BRIELLAH
On the morning after the rescue of the children from the other camp, Briellah awoke just as the first fingers of dawn reached into the sky over the eastern mountains. Her family was in turmoil. Her older daughter had been mutilated, her husband and son were stalking about in horrible rages, and her younger daughter had descended into a fit of hysterics at the sight of poor Chani. The two girls were both resting now, thanks to a potion Briellah had learned earlier from Jamilah. Sighing, Briellah looked over at them. Poor Chani. She had lost a lot of blood and there was a danger of infection. She would have to be monitored closely. As for Shushila, Briellah had a feeling there was more to her distress than just empathy for her sister. Perhaps a touch of guilt? Briellah decided to let it go for the moment, but if life ever returned to normal, she would get to the bottom of it then.
Pulling her robes closer around her to ward off the morning chill, Briellah stepped out the flap of her tent to start a small fire. She wanted to have hot water ready for Chani the moment she awoke so that she could brew hot, salty water for the wound in her mouth, herbal tea for the wound in her soul. She had no sooner bent over the fire pit went a keening wail split the silence of the morning. Dropping her handful of kindling on the ground, Briellah ran in the direction of the sound. When she arrived at the foot of the great tree that stood on the edge of the market ground, she stopped short. Her mouth fell open in horror and disbelief.
At first she thought they were just bundles of old clothing, the nine shapes that hung from the old tree branches, twisting in the breeze, like some kind of overgrown seedpods. Then, she saw that they were children. Dead children. Strung up like criminals. Each one had been mutilated and marked with the sign of the eye. Knowing it was pointless even as she did it, Briellah made a sign with her hand that had been used for centuries to ward off the evil eye. Such things would be useless against this eye, but still she did it. She moved forward toward the woman who had wailed, recognizing her as a young woman of the Rain clan. She was still wailing at the top of her voice, holding the dangling foot of one of the children against her heart. Briellah went to her and wrapped the woman in her arms.
"Hana, is it?" asked Briellah. The woman nodded through her tears, the wailing choking off for a moment into sobs. "Is this your child?"
Hana nodded again. Briellah tightened her hold around the woman's shoulders, but said nothing. The rest of the tribe had already begun to join them. Other mothers, recognizing their children had already begun to wail. There was nothing she could say.
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