Spear's Ascent: Spears of the Lel'ult, #2

By A. A. MacConnell

Talei has agreed to become the Emperor's sole heir, the Lel'ult. To better the relations between her father's and her mother's people.

But when she comes of age, Talei must take part in two traditions.

During the first, she kills an assassin who interrupts her hunt.

Yigdu tradition insists Talei be guided by the ancestors to learn more about herself, alone. As the last heir, she cannot, and must bring her three closest spears: the spear-siblings, Lebna and Lulu, and her most avid protector, the deeply scarred Adanech. They watch out for those angry Talei is of Yigdu descent, while Talei struggles to see where the ancestors guide her. She struggles between her position as a leader and a woman, as well as a past that taught her to be quiet to protect herself. Her people aren't all glad to see her and Talei wonders what she's been doing the last couple years.

Despite not following the tradition to the letter, Talei hopes she will discover herself.

Whether she was meant to be Lel'ult at all.

So she has to be better.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. A. MacConnell
• Release date: Feb 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393442493

A. A. MacConnell

A. A. MacConnell is thankful for all time and emotion spent imbibing creative endeavors, being personally familiar with the process. Living in the woods with noisy nature and dogs, this author thrives in the fantastical, the psychological, and introspections of relations between people. Go to aamacconnell.com to read more drabbles, poetry, ideas, other books, and updates of future releases.

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Spear’s Ascent

Book Two of the Spears of the Lel’ult

a novel by

A. A. MacConnell

Spear’s Ascent

© 2020 A. A. MacConnell

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Cover art © 2020 ケLV

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All Rights Reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. If you come from another world where these events have occurred or characters have lived, be rest assured it is entirely coincidental. Opinions expressed belong to the characters and are only sometimes shared by the author.

To the OAs.

When people come to tear us down, together we still stand.

Through thick and thin, we support each other.

Thank you for letting me have a place in your community.

Spear’s Ascent

Woman

When Talei woke up, she knew something was wrong.

Adanech always told her to trust her instincts. She wouldn’t always have time to determine why she felt one way or another. It was better to be safe than sorry. The feeling came as a small stab in her abdomen she had never experienced before.

Talei’s home was larger than the other huts of the village. It represented her status as the Lel’ult and the Emperor’s sole heir. The house was more comfortable than the rest, but that space gave others more places to hide. In the dark too, when seeing was difficult. The moon was at the darkest point of its cycle. She was thankful the clouds didn’t cover up the starlight too.

Reaching for her spear, Talei’s locs fell around her face. This was why Adanech cut all her hair off. She never had to worry about it obscuring her eyes. Talei liked her hair though, strung with red beads like her father’s. She would have to ask Lulu how the other spearwoman dealt with long beaded locs before having the time to tie them back. Talei did not have the time now.

Quietly, Talei rose from the floor to put her back against the wall. She edged toward the door, only for the first assailant to strike.

The spearhead went for her face. Talei pulled to the side, bringing up her own spear to knock it aside. She made contact, but her strike didn’t knock the man from his stance. His silhouette retracted of its own accord and he tried again, aiming for her shoulder this time. Talei ducked. Lowering herself toward the ground, Talei could hear the bare feet on the wood to her right. She dove out of the way before the second spear could reach her.

Rolling as far as momentum could get her, Talei rose back to her feet and turned to present her spear. No matter the lighting, she couldn’t lose track of either assailant. They could see her well enough, despite the dark. Or perhaps not, perhaps they only heard her. Talei held still and listened.

They came at her from the same direction, between her and the door. She did have the window, open to the outside. It was uncovered, as in the summer Talei appreciated the cold night air. Despite her growth over the last couple years, she could still easily fit through it. Her spear would give her the height during a jump to reach it, no need to slow down, no need to climb.

Talei waited until the last moment. Both spears jabbed toward her and she dodged around the one on the left for the window. There was light from outside, a fire in town for those up at this hour. She dug the butt of her spear into the wood and leapt. The force propelled her off the ground as the two behind her closed in.

She cleared the window. Her spear did not.

Talei’s muscles spasmed as the spear caught on either side of the frame. While she tried to keep a hold on it, her feet reached the dirt and her wrists and shoulders twisted. Without thinking, Talei let go of her spear to spare herself, hitting the ground square on her behind. It hurt more than it should have, but she ignored the pain and pushed herself to her feet.

The spearhead in her face stopped her in her tracks. The covered tip tapped her on the nose.

You are dead, said Adanech.

Talei sighed and slumped back against the house.

What did I say about not having your spear?

I know. There wasn’t much else Talei could say. I didn’t turn enough to make it through.

You didn’t think about what you might jump out to meet, either.

Adanech tapped her spear on the ground next to her. The woman cut an imposing figure in the dim light. No matter the light, actually. She stood taller than most people around her, but especially to Talei who was small for her own age. Adanech had no hair and was covered in deep scars. They had been dyed blue, to match the marks on Talei’s skin. But Talei had been born with hers, they lay in her skin as smooth as the day she had first run away from this house. Talei was Yigdu, like her mother, and carried her protection in her skin.

Adanech was not Yigdu, but marked as though she should be. She belonged to Talei.

You left two assailants unhindered behind you. Came out to face a third, without incapacitating the first two in any way. Now weaponless. A much worse position than the one you began with.

Talei wanted to complain. She felt exhausted. She had pulled a muscle in her core. She wanted to scream for some reason. Yet it was all futile. Adanech did what she must to ascertain Talei’s survival. Talei had asked Adanech to teach her to defend herself. She had known it would be hard.

It was the scope of the difficulty though. It stood somewhere outside Talei’s realm of imagination.

But people had already tried to kill her. Talei had no choice.

Your spear, my Lel’ult.

Talei looked up. Lulu leaned through the window, arms catching the starlight. They weren’t scarred as heavily as Adanech’s, but the rough lines there were tinged in the same blue.

Thank you. Talei took her spear back. Did you let me sleep for longer tonight?

It’s not an ambush if you expect it, said Adanech.

Lulu snorted, grinning at Adanech.

Talei tried to ignore her stomach. I thought that’s why it wasn’t every night.

"It’s not every night because we want you to get some sleep. Lulu shook her head. Her beads came in a multitude of colours, though they tended toward blues and greens of the eastern coast. She’d had those beads for as long as Talei had known her. She braided them together to keep them from clacking against each other when she wanted to be quiet, held tight with thread the same colour as her scars. It is random the rest of the time, because we need to know if we ever fail, you can protect yourself."

That’s…

Talei couldn’t picture it. It would take so much for someone to get past Lulu and Lebna. Even if someone did, Adanech? Impossible. Adanech could do anything. She had protected Talei for years, through impossible odds. Sometimes, when Talei was much younger, she had thought her luck might run out. But Adanech always found a way to pull through. Talei couldn’t imagine it would ever come down to herself and an assailant, all alone.

Still, Talei had wanted to do this. Prove she could, even if she believed her guard would never fail. Yet it was difficult to remember how it was all her own idea when she was this tired, this sore, and wishing she still slept.

Lulu.

Lebna’s voice was muffled inside the house. Lulu returned to her spear-brother. Adanech held out her hand and Talei took it to rise to her feet.

Better. You are doing much better. Adanech placed a hand on Talei’s head. You got up and moving fast. Leagues beyond the last cold season.

Despite the budding irritation, Adanech’s words brought a smile to Talei. Nothing meant more to her than Adanech’s praise.

Lulu poked her head back out the window. Adanech.

Yes?

She’s started to bleed.

Talei didn’t know what that meant. Adanech dropped to one knee and put a hand behind Talei’s right leg. At the attention, Talei realized the real reason she had woken up.

It wasn’t because she had noticed Lulu and Lebna creeping in. It was from the sensation of her body doing something it had never done before.

A woman now. Adanech breathed the words out.

Talei didn’t know if this was something Adanech had waited for with hope or dread. It was hard to read the woman’s emotions before she became so scarred, but now it was nigh impossible to read Adanech unless she allowed it.

Talei’s mother had once said this day would come. Now that it had? Talei didn’t want it.

What does it mean?

Inside Talei’s room, Adanech went through the motions to help Talei clean up. Once cleaned, Talei dealt with her blood to keep it from spreading out and getting in the way. Everything Adanech said made sense, even though Talei hadn’t considered it beforehand. There were many things quite natural to the world that Talei never thought about due to how she had lived her early life. Living in this very house, only her mother for company, while all of Hirka lay just down the hill.

It means you are a woman. You can bear children, if you wish. The inconvenience of dealing with the blood if you don’t.

Talei frowned at her legs. How do you handle it?

Just do. It is natural, Talei. Everyone has a part of their system to deal with. We are no different in that than the jackal or the dik-dik.

Leaning back where she sat, Talei looked at Adanech head on. Then I get used to this. And it becomes normal.

With that, yes.

Adanech leaned against the opposite wall. If they had sat in one of the huts in town, they would not have been far from each other. Here, in Talei’s home, there lay a span several Adanechs long between them. Talei and Adanech stretched their legs out in front of themselves and were comfortable. A couple torches were set into one of the pillars holding up the roof, lighting the room. It looked so different now, in comparison to the dark. The colours painted onto the walls, blues and reds and yellows, vibrant in the furs that remained as rugs and folded up for blankets and cushioning. Talei could close her eyes and point out any of the colours and designs if someone asked. She knew every single detail in this house. She knew where she kept the stones she played with as a little girl, even if she hadn’t pulled them out for a long time. The hide she had stretched across one of the walls, where she had sketched out her grandmother’s domain, learning the layout of the lands she would inherit. Home.

As for you reaching adulthood, that brings about other matters.

Talei cocked her head to the side.

We need to tell the Emperor. She has waited for this since you reached your thirteenth year. Some bleed earlier than that, some later, but it is the most natural time. She will need to hear of this.

That made sense. Talei thought back on what her mother had said about this time of her life. But it was so long ago, she couldn’t remember. Is… is there somewhere I need to go?

To the Emperor’s Lake, of course.

No. Other than that. Isn’t there a place I have to go?

Adanech frowned. Where else would you need to go?

If I knew that, would I have to ask you?

They stared at each other. Adanech worked through it all, letting her face change to show her consideration. Talei waited. The Yigdu might have another tradition. When the sun rises, we can ask Oringo. Unless you would rather do so?

I’ll do it. Talei liked leaving things to Adanech, especially when she felt overwhelmed, but she knew better than to give into that impulse. This she had to do herself.

Plus, Adanech liked it when Talei stepped up.

Adanech smiled at her. Better.

Oringo was a Yigdu from the basin north of the Arch. Not the only Yigdu in Hirka, but he was the one Talei went to for advice when it came to Yigdu tradition. In the Yigdu Basin, he was called the Chieftain’s First Husband. Here, he held that same respect with the Yigdu who had come with him to Hirka, all to support Talei. They shared the same goal: to help the Yigdu in these lands, most who had never known Table Mountain, especially after the events of the Cleansing. Those who had, for the longest time, only known themselves as Unclean.

Oringo knew the swamp of the Basin and had now come to know the varied lands around Hirka in the same way. He was not a warrior, but he had a cleverness Talei appreciated which was demonstrated quite admirably in his handiwork. Oringo risked much to stay here with her. He was not here to become one of her people, but he and those beyond the Arch wanted to help.

He had long since left Talei an open invitation, so she went straight into his hut. He was in the middle of stretching a hide with the assistance of another Yigdu Talei knew to be named Yahim.

Good morning, Talei. Adanech.

Talei worried. The Yigdu still congregated together, no matter how much more they had relaxed around the Emperor’s people in Hirka. She wished they would mingle more. Prove she had done the right thing. But as polite as all were to her and to the Yigdu here in Hirka, in Emperor’s Lake, in other places she could still sense the longstanding distrustful feelings between them all. It ran rampant elsewhere, but in Hirka? This was home. Talei couldn’t stand for it.

She sat in front of him, Adanech doing the same at her side. Good morning, Oringo.

Oringo got the message in her tone. He waved for Yahim to leave. The young man winked at Talei as he did so, confusing her. Talei waved back at him anyway.

What is it? It doesn’t appear to be bad news, said Oringo.

Indeed not, said Adanech.

Talei paused for effect without intending to, then announced her news proudly. I am a woman now.

Oringo’s face brightened. That is wonderful news! I expect a celebration?

There will be, said Adanech. That is what we do when a child comes of age, celebrate. Celebrate in Hirka and, as she is Lel’ult, celebrate at the Emperor’s Lake. But Talei has the impression there is yet another thing she must do. Something perhaps her mother mentioned that the Yigdu do and the rest of us do not?

He paused, considering. Ah, I see. Yes, we also celebrate, but there is also the journey.

A journey? That was exciting, but Talei found herself worrying again, mixing her feelings into a convoluted knot. She hadn’t done much extensive travel since her flight to the Yigdu Basin and return to Hirka a few years prior. Nowadays most of her travel was between Hirka and her grandmother’s home, only a few days through Geresu. She knew those woods well now.

What is the journey?

It varies, as it is whatever the path the ancestors bestow upon you.

The ancestors? Adanech sounded bewildered.

People spoke to the ancestors all the time, but to get a sign in return? To think that the Yigdu had a tradition where everyone was guaranteed a response from the ancestors!

They sent me west from Table Mountain, said Oringo. Not through word. As I waited for a sign, I felt a pull in that direction. I travelled through the swamp and found myself in a place I had never seen before, further away from home than I had ever gone before. I found a tree, unlike every other tree in the swamp, not touched by any mud above the swamp floor. It’s bark was covered in grooves which looked like pictures. It dropped a fruit I had never tasted before or seen. Then I returned.

Talei didn’t know what to make of that.

So she has to find something she has never seen before? Adanech asked.

Not necessarily. My story is nothing like another’s. They are all separate, as the journey to discover yourself is always different than everyone else.

Talei frowned. I don’t… other than a new experience, I don’t see what that provided you.

He chuckled. It provided me a great deal. I learnt so much of the valley after that as I tried to find that tree again. I searched every twist and turn to no avail. Yet I knew the land better than anyone. My ability to find almost anything in it is what caught the eye of my Chieftain. She chose me first, because of that. Because of the person that journey had made me.

The outcome of a journey isn’t always apparent on the outset, said Adanech. You remember.

Talei nodded, but it didn’t seem as though it was all that apparent at the end of Oringo’s journey as well. He simply made it mean something after the fact.

Yet. Oringo reached up, stroking his short beard. It is a journey done alone.

No, said Talei. Adanech always goes with me.

Adanech put a hand on Talei’s shoulder. Even if that weren’t the case, tensions are still too high. We cannot lose our Lel’ult to those who have yet to accept her.

Oringo reached out to the hide he was drying out. He rarely hunted on his own, so Talei wondered if that was his kill or another’s. Not the moment to ask, so Talei bit her tongue.

Where her journey takes her will definitely help with this ongoing problem. You must do this to learn about your heart, so you can be the best Lel’ult you can be. Bring our peoples together.

Yes, said Talei.

"It is what the ancestors will guide