded. ‘’We have to know. Two deceased spirits came to us, asking for help and telling us where to go. Isha is our only option right now.’’
***
Isha has welcomed them into her house more willingly this time. In fact, looking at their faces, she knew right away that they had found the children, and the grief in their eyes comforted her feeling that the crew were in fact good people. While they had gone to the sanctuary, she had debated with herself wether or not she should help these strangers and tell them the truth. She had found within herself that the gods had sent those people to her for a reason, and that she needed to do something, anything. She wanted to prove as courageous as her mother and aunt when they had defied His Excellency, in order to bring back peace on her beloved island.
Isha offered tea to everyone before sitting on a bench near the firepit. It was dar know, and the crew would settle in her backyard for the night. She started telling them the story they were both eager and afraid to hear.
‘’This sanctuary was actually a beautiful temple with huge gardens where people would offer flowers or fruits to their goddess of nature. She was also prayed for protection when women carried a child or got into labour. My mother and aunt were midwives in the village, as were my grandmother and my great-grandmother. They helped women throughout their pregnancies, but they also, more or less secretly, taught and helped women not to get with child. When His Excellency started ‘purifying’ the island, he went after any woman who had come to see my mother or my aunt, because he thought they were witches ; he perceived the medicines they used to prevent pregnancies as demonic spells. He also believed that any women with child who would ask them for their help or knowledge should give up their childr after birth, for them to be ‘purified’. He thought these children were doomed and might be demons.’’
The crew was astonished. ‘’This man is crazy’’, Doubar muttered. Isha’s eyes now filled with tears : ’’These women, they didn’t know what would happen to their children, nor if they would ever see them again. One night, my mother helped a few of them and their newborn babies to flee the village and to take shelter somewhere the babies would be safe. What better place than this sanctuary, where their protective goddess could provide safety in her home ?’’ Isha sighed heavily before continuing : ‘’ When His Excellency realized the villagers wouldn’t surrender to his orders and give up those children, he went to the sanctuary with a few soldiers, killed everyone except my mother, who would be publicly executed for being a witch and a traitor. They threw the babies into a hole, and burnt down the whole sanctuary as a way of purifying the land they thought was cursed.’’
The crew was horrified by such cruelty.
‘’The man we met this morning, he said this man killed your aunt out of personal revenge…’’ Sinbad said.
‘’Yes. He had no proof Rhea had anything to do with that first betrayal. But my mother, she was there with these women, she was convinced and killed. My aunt stood quiet for a year, but she kept helping women in secret. One day, she helped a young woman who needed help with unwanted offspring. She didn’t know, then, than this girl was his Excellency’s own unmarried daughter. When he discovered her beloved daughter had come to Rhea, and that Rhea had helped her with the matter, he was outraged. I told her to flee, and she did. Unfortunately …’’ Isha wiped the tears off her cheeks. ‘’They found her hiding in the forest, and they killed her.’’
Bryn hugged the poor Isha. ‘’You said my aunt contacted you ?’’ she finally asked.
‘’Not exactly’’, Bryn answered. ‘’We think one of the babies’ spirit first came to us. But we didn’t know who it was, or where it was, until your aunt contacted Maeve to tell her where to look.’’
‘’Little brother, what can we do about this man ?’’ Doubar asked.
‘’I don’t know yet. I’ll come up with a plan. One thing is for sure : he has to pay for all the harm he has done.’’ Sinbad gritted.
Chapter II
The crew had gone to bed, feeling emotionally exhausted by what they had discovered that day. Maeve was afraid to fall asleep, she feared she would have another horrible nightmare, but she couldn’t restrain herself from falling asleep. Reminding herself she wasn’t alone and that whatever she would dream of couldn’t really hurt her while she was sleeping, she allowed herself to take some rest, trying to concentrate only on the soothing sound of Bryn’s soft breathing.
***
When Maeve opened her eyes, she was in the middle of a clearing. It was nighttime, and the full moon shed a bright light around her. She heard steps coming to her. She turned her face to meet whoever or whatever was approaching her. She felt relieved when she saw it was a beautiful, silver deer. Maeve felt the deer wasn’t threatening, and she couldn’t resist stretching her arm to touch her. The deer stared into her eyes.
*I can’t be touched* she said to Maeve. The deer tilted her head, as if acknowledging Maeve did not mean to hurt her. The deer jumped and scampered across the clearing.
*Wait !* Maeve yelled and started running after her.
She abruptly stopped when she saw the hideous monster emerge from the woods and chase the deer. She screamed when he grabbed the deer with his claws and plunged his fangs into her flesh, literally slaughtering the silver animal. Once the deer was killed, the creature growled viciously. It almost sounded like a demonic laughter. He left the clearing, as if he couldn’t see Maeve. The sorceress was shocked. She walked to the beautiful deer’s corpse, crying ; the enchanted creature had been torn apart. Maeve gasped as the deer’s womb started moving. She stared in horror as claws ripped the deer’s body from inside out. Something was crawling its way out of the animal through the open wound on her side. It was a woman. She stood up, her whole body drenched with the deer’s blood, which stuck her hair into her face and back. The woman stared at Maeve and an evil smile appeared on her lips.
*Blood, more and more innocent blood,* the evil woman murmured. *It should have been you, Maeve, it should have been you his Excellency had slaughtered.*
*No !* Maeve screamed.
The evil woman’s body started shifting. Maeve watched in astonishment and horror as the woman morphed into … her. It was herself Maeve saw bathing in the deer’s blood.
*How could you ?* the bloody Maeve asked the sorceress accusingly. *How could you cover yourself with innocent blood ?*
***
Maeve woke up abruptly, panicked, and started crying. Bryn got up from where she was sleeping and knelt by her side. ‘’Maeve, what’s wrong ?’’, the brunette asked her worriedly. ‘’Another of your nightmares ?’’ Maeve didn’t answer. Bryn was startled. Maeve was not one to cry that easily. Even when Sinbad and her they had fought a few weeks ago, she had not cried.The emotion that bursted out of Maeve was violent, it was something Bryn knew was way more profound than a nighttime terror. Whatever she had dreamt about, it appealed to feelings or secrets the redhead had probably been hiding from everybody. Bryn felt helpless. She rubbed Maeve’s back, although she knew it wouldn’t calm her. There was only one thing she could do. Bryn left their tent and ran to Sinbad and Doubar’s. She tiptoed her way into their tent and tried to wake her captain up. He groaned when she shook his shoulder, calling his name.
‘’What is it, Bryn ?’’ he asked when he finally woke up.
‘’It’s Maeve,’’ she whispered.
A frown appeared on his forehead and she could tell he already felt worried about the Celtic sorceress.
‘’She had another nightmare.’’ Bryn whispered. ‘’It seems to have shaken her pretty badly.’’
‘’What happened here is horrible, I think we all feel upset by all this,’’ Sinbad nodded.
‘’You don’t understand,’’ Bryn replied. ‘’There’s a difference between having empathy for others and … waking up at night crying your heart out because of a nightmare. ’I think you should talk to her. Something is not right, I can feel it.’’
‘’What makes you think she will tell me anything ?’’ Sinbad asked the brunette, knowing that Maeve had never really been one to open up about painful issues.
Bryn raised her eyebrow and gave him a *don’t even bother pretending* look. Sinbad flushed as he started thinking Bryn might already know about him and Maeve, although he knew she would never betray their secret. ‘’Just go and talk to her,’’ she insisted.
Sinbad nodded. He got up and glanced at Bryn, thinking the brunette would have to wait outside the tent, in the cold, while he would talk with Maeve. ‘’Help yourself,’’ Sinbad told her, pointing at his bedding. ‘’I don’t want you to wait and not be able to sleep. We better switch tents for the night.’’ Bryn smiled in approval and settled herself for the night.
Sinbad walked to the girls’ tent. He heard Maeve’s soft weeping from outside the tent. ‘’Maeve, can I come in ?’’ he asked softly. She didn’t invite him in, but she didn’t ask him to leave either. He walked in and sat beside the sorceress. She was lying on her side, her arms wrapped around her legs in a protective, almost childlike gesture. He gently brushed her tears off her face.
‘’Bryn was worried about you. And I must say, your pain confuses me, too.’’ he told her softly. ‘’What hurts you so much ?’’
She glared at him. ‘’They were innocent babies.’’
‘’I know, Maeve.’’
He started to believe Bryn was right. Maeve had never reacted that painfully to any other situation. His instinct told him the sorceress was probably confronting personal events from her past. He reached for her hand and fondled it gently, hoping the affectionate gesture would encourage her to open up about her feelings.
‘’Now that we’ve found them, we will find a way to free their souls, we will bury them properly.’’ he promised her.
She started sobbing even more. Sinbad’s heart started throbbing inside his chest. He didn’t know if he would have the courage to ask her what he started to believe had happened to her. The question restlessly repeated itself on the back of his mind ; he had to ask her, as painful as her answer could be. He inhaled deeply and asked her, with his most gentle voice :‘’Maeve … have you ever lost a child ?’’
Heavy, painful silence invaded the tent, soon to be broken by new outbursts of tears, confirming he had found what was torturing the sorceress. He pulled her up in a sitting position and cradled her into his strong arms. He started rocking her gently, one hand stroking her hair, while the other slowly rubbed her back. ‘’What happened ?’’ he whispered softly to her ear. His heart ached, but he had to know the truth.
‘’I had a childhood sweetheart,’’ she answered. ‘’I knew we should not have played husband and wife before really being married, but he said he loved me, and I believed him’’. The voice she spoke with, he had never heard from her before. I was almost a little girl’s voice, escaping from the strong and confident warrior and fiery sorceress she was. Sinbad tried to compose himself from the jealousy he felt burning inside him. And the thought that some bastard could have abandoned her with a child enraged him. ‘’It sounds to me like you were quite young,’’ Sinbad answered with his most gentle voice.
‘’I was barely fifteen. Then there was a battle in my village and … and … my father died. I was unmarried. I had no money. I didn’t have a father or … a brother to take care of me. My sweetheart had ran away. I didn’t know what else to do, so I went to see this lady...’’ Her voice broke and she started sobbing again. Sinbad closed his eyes. She didn’t need to say more, he knew exactly what she had done. Yet, he couldn’t blame her for it. He was well aware of the miserable fate many seduced girls had to face after they were left behind. Most of them were married hastily to the first man their family would choose in order to preserve their reputation, but those were not always to be the most respectable men, and the marriage had nothing to do with love. That was if the girl still had a family. Unmarried young mothers who were not lucky enough – if the previous choice was anything but lucky - to save their reputation often ended up working in taverns or selling their body in order to provide for their children. Sinbad knew Maeve would never have lowered herself to such a thing. Sinbad cuddled her face with his hand. He stared into her tearful eyes and he suddenly felt terribly bad for his attitude when she tried to talk to him about ‘’being careful’’ in a humorous way. She had been hurt before and didn’t want to be hurt again. He didn’t know what to say to her. But he had always believed actions spoke louder than words.
‘’You did what you thought was the right thing to do’’, he whispered to her. He suddenly pulled her face toward him and kissed her. He felt his unexpected gesture had startled her, and she resisted him with a frown. He insisted, this time putting as much tenderness and love as he could. She started responding to his kiss in between sobs. Their kiss was not lustful, even though they could not deny its intensity. It was a commitment kiss, powerful enough to speak the words Sinbad was still too afraid to pronounce. He wanted her to know how much he loved her. He wanted her to know he would be there for her, always. He wanted her to know he was willing to share her present and future as well as her past, even if it meant he would have to deal with some of her most painful secrets. They broke the kiss and Sinbad saw Maeve was not crying anymore. She looked down to her feet, her eyes still devoured by guilt. Sinbad lifted her chin. ‘’Tell me what’s on your mind’’, Sinbad encouraged her gently, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
‘’I never really felt remorseful until…’’, she couldn’t finish her sentence. She took a deep breath. ‘’When I was still in my homeland, there were foreigners who believed their children’s souls would go to a horrible place if they died before they were born, or before they had the chance to go through a special ritual in their temple where they poured some water over the baby’s head. Anyhow, I never believed them, it was new to our customs and beliefs. But now …’’ her voice broke. ‘’Maybe it does exist after all, maybe it is now trapped in the same horrible place Little Kitten and the others are, because it didn’t have a proper burial. And this would all be my fault. I’m a horrible person.’’
‘’No, you’re not.’’ Sinbad answered. ‘’And nothing tells us these foreigners were right, either’’.
She stared at him. ‘’What do you believe ?’’ she asked softly.
Sinbad pondered her question for a moment. It was never an easy task to talk about faith and cultural issues with the Celt, because they were so different from hers. He was a sailor, not a theologian. He knew the basics about his faith and had learned the main rituals as a child, mostly because they were traditions he had heard about and witnessed several times. When he was old enough, he had learned to repeat the right words, to make the right gestures, but he didn’t know which dogmas were underlying the actions he had to do, and he couldn’t explain why he had to do them either. It simply was the way it was : tradition, family, community, all that mattered to him as a kid, and maybe even more now as a grown man. He knew it was probably the same for Maeve and her traditions. But it also occured to him that if he planned on being with Maeve from now on, they would have to deal with those cultural and religious differences : if not on this topic, there would most certainly be others. He didn’t know what he was supposed to believe about this particular matter, but he knew all he could answer with was his heart.
‘’To be honest, I’ve never really thought about this,’’ he answered. ‘’I don’t know what others would say, but I believe neither your gods or Mine could allow innocent souls to be punished for their parents’s actions, whatever these actions are. It would make no sense to me.’’
His answer relieved her. She looked exhausted and Sinbad helped her lie down. He cuddled her and stroke her hair until she fell asleep.
***
Doubar woke up in the middle of the night. He rolled on his side, feeling his back worn out. He was surprised when he noticed Bryn was sleeping over Sinbad’s bedding. Doubar frowned and he couldn’t help checking if Sinbad was sleeping by her side, but she was alone. He felt ashamed when he realized he had just doubted his little brother. He shook his head, chuckling quietly as he wondered how Sinbad had managed to ask Bryn to switch tents for the night. He was definitely planning on teasing his little brother about this in the morning.
Bryn stirred in her sleep and rolled on her side. Doubar and her were now facing each other. Doubar couldn’t help but contemplate the sorceress’ delicate features. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him. Doubar flushed, embarrassed that she had caught him watching her in her sleep. ‘’Hmm … hi ...’’ he started. Bryn didn’t react. She stared at him blankly. ‘’Bryn ?’’ he asked.
The brunette’s eyes started glowing, she smiled and shook her head slowly. Doubar felt a bit frightened, knowing for a fact it wasn’t Bryn who was staring at her. He knew it was a spirit who had momentarily invaded her body while she was sleeping.
‘’You have found us,’’ the spirit told him. ‘’Please help us.’’
‘’How ?’’ Doubar asked her.
‘’Bury us on our sacred lands, where our families and ancestors are resting.’’
Bryn sighed and closed her eyes, falling back asleep.
Chapter III
The crew was awaken by horses running their way and men shouting Isha’s name. They rushed out of their tents and the young midwife ran outside from her house. It was the soldiers the crew had met the day before.
‘’What’s happening, Riyad?’’ Isha asked their leader.
‘’The whole village knows. Last night, His Excellency has died, as from terror. He was heard screaming, when the soldiers reached his room, he was choking. His doctor thinks he had a heart attack.’’ Riyad looked at the crew. ‘’We’re free at last. Adib, our village leader, is now the governor. His father was, before His Excellency ruled the island. We’re in safe hands now. All men agree.’’
Isha sighed of relief and waved at the horsemen who continued their way to the next village to inform its occupants the good news.
‘’There’s only one thing left to do, then.’’ Doubar told his brother. ‘’We will bury these poor souls into the lands of their ancestors.’’ Sinbad agreed.
‘’Let me show you.’’ Isha offered.
***
The crew went back to the sanctuary and buried the little bundles under a small tree, across the field where the sanctuary used to be. Isha had told them about this land, how it used to be a cemetery with beautiful flowers and statues, a land of peace, before his Excellency had taken over. Most villagers had been buried here. Riyad had promised Isha he would bury her aunt Rhea here, as he had buried Lila in this place, secretly one night, so the governor wouldn’t know.
The crew looked at their improvised cemetery one last time, solemnly, each praying to their god or goddesses to accompany the innocent souls where they belonged, wherever that might be. All they knew was that place would allow them to be free, and no longer under the curse of the terrible dictator.
They turned around and started walking, feeling it was time for them to go back to the ship before they missed the tide. Dermott screeched and flew over their heads. Bryn looked at the hawk with a puzzled look on her face. ‘’Stop.’’ She told the crew. ‘’Dermott has heard something.’’ The crew stopped and listened carefully, but all they could hear was the wind in the trees. Then, they heard it too. It sounded weak and distant. Listening even more carefully, they gaped when they realized what it was. A sound of meowing, coming from behind them.
They turned around and stared in astonishment when they saw a small cat scampering toward them. But it was no ordinary cat : its fur was gold and glowing under the sun ; its shape was ethereal and evanescent, like a magical, ghostly yet magnifiscent apparition. ‘’Little Kitten’’, Maeve whispered. The cat started to morph and it grew. Soon, there was no cat anymore; the vaporish figure before them had now turned into a young girl, maybe six or seven years of age. She had long and curly red hair and deep brown eyes. She smiled to them. They all exclaimed.
‘’Maeve …’’, Doubar whispered.
‘’It’s you !’’ Bryn said. ‘’I mean, she looks just like you.’’
‘’I’m not Maeve,’’ Little Kitten replied gently. ‘’I’m only using one of Maeve’s memories for me to shape into and talk to you. I don’t know what I would have looked like if I had grown up.’’
Maeve nodded, and the crew smiled to the ghostly child.
‘’Are you and the others free, now ?’’ Sinbad asked her.
‘’Yes, we are. All of us. Thank you for your help.’’ Little Kitten answered. ‘’After you founs us, we were not cursed anymore. We took care of the man who tortured us and killed our mothers. Now, he can no longer spill blood and terrorize our families. This land will know peace again.’’
Little Kitten stepped forward and touched Maeve’s hand. It felt to the sorceress as if a light feather had brushed against her skin.
‘’There is something I need to tell you, before I go.’’ Little Kitten looked at the sorceress. Her eyes were filled with kindness. ‘’Don’t torture yourself no more.’’ The spirit lifted herself on tiptoe and whispered to Maeve : ‘’he forgives you’’.
The crew, except Sinbad, didn’t quite understand when Maeve started sobbing, but she quickly wiped off her tears and smiled. Little Kitten morphed back into a small, feline shape. The cat brushed against Maeve’s leg as her last goodbye, and after looking one last time at the crew, she scampered in the opposite direction, fading away until she had vanished.
***
That night on the Nomad, everybody was silent and mostly reflecting on the events of the past days. As usual, Sinbad knocked on his beloved sorceress' door before going to bed, wanting to make sure she was okay. He entered her cabin quietly and hugged her when she welcomed him to the door. ''I'm so glad you have found your answers. And the one you needed the most.'' He whispered to her.
She smiled at him shyly. ''I guess I should thank you for not telling anyone about my secret.''
Sinbad looked upset for a moment. ''Maeve, haven't I been worthy enough of your trust until now ?''
''I trust you''. Maeve answered. ''But I hate being vulnerable... especially in front of you.''
''I could have said exactly the same thing.'' He said. They stared into each other's eyes. It felt again like the time stood still. ''You're feeling vulnerable right now ?'' she asked, her brown eyes locked into his gaze. ''Anytime you're around me.'' he answered. ''But you know what they say, two are stronger together than one.''
''I totally agree, captain.'' she answered before kissing him.
End of episode 4.
Sinbad walked to Firouz. They had spent the afternook scouting the ruins. Bryn used her accute sensitivity to locate the others.
‘’How many ?’’ Sinbad asked the scientist.
Firouz turned his face to his captain. ‘’Bryn just found the fifth one,’’ he answered with sadness in his voice.
Sinbad looked down, shaking his head. He felt disgusted by all this. Who could have killed so many innocent children and leave their frail bodies in such a devastated place ?
***
*You’re still thinking about this, aren’t you ?* Dermott asked his sister. Maeve had walked away after finding the first child skeleton. She felt exhausted an needed to compose herself.
She nodded as an answer to her brother’s question.
*I wished I could have been there for you. I should have protected you. I feel I’ve failed you.* Dermott muttered, angry at himself.
*Oh, Dermott … You had been turned into a hawk by then. Don’t be so harsh on yourself. You’ve always been there for me. You still are, as we speak.*
Dermott suddenly screeched and he flew away. Maeve turned a surprised gaze to Sinbad, who now stood beside her. ‘’Are you feeling better ?’’ he asked worriedly. ‘’You were so upset …’’
‘’Don’t worry’’, she answered. ‘’I’m only trying to make some sense out of all this. Who were they, who did this, why …’’
‘’Do you think Isha would know something about this ? She knew about the sanctuary and how it’s been destroyed. Maybe she has all the answers you’re looking for. ’’ He sighed. ‘’Even though we all would prefer never to hear about such atrocities’’.
Maeve nodded. ‘’We have to know. Two deceased spirits came to us, asking for help and telling us where to go. Isha is our only option right now.’’
***
Isha has welcomed them into her house more willingly this time. In fact, looking at their faces, she knew right away that they had found the children, and the grief in their eyes comforted her feeling that the crew were in fact good people. While they had gone to the sanctuary, she had debated with herself wether or not she should help these strangers and tell them the truth. She had found within herself that the gods had sent those people to her for a reason, and that she needed to do something, anything. She wanted to prove as courageous as her mother and aunt when they had defied His Excellency, in order to bring back peace on her beloved island.
Isha offered tea to everyone before sitting on a bench near the firepit. It was dar know, and the crew would settle in her backyard for the night. She started telling them the story they were both eager and afraid to hear.
‘’This sanctuary was actually a beautiful temple with huge gardens where people would offer flowers or fruits to their goddess of nature. She was also prayed for protection when women carried a child or got into labour. My mother and aunt were midwives in the village, as were my grandmother and my great-grandmother. They helped women throughout their pregnancies, but they also, more or less secretly, taught and helped women not to get with child. When His Excellency started ‘purifying’ the island, he went after any woman who had come to see my mother or my aunt, because he thought they were witches ; he perceived the medicines they used to prevent pregnancies as demonic spells. He also believed that any women with child who would ask them for their help or knowledge should give up their childr after birth, for them to be ‘purified’. He thought these children were doomed and might be demons.’’
The crew was astonished. ‘’This man is crazy’’, Doubar muttered. Isha’s eyes now filled with tears : ’’These women, they didn’t know what would happen to their children, nor if they would ever see them again. One night, my mother helped a few of them and their newborn babies to flee the village and to take shelter somewhere the babies would be safe. What better place than this sanctuary, where their protective goddess could provide safety in her home ?’’ Isha sighed heavily before continuing : ‘’ When His Excellency realized the villagers wouldn’t surrender to his orders and give up those children, he went to the sanctuary with a few soldiers, killed everyone except my mother, who would be publicly executed for being a witch and a traitor. They threw the babies into a hole, and burnt down the whole sanctuary as a way of purifying the land they thought was cursed.’’
The crew was horrified by such cruelty.
‘’The man we met this morning, he said this man killed your aunt out of personal revenge…’’ Sinbad said.
‘’Yes. He had no proof Rhea had anything to do with that first betrayal. But my mother, she was there with these women, she was convinced and killed. My aunt stood quiet for a year, but she kept helping women in secret. One day, she helped a young woman who needed help with unwanted offspring. She didn’t know, then, than this girl was his Excellency’s own unmarried daughter. When he discovered her beloved daughter had come to Rhea, and that Rhea had helped her with the matter, he was outraged. I told her to flee, and she did. Unfortunately …’’ Isha wiped the tears off her cheeks. ‘’They found her hiding in the forest, and they killed her.’’
Bryn hugged the poor Isha. ‘’You said my aunt contacted you ?’’ she finally asked.
‘’Not exactly’’, Bryn answered. ‘’We think one of the babies’ spirit first came to us. But we didn’t know who it was, or where it was, until your aunt contacted Maeve to tell her where to look.’’
‘’Little brother, what can we do about this man ?’’ Doubar asked.
‘’I don’t know yet. I’ll come up with a plan. One thing is for sure : he has to pay for all the harm he has done.’’ Sinbad gritted.
Chapter II
The crew had gone to bed, feeling emotionally exhausted by what they had discovered that day. Maeve was afraid to fall asleep, she feared she would have another horrible nightmare, but she couldn’t restrain herself from falling asleep. Reminding herself she wasn’t alone and that whatever she would dream of couldn’t really hurt her while she was sleeping, she allowed herself to take some rest, trying to concentrate only on the soothing sound of Bryn’s soft breathing.
***
When Maeve opened her eyes, she was in the middle of a clearing. It was nighttime, and the full moon shed a bright light around her. She heard steps coming to her. She turned her face to meet whoever or whatever was approaching her. She felt relieved when she saw it was a beautiful, silver deer. Maeve felt the deer wasn’t threatening, and she couldn’t resist stretching her arm to touch her. The deer stared into her eyes.
*I can’t be touched* she said to Maeve. The deer tilted her head, as if acknowledging Maeve did not mean to hurt her. The deer jumped and scampered across the clearing.
*Wait !* Maeve yelled and started running after her.
She abruptly stopped when she saw the hideous monster emerge from the woods and chase the deer. She screamed when he grabbed the deer with his claws and plunged his fangs into her flesh, literally slaughtering the silver animal. Once the deer was killed, the creature growled viciously. It almost sounded like a demonic laughter. He left the clearing, as if he couldn’t see Maeve. The sorceress was shocked. She walked to the beautiful deer’s corpse, crying ; the enchanted creature had been torn apart. Maeve gasped as the deer’s womb started moving. She stared in horror as claws ripped the deer’s body from inside out. Something was crawling its way out of the animal through the open wound on her side. It was a woman. She stood up, her whole body drenched with the deer’s blood, which stuck her hair into her face and back. The woman stared at Maeve and an evil smile appeared on her lips.
*Blood, more and more innocent blood,* the evil woman murmured. *It should have been you, Maeve, it should have been you his Excellency had slaughtered.*
*No !* Maeve screamed.
The evil woman’s body started shifting. Maeve watched in astonishment and horror as the woman morphed into … her. It was herself Maeve saw bathing in the deer’s blood.
*How could you ?* the bloody Maeve asked the sorceress accusingly. *How could you cover yourself with innocent blood ?*
***
Maeve woke up abruptly, panicked, and started crying. Bryn got up from where she was sleeping and knelt by her side. ‘’Maeve, what’s wrong ?’’, the brunette asked her worriedly. ‘’Another of your nightmares ?’’ Maeve didn’t answer. Bryn was startled. Maeve was not one to cry that easily. Even when Sinbad and her they had fought a few weeks ago, she had not cried.The emotion that bursted out of Maeve was violent, it was something Bryn knew was way more profound than a nighttime terror. Whatever she had dreamt about, it appealed to feelings or secrets the redhead had probably been hiding from everybody. Bryn felt helpless. She rubbed Maeve’s back, although she knew it wouldn’t calm her. There was only one thing she could do. Bryn left their tent and ran to Sinbad and Doubar’s. She tiptoed her way into their tent and tried to wake her captain up. He groaned when she shook his shoulder, calling his name.
‘’What is it, Bryn ?’’ he asked when he finally woke up.
‘’It’s Maeve,’’ she whispered.
A frown appeared on his forehead and she could tell he already felt worried about the Celtic sorceress.
‘’She had another nightmare.’’ Bryn whispered. ‘’It seems to have shaken her pretty badly.’’
‘’What happened here is horrible, I think we all feel upset by all this,’’ Sinbad nodded.
‘’You don’t understand,’’ Bryn replied. ‘’There’s a difference between having empathy for others and … waking up at night crying your heart out because of a nightmare. ’I think you should talk to her. Something is not right, I can feel it.’’
‘’What makes you think she will tell me anything ?’’ Sinbad asked the brunette, knowing that Maeve had never really been one to open up about painful issues.
Bryn raised her eyebrow and gave him a *don’t even bother pretending* look. Sinbad flushed as he started thinking Bryn might already know about him and Maeve, although he knew she would never betray their secret. ‘’Just go and talk to her,’’ she insisted.
Sinbad nodded. He got up and glanced at Bryn, thinking the brunette would have to wait outside the tent, in the cold, while he would talk with Maeve. ‘’Help yourself,’’ Sinbad told her, pointing at his bedding. ‘’I don’t want you to wait and not be able to sleep. We better switch tents for the night.’’ Bryn smiled in approval and settled herself for the night.
Sinbad walked to the girls’ tent. He heard Maeve’s soft weeping from outside the tent. ‘’Maeve, can I come in ?’’ he asked softly. She didn’t invite him in, but she didn’t ask him to leave either. He walked in and sat beside the sorceress. She was lying on her side, her arms wrapped around her legs in a protective, almost childlike gesture. He gently brushed her tears off her face.
‘’Bryn was worried about you. And I must say, your pain confuses me, too.’’ he told her softly. ‘’What hurts you so much ?’’
She glared at him. ‘’They were innocent babies.’’
‘’I know, Maeve.’’
He started to believe Bryn was right. Maeve had never reacted that painfully to any other situation. His instinct told him the sorceress was probably confronting personal events from her past. He reached for her hand and fondled it gently, hoping the affectionate gesture would encourage her to open up about her feelings.
‘’Now that we’ve found them, we will find a way to free their souls, we will bury them properly.’’ he promised her.
She started sobbing even more. Sinbad’s heart started throbbing inside his chest. He didn’t know if he would have the courage to ask her what he started to believe had happened to her. The question restlessly repeated itself on the back of his mind ; he had to ask her, as painful as her answer could be. He inhaled deeply and asked her, with his most gentle voice :‘’Maeve … have you ever lost a child ?’’
Heavy, painful silence invaded the tent, soon to be broken by new outbursts of tears, confirming he had found what was torturing the sorceress. He pulled her up in a sitting position and cradled her into his strong arms. He started rocking her gently, one hand stroking her hair, while the other slowly rubbed her back. ‘’What happened ?’’ he whispered softly to her ear. His heart ached, but he had to know the truth.
‘’I had a childhood sweetheart,’’ she answered. ‘’I knew we should not have played husband and wife before really being married, but he said he loved me, and I believed him’’. The voice she spoke with, he had never heard from her before. I was almost a little girl’s voice, escaping from the strong and confident warrior and fiery sorceress she was. Sinbad tried to compose himself from the jealousy he felt burning inside him. And the thought that some bastard could have abandoned her with a child enraged him. ‘’It sounds to me like you were quite young,’’ Sinbad answered with his most gentle voice.
‘’I was barely fifteen. Then there was a battle in my village and … and … my father died. I was unmarried. I had no money. I didn’t have a father or … a brother to take care of me. My sweetheart had ran away. I didn’t know what else to do, so I went to see this lady...’’ Her voice broke and she started sobbing again. Sinbad closed his eyes. She didn’t need to say more, he knew exactly what she had done. Yet, he couldn’t blame her for it. He was well aware of the miserable fate many seduced girls had to face after they were left behind. Most of them were married hastily to the first man their family would choose in order to preserve their reputation, but those were not always to be the most respectable men, and the marriage had nothing to do with love. That was if the girl still had a family. Unmarried young mothers who were not lucky enough – if the previous choice was anything but lucky - to save their reputation often ended up working in taverns or selling their body in order to provide for their children. Sinbad knew Maeve would never have lowered herself to such a thing. Sinbad cuddled her face with his hand. He stared into her tearful eyes and he suddenly felt terribly bad for his attitude when she tried to talk to him about ‘’being careful’’ in a humorous way. She had been hurt before and didn’t want to be hurt again. He didn’t know what to say to her. But he had always believed actions spoke louder than words.
‘’You did what you thought was the right thing to do’’, he whispered to her. He suddenly pulled her face toward him and kissed her. He felt his unexpected gesture had startled her, and she resisted him with a frown. He insisted, this time putting as much tenderness and love as he could. She started responding to his kiss in between sobs. Their kiss was not lustful, even though they could not deny its intensity. It was a commitment kiss, powerful enough to speak the words Sinbad was still too afraid to pronounce. He wanted her to know how much he loved her. He wanted her to know he would be there for her, always. He wanted her to know he was willing to share her present and future as well as her past, even if it meant he would have to deal with some of her most painful secrets. They broke the kiss and Sinbad saw Maeve was not crying anymore. She looked down to her feet, her eyes still devoured by guilt. Sinbad lifted her chin. ‘’Tell me what’s on your mind’’, Sinbad encouraged her gently, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
‘’I never really felt remorseful until…’’, she couldn’t finish her sentence. She took a deep breath. ‘’When I was still in my homeland, there were foreigners who believed their children’s souls would go to a horrible place if they died before they were born, or before they had the chance to go through a special ritual in their temple where they poured some water over the baby’s head. Anyhow, I never believed them, it was new to our customs and beliefs. But now …’’ her voice broke. ‘’Maybe it does exist after all, maybe it is now trapped in the same horrible place Little Kitten and the others are, because it didn’t have a proper burial. And this would all be my fault. I’m a horrible person.’’
‘’No, you’re not.’’ Sinbad answered. ‘’And nothing tells us these foreigners were right, either’’.
She stared at him. ‘’What do you believe ?’’ she asked softly.
Sinbad pondered her question for a moment. It was never an easy task to talk about faith and cultural issues with the Celt, because they were so different from hers. He was a sailor, not a theologian. He knew the basics about his faith and had learned the main rituals as a child, mostly because they were traditions he had heard about and witnessed several times. When he was old enough, he had learned to repeat the right words, to make the right gestures, but he didn’t know which dogmas were underlying the actions he had to do, and he couldn’t explain why he had to do them either. It simply was the way it was : tradition, family, community, all that mattered to him as a kid, and maybe even more now as a grown man. He knew it was probably the same for Maeve and her traditions. But it also occured to him that if he planned on being with Maeve from now on, they would have to deal with those cultural and religious differences : if not on this topic, there would most certainly be others. He didn’t know what he was supposed to believe about this particular matter, but he knew all he could answer with was his heart.
‘’To be honest, I’ve never really thought about this,’’ he answered. ‘’I don’t know what others would say, but I believe neither your gods or Mine could allow innocent souls to be punished for their parents’s actions, whatever these actions are. It would make no sense to me.’’
His answer relieved her. She looked exhausted and Sinbad helped her lie down. He cuddled her and stroke her hair until she fell asleep.
***
Doubar woke up in the middle of the night. He rolled on his side, feeling his back worn out. He was surprised when he noticed Bryn was sleeping over Sinbad’s bedding. Doubar frowned and he couldn’t help checking if Sinbad was sleeping by her side, but she was alone. He felt ashamed when he realized he had just doubted his little brother. He shook his head, chuckling quietly as he wondered how Sinbad had managed to ask Bryn to switch tents for the night. He was definitely planning on teasing his little brother about this in the morning.
Bryn stirred in her sleep and rolled on her side. Doubar and her were now facing each other. Doubar couldn’t help but contemplate the sorceress’ delicate features. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him. Doubar flushed, embarrassed that she had caught him watching her in her sleep. ‘’Hmm … hi ...’’ he started. Bryn didn’t react. She stared at him blankly. ‘’Bryn ?’’ he asked.
The brunette’s eyes started glowing, she smiled and shook her head slowly. Doubar felt a bit frightened, knowing for a fact it wasn’t Bryn who was staring at her. He knew it was a spirit who had momentarily invaded her body while she was sleeping.
‘’You have found us,’’ the spirit told him. ‘’Please help us.’’
‘’How ?’’ Doubar asked her.
‘’Bury us on our sacred lands, where our families and ancestors are resting.’’
Bryn sighed and closed her eyes, falling back asleep.
Chapter III
The crew was awaken by horses running their way and men shouting Isha’s name. They rushed out of their tents and the young midwife ran outside from her house. It was the soldiers the crew had met the day before.
‘’What’s happening, Riyad?’’ Isha asked their leader.
‘’The whole village knows. Last night, His Excellency has died, as from terror. He was heard screaming, when the soldiers reached his room, he was choking. His doctor thinks he had a heart attack.’’ Riyad looked at the crew. ‘’We’re free at last. Adib, our village leader, is now the governor. His father was, before His Excellency ruled the island. We’re in safe hands now. All men agree.’’
Isha sighed of relief and waved at the horsemen who continued their way to the next village to inform its occupants the good news.
‘’There’s only one thing left to do, then.’’ Doubar told his brother. ‘’We will bury these poor souls into the lands of their ancestors.’’ Sinbad agreed.
‘’Let me show you.’’ Isha offered.
***
The crew went back to the sanctuary and buried the little bundles under a small tree, across the field where the sanctuary used to be. Isha had told them about this land, how it used to be a cemetery with beautiful flowers and statues, a land of peace, before his Excellency had taken over. Most villagers had been buried here. Riyad had promised Isha he would bury her aunt Rhea here, as he had buried Lila in this place, secretly one night, so the governor wouldn’t know.
The crew looked at their improvised cemetery one last time, solemnly, each praying to their god or goddesses to accompany the innocent souls where they belonged, wherever that might be. All they knew was that place would allow them to be free, and no longer under the curse of the terrible dictator.
They turned around and started walking, feeling it was time for them to go back to the ship before they missed the tide. Dermott screeched and flew over their heads. Bryn looked at the hawk with a puzzled look on her face. ‘’Stop.’’ She told the crew. ‘’Dermott has heard something.’’ The crew stopped and listened carefully, but all they could hear was the wind in the trees. Then, they heard it too. It sounded weak and distant. Listening even more carefully, they gaped when they realized what it was. A sound of meowing, coming from behind them.
They turned around and stared in astonishment when they saw a small cat scampering toward them. But it was no ordinary cat : its fur was gold and glowing under the sun ; its shape was ethereal and evanescent, like a magical, ghostly yet magnifiscent apparition. ‘’Little Kitten’’, Maeve whispered. The cat started to morph and it grew. Soon, there was no cat anymore; the vaporish figure before them had now turned into a young girl, maybe six or seven years of age. She had long and curly red hair and deep brown eyes. She smiled to them. They all exclaimed.
‘’Maeve …’’, Doubar whispered.
‘’It’s you !’’ Bryn said. ‘’I mean, she looks just like you.’’
‘’I’m not Maeve,’’ Little Kitten replied gently. ‘’I’m only using one of Maeve’s memories for me to shape into and talk to you. I don’t know what I would have looked like if I had grown up.’’
Maeve nodded, and the crew smiled to the ghostly child.
‘’Are you and the others free, now ?’’ Sinbad asked her.
‘’Yes, we are. All of us. Thank you for your help.’’ Little Kitten answered. ‘’After you founs us, we were not cursed anymore. We took care of the man who tortured us and killed our mothers. Now, he can no longer spill blood and terrorize our families. This land will know peace again.’’
Little Kitten stepped forward and touched Maeve’s hand. It felt to the sorceress as if a light feather had brushed against her skin.
‘’There is something I need to tell you, before I go.’’ Little Kitten looked at the sorceress. Her eyes were filled with kindness. ‘’Don’t torture yourself no more.’’ The spirit lifted herself on tiptoe and whispered to Maeve : ‘’he forgives you’’.
The crew, except Sinbad, didn’t quite understand when Maeve started sobbing, but she quickly wiped off her tears and smiled. Little Kitten morphed back into a small, feline shape. The cat brushed against Maeve’s leg as her last goodbye, and after looking one last time at the crew, she scampered in the opposite direction, fading away until she had vanished.
***
That night on the Nomad, everybody was silent and mostly reflecting on the events of the past days. As usual, Sinbad knocked on his beloved sorceress' door before going to bed, wanting to make sure she was okay. He entered her cabin quietly and hugged her when she welcomed him to the door. ''I'm so glad you have found your answers. And the one you needed the most.'' He whispered to her.
She smiled at him shyly. ''I guess I should thank you for not telling anyone about my secret.''
Sinbad looked upset for a moment. ''Maeve, haven't I been worthy enough of your trust until now ?''
''I trust you''. Maeve answered. ''But I hate being vulnerable... especially in front of you.''
''I could have said exactly the same thing.'' He said. They stared into each other's eyes. It felt again like the time stood still. ''You're feeling vulnerable right now ?'' she asked, her brown eyes locked into his gaze. ''Anytime you're around me.'' he answered. ''But you know what they say, two are stronger together than one.''
''I totally agree, captain.'' she answered before kissing him.
End of episode 4.
