To Dream and Die as a Taniwha Girl by Benedict Patrick

Author:Benedict Patrick [Patrick, Benedict]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-11-14T22:00:00+00:00

A tale from the Crescent Atoll

Although we who live on the Atoll ring have our lives blessed by the gods of the islands, it remains a dangerous place to live. Unified by our love of the gods, the people of the islands still come to blows with each other, and are still jealous or afraid of those who are unfamiliar to us. There are also a number of taniwha hidden among the islands, under the waves, and even in the sky itself. Sometimes, these beasts are hidden blessings, magical protectors, but more often, their presence means death. Even the gods themselves, creators of our way of life, are fickle beings, imperfect and jealous. Woe betide any man who comes across a god in a capricious mood.

However, what is of more danger is the Crescent Atoll itself, the very land we live our lives upon, and especially the waves upon which so many of us ply our trade, conduct our way of life. When Tangaloa grows angry, the waves grow wild, and those trusting the water’s fickle promise of safety quickly find themselves at risk.

This tale takes place just after Tangaloa and Leinani had argued, his waves rising taller than the highest peaks of the Atoll, her volcano belching forth smoke like an untended oven.

During this time, the god of war’s warriors had travelled far from their temple. At the beginning of their journey, there had been four canoes, laden with warriors off to do battle in the west, in the thinnest part of the Atoll Ring. After the gods warred, however, half of the fighters were lost forever.

Worse still, for the survivors, was where Tangaloa found fit to leave them once his waves abated. The water their canoes were stranded on was unfamiliar and black, and the goddess’ volcano was closer than any of them had seen in their lives.

They were now drifting in the Inner Sea, just within the shadow of Leinani’s home, the waters upon which no man dared to travel.

The warriors knew at that moment they were doomed. They were too far from the shallow safety of the Atoll ring to achieve it before the taniwha and sea witches that lurked in those deeper waters would pull them under, even if their oars and sails had not been lost. The only land that was close was the volcano itself, but all knew that the goddess would destroy them utterly for daring to set foot upon her home without invitation.

In light of their predicament, these men knew there was only one recourse left to them; they got on their knees, and prayed to their lord Nakoa, god of war, to deliver them from their plight.

Their prayers were answered, but not by Nakoa.

You will recall the story of the Taniwha Girl, how she and her taniwha companion were hunted across the Atoll by Nakoa and his people, how they stole her monster from her and broke her face. You will understand that there was no love lost between the Taniwha Girl and the warriors of the islands.

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