Chapter 5: The Sacred Flame and the Shadows of Evil -- Angira's Determination
Upper witch Angira Kakutani wonders if the Chief Witch's plan is sound
PREVIOUS: Chapter 4
NEXT: Chapter 6
Angira Kakutani wanted to focus on mending the young hunter's arm, but the things Natsuru had told her disturbed her.
Child sacrifice...I can't believe such vileness exists in this world...
The young hunter on the bed before her had his arm torn off by a raptor. This was no Jiyumura victim -- it was already too late to save their missing limbs -- but someone who was chasing wild hogs with his friends only to get attacked by a raptor out of nowhere. His friends had managed to rescue his arm, however, and now it was time to reattach it.
Natsuru wants us to wait, but every hour that passes is another child dead. I'm not sure that this calls for patience, but perhaps Natsuru knows what she's doing. She's the Chief Witch, so she wouldn't endanger us on purpose.
With the arm on a small table nearby, Angira drew a black-hilted short sword from her lower back. She stabbed it into the patient's leg, and the patient moaned as he bit down on a piece of wood. Angira channeled her power through the blade and put the man to sleep. She removed the blade and set it aside as blood ran down the wounded leg.
I wonder how long this has been happening. Maybe I should raise an objection with Natsuru so that we can move faster on this...no, I would be second-guessing the Chief Witch.
Angira drew her white-hilted sword and stabbed the patient again in his now bleeding leg. Like before, she channeled her power and sent it through the blade. The earlier stab wound healed at once, to the point where it looked like he had never been stabbed; the blood remaining on his leg was the only indication that anything had happened.
And now, Angira was ready to operate.
I think I'll speak to the Abbess. Maybe she'll have a better answer for me.
Angira unwrapped the bandages covering her patient's stump. She brought the severed arm close and fitted it onto the stump. She leaned in to make sure that the bones were lined up properly. Once she was sure everything was where it needed to be, she brought out her white-hilted sword again and stabbed the patient in the stomach.
With this power, Angira merged the skin, muscle, and bone of the severed arm with the stump. The man's arm had been successfully reattached.
With a bit more energy, Angira woke her patient from his induced slumber. "He spit out the wood, opened his eyes, and tested his arm.
"It's...it's coming back. I can move it," the man said.
"Good; I thought maybe I made an error," Angira answered.
"No, you did fantastic! Thought I'd end up like those poor fools from Jiyumura," the man said.
"Well, we got to you fast enough. Stay here and rest a while, okay?" Angira answered.
The whole ordeal had left her tired, but this was the last of five patients, and the only one who had lost a limb; all the others had broken bones until Angira healed them. Angira caught her breath and went over to her lower witches, who had blue stripes on their miniskirts. The girls moved their arms in a rhythmic fashion, with a wand in each hand, but these were no mere exercises. This was a spell to move heat out of the infirmary, making the temperature bearable. The manipulation of temperature was Angira's primary magical specialty; healing was just something she learned studying old texts in the Onodera Estate's library.
One of the lowers, a petite dark-haired girl named Motoko Arai, stopped her movements.
"Where ya goin', Sensei?" Motoko asked.
Angira still felt strange being called 'Sensei'; she was only 25, and most girls were married by her age. She felt like 'Sensei' was something you called a more mature woman or a gruff old man.
"I need to go to the Temple for something. I can't say what, though; it's really sensitive," Angira answered.
"I gotcha. Do you need me to do something while you're gone?" Motoko asked.
"Keep the patients fed, and keep an eye on their condition; I need them to stay for a few hours. If something goes wrong, write it down, then come get me," Angira said.
"Right! You have a safe trip, Sensei!"
"I'm not going that far away."
"I dunno; it's a pretty long walk. You need Yahara-sensei's wagon if you don't wanna wear yourself out."
"You may have a point."
And on that note, Angira left the recovery room.
#
Angira exchanged the plain kimono coat, trousers, and apron for her preferred outfit of a short, fine shoulderless dress and long white gloves. She strapped on her two short swords as well, since they doubled as her wands. She thought she wanted to walk, but she was still a bit tired from using her healing magic so much, so she asked Satomi and Midori for a ride on their automatic wagon. Both the wagon and its drivers were at the Estate, so it was no problem to get permission.
Satomi and Midori sat in the front seats to power the wagon with their lightning magic while Angira got in the back seat. Once everyone was set, the motor whined and the wagon got on the road to the Temple.
"Everything old is new, it seems. Never thought we'd be facing dinos again," Midori said.
"At least it's not pterodactyls. That would be a special kind of torture," Satomi answered.
"A second Savage Hunt... it would go a lot easier if you think about it," Angira said.
"But the way Machida-sensei talked about it -- she sounded so unsure. Why wouldn't Haiirosen agree to this?" Midori asked.
"You know how those Haiirosen folks are -- they're not exactly team players. I'm surprised they get anything done," Satomi answered.
"Don't be so mean. They're just different," Angira said.
"Can't agree with you, Annie. There's just something not right about those people," Satomi said.
"But even so, didn't Takuo Isesaki basically build that city? Why would Haiirosen -- why would Akane Isesaki, of all people, have a problem with doing another Hunt and making her own legend?" Midori asked.
"Maybe it's like I said -- maybe it would be too easy now," Angira answered.
"Just go bigger, then! Kill all the dinos, not just the pteros," Midori said.
"Bad idea. The wild hogs will multiply out of control, and the rice paddies will be obliterated," Satomi said.
"Then why do it in the first place? How would we know if we've killed too many dinos?" Angira asked.
"That's something we're gonna have to figure out. All we know is that we can't have those things attack Gaikyo too," Satomi said.
"Still, we have to tread carefully. Perhaps we can keep tyrannosaurs around," Angira answered.
"I'll run that by Natsuru," Satomi said.
And for the rest of the trip, the witches talked about anything except dinosaurs and Haiirosen.
The Temple of the Sacred Flame stood proud on the hill. A stone wall and wooden gate surrounded it, manned by several Azure Bastion men in their blue square wave kimonos and trousers. Two such men guarded the gate as well. A plume of smoke peeked out from behind the wall, representing the flame that had been kept continuously burning for over 180 years.
The wagon was taken to the gate, and Angira stepped out. The guards stared at her, and not just because she was an upper witch.
Midori noticed straight away. "You know, you guys can come to the estate any time before the sleeping hour."
"MIDORI!" Satomi shouted as the guards, who had barely entered manhood, blushed.
"How are we supposed to get married, then?" Midori asked.
"Not through blatant invitations like that. Now let's go and rest; all this driving has worn me out," Satomi said.
The guards opened the gate for the three guests.
And now, they entered the sanctuary.
Small plots of sweet potatoes were laid out in neat rectangles. The brick path leading to the entrance was perfectly even. Most of the temple had no walls, only a roof and columns to allow any excess smoke to escape. The only part with walls was the central building where the flame itself burned.
But the most important aspect of the Temple was the Firekeepers. These young women wore fabrics with flame patterns on them; their job was to maintain the temple grounds and help keep the sacred flame burning within their control over temperature. These Firekeepers used to be lower witches with blue stripes on their skirts, but now they took on the most important role on Venus, for if Vesta's sacred flame ever went out, Venus would again become the lifeless, acidic rock that it was for all of its history.
A full-figured Firekeeper -- Chihiro Itagaki -- approached the three witches. She cast a curious glance at Midori.
"Well well, you the new Chief Witch?" Chihiro asked in the magical tongue, which all were required to speak when inside the sanctuary's walls (the men outside did not have to speak it.)
"I wish; it'll probably be Hina," Midori answered.
"We just want to rest for a bit," Satomi said.
"And I wish to speak to the Abbess. Is she free?" Angira asked.
"She is. She's just...meditating, you know? But I'm sure she'll make time for you," Chihiro said.
"She's got more time than any of us," Angira answered.
"That she does. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get these girls some food and drink," Chihiro said. The large Firekeeper led Satomi and Midori away while Angira approached the central building of the Temple.
Angira coughed as a whiff of soot blew by her face. She reached the door of the central building, and it was not locked. Angira and the Abbess were on speaking terms, so Angira just let herself in and shut the door. She removed her shoes and put them to one side.
Before Angira was a sight that was familiar but no less awe-inspiring. A massive and brilliant yellow flame burned bright with a gentle crackle. The smoke escaped up several chimneys, aided by Firekeepers on the roof so no soot backed up into the chamber. The flame's warmth filled the room, as comforting as a blanket.
But the Abbess herself was no less magnificent.
She sat before the vast flame on her knees, with her lower legs tucked perfectly under her upper thighs.
She had the appearance of a young and beautiful woman in the prime of her life, but she was older than the Venerian Republic itself -- the last of the original settlers. She was the one thing that remained the same as so much else changed.
Her brown hair came down to her shoulders, neatly combed. She wore no breast bindings, but she did have on underwear for her waist. While her overall figure would stun any man, so would her back because it was covered in scars and tears, blood running down her skin and pooling at the waistband of her underwear. Indeed, she was whipping herself right now, opening fresh cuts in her skin.
"A moment of your time, Abbess?" Angira asked as she stared at the massive wound. Angira got into the same sitting position as the Abbess.
The Abbess set aside her whip and turned to face Angira, still maintaining the sitting position. In the front she looked perfect, with rounded breasts that had none of the grievous injuries that marred her back.
"It is a pleasure to see you again, Kakutani. Please do not worry for me; if I require your assistance, I will send for it," the Abbess said.
"Whipping yourself so frequently is not good, but that is not why I have come. Surely, you sense the evil emanating from Haiirosen?" Angira asked,
"I am all too aware of it, it has only grown as the years have gone by. If I had the authority, I would have investigated it ages ago," the Abbess answered.
"But the Chief Witch has learned something that will shake the foundations of Gaikyo itself should it become more widely known," Angira said.
She went to explain everything Natsuru told her.
The Abbess sat there, mouth agape. As she processed what she just heard, she slumped her shoulders and looked away with extreme sadness.
"Child sacrifice, and an army to defend it. I concur with the Chief Witch's approach, but now you have an obligation to raise Haiirosen to the ground. This evil practice cannot be allowed to continue," the Abbess said.
"It's unpleasant, but having to hide this from everyone is an equal burden," Angira answered.
"For now, they must remain in the dark. If we're to prevent the slaughter of our own people, we cannot charge in blindly."
"But my Abbess, every moment we waste puts another child to the axe. Sure, we must plan, but we must also move."
"Let me reiterate; Haiirosen must be razed to the ground. But you underestimate the power of my old master. The dark god Moloch has bequeathed a terrifying power to the people of that city -- I can feel it even here. Should the full fury of that power be brought to bear, Gaikyo will not survive. Our republic will not survive. Everything that generations of Venerians have toiled and bled for -- all of it will have been for nothing. The Venerian Republic exists in defiance of my old master; I was showing him that we did not need his ways to build a better society. Thus Gaikyo cannot be allowed to fall. Thus we must use care as we approach this crisis."
"And yet your old coven was destroyed in ninety minutes. Tragic though that was, it means that the dark god can be beaten, and we should move sooner before his minions gather more strength."
"One small correction: the destruction of my coven was not a tragedy, but a righteous act."
"Of course. My apologies."
"Nonetheless, I understand the sentiment. We may feel an urge to strike out against them, but I believe they expect this course of action."
"I think I understand now: a slower approach will allow us to take them by surprise, because we're not acting the way they expect us to act."
"There you have it. The Chief Witch is handling things this way for a reason; inflaming the passions of the people will do more harm than good here."
"Right. Perhaps I should trust my leader more."
"On that, you are correct."
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a petite Firekeeper with short hair and brief clothes.
"Abbess, Yahara requests your presence," the Firekeeper said.
"Ah, you're right on time. Give me a moment to get ready," the Abbess answered as she rose to her feet.
But Angira rose as well, as if to stop the Abbess.
"Allow me to heal you first," Angira said.
"Very well, but I have one request; do not eliminate the pain. It is necessary, in light of who I served in centuries past," the Abbess answered. She switched her attention to the Firekeeper.
"Ueki, prepare a bath and tell both Yahara and Okamoto to meet me there," the Abbess said.
"Right away!" the diminutive Firekeeper answered. She ran off to fulfill her task.
Once Ueki was gone, Angira drew her white-hilted short sword and jammed it all the way into the Abbess's body. With a surge of power, the Abbess's wounds healed in an instant, with only the scars from previous self-whippings remaining. Angira removed the sword, and it left no wound.
But Angira became weary, and she fell on her knees, unable to stand any longer. She mustered just enough strength to sheathe her white-hilted sword.
"This power...wondrous though it is...can be so troublesome at times..." Angira said. She then collapsed, though she remained conscious.
Chihiro wandered in and was taken aback by the exhausted Angira.
"Is she all right?" Chihiro asked.
"It's just exhaustion from overusing her powers. Take her to my quarters and keep an eye on her for me," the Abbess answered.
"Your wish is my command," Chihiro said. She scooped Angira up in her arms and walked out of the building with her.
As the sacred flame crackled and shined, the Abbess thought to herself.
Was I wrong to keep silent about my other worries? No, Haiirosen demands our full focus. It only appeared for the briefest of moments, but someone else is here too, in distant Iwamori. Once things have stabilized, I'll have someone look into it. I only hope Haiirosen isn't aware of them too, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
PREVIOUS: Chapter 4
NEXT: Chapter 6