Chapter Two
Siamak lay on the cliff above a Pale One camp with two other Sisters laying beside her. Three other Sisters were protecting them and writing down the information as it came. Siamak and her two Sisters were deep in the Sharing, looking through their Scale-Sister’s eyes as they slithered through the camp, gathering information. Nihani slithered through a flap in one of the tents. She was looking for the information runner who had arrived here to rest that day. She had been following his scent trail through the camp and it led here. She flicked her tongue out once more, tasting the air. His scent was concentrated here. She slithered through the tent sticking to the edges as she approached the bed and the figure laying in it. She made her way up one of the posts the bed was on, and slithered her way to the pillow. Laying on it was the runner.
Speaking through Siamak’s lips, “I have found him. He lays sleeping in the open. Defenseless. I would like to kill him now.”
“No, Scale-Sister we need him alive for now. Once we have what we need from him, you may kill him then. In the meantime, you may make him Sleep.” Jalina, the Sister in charge of keeping track of the information they collect, informed Nihani. She clicked her tongue while she looked at her notes, the small firelight floating beside her head providing light.
“We have enough Sisters. It’s time we destroyed that camp. My Sisters, make your targets Sleep, while the rest of us spill blood.”
Jalina packed her notes into the pouch on her hip and sealed it, she waved off her fire light, while her other Sisters left the Sharing. Each Sister made her way to their feet, and they began to scale down the cliff, their skin blending into the night. The Sisters split up once they reached camp, each one going to take out a patrol guard. Siamak reached her guard and quickly put her hand over his mouth, while reaching around with her dagger and slit his throat deep enough that all he could do was gurgle. She silently dropped him to the ground and made her way to the tent where Nihani silently waited.
Siamak slipped into the tent and immediately made her way to kill the other man sleeping in the tent with the runner, but Nihani had already done that.
“You were supposed to wait for us Sister. What if he had awoken before he died?” Siamak whispered as she walked to the other bed where Nihani was curled on the runner’s chest, looking smug as only a Scale-Sister could.
“I was wrapped around his throat before he knew what was happening, and then my fangs were directly in his throat. He died quickly. Shame that. He did not deserve an easy death.” Nihani uncurled herself as she spoke, making her way up the hand Siamak held out, and made her way to Siamak’s head and settled herself in place.
“Grab this one so we can burn this place to the ground, and cleanse it of their taint.” Nihani said, flicking her tongue out again.
“I taste much blood in the air. I think our Sisters are nearly finished.”
Siamak grabbed the runner and flipped him over her shoulder with barely a grunt. She left the tent and walked to the middle of the camp where her Sister’s were waiting, with two other people slung over their shoulders.
“We have what we came for. Let’s burn this place to the ground,” Jalina, said nodding toward one of her SIster’s without a person on their shoulder.
“ Malika, you have the strongest fire. Make sure nothing else burns but the camp. The plains do not deserve to be hurt. They’ve done nothing wrong.” Jalina and the other Sister’s make their way out of the decimated camp, while Malika and their Scale-Sister, closed their eyes, and raised their hands to the sky. Between Malika’s raised hands, sparks formed. Then small flames that got higher and hotter. Malika threw their hand wide, and the fire jumped to the nearest tent and began to eat it. Then it jumped to the next and the next, then it jumped to their carts and all other evidence that the Pale Ones were there. Once everything was ash, Malika opened their eyes and lowered their hands. They walked to where their Sisters were waiting.
“Solana. You should make it rain so the ash can mix with the earth, and new life can rise.” Malika bowed their head towards another SIster who repeated the gesture. Solana moved slightly away from the group, and raised her hands to the sky. Clouds began to form, wispy and white at first, then they gained volume, and darkened. Thunder boomed, a flash of lighting and then rain started to pummel the earth and drenched the ground and the SIsters. A few minutes later it started to taper off until it stopped altogether, Everything within a mile had gotten a good bit of rain.
Solana walked back to the soaking wet group and together they bowed their heads, and made a prayer to the Goddess just to make sure the ground was properly cleansed of taint. They turned their backs to the site, and made their way back to one of the Tribe villages that were housing them on their mission. It would take them all night to reach it, but they had each other to make the time go faster, and with the hefty weight of their captives, the knowledge that they were one step closer to their goal. Finding the leader of the Pales Ones, so that they could put an end to them and their brutality.
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