Tradition
Ashley had followed the man dressed in leathers and a feathered headdress deeper into the jungle. There was an urgency about his movements. She remembered Ric warning her about jaguars in the area, her gauntlets hiding her wooden knives were on her wrists, two more knives tucked into her skirt just in case.
“Wait up… Chotto matte kudasai…” She had to lean against a tree, her hand going to her one side where she had been cut trying to flee the man who had grabbed her from the Plaza. “Right… You don’t understand English or Japanese… Doubt you’d know German or French.” She sighed jogging to catch up with him again. Instead of going back to the small town, she had realized they were going deeper into the jungle.
“Shaman, you are far from home.”
This voice was heavily accented; much like Ric’s when he let his accent slip. She hadn’t even heard the man who was now standing behind her.
“You speak English?”
“No, but we understand each other. You are a shaman of the northern lands far from here are you not?”
“Shaman… I’m a healer yes, teacher no, that path is locked from me.” She watched him as he circled her. “Look, I got separated from my friend, I’m only here for the festival, I’m not here to cause any trouble.”
“There are people in this sacred land that will use your abilities against others.”
“I am not part of their group.” She stepped back from him as he stepped forward. “I’m no threat; it is against what I stand for.”
A soldier with a spear moved out of the shadows behind her. “She lies, she is armed.”
“Only to defend myself,” Ashley didn’t move to draw the wooden blades, instead she held her hands out. “I have in the past travelled the path of one who was not as honorable, now I fight to fix what damage has been done.” The spear was pressed against her back, the tip just breaking the surface.
“She speaks the truth, escort her to the village, but do not harm the lady shaman.”
Ashley sighed slightly if the Elder was trusting her words; there’d still be a chance she’d get to go back. Letting the guard grab her arm she didn’t fight as another stepped out of the woods. Her gauntlets were taken from her, thrown to the ground when it was found out they were just filled with wooden blades. The two bound her wrists before her with a strip of leather.
***
How’d she get this far on her own? Ric thought finding Ashley’s gauntlets, only one set of footprints had come out the way he was going. Picking up the wrist guards he saw a cloaked figure ahead of him. “Espérate!”
The figure seemed to disappear in mid air when Ric caught up, there was a clearing, an ancient village in ruins. The figure in the middle of the clearing was seated her eyes closed, almost as if patiently waiting for something.
“Ash,” He took a step closer and the woman he had been following stepped before him, unlike Ashley, the woman was dressed in a formal wedding kimono, her arms spread out.
“Do not interfere. We brought her here for this, to help her. You must not interfere. I lured you here to make sure she would not be harmed. Father’s men are in the jungle. The Elders brought her in wounding through the trails, we are far from the village you started in.”
Ric looked at the woman, then back to Ashley. She was looking at a point ahead of her, her arms moved like she was holding someone, he guessed a child with how she kept moving her hand, as if to calm someone. “What’s going on?”
“The Elder here died before he could pass on his tradition, he was a healer like she is. I set this in motion long before I met her father.” The Japanese woman looked over her shoulder then up. “You have to protect her. She will only be able to see him another three hours.”
“Wait up… Chotto matte kudasai…” She had to lean against a tree, her hand going to her one side where she had been cut trying to flee the man who had grabbed her from the Plaza. “Right… You don’t understand English or Japanese… Doubt you’d know German or French.” She sighed jogging to catch up with him again. Instead of going back to the small town, she had realized they were going deeper into the jungle.
“Shaman, you are far from home.”
This voice was heavily accented; much like Ric’s when he let his accent slip. She hadn’t even heard the man who was now standing behind her.
“You speak English?”
“No, but we understand each other. You are a shaman of the northern lands far from here are you not?”
“Shaman… I’m a healer yes, teacher no, that path is locked from me.” She watched him as he circled her. “Look, I got separated from my friend, I’m only here for the festival, I’m not here to cause any trouble.”
“There are people in this sacred land that will use your abilities against others.”
“I am not part of their group.” She stepped back from him as he stepped forward. “I’m no threat; it is against what I stand for.”
A soldier with a spear moved out of the shadows behind her. “She lies, she is armed.”
“Only to defend myself,” Ashley didn’t move to draw the wooden blades, instead she held her hands out. “I have in the past travelled the path of one who was not as honorable, now I fight to fix what damage has been done.” The spear was pressed against her back, the tip just breaking the surface.
“She speaks the truth, escort her to the village, but do not harm the lady shaman.”
Ashley sighed slightly if the Elder was trusting her words; there’d still be a chance she’d get to go back. Letting the guard grab her arm she didn’t fight as another stepped out of the woods. Her gauntlets were taken from her, thrown to the ground when it was found out they were just filled with wooden blades. The two bound her wrists before her with a strip of leather.
***
How’d she get this far on her own? Ric thought finding Ashley’s gauntlets, only one set of footprints had come out the way he was going. Picking up the wrist guards he saw a cloaked figure ahead of him. “Espérate!”
The figure seemed to disappear in mid air when Ric caught up, there was a clearing, an ancient village in ruins. The figure in the middle of the clearing was seated her eyes closed, almost as if patiently waiting for something.
“Ash,” He took a step closer and the woman he had been following stepped before him, unlike Ashley, the woman was dressed in a formal wedding kimono, her arms spread out.
“Do not interfere. We brought her here for this, to help her. You must not interfere. I lured you here to make sure she would not be harmed. Father’s men are in the jungle. The Elders brought her in wounding through the trails, we are far from the village you started in.”
Ric looked at the woman, then back to Ashley. She was looking at a point ahead of her, her arms moved like she was holding someone, he guessed a child with how she kept moving her hand, as if to calm someone. “What’s going on?”
“The Elder here died before he could pass on his tradition, he was a healer like she is. I set this in motion long before I met her father.” The Japanese woman looked over her shoulder then up. “You have to protect her. She will only be able to see him another three hours.”