The Painted Woman by Victoria Parra

Author:Victoria Parra [Victoria Parra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Victoria Parra
Published: 2024-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

While Baldr and Inda spoke with a few Council members, Sigrid stood before a large tapestry. In it, a woman sat on her knees with three golden bowls in front of her. Each bowl seemed to be filled with different ingredients, and colored thread rose from each one as if the bowls were emitting colorful, shimmering smoke. The woman was smiling as she worked, and the colorful smoke rose above her head and formed a circle, where a hunter pointed his arrow at a stag.

“This is Mixcoa, our spirit of the hunt.”

Sigrid turned to look at the woman who spoke. Elder Tozi seemed taller up close. The intricate braids on the side of her head fell over her shoulder, a mix of stark-white and peppered gray. The lines on her face weren’t deep, but her eyes made her seem older than her appearance alone.

“Spirit?” Sigrid raised a brow, looking back at the tapestry. “For us, she is a goddess. In Copper City, we call her Mixcoa, but I hear in Hedeby they call her Mixa.”

“Ah, gods.” Tozi nodded. “I’ve heard of our spirits referred to in such a way by Heddish elves.”

Sigrid struggled for a moment. “The Heddish have their gods, and we have ours. I suppose … they aren’t gods for you, are they?”

“No … not really. We don’t have gods. We have spirits.”

Sigrid’s eyes followed the lines of smoke that ascended into the circle. “I suppose that’s one more thing they changed about us.”

“Perhaps.” Tozi shrugged, turning to fully face Sigrid. “That is how one conquers a people. You don’t simply take their land, you change their identity. Calling gods spirits seems small, but it alters how you see them, does it not?”

“Maybe,” Sigrid replied, her brows furrowing together. “I suppose I don’t think of them as spirits. The concept isn’t … that different, I guess. It makes sense how they would influence such change.”

Tozi took Sigrid by the arm and guided her down one of the large hallways, past several more tapestries, each with their own scenes. “Spirits are the souls of the land. They provide us with magic, and in return, we offer them sacrifices. Magic always requires something to give.”

To that Sigrid gave a hearty nod. “I was taught that by my mother. Magic is not common in Hedeby, not even in Copper City. It exists, of course, just … in small batches. Keeping a candle lit. Finding a lost item. Charms for small bouts of luck. But we have nothing like what I’ve seen here.”

Tozi sighed wistfully and gave Sigrid a sad look. “Such a pity. Elves have been in touch with magic since we were created by the spirits. Magic should come innately to us.”

“I can only do little amounts. I’ve always wanted to learn more, but … there just isn’t any way to learn. Anyone with access to those ways is likely Heddish or rich. Or both, usually.”

“Humans have their own magic, of course. I don’t know if it is different than ours, but they certainly seem to treat it differently.

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