Chapter 2

A woman in flowing white clothes strode angrily through the streets of Naraiia, her silk shirt, also white, just visible underneath the gold trimmed overcoat. The open skirts of the coat hung around her waist below a thick white leather belt.

Her aggressive steps caused her to kick her loose trousers out in front of her into the hanging material. It was catching just enough for her to feel it, the small hindrance of her movements only serving to fuel her irritation.

A gold pendant hung around her neck, an elaborate sun emblem surrounded by sacred inscriptions. It swung chaotically as she walked, colliding with her upper arm one too many times before she grabbed it and violently stuffed it down the front of her shirt.

She continued to stomp to the edge of town, to a large but humble-looking cottage, separated from the fairly uniform stone buildings behind her. She charged up the garden path which ran through colourful flowerbeds up to the oaken door, decorated with a wreath of flowers. She rapped her knuckles on the door and tapped her foot impatiently.

The pleasant scent of flowers and the gentle sounds of nature all around her felt like an argument against her current demeanour and annoyed her further.

Eventually, an elvish woman came to the door. Her solemn expression turned to alarm as she saw the cleric.

"Kami?!" she yelped as she was shoved aside.

"Where is she?!" Kami barked at the nervous elf.

Without waiting for a response, Kami stormed through the house and out into the back garden, where her righteous anger was doused by the scene in front of her.

A small group of humans had gathered in the centre of the lawn; they didn't notice Kami's arrival. They were focused on the orcish woman in front of them who stood on a raised platform next to a stone altar. She was wearing a headdress of branches and flowers. The distinct shape of a coffin was visible just over the heads of the group and the woman was chanting softly and tracing deliberate shapes in the air over it.

Kami, the wind thoroughly out of her sails, quietly threw herself into a chair by the door and waited.

Just after the last mourner left she rounded on the orcish woman, who was carefully removing her headdress and setting it on a wooden stand.

"Tierra!" Kami started, "is this another one?!"

"Did you apologise to Lailia?" Tierra asked calmly, gesturing into the house.

"No," hissed Kami.

"Are you going to?" Tierra said in the same measured tone, "She didn't-"

"No!" Kami started before reconsidering, "Yes, fine. In a minute." For a second it looked like she was pausing to calm down, instead she just barrelled on. "Is, this, another one?" she repeated forcefully.

"Yes," said Tierra, the cold tone softening slightly, "They found him up in the hills."

Kami turned, looking to the sky dramatically, "Mara's light, give me strength," she groaned. "I told you to keep your people in the town."

"I don't rule them, Kami," Tierra said patiently.

"You're the leader," insisted Kami.

"Currently, yes. I lead them," Tierra said.

"Right, and I currently need you to—" Kami started, incredulously.

"It's not the sa—" Tierra began to interrupt.

"It's the same and you know what I'm saying!" Kami shouted over her.

"Kami," Tierra said, "breathe."

"I'm going to break something," Kami said, stomping off down the lawn.

Tierra waited a moment before following Kami down to the stream at the bottom of the garden. She walked up beside her friend and watched the flowing water.

"How many people this time?" Kami said curtly.

"Only Kaylen, the rest of the group made it back." Tierra replied.

"You checked them for—"

"They didn't bring anything back," she confirmed, "they were clean."

Kami sighed, "They got lucky. Why were they out there?"

Tierra paused, almost bracing herself, "They were looking for it."

"Looking, for, it!?" Kami almost screamed, rounding on Tierra.

"They were trying to—"

"They're farmers, Tierra!" she ranted, "farmers and weavers and bloody gardeners. Two groups of trained trackers went out days ago to investigate this. Ours and that group from Elboreal after they were attacked. None of them returned!" She grasped her forehead in exasperation. "Did they have a plan? What happened?"

"An infected animal, a deer," Tierra said, slightly meekly, "It attacked them. Kaylen was mauled and the others—" "No-one else was touched by it," she said quickly as Kami opened her mouth to ask.

"Well did you—"

"Yes, but your city folk are a lot easier to keep inside the town than my people, Kami," she said, her confident tone returning, "Where are they supposed to farm and weave and bloody garden, Kami?"

Kami pointed at Tierra aggressively, clearly trying to think of a retort. After a moment, "You think someone needs to find it?" she asked, still pointing.

"If we're ever going to—"

"Fine then!" Kami said, throwing her hands in the air, "I'm getting the guards and I'm going to find it!" She stormed off up the garden with renewed fury.

"Kami!" shouted Tierra, tearing off after her, "What do you mean you're going?"

Kami sped up, still shouting, "Shouldn't I go, Tierra?! Can't stay in the town forever, Tierra!"

Tierra chased after her friend as she sprinted back up the hill towards the temple. Breathlessly trying to reason with her, "Kami! You're not a—"

"Not a farmer? Not a weaver? Not a gods damn gardener!!?" Kami called back, refusing to slow down.

"Ugh!" Tierra groaned as she sprinted after her friend, almost colliding with a man in a blue cloak walking the other way. She rounded the corner just in time to see Kami slamming open the door to the guardhouse and charging inside.