Tales of Midbar: Secret Priest

“Another girl!” said Attan.

“She’s Clindar’s friend who he rescued,” said Miandri.

“You’re in serious danger of losing your virginity,” said Garmas.

“Don’t make him angry,” said Attan.

“We art merely friends,” said Dwendra.

“That’s what they always say before you find them in bed together,” said Garmas.

“You’re that girl from last night!” said Attan. “The one Clindar’s not supposed to fornicate.”

“She’s sleeping with me,” said Miandri.

“I really think Yoldasia was overreacting,” I said.

“It art vital I learneth certain things about Benai Nibeyim,” said Dwendra. “Unfortunately they art secretive.”

“And totally boring,” said Miandri.

“I thought we were going to practice,” said Garmas.

“Just a minute!” said Attan. “Can you explain what the fornication is going on?”

“Do you mean if it’s physically possible to do that or does it violate some non-scientific rule?” I asked.

“You know what I fornicating mean!” said Attan.

“You know I don’t answer vague accusations,” I said.

“Why is it so important for you know?” asked Miandri.

“I’m not fornicating accusing you of anything!” said Attan loudly, waving his arms. “I know there’s a load of feces going on that involves you three and I’m fornicating sick of not knowing about it!”

“These people give me the creeps,” said Garmas. “Let’s practice and you can interrogate them later.”

Attan and Garmas proceeded to go and kick a ball round the garden while the rest of us resumed discussing religion.

I had half a mind to go and play with Attan and Garmas but I didn’t want Attan interrogating me about things I wasn’t allowed to tell him or didn’t understand myself. It dawned on me I was largely taking Dwendra’s side in the argument. I wasn’t a Yohoist, I was a Trulist. I needed to find a difference.

“What is the difference between Yohoism and Trulist Yoho worship?” I asked.

“It’s just a matter of perception,” said Miandri.

“No that art not true!” said Dwendra. “Yohoism goes back unto before we left Earth.”

“So does Trulism,” I said.

“But Yoho wert only added unto the Trulist pantheon at the end of the Cataclysm as political expediency,” said Dwendra. “There wast no prophet advocating such a thing! It wert merely a way for Trulists to casteth themselves as the peacemakers and taketh control of Yohoism and Winemakerism, although it wast not so effective with Winemakerism.”

“Doesn’t that mean Trulism is better than ...” I started to say.

“What basis art there in Trulism? It art merely a collection of different religions tacked together. Yohoism wert founded by prophets who spoke for Yoho although some understanding of him must hath existed in former times as the Book of Walls proveth.”

“Surely religion is just a way to help us understand the universe,” I said, “and the gods and things are purely symbolic?”

“Like unto korbarim? From whence doth your father obtaineth his wisdom?”

“I think he had some bad religious experience when he was young that showed him... Actually I don’t know what it showed him.”

“Attempting to understandeth your father’s psychology art likely futile. The real question ist what art the truth? How mayest one seeketh Yoho to discovereth his true teachings?”

“What is the truth about the gods?” asked Miandri.

Suddenly the room was filled with pictures hanging in the air. Miandri had a small candle burning under her crystal.

“How can one know anything is true?” asked Miandri. “The revelation spell reveals the answer to any question asked but you must seek your own truth.”

Dwendra covered her eyes, in some attempt to protect herself from what she believed to be evil magic.

I looked at the pictures. They showed bizarre fractal patterns, stars, galaxies, planets, cells, a man and woman embracing, a man with wings, a building I didn’t recognize. I don’t remember all of them. One that really stood out was Dwendra holding hands with Egrindreth.

“How’s this supposed to be an answer to any question?” I asked.

“What does it say to you?” asked Miandri.

“It art evil!” said Dwendra.

“Who’s to say what’s evil?” asked Miandri.

“Yoho,” said Dwendra.

“There’s only one of these pictures that makes any sense to me,” I said. “It shows you and Egrindreth holding hands.”

“Tis deception.”

To me it meant the truth was some combination of Yohoism and Winemakerism. I was sure Dwendra wouldn’t like that. I didn’t like it. Perhaps this spell just found some image that would annoy you.

“What does it say to you?” I asked Miandri.

“The universe is truth. We must rebuild the starship and travel beyond Midbar. The winged man and the lovers will show us the path. I have no idea about the woman with red hair all over her body.”

I turned and saw a picture I hadn’t noticed before. It showed a woman, belonging to a hirsute race, with outstretched arms, standing in a distinctive lop-sided arch.

“Sephir Kledris!” I hissed, leaning close to Dwendra.

It was one of the sephirot we’d visited in our teleportation training.

Dwendra opened her eyes and looked around at the pictures. “I thinketh this just shows ... No, this canst not be the truth!”

“What?” asked Miandri.

“Perhaps not,” I said. “I don’t like what I think it’s saying. There’s nothing Trulist here!”

“All is Trulist,” said Miandri.

“Everything that seems specific to any religion is Yohoist or Winemaker,” I said.

“Winemakerism art merely a distorted form of Yohoism,” said Dwendra. “Where is the truth of ..? Oh, I met him,” she pointed to the winged man, “Tom, he said he knoweth how Yoho’s avatar couldst liveth on Earth after the nuclear war. Canst we get rid of this?”

The facial features weren’t very clear but the body did look muscular. The Tom I’d seen hadn’t had wings.

“If you don’t like seeing truth?” said Miandri.

Miandri blew out the candle with a small puff of pink vapor. The pictures vanished but something remained and somehow I knew Dwendra also felt it.

“The weird thing is it showed nothing specific to your religion and didn’t phase you,” I said to Miandri.

“You have the same religion as me.”

That was when I realized for the first time I was having serious doubts about Trulism.

Perhaps it was a good thing Mum returned at that point.

“Hello Anden,” said Miandri, cheerfully.

“Hi, Mum,” I shouted.

“Oh, greetings,” said Dwendra.

Mum stopped dead in her tracks to the kitchen, turned, came into the living room and stared at Dwendra as if she was something terrible.

“This is my friend Dwendra,” I said. “She’s been keeping me sane the last few days.”

“Your son haft helped me greatly as well,” said Dwendra. “Sorry about last night but Yoldasia didst overreacteth unto me.”

Mum was still holding shopping bags and looked as if she’d just been told all her friends and relatives were dead. “Who are you?”

“Dwendra, I art sixteen.”

“Who is she?” Mum asked looking at me.

“My friend,” I said.

“She’s like this totally cool Yohoist,” said Miandri, “who grew up in this farmhouse in northern Pax. I didn’t think there were any Yohoists left. She has like this amazing aura, can’t you feel it?”

Of course Mum couldn’t, she was a hipsickah but would Mum figure out that this meant Dwendra was psychic or even an anavah?

Mum put down her shopping took a few steps towards Dwendra and said, “You know the rules.”

“What rules?” asked Dwendra.

“The treaty.”

“I art Benai Nibeyim, not Haprihagfen.”

“Then I ask you as a sister to leave.”

“Rank and chapter?”

“We’re going to be stupid about this are we?” asked Mum.

“I art pursuing a mission.”

Mum leaned down to Dwendra and whispered something.

“Vine Dresser Holy Woman,” said Dwendra, “Sherinmardorn chapter. I ask as a sister that thou assisteth me in my mission.”

“How may I do that?” asked Mum.

“I art Sixteen, I seeketh an anav priest.”

“I think all the priests are former Temple Prostitutes and they don’t take anavim,” said Mum, “apparently.”

“A Yohoist priest!” said Dwendra.

“All the Yohoist priests were killed in the Cataclysm,” said Mum honestly, “everybody knows that. The priesthood was hereditary so there can’t be any more.”

“I hath information unto the contrary.”

“Miandri,” said Mum, rolling her eyes, “can you help me in the kitchen, now!”

“I’m just chilling ...”

“Now!”

Miandri followed Mum into the kitchen.