THE JEALOUSY OF JALICE

The early evening lacked any breeze but remained cold nonetheless. Delilee donned a luxurious fur coat made of fox pelt. She’d protested when the talimai had presented it along with her other clothes. If she wore it, she’d be as guilty as the Sachem of cruelty towards their animal kin. But with the gathering quickly approaching, and lacking an alternative from Jalice’s wardrobe, Delilee begrudgingly agreed to wear it. Refusing altogether would have raised suspicions.

An entire hour had been dedicated to a captivating hair weave alone. The few Vekuuv talimai offered to fashion the weave, and Delilee had accepted it with glee. Yet her excitement faded when it became evident the women had lost their touch. Despite offered guidance from Delilee, the women had hushed her and insisted they had retained their skills over the years since the ban on Vekuuv hair weaves. This hadn’t turned out to be true, but the result was still presentable enough.

When no one was looking, Delilee had snuck in braids of innocence and integrity—small additions too hidden in the final product to be noticed but that helped subdue the shame threatening to overtake her calm demeanor. Orange-tinted pearether feathers, mixed in using metal links, dangled from the back of the weave, creating a look far too extravagant for Delilee’s taste. Jalice would’ve loved it, especially the porcupine quills meant to complement the Sachem’s crown.

As a final touch, Geshar had insisted they draw two celestial patterns on Delilee’s upper cheeks. Two pink powder circles served as canvases beneath the eyes. Painted on top were silver dots and thin white lines that formed the selected constellations.

The Dreamboat was Delilee’s first choice. The constellation supposedly outlined an ancient craft constructed in ages long past, by nations long gone, to travel through the expanse. Among Delilee’s favorites, the story recalled dangerous quests in these mysterious crafts to reach the moon, among other distant places amongst the stars. The moral of the tale encouraged the curiosity of humankind to explore Sahruum’s creation. As a child, Delilee had enjoyed pondering if such crafts existed despite the ridicule from her friends.

The Death Clock completed the art piece. A circle and two hands like its namesake, the constellation’s story was far less optimistic. According to legend, the nations from before the Residuum Era had created a clock that prophesied the end of the world. The story held a dire conclusion, and served as a warning that, if left to their barbaric tendencies, humankind would take the world to a violent end.

These two constellations rivaled each other in message: one of hope, one of warning. Delilee had thought her choices appropriate given the current state of the land and its tribes. Only Vekuuv would properly interpret the drawings beneath her eyes; most Ikaul would miss the subtle innuendo.

The fanfare around her appearance dampened Delilee’s spirit. Seeing a face that wasn’t her own in the mirror, boasting pompous jewelry and hair designs, sickened her. She reminded herself that this was an occasion for which to be excited. Jalice left the safety of the Fortress for only specific circumstances—tribal gatherings amongst them. The excuse to travel past the wall and bask in nature should have been a good enough tradeoff in Delilee’s opinion.

The procession out of the Fortress reeked of ceremony. A custom had arisen that the Tecalica lead the tribe to the place of gathering. However, due to the recent attempt on her life, the Sachem ordered citizens to keep a half mile distance between themselves and the Tecalica.

Delilee was relieved at the order. People wouldn’t be allowed to get too close. Less people to convince of her guise. With the talimai in twin lines behind her, and two warriors on either side tasked with guarding her, Delilee led the tribe of Ikaul out of the Fortress. Only a handful of guards stayed behind, tasked with protecting the tribal tents and structures.

Delilee soaked in the details of the forest. The crisp smell of the whitebark trees made her smile. She breathed in deeply and sighed. She missed the trees, the creeks, and the solitude. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d stepped beyond the Fortress walls. The job of decoy forced her to stay at Jalice’s side. Bound to the woman’s fear of the world beyond, Delilee had rarely glimpsed—much less traveled—the forest in her adult years.

The procession arrived at the Astriloquus Valley while the sun still clung to the treetops. Pale yellow grass spread across the vast field. A lone group of figures that Delilee recognized as the Ikaul Elders gathered around a massive boulder in the middle of the grassy field. Atop the boulder stood Hydrim, surveying the approaching entourage led by Delilee.

Her stomach clenched, and she looked towards the line of brilliantly colored trees that covered the hillside. Long ago, this place had been used to celebrate the diversity and union of the five tribes. She recalled the numerous occasions upon which the Storytelling occurred in the valley, when the Ikaul Elders would recite the history of their tribe and the promised salvation in the coming Star Alignment.

In recent years, the location had only hosted bigotry and Ikaul tyranny. Since the declaration of his self-proclaimed title as Sachem, followed by the unification of Vekuuv and Ikaul, none of the other foreign tribes of the land had set foot anywhere near this place. The Sachem didn’t want them to either. He spread tales of their heinous practices and beliefs that sowed distrust amongst his people towards faraway tribes. Outsiders were no longer welcome.

When she could no longer ignore Hydrim’s presence, Delilee graced him with an emphatic smile before she climbed the boulder to stand with him. He beamed at her, a hunger prowling behind his eyes. Delilee snuffed out the instinct to leave and retreat back to the Fortress.

“You’re as fierce as a sky hawk,” whispered Hydrim. “You seize the air from my lungs.”

Delilee blushed. “And you are the king eagle to my flight, my Sachem.”

Hydrim retained his zealous gaze as he lifted his hands to present her with a leather necklace. “I’ll replace the vow ring you lost during the night they tried to take you. For now, I hope this gift can tide you over until then. I know your people value the expanse and its lights that flicker at night.”

Delilee’s stomach lurched as she remembered the oversight. Annilasia had forgotten to sneak Jalice’s vow ring to Delilee before they’d separated. The Sachem had noticed when she’d been returned to his arms, but she’d quickly told a story of theft. Hoping the Sachem hadn’t discerned her discomfort at the reminder, she made a point now to study the pendant that dangled from the necklace.

Four rings of descending size orbited a pebble-sized orb. Each had a tiny upraised dot that varied in location from ring to ring. Connected by an outer crescent, the rings twirled freely around the orb to mimic a minuscule solar system.

“I’ve brought the stars and planets down for you,” said Hydrim.

Delilee reached out and gingerly took the gift. “It’s immaculate.” She wrapped the pendant around her neck so that it came to rest against her chest, and locked the clasp.

“Soon I’ll have the ring replaced,” said Hydrim. “Our neighboring tribes have made passage to the Indiligo Islands difficult for the time being. But nothing is impossible when it comes to proving my devotion to you, Tecalica.”

Delilee blushed again and fluttered her eyelashes. “Such excitement for one day. Do you care to enlighten me about this gathering? I’m not sure I can handle any more surprises.”

A knowing look entered his eyes, and his smile shifted to one of pride. “You’ll know soon enough.” He turned to the amassing crowd, signaling the end of their exchange.

Delilee’s mind raced at the possibilities entwined in his cryptic words and leering grin. Something about the gathering and Hydrim’s demeanor unnerved her more than usual.

Several moments later, after the crowd had settled and grown quiet, the Sachem addressed his people. His voice bellowed across the valley, somehow amplified. Power laced his words, and all eyes and ears were rapt with attention as they listened to him.

Delilee observed the sea of faces, some of them peering up at her. Very few were Vekuuv, as it was too risky to permit their attendance—too many ways for the laborers to escape. The crowd was half the size of what Ikaul had once boasted. The Sachem had sent most of the tribesmen to Vekuuv territory to oversee the wasteland and its troubled people. At least, that’s what Hydrim claimed. Annilasia held a different theory—that they had been sent to oversee the construction of the mysterious device.

“Under the eye of the sun and the Wither season, you’ve met me here today,” pronounced Hydrim. “It’s been eighteen years since my accession to Sachem. Eighteen years since I unified Vekuuv and Ikaul. We were under duress, with the fusion of the Realms dissolving almost overnight, and the outbreak of the Delirium claiming most of the Vekuuv.”

Delilee wanted to vomit. She’d heard this poisonous tale before, although she hadn’t expected it here and now. She could only hope her expression showed none of her revulsion.

Hydrim waved his hands as he spoke. “Someone had to take control. Someone had to find a way to obliterate the disease that was ravaging the land. The Elders of both tribes were at a loss. If no one stepped forward to meet this challenge, I knew the Delirium would sweep through and end us completely before breaching the three eastern tribes.”

He paused, and his gaze swept over the crowd. “I did what no one else could do. I saved the Ikaul, and I rescued what little was left of the Vekuuv. The Purge eradicated the disease, but not without great cost. We lost the trust of our brethren tribe Vekuuv, and they failed to see how crippled they were.”

Hydrim’s theatrically mournful tone transitioned into one of pride. “So, I did them a great justice. I unified our two tribes to restore prosperity and trust.” He nodded, as if to vindicate his actions through his own recounting.

“I’ve labored day and night to restore our status with the Vekuuv. Little ground has been made, but I refuse to give up. We were once sibling tribes, and there will be a day when we are once again.” His face blazed with passion, and he puffed out his chest. “It is in this spirit of the relentless pursuit of peace that I gather you here to announce the next step in this goal: to bring true and prosperous unity to our tribes.”

The crowd, already hushed, held their breaths. Delilee shifted uneasily with the sense of an unspoken promise imminent on Hydrim’s lips.

“The rupture between Realms will be no more. I will join them back together and restore the wealth of energy and unimaginable potential that we have longed to regain.” He lifted his hands towards the sky. “Soon, I will reset the vibrations of this universe and lift the veil on the aether Realms.”

Delilee, overtaken by utter horror at the Sachem’s declaration, jolted when the crowd erupted in thunderous applause and chants. She looked to Hydrim and searched his face for any indication that this all was some sort of cruel trick.

How will he restore the connection to the Realms? Having occurred during the chaos of the Delirium and Hydrim’s rise to power, the mystery behind the rupture between the Realms had never been solved. The ability to translate had thus became tenuous, and only those with deep knowledge and training could still accomplish it unaided. Those less trained and patient had turned to risky external sources like aether-infused edibles and drinks.

Even so, aetherwaste plagued the Apparition Realm, so it wasn’t safe. Hydrim had taken it a step further and declared the Vekuuv forbidden from the practice of translation.

Delilee’s eyes widened as the implications crowded her mind. Surely it wasn’t coincidence that the near completion of the device in Vekuuv coincided with the Sachem’s announcement. Annilasia had been right. They were running out of time. Yet Delilee still failed to see the connection between Hydrim’s declared plan and the purpose of the mystery device.

The words of the chanting Ikaul finally registered, and her breath caught. She stared in horrified awe at the frenzied people as they danced and lifted open hands of praise to the elevated man beside her. They chanted one phrase, a new title for their ruler, in synchronized repetition.

The Sachem of the Realms.