Tasmina's Tale

4. Hall of Judgement

Tasmina

For the next two days, there was little time to do anything else except prepare. I had gone out with Mama to mark many times. All we took was a needle. The ink came from us, Mama said.

“Do people get to decide what their mark is?” I had asked Mama.

She had shaken her head at me.

“No, child. Goddess decides what their mark will be. We are simply vessels to do as goddess asks.”

Each morning, Mama and I would practise Yuj. It was a form of stretching, meditation, a way to align our bodies and our minds. After that, I would train with my daggers for two hours. Felan and Faris would join me, sparring with me and testing me. Mama had a stick, with which she would tap my back or swiftly smack my ankles if my form wasn’t correct. Past the age of twelve, her use of it became more and more sparse as my skill grew.

“Soon, not even the soldiers of the king’s army will be able to beat me!” I had shouted.

“My girl, they won’t even dream of challenging you, let alone beating you,” Mama had said, laughing her soft, gentle laugh and hugging me tightly.

Sometimes it was hard, the rigorous routine, the discipline. But Mama was beside me every step of the way.

“Life won’t be easy, my girl, but we can make it less hard on ourselves,” she always said.

On the morning of my birthday, I was awake at dawn. Ruki was snoring softly beside me and I got up quietly, the smell of banana bread wafting towards me. I crept into the kitchen, where Mama and Faris were bustling around.

“Happy birthday, my baby girl,” Mama said, turning around and grinning widely.

I ran to her and she hugged me tightly, kissing both my cheeks.

“I’m sorry this day couldn’t be entirely yours. But I have made your favourite! And after we have eaten our fill and celebrated you, we shall go and see to the marking of Prince Rikom.”

“No training today?” I gasped.

“No, Mina. No training today,” Mama said, chuckling softly.

“I hadn’t had a single day off from training as far back as I could remember.

“Mama… am I supposed to feel different?” I asked, as I sat down on the floor.

Mama placed a plate of warm banana bread in front of me with a hot cup of cinnamon chai. What a blessed day, indeed!

“No, my daughter. Were you hoping to shoot sparks from your fingertips?” Mama asked, her warm brown eyes twinkling.

She wasn’t too far off the mark and I began to giggle.

“I don’t know Mama… I just thought… maybe I would feel powerful when I ascended.”

Mama shook her head and chuckled softly.

“It is not for us to feel powerful, Mina. We only channel, we are only the vessel, we do—”

“Goddess’s work, I know, I know,” I finished, rolling my eyes. “I just thought maybe…”

“You will be a powerful mystic, Mina, and you will do wonderful things. I just know it.”

“Have you seen it?” I asked, hopefully.

“I don’t need to see it, my child. I see you.”

I rolled my eyes but grinned at her nonetheless. Her eyes blacked out for a moment and she looked at me, smiling a little sadly.

“It is almost time to make our way to the palace. I suppose I shall have to stop calling you my girl, since you’re now a woman.”

I shook my head and laughed, reaching out to take her hand.

“Mama, I will always be your girl.”

—

The palace gates opened slowly for us and I gasped at the sight of the Palace of Life before me. It was white marble, with a domed top. It had tall white towers with golden minarets and I wondered whose chambers they were. There were various balconies looking out over the beautiful gardens that we were now walking through, though the gardens seemed to surround the entire palace.

“Close your mouth, my child. You’re not a puppet,” Mama murmured, as she nodded to the guards.

They bowed their heads to her. As the royal mystic of Zamee, she commanded some respect, despite living modestly. Although why she never took the king up on his offer to reside in the palace gardens, I didn’t know. They were beautiful. I walked towards the entrance of the palace, but Mama took my hand and led me to the side, where giant pillars stood, leading into a grand hall. The marble here was white, but almost seemed to have a slight blush, as though tinged by a rose.

“Wooow… is this the… the…”

“The Hall of Judgement, child, yes. For goddess’s sake, close your mouth.”

I did as she said with great difficulty. Vines hung from the pillars, snaking up high. Fruits like figs, passionfruit and pomegranate seemed to either be growing, or placed upon the vines.

“If you’re hungry, grab one,” Mama said, nudging me gently. “They are for the people.”

I walked tentatively to one of the pillars, my breath catching as I looked out over the gardens.

“It feels like you’re still outside, Mama,” I whispered, looking up at the ceiling to see vines snaking around jewels that had been embedded into it. It was the rubies in the ceiling that gave the surrounded marble a pinkish tinge.

I was enchanted. I plucked a fig from the vine and bit into it, the juice dribbling down my chin. I wiped it quickly and shoved the whole fig in my mouth as I heard footsteps approaching.

“Miya, you are here. Welcome.”

The voice was clipped and formal and I turned to see the First Queen of Zamee in all her glory. Mama curtseyed gracefully and I quickly followed suit. Though she wasn’t as tall as Mama, there was something about her that exuded power. She was regal, dressed in a long, black dress with a gold cuff on her arm. Her dark hair was pinned with golden clips, round clasps that wrapped around tendrils of her hair. She was, in a word, exquisite. Her eyes were hard but not unkind as she looked down upon me.

“This is your daughter?” she asked, turning to Mama.

Mama looked at me and nodded proudly.

“This is Tasmina Miya Kaiz, your majesty. She will be marking Prince Rikom today, on the day she ascends.”

“Happy birthday, Tasmina. May you serve family Zal as honourably as your mother has before you,” she said, nodding her head at me slightly.

The First Queen of Zamee had just wished me a happy birthday. Was I gawking? I was gawking. Mama glared at me, her eyes doing that thing when she’s trying to tell me to either shut up or say something quickly. I assumed this time it was the latter.

“Umm. Thank you, your royal graciousness. I… I hope I can serve even half as well as my Mama has… well, not half because I would never dream of serving half heartedly… that is to say… well, my mother has served you so well, it would take one hell of a mystic… not that I am a bad mystic… sorry for saying hell… I…”

Chaos. Pure, utter chaos. Her eyebrow was raised higher and higher until I was sure it was about to disappear into her hair. When I finally got a hold of myself and managed to stop talking, Mama was looking at me with utter despair. The Queen’s expression was unchanging, though for a moment, I thought I saw her mouth curl slightly.

“Well, that was quite the speech, Mystic Tasmina Miya Kaiz. I look forward to seeing what other wisdom you impart on us in the future. I shall call for the prince.”

With that, she turned on her heel and left us. Had she just… made a joke? I was so confused. Mama was shaking her head, although as soon as the queen had gone, she began to laugh.

“Mama, I am so sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” I apologised, mortified.

Mama waved away my apology, putting her arm around me, her body shaking with laughter.

“My girl, you will learn, I promise. You think your Mama learnt decorum in a day?”

“But you’re so good at it,” I whined.”

“It takes practice, my child. But you’ll get there. I have full faith.”

She touched my nose gently with the tip of her finger.

“I think Queen Maha likes you,” she said, smiling.

“How do you know? Her face doesn’t change,” I whispered.

Mama laughed again.

“I just know it, my girl.”