Orison – Praying, Remembering. Chapter 9: Remembering the Lady Giver-of-Judgements

[Glitch]

Hear my prayer, Lady, and remember me. My life in your service came full circle when I once again journeyed with your judge-priestess …

Everything is the same, and nothing is.

The thought isn’t new, but it strikes Girl with greater force as they ride into the foreign city, as this leg of their itinerary will be very different. No more trials for one thing, since the judge-priestess has no standing here, this embassy being a step towards changing that, at least for the country’s border villages. But the main difference between this journey and the one fourteen years ago is Girl herself – she’s not an encumbrance to be delivered to the monastery, but a valued member of the priestess’s entourage.

She doesn’t have Sukhbir, and her heart aches at his absence, but Lal is with her, though he’s now senior guard and no longer drinks rice wine and raksi nor would ever again leave a priestess undefended. But the smell of the guards’ hard-leather armour is the same, as is their grumbling about everything, especially thieving villagers charging too much for stabling the horses. The long, tiring days have been the same, the pity and horror of the trials, the tears and anger at the judgements, the glimpses of good and evil.

Yet the main thing that’s the same is Girl herself. Her excitement, her hunger to learn, her resolution to make Sukhbir proud of her, and her determination to become a priestess of the Lady Giver-of-Judgements.

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[HareBrain]

Another superb episode.

 

[Boneman]

I concur.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Even in Barbados this is a good read x

 

[The Judge]

Thank you, all!

By the way, if anyone's interested, the Fire-Flower display at the festival is straight theft of the Chinese dashuhua art form. 'Dashuhua' – China's unique molten iron throwing tradition

 

[HareBrain]

I once achieved a similar effect dropping a spoon into a saucepan of soup.

 

[The Judge]

 

[Glitch]

Had you taken a photo of that saucepan it could have been on the front page...

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Excellent instalment, TJ! A great buildup of drama and tension. I'll read the next part today or tomorrow. I'll be sad when the series is over - it's been of the things to look forward to in this crazy year, CC

edit: 'it's been one of the things to look forward to'. Poor editing!

 

[The Judge]

That's high praise indeed, CC! Thank you!