The Circle Of Ten

Beginnings

      Spirit Priestess Amitabha had been the first to receive the gift  and as such became the beneficiary of of an unanticipated secondary effect. The original intention was that each Spirit Priestesses would have an enhanced ability to psychically connect with many minds simultaneously.  As a result, Amitabha was able to channel and direct the psychic power allotted to the subsequent priestess's thereby enhancing her own abilities.

As each Spirit Priestess received the gift and joined the Circle, Amitabha would create a mind connection instilling in them submission to her as the central hub.  Their power fed her growing telepathic control allowing Amitabha broader and more encompassing authority over the humans and the other Spirit Priestess's as well. 

    It was she who punished Spirit Priestess Idiyanale for her injudicious conversation with Mira and while her isolation diminished Amitabha's power to a degree, she considered the weakened condition acceptable for a short period of time. She had to enforce her position over the others lest they become too independent for only as a power of ten could she exhibit the psychic energy needed to challenge the Sisters.

     Thus when Spirit Priestess Sativia suddenly and inexplicably disconnected from the Circle, Amitabha experienced a psychic drain that concerned her greatly.  That coupled with the forced isolation of Idiyanale, meant she could no longer sense a significant portion of the human population.

This also meant that they, the humans, no longer felt her.

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    Maran and her husband worked the fields gathering in the wheat stock and transporting it to the mill where it would be ground and separated in preparation for making flour. Prior to the New Order, she worked as a seamstress making and selling dresses. Her husband managed their business and worked the store they had hoped to pass on to their daughter when she came of age.

The Order changed all of that. Now they toiled endlessly in the fields, her once delicate and talented sewing fingers had become calloused and rough from manual labor.  While she lamented the loss of her store and her skills it was what they were doing to her daughter in the school that most upset her. She was allowed to see her once a week and with each passing visit Maran noticed a growing disaffection from her. This prolong separation from her beloved Cynthia had devastated her emotionally.

A life that had once been full of hope and promise now consisted of drudgery and the constant fear of drawing the ire of a Spirit Priestess. Maran had become numb to the daily punishment sessions that had left many villagers seriously injured or even dead. Some had even taken their own lives rather than live under the oppressive harshness of the Order.  

Even the once venerated Sisters had become distant and seemed uncaring to the plight of the people. On the few occasions one would visit the village a dreaded Priestess was always close by, her very presence discouraging any interaction from the people.

     Maran stood up to wipe the sweat from her brow, it was then she noticed it, or rather did not notice it. The ever present pressure was gone. She had become accustomed to the sensation,  like that of an oppressive hand gripping her brain. It was a constant feeling that should she should ever step out of line cold hard  fingers would squeeze it to a pulp like a soft piece of fruit.   She looked around at other people who were standing, not working just looking around and rubbing their temples. Finally her husband dared speak what they were all thinking, "She is gone."

     Maran took a long, deep breath ... she looked off to her right and saw people running in the direction of that awful reeducation center while others were running towards Spirit Priestess Sativia's temple. They had pitchforks, shovels, hammers and other menacing looking tools in their hands. She gasped when she saw one of the priestess's servants attacked and beaten to the ground, then another servant was attacked, a priestess ran into the woods with people shouting and giving chase.  Her husband called out to her and together they joined the group running to the school.