I remember my father was smiling just before the arrow pierced his neck. He was a dark skinned man with long hair and a full beard. He was smiling and talking with my mother. She was a beautiful woman of far eastern descent. We were on our way to a new home. Our people had been nomads for a long time but it was decided that we should find a new way to live in the ever changing world of Rith. My father was a great warrior who was respected by many. Some expected him to become some kind of official leader once our new home was properly established. My father and the men we traveled with were all great warriors. It was tradition for the warriors to follow from the rear to protect the people. In this way we would be the last ones to make the pilgrimage to our new home. My mother insisted on keeping our family together always. My brother was still very little, barely more than a baby. I was still very young too. We were riding in the caravan cart and father was on his horse just ahead of us. He was turning around to smile at us and he was just about to say something.
I remember seeing the arrow tip sticking out of one side of his neck and how the blood came spraying out around it. I didn’t scream. Mother didn’t scream. My little brother Shawn was asleep. Most of the other warriors barely had time to draw their swords before a barrage of arrows came at them. They almost all fell at once. The horses pulling the cart got spooked and stopped. Our attackers came out of the woods and surrounded us. Only one of our warriors was still alive. He forced himself to his feet even with two arrows in his guts. The attackers laughed at him. He cut off ones head and ran another through. They finished him quickly after that. My mother told me to stay with Shawn, to hold onto him and stay in the cart no matter what. The men who attacked us demanded she come out. They were raiders looking to make a profit. They were already going through the pockets of the men they had killed. They were even seeing what they could take from their two fallen comrades. My mother begged them to show mercy. She begged them to leave me and my brother alone. She said she would do anything. The one in charge mocked her saying she would do anything anyway. She was their property now and so were her children. He said he would enjoy breaking her in. My mother was a beautiful woman. She was dressed in lovely pink silk. She sobbed and bowed to him. He came closer grinning like some kind of idiot. The expression on his face did not have time to change before she had taken his own sword from its sheath and cut his throat with it. She did not even wait for the body to fall to the ground before she went to work killing the others. By the time they realized what was happening five of them were dead. They drew their swords and tried to attack but it was too late for that. Now they were the ones being ambushed. They were the ones defending themselves from attack. I saw my mother move with grace and precision. My father was a great warrior but so was my mother. I had never seen her more beautiful than she was in that moment as she took revenge upon the men that killed her husband. It seemed like she was invincible. Then one of them came at her from behind. He put the sword into her back up to the hilt. She knocked him off and killed him. She kept on fighting even with the blade sticking out through her stomach. And then it was over. Her enemies were dead. She took a few steps then fell down. In all that time she only let out a single cry of pain as she pulled herself next to my father’s body. She put her arms around him. His hand moved. He was still alive. He put an arm around her then he went limp. I don’t know how long I sat there looking at my dead parents. I felt like screaming but no sound came out when I opened my mouth. The world was silent for a long time. Suddenly Shawn was awake and he was crying. I started to cry with him. It had already been getting dark and night soon fell. I stayed in the cart like my mother said and held onto Shawn. At some point in the night people from the settlement came looking for us. They took me and Shawn to our new home. The next day they buried my mother and father and the other fallen warriors. At the funeral they told a story. It was a story that would spread and be told over and over again by many for years to come. It was also completely made up. They told a story of how my father had died taking revenge for the murder of his wife and his men. I tried to tell them what really happened. I told them my father had been the first to go down, that my mother had been the one that saved us. But I was just a child and no one listened. They assumed I was just confused due to grief over losing my parents. After a while I stopped trying to explain the truth because I came to understand that was not what they wanted. They just wanted a story to tell and for some reason they decided the hero had to be a man. But the truth is sometimes the hero is not always who people expect.
My name is Katarina. This is my story.
Part 1
Katarina climbed the same tree at the same time every day. It was a perfect concealed spot where she could sit and watch and not be noticed. No one else knew about it. From her spot in the tree Katarina could see the training court for the town dojo. The weapons master was training Shawn in swords again. Katarina wondered why he bothered. Shawn did not like sword play and he was much more skilled in other areas. He had a great arm for small thrown weapons and archery and he was skilled with pole-arms. But the weapons master insisted that Shawn become proficient with all weapons, he was the son of a famous warrior after all. Katarina stayed in the tree out of sight and observed the lesson. When it was over she climbed down and found a sufficiently long stick. She practiced the moves the weapon master had tried to teach Shawn. Katarina gave up on getting the teachers at the dojo to take her on as a student a long time ago. They did not think it was proper for a girl to learn about fighting. So Katarina was content to teach herself based on her observations.
Katarina and Shawn had the same light brown skin color. They both had the same dark brown eye color. They both had long dark hair. Shawn always had his hair in a traditional warrior’s pony tail. Katarina sometimes braided her hair, sometimes not. Every once in a while someone mistook them for twins but Katarina always informed them that she was two years older than her brother. Shawn was younger but he was slightly taller than his sister.
Shawn was very popular. Other boys looked up to him not just as the son of a great hero but as the best student at the dojo and occasionally went to him for advice on how to improve. He was a handsome boy and many girls sought his attention.
Katarina was not very popular. Most people considered her a trouble maker. Other girls had tried to be her friend but Katarina was never interested in the things they were interested and they would give up before long. The boys in town like to look at Katarina, she was a lovely girl, but none of them wanted to have to listen to her strange ideas about the world and the people in it.
Shawn and Katarina lived at the local commune house. They were looked after by the house manager. Katarina had a talent for growing and tending to herbs and earned her way managing the house gardens. Shawn earned his way by being the son of a great fallen hero and training to be a member of the local guard, perhaps even to lead it one day.
They lived on the second floor and each had their own room. Shawn was in Katarina’s room spinning back and forth in her rotating chair.
“This is a neat chair,” said Shawn, “Who made it for you?”
“Uh it was Darryl, the boy who works at the wood shop,” she replied. Katarina was trying to read the latest news-scroll. They were printed monthly and delivered all the way from New Midnight City.
“You’re not into him are you?” asked Shawn.
“What? No? He just made it for me because…” she paused not wanting to finish the thought.
“He made it for you because he thinks you’re pretty and he wants to impress you,” said Shawn, “you know it’s not a crime to admit that guys do things for you because of the way you look. Girls are always trying to bring me stuff, mostly baked goods. What’s up with that anyway? I mean I like baked goods but why is that like the go to thing for girls that want to impress a guy? Anyway Darryl’s not so bad but still I hope you never get together with anyone in this town. That would be too weird.”
“What?”
“I’m just saying, I mean I’m friends with most of the guys around here but even I know that half of them are stupid dirt bags. Oh god that’s a terrible thought I just had. A lot of the girls in this town are going to marry some of these idiots some day. That is really sad.”
“Shawn did you want something?” Katarina asked.
“Now that you mention it,” said Shawn, “I was thinking about something. I’m fourteen now and you’re sixteen. In about a year I’ll be fifteen and old enough to begin a courtship. You’re already old enough to begin a courtship. Have you given any thought to that?”
“Why would I? And why does everyone seem to think a courtship has to lead to marriage? You know I’ve been reading that in some places some women don’t get married until their thirties, some later than that.”
“Hey I didn’t say anything about marriage. I was just saying that there are options beyond this town.”
Katarina knew when her brother was up to something and asked, “What did you do Shawn?”
“What makes you think I did something?”
Katarina stared him down but he did not crack. It took a moment before it dawned on her.
“Oh you did not,” said Katarina.
Shawn remained stone faced.
“You contacted a match maker didn’t you?”
For a long time Shawn said nothing then casually said, “Maybe.”
“Why would you do that?” Katarina was not happy.
“Believe it or not I did this more for me than for you,” said Shawn.
“Wait what?”
“A match maker won’t take my case until I’m fifteen so I had to say it was for my sister in the letter. I said you were looking for a match somewhere beyond our local area. So if the match maker does come up with something you would have to travel a little for the meeting. And if you had to travel it would be understandable if your big brother came along to watch over you.”
“You’re my little brother Shawn.”
“Not according to the metric system.”
“Since when do you want to travel?” she asked, “what is this really about?”
Shawn took a moment then said, “I need to get out of here Katarina. I don’t want to be the son of a great fallen hero the rest of my life. I want to be myself and I can’t do that if I stay in this town. Our father was a great hero and I know our mother was too and I want to live up to that legacy. But I want to do it on my terms.”
Katarina did not like the town they lived in. She had never been happy there. It had never occurred to her that Shawn was not either. However isolated she was Katarina had always been free to be herself. She did not realize that Shawn had been denied that. The house manager soon announced that dinner was ready. Everyone made their way downstairs to the dining hall.
That night Katarina looked over the news scroll by candlelight. If she and Shawn did leave where would they go? She had always wanted to go to New Midnight City and see the electric lights that lined the streets. But what would they do once they got there. Did they have herb gardens in big cities like that? She wondered if they accepted teenagers into the city guard. She looked at the featured news at the top again. She had only glanced at it earlier. The Order of the Divine Palm was conducting a worldwide search. For the Antalla? The story of the Antalla sounded like a fairy tale to Katarina but she knew a lot of people still believed in it. Into every generation the Antalla is reborn. The Antalla a great warrior who defends humanity from darkness. The Antalla who brought an end to the horrific Age of Beasts and restored humanity’s rule over the surface of the world. The Divine Orders were conducting tests on young men everywhere in their search for the new Antalla. Of course they were only testing men. Katarina rolled up the scroll and put it with the others in a box under her bed.
Before she drifted to sleep Katarina imagined things. She imagined that her mother had been the reborn Antalla that perhaps many of the past Antallas had been great women and would yet be again. She remembered her mother and father. She remembered her mother’s graceful movements. She remembered the way her father smiled with all of his teeth. Then the image of a bloody arrow sticking out her father’s neck invaded her mind. She opened her eyes suddenly alert again. She tried to close her eyes and sleep. She saw the blade of a sword emerge from her mother’s stomach after piercing her from behind. Katarina spent a long time that night sitting up with her hands covering her face.
Katarina was more than willing to work with Shawn on a plan to leave town and start new someplace else but she was not on board with his plan to commit fraud against a match maker. Besides he soon got a response letter back and discovered he could not afford the fee. There was an option to trade goods such as food and materials for the match maker’s services but Katarina and Shawn did not have a lot of those at their disposal either. Shawn had a few other ideas, most of which consisted of something that could potentially be considered a small crime.
A few times a month traveling tradesmen would come through town. The most recent ones brought interesting news. Monks from the Order of the Divine Palm would be coming to town soon. They were looking everywhere for the Antalla excluding no one. It was common knowledge the town was home to a respected dojo. The town dojo was not as fancy as the ones for more affluent communities but it had turned out many fine guardsmen over the years. Shawn did not give the news much more thought than Katarina. He felt much the same way about the Antalla. Maybe the great warrior had been real long ago but he was probably long dead and most of the stories of him were merely myth.
Far away in New Midnight City something was hunting. There was a creature with pale skin and sharp teeth feeding in an alleyway. It chomped away on a dead rat it had found. The creature finished eating but it still hungered for a more substantial meal. The creature was a type of thing known as a ghoul. Before the ghoul had a chance to make preparations for the meal it desired the hunter found it.
The hunter wore a masked helmet. The hunter had long hair and wore an outfit that made it hard to tell if it was a man or a woman. It had knee high black boots with a fine vest and jacket and riding pants. The hunter stood with one hand behind the back and the other hand in front gripping an exquisitely crafted rapier sword. The hunter spoke with a certainly female voice, “you know in the old days I would travel the world fighting against evil wherever I could find it. These days world travel is not as practical or convenient as it once was. I can’t be there to keep the whole world safe so I have to settle for just this one city. This is my city. You are not welcome here.”
The ghoul panicked and said, “I have done nothing wrong. I only eat the dead. I do not prey on the living. What quarrel do you have with me?”
“Yes I know very well that ghouls only eat the dead. However you have been cheating. Your kind is supposed to forage for their food in graveyards. I know what you have been doing. You have killed three people in the last few months. You killed them then hid there bodies away so they could rot and become ready for you to eat. You have committed unnatural acts of evil in my city and now its time to pay the price.”
The ghoul tried to run down the alley away from her. There was a rush of air and she was in front of the creature. In fear and rage it leaped up at her with teeth ready to bite and kill. A moment later the ghoul was on the ground bleeding and the hunter was wiping thick dark blood off her sword. The ghoul knew it was about to die. It used its final breath to taunt, to let loose a secret it no longer cared to keep.
“They are coming for you. All of your enemies are gathering and they will slaughter you.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” she said, “I don’t know what makes them think they will win this time.”
“They will find him first.”
“Find who first?”
“The divine orders will find him for us and we will use his blood to destroy you. The fools have no idea they are being watched.”
“The divine orders? What are you…” then she understood what the ghoul was talking about, “Damn it, they are going to… What else do you know? Tell me you monster.”
“You are the monster,” the ghoul coughed, “you are a greater monster than any of us, Antalla.”
The ghoul was dead. The hunter, the Antalla looked down at her kill. She thought about the ghoul’s final words and said, “Me? The greatest monster of all? Well I thought that was fairly obvious.”
The Antalla saw a discarded news scroll in a puddle. She saw the headline story about the search for the reborn Antalla that the Divine Orders were conducting. If she was correct about what her enemies were planning then she would have to act quickly to stop them. And she was probably going to have to do some traveling.
The monks of the Divine Palm arrived in a small caravan. They had two large and expensive looking carriages along with a large covered supply wagon. Everyone in town was full of excitement and wonder. The monks started by conducting short interviews with all of the students at the dojo. Afterwards Shawn told Katarina about it. They showed him ink stains on paper and asked him what kind of shapes he saw. They asked him to meditate. They asked him to try on a ring. Overall Shawn found the whole thing rather amusing.
The next day the monks observed the boys at weapons practice. Shawn demonstrated his superior skills in spear throwing among other things. Katarina did her best to stay out of it. She did not believe in the Antalla. At least not the Antalla the monks preached about and now searched for. She preferred to believe in the Antalla she dreamed of. That evening Katarina was alone in the house in her room as she often ended up being. As soon as Shawn came in she could tell something was wrong.
“They want me to go with them,” said Shawn, “They said I passed the tests. They say I could be the Antalla reincarnated. They want to take me to the Temple of the Divine Palm so they can perform other tests and rituals to be sure.”
At first Katarina did not move and neither did Shawn.
“Seriously?” said Katarina, “they really said all that. You’re not messing with me are you?”
Shawn ignored Katarina’s question and said, “This is our chance, Katarina. I don’t know if I’m the Antalla or what. I’m not sure if I even really believe in this reincarnation stuff. But they still want me to come anyway. They said even if I’m not the Antalla I have potential. Katarina, they said they can teach me magic.”
Magic. Everyone knew about magic. There was common sleight of hand and illusion. Then there was the real thing. Most people could go their wholes lives without seeing any real magic. Magic was something only the Divine Orders practiced in this part of the world. There were stories that overseas there were great kings who wielded magic and fought monsters.
“This is what we’ve been waiting for,” said Shawn, “So what do you think?”
Katarina took a moment to look around her room. She felt no great attachment to any of the objects around her. This place had never really been home, it was just a house they happened to live in. There was really nothing to hold them here. But there was something to consider.
“Are they willing to do that?” asked Katarina, “Are they willing to take me along too? You’re the one they want Shawn.”
“Yeah I mentioned that I have a sister and they said something about saying my goodbyes,” said Shawn, “But I think I know a way around that. They are leaving in two days. I think we should get ready.”
There was much celebration in town about Shawn being selected as one of the candidates for the reincarnated Antalla. When the day came to leave with the monks Shawn was ready with what belongings he had, and so was Katarina. The monk in charge was called Brother Sergei. He was a portly man with a bowl cut and a little chin beard. He was surprised to see Katarina.
“Shawn I understand that you want to look after your little sister…“ Sergei began.
Katarina interrupted, “I’m his older sister. I’m two years older than him.”
“We talked about this Shawn,” Sergei continued, “This is your journey. You must leave your old life behind.”
“I could do that,” said Shawn, “Or my sister can come with us. Come on it’s not that big of a deal. I really don’t want to have to give you an ultimatum here. It would be kind of embarrassing if you left here without me. I mean how are the superior monks, or whatever the term for them is, going to react when you tell them that you may have lost the one true Antalla just because of some rule or another about… What was your reasoning behind me leaving my sister behind anyway?”
“Just let me in the stupid carriage,” said Katarina.
Brother Sergei stood there dumfounded for a moment then stepped aside and welcomed Katarina and Shawn together.
“That was a terrible plan,” said Katarina.
“But it worked,” said Shawn, “sort of.”
The journey to the Temple of the Divine Palm was uneventful. The monks tried to teach Shawn some of the basics of magic use but he seemed to have no affinity for it. Katarina listened in and observed and tried to mimic the lessons but it seemed she did not have any affinity for magic either.
The Temple of the Divine Palm looked more like a fortress from the outside. It was surrounded by a high stone wall. The front gate was a huge set of wooden doors under an arch. Inside the walls the temple was breathtaking. The buildings within were painted mostly blue with some green and yellow trim. The monks wore blue and white robes. The women wore purple. Katarina had heard of them, the Maidens of the Hand, women who served the Divine Orders. She had never liked the sound of that. But then she saw something she had not expected. She saw a number of the maidens doing what looked like some kind of martial arts practice. They were all performing the same moves. Katarina wished to learn more about it.
They exited the carriages and were greeted by the High Brothers named Chad, Diego and Yorrick. They were a little surprised to see Katarina but shrugged it off and went on with their inspection of Shawn.
“You are the first candidate to arrive,” said High Brother Yorrick.
“The other two should bee here in the next day or two,” said High Brother Chad.
“Then we can truly begin,” said High Brother Diego.
Shawn may not have fully believed in the story of the Antalla but he was clearly enjoying himself. Whatever other feelings he had, Shawn had always enjoyed getting attention. No one was paying attention to her so Katarina discreetly moved away to have a look around. A moment later she was greeted by a woman, one of the Maidens of the Hand. The woman was probably in her thirties.
“Welcome to the Temple of the Divine Palm,” she said, “I am High Sister Daphne. You must be Katarina.”
“How do you know my name?”
“Brother Sergei told me about you just a moment ago. So I take it you are interested in learning more about the Maidens of the Hand and life here in the temple.”
“Uh yes actually,” said Katarina, “I saw some women doing martial arts when we came in.”
“Oh that was dance practice,” said High Sister Daphne, “We Maidens of the Hand learn many different arts. Today they are practicing the flower dance. Many of the maneuvers we use bear a resemblance to martial arts. Some believe that the practice of dance can actually improve a warriors fighting style. In much the same way we learn the arts of writing and painting which can help enhance weapon mastery. We may not learn all of the same things the men do but in many ways they learn from us.”
Some of what High Sister Daphne said did not sound quite right to Katarina but some of it also intrigued her. The woman took Katarina to the maidens’ quarters. The room was easily the size of her old room and Shawn’s and most of the second floor of the house they had just left combined. Katarina was not sure she wanted to join the Maidens of the Hand but she thought she might as well try it out a little first. High Sister Daphne helped her try on the purple garments. Once she had them on the woman took her to a full length mirror. Katarina had never had a mirror of her own let alone a full length one. This one was twice the size of the one on the washroom wall that everyone shared back at the commune house.
The Maiden of the Hand garments were not something Katarina was used to wearing. Normally Katarina just wore a simple woman’s tunic and leggings. The purple garments of the maidens consisted of two parts. First there was a sarong skirt that left at least one leg mostly bare. Then there was a small top with sleeves that tied in the front leaving her midsection revealed. Katarina was not used to having this much of her body revealed.
“Is something wrong?” asked High Sister Daphne.
“Well it’s just… I’ve never really dressed like this before,” said Katarina, “In the town where we lived there were girls who wore dresses, some shorter than others and some that showed off more cleavage than others. But I was never really the dress type. Not that this is a dress really. It’s very nice but… I don’t know if…”
Katarina was not sure exactly what to say.
High Sister Daphne stood next to Katarina looking into the mirror with her and said, “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You are a lovely girl Katarina and you have a very nice figure.”
“That’s really not what I’m trying to get at,” said Katarina.
“Are you worried about men looking at you? You should not worry because that is all they can do. They can look but nothing more. And if any of them try to do more than look you are free to give them a good slap.”
Katarina found herself smiling at the last remark.
“And you have a very nice smile,” said the high sister, “Part of what we do here is learn to master the power of our bodies. We may not be built to be warriors like the men but there are still many ways we can excel.”
Katarina remembered her mother. Being a woman had not prevented her from learning how to fight. If anything her female form had only improved her combat style. Katarina had an idea. She thought about the dancing. She thought about what the high sister had said about the similarity of dance and martial arts. Katarina decided that a long as she was here she would learn what she could from the Maidens of the Hand.
“Now lets put some makeup on you,” said High Sister Daphne.
“What?” said Katarina. She had always thought of makeup as something only rich girls put on. But then again the Order of the Divine Palm seemed to do very well for their selves.
In the evening there was a feast to celebrate the arrival of the first Antalla candidate. Katarina and Shawn only ever saw this much food in their old home when the entire town was gathered for a holiday celebration. Shawn was surprised when he saw Katarina.
“What happened?” he said, “You look all… girl like, more so than usual.”
“Good to see you too little brother,” she replied.
Katarina spent the next day among the Maidens of the Hand. She took part in their practice of different arts and small crafting. She learned about some of the dances they preformed and learned some of the moves.
When night came Katarina snuck out of her room and made her way to the weapons training courtyard. It was much bigger than the one at the old dojo. And it had real weapons. Katarina went to the sword rack and drew out a weapon. It was much different than practicing with sticks in the woods. A sword is a thin and deadly piece of metal and Katarina found they could be much heavier than they looked. She put the sword back and picked a smaller lighter one. She held it for a bit with one hand then two letting her self get used to the weight and feel of it. Then she began to practice. She tried some of the moves she learned observing Shawn’s lessons. She got a better feel for how the moves worked feeling how the weight of the blade added to the strikes. She did this for a time. Then she tried some other moves. These were not moves she had seen anyone else do. These were moves she had invented on her own combining sword technique with the dance moves she had learned. Some of the improvised moves worked better than others. As Katarina got more comfortable with the moves she started doing them faster. For the first time in a long time Katarina was truly enjoying her self. Then she noticed she was not alone.
There was a fat old man with a bushy gray beard watching. He just stood there with a broom in hand. Katarina recognized him. Someone had said he was the head groundskeeper but she could not recall anyone mentioning his name. He set down the broom and took a sword from the rack. Katarina was not sure what to do as he approached. The issue was decided when he attacked. Katarina defended. He kept coming at her. She continued to fight back. This old bearded groundskeeper was no amateur with a sword. Katarina tried to go on the offensive. She began using her new moves. She made a few close strikes but the moves were still unrefined and did not give her enough of an edge. The old man was smiling. Then he was laughing and lowering his sword.
“You are a natural young lady,” he said, “sorry to interrupt. I just had to satisfy my curiosity.”
He laughed and walked away putting the sword back in the rack. Katarina almost asked him to come back. She wanted to ask where he learned swordplay. She wanted to ask his name. But it was too late. He was gone.
There was a lot of excitement when the other two Antalla candidates arrived at almost the same time in the morning. The first one looked like he was around the same age as Katarina and Shawn. They said his name was Zachariah. He wore expensive looking red and yellow martial arts robes. He had white skin and long dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. The other candidate was a boy named Andrew. He looked much younger and was much shorter than the others. He wore plain brown and yellow robes. Andrew had a shaved head and a tattoo on his forehead of a triangle with an eye in the middle.
Shawn tried to greet his fellow candidates. Zachariah looked him up and down briefly then walked away without shaking his hand. Andrew was much friendlier. He immediately took Shawn’s handshake and began chatting away. Katarina stuck to her lessons with the Maidens of the Hand. Shawn and the other two boys were kept busy with the various rituals and tests of the High Brothers.
That night Katarina made her way to the weapons training courtyard again. She kept an eye out for the groundskeeper but could not find him. Alone with only a little basic torch light Katarina went about her sword practice. She was free to imagine herself a great warrior like her mother and father. She let herself get lost in the motion of combat. And then she was pulled away from it when she saw the boy named Andrew standing there watching her. Katarina was startled by him and dropped the sword. The sound of metal hitting ground made her cringe. When no one came to investigate the noise she carefully picked the sword up and put it back on the rack.
“Are you finished already?” asked Andrew.
“What do you mean?” said Katarina.
“Are you already finished with your sword practice? You were not at it for very long. And why are you doing it alone at night?”
Katarina took a moment not sure if the boy was serious.
“No one else knows I’m out here,” said Katarina, “swordplay is not something they like to teach girls around here.”
“Oh I get it,” said Andrew, “I wasn’t sure if the Maidens of the Hand learned that sort of thing around here. The maidens function differently within each of the orders.”
“Do you know a lot about them?”
“I know about the Order of the Divine Eye but not much about the others. The Five Divine Orders are not as unified as most people think. They mostly defer to the Divine Palm because they have the most money and influence. As for the maidens, in the Divine Eye they function pretty much as equals to the monks of the eye. The girls learn magic alongside the boys. I know it’s not the same with most of the other orders but I don’t have a lot of first hand knowledge beyond that.”
Katarina wondered about something else, “How did you get in here without me noticing?”
“I can fly,” said Andrew.
“You can fly? Okay that’s a little cleverer than some other responses but come on. Is it some kind of special technique? I doubt you can turn invisible.”
Andrew smiled and closed his eyes. The tattoo on his forehead began to glow purple. Andrew raised his head to the sky and opened his eyes and he shot into the air. He made a few circles around the interior of the courtyard then came down for a landing. He slid on his feet across the floor until he was next to Katarina.
“How did you do that?” said Katarina with excitement.
“It was magic,” said Andrew, “I’ve been learning it my whole life.”
Katarina and Andrew began talking. Andrew was an orphan raised by the Order of the Divine Eye. He was twelve years old but he was aware that he looked younger because of his size. He was hoping to have a growth spurt soon. Andrew had a great affinity for magic and had skill with it beyond even the High Monks of the Eye. In turn Katarina told Andrew about herself. She told him about her life in the town she had come from. She talked about her mother and father and about Shawn. She talked about how she had been teaching herself to fight for years.
“Have you ever actually practiced with someone else?” asked Andrew.
“Not until the other night when the groundskeeper came at me with a sword for no reason,” said Katarina, “and he knew what he was doing? I think he was testing me or something. I don’t even know his name.”
“His name is Hector,” said Andrew, “He actually used to be a bounty hunter. He was one of the best. He specialized in bringing down fugitives that were wanted dead. He’s a master swordsman. When he retired he took a job here as head groundskeeper.”
“Seriously?” said Katarina wondering just a little if Andrew was making it all up.
“Yeah I was just talking to him,” said Andrew, “he told me you would be out here. I think he could sense that you needed someone to talk to and I’m probably the only person that would understand.”
On that night Katarina and Andrew became friends.
The tests they put Shawn, Andrew and Zachariah through were strange short little things. Sometimes they seemed pointless but the monks always treated each one as a great revelation. Finally they began testing the boys in the weapons courtyard. Shawn demonstrated his skills in archery and throwing. They only briefly tested his skill with other weapons. Katarina was impressed when she saw Andrew’s skill with a spear. It was a bit odd seeing such a small boy wielding such long weapon. Zachariah was an excellent swordsman and hand to hand fighter. Katarina found herself noticing him a bit more. He was a handsome boy. She had heard that he was sixteen. Zachariah did not really talk to anyone even his fellow candidates. Katarina wondered why. Before the day was over she would have an answer.
It started when Shawn tried to talk to Zachariah.
“You’re pretty good with a sword,” said Shawn, “I wish I was that good. My old teacher was always trying to drill sword technique into me.”
“You have to have a feel for the blade,” said Zachariah, “you can’t just treat it as a tool. It can become like a part of you if you have the will to use it. You clearly lack that will.”
“What?” said Shawn, “what will?”
“You are very good with a bow and arrow. Tell me have you ever actually killed anything with that weapon? My guess would be not.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“You may be able to fight but you are not a true warrior. I’m surprised you made it this far. More surprising is what I hear about who your father was. It seems we can’t all take after our parents.”
Shawn felt his body temperature rise and said, “you take that back.”
“Why would I take back something that’s true?” said Zachariah, “if you feel I have insulted your honor there are ways to settle it.”
Shawn looked at the sword in Zachariah’s hand and hesitated.
“Oh I won’t fight you with this,” said Zachariah as he put the sword back on a rack, “you wouldn’t stand a chance against me with sword. We can do this with fist and foot.”
Katarina asked one of the monks supervising to do something. The monk said it was best to let boys resolve their differences in their own way.
Andrew stepped in and said, “Hey guys I don’t think we are supposed to be fighting each other here.”
“No one asked for your opinion kid,” said Zachariah.
“Well you’re going to get it anyway,” retorted Andrew, “besides if I waited for people to ask for my opinion I would never get to say anything.”
“Stay out of this Andrew,” shouted Shawn, “please.”
Andrew scowled at them both and walked away to Katarina’s side.
“Why must some guys be such morons?” said Andrew, “Does your brother know what he’s doing? Because this could end badly for him.”
“I don’t know,” said Katarina, “no ones ever insulted Shawn like that before.”
From the very beginning it was clear that Zachariah was the superior hand to hand fighter. Shawn’s rage gave him a slight edge at first but it quickly turned into a liability and he was on the ground. Shawn got back up and went at Zachariah again. He was knocked down again and this time he did not feel like getting back up.
“So much for being the son of a great warrior,” said Zachariah, “it seems you inherited you fighting skill from your mother.”
As soon as she heard that Katarina started walking out into the courtyard. Andrew tried to call to her but she was not listening.
“Don’t you dare talk about our parents that way,” said Katarina.
Zachariah looked at her bewildered and said, “Who are you? Wait let me guess. Sister right? I heard he had a sister. And I can see the family resemblance in your clearly similar intelligence level. You really think coming out here to shout at me is going to change anything. Well at least you are not lacking in the looks department.”
Katarina moved her body into a fighting stance that everyone recognized. The monks supervising were so shocked they did not know what to do. Shawn looked up at his sister not believing what he was seeing. A smile crept onto Andrew’s face. Zachariah looked her up and down and said, “Are you kidding me?”
“Are you afraid to fight a girl?” said Katarina.
“Really?” said Zachariah, “You think you can insult my pride and get me to fight you? You know what, fine, what the hell? You are obviously not smart enough to take no for an answer. I’ll make this quick. And don’t worry I won’t do any real damage. You are very nice to look at after all and…”
Katarina did not wait for Zachariah to prepare. She just threw a punch at him. He dodged it but more blows were incoming. Zachariah found himself on the defensive, something he was not ready for. Shawn looked up at his sister and recognized what he was seeing. Everyone recognized it. Katarina was using the same fighting style as Shawn, only she was doing it better. Then they noticed something different. They saw Katarina was fluidly integrating the dance moves the Maidens of the Hand practiced into her movements. Zachariah tried to get the upper hand. He managed to take a more offensive stance but he was still barely keeping up with Katarina. Zachariah began to feel something he never had before while fighting. He was excited.
“Stop this at once,” High Monk Diego shouted with Yorrick and Chad on either side of him.
Zachariah quickly bowed and said, “Forgive me High Monks, this is entirely my fault. I let my emotions get the better of me. I should not have let this situation get out of hand. Please do not condemn anyone else for my actions.”
The High Monks looked around the courtyard at all of the spectators and those involved in whatever had been going on before they arrived.
“Very well then,” said High Monk Chad, “we will end the tests for today. And remember that we do not care for such “roughhousing” within the temple walls.”
The High Monks left and the monks and maidens gathered began to disperse. Katarina looked over at Zachariah. He was sweating and breathing heavy. Why had he taken responsibility like that? And what was that look he was giving her? Katarina ignored it and helped Shawn to his feet. Soon the only ones left were Zachariah and Andrew.
“That girl she… she was…” words failed to express what Zachariah was feeling.
“What is wrong with you?” said Andrew.
“What? There’s nothing… I just… I need some water.”
Shawn just had a few bruises. His physical injuries were not the first thing on his mind.
“How did you do that?” he asked Katarina, “How did you learn to fight like that?”
“You know I used to spy on the lessons in the dojo. I even showed you the tree once.”
“But how did you get to be that good?”
“Maybe I’m just talented.”
“This isn’t funny Katarina,” Shawn said getting ill tempered.
“I never said it was.”
“Can you just leave me alone?” said Shawn, “I don’t need you to look after me. I haven’t for a long time.”
“I know that,” said Katarina, “Just because you had a bad day its no reason to push me away.”
“Just go away please,” he said.
Katarina left feeling frustrated with her brother and his attitude. On her way she was stopped by High Sister Daphne.
“Katarina I wish to speak with you about your conduct today,” said the High Sister, “Why did you attack Zachariah?”
“I didn’t attack him,” said Katarina, “I challenged him. And besides he was being a prick.”
“Katarina your behavior and now your language are not becoming of a Maiden of the Hand,” said the High Sister.
“Oh come on,” said Katarina, “besides I’m not even really one of your maidens anyway. The only reason I’m still dressing like one is because I don’t have anything else to wear because one of your servants took my old clothes to be washed and never brought them back. Do you really think a change of wardrobe is going to make me one of you? The only reason I’m here is because you people have decided that my brother is special and I’m just part of the package or something. Well that’s just fine. I’m used to that. But do me a favor and don’t pretend like I belong here or that any of you actually want me for who I am.”
Katarina stormed off leaving the High Sister alone.
Elsewhere the three High Monks convened in private. High Monk Chad was the oldest and had been slowly losing his hair for years. High Monk Diego and Yorrick had similar haircuts but Diego had a full dark beard while Yorrick was clean shaven and wore glasses.
“That was damn close today,” said Chad, “We can’t afford to wait any longer.”
“You’re right we should make the announcement soon,” said Yorrick.
“And we need to get rid of that girl,” said Diego, “I knew she was going to be a problem.”
“I’m sure we can explain it away,” said Chad, “maybe attribute her skill to them being twins.”
“No they are not twins,” said Yorrick, “I remember she corrected me about it a few days ago. She is older, sixteen I think.”
“Well then maybe we should hire a matchmaker,” said Diego, “if we can get her into a courtship we can send her off. We know plenty of wealthy men with sons looking for a wife.”
“But she is not really a Maiden of the Hand,” said Yorrick, “how would the marriage benefit us?”
“It benefits us because she would be far away from here,” said Chad.
“We can work out the details later,” said Diego.
“Yes right now we need to concentrate on the announcement,” said Yorrick, “how about two days time?”
“Yes that sounds good,” said Chad.
“Very well then we make the announcement in two days,” said Diego.
“We should send out messengers to the other orders tonight,” said Chad, “we want them to be ready.”
“Do you think they will go along with it?” asked Yorrick.
“They have so far, they have no reason to change their minds,” said Chad.
“I got a letter from the Divine Fist,” said Yorrick.
“What does it say?” asked Diego.
“The usual, they are complaining that they are not being involved enough in the selection of the Antalla,” said Yorrick.
“We have spent decades building up the position we now hold,” said Chad, “they can complain after they have done some of their own networking.”
The next two days were a bit awkward. Katarina did not take part in any activities with the Maidens of the Hand and she and Shawn did not talk to each other. Zachariah went back to keeping to himself but once in a while Katarina was sure that he was looking at her. Whenever Andrew had any free time he would go to see Katarina and help her refine her fighting style.
One morning the High Monks called the three boys together for what they said would be the final test. They assured everyone that before the day was over they would know who the true Antalla was.
The final test called for the boys to sit in a room together and meditate while the three High Monks conducted a magical ritual. Zachariah knew how to meditate and believed he was quite good at it. He sat down, closed his eyes and trusted that the High Monks knew what they were doing. Shawn was not sure how to meditate beyond the sitting position which he was not sure if he was doing it right. He had been feeling uneasy ever since his fight with Zachariah and his argument with Katarina after. Shawn did his best to sit still and wait for the test to be over. Andrew was familiar with meditation. It allowed him to better attune with the latent magical energy of the world. Andrew had a great affinity for magic. He could sense what the High Monks were doing and it did not make any sense. They just kept summoning small magical currents then letting them go. As far as Andrew could tell the High Monks were not actually doing anything. If they were not really testing the boys then what was the purpose of the exercise?
A few hours later the three High Monks came out smiling with the three boys. High Brother Chad made the announcement. They had found the reincarnation of the Antalla in not one man but in three. The High Monks explained that Shawn, Andrew and Zachariah shared the soul of Antalla. The soul of the great hero had been split apart and now was reunited to serve the world like never before.
The gathered monks, maidens and employees of the temple cheered. Shawn was smiling. He looked happy. Katarina liked seeing him in a good mood. Zachariah stayed stern and respectful as always. He shook hands with the monks and then with Shawn. Shawn was in such good spirits he seemed to have forgotten about his previous disagreement with Zachariah. Andrew smiled but Katarina could tell it was not genuine. Something was bothering Andrew. And now that she thought about it something was bothering Katarina too. Everything the High Monks had done, it all seemed a little too convenient.
The main hall of the temple was being set up for a grand celebration dinner. There were servants moving all about putting flower arrangement centerpieces on tables and making sure there would be enough chairs.
Katarina was looking for Shawn and found him giving directions on the place settings. He noticed his sister and came over to her. He already seemed different.
“I’m sorry for the way I was acting the other day,” said Shawn, “I shouldn’t have… oh it doesn’t matter now. This is a whole new world now Katarina. We are going to change things for the better. I know this is what I was always meant for. I never would have been able to find my destiny without you. Thank you for always being there. Just a minute I need to help with the arrangements for tonight. I’ll make sure you have a seat near the head table. And then I have to talk to the High Monks. We have lots of plans to make.”
Shawn walked off before Katarina could say a word. She was glad to see he was feeling better but there was too much that seemed wrong. Then she saw Zachariah coming towards her. He didn’t say anything at first. He just stood there looking serious as ever.
“Your brother is taking to his new role very well,” said Zachariah, “It seems I may have underestimated him. He may come from a small town in the country but he is beginning to show some leadership potential.”
So far Katarina had only seen Shawn order a few people about. She was sure leadership required a bit more than that.
“So what are you going to do now?” asked Zachariah.
“What?”
“Are you going to stay here at the temple? I heard you had a disagreement with the High Sister so that might not be an option. But being the sister of one of the reborn Antallas could have advantages. You could travel with your brother when he starts his work. Have you decided what you want to do yet?”
It was a strange thing. Katarina could not remember anyone ever asking her before what she wanted. And now that it was before her she did not have an answer. She knew she wanted to see more of the world. She wanted to travel to New Midnight City and all the other places she read about in news scrolls. But that was just travel. That would take time but not forever. Katarina did not really know what she wanted from life.
“If you decide anything I would be interested to know,” said Zachariah before he strolled off.
Katarina was not sure why Zachariah was acting differently around her now and she was curious to find out why. However she had other things on her mind. She found Andrew alone in the temple library. He looked ill at ease.
“Andrew I’ve been looking for you,” said Katarina, “is something wrong?”
“Yes something is very wrong,” said Andrew, “the High Monks are saying that the three of us share a soul. I don’t think that’s true. In fact I know it isn’t. I know a lot of different kinds of magic. With magic you can sense the energy of life. When a soul is shared between more than one people their life energies will have a sort of resonance with each other. If our three souls are really parts of a whole then our life energy should share a sort of signature that can be detected with magic. Katarina I know this magic and I have used it and I can’t find any common traces among me, Shawn and Zachariah.”
“Are you saying the High Monks made a mistake?” said Katarina.
“No,” said Andrew, “I’m saying they are liars.”
Katarina slowly took a seat at the table across from Andrew.
“Andrew listen to me,” said Katarina, “my brother thinks that this is his destiny. What exactly are you saying? If the Antalla is not in all three of you then who is it?”
Andrew took moment and said, “Katarina I don’t know what the High Monks of the Divine Palm are up to but I am certain they don’t really care about finding the Antalla. I need to find out how much the High Monks of the other orders know about what is going on here. I’m sorry Katarina but if there is one thing I am sure of it is this, I am not the Antalla and neither is Zachariah or your brother.”
Katarina remembered when she was little and she would try to tell people the truth about how her mother and father had died. No one had ever listened. They were always trying to correct her and tell the version of the story they had made up. At times it felt like they were trying to take away the memory of her mother out of some hidden malice. But Katarina had always known the truth and they could not take it no matter how hard they tried. She would always have the true memory of her mother and she took comfort in it, she took strength from it and could endure anything. Now Shawn was so certain of his destiny to be the Antalla. Katarina listened to Andrew’s words and she knew that before long Shawn would have the thing that gave him comfort, confidence and strength taken away.
“Bastards,” she muttered to herself. Then she stood up and almost shouted, “Those rotten bastards. Do they have any idea what they’ve done? When Shawn finds out the truth…”
“Katarina you can’t tell anyone,” said Andrew, “We can’t tell anyone what we know, not yet. The Divine Palm would not be doing this unless they thought they could get away with it. That means they must have people within the other orders helping them. Not to mention the numerous political and economic alliances they have. I know most people think of the Divine Orders as religious institutions but the Divine Palm more than any of the others has taken a more “modern” approach to establishing themselves. Please don’t say anything. I know the monks at the Temple of the Divine Eye. I know which ones can and can’t be trusted. I need to get back there to get help in order to expose the High Monks here and to figure out what they are really after.”
Katarina did not like it but she agreed to go along with Andrew’s plan. In the meantime, they had a banquet to attend.
Shawn, Zachariah and Andrew were seated at the head table with High Monks Chad, Diego and Yorrick. Katarina was seated at the nearest table to the left along with High Sister Daphne and a few other senior Maidens of the Hand. Unbeknownst to them the hunter was watching and waiting for the right moment to make an entrance.
High Monk Diego began making a toast about how bright the new future would be now that the reincarnated Antallas had been found. That is when they all heard the hunter’s voice.
“I have heard many speeches like this before,” the voice had a strange echo to it, slightly distorted so one could not tell if it was male or female, “Men in power love to talk about the future when all they really care about is maintaining the present. They like to think they can change the past to suit their needs and they do not take into account the full scope of the possible consequences.”
With each sentence the voice seemed to move and come from a different part of the room.
“The consequences of your actions will soon be on your doorstep and if you want to survive you are going to have to listen.”
“Who is that?” demanded High Brother Chad, “What sort of magic is this? Who are you?”
“My power is far beyond mere magic,” said the hunter, “As for whom I am…”
The hunter appeared right in front of the head table where everyone could see. The hunter wore a fine vest and jacket with riding pants and knee high black boots. The hunter had a helmet with a mask. The mask was black with a golden cross that divided it into two halves. There was a rapier sword at the hunter’s hip. The hunter flipped up the mask then removed the helmet. When Katarina saw the hunter’s face she stood up.
Under the helmet was an attractive young woman probably in her twenties. She had long blonde hair and gray eyes.
“You may call me Madame Deschanel,” said the hunter, “I am the Antalla, the one true Antalla. You have taken the name of Antalla in vain and now you are in great danger. Even as we speak the enemies of Antalla gather. If you do not listen to me then you are all going to die quite horribly. Oh hey you guys are serving red wine, I love a good red wine.”
