Universal Parallels: The Earth
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«Help,» the other warriors echoed and laughed.
Deva was beautiful in this radiance. Her dark skin, blue eyes framed by thick and long eyelashes, her curly hair darker than night. She looked like a star that had descended from heaven, and this modesty and meekness only made her more beautiful. Realizing that she was harmless, the main one got off the horse. Maybe he was still under the influence of her charms, or maybe he really understood what kind of treasure had fallen into their hands. He commanded the circle to be broken. The warriors stopped laughing and obeyed his leader. For a moment, everything was quiet again, only the occasional snuffling of horses disturbed this newly established idyll. There were seven of them. Seven people who intended to destroy something unknown to them.
Deva watched them attentively, noting the clothes created for battles. Their swords, arrows and knives. But most of all, she noticed their similarity to the environment they lived in. Hair and beards stuck out in clumps from under helmets, shaped like scalps. The clothes made of leather, reliably protected their bodies. Metal rings of armor covered it from above, as if the thinnest haze covered the earth from a stranger’s eyes. Of course, everything is as it befits hunters who went out in search of prey.
The leader finally finished examining her and breaking the silence that hung, said:
«You are going with us.»
Even the air was shaken by his loud voice.
«The cloak,» he commanded, looking at one of the warriors and moving his head in the direction of the maiden.
The warrior did not take long to wait. He quickly jumped off the horse, took a cloth from a bag strapped to the saddle and threw it over Deva’s shoulders covering her silver cloak. In this attire she became just like them. Just like an Earth clan inhabitant. Only a fading glow coming through in some places from under the fabric, revealed her as a stranger.
«Here,» the leader pointed to a place behind him.
The warrior grabbed her by the elbow and led to the horse. The maiden looked at the leader and shook her head, making it clear that she did not know how to handle horses and had never ridden them.
«Nursing you,» the leader snored with displeasure, clenching his teeth and angrily exhaled.
«Hands here,» the warrior pointed to the saddle straps, then pointed to the stirrup. «Put your foot here. Understood?»
The maiden nodded.
«Thanks heaven,» he breathed out in relief, while the leader silently watched all the actions of Deva.
Grasping the fastenings, she unsuccessfully tried to get her foot into the stirrup, which was running away from her, and her foot got tangled in the long fabrics of her clothes.
«She just arrived and is already pissing me off,» the leader muttered. «Help her!» he commanded the warrior standing next to him. He hastily took her by the waist and, like a piece of fluff, threw her into the saddle in one easy movement. Deva settled behind the leader, who was still threatening, muttering and swallowing words.
Spurring their horses and wasting no more time, the squad set off on their way back. The road to the Earth Clan lay through the Dark Woods and a Burned Valley, which in the morning light were preparing to emerge in front of Deva in all their ugly beauty. However, neither terrifying picture, nor these conquering warriors, nor the twisted trees, nor the trip to the unknown somewhere, intimidated her. There was only one thought in Deva’s head: to fulfill her mission.
Throughout the journey, Deva didn’t just observe, she felt the poison-soaked earth on her skin. There have been many wars. A lot of blood was spilled. She inhaled this poisoned air and, riding out of the forest into the valley, with great sadness in her eyes and pain in her heart, she looked at what was left of the once flourishing land. She closed and opened her eyes. She thought it was all a dream, that it can’t be like that. But no matter how she wanted to hide herself from all that – it was the current reality. With a depressed and contrite look, she stared at the leader’s back and tried to hold back the tears rolling into her eyes.
The first rays of the morning sun, breaking through heavy leaden clouds, illuminated what remained of the former beauties. The maiden peering out from under her hood felt a sharp stab in her heart. She held her breath as if someone attacked her from behind and unexpectedly stabbed her with a knife. She bitterly thought about the awful treatment of nature. «How could people have created all this? These little, uncomprehending people… They don’t just kill each other, they destroy all around.»
The valley was scorched, sprinkled and powered with death. For a moment, it seemed to her that there was nothing left to save on the Earth and she was sent here in vain. From such terrifying views and heavy thoughts, she again buried her lifeless gaze on the back of the man who sat in front of her. Her fingers clenched involuntarily, and she felt the warmth of him. Deva remembered what was hidden deep in the hearts of these people who were bringing her to their clan. The realization of this gave her hope, fragile as the first autumn ice. The maiden’s doubts were interrupted by a sudden stop: the gates of the Earth Clan towered in front of them like iron guards. Deva finally got distracted and, squinting her eyes, looked with interest at the gate and the huge stone wall surrounding the settlement.
The giant wall was so high that the peaks of the observation towers touched the sky; so wide that a pair of chariots could ride along its top. Four identical towers rose along the edges of the settlement, forming a regular square, and four more were visible inside it. There were two more small turrets on each side of the gate, where sentries hid in narrow loopholes. The whole structure seemed to her an impregnable fortress, and it seemed impossible to conquer it. However, the huge gate began its movement with ease, rising. First, a thick iron rod began to move. Its ends were sharpened. Then, the cloth itself. It was chained in an iron frame. Deva saw just an ordinary settlement, where common hard working people lived. They met their brave warriors and she stared at them curiously.
For some they were fathers, for others they were sons. Men in dark brown trousers and long shirts the color of wet sand, tied with sash. Older women hide their hair under shawls, the ends of which encircled their heads. Their loose, straight-cut, plain, thick green dresses were probably comfortable. The dresses of young girls are long and layered, it seems that they are standing in the clouds. Over the dress, strict linen vests are worn, the length is till the layered clothes. The girl’s hair was gathered in thick braids, and a ribbon in the color of vest was on their head.
The inhabitants were completely different from the stern warriors who accompanied her. This contrast made a strong impression on her. On one hand, she was glad to see that not all people are the same, on the other, she did not understand how, with such similarities, some kill, while others calmly did what they usually do, leading an ordinary life.
She saw the villagers standing on the other side of the open gate looking curiously at her. Deva lowered her eyes and tried not to look at anyone else as they gazed at her. Meanwhile, the warriors accompanying her were so inspired by their brilliant work that they completely forgot about caution. It seemed to the leader that they were already at home and nothing could threaten them here. Losing his vigilance, he decided to dismount from his steed right in front of the open gate to enter the settlement victoriously, holding their prey tightly by the hand.
«To help or by yourself?» he asked Deva almost in a friendly way, as an absolute master.
«I’ll try it by myself, thanks.»
«Okay,» he replied indifferently and, turning away, stared at the open gate, where a mass of people was crowding, waiting for the return of the squad.
Meanwhile, Deva was throwing her leg over the horse’s back, jumping lightly to the ground.
«Nimble,» the leader quietly commented on Deva’s successful leap, squinting at her.
All the other warriors from the escort also jumped off their horses one by one, being proud of themselves, slightly puffed out their chests.
Deva smiled faintly. She heard the praise that inadvertently fell from the lips of the stern warrior and which, probably, she should not have heard. Suddenly, something whistled by her ear and the warriors started to fall. One, two, three… The inhabitants of the clan started to scream and run around. The arrows whizzed past her again and again, piercing the bodies of the warriors. Their carelessness was not forgiven. The horror was imprinted in her eyes. She couldn’t move. Meanwhile the remnants of the warriors were hiding behind their horses. They sacrificed then and began to fight off the attack from the back.
«The Mountain Clan! Everyone gets to the shelter! Close the gate!» the lookouts shouted. They were angry at themselves for having overlooked the approach of the enemy while watching the victorious march of their warriors.
Never before had other clans come so close to the Earth Clan and stood at the open gates of the settlement. Never before…
The warriors of the Mountain Clan found only trampled grass at the place where the ray fell. They followed the trail then, which led to their eternal enemy. And now, in full readiness and determination to win back their prey, they suddenly appeared from the forest, immediately going on the attack.
Dozens of arrows sliced through the air. One flew very close to the Deva’s head and miraculously didn’t graze her. In this general mess, she felt someone’s hands grab her by the waist and drag towards the closing gate, literally shoving her there. On the other side were left all the warriors who had recently celebrated victory in their minds. Now they were fighting to the death with the enemies who had attacked them surreptitiously. They had no fear of imminent death. They were always ready for battles. They knew that sooner or later, a sharp blade or arrowhead would catch up with them, and so they fought desperately, paying the price of their unforgivable carelessness. Even the archers, who by coincidence were not on the wall at that time, got up there and realized that there was no one to help. All seven warriors were dead, putting their lives on the chopping block, protecting one.
Catching the enemy off, the squad of the Mountain people dealt with them quickly, but they didn’t get the main prize they were hunting for. After taking minor losses, their warriors were forced to return home empty-handed. The surviving warriors turned their horses and headed back to the woods, where they hid behind shady trees and stood for some time watching the movements on the wall of the enemy clan.
CHAPTER 3
People rushed in disorderly crowds in front of the gate, bumping into each other and knocking down. But Deva didn’t lose her head and run to the wounded young woman whom she noticed first. She didn’t have the gift of resurrection, but she knew the secret of healing. When she reached her, she examined the wound.
«Everything will be fine,» Deva promised, realizing that the arrow only grazed her tangentially and the bleeding wound only looked scary.
Deva looked deeply into her eyes, trying to inspire confidence. The woman, frightened and bloodied, immediately trusted her, holding her breath, took her hand away from her shoulder and winced at the terrible pain spreading in jerky impulses throughout her body. Deva brought her hand to the wound, stopping just a couple of inches from the split skin. A soft light poured out of her palm, and the bloody laceration healed. It took only a few moments, and the incision was already gone. The woman no longer felt pain and seemed to be more shocked by what had happened than by the dastardly attack on the clan.
«Thank you,» the woman said.
Deva barely smiled, thanked her in return and helped her get up from the ground. The woman nodded and started backing away from her. Deva sensed her fear. She was afraid of what had just happened. The fact that Deva appeared at the moment of the unexpected attack caused even more fear in the woman. Tears began to roll into her eyes, she turned away and disappeared into the terrified crowd. The maiden looked at her, following her with a sad look. She saw the feelings that overwhelmed the sufferer, but had no right to intrude further with the help. Among the warriors who died behind the wall was her beloved, whom she had come to meet. She will never see him again in the world of the living. Deva wanted to shout the words of regret after her, but she remained silent, realizing that it was much easier to heal a physical wound than the one that damaged the heart and pierced the point into the soul.
People did not see this miracle of healing, they continued to scurry randomly under the walls of the settlement. However, a little further away, a boy was hiding around the corner of one of the houses. He was watching from his shelter everything that was happening at that moment in front of the main gate. Early in the morning, he took up this position, preparing to wait for the solemn return of the warriors with the loot in their hands. He believed that it would be the people of his settlement who would be the first to get the burning ray that fell from the sky that night. He had noticed her from the very beginning. From the moment the gates were raised and she appeared surrounded by warriors in front of the people of the settlement. And even after the attack happened, he was not afraid and did not run away, but continued to stare at the girl with wide eyes. He had never seen anyone like her before, and he couldn’t leave and miss everything. His eyes saw not only the bloody and dead bodies of the inhabitants, who did not have time to escape from the nimble arrows, but also the miracle of healing the wounded.
Without even touching them, she healed their wounds, putting them out of their misery. His eyes, the color of fresh spring green, grew wider and wider in surprise. As if mesmerized, he continued to marvel at what he saw, without leaving his place.
Gradually, people came to their senses. Helping the wounded, carrying away the dead, they cleaned the cobblestone paths, washing away the traces of grief that this morning had brought them. Deva did not stay away. She also helped the residents and now, taking an elderly woman by the elbow, lifted her off the stone floor. She fell when she tried to escape from enemy arrows, but got off with only fright.
«Thank you, sweet heart,» the woman groaned, barely getting up, leaning on the Deva’s hand.
In response, she just smiled, trying to hide the pain that was tearing her from the inside. The universal heaviness that covered all the inhabitants of the clan this mournful morning. The woman, as if not noticing anything unusual in the appearance of the maiden, dusted off her dress and hobbled on, hiding in the alleys of the settlement. Among the warriors who remained behind the wall, the old woman did not wait for anyone, but simply came out of habit to meet her people who returned home alive.
Left all alone, Deva looked around, trying to figure out what to do next and where to go. There wasn’t a soul around, and she was turning her head in confusion. A little further away stood the main castle, with many windows and fancy turrets crowning the building. Deva would like to take a walk here and admire the simple architecture.
Suddenly, the guards appeared around the corner. They walked in a perfect square, and Deva had no doubt that they were coming straight to her. Their bodies were covered with finely forged shiny armor, and their chiseled step ricocheted off the stone surface. She looked at them and did not understand for what reason they put on this iron armor. Did she really pose such a danger? Was she a great threat to the peace of these people? She brought death with her. People died because of her, although Deva did not want this to happen at all. She wanted peace on this earth and came here only to establish it. But are they interested in it? Those brave warriors only laughed at her answer when they asked the reason she had come. And now they will join the Navi and be forever chained to the ground by their own evil deeds. The Creators will never allow them to get even into the transitional worlds.
The four guards were gradually approaching her. The maiden sighed sadly and looked up, once again preparing to meet her fate.
«We were told to bring you to the council,» one of the guards said sternly and calmly, approaching the maiden at arm’s length.
She silently bowed her head, not intending to resist. The guard surrounded her and took to the castle as if she were a criminal who deserved the most severe punishment. After walking through the labyrinths of cobbled and similar streets without stopping, they reached the main castle and went inside. Then they went through a side door, crossed several passages and climbed two floors up. For some reason, they did not meet any residents along the way. Apart from the ones she had seen earlier in front of the entrance gate, none of them caught her eye anymore. «Maybe they were afraid of me and decided to hide all the people?» she wondered, standing in front of the elegant wooden doors, waiting for them to be allowed to enter.
She paid her attention to the carved curls of leaves hanging from a tree, on the branch of which a wonderful bird was sitting. Deva stood behind two broad-shouldered guards and saw little ahead of her. She tilted her head to the left and to the right to examine the wooden door in more detail.
«What a beauty,» she whispered.
The guards squinted at the girl, who did not know at all where she had been taken, and instead of being afraid, admired what had long lost its meaning to them. What they had stopped noticing. Surprised by the behavior, they already thought that she was simply distraught with fear and did not know what she was talking about. They even managed to feel sorry for the poor girl and sympathized with her future fate, which clearly will not be bright after their best warriors died by her fault.
Raising her hand to the door, one of the warriors knocked on it, and the doors instantly swung open. Deva fearfully but curiously craned her neck to see what was hiding behind them. Obviously, this was the council room where the elders were sitting, led by a man in a steel crown. Under their gaze, the maiden lowered her head and stared at her feet. The guards marched in together, urging the maiden on, and then parted to the sides, revealing to the eyes of the head and the council the culprit of their sleepless night.
Raising her head, Deva began to examine the room and the elders. In the center, on a throne, sat the head, who was surrounded by other elders at two semicircular tables – three on each side of him. Their clothes were embroidered with gold and jewel stones. White cuffs and collars stuck out from under the satin fabrics of the doublets3. Someone had them lined with fur, although Deva did not quite understand why this was necessary in such warm weather. These were not the warriors or the inhabitants she had seen before, but completely different people. Each of them had swords studded with gems in their scabbards. They were all fair-haired and green-eyed, except that the shade of the iris was slightly different. Even at the first meeting with the warriors of Earth Clan, Deva noted their identical eye color and thought it was a simple coincidence, but now she was amazed at such a feature.
The man in the center was crowned with a steel crown, which showed others: no matter how high you climbed, your head would always be with the common people, and it would serve them for good, and his sword was also quite plain. Deva was even more surprised that she literally «stumbled» over this man – she could not read him, could not look into his essence. It was as if he was locked away from her, locked with locks of all worlds, and the key she possessed did not fit. Deep in thoughts and having finished examining these majestic persons, she bowed her head and lowered her gaze.
With undisguised curiosity, the elders examined the young creature placed in front of them for demonstration, like a statuette. Her exuberant black-haired hair and dark skin, the blue of oceans of eyes, modesty and timidity greatly distinguished her from all the people they had previously known. Even the cloak of their clan, which she was still wearing, did not save the situation. She was another one, descended from heaven, sent to them by someone unknown and for what purpose. The maiden still stood without raising her head, her eyes fixed on one point. She felt their curious glances running over her, felt their smirks on her face and their antics. She replayed in her head what had happened to her over the past few hours and did not understand how, with all such human hatred and aggression towards own kind, she would be able to reconcile the inhabitants of these lands.
The man in the steel crown was the first to break the silence.
«Let there be a trail!» he boomed, and his voice echoed reverberate throughout the room.
«The court? What have I done wrong?» The maiden was surprised. Lifting her head for a moment and casting a glance in the direction of this man, she again came across an invisible wall surrounding him with a protective bastion. «Why is he hidden to me? I can’t see him clearly. What is his secret?»
The head of the elders surveyed the girl with a slow and meticulous gaze from head to toe. Realizing that his words had made no impression on her, except for that sharp look, he decided to continue testing her strength.
«Introduce yourself!» he commanded so loudly that even the glass in the windows rattled.
«My name is Deva,» she replied calmly and, raising her head, tried once again to look behind the veil where this man was hiding from her.
«You cost us seven of our best warriors, Deva. What do you say in your defense?» he didn’t take his gaze off her and didn’t even seem to blink, frozen waiting for her answer.
«I’m sorry that they paid such a high price for my presence here,» she sighed bitterly. «But it was probably you who gave them the command to go into the forest.»
«Hm,» he snorted, clearly not expecting to receive such an answer. «Why are you here?»
«To help you,» Deva was sincere, still trying to get into his mind to look at his thoughts, but in vain.
The head of the elders raised an eyebrow, surprised at the boldness and even impudence of such a statement. The other elders chuckled at her answer, and someone laughed outright.
«And what kind of help do we need?» he asked with obvious mockery and looked around at his elders, picking up the general cheerful mood.
«To escape from extinction,» she replied seriously.
Everyone instantly fell silent and frowned. The fun ended as quickly as it began.
«What are we going to do with you, savior?» Stephen tried to straighten out the situation, which clearly did not suit him.
Rising from his throne of perfect cutting, he descended a step lower, coming closer to Deva. He stopped just a couple of feet from her. She was silent and did not move, but kept her head submissively bowed. For a while, she felt his nagging gaze on her.
«To the tower her!» one of the elders shouted. «She will sit there all night, think it over and maybe will say something more intelligible.»
«Will the tower frighten her, Oleo?» the head drawled thoughtfully, walking around Deva and examining her from all sides.
«So, we will check it out,» another elder supported the proposal. This one’s name was Meatraw.
For a brief moment, Deva raised her bowed head and caught the gaze of this elder. Instantly penetrating into his essence, she saw what challenges were in store for him. But for now he didn’t stand out much from everyone present here. Only their leader remained a mystery.
«Hmm-m-m-m. Maybe she has to go straight to the dungeons, just to be sure?» he said, stopping at the side of the maiden, looking at her intently.
In the silence that followed, someone could be heard loudly swallowing saliva.
«And if she doesn’t come back, Stephen?» his own right hand cautiously addressed the head.
Deva was silent and listened attentively. She was very curious about how this meeting with the people of the Earth Clan would end. No, they didn’t scare her, although they tried very hard to succeed. The main purpose of this meeting for her was to study their behavior. She did not want to say anything, and this desire turned out to be completely justified.