Outside the shrine, Shaman Zu kept Merchant Griford company. He had not let the man leave after the repentance ritual. The silent message behind Elder Routh sending him here was clear.
As they talked quietly, two tall figures climbed the stone staircase. One of them, a middle-aged man with a strong build, had iron chains coiling around his upper body.
"It's… it's the Village Head and Elder Routh!" Merchant Griford jumped up in excitement, but uncertainty quickly crossed his face.
"Elder Routh, you promised!" he cried, rushing forward. Elder Routh was here, but his wife and child weren't.
"Calm down, Griford." Village Head Thaine placed a reassuring hand on the merchant's shoulder. "Your family is safe. They're with Healer Alma right now. Go see them."
Griford tried to bow in thanks, but Thaine stopped him.
"No need. Isn't it a tribe leader's duty to protect his people?"
After Griford hurried away, Shaman Zu turned to the two men. "Little Thaine, tell me, how did the operation really go?"
"Oh, old man calling a man in his forties 'little'," Thaine laughed. "Do you have sight issues? I forget you're as old as the village itself."
"Hahaha!" Both Thaine and Routh burst out laughing. Shaman Zu only gave a faint smile. It was an old joke in Amala.
"Are you two fools going to give me the details or not? Did you capture the bandits?"
Shaman Zu had trained Thaine personally years ago. Their bond ran deep.
"Relax, old man. Unfortunately, the bandits only lost four men, including one seeker." Thaine's tone grew serious.
"The worst part," Routh added, "three of the dead bandits were from our own village. The seeker was from Marable."
Shaman Zu's eyes widened as if struck by lightning. "Did you interrogate them? What did you learn? And why so many deaths?"
Routh took the lead. "Two of the surviving bandits are strangers, not from Amala, not from Marable. They might not even be from Norai."
"We couldn't interrogate them," Thaine continued. "They're bound by some soul-spell, a contract that seals their tongues. We're holding them in custody anyway."
Even though Thaine was Village Head and Routh an Elder, both showed Shaman Zu the respect due to his seniority and position as mouth of Venerable Mola.
"But you still haven't explained why so many died," Zu pressed. "You two are highly experienced combat seekers."
Routh quickly recounted the battle.
"So you let the captain escape on purpose," Zu said after a moment. "And you already suspected this wasn't random banditry, but a deliberate attempt to cut our trade route to Norai."
Thaine nodded. "Exactly. Small-scale kidnappings near Norai have been happening for weeks. Someone is using the rain and muddy roads as cover."
"I think we already know who's behind it," Routh said quietly, glancing at Zu and then Thaine.
Thaine's face darkened. "We have almost no evidence… but only Olivill and the Akash Chiefdom have contract-path seekers strong enough for an Illuminated-level soul-binding."
Amala had only two Illuminated seekers: Thaine and Old Man Holswell, both on the warrior path, masters of blazing flames. The implication was heavy.
"Whoever it is," Routh added, "they're targeting our biggest advantage: our position as the valley's trading hub."
A heavy silence fell.
After a long breath, Shaman Zu changed the subject. "Any progress on the fishing treaty? What do those backward-thinking elders say?"
Thaine sighed. "The old geezers only scheme against each other. Let's focus on the coming awakening and coming-of-age ceremony instead. The academy opens in a few days."
Thaine took over as village head following the passing of his father. Since then, a deep divide occurred in the council of elders. Thaine's father was a traditional type of leader; his son was a contrast, a reformist.
Thaine established the Early Stage School a few days after being initiated as village head. This didn't sit well with the old, traditional council of elders. It had disrupted the private tutor business. In Amala, for children ages seven to ten, parents would hire tutors to teach their offspring math and language.
Math was all about simple arithmetic—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Language was all about reading and writing.
He then made changes to the academy, which enrolled seekers. He added extra classes to cater to those who failed to awaken.
He then established the medical post. He appointed Healer Alma as its head.
He went further and established the Amala Trading Post together with Routh, later appointing him as head. This utilized Amala's advantage of sitting at the center of all routes that connect the other villages.
The same year the Amala Trading Post was established, he placed the Early Stage School under the academy and appointed a new head of the academy, who became the chairperson of the Early Stage School.
He went further and created new seats in the council of elders, appointing all heads of the three organizations as elders. Even though they were few in number, the organizations under them became much more significant. This made the old-era traditional elders significant only in status and lineage.
And that resulted in the deep division in the council of elders. The old era still had a strong influence among the common villagers and corrupt merchants.
---
Down at the farmhouse below the shrine hill
"Caterina, what are you doing?" Mama Valentina scolded her. "Don't make our guests cook for you."
"Mama Valentina, I do cook at home. I just want to help." Isabella threw nicely chopped tomatoes into the boiling antelope meat.
"Isabella, you're a talented girl. Where did you learn to cook like this?" Mama Valentina said, looking at Caterina. That stare said more than what words could.
"My mother taught me," she replied.
After the meal was prepared, all people sat around the dining table.
Two people had increased the population, yet their presence couldn't outglow the absence of one individual.
"Jeff, this evening we're sharing dinner with special guests." Zara picked up his plate.
"Who? These two? They're not guests here," Jeff smashed nicely cooked meat.
"You just don't know. Move around the village; the tales of Amala's favorite birds are widely told among those looking for partners."
Mateo coughed.
"Drink water," Shaman Zu said.
"The idiot talking nearly choked to death on food a month ago, yet he still has the nerve to disrespect nourishment," Zu added dryly. Caterina made a decent laugh.
Images of Edwin laughing at a coughing Zara flashed in Shaman Zu's mind.
"Grandpa, you don't forget, do you? I forget you're as old as the village itself." Zara joked.
The table burst into laughter.
Zara said this to snap Grandpa Zu out of sad memories. He had already warned everyone not to talk about Edwin when Grandpa Zu was around.
"How is dinner?" Isabella, sitting beside Mateo, asked.
"It's as Edwin said, it's delicious." Mateo smashed another steak into his mouth. "Edwin was right. Mama Valentina's and Caterina's cooking takes you to the moon."
"There's nothing like it. He was right; this is what anyone could ask for."
Isabella's fist landed on the table; the vibration echoed her anger.
The table went silent. Mateo stopped chewing. Mama Valentina looked at Isabella with soft, understanding eyes.