Windswept by Yezall Strongheart (book club reads .TXT) 📖

Zylena scraped the hair from her eyes, painting slightly lighter streaks on her forehead. As she sat leaning against the tree, the warm winds blew in gusts around her. The dust in the air mixed with the sweat of her brow became the art she created.

She could see them now, just a dot on the horizon. She stood quickly. Squinting into the sun, with a hand shading her eyes, Zylena still saw nothing more than a dot. Time to face destiny. Clapping her hands together, removing the dust, she turned toward her village. Taking the quicker way back she jumped between rocks and slid in some dust and gravel, stopping once to look behind her, then paused looking over the village. The low one story buildings scattered over the landscape before her; all circling a very large well in the center. Zylena watched as the people scurried about like ants. Jumping down one last time, she landed close to the back of her house.

“I see them coming, Mama.” Like a drifting breeze, she entered her home. She draped the light blanket she used to shade her face across a chair. A desert dweller with fair skin! A cruel joke to be sure.

“Then you better clean up, my love.” Her mother, Theola, looked up from her sewing,

They lived near the desert, it was arid; yet life could be seen everywhere. Mature trees, like the Joshua tree she had sat by, many succulents like Datil yucca plants were plentiful as well as edible. Underground streams fed the well in the center of town. The underground systems supplied each home with water. The remote village of Seriton was small and mostly self-sustaining. The houses were rudimentary but comfortable.

Zylena took her mother’s advice and headed for her room. Knowing she had at least an hour before they arrived she didn’t rush. She looked in her mirror as she removed her clothes, is this what I really want?

The visitors came from very far away. They lived in a large city, Tivolty, on the other side of the desert. The group from Tivolty made the trip to the outlying villages approximately every ten years in search of girls who had the gift. A certain type of gift, some would call it magical. They searched for girls who had shown some signs of being able to control an element; whether it would be fire, earth, water, or wind. The men who had this gift were born only to women residing in the town of Tivolty, it was unknown why. They had to seek an element mate in the outlying villages who complemented the element they had full control of.

If the two people were compatible, then the man would share a part of his power, making her control stronger. This was a secret ceremony which was never spoken of by the recipients. The girls could choose to stay in their own village or travel back to Tivolty.

“I just need a little more power!” A girl just outside Zylena’s window called out. Her friends all giggled and laughed as she made water bubble in a cup she held.

“We have the water element here anyway, you won’t be chosen…” an older boy taunted.

“I, on the other hand, have something we can use.” Another smaller girl snapped her fingers and sparks appeared.

They all poked fun at each other, as they strolled by, their voices drifting away.

You would become a great asset to your village; or if you chose to go to Tivolty, your village could still enjoy the benefits remotely. The village Counselor would be given several glass containers that would be filled as they depleted by another secret process. These glass containers would, upon opening them, control an element for an allotted time.

The village Counselor was a disciple of the Divine Counselor who lived in Tivolty. His job was many faceted. He resolved differences, maintained the element jars, if needed, and provided divine guidance to the village. The people of Seriton worshiped the earth and its element forces, as did all other villages and cities of the region. They gathered to give homage twice a week. The Counselor, Suzerain-Thomas guided the girls who were believed to have potential to control of an element. The gatherings consisted of meditation followed by a short time allotted to allowing the girls to practice their gift.

Zylena’s village already had a water element controlled. The one who controlled it still lived in the village, as it was her choice. No need for the containers. The village goal was to have all elements controlled but for many years no one had the gift. There was great anticipation this time as several of the girls showed signs of being potential controllers.

Zylena was told she could be a controller of wind. She thought this was a terrible element to control. What good would it do her village? It was already windy, dusty, and dry where she lived. What was there to control?

As she soaked in her bath she thought about how they spoke during the gatherings with the Counselor that since the day she was born they hadn’t been plagued by dust storms. How they skirted the village and moved on. Coincidence, she did nothing to prevent it. And, she further reasoned, if that were the case she was already controlling it so why would she have to become the element mate of one of these men?

She groaned and climbed out of the bath tub. She covered herself with a towel and went to the window. She looked out to see several of the girls she knew talking excitedly and waving their arms about. They must know, as she did, that the men from Tivolty were close. Why were they so happy about it? They knew just as much as she did. Didn’t all the secrecy worry them?

Many times before, Zylena asked her mother for answers, since she was the water controller, but she hushed Zylena saying, “You know I’m not allowed to say.”

Dressing in her most unbecoming dress, she hoped not to be noticed. One more look at herself and she headed back down stairs. Theola motioned her closer and patted a seat in front of her. Her mother brushed her long red hair, braiding parts of it and entwining white blossoms. Zylena sat quietly for a while, then asked, “Has father ever returned here?”

Theola's hands stilled and there was a pause of silence, then she said softly, “No.”

This was a subject that plagued Zylena. She liked her life in Seriton, wanting to remain here. However, she felt a need to find her father, the man from Tivolty who shared his power with her mother. He returned to Tivolty and her mother chose to stay in the village. She wanted to know him. Zylena sought to take advantage of the opportunity to travel and start a search for her father. It left her very torn as to what path to follow.

After another uncomfortable pause, her mother patted her shoulders, “Now I see you chose to wear that ugly dress, your hair will make you stand out regardless.” she laughed lightly.

She knows me so well. Zylena smiled back at her. With heavy steps she started for the door.

Her Mother called to her, “Zylena, the village needs you. Do what’s right.”

Making eye contact with her mother, she said nothing, but turned and left.

Yesterday this all seemed so far away. The morning had dawned, finding Zylena still in bed. Theola rose early to see that the water was functioning properly. Going to the well in the center of town she would stare into its depths. It aligned things and allowed them to work. She was responsible for the flow that carried the water to the various buildings. It was due to this ability that others in the village were able to grow vegetables for the local markets. Theola then returned home to get Zylena off to school.

Everyone from the adults to children had a purpose to fulfill. The children went to school to learn how to write, read, and understand math, but also how to farm. It was mainly the job of men and young adult men to hunt, yet some women chose this as well. The adults who were not teachers sustained the village with food, while others were builders.

Today the village was abuzz with activity. Zylena appeared to move in slow motion compared to everyone else. Looking ahead she could see people starting to gather by the town well. The girls were acting so silly, hoping to be noticed; she was disgusted by them. She couldn’t bring herself to be like them. She wasn’t sure if she was afraid of what she would find, or fail to find, should she be chosen. Either way, she was unsettled.

As Zylena reached the outer edges of the crowd that had gathered, a cheer was heard, heralding the arrival of the entourage. The sun was at their backs so it was hard to see them clearly. She squinted in their direction. They rode horses, walking slowly in the heat of the day. They traveled lightly with just a few small bags tied to each saddle. As they drew closer she counted five of them. The closer they got the farther back into the crowd she traveled until she was behind everyone.

The town had erected a small elevated stand for them to speak to them from. She watched as the men gracefully descended from their mounts and was directed to the stand. The girls had swarmed to the front of the gathering and were making the most annoying noises. Boys their age behind them were making fun of them. Zylena rolled her eyes, embarrassed for them.

The men started to speak and Zylena quickly lost interest. She stared at the ground in front of her and wished for this to be over. She wasn’t sure how long she was unaware that people had turned to look at her. She heard short, quiet gasps, which is what finally made her look up. Her eyes shot from side to side trying to determine the reason for their attention. Realizing they looked behind her she slowly turned. Her eyes grew wide as she viewed a ten foot dust devil looming just behind her. As soon as she saw it, it dissipated into the ground. Shocked, she turned back to the crowd.

From the stand, a man quickly jumped down and ran to her. Taking her hands in his he said, “I choose you! You command the wind naturally!” He smiled broadly.

Zylena tried to pull her hands away, to no avail. He was waiting for a remark from her. She stammered a reply, “I-you-I don’t know that I did that!”

“Of course you did! Please, come with me so we can talk.” He tugged at her hands and she walked