Chosen for Vudamali

The next thing she clearly knew was all of them walking home; her father's cloak around her shoulders, his younger siblings clinging to it and her, crying and not truly understanding why. They went home and there was food and drink. Her older siblings returned from the necessary work and there were shouts of loss and of anger and tears. There were tears all through the rest of the day and the night; weeping that seemed without end.

She wasn't sure how late it was when she finally started to fall asleep. But she felt her father's strong arms lifting her and smelled him as he carried her to her bed. He laid her in bed and brushed her hair back from her face; her tired eyes opened enough to see him looking down with his broken heart in his eyes. She mumbled softly, "It'll be all right, Daddy," and fell asleep with her parents' eyes on her.

Elde slept deeply, the emotions of the day draining her past the point of tossing and turning or bad dreams. She was roused by her mother to bathe and dress before joining the full family to break their fast. It was the last meal they would ever sit at together and the weight of that sat heavily on them. She took time to sit with each of them alone and to say the things they may never have told one another. Hours passed this way, the work of the day being put off for this parting, until at last a hard knock came to the door.

Elde trembled as she stood; again feeling that oddly dazed numbness sweeping over her. The pack her siblings had prepared for her before she woke was set into her hands and she walked out of the only home she'd ever known.

The Spear Woman were assembled in the road past the house and she saw Lan and Ies, each with packs like hers on their backs, in the middle of their formation. Captain Arista had come to the door, Caria at her side, to fetch Elde. Her helm was off and she looked down at the girl and her parents behind her. Elde noted that there was now a dressing on the cut that she'd shown yesterday. "Come with us now, Elde Walker. We have a long journey home." She looked behind the girl, "You are her parents?"

"Aye," her father said, his voice thick and gruff. "You've chosen well, Captain."

"I've no doubt." She nodded to Caria, the second holding out a pair of tokens on leather thongs. "Your tithe token for your sacrifice." The lieutenant handed over the first carved palm sized item; a family who had a young person chosen was able to take a tithe from the town's stores to replace the lost work over the next year. "And this." It was an item that none of them had seen before; a disk of bone with a carving of a pair of joined circles under a tall cylinder. "We do not usually take from the same family but we have done so with yours. To honor that, we have given this to you and Lan Walker's family. For two choosings you may present this for your young to be exempt."

Caria handed both items to Elde's mother's shaking hands. It was a gift of great worth but also a burden. When the time came, which of their children would they protect? "Thank you," she whispered.

"We owe you our thanks," Arista shook her head. "Through your loss, both our peoples will prosper." She lifted her helm and donned it once more, "Bid them fare well, Elde Walker, parting is upon us."

Elde nodded and turned to face her parents and willed herself to speak but her mouth simply didn't obey. Elde's father embraced her and held her tight in his strong arms, "Be brave and clever, my little girl. We are proud, even as we grieve. Never forget that; we will not remember you with sorrow."

He stepped back and her mother hugged her then, "We love you, my baby, my dear one. All come together in the Beyond, hold to that. And...and write us, if they'll let you. Please."

Life seemed to return to her body and Elde's arms clenched her mother tight as she buried her face in her arms, "I will, Momma, I'll send word, I promise. I love you, love you all so much." The two women tightened their grip on one another and held close for perhaps a minute before parting.

Not trusting herself not to explode in weeping then, she whipped about and strode past Arista and Caria, through the yard about the house, past the open gate and into the road. The Spear Women parted for her and she walked to where Lan and Ies stood in their midst. Neither youth spoke to her but their faces were full of understanding and shared pain. Lan put a hand on her shoulder and she placed hers over it. She could hear Arista say something more to her family behind her and then footsteps approaching. She heard the gate shut and latch. "All right, let's go. There are many miles before we meet the others. Chosen, you know your roles and your duties; you'll not be guarded but we brook no foolishness. Should you feel ill or hurt, say; we do not wish you to be damaged in the journey."

The group set off then; three townspeople surrounded by nine warrior women from a distant land, walking away to an unknown destiny. Elde glanced back once and saw her family gathered in the yard outside of the house, watching them go. She felt her heart swell and crack in her chest and turned her gaze back to the road ahead, her eyes stinging. That was the last she saw of them as a living woman.

They walked on until the sun was low in the sky and setting the horizon ablaze with color. They halted and made camp off of the road. The Spear Women went about their roles with the ease of those who had performed a task many times save for Caria and one of the lower ranked women introduced as Sena who assisted the Chosen in setting up their tents and instructing them in how to do so in the future. They ate drank water and ate with surprising hunger steaming bowls of porridge and a hunk each of a dark bread and a sharp cheese they all knew well from home; they were kept largely apart from the Spear Women at camp as the meal was prepared and served and darkness crept over the land. No one watched guarded them, but all three were aware that they were the topic of much conversation and frequent looks from where their escorts sat about the large campfire.

After they had eaten and cleaned their bowls, the Chosen sat together and watched the Spear Women around the fire. The three of them were sitting on a log that Lan had pulled in front of their small tents. Elde sat beside her cousin, leaning against him and feeling weary. Ies sat on the far end of the log from the two cousins; he had spoken little and seemed unsure if he would be accepted by them or should keep to himself. She was starting to doze when she felt Lan stiffen. "Elde" he whispered, "the Captain."

She opened her eyes to see the striking woman approaching, still armed and armored save for her helm. Arista looked over the three of them and a smile came to her lips. "You've done well, Chosen, even you, Ies." The youth blushed but seemed pleased. "Sometimes we must carry Chosen whose feet blister or who twist their ankles walking more than expected. It shows promise for you." She gestured around the camp, "Tonight you had no duties; this will change when we make camp tomorrow. Sena will mind you and give you your tasks. If you have questions, you are expected to ask. No one will chide you or think less of you; life on the move was once unknown to all of us. You will be expected to do your share and to obey any of us without hesitation. Am I understood?"

All three nodded and murmured their assent. Lan cleared his throat, "I have many questions, Captain, but not about camping."

"I am sure," she answered. "Every night you will have lessons with Caria. We will teach you of our people, your people. Our ways, our laws, your place in our society, and more. The others will likely start speaking to you tomorrow and you will glean much from them but there are things you are not to know until Presentation. If you are told that a questions cannot be answered, you will respect that."

Arista shook her head, "There are only a few things I will teach you tonight. Attend. You call us "Spear Women" and it is...a fitting enough name." There was a rich note of amusement in her voice as she said it, "More than most of you know. But that is not what we call ourselves. We are the Vuda; named after our great goddess Vudamali. You will hear much of her in our lessons but for now, know that it is she who we revere above all and that you will give her your respect and love in time as well. She gave us our ways and it is her will that guided us to your people and saved us both from destruction. You may continue to worship and pray to your own god as well, of course, but Vudamali now holds you in her hands." She gestured to the tents, "Go to bed now and save any questions for the morrow. Rest well for we have many miles to tread."

There were no lessons the next day or the two after that; not until the fifth day of their march were all three of the townspeople alert enough to sit closer to the fire for the meal before being taken aside for their first lesson. Their brief time by the fire seemed to lift an unseen veil between them and the Vuda. Their escorts had spoken little to them and while they watched the three carefully, there was no interaction save with Sena, Caria, and Captain Arista. The next day, that changed. The Vuda spoke to them freely, introducing themselves, telling tales of their deeds and journeys, asking questions. Each told stories to show her own bravery and skill, trying to impress one another and for some reason, the three Chosen. As if they weren't impressive enough just being who they were! That made her wonder though; why would they want to impress them?

The touching started after the first week of their trek. Or at least that's when Elde first noticed it. She brought water up from a nearby stream as camp was being made and had just set it down. The Vuda on cook duty that night reached out and slid a strong arm around her waist, leaning down to thank her and brushing her lips over one of Elde's ears. The town girl turned bright red but then Caria walked by and cleared her throat loudly; the arm was withdrawn as if Elde might burn the warrior woman. But there were other incidents; Vuda brushing up against her or their hands caressing her rear when they walked past. And it was happening to the boys too; she'd seen Sena actually walk up behind Ies and grab his ass in both hands, leaning over to whisper something to the youth before walking away. It was rarely so blatant but it was happening more frequently. Captain Arista and Caria seemed to keep an eye on it but only intervened if some invisible line of protocol was crossed; often telling the offending Vuda to "go and walk if off," after which the groper would go apart from the group and return a few minutes later.

Ten days in, they met with another group of Vuda escorting the Chosen from another town. The two joined together; the leader of the second group seeming to be equal in station to Caria and deferring to the captain. This happened several more times as they journeyed along until there were thirty Chosen being escorted by some eighty Vuda. They were traveling by the major trade roads of the nation now and made good time when with as large as their group was.

They still had lessons most nights but those had changed somewhat. There were now physical exercises that they performed under the supervision of their tutors. They were told these would tone and strengthen their bodies to make them as appealing as possible and help them at their Presentation. Elde noticed that many of the Vuda would come and watch once their camp duties were done, often to retreat with something hanging under their skirts as she'd noticed on the day of her Choosing. They also were starting to be instructed in the worship of Vudamali, general observances and prayers, as well as acts of worship that the goddess demanded of the Chosen. Each of them was given a smooth, lacquered wooden cylindrical idol with a rounded protuberance at one end; a bit over nine inches long and perhaps a fourth as thick. They were instructed to kiss and even lick these, Caria pulling her cloak about herself to hide her body as she gave them explicit instructions in how to worship the "sign of the goddess" until she declared the lesson over and retreated along with several other watching Vuda who were similarly shrouded in their cloaks.

After a full month of walking, the troop made it to the Great River. Two large river boats were waiting for them, crewed by men of the nation who seemed more at ease with the Vuda than any other than the priests that Elde had seen.

For twelve days the river carried them south before they came to a large lake where there was a small trading outpost and a long set of docks near where the river fed in. Elde managed to find a spot on deck out of the way as the boat pulled up to moor at the dock. Her eyes were drawn to the almost straight line of the lake's far end and the cloudy column of vapor rising up in the distance.

Elde tried to look chipper as she took up her pack and a few bundles handed her by the sailors down the gangplank to the shore. She deposited the bundles in a growing pile on the dock and then went to stand aside on the shore itself where the other Chosen were assembling directed by the Vuda. She noticed that the trade outpost was manned by a few Vuda and by her people as well. These weren't men in brief contact, like the sailors, but people who could only be Chosen! She wasn't the only one who had made that connection; all of them peered at the people working the dock and the trading post.

She wasn't sure what she was looking for or what she expected but the people working there were surprisingly normal. Some looked happy, some sad, most were focused on their tasks but seemed pleasant enough. Their clothes were of a similar cut and style to those back home but made of lighter fabric and all were garbed as though it were near summer; from the heat and wetness in the air, an apt comparison. There was one thing that stood out about them; every one wore a leather collar around the base of their neck that buckled over the main artery with a simple but stylized fastening. The clasps were not all the same; Elde noticed three distinctly different ones on the men and women working the docks and the outpost.

"They must show who..." Elde spoke the thought out loud and let it trail off out of not being sure what word to use.

"Yes," she heard Caria say beside her. "Good, Elde. Those show the household the Hestians belong to. You'll all have one after the Presentation. They have finer marks up close that give more information but you can't really see that from here."

"Hestians," she repeated. It was a new word to her. "Is that the name for-"

"What you'll become, Elde Walker," Captain Arista's voice cut the thought off. "It means "hearth tender" in the holy tongue." Elde blinked and looked to see the leader of the band striding towards them. How could she be that big and sneak like that? In the captain's wake the male Chosen came. Behind on her right was Lan, his face vaguely concerned until he caught sight of Elde and then he smiled for a moment before his expression grew more troubled.

"Lan!" She pushed away her uncertain thoughts and rushed past the bemused Arista to throw herself against her cousin's strong, sturdy chest. Elde felt him stiffen a bit as if she'd touched a sore spot but his arms went about her all the same. "I missed you." She looked up at him and really noted his expression for the first time. "Are you all right?"

"Our training was, ah," he glanced at the towering figure of Arista who was watching the interaction of the two kinsmen, "very physically intense, that's all. In a way I'm not quite used to yet."

"But you will be," Arista said. She was wearing her helm so her face could not be seen well but Elde could hear the smile in her voice. "You did much better than I hoped you would. But for the time being, we must be on the move once we are properly provisioned. I intend to make it down the cliffs today. Now, attend to your packs, the both of you. We'll be on our way within the hour."

It was more than an hour but not by much. The Chosen and most of their escort got underway, parting company with both the sailors and the Vuda and Hestians at the outpost. The lead Vuda at the trading post assured the captain they'd be back for the Presentation before they left, which made Elde feel a bit humble. This ceremony for them was so important that all the people here would leave just to attend?

Sena and a few other Vuda had taken lighter packs and left almost immediately after disembarking once they took something from Ies. She learned from asking Lan that Ies had all the lessons they had but was also put to work copying pages that contained the information about the Chosen into a book.

The lake flew off into nothing and fell down in a roaring, gleaming, foaming arc over air before sheer cliffs. As far as she could see it was green with towering trees broken by patches of water, the cut of the river and the snaking streams that flowed out from it, and a few cleared roads. It was bordered by cliffs like the one they stood on now; lush, wet forest surrounded by the rocky folds that were steepest and sharpest here and yet went on for all that she could see. In the middle distance there were clear spaces that were more regular and familiar to her; fields and the shapes of houses and barns. Beyond these was a city far larger than any town any of the Chosen save those from the capital had ever seen. It was too far to make out properly but there was a high wall around it and within were many buildings dominated by two structures; a long hall with a roof that shone like steel in the daylight and a tall tower of dusky stone that rose high into sky as it to pierce it.

The Chosen all stared in wonder; though wonderstruck, they felt a twinge of worry. That was their destination and the end of all their lives as they had been. "Behold, sisters, and our people yet to be," Arista called out. "Where great Vudamali entered the Earth and seeded her with all life! Where we nearly failed until we found the world beyond and those who would give us a future to shield theirs with our bodies! Where life once hard is now sweet, where our pain in service becomes pleasure. Home," she sighed, "Home, at last, may the spirits of our fallen in the foe-lands find this sight as we."

Caria grinned, "You should become a poet when you retire, Captain. But shouldn't we move on?"

Arista looked down at her second, "It moves your heart as deeply, Caria, even if your tongue doesn't run away with you as mine does." Then she squared her shoulders, "But I am not a poet yet; captain still and we have the last leg ahead. Onward, then!"

That night, Arista came to the Chosen before sending them to their tents. "There is no lesson tonight, nor the next few days. There will be much to learn as ever in life, but you will have lessons as you are taken into your new households and your new lives begin." She paused a moment, eyes sweeping the group. "It will ring empty to many of you, but do not fear. You will be our companions and our kin and we will honor and cherish you. Now, to bed. Remember what you have learned and your devotions; at the Presentation, your knowledge will be tested in the most intense and intimate of ways. If you have not made ready...it will be a sore trial."

They journeyed for three days through the lands of the Vuda. Other groups were traveling as well; Vuda and Hestians from the outlying farms and watchpoints coming for the Presentation. Some had to stay behind by necessity t but it was law that one could not miss the Presentation two years in a row unless excused by the priests. The nights were full of strange noises and not all came from the forest; there were soft grunts and moans from the boys' tents as they continued to practice the secretive worship of Vudamali that they had been taught on the boats. Elde did hers as well; kissing and licking and caressing her idol and taking it into her mouth and deeper into her throat to draw as much of the holy object into her as she could bear. She felt she was doing well; each evening she could do a bit more, she could almost get the base to rest against her lips.