Circles of Ciridia: The Windtalker's Amulet

Chapter Five ~ New Clothes

After the evening meal ended, Kiäna stood up to head straight away to speak to her father, the chief of the village. The children all stood up too, and Kiäna waved at them to follow her. They left Zanasha's hogan and walked across the village central circle to the largest hogan in the village. Their hogan was so huge, it had three separate rooms in the round-shaped home, with a common room in the center.

They stepped into the hogan right into the central rectangular shaped room. Above, a smoke hole let out the smoke from the fire, which crackled in the pit, adding light to the room.

The room felt hot and stifling thanks to the fire, but it was necessary, because it was approaching night time, so the doorway and smoke hole in the ceiling couldn't offer light to the home in the evening. The walls of the central room were all made of animal fur blankets. The floor of the home was made of hard rough tanned hides, just like most hogans.

Her father wasn't there, but Kiäna found her mother there speaking to a few of the village Shadowmen. Shadowmen were the highest ranking fighters of the Värian people. They protected the chief and defended the village from beastmen who attacked, and from enemy tribes. They had powerful shadow makutu that allowed them to meld with shadows and enter people's dreams.

Kiäna hoped one day she could unlock her sixth Sacred Circle of the Third Eye, so she could become a Shadow Manipulator. Right now, she was only a Summoner, which took the fifth Sacred Circle of the Voice. She'd used the fifth Circle to Summon Vespera, back when she was only nine years old. Her father had bonded them together with the soul bond makutu, so that they could speak inside their heads. That took the seventh Sacred Circle of the higher forces. Kiäna hoped that one day she'd be powerful enough for that.

"Mother! Where is father?" Kiäna asked.

Kiäna's mother looked up, and by her side, her tiger Meera gazed over. Kiäna's mother had a tiger, because before she married Kiana's father, she was the tiger tribe princess. Her mother had the same tan skin and brown curly hair as her daughter. They looked so much alike.

"Oh! Who are these children with you?" Her wary gaze drifted between Chadwick and Thea and then Chadwick again, and then Tajana. She noticed the two horse creatures with the girls and raised her eyebrow while tilting her head slightly to the side.  She followed her mothers eyes, which trailed down to the sword on Chadwick's belt. She hadn't noticed it until now. Surely her new friend wouldn't use the sword to hurt them. Right?

"These children were in the forest, captured by beastmen," she told her mother. "Thea, Chadwick, and Tajana." As she named them, she pointed at each one. "They're friendly. But we cannot understand them. The wise woman, Zanasha, says I must go on a quest to find a Fulgarian Windtalker to make us amulets so we can understand each other."

Her mother's eyes went round. "That would be very dangerous."

"But I rescued them by myself! I'm not a helpless child anymore–"

Her mother interrupted her. "You're still a child, Kiäna! You won't be fourteen for four more years. I won't allow you to go to Fulgaria with strange children all by yourself."

Kiäna's chest deflated. It never occurred to her that she'd have to convince her mother to listen to the village wise woman. "But if Zanasha wants me to go, then I have to go. Can you send some Shadowmen with me?"

Her mother sucked on her teeth for a moment. "We shall see. I must talk to your father first. Meera, please ask him to return as soon as possible."

Meera, her mother's tiger, nodded and closed her eyes. Somewhere out there, Kiäna's father's panther Faira could hear Meera's silent voice calling out. So just how Kiäna could hear Vespera inside her head, so could all the animal companions, which the Värian people called their bonded soulmates. But because of how the makutu worked, Kiäna could only hear her own bonded soulmate, and none of the others. She wondered if it worked like that with her new friends too.