A Castrovel Adventure: Part 4, Chapter 36

In which Lady Vaeol and Vosaeth consider the Retaean practice of skull-gathering.

From the Daylog of Vaeol-Zheieveil Yaranevae be’Son

14. Ashelae, 24,544 - Leiss Farmhold
Today Vosaeth and I went into the city, though Remaue stayed behind to cook, making Kaure shieldbearer. With her, Leief, and Eneash we incame the gate, overrode the bridge, and waited on Her Highness Lady Zhaene. While we sat a late breakfast and overtalked word from Son, a din stirred the street below. From the window we beheld freightbearers and crafters ahalt and talking wildly. Her Highness called down and asked the news. A Korasha answered: ~Deim shoaldu!~ - A skull had been found!
At this word, an odd unsoothness overtook. I had heard of skulls my whole life, from the Thief-Queens’ yoretales and the awful fright they outboded. Yet to have one outcome in forsooth life proved more than I could reckon, much less the weight. Less shaken showed Vosaeth, who scowled, and Her Highness, who straightway deemed we must go to the Matrons’ Hall, where surely more news would be found. So yaysaid, we donned bodyshrouds, shouldered our babes, and headed astreet.
At the Matrons’ Hall, along with no few matrons we found Her Highness Lady Vifaul in fellowship with a match of teamsters and Oaraush a watch-reeve, along with another warrior, who misgivingly held a board. On it lay a skull, stark in its forlorn fleshlessness, though someone had take time to bind its jaw from falling off. The matrons yelled frightfully, moreso from the skull’s showforth within the hall, and claimed it besmirched hallowness. At last Her Highness bade stillness, and then the warrior to withdraw the skull to the wardenstall. Then she bade the tale heard.
Quoth the teamsters, two housemates Auf and Reaf by name, they had came this aftermorn from Hass Farmhold lying south of the city. Where the lakeshore road meets the moorland highway they had found the skull set upon a stake. They had straightway run to the stronghold and bewared the Watch, whereat Watchreeve Oaraush had led a bow-troop thither, had stricken the stake, and had brought the skull back until now. He told the troop had found footswathes and Shota clawmarks on the road, which had income through the shorewood from the moor’s way.
After the tale, the matrons yelled shamefulness from this deed, how it could happen (which forsoothly was easy, for a small Shota-troop can easily steer from the moors through the shorewood as the watch-reeve bespoke). They also shrilled who might be so madly heathen, so bloody-minded, to leave such an evil token. Yet I unheeded their wrath. In sick enthralldom I could not help staring at the skull, its empty eyes and nose, its naked teeth. Dreadfully I wondered who this had been.
As if she shared my thought, Vosaeth outspoke the matrons must give reck of whose skull this is. ~Retaea diya trirra dorealara,~ - “The Retaea do not take nameless heads,” she outlaid, and that the person who had left this head wished its name known. When Her Highness warned we know not the name, my oath-sister answered: ~Yei o’illi-tei zhehim,~ - “Then we are under will to learn it,” and outlaid that the skull’s name will become clear. Then Vosaeth left the hall so swiftly the matrons marked her leavelessness.
I and Kaure soon followed, where we found her, Leief, and Eneash saddling her Shotalashu to come back to the farmhold, whereat we chose to go with. My fierce oath-sister was overtaken with a need to cleave our housemates, and I feared moreso by further need to find her mother’s clan. We together rode back hither, though for the first while wallowed in our shed thoughts, which for my share trendled on the skull and Vosaeth’s foretelling that the unknown skull’s name would come forth, which made me unwithholdingly wonder who. The skull’s sight itself, a stark nightmare, floated unforgetfully in my mind, fretting not only me, but little Aeosel upon my breast. Sonnauf in Vosaeth’s arms fussed, too, though from the same reason or whatever else angered his mother I knew not. 
I overthought what I knew of skull-gathering, both of its dreadful history back home in Son and among the Retaea, whence the wont had stemmed. At last I broke the stillness and asked whether this was proof of a wrack-slaughter. Vosaeth grimly answered yes. Someone nameworthy has died, she added, whom she doubted not linked to the ongoing war. Her fear stemmed from worry it might be her kin or clan: her mother, a sister, or any worthy Miniada headwife or elder. Retaea take skulls only as great wrack-stroke, she outlaid, for though they believe the skull bequeathes the dead soul’s mightiness to the bearer, the deed’s dreadfulness likewise mars them. Though a hero or clanwife will take her gathered skulls to her gravebed, many skulls’ ownership is still reckoned evil, even among these heathen folk who began this wont.
~Ve distimi deimura thadaf,~ she said haltingly: “I have never taken a skull,” but then added: ~...o’veari,~ - “yet”.
I knew she was thinking of Byreath, of their long-festering feud that had blown into this war, of her fear that the skull even now sitting amid the matrons’ hall might be kin or clanmate who had died by her foe’s hand or word, and that any blend of these deeds would, in the Retaea’s reckonship, make right to take Byreath’s head in blood-geld. Given the forehap, she would be hardly put not to try. That thought, however, and sundrily matched with this curse-deed upshowing at Lea’s front gate, unsettled me more than I could easily put to word.
At length, with some hardship, I asked whether she knew what the skull meant to me. Vosaeth shortly nodded. ~Shaveraze~, she answered: “The Thief-Queens.”
The Thief-Queens had borne skulls as their mightiness’s token. It had elderly grown from the same feud-wont. Yet Queen Berelezh had twisted it to a new wise when she slew Queen Aiahil, Son’s last Sage-Queen and burned her body upon the Ofu. Then she had hung Aiahil’s skull from her saddle to frightfully awe the overcome cityfolk. As more cities and their queens had fallen, she had added to her gathership, silvergelded them, and bequeathed them as heirlooms. The Thief-Queens’ warriors had set skulls upon their flags, a token of fear and hatred that had flown over the Yaro Strath for seven thousand years. Those skull’s bereaval and burial within the Foremothers’ Hollow had hallmarked a great rightenship as the Time of the Thief-Queens wallowed to an end.
Vosaeth shrove the skull-curse had doubtlessly been left before Lea with the Thief-Queen’s harkness forewilled, which brought to mind her earlier word that Byreath wished to become a Thief-Queen in right, take up their elder drighthood, and instill dread as they had done. I also thought that, though the Thief-Queens’ heirloom lies heavily on the Retaea, where it strikes most fear among the cities, in which sake, its meaningfulness might almost be meant for us. In answer, my oath-sister had an else thought. ~Reori hishi oyei karaye,~ - “Another reason she must die,” she outspoke.

15. Ashelae, 24,544 - Leiss Farmhold
We believe we know the skull’s name staked before Lea’s gate, which is so woeful even as unforelooked. At forenoon, a wordbode came with word that a Miniada rider had come to the city, and brought news of a great fight that had happened upon the moors. Her Highness Lady Vifaul bade us come to the Matrons’ Hall. Worriedly we donned bodyshrouds, upsteeded, and with babes in arm and housemates ahost rode into the city.
When we reached the Hall, we found Her Highness Lady Vifaul, a handful of matrons, and Miarezh, a Miniada outrider and Vosaeth’s clanmate. She had even ridden her Shotalashu right into the Hall, which crouched on quivering legs and drooping head. Miarezh looked almost so bad: eyes and cheeks hollow, forwhy she told she had ridden the last three days and nights sleeplessly to bring the news. 
Then Miarezh told a fell warfare had befallen upon the moors. Byreath and the Zhihuafa had stricken Clan Aloaha, to much death and loss. Even worse, Lady Zhorofi their clanwife was slain.
A dread stillness overtook the Hall after Miarezh outlaid the Aloaha’s loss, how outlivers had fled and been found by the Miniada and other clans. I reminded Lady Zhorofi, the kindly eldest clanwife who had overstood the Blighttide Clanmoot, who had tried to deal peace among the feuding clans. Something utterly evil underboded as I tried to reckon what behoof the Zhihuafa might take from this misdeed, forwhy any clan that had not already been arailed against the Zhihuafa now surely would so become.
My thought eyesomely beglanced the matrons in the hall. Her Highness bowed head and overdrew her bodyshroud’s fold. Then she outquoth Lady Zhorofi had been a worthy clanwife, and Lea has lost a friend. She called the priesthood who had already gathered (doubtlessly from another wordbode) and asked that the bells ring, and hymn be sung to both Green-Mother and Father-Sky in the Retaea wise. Then she asked the matrons that the market shut and that they sit wake with her until Treesong. The matrons yaysaid to call the whole matronhood and shall put forth to do allwise they can to help Lady Zhorofi cleave the World-Soul and set the slain Aloaha at peace. Then with heads likewise shrouded, we followed Her Highness and the priesthood to the temple, where we knelt before the Goddess’s stonelikeness, sang, and began the wake.
Though none spoke, I knew we all had the same thought: the skull staked before Lea’s gate is Lady Zhorofi’s. While we sang the death-hymn, a priest incame bearing a shellwork box and brought it to the stair leading down to the undercroft, which I misdoubt held the wantsome skull, and where it will stay worshipfully until the matrons deem a worthy end. Only Zhorofi would have enough stallworth to bemean such grim behavior, though what misdeed might make sake flees the mind. From Vosaeth’s thought, I got thought that Byreath might have beheld it merely as a hap for a bold stroke. If so, then Lady Zhorofi and her clanmates have died merely so that the Zhihuafa might strike fear into her foes and awe to her few outstanding allies. In answer, hatred hardens.
Tonight we came late to the farmhold and have done little but share the evil news and hug our housemates. Yet one thing we have done. With Vosaeth’s and Mirazael's yaysaith, we have set blazes upon the treeyard’s edges and a watch upon the treetop. True that Byreath may sorely wish our slaughter, though she already had forehap and had lost. We have met her warriors, some whomof even now camp with us, and withstood. We will not forsake our worthy host and kin. If the Zhihuafa come, we shall be ready.

Lashunta Terms & Phrases:

• ~Deim~ (animal): skull
• ~Retaea~ (common): moor; savannah; The Retaea Moorlands
• ~Ve~ (feminine): I; we; 1st-person exclusive
• ~o'Veari~: still; yet. Adverbial clause
• ~Shaveraze~ (feminine): Thief-Queen; the Thief-Queens
• ~Reori~ (spiritual): reason; purpose