The smoke drifting from the pipe took shapes of various scenes playing out on a loop. From a crying child hiding under his bed to a woman running through the woods being chased by someone or something, to a soldier fighting on the front lines with a broken sword to a young man sitting cross-legged within an old hollow tree trunk.
Each scene only lasted for a few seconds before dissipating into the air. All the while her continuous tapping provided the background music for them.
But those that were listening to the old lady's tapping couldn't help but become a little unnerved. It felt like each tap was landing directly on their hearts.
Behind the kneeling princesses, Elder Iya was standing with his hands behind his back, the iconic spectacles hanging loosely on the bridge of his nose.
"Hmm, so let me make sure I have this right," the old lady spoke up after a few minutes of silence. Her voice as calm as it could be, "I sent you here with all the information about the events that were going to unfold. All you had to do was bring me the person that came out of the storm, and somehow, you managed to mess even that up. Correct?"
Flustered, Princess Inara shook her head trying to explain what had happened, "Grandmama we looked everywhere but he wasn't where you said he was. We tried loo-"
The old lady's expression hardened, "Silence! Did I say you could speak up?!" she glared towards Princess Inara who turned her head to the side, mumbling quite loudly.
"But you just asked the question…"
"Oho!" the old lady slammed her fist on the armrest, startling everyone.
Elder Iya took a step forward, bowing lightly, "Grand Priestess, the events were out of the princess's hands. The humans brought Eurig the Viper with them so we had to be mindful of their every move. If you could overlook their mistake this time-"
"Silence! Don't mention my good-for-nothing granddaughters, I don't have any!" the 'Grand Priestess' banged on the armrest again, interrupting Elder Iya who scratched his head while mumbling weakly, "But I didn't say anything about them being your granddaughters…"
Silence fell over the room once again. After waiting a couple of minutes for her to calm down, Princess Helena gave a deep bow.
"Grandmother, we will find whoever came out of the storm and bring them to you. Please allow us to go and explore the surrounding areas once again. Maybe they went towards the ancient ruins," she said in a respectful tone, forcing Princess Inara to bow with her.
Princess Inara felt she had been wronged to unprecedented degrees and kept mumbling under her breath, "But it's not even our fault. She was the one that was wrong to begin with…"
Thankfully the Grand Priestess didn't hear her this time. She tapped the smoke pipe on the half-full ashtray beside her and waved her hand as if shooing away stray dogs.
"Go go, don't waste my time anymore."
The princesses bowed and got up to leave but when they reached the exit the Grand Priestess's voice came again, "And take Lady Jiang with you."
Princess Inara's nostrils flared as she turned around halfway in a flurry before being stopped by Princess Helena. She shook her head, signaling Inara not to do anything rash.
She turned around and gave another half-bow, "Yes, grandmother," and walked out with Princess Inara in tow.
When he was sure the princesses had left, elder Iya let out a deep sigh, "Grand Priestess, why must you be so hard on them?"
The old lady shook her head, taking a deep puff from the smoking pipe, "They won't die from a few words. Everyone caters to their needs because they are my granddaughters but what will happen once I am gone? Helena will manage somehow but Inara, she is still too spoiled. She can't even take some criticism, what will she do when she has to take over the tribe?" she finished with a deep sigh.
Her previous stern demeanor disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a worried old woman.
"Yes," Elder Iya nodded respectfully.
Others might now be aware but he knew very well how much the Grand Priestess cared for her precious granddaughters. Ever since he was rescued from the human's slave mines all those years ago, he had loyally served at the Grand Priestess side for decades.
Elder Iya walked over to the table and emptied out the ashtray out of habit. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, trying to find the right words.
"What? Spit it out already," the old lady didn't even need to see his face to know what was happening.
"About Ms. Jiang…do you really think it is a wise decision to let her tag along with the princesses?"
The Grand Priestess chuckled, "What, do you think they can't handle it?"
"I know Princess Helena can but Princess Inara still blames the humans for what happened in the past. Is it really okay to let them go together? We still don't know her real identity, is it really okay to trust her so much?"
The Grand Priestess shook her head nonchalantly, "Don't worry, everything she said has been the truth so far. I 'looked' into it myself."
Elder Iya's worried expression greatly eased up, "If that's the case we should start to prepare for what is to come."
"Hmm, I think it's about time we do. And see if you can find what the humans and barbarians know. I don't believe Eurig would show himself so openly if he didn't have a plan. We need to be careful!"
***
Authors Notes:
A little early today since I might not be home for a little while.. Tomorrow's chapter will be auto-published so no worries.
