Chapter Sixteen of my current wip. As before, all and any comments very much appreciated

Please note: This is now a weekly post

Hunger rattled Cela-Byi. But she was not to eat until she had met with the star-spirit Kija. And to meet with the star-spirit she must climb to a high place. But what if the place she went to was the wrong place?

Three days now she’d been climbing, keeping a far distance from the hill-dows: Robi-dow where the spirit-mother crab had given life to Li-Kerbi’s father, and Greal-dow whence had come the mother of the sacrificed Tammi-Tiki. She doubted any there would recognise her, even those who’d begun life in Toki-dow, not while she wore these dragon skins. They encircled her neck and shoulders and her hips, draping her like the sorrowful leaves of a wind battered tree. Li-Kerbi, now named Cela-Byi, as all could see.

She hadn’t known when first she set out that these mountains were threaded through with innumerable valleys. But of course, it must be so, for the hill-dows weren’t set atop the mountain ridges. She followed a trail – made by hunters or by the hunted? But it was a trail and how else to make her way through this otherwise trackless sea of trees. And it must go somewhere, even if it wasn’t where she wanted to go. Besides, on a trail she could see ahead, and behind, and some distance to either side, less likely to fall prey to a stalking cat. And neither would her feet disoblige a basking legless dragon. Though she supposed if she’d been reborn to spirit-mother Byi, she had the spirit-dragon’s protection. That gave her courage.

The trail dipped through a sudden stand of trees, more densely grown than those she’d seen these past three days. Behind her the way was clear, no danger there. She checked to either side. Was that to south and north? She’d lost her sense of direction after encountering a fallen tree on the second day’s climb. Unable to pass it, she’d had to double back and take a new trail that branched from the first. But left and right, south and north, no suggestion of danger there. With an enheartening breath she walked on.

As she emerged from the trees there stood a giant, a woman, and not a shred of skin on her red glistening body.

Cela-Byi screamed, fist to her mouth. Yet the giant made no move towards her. It wasn’t a danger, merely a terrible sight. With several deep breaths she regained her composure and swallowed hard, eyes fixed on that sight. It was gross. It was wrong. It wasn’t like a flayed deer or a pig, prepared for the cook-fire. And where were the flies? There were none.

She took five steps back. The giant dissolved into the air.

Cela-Byi blinked. Rubbed her eyes. Squinted, Turned her head to every angle. But could find no lingering trace of that giant.

Lower lip held tight between her teeth, Cela-Byi turned around. But to retrace her steps would take her back to where last she’d seen a branch in the trail, disregarding the branch that led to the fallen tree. Three days the ancestors had said, and this was the third day. She couldn’t go back.

She brought up her hand to gnaw on her nails, though this wasn’t a habit of hers. Gnawing helped her regain calm while she thought. The sacrificed boy, Tammi-Tiki, had been found stripped of skin, a message from the star-spirit Kija, so Cela-Kuci said. This skinned giant woman on the trail ahead must also be a message from that same star-spirit. And that message was for her. Then she must go forward. Maybe the giant would tell her where to find the star-spirit.

The giant appeared again. This time Cela-Byi held her place and didn’t flee. This time, with much bolstering talk in her head, she kept her composure. I am not afraid, I am born to Byi spirit-mother, the dragon-spirit protects me.

“This place is for spirits and gods,” the giant said in a voice that seemed to arise in every direction. “No Itamakku walk here.”

Cela-Byi stepped back, arms slammed across her chest, jaw set firm. She’d known to seek the spirits wasn’t wise, that it could be frightening, dangerous, life destroying. But she was a cela now, a spirit-woman, and the star-spirit Kija had summoned her. She must go on.

“I thank you,” she said to the horrible apparition. “For this is the very place that I seek.”

And if proof were needed that the giant was from the spirit world, as Cela-Byi walked towards it that red-fleshed giant disappeared.

*

Beyond that dark stand of trees, the trail widened and merged with the grazed grasses of an open place. Indistinct in the mist-veiled distance was a scatter of buildings, seeming in shape most unlike any the Itamakku used. But before Cela-Byi was near enough to see them properly, a falling star dazzled her. She brought her hands to cover her rapidly blinking eyes. And once she’d recovered her wits she queried that sight. A falling star in the day-time sky?

Never. It wasn’t a star, not with eyes. Two eyes. The strangest thing Cela-Byi had ever seen. But a spirit-woman, such visions might be granted her now. She sank to her knees, exhausted in the awe of it. And a new vision appeared before her now. The star-spirit Kija. Her chest swelled with a hitherto unknown emotion, and she nigh swooned away.

He stared at her, a most unlikely deer. More like an Itamakku man – except his colouring wasn’t the same and he wore the deer’s yellow colour.

Was she to speak first? Might she ask what his message? Or must she wait until he said. She sank back onto her heels, her knees beginning to hurt.

When he still didn’t speak but merely looked, she gathered her courage and asked as she’d been told to ask, “My people wish to know what you want with us. Have we offended in some way? Our many apologies if we have. What further sacrifices must we make?” She hoped she wasn’t to be named as one.

He spoke. But it seemed this spirit didn’t speak Itamakkuese.

She held out her hands in helpless mime.

He approached. And such a warmth oozed from him as if he were preparing her for bed. Her body responded, eager for union with this deer-spirit. Beneath the dragon skins her body glowed, her breath shallow, rapid, wondrous. She rose to her feet. He held out his hand.

She hesitated to take it lest, like the giant, he disappeared.

Again, he spoke, his sun-streaked eyes holding hers so she couldn’t look away.

Continues next Monday

Please, your comments would be so much appreciated