Tales of Midbar: Secret Priest

“Everybody had a core meltdown after you left,” I said.

“I didst not expecteth her to be so hostile.”

“She says I should solve my own problems rather than going to them for help and should talk to them rather than complaining to Haprihagfen but when I acted like I wanted to talk to you she melted down more and dragged Mum off somewhere and told me not to go with you or have sex with you but refused to tell me why.”

Dwendra gave me a very strange look, head tilted down but looking at me with her mouth scrunched up.

“What was that about Rendamar Temple?” I asked.

“I expected Benai Nibeyim for to leaveth a message there but they didst not.”

“Perhaps they didn’t want to risk getting attacked by Nuharas?”

“I expected the message for to be delivered before the Nuhara’s didst surroundeth the temple. I art now certain she doth believeth a priestly line hath survived and it doth includeth an anav.”

“What makes you think there’s an anav?”

“She must knoweth I want an anav priest and she didst lieth about not having what I wanted.”

I wasn’t sure if Yoldasia knew who Dwendra was, she hadn’t said her name, only her age. Then how many glildac anavot are there?

“Sure she wasn’t mistaken about who you are?”

“She didst knoweth of the message at Rendamar temple. If she didst know who I was, why wert she so hostile?”

“She hates me because she thinks I’ll be like her first husband, who was a hipsick.”

We ate and drank in silence for a bit.

“Dad didn’t like Yoldasia telling him to protect me from you without explaining why or telling me to solve my own problems, saying I couldn’t talk to you because I didn’t know what I was doing and not explaining why. It might help persuade him she’s conspiring against me if he meets you while that memory’s still fresh.”

“He art a nibey?”

“He sympathizes with my problems but hasn’t been able to solve them. However, I think he’s in denial about Mum being Benai Nibeyim.”

Dad was right, he had done rather well for himself. His office was in a large, old building said to have survived the Cataclysm but still in an excellent state of repair. Dad’s office was on the top floor, large and furnished with antiques.

I found his secretary’s desk empty and knocked on the office door.

“Who is it?” asked Dad’s voice.

Couldn’t he detect anav vibes or did Dwendra’s presence confuse him?

“It’s me, Clindar. I’ve brought somebody to see you about my case.”

“Oh,” he said. “Just a minute!”

Dwendra and myself stood there, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Then the secretary; an attractive, young nibeyah; came out leaving the door open for us but gave Dwendra a very strange and somewhat hostile look.

There was a large window which afforded a dramatic view of Valley Park, which looked especially cheerful in white day but it was now blue day. Dad was seated behind his large desc.

“I’ve taken your advice,” I said.

“What advice?” asked Dad.

“I’ve done something Yoldasia won’t like.”

“That wasn’t ...”

I moved out the way so he could see Dwendra.

“... an instruction, it was advice.”

“Clindar doth believeth Yoldasia hateth him,” said Dwendra, “but she clearly took an instant hatred unto me in spite of pretending Clindar and myself wert unacquainted.”

“I thought it might be better if we didn’t meet at home,” I explained. “This is Dwendra who’s sort of Benai Nibeyim.”

“Sit down!” said Dad indicating a couple of antique chairs. “I thought you’d be with Egrindreth?”

“She won’t be coming because apparently Beney Nibeyim will do something bad to Haprihagfen if she helps me.”

“What exactly is the relationship between you two?” asked Dad, lowering his eyebrows.

“We’re just friends,” I said, realizing as I said it that people never believed this.

“He didst rescueth me from a most unpleasant situation, thus allowing me to better serveth Yoho.”

“This unpleasant situation wouldn’t have anything to do with the Benai Nibeyim would it?” asked Dad.

“It was recently,” I explained, “after they started messing with me.”

Of course this wasn’t strictly true but I wasn’t allowed to tell anybody anavim were capable of time travel.

“They wert not the enemy,” said Dwendra.

“You have my son’s interests at heart?” asked Dad, fingering his chin with his right hand, staring into Dwendra’s eyes and I’m fairly sure he was trying to read her mind.

“I serveth Yoho and I art certain helping him ist Yoho’s will.”

“So your loyalty is to Yoho?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re willing to go against Benai Nibeyim?”

“From what I hath heard, these Benai Nibeyim art a disgrace unto the name and Yoldasia didst not convinceth me otherwise.”

“So you know of some others who are better?” asked Dad.

“In former times.”

“Is this the Yohoism expert you told me about?” asked Dad.

“Yes.”

“Do you have any ideas about how to help Clindar?" asked Dad. "You do understand his situation?”

“Not entirely.”

“I’ve told her everything I know,” I said.

Dad gave me a look that said he wasn’t at all sure that was a good idea, “Do you have any ideas about how to solve Clindar’s problems?”

“I believeth the best option art to remindeth the leaders of Benai Nibeyim and Haprihagfen of Yohoist teachings.”

“What?” said Dad.

“Clearly neither art following Yohoism correctly but both claim for to be serving Yoho.”

“There are all sorts of problems with that,” said Dad.

“Thou hath a better idea?”

“I’ve done some research," Dad put his elbows on his desc with his hands together, "and there are certainly similarities between Yohoism and Benai Nibeyim. Benai Nibeyim claims to be derived from the Yohoist priesthood, which was hereditary. However all the Yohoist priests and their families were killed during the Cataclysm.”

“How doth the Benai Nibeyim reconcileth that contradiction?”

“I think they’re more spiritual descendants than biological ones," said Dad. "However, it does seem the organization is split into two main groups. One consists of hipsickim, mostly rich and powerful people. The other, smaller, group consists of psychics.”

“The priesthood wert psychic but only nibeyim or anavim although there wast no anav priest in the last six centuries prior to the Cataclysm,” said Dwendra. “Only men couldst be-eth priests but Haprihagfen claimeth that ist sexist and not Yoho’s true teachings. The priests’ wives wert also required to be nibeyot or anavot. Some modern Benai Nibeyim art hipsickim or katcheyim.”

“You are aware of my religious teachings?” asked Dad.

“No. Thou art a sage?”

“A rabbi. I teach in the temple sometimes but I’m not a priest.”

“Thou art a nibey but thou ist not a prophet?”

“I consider the gods to be purely symbolic.”

“Except Yoho?” asked Dwendra.

“No, including Yoho.”

“What! Thou art a heretic!”

“He’s a Trulist Yoho worshiper, not a Yohoist,” I said.

“The point is,” said Dad, “I’ve been trying to convince others of what I sincerely believe to be the truth for decades and many still reject me.”

“But thou art a heretic!”

“I think your approaches to religion are pretty much diametrically opposed,” I said, “well that and the fact one’s a Trulist who worships Yoho and the other’s basically a Yohoist, or probably the closest thing that exists today.”

Dwendra gave me a cross look with her nose scrunched but I was trying to avoid explaining she was from before the Cataclysm.

“What evidence have you that your beliefs are more right than anybody else’s?” asked Dad.