Finding Me

Today's Base on Yesterday

No, it wasn’t easy. It was difficult time, when man almost forgotten the days where all beings were once together; before the dividing. Time, when magic and love was the common language amongst each other, was as good as forgotten. It wasn’t easy to start with anything on earth; it was hard. Harder than Audra’s expectation.

It took Audra a year to realize that she first needed to gather all the banned man of peace from Axis-Mundi. She understood that she needed all the powers she can gather. It was hard for her to be in three places at the same time; help those humans who needed her divine help; healing, fortune and spiritual guide, trying to help those who walked to earth with her, with no power, to regain what they have lost and paying attention to her daughter Tyballa; with the witches knowledge in her hand and extremely busy working on it. She was worried she might have been overdoing it.

Tyballa was extremely busy trying to find another portal to get back home so they would be able to reunite with their families. She was blaming herself that they had to leave in a hurry without considering her father and sister. She had to work on opening a portal or she had to be busy thinking about what would happen to them back in Axis -Mundi. She would teach Isla from her scripts, what she learnt back in Axis-Mundi and that was it. Isla was the one who would teach those interested in learning magic and chose who was worth of becoming an actual witch.

It was their new ordinary morning, Tyballa has left earlier to work on a new wicca and finding more comforting place. Audra came back from the dense wood with more materials that they can use to make a healing medicines as Isla was busy cleaning the house. Out their front door, there were more peoples than their expectation. The words about them has spread fast ever since they started living in Doriscus.

Doriscus is the closest town to Macedonia; they are here to make name so words would spread faster to reach to the right kings they hopped to meet with; one of the kings; Persian or Macedonia’s king, whichever side gave them their ears would win the lottery was their plan. Though their house was far from the market or even the city place, the growing numbers of peoples by their house, brought changes; small, but new markets and neighbors started settlement.

“The numbers are growing fast,” Audra frowned looking out the window. Isla walked from behind her to look out through the window and pressed a smile in satisfaction.

“It’s funny how powerful and fast word can be on earth,” she uttered and looked at her with a smile.

“Or greed?” Audra whispered deepening her furrow line.

“Or hope. Call it all you want, but the fact that no one is certain on earth, makes life here much more interesting,” she walked back to the table where there are a lot of herbal medicines; some already prepared and some freshly cut roots, leaves and flowers, that Audra walked in through the back door with. “Despite having everything in hand and right under our nose, no one can be certain about it.”

“And you call that interesting life?” Audra uttered as she joined Isla back on the table, but pressed her lips sarcastically.

“Oh, so you are saying it isn’t?” she smiled with her forehead arched. Isla was so sure that Audra was enjoying the life they started on earth. “Did I hear you right?” she asked playfully making Audra bite her lower lip as she shook her head.

“Well, I didn’t exactly mean it that way,” she shrugged her left shoulder. “But it is getting... boring?”

“If you’re asking about your own feeling, then you are denying your own truth,” Isla laughed in silence, enough to move her shoulders.

“Okay, okay,” she shrugged with her hands in the air and walked to where Isla was standing by. She hugged her from her back leaning her chin on her right shoulder. “I like it here but the wait doesn’t feel that satisfying.”

“I can relate,” she answered to her as she held Audra’s arms around her chest. Isla isn’t as tall as Audra, but her chubbiness and grace can cover her shortness when she stands alongside Audra. She is understanding and she was and still is doing her best to offer Audra her service loyally. Isla stayed longer on earth, serving the higher order of Axis-Mundi, but Audra mean a lot for her; she have never had anyone treating her nice, not from Axis-Mundi or even those banned from there. Audra was the only one who ever treated her well and she was and still is the only one who ever considered valuing her and what she was capable of.

“You know you are more like a mother to me. I wouldn’t say you remind me of her but you are like one I wished I had,” she pressed a smile.

“I...” Isla elevated her eyebrows up honored in astonishment. “I am gla...” a knock on the door disturbed their conversation and they both turned their attention to the door that was knocked hard.

“We’re coming,” Audra answered as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Excited guests, I guess,” she pressed her lips down as she started to the door.

“By the way, speaking of motherhood, I think I should remind you Tyballa might be overdoing things a little too much,” Isla added as she got her attention back on the root on the table, working on mixing it to make more medicine.

“That’s what’s warring me,” she agreed with her as she opened the door. She didn’t say anything, she simply gasped surprised as she looked out the door.

“What is it?” Isla asked as she also walked to the front door and joined the astonished Audra. “Oh, much attention we took?” she uttered rather a bit surprised brushed by shock, as she bitten her lower lip and turned to lock gaze with Audra.

“What took them so long?” Audra whispered to her.

They were hoping to get the attention from the castle and seemed like the royal guards with weapons by their door are here much late than their expectation that they weren’t exactly in shock for having them then. They simply planted a smile as they both turned their attention back to the guards.

***

It was quite a long journey from Doriscus all the way to the shore of Galilee, but it was what they were hoping for. They were taken into a carriage with their eyes tied and hands restrained backward. Many started flooding to the house they built to serve men and spread possible news about their capabilities in their gift. They wanted their names with their abilities to travel to the right king they wanted to serve.

Isla was right to choose Doriscus for their first settlement to start their work; they were hoping to catch the attention of the rising Kingdome yet to come. It wasn’t enough but it was enough to start their work. Audra was in brown tunic as Isla was in dirty white one. They were both barefoot and their hairs unattended. They were busy trying to help and give guide to those who needed their help.

They have traveled far to get to Doriscus and it took them a lot of effort to manage this much. After years in Doriscus, they finally seemed to get their names heard in the castle that the royal guards were send to collect them from where they have started a living. But they didn’t know witch castle gave them their ears and attention, enough to send royal guards.

“Do you have a good feeling about this?” Isla asked her in whisperer.

“After all, we are in a carriage and not in a cage,” she answered to her. She was a little scared of what was to come but she was ready to face anything. “It’s quite unlike we can’t handle them,” she added.

“How comforting to know you are that sure,” Isla shook her head but a guard hit the carriage loud. “What’s going on?” Isla got jumpy as she asked.

“It seems we are stopping. Where do you think we are?” Audra whispered, but the door opened and they were both grabbed by their arms to leave the carriage.

“Unfold their eyes,” they hear a women voice. As the fold was off their eyes, they both opened their eyes feeling a bit spastic. There was a woman before them; she seemed fancy and clean. Her blond hair was subdued in twists of braid and curls were hanging on her shoulders. She was rather looking at them in disgust; her index finger constantly going under her nose to cover the nostrils. She turned to one of the guards and gazed at him quizzically.

“These are the best healers. I have heard they healed a fire burn from the war, and even a paralyzed child was able to walk after they healed him,” he explained to her.

“Is that true?” she asked them as she walked around them, looking at them from head to toe.

“Yes, my lad...” she stopped him with her right hand held high in the air.

“I would like to hear the words from their lips,” she narrowed her eyes at them.

“Indeed, my lady,” Isla took over quickly. Audra wasn’t good at communication with man, perhaps with the higher class, since it was her first encounter with one at that time. “Me and my daughter are touched by the gods,” she answered. Audra looked to Isla and pressed a genuine delighted smile on her lips.

“Is it true what they say about you?” The fancy women asked. “About your other abilities?” she seemed interested in using them and that was what they were looking for.

“No doubt needed,” Isla answered as Audra deepen her smile on her lips. “Anything you wish for we shall offer,” she promised and the women gasped satisfied and even more interested in what she heard.

“I am mother of Olympias,” she introduced herself and they both widened their smile on their lips. “My daughter is gravid, I would like someone like you two to look after her, someone I can put my trust on.”

“We are honored to be at your service,” Isla bowed as she thanked her.

“Are we to stay restrained, my lady?” asked Audra.

“What’s your daughter’s name?” she asked Isla.

“I am Isla and my daughter Audra.”

“I like her, she seemed free like the air.”

“She indeed is,” Isla answered satisfied.

“Free them,” the women ordered and the guards freed them both from their restrains. “You two, escort them to the room you prepared; prepare them for the castle,” she ordered two younger ladies who were standing behind her. “I’ll arrange with king Phillip II,” she turned her attention back to Audra and Isla who are rubbing on their wrists. “I should speak with him regarding your stay beside my Olympias,” she added. “I expect them ready by the time I am back from the castle,” she projected her voice once again. “I am here to visit my daughter for short while and I expect you to meet my arrangements,” she narrowed her eyes at them.

“You are understood,” Audra answered.

“We will be waiting for you, ready to assist you with everything you desire, with the god’s will,” Isla added and she pressed a smile.

“To the castle,” the women ordered as she entered the carriage and the royal guards started moving to escort her, on horse, surrounding her carriage.

They waited for a while looking at her carriage eluding away on the road and turned their attention back to the building where the ladies are waiting for them.

“We are finally getting rid of the filth,” Audra arched her forehead to the building.

“Can we trust Tyballa alone?” Isla asked.

“We have no choice, but to have her keep working on the portal, but we should send word for her,” Audra nodded in deep thought. She knew it was about to be harder than the usual service they have been offering. “We shouldn’t keep the girls waiting, mother,” they both smiled as they walked forward, joining the ladies that were waiting for them.