New character coming and new character POV. Mina! I wonder what you will think of her...She has really played a peripheral role in the story until now, but I do have plans for her in the future ;-)

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Mina Krin

When Fiona left she very rarely told Mina any details on her intended destination, plans, nor when she would return. But this behavior was expected. Since Mina was a mere ten years old the Nita would often disappear on an extended journey, leaving her student to care for herself. It was not at all uncommon for Fiona to be gone for many days at a time with no notice and so, when the Nita donned her traveling clothes and a pack over a week before, saying that she had business to attend, Mina was not at all surprised when she did not return. It was clear she might be gone for some time and there was no reason to dwell on how long.

Mina had her chores to keep her occupied. There were various herbs to collect, their cow to milk and feed, tonics to make for those who came seeking the Nita's healing. She had her books, the company of her cat, a stray that Mina had found wondering around the Nita's home and enticed to stay with  the occasional offering of a bowl of milk. Mina didn't mind spending time on her own. She rather enjoyed it. She had resigned herself to a life of solitude long ago. Perhaps, she realized, even before she had learned of her destiny.

It was already nearing dusk when Mina arrived back at the house, having spent the better part of the day foraging for mushrooms in the woods, but as she approached, she was surprised to see a figure standing by the door. The woman was dressed in gray and blue, colors that Mina recognized as those of the Initiate. She was instantly embarrassed. Working in the woods, she knew that she looked a frightful mess, her hair askew, her clothes and hands covered in earth. She was certainty in no condition to greet a messenger from Sithrah.

Though the Nita had taken Mina to the home of the Initiate once, to confirm her place as Fiona's successor, the woman at the door did not look familiar. One glance at the embroidered symbol on the upper right hand corner of her tunic however identified her as a priestess of rank. Mina did her best to brush off her skirts and smooth her hair as she approached her clearly important visitor.

"You must be Mina," the woman said when she caught sight of her. She was an older woman, with flaxen hair and kind eyes set in a rounded face.

Mina bowed to her guest. "At your service, priestess," she answered. "Please forgive my appearance. I was not expecting company."

The woman gave her a slight smile and nodded. "Of course, child. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dara Wright, priestess of the holy Initiate of Sithrah, first order."

Mina tried to hide her surprise. A visit from one so high caught her off guard. She wondered what business the woman could possibly have outside of Sithrah. She knew the General Assembly was not for some time still, and Fiona had left no notice that any Initiate members might be coming to stay with them, or even visit their home. Besides, Nita Amoral had been gone now for well over a week, and Mina has no idea when she might come back.

"Forgive me, priestess," Mina said. "I'm afraid the Nita is away at present. I know not when she intends to return, but should you seek shelter under our roof you are of course welcome to stay here as long as you wish."

The woman smiled at her again, though the expression on her face was somber. "In fact, it is you, Mina Krin, who I came here to seek." Mina looked at her in confusion.

"Me?"

"Perhaps we could go inside?" the woman asked gently.

Mina was all at once embarrassed again. She was so flustered by the women's presence that she had forgotten her manners. 

"Of course," she said. "Forgive me. Please come inside." As Mina ushered her guest through the door of her home, she tried to calm her racing thoughts, working desperately to puzzle why a high-level priestess would come to see her.

"Please sit," Mina said gesturing to the table in the corner. "If you'll just give me a moment to collect myself." She went to the counter and deposited her basket, washing her hands in the basin of water she kept on the counter.  Catching a furtive glance into a shiny brass pot as a makeshift mirror, she tried again to smooth her hair slightly and wiped her face and hands clean. Her visitor waited patiently.

"Can I get you anything?" Mina asked as she went to the stove to start a fire.

"No, thank you," Dara said with a slight shake of her head.

Mina nodded. In a moment the fire in the stove caught and the pleasant crackling of the burning twigs filled the awkward silence. Mina feel the tension in her body echoing that of the room. Her stomach churning uncomfortably. She knew instinctively that something was wrong. Though the priestess's face was entirely blank, as she walked toward the table she could sense it.

"What business do you have with me?" Mina asked, hoping she sounded less nervous than she felt.

Another flash of a sad smile. "Why don't you sit down?" The woman suggested. Mina eagerly complied, her legs suddenly shaky beneath her.

"What is it?" Mina asked, having no idea what to expect, but knowing that she did not, in fact, wish to hear the response.

"It is my great sorrow to inform you of the Nita's passing," Dara said.

Silence fell between them again. Mina was certain she had misheard. What did she mean by 'the Nita's passing?' She found it difficult to formulate a response.

"I'm sorry," Mina managed. " I don't understand."

The woman reached out for her hand. "Mina," she said gently. "Fiona Amoral is dead."

Mina blinked at her in disbelief. She had simply never considered the possibility that Fiona might die. At least not for many years to come. She struggled again for words, conscious of the concerned eyes the priestess trained on her. She was no doubt attempting to judge her reaction. Perhaps she was expecting tears? For Mina to be overwhelmed with sorrow? But Mina found she had no response to Dara's words at all. She felt hollow. Entirely unfeeling. She imagined that she must have some reaction to such horrible news somewhere within her, she simply couldn't imagine what it should be.

"How?" Mina said, asking the only question she could think to ask.

The woman stared at her. Mina could tell she was hesitating.

"She was murdered." The priestess said finally. "Her body was discovered in the Capital City. That is all I know."

Mina tried to digest this information. The entire situation felt impossible and yet, reality was beginning to sink in, and with it, all the implications. If Fiona was dead, she was to become Nita.

"The funeral is planned for tomorrow morning," Dara continued. "The assembly to affirm your new position will follow the next day. Given the circumstances, the Council is anxious to have Fiona's successor named quickly so as to show no weakness among our people. The King cannot see the Senmin without a leader."

"Is it the King that is suspected of her murder somehow?" Mina asked, surprised to hear Dara mention the Crown. Other questions flew through her mind now. She'd known Fiona had been meeting with the King for some time now. Had there been some sort of rift between them? Why would the Council fear the King might see their leader's death has a sign of weakness? Did it have anything to do with the sudden nature of the Nita's passing? Mina watched as the woman's eyes sharpened slightly.

"Why would you ask this question?"

Mina shook her head. "I seek only to make sense of the news that is unthinkable."

The priestess eyed Mina cautiously. "Surly you know the Nita Amoral had been engaging in dialogue with King Henry. The Council worries that with Fiona's death our newly formed friendship with the King could be in danger. This is why they wish to see a new Nita named as soon as possible, to see that relationship continued with you now that your predecessor is gone." She paused. "But as you are soon to be our leader I tell you this. I do suspect that the Crown may not be blameless in Fiona Amoral's demise. It is yet unclear what business Nita Amoral had within the Capital on this occasion. If she was in fact visiting the King when she met her end..." she trailed off. "Do you perhaps know why your teacher might have been traveling through Auresir? What she hoped to accomplish on this visit?"

Mina shook her head. "The Nita was very secretive by nature. She has told me no specifics of her meetings with the Crown, nor of her visits to the Capital City."

Dara nodded. "That is indeed unfortunate," she said. "I admit I held hope you might have more insight into Fiona's final moments."

Mina said nothing. The priestess's words only highlighted the truth. Fiona had never shared any of her life at all. Training and studies were all they had really had between them. Hearing Dara's questions and speculations Mina found herself wondering just how many secrets her teacher might have kept from her.

"Matters involving the King are dangerous, Mina," Dara said, her voice firm. "And you must be careful even speculating on the Crown's involvement in Fiona's end. We are not strong enough to stand against the Empire and therefore have no power to make accusations." She paused as if she wanted to say more, but in the end, she merely shook her head. "Sometimes it is better to remain quiet and avoid trouble," Dara concluded.

Mina nodded silently, trying to absorb Dara's words and the combination of resentment and fear she noted in the woman's tone. She watched as the priestess stared at her for a moment longer, perhaps wondering if there was more Mina was not revealing, but then Dara merely sighed, dropping the subject of the King.

"As I was saying," the woman continued, "the morning after the funeral there will be a Council meeting, calling as many members of the General assembly as can attend on such short notice. Manna will name you officially as Fiona's successor. The High Priestess will arrive soon as well. When she does, she and the Elder Nita will seal the ordination before the Seven, and then you will brought to Sithrah to swear your oaths to the Initiate." Again the woman gave Mina a concerned glance. "I know this is much to take in."

Mina nodded, continuing to wonder what she was supposed to do as she listened to the priestess's words, what she was supposed to feel. Fiona had raised her since she was very young and Mina only had vague recollections of her real parents. She had been one of ten children. Most of the snippets of memories she maintained of her family were set in a small cabin crowded with bodies, noise, and general commotion.

She remembered that her mother had always smelled of flour but that they had seldom had enough bread to eat, that she used to watch as her more rambunctious siblings ran through the fields around their home, focusing on their thin frames as they played and laughed. Mina remembered being too shy and quite to join them.  She thought she remembered love, but it was so long ago and maybe it was just a fantasy her mind had created. She was only four after all when she left her birthplace after all. Too young to remember properly.

Still, Mina had a distinct recollection of the day the Elder Nita came to her home. She'd hidden behind her mother's skirts as the old woman stared at her with eyes that seemed to peer into her very soul. She remembered even more clearly the day not long after, when Nita Amoral had come to take her away. The day her family had abandoned her.

A call from the Initiate was perhaps the best thing a girl of Mina's origins could hope for. At least that's what she imagined her family thought. When they heard the news that Fiona had chosen their daughter as the next in line to inherit the role of Nita they were likely elated, more than willing to give her away. One less child was one less mouth to feed. Perhaps they had hopes that one day Mina's good fortune would find it's way back to the family once she was ordained. But they had never sent correspondences or done anything at all to reach out to her. Since that day, Mina had been raised in Fiona's home, training for her future position among the Senmin.

It had not been an unpleasant life. She had wanted for nothing and yet, she had had a very lonely childhood. Fiona, while never cruel, had always been distant. The two had had mutual respect for each other but not much beyond that. Mina realized Fiona's death left her feeling more lost than grieved. After all, how could she shed tears for one that she barely knew? In spite of living under her roof for nearly twelve years, Fiona had been, in so many ways, a stranger.

Dara's voice brought her from her thoughts. "Mina?" She said. 

Mina was embarrassed to realize that the priestess had been speaking but she had no idea what the woman might have said. "Forgive me, priestess," she responded. "I...I am still trying to process... I."

"Perhaps you should rest," Dara said kindly. "I know this comes as quite a shock." Mina shook her head.

"I'm alright," she said. "Please, make yourself at home. You must be tired from your journey. I will prepare you a bed and some food." Mina hoped that routine tasks might help her mind catch up to reality. She couldn't imagine being to rest now anyway, not with the thoughts that swirled in her head.

Dara looked at her quizzically, probably trying to divine her mental state. But Mina herself wasn't even certain how she felt, the myriad emotions in her all swirling together, too complicated to tease out . She wondered what the woman saw in her expression. Did she think her cold to not shed tears? It wasn't her intention. She was genuinely sad that her teacher was gone. The whole situation simply felt too surreal to even process.  But after a moment, the woman smiled softly and nodded her head. 

"Thank you," Dara said. "Know this Mina Krin, the Initiate will do everything it can to help and support you."

Mina nodded.

Together, the two cooked and ate in silence. Dara was entirely unobtrusive. Mina knew that the woman must assume she was grieving. That was fine. The silence gave her time to think. In her mind she prayed to the God above. She prayed for him to allow her to awaken. For her soul to feel something. Above all, she prayed for the strength to embody her new position as the leader of the Senmin people, the role she had prepared for her entire life.

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So...thoughts on Mina? I personally find it interesting to delve into her head. She's been on the periphery for so much of this book (and unfortunately doesn't get much more of a role until book 2), but she HAS been a part of the story. That's why I included this chapter. She exists, and not just as a prop Fiona and Manna used to achieve their goal. She is a real person. Thoughts on her reaction to Fiona's death?

 I personally find it interesting that Mina is a girl Karina has idealized ( as we have seen previously), thinking that she was perfect, the clear choice for Fiona's successor. She envied her poise, her grownup demeanor, and her trip to Sithrah...but we as the reader know that Mina isn't going to get the future she has been promised. More than that, we see that she gave up her whole childhood in preparation for that role that Manna and Fiona never intended for her to fill :-( A lonely childhood with a distant teacher...POOR MINA!

 Anyhoo next chapter will bring yet another new POV ( hey two characters are dead so I have to add some new voices to take their place;-)). Of course this next POV character is really no stranger...A Caleb chapter will be released on fri.