Tales of Midbar: Religious Intolerance
After the Trial - Part 4

Do I have to do this next bit?

You already know what happened better than the rest?

What is it that I’ve got to understand?

You’ll tell me later?

If I must then!

I didn’t pay much attention to the car parked by the bridge on the village side, partly because I was having to concentrate to distinguish between my thoughts and the other voices in my head. Visitors often stopped there to take photos, sometimes from their cars, probably because they were too rushed, scared or lazy to actually go to the Vineyard. I could feel there were two nibeyim inside, I wasn’t sure about hipsickim but I didn’t think there were any katcheyim or anavim. I was also getting a strong feeling that something very bad was about to happen but didn’t know what.

As we passed, the car started moving slowly and pulled alongside us.

“Hey, Eleprin, Breeze!” said a voice from the car.

I turned to see Lishrashic looking out the car window. He was driving and there were four other men wearing police uniforms.

“We won’t let you do this!” said another man’s voice from the car.

I could tell that Breeze was considering killing him with her magic or using the ring.

“That would violate my rights,” said Lishrashic.

Strange feelings swirled inside me. My body still felt wrong and I was having trouble thinking straight. Part of me wanted to run but my legs wouldn’t cooperate and I knew the car could go faster than me and it was likely that Lishrashic could run faster than me.

“What about her rights?” said the voice, I think one of the cops.

“What you’re planning is extremely fornicating dangerous,” said another man who I could see was wearing a helmet with a shimmering visor. I was pretty sure he was the Taunbrit police mage. He was obviously very scared, he must have detected our associates and could obviously identify our korbarim but couldn’t tell Lishrashic this. Lishrashic already knew our korbarim because Iandris had told him but I wasn’t sure if the mage knew that. He probably couldn’t tell the other cops though.

“My religion requires that I use a Temple Prostitute to thank Astrigis for a victory,” said Lishrashic, “but I’ll obviously have to improvise.”

I meant to say, “We’re not prostitutes,” but it came out as, “Astrigis! Do you know Astrigis Rehmahon?”

“We’re not prostitutes,” said the, well woman I think, walking beside me.

“I worship Astrigis,” said the hipsick of indeterminate race man who was leaning out the car window.

“Worship!” I said, suddenly feeling as if the oddly proportioned woman, the car and the men inside were much bigger than they should be. Then I laughed and said, “He may be a brilliant botanical genetic engineer but he’s a total wimp!”

I had no idea what I was talking about, it was as if somebody else had suddenly taken control of my body but you know all about that.

“This is fornicating ...” the nibey with the helmet started to say.

I realized they were still talking in what seemed to be the same unidentified language in which I seemed to be inexplicably fluent.

“You obviously don’t know much about ...” the hipsick at the car window started to say.

“Is he located nearby?” I asked.

“Right here!” said the hipsick, holding up a bizarre, small statue of a fat man wearing a garland of flowers and bones.

“Are any of your companions in touch with reality?” I asked.

“Who are you?” asked the man with the visor.

“Tianamet Indratar, biologist and head warrior prophetess of the Starship Tirsac! Now tell me what the mastabation’s going on?”

“So why’s a Winemaker ...” the hipsick started to say.

“She’s become an avatar!” said the man with the visor in a hushed voice, clearly very worried.

The word, “avatar” shocked me. My mind raced to recall my husband’s desperate plan but I could only grasp vague fragments.

“The only real avatar is Yoho’s son who’s his own avatar,” said the other woman.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” said the other nibey in the car.

We were approaching a parade of small shops, or at least that’s what they appeared to be. There were a number of other humans around and I was unable to identify any other intelligent life forms but I felt I should concentrate on the car and its occupants.

“She’s claiming to be Tianamet and has a complicated spell on her,” said the man with the visor.

“Well why don’t we go somewhere and you can be Tianamet and I can be Astrigis,” said the hipsick, reaching out to take hold of my arm.

“No!” I shouted and started running towards the shops, towards my home in the hotel.

Of course the car accelerated, and I could hear the cops complaining from inside it. There were a number of people walking near the hotels and shops.

“Help!” I shouted, “Lishrashic’s trying to get me!”

Breeze jumped to one side and then screamed and I could feel some disturbed vibes from her. I’m fairly sure she’d tried using magic on the car but the mage had done something to her.

Lishrashic caught hold of my arm and started dragging me into the car, through the window, while accelerating. I screamed again but nobody seemed to be doing anything, not even the cops.

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