Hauling carts laden with delicious foods
and beautiful children, the party crashers from Anur followed the road down the
An Valley, beyond Crystal Lake, through the thick forest carpeting the
foothills of Crystal Mountain towards the seaside town of Mu, on the western
shores of Lemuria. Zara rode with a happy heart, eager to meet the talent from
Mu and do her part to free the aribu of Atlan from their poisoned twigs. She
pondered all that she had learned as they wove their way through the scenic
wilderness, noticing this time she wasn't afraid of the wilderness. Not only
that, suddenly it felt strange that she had
been.
As
the salt of the ocean seasoned the breeze, the friends emerged from the woods
on the southern side of Crystal Mountain into a panoramic vista of Mu, the
ocean glistening beyond. The road led them along the river through the
vineyards skirting the town. As the road neared town, strange and beautiful
dwellings began to appear, the architecture of Mu was just as interesting as it
was in Anur. These buildings weren't built on top of ruin, they were undamaged
works of art, geometric sculptures, domes and dwellings with archways embedded
with bejeweled grout, windows skillfully built with colored glass and crystal
hi-lights, they were truly amazing, no two were alike. And then again, some
things were the same. As in Anur, colorful fabrics billowed in the wind, sunlit
crystals hanging in the trees caught her eye, animals and children roamed free,
the dreamy sounds of music and delicious smells of Lemurian food filled the
air.
News
that the Lunar Tribe had hatched a plan to save the slaves of Atlan spread like
wildfire, the tribe gathered eagerly to hear the news! Neter led the party
crashers to the town square where the crowds were already gathering. Here they would
park their carts and organize their presentation.
Zara
couldn't believe how quickly the town square filled with eager Star Tribers,
willing to learn how they could help their neighbors who despised them so much.
The citizens of Mu were just like the citizens of Kergal, just like the
citizens of Anur, the same motley crew of Origians, Nefilim and transformed
Gens, only dressed a bit differently, more stylish, ready to perform at any
time, like now.
"Brothers
and Sisters" Neter welcomed the flock as they hushed to hear. "My
friend Zara has come to Lemuria from Atlan with a challenge for us all. I would
like you to welcome her to the podium, lend her your ears."
He
gestured towards her, smiling, inviting…
Zara
froze, no one had even hinted at
something like this!
The
crowd waited silently necks craning…
Saliva
pooled in her mouth, sweat drenched her entire body, she couldn't move...
"Zara!"
Neter waved her over again.
He wanted them all to listen to her? Terrified,
she scanned the sea of expectant faces... Memories of the lashing post suddenly
surfaced from the archives, flashing through her mind like the garbage as it
was hurled her way... Blood pounded so hard through her veins it felt like
bullets shooting through them... Her knees felt weak...
A
gentle hand pressing on her shoulder brought her back into an alternate
consciousness.
"It's
okay" Mina smiled, sensing her fear. "We're all here to support you."
Zara
felt sick, thoughts of being so vulnerable made her want to run. She reached
for her head, wishing she still had her wig… When all of a sudden
she noticed her crippling fear! She wasn't this scared to tell Nulu, or
Mina, or the villagers in the temple... She glanced at her hand, it was actually trembling? Then she noticed
her heart, it was pounding like a galloping horse! Her palms were sweaty! All
the physical symptoms were making the threat of assault seem so real, as if the assault was already happening!
'We're all here to support you....'
Mina's words echoed. Once again she became conscious of the eyes upon her, the
hundreds of eyes, willing to learn how they could help their neighbors who
despised them so much. She glanced back towards the podium, Neter was still
holding out his hand towards her, encouraging her…"Okay..." She took a deep breath and walked up to the podium.
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