Tales of Midbar: Secret Priest

The bottom of the window was at ground level, with clouds of water vapor pouring up from it. There was a narrow passage between the courthouse and a retaining wall. My parents and Attan were heading for the rear of the building with Dwendra behind them.

“I think Dwendra’s lost it!” shouted Attan.

“Calm down so you can read her mind better!” I shouted.

We reached the end and Dad grabbed Dwendra just as I caught up.

“There wert a binding on me that didst attracteth one of those associates unto me!” said Dwendra. “I couldst not even escapeth by teleportation! If I had not beenst able to getteth Breeze to helpeth me so quickly I wouldst hath beenst killed!”

“There was a binding on me to repel those associates,” I said.

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about!” said Mum, looking at her bracelet and I think wondering why her calming spell wasn’t working.

“Can we try to not kill each other!” said Dad. “Anden isn’t a mage.”

“Well Benai Nibeyim didst doeth it!” said Dwendra.

“Let’s get over to the corner and discuss things calmly!” said Dad. “Do you think you could do that?”

“If nobody dost tryeth to killeth me again,” said Dwendra.

A lot of confused looking people, including a man who was handcuffed to a police officer, were coming out the building. The alarm could still be heard. Dad herded Mum and Attan towards a corner where a truck was parked, leaving a space between it and the retaining wall where we could get a certain amount of privacy. I followed them, putting my arm round Dwendra and tried to calm her down but she was pretty furious.

“Was that a magis back there?” asked Attan. “She looked about twelve! How come everybody’s teleporting now?”

“Not everybody!” said Mum, crossly. “Apparently I can’t be teleported but Clindar and Dwendra can.”

“I take it that girl is the new Vineyard Magis?” asked Dad.

“Of course!” said Mum grumpily. “I expect she teleported here from Minris!”

When we got behind the truck, Dad turned to us and asked, “Now what exactly is the problem?”

“Breeze, the magis, said Dwendra had a binding to attract one of those destructive associates to her,” I said, “and I had one that repelled them.”

“It was clearly a Nuhara terrorist attack,” said Attan.

“And Dwendra killed Nuhar Zorg!” said Mum.

“What!” said Attan.

“That’s a reason for them to kill her!” said Mum.

“Doth any Nuharas knoweth of that?” asked Dwendra.

“And they wouldn’t care about keeping me alive,” I said. “Benai Nibeyim want me to father another anav priest with their virgin anavah, I think!”

“I don’t think a virgin can bare an anav priest,” said Attan.

“What the forn ...” Dad started to say.

“It wasn’t Benai Nibeyim!” said Mum.

“Are you in a position to know that?” I asked.

I was sure she wasn’t but I wasn’t sure she didn’t know about it.

“You can’t get married!” said Mum. “You understand that don’t you? She’s the weirdest person on the planet!”

“Miandri art weirder!” said Dwendra.

“Breeze is an anavah and a magis and a red-head!” I said.

“Some Benai Nibeyim think you’re the prophesied priest,” said Mum, “and some don’t and if you marry her it will make things worse! We’ve got to maintain unity. You don’t have what it takes to be the prophesied priest. You understand!”

I wasn’t sure if this was an admission to knowing about the attack or an attempt to defend her organization.

“I’ll never amount to anything if I can’t make important decisions and carry them out!” I said.

“You’re important decisions are stupid!” said Mum.

“Like raping girls so I can’t marry them because some of you want me to marry Dwendra and some think I should marry any virgin psychic? Like committing mass suicide rather than telling me what I need to know? Now you’re trying to kill Dwendra although you know she’s Sixteen, because you’re still not sure if I should marry her and we killed your rape gang! Are you going to rape or kill that other virgin anavah because you won’t be sure if I should marry her? Is this the only way you morons can resolve disputes, rape or kill somebody so you’re only fornicating left with one fornicating option?”

“We’ve got to maintain unity!” said Mum.

“What the fornication are you talking about?” asked Dad.

“When and where are you going to elect new leaders?” I asked.

“I don’t know! I’m just a Grape Picker. Only high ranking Benai Nibeyim can go!”

“Never mind I know three people who’ll be there!” I said. “Benai Nibeyim’s a holy abortion! It needs to be destroyed or seriously reformed.”

“So he hath not got what it takes?” said Dwendra sarcastically.

“You can’t fight Benai Nibeyim!” said Mum.

“Do they all agree with the raping and killing?” I asked.

Mum stared at me.

“Now can we calm down and take this point by point?” asked Dad.

“I think they’ve gone insane,” said Attan.

“I think we doth knoweth what hath to be done,” said Dwendra, “and if this dost followeth the pattern in Minris the suicide attack wilt be followed by a blitz but I canst not goeth anywhere with my dress torn and bloody again.”

“Can we ...” Dad started to say.

“There have been three suicide bombs near us since we left the safe house,” I said. “We thought the first two were targeting the avatars but was that what Benai Nibeyim wanted us to think? Mum!”

“A lot of Benai Nibeyim died in Minris!” said Mum.

“Answer the question!”

“The Benai Nibeyim died in the battle not the suicide bombings,” said Dwendra.

“Of course that was somebody trying to kill the avatars!” said Mum.

“You know who sent them?” I asked.

“No!” said Mum.

“Anden!” said Dad. “Calm down! You can’t claim you know what the motive behind something was if you don’t know who did it and know a lot about them.”

“Why do you always take her fornicating side?” asked Mum.

“Clindar and Dwendra say they know who blew up the court,” said Attan.

“We presented evidence and reasoning!” I said.

“Can we calm down,” said Dad. “I don’t always take Dwendra’s side but she’s usually more logical and she doesn’t hate people for no reason. Now we should concentrate on what to tell ...”

“She claim’s she’s fornicating Nu ...” Mum started to scream but I put a hoarse spell on her, “... har Zorg’s wife,” she gasped, “how’s that fornicating logical and what the fornication’s happened to my voice?”

“Let’s concentrate on what to tell the police,” said Dad, “and sort out the other stuff later?”

“I still needeth another dress,” said Dwendra.

We were near the sea and therefore at one of the lowest places on the surface of Midbar-Binah and too low to teleport to another sephir. It was lower than Laraget.

“Somebody put a fornicating spell on me!” gasped Mum.

“Is our house still a crime scene?” I asked.

“No it isn’t,” said Attan, answering my question.

“I’ll see you in a few seconds,” I said, finding the men’s toilet of the cable car station in my mind.

The cable car afforded majestic views over the west side of Central Island. It was also the fastest way to gain the necessary altitude. I only went to the first station.

I hurriedly went through Dwendra’s clothing and found the most uninteresting dress she had. Then I realized I’d look a bit stupid walking around holding a dress so I went downstairs and got a bag to carry it in.

I retraced my steps. When I got to the toilets, I went back in time to just after I left the courthouse car park.