Tales of Midbar: Secret Priest

“We don’t really have much choice,” I said. “We were both bred by them and they still claim authority over me because of that.”

“They were once a good and noble organization,” said Dwendra. “They also breed anavim from nibeyim and katcheyim and it’s likely they’ll produce a few more in the next century or so. I’m hoping we can bring it back to something of its former glory or get some sort of splinter group to go along with us.”

“Haprihagfen was a splinter group of Benai Nibeyim,” said Breeze’s faharni friend.

“Ice wants to try to get better terms with Benai Nibeyim,” said Dwendra. “The Haprihagfen don’t want to have a big fight with them because the Prophesied Ruination seems to have started but they don’t want to continue just letting Benai Nibeyim get away with breaking the treaty repeatedly either. The fact they lost several leaders in the Battle of Minris may mean this will be a good time to get some major policy changes.”

“You say you want to follow scripture more closely,” said Rilletteecket, “but the Scripturists say that but they still discriminate against nakeds because nakeds used to enslave hairies. The fact none of the living nakeds are pure bred or were alive when that happened and a lot of hairies have naked blood doesn’t make any difference.”

“The anav community doesn’t discriminate against nakeds,” said a hairy boy.

“You won’t adopt naked women into your beitim,” said Rilletteecket, “and hairy anavot won’t marry naked men.”

“The problem is we can’t explain a lot of naked people to the hairy goyim,” said the hairy, “and they visit too frequently to hide any resident naked anavim.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem with our group,” I said.

“We normally tell people strange looking anavim are from a community outside the Great Basin,” said Breeze.

“Or let people think they’re minions,” said the faharni boy next to her.

“Why can’t I be a priestess?” asked Egrindreth. “I have exactly the same ancestry as you and there’s nothing in scripture that says priests have to be male. The design specs for the priestly garments even stress the importance of keeping the chest covered.”

“I can’t see a reason why you can’t be a priestess,” I said.

“I think we’ll have to ask Yoho about it,” said Dwendra.

“Do you think your scriptures ban familiars like Nilha here?” said Vrenloa pointing to the transparent bird or flutter on her shoulder. “People with the Gift of Tongues know this word sounds like ‘familiar’ in most languages but is different from the type of familiar which is forbidden.”

“Again, we’ll need to consult Yoho about that,” said Dwendra.

“You do realize you’ll need some sort of building?” asked Beauty who had her very frizzy hair sticking straight up in a bunch with a ribbon round it. “I’m not sure this is really suitable.”

“Yes,” said Dwendra. “We do have some financial resources but we need something quickly.”

“This whole thing seems rather half synthesized,” said Breeze’s faharni friend.

“Well that’s a bit of a vicious circle,” I said. “There are things we can’t really finalize without knowing what people we’re going to have. There are other things we can’t be sure of until we talk to Benai Nibeyim and it would help if we had some more people for that.”

There was a pause.

“Any more questions?” asked Dwendra.

There was another pause and then Breeze stood up. “Right there’s another thing. You may want to join Clindar and Dwendra’s group as well as this, I don’t have a problem with that. I’ve been asked to equip as many anavim as I can, free of charge, because we’re expecting to fight some more battles in the near future. As some of the enemy are anavim, this thing may not be restricted to this universe. So if anybody wants to be equipped let me know.”

“Is associate magic compatible with familiar magic?” asked Vrenloa?

“I don’t know,” said Breeze. “I can tell that your familiar is a variation on associate magic but I don’t really know how it works.”

Beit Kerem is the clan that runs Minris Vineyard.

As soon as I awoke, in the Vineyard doghouse, an anav I didn’t recognize told me not to go back in time.

“Why?” I asked.

It had been clear the previous evening that Ice had been very worried by what Dwendra and myself had told her. She seemed to agree with our plan but wasn’t sure how it would actually work.

“The attacks on the temples,” said the unfamiliar anav.

Dwendra and myself had been partly right about a blitz attack. However, there was none that day and not in Targrath or even on Central Island. They’d been on the temples of Strumeg and Denadria, which had both been reduced to blazing ruins before anybody could do anything. This had happened shortly after the Trulist high priest had announced the avatars were in their temples and had never been to Minris (I knew the latter part was a lie). Then there was the whole issue of not being allowed to use violence on Holy Sites, a law the attackers clearly weren’t interested in keeping. This may have prevented anybody who could have fought from doing so. Descriptions of the attackers suggested they belonged to the same group who’d attacked the Cascade Hotel. This seemed a very bad public relations move by the mysterious enemies but, as we didn’t know their objectives, this may not have been a problem for them.

Dwendra and myself arrived at my old home just after sapphire dark to find that only Screld and Jabna were there.

"We thought it would be a good idea if we got to know each other without the adults," said Screld.

Jabna just looked at me with hatred in her eyes.

"We really just came by to let you know we're still alive," I said.

"I understand there's some bad feelings," said Screld, "but that's really just the older generation's fault. We're just grape pickers ..."

I somehow knew that was a very low rank in Benai Nibeyim.

"So ist Anden," said Dwendra.

I hadn't known that. I remembered that Dwendra had told Mum her rank, that must have been when Mum had told her this, she'd whispered something I hadn't heard.

"I've only just been made a grape picker!" said Jabna. "I didn't even know my parents were Benai Nibeyim until a couple of days ago and so far I haven't liked being in this stupid organization."

"It hast becometh corrupted and art a travesty of what it wast before the Cataclysm."

"It could be useful to be friends with them," I said.

"They art planning to seduceth us so we canst not marryeth each other," said Dwendra.

"I wert ordered to!" said Jabna. "Anden says that you're OK once you get past the rapist reputation and being an anav but I want to be popular and it's hard for a nibeyah who's also one of the few idlan in town!"

"I'm not a rapist," I said, "and I'm not racist but I'd rather marry an anavah than a nibeyah. Perhaps there are individuals who would be exceptions but I love Dwendra and don't feel that you're my type."

"So now you know the truth," said Screld, "and it's obvious that Jabna can't seduce you because there isn't a strong predestination line connecting you."

I still didn't trust him although I was sure that what he'd just said was true. Jabna had been telling the truth and really wasn't committed to Benai Nibeyim's agenda but she really didn't like me. Dwendra didn't trust them either.

"Why don't we try to move beyond the mess our parents have made?" asked Screld.

I wasn't sure if he meant that or not. He may have been in the docking tube on this issue.

Dwendra went into the living room, we were in the hall but Jabna had been speaking from the living room, and sat down. Screld and myself followed.

"Now," said Dwendra, "what art thou's religious beliefs?"

"Officially I'm a Trulist," said Screld.

"What dost thou really believeth?" asked Dwendra.

"Mum insisted on doing the Trulist thing of marrying hipsickim, although they're likhatzim, in spite of the fact that she really didn't like the first one. We know some underground Winemakers who use double marriages. I'm decidedly homokorbarsexual myself so I think I'd rather be an underground Winemaker."

"I'm a Winemaker," said Jabna. "Yes, I have that in addition to being a nibeyah and an idlan, although I know most idlan are Winemakers, I don't have to fit the fornicating stereotype!"

Dwendra proceeded to ask some pointed questions about Yoho's avatar and other Yohoist and Winemaker doctrines and customs. The subject of the destruction of the temples also came up but Dwendra and myself were trying to avoid that issue as we knew some secrets about avatars. I realized that she was trying not to let them know what she thought the right answers were and I'm sure she was reading their minds. Neither of them really had a good grasp of Winemaker doctrine, not even the things almost everybody knows. Jabna thought that all religions were basically the same and was basically a Trulist Yoho worshipper and thought the only difference was that Trulists were pro-gay and Winemakers anti-gay (although she didn't agree with this). She was shocked when Screld pointed out that Winemakers didn't have Temple Prostitutes and Winemaker psychics were allowed to marry other psychics. Screld had probably picked up some weird theology from Yoldasia (who'd probably spent too much time using Old Magic and listening the religious views of mental patients as well as having her own mental problems). For Screld and Yoldasia, the Winemaker prohibition against Old Magic was a serious problem but Screld tried to get round this by interpreting scripture in a similar way to my father.

Eventually Dwendra said, "Well we shalt pray about how we shouldst proceedeth." Then we left.