Witch Versus Daughter

In late spring of 269, a large party of Sutlanders (who call themselves Busina) landed on Iliapin with approximately 40 ships and estimated over a thousand raiders. They sacked several villages and the town of Whitbrook over the course of 3 weeks. In the town of Staghill, they killed some five thousand people, men, women and children, and there were no survivors reported.

A coalition of forces was being assembled to deal with this threat. It was not some ruler that organized this coalition, but by a foreign woman who began by railing commoners to stand and defend themselves....

… The Sutlanders left Iliapin before the troops could assemble, and for reasons unknown…

--Aakna, Sage of Elhrub

Year 372

Ingunn walked with a measured pace along the game trail through this forest of alien trees. Many of these trees supported leaves rather than needles, unlike the trees of her homeland. Some trees even bore the remains of flowers.

She had passed the last Busina sentry an hour ago. He had not tried to stop her or accompany her. To do so would be a sure way to incur the wrath of a Pythoness.

So far, her people’s raids had been fruitful. They had already sacked a small city and a few towns with little resistance. One town had tried to offer tribute to the Busina so as not to attack. It was Ingunn who ordered the town razed because they had tried to bribe them. Had a single warrior tried to stand against the Busina, they may have lived. But because of their cowardice, the Busina put everyone to death.

The Busina had accumulated slaves, iron, livestock, and food through their raids. They had harvested many large trees along the coast. The Busina could breed more warriors, forge more weapons and build more ships, with these spoils When they returned home, the warriors would receive a heroes’ welcome. And the Pythonesses were to be seen as demigods, with Ingunn chief among them.

Ingunn already held much sway over her clan and the other Pythonesses. Few would dare challenge her, especially if they wished to enter the next world, but there were those who would try. She needed more power to deal with them, as she had one of her apprentices.

Asta had tried to challenger once, by seducing Svalfi. He was a capable leader and shrewd trader amongst the Busina. He would have made a fine chieftain and clan leader under Ingunn. But he sided with Asta to form their own clan. But it was Svalfi’s own wife who informed Ingann of their plan. In retribution, Ingunn left them and twenty others stranded on an island. Ingunn also cut out Asta’s tongue before she blinded her so she could not use her sight, or tell others what she might read in the runes and bones.

That was 5 years ago and when Ingunn and the Busina passed the island this time, no one saw any sign of smoke or fire.

It had been several years since Ingunn and two of her chieftains, Athils and Gest, had made a raid to this land. They had been quite successful in previous years that they did not have to risk such a venture. But Athils sought to make himself a king and Gest sought to help him with that. It would be Gest’s son, Athils’s son-in-law, who would inherit that crown. But early in the planning, Ingunn had a strange feeling about this raid.

Now, the Pythonesses debated on what to do. Some wanted to move inland for more targets, while others wanted to scour the coast. Ingunn wanted to explore inland and see if they could find a place for a colony. They had sufficient troop to start a settlement while the ships returned to bring back the families that had stayed behind. Yet, something gave Ingunn pause about proposing this.

She stopped for a moment and reached into the pouch tied to her belt and pulled three rune stones from it. Looking at the runes, she saw light, conflict and path. She screwed her face at the runes as she looked at them, try to find their meaning. Ingunn put the runes back in the pouch and resumed walking.

Soon, the scent of smoke caught Ingunn’s nose. Ingunn pulled her knife and followed the smell. She tracked it to a young girl who might have been fourteen. The girl was calmly sitting by a small fire that had a small gourd over it. Her dress was brown and red and not much different from the ones worn by some of the newly gained slaves. To Ingunn, the girl’s relaxed demeanor showed she was waiting for someone.

Again, Ingunn pulled runes from her pouch. Light, conflict, path. Was it this girl? Was she a pythoness also? She replaced the runes and tried to envision what she should do, but there was a mist blocking her sight.

Ingunn had barely stepped towards the girl to either capture her, or, failing that, kill her when the girl stood up. “I have been expecting you,” the girl said, facing Ingunn. “I am to parley with you.” She spoke in the language used by Busina slaves.

Ingunn smiled to herself. Someone has sent this poor girl to meet her fate. Soon she would either be a slave, a toy, or dead.

“Please come closer. I have tea, if you drink such things,” the girl said, with some nervousness in her voice.

Ingunn approached at this, wary of any traps or ambushes.

“No need for all that caution. Had I wished harm to you, I have friends who could have already done that. And please, there is no need for your knife.”

Ingunn paused for a second, sensing the girl. Yes, it was the girl. She was a pythoness and seemingly powerful in her own right. She would be a wonderful prize for Gest’s son. But she was wary, so Ingunn would have to bide her time some.

“How did you know I was coming? Who sent you?” Ingunn asked with authority.

The girl seemed a little unnerved by Ingunn’s question. “I am,” the girl started before she took a deep breath, sat back down, and continued. “I am Hani. My mother, Sarior, sent me to meet with you. And like you, we possess the gift of sight.”

Ingunn’s eyes narrowed as she examined Hani. She could sense the girl was uneasy, but she did not seem scared. She possessed a determination to do what her mother had sent her to do. Ingunn walked towards the fire where Hani sat.

“You and your mother might possess the sight, but you are weak and do not know how to use it. You lanweallers will succumb to us Busina, and I will take you and your mother and either make you trophies or destroy you.”

Hani did not flinch at this threat, as she poured a colored liquid into a pair of cups. With Hani’s eyes diverted, Ingunn saw this as an opportunity to take her quarry and lunged at Hani.

Meant to catch Hani off guard, Ingunn's attack failed. Hani had rolled and spun away from Ingunn before the strike landed. Ingunn immediately recovered, wide eyed to find Hani was now standing several feet away, holding her own knife, braced for another attack.

Hani looked down at the ground where she had been sitting and said, with a note of disappointment, “You’ve made me spill our tea.” She then locked her gaze on Ingunn. “You cannot win, for I can see you move before you act and the aelves have taught me to fight,” Hani said with a confidence Ingunn had not expected. “Should you attempt to harm me again, Fate will destroy your expedition, thus ruin you. “

When Ingunn hesitated about what to do next, Hani said, “Twice while coming here, you pulled runes. Twice you pulled the same runes. Light, conflict and path. You have not yet fully deciphered their meaning. But I know their meaning,” Hani said, with emphasis on her last statement.

“The ‘light’ is knowledge and information. This I have for you. The ‘conflict’ is what to do with the information I am to give you and the choices you make with it. The ‘path’ is the course of action you take with it.”

“So be it, girl. Give me your words,” Ingunn replied with a sneer as she lowered her knife. She had underestimated Hani once. Now she would listen to her prattling to lull her into a false security before she would try again.

“My mother knows that you are currently debating what to do. Some of you wish to push inland, others want to go elsewhere along the coast before returning to your home. You alone contemplate moving inland to establish a settlement or colony.

“But know this, my mother and my sisters are building a coalition against you Sutlanders. Several nations have already pledged to help and are sending men to fight you. Aelves are already in position to harass you and in seven days, there will be enough troops to attack you. There are sentries up and down the coast to watch for you should you try to move, and their sight grows with each day. You might win a few more battles, but your time here is over.”

Ingann’s eyes narrowed at this before she said, “We are masters of the water. We have over a thousand fighters, more than enough to crush any force your mother might arrange. You lanweallers are too divided to amass more than a few hundred against us. We will do as we please.”

Shaking her head, Hani responded, “You do not know my mother. To some here, she has become known as the Seeress, a great prophetess. She need not sway kings and emperors directly, but the people instead. Once the people stand, their rulers will then stand. And stand in the thousands they will.

“If you try to move inland using the rivers, it will be as if the water has turned against you.

“But you have another option, one you have not yet seen. Leave now with your gains. Return to your homeland in success. Some of your rivals, such as Jangerd, will see your success and try to repeat it. We will crush them as your coming here has angered many of us. And your power will grow.”

The thought of eliminating her rivals put a smile on Ingann’s face. Especially since she would not have to confront them directly. “If what you say about your fighters is true, why tell me this? What do you hope to gain?”

Hani sighed heavily. “Life. Should a fight come now, many will die on both sides. This is what we, my mother and I, wish to avoid. Even though we have said we would crush your rivals when they attempt, it would be far fewer deaths for both sides than if we fought you now.

“Make no mistake, though. This is not weakness. There are those who see you as a plague and scourge and would willingly fight to the last to eliminate you. Some even have the means to do so if they realize it. Just as my mother is gathering forces to remove you, she holds them at bay. You should not trifle with her. You and I can see the hand of Fate before it moves, but my mother can control it if she chooses.” This last statement, Hani delivered with great confidence, as if she had seen it before.

The fingers on Ingunn’s free hand rubbed back and forth, as if feeling something. Given enough troops and time, the lanweallers could defeat her people. But she was being given a chance to return home with success in hand. Also, she now saw an opportunity to eliminate possible future rivals now.

“And what about our slaves? Some of you lanweallers dislike your kind being made slaves.”

Hani hung her head as she spoke, “It pains me and mother to say this, but keep them. It will sate some of your kind’s thirst for pillaging this land.”

“I will think about terms and consult the runes, in private. I do not know if the other Pythonesses will follow me if I choose to leave,” Ingunn said, slightly nodding her head.

“If necessary, then let them choose their own fates,” was Hani’s calm reply. “I have now delivered the message and will leave you to contemplate it.” Hani then started walking down the game trail opposite the one Ingunn had come in on.

“You will know our decision by our actions,” Ingun said as Hani left.

It had been about an hour after Hani left Ingunn by the sputtering fire. Hani paused for a second to ensure she was not being followed. Not sensing anyone, she turned off the game trail and towards a more used path. Just before she reached this larger path, she stopped again. This time to throw up.

Hani took a few moments to recover from being sick, and she was still shaking from the encounter with Sutlander. The task her mother gave her took all her will to keep focused on and master her emotions.

She followed the main trail until it exited the forest where there was a small camp of soldiers and aelves. A scout force in case the Sutlanders tried try to make an unexpected move.

An aelf called out to her, “Hani, are you all right?”

“Aye, I am well. I just need to rest,” she explained.

“Then go and rest. But first, a rider brought a message from your mother for you. It is on your cot.”

Hani made her way to her tent and found the letter and read it:

My daughter, I know you were terrified and nervous at the task I sent you on. Often, much hangs in the balance and we must know when and the cost of putting our finger on the scale. But you have done well, and I am proud of you. At the very least, you have bought time for us to organize, and may have ended the threat of the Sutlanders off yourself.

I know it pains you about leaving prisoners in the hands of the Sutlanders to become slaves. It pains me too. It is of little comfort, but it is better to sacrifice a few hundred to slavery than to commit thousands to death.

As I cannot yet determine what course these Sutlander witches, as a whole, will take at this time. However, I have seen that several of them will leave Iliapin.

I want you to have one of the aelves take you to Willow’s Grove in the morning. I have made arrangements for the aelves there to guide you and your sisters to Aran. Wait for me there and I will join you as soon as I can.

Your mother,

Sarior

Hani’s eyes watered up as she fought back the tears. She reread the letter to determine if she would see her mother again. Her ordeal with the Sutlander made her question if she could succeed her mother and she was weary after the meeting. Unable to focus her sight, and fell into a fitful sleep.