Category: Zanna

It wasn’t the first day of the month, but after a day of food poisoning, Zanna needed a swim in the holy waters.  She wore a dark grey linen robe, as she did most times she bathed out here, and spoke quietly with Pralla Maga-sha as they swayed across the gentle waves together.  The old woman was quiet today, but a slightly stronger wind made up for it.

The other priestesses used long poles, sinking down into the mud, to guide them along the surface.  They paused twice to ask for Zanna’s opinion, and to attempt a divination of whether these particular waves held the magic element, the healing liquid that they sought.  As usual, Zanna opted to near the lake’s center, to avoid the public eye should it be watching from the shore.  She inhaled as Pralla spoke, but the air barely smelled of the incense burning in lavish silver bowls at the skiff’s corners. Continue reading Zanna 9

The Eye of Maga was built on the south bank of the waters it was named for. While small towns and clusters of civilization surrounded the entire Eye, much of it was just a wooden palisade wall patrolled by the royal guard.  There were two main portions that were considered the city—the Inland Docks and the Seaward Docks.  At the Inland Docks, where the river basin reached the eye, Zanna and her escort of riverboats split.  The river gate was opened and Zanna’s skiff alone was guided across the pristine waters of the Eye toward the Palace.  The other boats were disembarked in the labour district near the docks, where the sixteen imprisoned bandits—and the forty-five members of their families—would be escorted by Zanna’s guards to a suitable prison. Continue reading Zanna 8

Ten.  Zanna spun lifted her spear to block the bandit’s slash then broke his jaw with the blunt end.  He slid across the dirt roadway, scrambling to break his fall.  He tried to push himself to his feet, but a second swipe of the spear butt reduced him to unconsciousness.  Zanna stepped past him, her plated leather armour shining dusted with sand and wood splinters and blood.

Down the street, a few of her soldiers clashed against four other bandits. Continue reading Zanna 7

Bodies had collected in an eddy pool upstream from Kykai, a pond of red and purple-rotting flesh painting the fringe of the stark yellow fields and skies.  Zanna’s skiff rushed past the liquid crypt.  Ahead, a cloud of black smoke hung over the white clay walls of the river town.  The gate on the land-side was hidden from view and the docks on the water-side blocked by smoke and the trees on the banks between. Continue reading Zanna 6

At least ten bug bites.  Zanna’s arms and neck itched, but she ignored the irritation with willpower.  The river boats from Maga were large rectangular boats, with a narrow point in the front to divide the water.  Four posts and a thick wooden canopy covered the stiff-backed chairs where Zanna, Tylan, Lady Marna, and Lord Reeth were seated. Continue reading Zanna 5

Queen Zanna paced through her court once more, her third audience this Moon.  Her white robe trailed behind her across the smoothed and varnished wooden floors of her throne room.  The long gown was adorned with golden stars on her shoulders and a broad gilded metal belt cinched it tight around her slim waist.  A tall glass brace around her neck was speckled with silver and gemstones, though around it hung Queb Tylan’s ruby necklace. Continue reading Zanna 4

On the first of each month, Zanna’s ritual was the same.  She stood on board a wooden raft with a smooth.  She was thankful it was smooth, for her bare feet were not troubled by splinters.  She turned and looked east, then west, across the serene water.  She could see the distant wooden wall on the banks, which meant those on the wall could see her.  Her bare shoulders, her knotted up hair. Continue reading Zanna 3

Sunlight streamed in amidst the wide silk ribbons that hung from above the arched window.  A soft current of air, cool from the lake beyond, parted them in an ever shifting pattern.  The sparkling on Zanna’s pillow eventually awoke her, and she watched the dark red curtains for a few minutes longer.  Her stomach growled and she stepped out of bed. Continue reading Zanna 2

The herald proclaimed the Queen’s entrance with a sequence of three flute notes, and a boldly intoned repetition of her titles and honours.  Enormous wooden doors carved from the bright red wood from the Elder Jungle were pushed open by the servants, and her escort of guards went through first.  The throne in the room ahead of them was built of the same vibrant wood and set atop a two-tiered stone stage.

Zanna walked quietly along the thick parchment runner that carpeted a line of floor from door to throne.  It was a scroll covered in writings about the law and the rites of leadership.  She only reached the throne by standing on the literal law of their people.  In her right hand, she carried a tall spear painted gold.  It was identical to one used by a guard or a hunter, save the shiny gilt layered across it.  Still, it was not a sceptre.  It was a weapon. Continue reading Zanna 1