Last night's short story left me wanting to write more about Pokiki's life. I was explaining to my husband that I don't know all of her story, and writing it is more akin to listening to her tell her tale than me creating the words myself.
Today's piece took almost 6 broken hours to write. Between caring for a 6 month old pup (nose boops are an important part of every day), discussions with my husband and distractions - well, you get the idea!
I noticed that I feel more vulnerable writing about Pokiki, and maybe that's because there's a higher level of desire for it to be perfect. I'm trying to not go through and edit each piece, and I know there are mistakes. Moments that don't flow or too much detail mushed into one place. Leaving these mistakes behind is hard but is a good experience in itself.
My brain is drained after today. Although writing that long was really enjoyable, I feel like my mind and body are paying for it. It's the longest my mind has been able to focus in months, and even then there were times when my thoughts would wander and I realized I had been staring at the screen blankly. This has been a great exercise in stretching my capacity again and I need to remember it'll take time.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and get settled in. Day 6 of the Writer's HQ advent challenge was to write about an untrustworthy character. Pokiki has had many run ins with untrustworthy creatures, and you may even come to find out at some point that she herself can waver on the darker side of this.
Tonight's story is a continuation from last night (Day 5), and if you haven't read that story yet I recommend you hop on over before reading this one.
Thanks for joining me, and I hope you enjoy!
Day 6 Challenge: Create or write about an untrustworthy character
December 8th, 2020
Title: Under the New Moon
Pokiki emerged from the sewer pipe and squinted against the sun nestled in the cloudless sky. Her bag was lighter than when she had entered, her heart heavier than anticipated. She refused to regret her decisions. What was done needed to be done and now it was time to move on. Thorne was still out there, lurking like the spineless pig he was in some tavern or brothel. She didn’t have time to waste.
The halfling walked along the outskirts of the town that was once her home. A safe haven from the world she never wanted to be a part of. The Temple of Lady Luna glistened atop the hill in the center of the town, calling to her, welcoming her into its golden arms with promises of forgiveness after penance. Self-punishment was something Pokiki had partaken in many times before. As a temple healer in training, she was not permitted to raise arms against another or to dishonour Lady Luna with any act that resulted in harm to another creature.
The scars along Pokiki’s thighs told the many tales of times she had dishonoured her goddess. She never truly harmed anyone before Pari was taken from her life, but on more than one occasion she had assisted her childhood friend with his training sessions. Halflings weren’t treated the same as the larger races in the Warrior’s Guild. They were often given duties with a slap of disapproval and accusation of weakness. Pari wasn’t weak. He could wield a sword as well as a human or elf. His light feet would dance over the battlefield, his short statue hiding him from larger foe’s sight.
Pokiki knew sparring with Pari was against her temple’s laws but she valued the time with him more than some pathetic law put in place by priests afraid to see a woman’s power. She was just as quick, trained to be fast in the battle field so that she could reach as many injured warriors before they bled out. She smiled as the memory of their last training session fluttered into her mind.
Pari was on his rest day but determined to gain one more training session before entering the ranking competition in his guild. He came to the temple and snuck through the sleeping Garden of Light to enter her chambers.
“Poki, you here?” His husky whisper reached her ears. The High Priestess would be out tonight performing a rite at the festival, and she would be able to slip out for a couple of hours unnoticed.
“Meet me by the garden door, Poki. I’ll help you over the gate this time.” She heard his tunic rustle against the door as he turned and headed to their meeting point. Pokiki rummaged through her vanity drawers and withdrew the crystal teardrop strewn through woven gold thread. Its cool tip sat in the palm of her hand easily, vibrating with the protection charm she spent weeks perfecting.
Pokiki stuffed the charmed necklace into the bodice of her black robes and closed the thick chamber door behind her with a gentle “click”. The hallways of the temple were dressed in black tonight to mourn the absence of Lady Luna as the hidden moon waited to birth the crescent. All servants of the Lady who had completed training were at the festival tonight, dancing and performing blessings on the warriors who would set out to battle before the next hidden moon. She would be safe tonight from prying eyes. The trainees, like herself, had been commanded to seek refuge within their chambers and spend the night in prayer until the sun rose in the morning sky. Pokiki countered any guilty thoughts of the abandoned prayers with promises to complete extra blessings in the morning.
The garden rested tonight, dark and reflective in its solitude. The pale flowers that drank goddess Luna’s blessing on a full moon were closed, waiting to be illuminated once more. When they were in full bloom they released a potent healing pollen that floated into the air to be collected by the trainees who would learn the secrets of transforming it into salves, tinctures and potions.
Pokiki knew the garden and could walk amongst the flower beds with closed eyes, confident on where each flower slept and where each marble sculpture held guard. She placed a gloved hand on top of a damp feline’s head, feeling the cold marble underneath press into the fabric and bless her with its grace. She watched as Pari leaned against the gate and knew he was alert despite the relaxed position of his silhouette.
“What took you so long?” His quiet voice cut through the still garden.
“I had to do something,” Pokiki replied, careful to keep her voice to a whisper. She reached out to tug on Pari’s arm and met his eyes.
“Let’s go!” Anticipation filled her voice as he placed his hands upon her waist and lifted her to the first of three rails. Pokiki gripped the pickets firmly, praying her fear of heights wouldn’t make her feet clumsy as they climbed. She pulled her body up the gate, reaching for the next picket until she was able to cautiously swing a leg over the top frame.
“Don’t be a child, Poki,” Pari taunted as she hesitated on the descent down the gate. She didn’t dare break her concentration to stare at him as her left leg caught on the frame before joining the right on the outside of the gate.
“Not everyone can jump and not break both legs, idiot.”
“It’s not that far – even for you. Just climb down then, and be quick about it. We’re losing time.”
Pokiki held the corner of her robes in one hand while the other took lead in climbing down the gate. Pari pulled her from the last rail so that she stumbled into the warmth of his chest. She felt the heat sweep across her face and pushed him, embarrassed.
She missed the heat as soon as it was gone and turned to see that Pari was racing into the woods where they would spar. She chased after him, letting his seductive chuckle guide her feet over fallen trees and moss-covered rocks. Shadows were cast away from the small clearing in the center of the woods as Pari lit the 4 lanterns they left hidden in a bush. Pokiki watched as the warm glow washed over the man she had known for as long as she knew life itself. His curly red hair shivered with each of his movements, muscles carved from dedication rippled beneath his tunic as he swung the short sword with ease. Their eyes met as he glanced in her direction, and smiled mischievously.
“What? Are we going to spar or did you have something else in mind?” His suggestive tone brushed against her face, reigniting the blush she knew he could now see.
“I know,” he answered his own question with a wink. “Here, I brought you a change of clothes. I can’t be at fault for your punishment again. Go ahead and change, I won’t peek, promise.” Pari kicked his leather satchel towards her before busying himself with his sword.
Pokiki withdrew the lightweight outfit from the bag, feeling the cool, grey cloth slip between her fingers. Silk. He brought her silk.
She draped her temple robes over a boulder on the outskirts of the light, feeling the cool damp air kiss her skin. A shiver tickled her spine as she pulled the slippery dress over her body to caress her legs.
“Why throw away your coin on silk that we’re just going to destroy?” Pokiki asked as Pari turned to face her. Her extended a hand and grabbed the corner of the dress closest to him. A quick tug brought her closer as he raised his short sword and cut a slit in the dress from ankle to mid-thigh.
“There, you’ll be able to move with a lot more ease now. What do you expect me to do, Poki? You aren’t permitted to receive gifts, and this is the only way I can give you something that they can’t take away.”
“But it’s a waste, Pari. We’ve been over this before and you know I can’t. The temple forbids us from any notion of affection until we are blessed by the priest during the last full moon of our training. We’re so close. I’ve worked hard for the last four years to get this far and am three cycles away from being –“
“Don’t say it. The very thought of that man touching you is enough to make me want to steal you away right now and claim you as my own.”
“Pari,” his name escaped in a sigh of frustration. They had been down this road time and time again.
“You know I would wait for you until the moon herself crumbled from the sky, right? I’ve been patient and – wait,” Pari paused and raised a single finger to his lips while pulling her behind him.
Pokiki rested her hand against his sturdy shoulder and peered into the trees. Someone was coming. She turned and quickly extinguished the flames within each lantern. The last one to die flickered, drawing the voices towards them.
“When will they be here?” The words reverberated off the trees as if seeking their bodies like radar honing in on their location.
“Soon.” The responding voice was familiar, quiet and husky in its reply.
“It’s not enough to know that it will be soon. The Queen requires a detailed report before she’ll administer the orders, you know that. We’ve been working towards this for a while and I won’t be left in the dark.”
“The Queen will get what she needs when she needs it.”
The lantern light swung towards them, casting its pale blue flame over the trees. Pokiki shut her eyes and willed the light to stay away from her dress, to not expose the evidence of their presence. She opened her eyes as the light licked over the dress and moved on quickly.
“I’ll get you more details soon, Thorne. Go back to the Guild, I’ll be there after I meet with the High Priest.”
“Yes, Master Druggare.”
Pokiki could feel Pari tense behind her, his breath catching in his throat. They froze as one man continued his journey down the road until the crunching of the leaves and twigs were no more.
“You two had better have been training or else Lady Luna herself won’t be able to save you from the Temple,” The familiar voice closed in on the two halflings hidden behind a large stump. They watched as the human’s hand tugged Pokiki’s temple robes from the nearby boulder and tossed it behind the stump to land over Pari’s head.
Pari stood, removing the black robes from his head. Hands worn down from holding a sword caressed the white moon phases stitched into the seam of the heavy cloth before passing it to Pokiki.
“Master Druggare,” Pari married his greeting with a curt bow.
“Uncle!” Pokiki gasped as she clutched her robes against her chest. “We thought you were Temple Guards. Why are you out here?”
Raoul Druggare towered over the halflings, his lengthy white hair free from constraint. He scrutinized his niece and the boy he had raised into the man who stood before him. His sister had him young and passed away a few short years after his birth. They said goblins ravaged her body while she was collecting herbs on the outskirts of the village, but no one found any goblins or her body.
He had grown fond of the boy and honoring his sister’s memory, decided to take him into his own home and raise Pari as the son he never had. His wife, Gretta, was unable to have children of their own and agreed with the arrangement, even encouraged her sister to move a few houses over so that their children could be raised together.
“Why are you out here?” Raoul asked, echoing the halfling’s question.
Pari sheathed his short sword before replying. “We were about to start training when we heard you and Thorne approach. I’m competing in the ranking competition tomorrow night and snuck Pokiki out of the Temple for one last training session before the fight. This isn’t her fault – “
“Did you come out here on your own free will?” Raoul interrupted, directing his gaze towards his niece. He watched as her scarlet hair, highlighted in the lantern light, bounced around her head.
“Figured,” the guild leader chuckled, “Did you give it to him?”
Another chuckle escaped Raoul’s chest as he watched Pari’s mouth stutter open. He gestured toward Pokiki with an open hand, palm facing the moonless sky above. Pokiki reached into the bodice hidden under her silky cloth to withdraw the crystal charm and placed the woven thread over her Uncle’s fingers. Flecks of rainbow twirled around them, perching on the trees like fae from the old tales.
Raoul inspected the crystal in the lantern light, running his fingers over the point. “Well done on the charm, niece. You must get your casting abilities from Gretta. Gods know your mother had none. Get changed, and Pari, pick up all evidence that you were here.”
Raoul waited until the halflings were preoccupied before releasing a slow chant over the crystal. The teardrop shimmered and fogged, showcasing a rapid boil of black bubbles from within before simmering into the clear stone it once was. A smirk twisted the corners of his lips, contorting his face to the turned backs of the two he had grown to love.
“The High Priest will be back in the temple by now,” the guild master contemplated as Pokiki emerged from the woods, now clad in her black robes. “I’ll keep him busy while you get back to your chambers.”
He turned to his adopted son and placed the charm around his neck. “You won’t be competing in the ranking competition,” Raoul raised a hand, commanding Pari’s silence. “You’ve been assigned to The Queen’s Guard. Thorne will be waiting for you at the tavern tomorrow night. Tell no one of your assignment and meet him there when the sun kisses the horizon to rest.”
Raoul turned his back on their surprised expressions and began his trek to the temple gates. His voice penetrated the dark one last time before the woods swallowed him whole. “Go to the Garden gates. The Priest won’t see you there.”
That was the last day she had saw him smile. From that day onward, Pari’s smile had been tainted with the guilt of the night. Pokiki had returned to the Temple gates to find them open, a shadowed sentry centered in the gaping mouth to the gardens. She could still feel his boney fingers are they grasped her shoulder and guided her silently to kneel before the tribute statue of Lady Luna. Nurturing eyes captured her gaze from the marble sculpture as the white sacramental blade was placed into her small hands.
“I think six will do.” The High Priest commanded as he left Pokiki, tears hovering in her green eyes, to inflict the punishment demanded of all who trained in the Temple. Neither of them had suspected her uncle, they both thought the Priest had discovered her absence and Raoul was unable to distract him in time.
Now she knew the truth. Pokiki traced the palm of her hand over her upper thigh where the healed skin had bunched in scars that refused to fade. She glanced once more at the village that was once her home before turning into the black forest behind her. One down. Three to go.