The plateau of Adyll was born out of the sea, pushed up through tectonic pressures over a million years ago. To the east, beyond the cliffs where the capital city is located, lies a formidable desert which stretches for hundreds of miles, uninhabite...
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Irinya was deeper into the catacombs than she had believed possible. The sound of the battering ram and war drums had been left behind several levels ago. Sarcophagi no longer lined the walls as when they had entered the catacombs. Those had given way to neatly stacked bones. Then only bare damp rock. Even the torch sconces were gone.
They were in the bowels of the mountain now where the only sound was the dripping of water. Manah carried a torch but didn't seem to need it. Irinya was exhausted. She had not spoken a word since they had left the sanctuary. She did not know what was happening or where she was going. Her mother had only told her to hide and follow instructions from Manah and the high priestess. This was her mother's plan, and she had no part in it. After all, she was still a child. A child who was soon to be an orphan.
The news of her father's death in battle had come one month ago. For generations, Adyll had thought their land was impenetrable, located on a mountain plateau, surrounded by cliffs. Beyond the cliffs - desert on all sides but one where the ocean waves crashed violently onto a rocky shore. They had been arrogant. Kingdoms all around them had fallen to the armies of the Swarm. The Swarm, who went from one kingdom to the next, overrunning each country they came to, feeding off their lands, enslaving the people. One by one every kingdom had fallen. Soon there was nothing left for the Swarm to take except Adyll.
Now they had swarmed through the secret path from the desert floor up the canyons to the top of the plateau. They took heavy losses along the way, but still found their way to the capital with numbers that far exceeded the armies of Adyll. There were rumors that had even reached Irinya's sheltered ears that the Locusts' leader used magic to see what could not be seen. That he was immortal. That he drank blood. That he was a god. Even her mother called him strigoi-viu, a blood drinking monster from the stories old men would tell their grandchildren to frighten them into obedience.
In each town he came to, the Locust King defiled the temples, setting himself up as the lone object of worship. Those who would not bend their knee to him were put to the sword. In each kingdom he conquered, he would kill the king and queen, designating one of his own lieutenants to rule the kingdom in his place before moving on to his next conquest. The royal family's children were taken hostage. The daughters were married immediately to the tyrant, giving him legitimate claim to the rulership of the kingdom. Males of the royal line were pressed into military service, taken hostage by the tyrant to be trained as his soldiers. He took care to not kill the children. They were too valuable in helping to control the citizens.
There were other rumors as well: that the children in the lands he conquered became possessed by this man, body and soul. They had no will of their own. They became willing to die for the man who killed their parents. But the tyrant had no children of his own. He had no need for them. He would live forever.
Irinya understood why her mother had sent her away. If Irinya survived, she was hope... hope for her people. But right now, she was just a scared little girl stumbling through the bones of her ancestors.
They had been walking for what seemed like hours. The tunnel widened into a large cavern. It was lighter here, a faint glow emanating from the pool of water in the middle of the cave. The pool steamed slightly. The vapor glimmered in the faint light.
"We will stop here. You may rest now, but then we must prepare. We will have to return before dawn," explained Manah. Irinya began to protest.
"I know this must be hard for you. But, princess, we must follow your mother's plan. We will have you hidden in plain sight. Would you rather live in this dark place forever? Never seeing the sun? Because that will be what happens if you are not in plain sight when he arrives."
"I must see him?" Irinya was incredulous.
"Yes. But he must not see you. Sit down. Eat. You must have strength for this. It will be hard, but you must have strength." He reached into his pockets and produced an apple and some cheese wrapped in a linen cloth. "The water here is clean and safe to drink." He motioned her toward the pool. She realized she was incredibly thirsty and began to scoop water to her mouth with cupped hands.
"Once you are done eating, wash the tears from your face. Tears are something you can no longer afford to shed. Learn to hide your pain, and your happiness if we ever have it again. You must never attract attention to yourself."
Irinya took a deep breath and sat back on her heels. "How will we do this?" she asked. "How can I, Irinya, princess of Adyll, hide?" She held out a handful of blonde hair. "How? As soon as anyone sees this they will know who I am no matter how well I shield my expressions."
"You will be an acolyte for the Lady," answered Manah. "You will live as the other acolytes do, a holy life, set away from others. You will sacrifice your life to serve. You will shave your head as they do. It is a sign of the removal of pride." He took the knife from his belt.
"But he will desecrate the temple. He will destroy our Lady just as he has destroyed every other god he has come across," said Irinya, "Just like he will destroy me."
"No, he will not," he said firmly. "The Lady is special. He cannot destroy Her. He cannot possess Her. He cannot do this to you, either. Will he destroy Her holy temple? Yes. Will he command worship of himself? Yes. This does not destroy the Lady. She exists regardless of belief. You will exist regardless of whether anyone knows you exist or not."
"If he destroys the temple, how can I be an acolyte?" asked Irinya.
"He is a parasite. Like a blood drinking insect. He will use the Temple and its priests and priestesses for his own purposes. The high priestess has already arranged it with him. If she gives him control of the Temple, if she prepares his sacrifices, and if she denounces the holiness of the Lady, he will not touch the people of the temple. You will be one of these people, Irinya."
"She has already arranged this with him? She is a traitor."
"She arranged this with him because it was the wish of your mother. Does that make her a traitor?" asked the hermit.
"Why would my mother wish such a thing? To have our Lady's most sacred place desecrated?" cried Irinya.
"Because your mother is a mother, just as the Lady is. When your father's armies were defeated in battle and all his allies were destroyed, the Queen knew that the fall of Adyll was inevitable. Yet it didn't have to be permanent. If you survived, there was hope of defeating him in the future. If you were lost, all was lost. The Lady lives in Her people who are descended from Her. That is Her most sacred place. Now prepare yourself. You are no longer Princess Irinya. You are an acolyte. An acolyte to Our Lady, soon to be an acolyte in the service of the new Lord of this land."
"It is not of my choosing to do this. But I will to honor my father and mother. What shall I be called, then?"
"When the priestesses are dedicated to The Lady's service, they choose a new name. You may do so as well," answered the hermit.
"I will be Aisha, if I am to be life and hope," she said resolutely.
The old man began the task of cutting away her hair with his blade. "Aisha was the name of the Lady before she ascended into heaven. It is fitting, Aisha, for one who resembles her namesake so much." Her hair fell in a golden pile around her, and she wept.
