A Campfire Story: The Sword of Sorrow

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Chapter 9

Pardon the crows. They're creepy and a bit too theatrical, but I can't be picky as they were my only friends as a child. I won't tell you I'm really a good person inside, as it's a bit too cliche. I'm well aware I've done numerous things I'm not at all proud of. I could have at the time told you that it was for the greater good, but having centuries to reflect on my misdeeds, I can only say that it was the best guess at the time.

For example, I crafted several Heresies and sent them after those two. Making Heresies is no small task, a full day is needed to capture shadows of objects, and bind them inside carved statues. If I didn't have a serious need for them, I would have used something else. They were most suitable for the task, I wanted to be sure the girl Anideshi had her mother's powers, and whether she was an aid or a danger to my plans. There was the risk that I'd have killed a defenseless girl, but it was an acceptable loss. After all, after what her mother Terra did, leaving the Druid Council (leaving me), her daughter deserved whatever she got.

Not that I personally hated the girl. I'd been watching her and her friends for years, and she seemed much more decent than I was. But... until my objectives were met, I'd need to continue testing her. Still, I would give her a chance to rest for the day.

I have plenty of time to see my plans come true. You see, well, my name is Utnapishtim. If you've never heard of me, let's just say that even though most cultures have a flood story, mine was among the first. According to legend, I was granted eternal life in exchange for silence on what really caused the flood. Is this really how I got eternal life? Not telling.

In the Druid order, people like me are called Elders, because rather than simple natural abilities, we have a biological gift of youth on our side. Terra was one of them, and I thought we were suited for a life together for all eternity. But she started to disagree with the methods of the other Druids. You see, Terra believed in living as a part of nature, while most of the other Druids wanted to keep the balance of nature under careful control. Not that I agreed with them by the end. I just wanted to take this one step further, and get rid of the Druids entirely. Their heavy-handed teachings took her away from my arms, after all. I believe Anideshi is the perfect weapon against them.