Chapter 22 Bri
TWENTY-TWO
Bri
“The maiden had been wandering in the desert for days when her glass vessel was nearly empty. She held it up to the sky to see only a splash left, not nearly enough to get through the miles of desert in front of and behind her. She sank down into the sand on her knees. She had given up all hope and was prepared to welcome death when a warrior stepped over the dune and tumbled toward her. He was lost and confused, mumbling about eternal life and cool waters. He fell at her feet on the brink of death.”
The Brethren pauses for dramatic effect.
“Although she was frightened, she offered the last of her water to the warrior. First, the water came out in a trickle, barely wetting his lips. Then it poured out faster than he could drink it. It soaked his clothing, then the sand, and filled the valley, making the beautiful Wahadi we will see today.”
Another dramatic pause.
“The warrior was no ordinary warrior. He was a demigod who was banished to Sabaak. To reward her act of kindness, he gave her the gift of eternal life as long as she stayed in the Wahadi with him.” Hot-Breath brings his story to a close.
“That’s a beautiful story. Well, except the part where she’s stuck in the Wahadi with someone who, for all we know, could have been a total asshole,” I tell him.
The most hostile environments always have the most fascinating mythologies. I notice he doesn’t seem bothered by the part of the story where the maiden is essentially held captive for eternity.
“A beautiful story, for a beautiful goddess. When we discovered this Wahadi after our arrival, we knew it was the place of your birth in our holy texts,” Friar Tuck says, directing his h’axom to be next to mine.
His long, white robe flits in the wind behind him.
The brethren have all changed from their usual brown rough robes to lightweight gauzy white ones, tied off in the middle with their signature bell.
“Over the centuries, you must have forgotten your genesis.” It feels wrong to not correct him. He’s so earnest in his belief in me. It doesn’t feel right to let them think I’m their goddess. Maybe once Boss is out of the picture, I’ll get them to understand.
Daisy is in her usual form, slowly making her way through the sand. I got lucky today and was able to coax her into formation in front of a few others. She’s been forced to keep up with the caravan. Each time she slows down, Tai’s h'axom, who I’ve named Brutus, gives her a little nudge.
From the top of a dune, I look down at the oasis below.
Cerulean water surrounded by tall green palms. A wide stone path skirts the edge of the basin.
It leads all the way down to a raised platform with steps that overhang the water.
I shade my eyes from the sunlight reflecting brightly off the surface.
The water looks inviting and cool, but I’ll never know for sure.
I’ve been warned it’s completely off limits.
No one, not even the Goddess Divine, is allowed to touch the sacred pool.
The water cannot be disturbed, or it will frighten away the warrior and his maiden.
Daisy takes a slow step forward as we begin our descent. Brutus passes us in a hurry to get to the shade below. I try to prod Daisy along gently, but she ignores me. I love my girl, but I’d appreciate a little more hustle from her.
Tai skids to a stop at the bottom of the hill, hops off with one graceful movement, and ties off Brutus under the shade of an enormous palm tree. A smirk stretches across his face as I slowly make my way over. A silent declaration that he won.
“Not everything has to be a race, you know,” I say.
Tai would fit in perfectly with my brothers. The easy confidence bordering on arrogance feels familiar in a way I didn’t realize until now.
“If it was, you’d lose,” Tai says as he reaches up and helps me down. His strong hands on my waist. I feel the loss of them when he sets me down and pulls away.
We follow the stone path leading to the overlook, letting the brethren go first, as they had planned. I’m grateful to be back on solid ground. Trudging through the soft sand of the dunes has been brutal on my calves.
Throughout the day, we go over every single agonizing detail of the ceremony, and the brethren push through the afternoon and don’t stop for any breaks. It’s excruciatingly hot. Even my sweat dried up hours ago. I’m ready to say, “fuck it all” and cannonball right into the center of the water.
I want to get this over with as quickly as possible.
“You think they really believe this stuff?” Tai asks, referring to the story of the maiden and the warrior.
“I think they do. And I don’t think any of them stop to question how their goddess could be born from an oasis on a planet where they’ve only been for the last eleven years.” I keep my voice low.
They all gather on the landing and move in single-file lines that create a steady stream of brethren in a figure eight quietly praying to the maiden and warrior.
“They are waiting for the maiden to reveal herself,” Friar Tuck whispers as we climb the stairs.
“You never know. Today could be our lucky day,” Tai says loudly as he passes me on the stairs.
The guy has zero situational awareness. Everyone is quiet and reverent, and he’s stomping around and speaking at full volume.
A glass decanter is placed in my hands. I follow the specific instructions and stand at the ledge over the water. My arm shakes as I lift the glass bottle and slowly tip it over, pouring the water into the pool to honor the maiden and the warrior.
I’m vaguely aware of someone taking the glass out of my hands. Everything sounds muted and out of sync. Bodies on every side press closer to me, sucking the air out of my lungs. I push my way forward, with no sense of direction, just the need to get away.
I focus on the one clear thought: water. I need water. Pushing becomes shoving, but the crowd only presses in harder. My head spins, everything around me tilting on its axis. Suddenly, it’s hard to breathe.
“You okay?” a far-off voice asks me. I blindly wave in the direction of the question. I need air.
“Bri, look at me.” This time I use all my strength to put some distance between me and the person who has invaded my space. A high-pitched scream and a splash wake me up from the haze.
The brethren wail, loudly. My senses return to me one by one. When my vision comes into focus, Tai is treading water below and looking mad enough to commit murder. My stomach drops.
Oh fuck. That’s on me.
Bile rises in my throat, and before I can hold it back, I turn to the side and heave into the sand.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and go down to help Tai out of the water.
He’s stomping his way toward me, seething with rage.
His soaked clothes cling to his body, and I have a renewed appreciation for his form.
My eyes track down to his chest, the white fabric translucent against his blue skin.
Black pebbled nipples poke the wet shirt.
I stagger back a little—from the sand, not the view of this guy climbing out of the water.
“Tai, I am so sorry. That was an accident,” I explain over the loud wailing the brethren have fallen into.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” he says without looking at me.
“I really am sorry. I thought I was going to pass out, and I didn’t realize it was you.” I’m desperate for him to know how awful I feel.
“Now is not the time.”
I silently trail behind him, trying not to laugh as water sloshes out of his wet boots with every step.
Maybe someday in the very distant future we can laugh about this.
I bury my face in Daisy’s coarse fur. “We are in big trouble, girl.”
Canteen in hand, I sink down on the hard ground in the shade a few trees over from the resting h’axom, giving the brethren and the soggy Tilak some space.
I am mortified that I pushed Tai in the Wahadi. Although, he did get cooled off. Maybe. Possibly at the expense of the brethren’s religious ceremony. Hopefully they will get over it. Someday. From the sound of their mournful cries, it’s going to be a while.
Sopping wet, Tai sits down next to me. “The wailing is getting old,” he says.
I’m too embarrassed to make eye contact with Tai. I keep my gaze fixed on my fingers, drawing swirls in the sand. He nudges me with his damp arm. The gesture eases some of the tension from me.
“I’ve heard happier funeral dirges,” I say. I’m a terrible person for making a joke at their expense.
He looks around. “If there is a holy site on this awful continent, this would be it.”
Tai pulls his shirt off over his head and presses the cloth to my forehead, then the back of my neck, and wrists. My temperature drops immediately.
“And you desecrated it,” I say to see if we have already gotten to a place where we can laugh about this. I sneak a glance at him from the corner of my eye.
“I would throw your ass right in if I didn’t think Boss would return me to the gods, as he likes to say.” Tai laughs and looks at me. “Be careful. The Wahadi has made me into a demigod. All shall fear me,” he says in a joking voice.
“I could never fear you,” I say. It appears I was wrong. It didn’t take very long to get to a place where we could laugh about it.
“My life would be so much easier if you did.”