A Psalm Between Worlds

Crowds flocked into the capital. The masses who emptied into Tafar cheered, sang, chanted, and danced to the drums. Citizens from as far north as Ker and as far south as Mer stood shoulder to shoulder while dragon horns drowned individual thoughts. The white flags of the monarchy danced in the dust while high and low-born alike prayed for Queen Takah once word spread from the palace that her labor had begun.

The present labor is the fifth for the queen in eight years. Sadly she miscarried. Amen; the king and queen’s only daughter had no preference for boy or girl because she just wanted to be a big sister.

“Ahhh!” The queen screamed.

Everyone throughout the entire eastern quadrant of the palace heeded her cries. She rocked back and forth on a wooden bench for several moments before standing and repeating the exact phrase.

“My womb can.”

Blood flowed down her legs as she positioned herself for the final push. Fenya, the priestess, and the queen’s midwife took the baby’s head and pulled. The queen screamed inaudible words at the king and bargained with the gods before her body twisted backward. King Taharqa rushed over to slit the umbilical cord. He and Fenya quickly examined the baby. To his surprise, his queen bore him another daughter. The baby wailed and wailed, a sign of health and strength. The king inscribed the baby’s name into a soft stone and handed it to a priest who would make the royal announcement.

Fenya smiled and then gently placed the baby into the queen’s arms.

“Neitha,” Fenya whispered.

The queen closed her eyes and offered up a prayer. She asked the god Mum to forgive her curse words and to rain blessings upon her daughter. Queen Takah did not want Amen to wait any longer to meet her sister, so she sent the salla, the midwife, in waiting for her.

Before mid-sun, the king’s brothers arrived to greet their niece. Shebit and Shepenu arrived earlier than expected from Mer. Keeping with tradition, both princes bore gifts. As members of the king’s royal military, the Sobis, Shebit presented a golden carved dragon and Shepenu a bow and a spear. Shepenu smiled and proclaimed his niece would one day follow in his footsteps, becoming a warrior instead of a ruler.

“For now, she is just a baby.” The king said.

“Of course,” Shepenu said.

Queen Takah reminded her brothers of their duties to prepare for the little princess’s Flame, a celebration throughout the realm to bless the baby and officially name her before the masses. The gates to the city would remain open for three suns.

Both men kissed Takah on the forehead, looked upon their niece, and exited the birthing chamber. The king sat next to his wife, beholding her radiance.

“You did it, my love. Your body is whole again.” He said, then leaned in and kissed her forehead.

She placed Neitha into his arms, and he gently rocked and sang to her.

****

The priest raised his hands repeatedly to calm the cheers before his proclamation.

“Those who have gathered here this sun rejoice, for the gods have blessed Eupnea and united us once more. This sun, the king and queen, guardians of the realm, present you a baby girl!”

Queen Takah approached the priest to thunderous applause, holding the tender blessing. Her reddish brown skin, brown eyes, and thick onyx hair glistened in the sun.

“The crown anoints, Neitha, the life of the Realm!”

The queen held the baby draped in white above her head for all to behold. After a few moments, the queen lowered Neitha, who wailed and wailed. For a moment, Takah believed the noise frightened the baby. Then an uneasiness engulfed her as a gargling sound emerged between the wails—Takah beacons for Fenya, who is nearby. When the king sees Fenya rush toward the queen, he follows.

When they inspected the baby, the whites of her eyes turned yellow. The queen’s chest squeezed her heart before it dropped into her stomach. The king eyed the Sobi commander, who signaled for the Sobis to form a shield behind the priest. The tall men with dark brown smooth skin and shaved heads stood perfectly still with straight backs. Fenya and King Taharqa quickly escorted the queen from the stage. The perplexed priest tried to walk between two guards, but they barricaded him. He yelled about the Flame not being performed, but the Sobis ignored him. Cheers dwindled, and before long, the nervous priest turned to the masses to assure everyone and asked that they continue enjoying the festivities, but gloom hovered.

****

Fourteen suns had passed when the princess’s condition began to worsen. She cried less, but she burned and refused her mother’s milk. Fenya and her daughters, both Divine Adoratrice, mortal wives to the gods, poured over countless inscriptions for any mention of the princess’s symptoms. By the next moonrise, Fenya found something. She sent word to the king, then quickly sprang to her feet and ran to the queen’s chambers, which had become an infirmary.

She entered to find the queen in the same position she had been in for several suns. She refused to eat or sleep and feared missing precious moments with her baby, so she would not allow the servants to support her. Dark patches circled her bloodshot eyes, and her onyx luscious locs were mated and wild.

The king arrived right after Fenya, eager for any news.

“My king, my queen, I may have found something. I believe I located a script from the Time of Sorrow.”

“The Great War?” The king asked.”

“Yes, my king.”

“And?” The queen interrupted.

“We have refused to worship the Dragon God and tried to eradicate our history. W-”

“Get to it, Fenya! I do not want to hear a tale from you right now. Can you save our child?” The queen screamed.

“Maybe. I cannot be sure.”

The king turned toward the queen.

“Maybe we should listen to all she has to reveal before proceeding.” The king said.

“No. I have heard enough. I am willing to try anything if it saves Neitha. I cannot lose my baby.” She cried.

The king looked into his wife’s broken eyes. A black void drained the radiance from her, and he nor Amen could fill it.

“What must we do?” He asked.

“Pray to Mum the inscription is true. I will need three suns to prepare.”

“What? Three? You sai-”

“My queen, do all you can to keep her alive until I return. “

The king glared at the stone floor.

“Will he listen to my prayers? It has been so long.”

“I believe he will. I never stopped praying to him.” Fenya whispered.

“What do you need?” The king asked.

“I need three or four of your best warriors to accompany me. Sobis, Meja, or both"

“To where?”

“I rather not say. Just have Kile and Tola prepare these things for my return.”

Fenya handed the king a rectangular stone. His eyes had never beheld the stone inscriptions, but he would not need his priest to decipher its message because he spoke the old tongue.

****

Fenya races below ground into Akheon’s Temple, descending to the sixth chamber. Once inside, Kile ran to her mother and layered Fenya in white. The king and queen stood at the stone table, comforting their baby.

“Hurry, Fenya. She barely breathes.”

Neitha took labored breaths. Each one was more difficult than the one before.

“My king and queen, I beg you to let me tell you the cost of your choice.”

“No.” The queen snapped.

King Taharqa looked at his wife and baby. In his heart, he knew what they were about to do would come at a price, and he had no idea what that price was because he chose his wife.

Queen Takah placed her baby into Fenya’s arms. Fenya rocked her as she walked over to the stone altar. Neitha screamed when Fenya gently put her on it. Kile and Tola walked over with a wooden chest. Kile opened it, removed a stone tablet, and placed it at the foot of the altar. The young priestesses pulled daggers from their belts and began to chant. After a few moments, only the whites of their eyes were visible. In a trance, they slit their hands. Kile grabbed the baby’s hands and Tola her feet.

Fenya removed an embroidered purse from inside her hair. She opened it and removed three beautiful purple, yellow, and green stones. She placed the stones atop the naked chest of Neitha. She walked to the foot of the table, looked upon the stone tablet, and spoke the inscribed ancient words. When she did, the king screamed.

“No!”

But it was too late.

“What have we done?” he whispered.

The stones quaked and began to glow. Fenya’s voice became louder and louder, and the ground beneath them quaked. The king grabbed his queen, and they both tried approaching the altar, but a radiant light blinded them. The ceiling began to cave in. Rocks plummeted towards the chanting women, but a forcefield cocooned them.

The king was struck in the head by two rocks and the queen once, but they were okay. When the dust cleared, they saw Fenya standing there with a smiling baby in her arms, and she had not noticed Kile and Tola on the ground. The king and queen rushed over to their baby. The queen grabbed and kissed her as Fenya saw her daughter’s bodies, and she ran to them.

Both of their teeth chattered, and their bodies shook violently. Tears welled in Fenya’s eyes as joy filled the king and queen’s bosom.

“Thank you, my king, my love.”

Taharqa wept and rubbed Neitha’s head.

“Her eyes. They are green now.”

“Yes.”

“The stones. Where are they?”

That is when the queen looked over to see Fenya balling on the floor and shouting curses.

The king looked at this wife.

“They are inside her. She’s now Wihak.”

The queen’s eyes widened, and her heart began to race.

Taharqa took a deep breath and turned towards Fenya.

“You must go. Sobis await at the hidden passage. They will take both of you to the palace. I shall remain here with Fenya for now,” the king said.