Aliandra: nymph: Book 1 The Nymph chronicles (3 page)

Chapter 5

Ali followed directly behind Radi through the crowd. Radi pointed to a low podium in the middle of the dancers.  Ali made her way to the podium and sat on the chair then nervously looked around. She saw Kappeh smiling and waving to her and she smiled and waved back. Pamu and Toko were seated behind Kappeh and as they caught her eye they too smiled and waved to her. Seated next to Kappeh was a giant of a man, with features that looked carved from stone, that she presumed was her husband.

Ali then spotted her grandma seated with the chiefs. Grandma nodded to her and smiled. The drums stopped and the dancers seated themselves around the periphery of the dance arena. The chief next the grandma stood and approached her podium. In his hand was a large disk which he put to her temple. History, information, languages and assorted cultural knowledge zapped through her brain and automatically filed itself away.

"I am Tabaldak, creator of this realm. As the senior tribal god of this region I am honored to be recognized as your immortal pater. Welcome to our tribal family, Aliandra, my daughter. It is a joyous time when we can welcome a fledgling immortal to our ranks. You are now ours to protect and care for. Many great gods have come to bear witness to this occasion. It has been agreed that formal introductions will take place after your debut into immortal society. Tonight we dance, feast and celebrate. Each great tribe will present their gift now" announced Tabaldak.

Kappeh and her husband stepped forward first and presented Ali with a veil.

"You know how to use it" whispered Kappeh

"Thanks" whispered Ali.

One after the other the tribal representatives stepped forward and presented their gift. Sometimes a knowledge disk, sometimes an object and then a couple approached with a huge mountain lion.

"His name is Rom, He will protect you."

"My thanks" replied Ali. Rom settled at her feet.

An tall, bearded man with a shock of white hair, dressed in a robe of light and radiating power all around him stepped forward on his own.

"I give you my blessing, child. You are a child of destiny and a peacemaker. You are the seed that will grow, blossom and produce much good fruit. You recognize power as a responsibility that cannot be abused or corrupted. You will fight for justice with the strength of a lion. I have spoken." He touched her head and then disappeared.

Finally grandma approached. "I bear the gifts of your Greek counterparts. From the ocean gods a protective octopus tattoo" she announced. She opened the box and tipped a small octopus onto her skin and she watched in amazement as the octopus sunk under her skin and became invisible. Grandma whispered "Her name is Bronny and is a blue ringed octopus. She will rest under your skin and stay invisible until she detects a threat. At which point she will reveal herself and is able to poison any attacker who lays hands on you." Grandma raised her voice again "From your earth counterparts, your gift is gold, platinum, silver and all precious stones."  Grandma passed her a scroll and it dissolved in her hands as she touched it. Ali looked up nervously. "That was supposed to happen, sweetheart" grandma whispered. and Ali gave a relieved smile. "We will sort through your gifts later. Right now you get to start the dancing.

"I don't have proper island dress, grandma" said Ali frantically.

"Not our traditional island dance. Search through the information your received and choose a tribal dance from this region" advised grandma.

Ali concentrated and identified a dance and a song celebrating her tribal family. As Ali took the first steps she sang the words to the song. Men playing the drums joined in. As the final words drifted away into the night Ali realized chiefs were wiping tears from their eyes, women gave her looks of fierce pride and the elders grinned delightedly. Men moved in around her and began to sing and dance to the beat of the drums. Their first song was one of unity and family cohesion. Their next song was more of a war dance that declared their intent to protect family. When a song began about their connection to nature many couples joined the dancers in the arena. Ali danced and sang for hours with her new family.

Eventually the smell of roasted pig drifted across to her and she realized she was really hungry. Ali followed her nose to the food and was handed a large plate piled with food. Someone passed her a glass of amber liquid.

"What is the drink?" she asked

"Ambrosia. You will like it" the woman answered.

Ali sipped it cautiously and felt a rush of energy sweep through her entire body. She drank some more and felt energy oozing into her cells. All tiredness was swept away and she felt utterly replenished.

"Whoa, now I know why this is so popular" remarked Ali.

"If you drink too much you will begin to feel euphoric and a little drunk. Just sip it and it will revive you" said the woman.

Kitch waved Ali over to their table. Ali took her place between Trak and Kitch. As Ali tucked into her food hungrily Trak said "It is good to see a female with a good appetite." Ali had a mouthful as she stopped munching and looked around. The men at the table all laughed. Ali swallowed down her mouthful and said

"Am I making a complete pig out of myself?"

"No, little one, I was not making fun of you. I meant what I said" assured Trak.

"Trak is on to his fourth plateful. This is only my second helping. Got to keep our strength up. Let us know when you are ready for your second helping and we will fetch you another plate" responded Kitch as he steadily demolished his food.

"Cool. This is delicious. Pass my compliments on to the cooks" said Ali as she stuffed more food into her mouth. Before her first plate was empty a brave slid another plate in front of her. "Thanks" mumbled Ali with a mouthful. Two and a half plates later Ali leaned back and rubbed her belly.

"These dresses are great, no need to loosen my belt. I just can't eat another bite" she groaned.

"You finished, little sister? Pass me that plate, I will finish it off for you" said Kitch.

Kitch had three emptied plates piled up next to him as Ali passed over her half-full plate. Ali sipped on the ambrosia and blissed out. Donny joined their table with his plate.

"I can't believe I ate so much" sighed Ali

"The information download that takes a lot of energy. You will sleep well tonight. We heard you are heading out tomorrow morning, did you want some company for the ride?" asked Donny.

"No, we will be accompanied by elders. You will not be allowed to follow" said Ali.

"Really? That sounds like a challenge" said Kitch.

"I mean it, guys, it is a private and personal concern. If you followed you would put me and yourselves in danger" assured Ali.

"Spill it, Ali. What danger is it that we can't protect you from. It is our duty to keep you safe from harm" stated Donny. Kitch and Trak crossed their arms and nodded.

"Darn it! I will be keening, OK? So you and every fertile male has to stay away. No arguments, no sneaking up to Peyton or you will all try to kill each other, attack the elders and me" demanded Ali.

The men positively blushed, coughed and looked away.

"Message received loud and clear, little sister. Sorry for prying. We meant no offence" said a suitably chastened Kitch.

"It would be nicer if you trusted me" sulked Ali.

"I think that is a lesson learned for us. We will do better" stated Donny.

"I suppose it is better for you guys to know in case someone wanders too close. You will know to keep your distance and not be overcome by curiosity. The elders have set up scent markers and will patrol beyond the affected area. If you really wanted, you guys could sneak past them but now you know not to try. I don't mind people knowing if it keeps them from harm" conceded Ali as she let out a giant yawn.

"Bedtime for you, little sister" insisted Trak. "I will show you to your lodge".

Chapter 6

Ali was woken by a hand gently shaking her. "I will help you dress, little one" said the woman elder. The woman strapped up Ali's moccasins as Ali wriggled into her soft buckskin dress. "We will fix your hair properly at Peyton. It is still cold and dark outside, so wrap this blanket around you for now" .

Ali stumbled out of her lodge. Her steed was ready and waiting. She checked the girth then vaulted into the saddle. Several elders were already mounted and they signaled her to follow them. Rom appeared from the side of the lodge and trailed behind her steed. From the lodges they headed further north and towards the river. An elder man rode up beside her.

"First we ride to the bridge that crosses the great river at its narrowest point. Then we ride east on a trail that leads around the lakes of quicksand. When we have passed the lakes we will ride south until we reach Peyton . Peyton is an abandoned mining town that was built into the mountain. It is built like a fortress so the white man could defend it until the silver ran out. There are many caves throughout the mountains around Peyton. We old folk leave early to give us time to ride slowly, yet it is still a full days ride. You rode quick over the desert to make it to the pass in a day. It is usually two days ride, that is why so many braves volunteered to ride out to fight off the multipeds and lead you to the pass. It is good they were not needed" he said with a grin.

"We started out real early on fresh steeds that are used to hard work. My folks only have the two steeds and they are used to get us everywhere we need. My brother, sister, ma, pa and grandma keep 'em busy going to and fro. We only stopped to water the steeds at noon and we rode 'em hard to get to the pass when we did. Grandma and me ain't really delicate flowers like plenty of the town folk" responded Ali.

"Your family is now our family. We will replace these steeds so your mortal family are not asked to sacrifice too much" he responded.

"That is mighty nice of you" choked out Ali. "I'm a might scared about the keening and I am missing my folks a bit".

"Understandable. We will send word to your mortal family about you when we deliver their new steeds if you like? The fewer worries you have the better."

"Yes sir. Thank you".

"Is that mountain lion of yours going to stay with you in Peyton?"

"I don't rightly know. If he is trained I don't know the commands to say" Ali replied.

"Cats generally do precisely what they want to do. He seems attached to you already. Not many can say they have a pet mountain lion" he chuckled.

"It might be that I am really his pet" laughed Ali. "Do you reckon I can take him with me to college?"

"I would like to see you try to leave him behind. I doubt you will have a choice" he responded.

"I ain't sure how I am going to feed him. I don't reckon we will be popular if he starts scaring students" smiled Ali.

"I am sure the faculty will work something out. Other students have all sorts of pets. There was a time when multipeds were popular pets among the male tribal students. They would walk them on leashes around the campus" he laughed.

"Spiders, the size of a tea chest, as pets? Well, I'll be darned. How did they stop them from biting?" asked Ali.

"The boys would carry a cattle prod to stop them from biting their friends but everyone else was fair game. So many students would be delivered unconscious to the medic station from a multiped bite but none were ever eaten. Then someone brought in a giant Arcadian vulture that attacked the multipeds and they were the new craze for a pet. Soon the campus was swarming with these fighting beasts. That might be why they were both finally banned " he laughed.

"Did you own a multiped or a vulture?" asked Ali suspiciously.

"I started the multiped craze" he laughed uproariously.

"Are all gods as naughty as you?" chuckled Ali.

"Only the fun ones" he grinned. They kicked on and rode fast while the forest track was wide and smooth. After riding another hour at a fast trot the group stopped for breakfast. Ali sat down with the elder man.

"You already met a few of my boys. Trak, Donovan and Kitch. Kitch takes after me, Donovan takes after his lovely mother and Trak is just Trak. Trak is the strong silent type, an absolute rock and faithful to his core. Donny is a tough, hard-working, no nonsense businessman under a lot of charm and good looks. Plenty of people underestimate him because he is popular and sociable but when he chooses a woman he will settle right down and focus on his family. Kitch is bright, funny and as loyal as a puppy. He is the baby of the family but he will grow into a good man, fearless and strong. All my boys are hardened warriors, willing and able to protect their loved ones with their lives. My boys like you, so I cannot help but speak up for them because they will not blow their own trumpets. I think you have most in common with Trak and Donny and I see they admire you. Never seen Trak talk so much to a girl. I think you are the one who has finally snagged Donny's heart though. I see him watching you and being charmed by you. I have never seen Donny make such an effort for a girl and he is a worthy catch as a mate. A beaver mates for life and never strays" he said.

"Sir, I think I am too young to consider taking a mate yet. I thought your boys were just being polite to me, like a little sister" answered Ali.

"There is no rush. We are immortals after all. I would ask you to keep them in mind when you are ready to choose your mate. My boys are powerful and they have chosen to make themselves available to you, they are also keeping any other interested braves at bay. Now why do you think they would bother to do that?" he responded.

"I guess they are just real protective. Maybe? I don't know, the past few days have been a whirlwind and I haven't landed on my feet yet. I just feel like I am being kept in the dark about so much and I am trying to figure out what is going on behind the scenes and trying to understand this new realm I find myself a part of. I was shunned in the mortal town and I ain't used to so much positive attention, I guess" replied Ali.

"We seniors have been given strict instructions to leave the introductions until after your debut so I can say no more about my family or about our tribes. Only your immortal parents were given permission to reveal their names to you. Radi is the wife of Tabaldak, so she is your immortal mater. You must direct your questions to your immortal parents but don't be surprised if they cannot provide you with an answer yet" he said.

"Radi didn't mention it. She has taken good care of me though" assured Ali.

"No doubt. Everyone just wants to protect you, child. Too much knowledge too early can get you into trouble. You will have to trust us that it is safer this way."

"Yes sir" answered Ali.

Breakfast was cleared up, the group remounted and continued on their way. The elder man walked his steed next to Ali's.

"I had a conversation with the other nymphs and they mentioned vampires, wyr-kind and angels. Could you tell me how they fit into the immortal realm?"

"Of course" he said with a grin. "The history of vampires is a sad one. Lamia is a goddess and also a nymph. When she was keening, Zeus trapped her and didn't release her until they were lovers. Hera heard of this infidelity and she cursed Lamia to eat her children. Lamia's first-born daughter is Lilith. First-born's are always strongest and females are born stronger than males. So, although Lilith technically died along with her siblings she was still powerful enough to rise from the dead as a child. Lilith was the first vampire and effectively their creator goddess. All vampires were originally made from mortals which has diluted their immortal beginnings; even though some are known to breed now.
Ambrogio was the first turned mortal and he managed to annoy Apollo and Artemis, then lose his soul to Hades.
It was because of Hera's curse that we have the vampire race. Lamia is now married to Triton but sadly they have no more children".

"That is so unfair to Lamia. Why was Hera such a psycho?" asked Ali.

"Hera is extremely powerful so you must be careful what you say about her because people are willing to carry tales to her and she is willing to eliminate criticism, if you grasp my meaning. Hera's animal is a peacock. Any peahen will fight other females to keep them away from her mate. It is her nature to attack the females rather than leave the adulterous male. That accounts for her worst behaviors over the millennia" he explained.

What about wyr-kind?"

"As you know every god and goddess have at least one animal spirit. Some immortals will remain in their animal form if they feel threatened or become ostracized in the god realm. If they mate in their animal form with another immortal there is an increased likelihood their offspring will be wyr. These immortals tend to be weaker demi-gods. Fenrir is the wolf god of the Norse realm and he rarely takes his two legged form although he is a full-blooded god. He is also the source of the wyr-wolves of mortal legends. As you know wyr-wolves also begin as mortals" he answered.

Giants?

"An ancient race, the same as elves and angels. Many of the ancient races were created by the titans and the most ancient gods. It is said the Great Creator of the multi-verse is the only god who can continue to made immortals, like us. He made the angels and as a result of a heavenly uprising He threw the rebellious angels out of heaven and they turned dark. Sin creates demons: disobedience to the almighty god; that includes sins of the lesser gods, such as the many incestuous relationships which Zeus is guilty of. Several of Zeus' children that were created from sin are demonic. They dwell in the depths of the underworld. It is said Gaia is the mother of elves and giants".

"Isn't Tabaldak the creator god?"

"Of this tribal realm, yes. Many gods like to claim they created the infinite number of universes but there is only one god who did. The ruling gods of each realm developed their planets and galaxies but they are much weaker than the one true creator god" he said.

"Was this particular god at the ceremony?"

"Yes".

"He blessed me?"

"Yes".

"Is he the Judeo-Christian god?"

"We like to think of him as a tribal god. He is the god of the Israelites. He is the god of enlightenment, forgiveness and love. He formed our coalition when we tribal gods were threatened with extinction. He supports justice in the god realms and the elimination of cruelty and corruption by holding every god accountable for their actions. Compared to Him, every other god is a weak infant yet he still forgives and gives us chances to redeem ourselves. Minor gods have a part to play in ruling mortals wisely and caring for our own realms. Yet it still has to be about free will and choosing to be a team player. It is up to each god to decide which team they choose to play for and yet it is not always clear cut about who is good and who is evil when corruption seems to be everywhere. So, now you know who is on our team there is no need for you to feel inferior to any Greek, Norse or Egyptian god" he laughed.

"I am still puny compared to them" Ali replied.

"Yes, you must tread carefully for now. However, you also have the most powerful team supporting and protecting you, never forget that" he said firmly. "Remember each god family likes to believe they are the most powerful, so don't contradict them while you are weak or you will make yourself a target. There is no need to be subservient but it is wiser to be friendly and humble in their company. They like it when you make them feel superior" he chuckled.

"I have applied to learn smithing with Hephaestus in my first year. Do you know him?" asked Ali.

"Of course. Nice boy, Hephaestus. His mother treated him cruelly as a child as you might already know. A terrible shame that he and his family still are not close. He is known to be very kind and patient, so he will make a good teacher. He is one of the nicest of the Olympians but that doesn't say much when you look at his competition. He is close friends and drinking buddies with some of the shadier gods of the Olympian realm. Although Dionysius may be good drinking buddies with everyone considering he is the god of wine, partying and everything addictive. Let's see, there is Brand the High Daemon Lord. Apollo sometimes joins their circle. The Daemon Commander, Rivier, is a close friend of Brand's. Triton occasionally joins their group. Oh, and Hermes likes a few drinks when Aphrodite is busy. Of course, Triton and Hermes are respectable married men now so they have a few drinks and are home with their wives before too long. Apollo is a floozy but not a bad lad. Watch out for him, he likes the nymphs alright. I might write Hephaestus a little note asking to warn that you are off limits to his friends" he pondered.