The priestess

On the 21st day of the eighth month of the year of the creator, 2,020.

(Present day)

Vishwum, Aesos.

"You have come a long way, Child."

A white-haired old woman draped in simple white robes made of cotton sat on a low stool, counting the brown, glass beads on a necklace with fingers that were weathered and crooked, and had seen better days.

However, the aura of power that exuded from her in waves convinced Nerina that she was no ordinary old lady.

"And yet, Indah is afraid you have journeyed all this way for nothing," She continued, shaking her head as her attention was focused on the necklace in her palm.

Nerina hoped that she had suddenly developed a hearing impairment and perhaps had misunderstood what the old woman had said.

Plastering a fake smile on her face, she asked. "W-what do you mean by that? How could I have come all this way for nothing?" 

The journey by sea had taken more than a fortnight and had been extremely tiring. 

There was no way she could have come all this way for naught. If Delia had managed to lie to her again, then she would not spare her life.

The old priestess raised her head sharply, her beady eyes locking onto Nerina's brown eyes. 

Eyes that she had changed from their usual striking blue to look the part of a commoner through and through.

With a simple spell that she did not even need to chant but did so for her pleasure, she had transformed her milky skin tone to a dark tan, to look like she worked in the hot fields of Aesos daily, and even turned her pitch-black hair to a chestnut brown.

Nonetheless, the old priestess of Kyun, the vast rainforest in the outskirts of the city of Vishwum– was not an ordinary woman and would not be easily fooled by Nerina's disguise which was able to beguile the sailors on the ship she had boarded from Sejukgheim, and the traders at the main market where she had procured a horse to take her on her journey to the remote, rainforest hamlet of Kyun.

She had needed to abandon her horse before entering the thick and lush rainforest where Delia had told her the priestess's dwelling was, as the path was too treacherous for a horse to embark on and the light from the blood moon overhead wasn't enough to make her journey smooth. 

"How dare you come to this sacred place under the cloak of deception? Do you think Indah is so easily misled?" The old priestess reprimanded; her voice raspy as she leaned in toward Nerina who sat opposite to her on a low stool as well, with a crackling fire between them.

The priestess was scary, but Nerina was not easily frightened. 

Any normal person would have run screaming when they encountered the dwelling of the priestess. 

It was dark and only illuminated by the fire separating the priestess and Nerina which only served to make the place eerier. 

There were skulls of different animals everywhere and Nerina even thought that she had seen one that suspiciously resembled that of a human.

Red cloth hung from the walls and covered the entrance where she had to walk through in backward steps. 

Plants of every kind, both the ones she recognized and the ones she did not, lay in pots and climbed the walls as vines, occupying even the smallest crevice in the small, mud hut.

"I do not know what you mean. I merely came here to acquire something important that I was told you possess. I apologize if I have offended you in any way," Nerina said humbly, channeling the behavior of her servants.

The old priestess clucked her tongue and rose to her feet, coming to stand in front of Nerina.

"Remove your disguise, girl. Indah will not ask again," She said in a low, menacing tone.

There were very few people that could evoke fear in Nerina, and this priestess had become one of them very quickly.

Nerina swallowed hard. Perhaps, she should not have been so cocky. 

She took in a deep breath, and as her fingers glowed a dull blue, she transformed back to her true self.

The old priestess grinned, showing off a set of horribly blackened teeth that made Nerina cringe in disgust.

She turned briskly, her long white hair swaying as she returned to her stool and sat.

"Good, when you listen to Indah, you have nothing to worry about. Now, tell Indah why you need what you have come here for?" She asked as her beady eyes remained trained on Nerina's pale face, illuminated by the red light from the fire.

Nerina decided to choose her words carefully, for fear of igniting the wrath of the priestess.

"It is a very personal matter, Priestess. One of such great importance that I cannot speak freely of it. Pardon me, but should you not ask me what is it that I want from you instead of the reason behind my need for it?" She replied gingerly, gauging the reaction of the priestess.

"Indah knows what you need. Indah knows a lot of things, but what Indah wishes to know is why you need them. It would be wise of you to answer Indah truthfully," The old woman said, narrowing her small eyes.

Nerina's annoyance was increasing exponentially with each second that passed but she tried her best to conceal her growing irritation.

She cleared her throat and mustered a convincing smile. "I need this for my father. He is ill and I heard that this herb would bring great relief to him," She lied.

The old priestess's countenance abruptly changed from one of curiosity to fiery rage.

"I told you that it would be wise of you to answer truthfully…Lolo Nerina of Drako."

Nerina's eyes widened in alarm. This was an unexpected development. 

How in the world did she find out who she was? She had never been to Aesos before so how could this meddlesome, weathered, old woman possibly be aware of her true identity?

"I…" Nerina started to lie but stopped herself. The priestess knew too much and though she was formidable with magic herself, she decided not to push her luck.

"I need the aconite plant for an important diplomatic mission. I am a mage, a very good one, and this plant would be a great help in a spell I am working on," Nerina said. 

It wasn't the complete truth but it was close enough to it to hopefully evade further suspicion from the priestess.

Fortunately, her answer seemed to satisfy the old priestess as she grinned in glee, her beady black eyes dancing as the flames from the fire reflected in them.

"Lovely! Now that Indah knows the truth, Indah will surely help you, young mage!" She bobbed her head up and down as she stood from her stool and headed to a corner of the hut where thick vines lined the walls.

Whistling a merry tune, Indah, the old priestess ambled about, plucking leaves from the vines and pulling up whole plants from their pots.

"For the spell which you are working on, Indah believes you need more than just aconite. It is a powerful sedative, but would not do the trick completely. 

"If you are to kill the prince of the continent without any suspicion, then Indah suggests that you combine the aconite with this."

She held up a plant whose leaves resembled the ears of a quinpar, a flying horse breed that was native to the kingdoms of Volcaris and Nebulos.

"This is called the devil's heart. It is very rare and incredibly dangerous on its own, but once it is combined with aconite and the right spell that Indah is sure you would figure out, the prince would be left in a vegetative state. 

"More dead than alive, and nobody would be able to detect it. Unlike the aconite, which would only need a scholar or even a level one mage to identify," The priestess continued, her lips spread in a demonic smile.

Out of everything the old priestess had said to Nerina, only one thing had registered in her mind.

If you are to kill the prince of the continent without any suspicion, then Indah suggests that you combine the aconite with this.

Her head began to swim. Had she heard correctly or she was just imagining things? No, it was not possible. She must have misheard.

"What did you say about the prince? I never said anything about killing the prince. You must be mistaken," Nerina protested.

Indah, the priestess smiled cruelly. "You do not need to say anything to Indah before Indah knows."

"With all due respect Indah, I have no intentions of killing the prince. I told you I need the plant for a spell I am working on!" Nerina reiterated as she searched her mind for an escape plan. 

Things had suddenly begun to go off the rails. She did not account for this development. How in the creator's name did this woman know of the plan that only she, Delia, and her father knew about?

Just then, an uncomfortable thought passed through her mind. Delia. Once she got out of this place, she was going to make Delia regret the day that she was born.

However, before she could begin to form a thought process on how to escape and think of a new way to execute her plan successfully, her vision began to blur and swim.

"What have you—" Before she could complete her sentence, her vision turned black.

She slid to the floor in a heap with the old priestess grinning malevolently at her unmoving form.