Immortal Progeny (Fragile Gods Book 1) by Philippa Ballantine

Author:Philippa Ballantine [Ballantine, Philippa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-03-23T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

A Village of Faith

Wisdom Nicht, Zoeker of the Higher Knowledge and warrior of the truth, was currently buried under a mountain of giggling children. The village of Jaarhalt had become a second home to him over the last few months, and its youngsters had long gotten over their initial shyness around the warlocks and witches. They tangled their fingers in his hair, and tried to poke him in the armpits to see how ticklish he was. It was strange a grown man of nearly thirty was somehow still vulnerable to such attacks.

So few free villagers remained on the once-isolated peninsula that even as Wisdom laughed, endured tickles, and cried out for mercy from the children, the dark thought lingered—how much longer could they guarantee their safety? Vervain would have loved the place with its lush jungles full of vividly colored insects and wild animals. She would have fought hard to keep them alive...if she'd been alive herself, that was.

Wisdom was not that enamored of the biting midges natural to the low lying marshes the villagers of Jaarhalt fished from, but the people more than made up for that.

"Are you in need of assistance?" Setna's deep voice reached through the tumult of childish laughter.

"No, I can manage." Wisdom lifted one grinning toddler off his chest and set him on the ground despite his complaints.

However, like morning mist burning off the marshes, the children disappeared in the presence of the Prime Zoeker of Higher Knowledge. His long, grey dreadlocks and piercing blue eyes set in a wrinkled face, brown and serious, did not make children laugh; it instilled a calm that denied the possibility of play.

The children would find another place to play far from the reach of his gaze. It was fortunate they did not know how far that gaze actually extended; it was much beyond that of an untrained man.

Wisdom placed one hand on his chest directly over his heart, giving a small bow of his head and shoulders. It was right to show respect to one of higher Knowledge than yourself, but all of the Zoekers made sure never to show the deference the theists required for their temple leaders. "How may I assist, teacher?"

Setna gestured forward and together they walked through the cluster of ramshackle buildings on stilts towards the edge of the low-lying island the village sat on.

"I am heading into the jungle this morning," Setna said in a low voice, careful no others overheard them. "I need to find the akasha within me, to see beyond this village, and even this peninsula." He turned his eyes on Wisdom's face, examining it deeply. "Have you felt a change in its flow in the last few days?"

Wisdom frowned as he considered, but eventually shook his head. The atmosphere around the village was always full of life, and as beautiful as that was, he also knew it could muffle the underlying pulse of the akasha. For someone as sensitive as his teacher, it must be most distressing, but Wisdom reveled in it.

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