9 A familiar feeling

The pair traveled for about an hour, passing through the dense forest and keeping to their narrow pathway. Soon enough the trees grew less dense and the path wider, signaling the end of the small forest

As they stepped out from behind the last tree in their way, Riya's surprise was apparent in her face. What lay before them, was an expanse of farmlands extending from the forest's edge to as far as her eyes could see. Silorek explained that from here on there will be scatterings of rural farming villages on their way, this one being the first of those. He then took the lead once more and got them on a proper road that ran between the farmlands.

On either side of the road, Riya watched the golden grains, of what she assumed was Wheat, fluctuate and dance in the afternoon breeze. She could spot a few humble houses in the distance, and a scattering of farm animals here and there. There seemed to be quite a few people in this area, some working in the fields and some walking on the road with tools and baskets, giving Riya and her Priest curious stares.

But one of those curious stares turned into an audible gasp of surprise, pulling both Silorek and Riya's attention to the source of the sound.

Senthia stood in the middle of the road staring at them, carrying a straw basket tied to her back with a long black piece of cloth. When she recognized the two people coming from the opposite direction, especially the long black haired woman in violet, she froze in place. Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped in shock, as she rushed to kneel on all four before her Goddess.

When the girl knelt down, the content of her straw basket came tumbling out, and a small baby landed on the back of Senthia's head and shoving her further into the ground. Thankfully, Silorek reacted swiftly and grabbed the baby before it fell any further.

"Oh Great Goddess, forgive me for not recognizing you sooner," Senthia said with her head still down, as the Goddess approached her. "No need for all this, my dear, we are just passing by. You don't have to kneel every time you see me, okay?" Riya patted the young girl affectionately while helping her stand up again.

"And who might this little cute baby be?" The Goddess asked with a smile, as she looked at the baby who was busy staring at Silorek's bald head with wide eyes. "This is my younger sister that you blessed upon us, Oh great one." the girl stammered in response, "I hope it does not offend you, Great one. But we named her Riya after you." she finished in doubt.

For the first time in a while, Riya felt a wave of warmth rush through her. They named the little baby after her! Maybe not everything was as bad she made it seem in her head.

"It is forbidden to name a mortal after a deity. Surely your mother knows that much, young girl." Silorek interjected after hearing what she said. Senthia looked at Silorek, and then directly at Riya for the first time today, as her mouth trembled in fear. "W-We t-thought it would be alright...since this child was an unexpected child and a blessing from the mighty one herself. She even had mercy and brought her back to life." The girl hesitated as she explained to them.

"It's completely fine, Senthia. Sil is just a little uptight." Riya reassured the girl. "May I carry her?" She asked.

The young girl didn't dare delay even one second, snatching her baby sister from Silorek's arms and presenting her to the Goddess. But the moment Riya took hold of the baby, it initiated its unsuspected devious plan.

The little baby instantly grabbed onto a fistful of Riya's short hair as if they were mortal enemies, and began pulling it roughly with its dirty small hands.

"Uh. No stop, bad baby, don't do that." Riya tried to ease the baby's clenched fist open with a forced smile, while Silorek watched with amusement in his eyes. But her words fell on uncaring ears, as the baby held on to Riya's hair relentlessly with all its baby might, tugging and making Riya's head bob up and down like a giant bobblehead.

At this point, Silorek was about to move forward to help Riya in her conundrum when the sounds of clattering hooves caught in his ears. He turned around to look at the source of the sound, which was the same direction they were heading towards.

With squinting eyes, he could make out what seemed to be a host of riders speeding in their direction, a short distance away.

Whenever they got closer, anyone walking on the road quickly moved out of the way and went down on their hands and knees as they passed by, making Silorek raise one eyebrow in curiosity. The Riders moved quickly and they were soon within clear eyesight, revealing a black carriage surrounded by multiple riders on all sides.

Three of the riders were leading the way, galloping ahead of the rest and soon approaching Riya and her group.

The young priest turned back to his Goddess to warn her of the incoming riders, only to find both Riya and Senthia struggling against the baby. Now it had both its hands latched onto Riya's head, pulling aggressively on her dark hair locks, as if she would not rest until Riya was as bald as her young Priest.

Silorek stood flabbergasted for a moment, at a loss for words, when a shout resounded in their ears.

"Move out of the way peasants! Now!" The three riders reached their small group first. The man in the lead slowing down his horse to a stop and pointing his silver-headed spear in their direction.

Riya looked up and studied the group of people who appeared out of nowhere all of a sudden, ignoring the demonic child they named after her for a moment.

The first thing she noticed about these Riders, was the fact that each of them was wearing a bright pink coat over a white linen Shirt and a pink Kilt. She coughed out loud, doing all she could to not burst into laughter at the sight before her. What was this? Barbie's personal entourage?

Silorek looked up at the man who spoke calmly, his face now missing the iconic smile. "Watch your words, and be mindful of who you speak to. You stand before a Goddess, you are the one who should be moving out of our way." He hissed pointedly at the older man who seemed to be their leader.

The leader of the riders look at Silorek's clothes with interest, then his eyes scanned past him to land upon Riya and Senthia who stood side by side, holding the devil baby between them. The man watched as the little baby continued to pull on Riya's hair like it was nobody's business, while Senthia attempted to ease its clenched fists open, tears welling in her eyes at what her baby sister is doing.

The echo of his thick laughter rang in the open air.

His two fellow riders also looked at the situation and joined their leader in laughter as they saw what was happening.

"What Goddess? Are you trying to be funny? I can tell you are a priest, but don't presume to lie like that or you might not like the consequences of your words." The older man relaxed a little, as he lectured Silorek. "Now move, you're in the way of High Priestess Nomaria's carriage." He gestured behind him at the carriage that finally reached them and stopped.

The carriage that stopped before them, was one of the most lavish things Riya had seen yet.

The vehicle was made of dark brown material resembling wood, except that it glittered brightly with the sunlight like it was carved of precious stone. On each of its surfaces, symbols of flowers and intricate vines were drawn and inscribed with incredible details. And each painted flower was adorned with a sparkling gem of its respective color in its center. From each corner of the Carriage, a golden lamp hung shedding a faint purple hue even in the bright afternoon light.

"Now that's super fancy," Riya muttered to herself, as Senthia finally got the baby to release one hand.

Silorek face darkened after hearing the leader's threatening words. The priest then closed his slanting eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening them again once more.

"First of all, you will apologize to Goddess Riya, and then you will bow to her and beg for her forgiveness. After that, you may be on your way again." The enraged priest said his words, with perfect calmness.