24 December 2012
The hooves of the Celestial Horses made no sound as they breezed into the village. Dionys and her unit, made up of ten Sisters, followed the main road as children came out of their houses to watch with gaping mouths as they passed by. The path curved itself and went up and down in peculiar ways and they had to ride in rows of two since the houses were built so close to each other that you could barely get a wagon through.
They came to the marketplace and the unit fanned out in a half circle with Dionys in front of them, all facing the elder's house. All of the villagers had come out and were gathering and watching from the behind, at the market's three entrances.
The door creaked open and an old man stepped out, with a cane to maintain his balance and two servant boys behind him. He faltered down the steps and waved his hand at one of the boys.
The youngling hurried back inside and came out carrying a chair twice the size of him. He couldn't see the first step so he fell to his stomach in the grass. He looked up in shame, but everyone was too nervous to laugh, so he sprouted back up and brought the chair to the elder who crumpled down in it.
When he had regained his breath he squinted up at Dionys, with the sun in his eyes.
"Praised be the Clouds, praise Aiel! She heard our songs..." He looked at his people and held up his arms towards Dionys "...and she sent a High Sister. There is justice in the Realm."
Everyone was quiet but when the old man went down on his knees, the villagers gasped. His servants darted to him but he shooed them away.
He was trembling but showed no pain. "They were here two days ago and took a hostage. They threatened to hang her from a tree outside the village if we don't have enough to give them the next time."
"Man," Dionys said as if the word disgusted her, "do you know where their camp resides?"
She could tell the old man was startled. He had probably never heard the dual voice of a Cloud Sister.
"Up at the foot of the Mountain of Celes, we think. It is the only place where they could hide here without being seen. There is a cave there, where I used to play as a child."
Dionys peered up at the bright mountain in the distance. It rose through several cloud beds all the way to the domain of the Seráfs. The mountain foot was at least a half day's ride away and it was already afternoon.
She turned towards her Sisters. "We make camp outside the village for today. We move to the mountain edge in the morning. Be on your guard if the bandits for some reason would attack the village tonight."
With that, she lead the way out and set up her tent some paces away from the others and sang a song for Aiel.
Dionys - The High Sister (part 4) • Opuss № I