"What is so wrong with the taint, miss?"

Rina met the gaze of the slim girl who sat wriggling on her chair, one scrawny arm outstretched to the beamed ceiling above, her hazel eyes wide. At eight years of age, Safiya was unusually young to have started her cycles. An innocent child. Still, the Magisterium considered her a woman now. A potential threat. It was Rina's job to find a way to make Safiya understand their people's penance, and prevent her from doing anything that would put herself, or others at risk.

Smiling her most reassuring and confident smile, Rina walked down the centre of the long room, her boots tapping against the aged limestone tiles as the weight of twenty-seven sets of eyes rested upon her, waiting.

She bit her lip, considering how to phrase her words. Teenagers were much easier to speak to. Exhausted after a long day in the field, workshop, or infirmary, learning what, if any talents, they possessed, the rest of their time spent daydreaming about what man they would be paired with, or if they would be lucky enough to be sent to Nebia. With how they could escape Amadore for all the wonders that city was said to hold. To perhaps meet Mai. They didn't take much convincing. Younger girls, however, she'd learned they could be as stubborn as her uncle.

A nervous churning began in Rina's stomach at the thought. Pietro grew more and more outspoken with each day, and those whispered meetings he held at her house, she knew they were no good. Despite her hissed warnings, he continued. It was only a matter of time until the Magisterium cracked down, and when it did, she would be there to save him—as she had been unable to save her parents all those years ago.

A throat cleared. Rina blinked. Not knowing what to say, her mouth suddenly grew dry. This was only the fourth group of girls she'd taught. No, women—they were young women now. Their breasts were still forming, and their hips were not yet rounded. Yet each was here because their cycles had begun. The time had come for them to know their history and prevent future death and destruction and heartbreak.

She stopped before Safiya and crouched down to meet her eyes, noting the flecks of green and keen intelligence. Rina's voice hitched as she said, "The taint caused the Devastation. Arkis, High Mage of Denea, and the other mages used it to leech the land. He lost his mind, dragging our race to the edge of extinction, slaughtering thousands and thousands of Eurans, and their king, Mai's uncle.

A hush fell, heavy as mid-winter snow. It did every time Rina shared the Denese shame. Fingers of red evening light reached through the lead-glass windows and stretched across the room, painting a pink slash across Safiya's face. The snap of blazing wood from the fireplace made Rina flinch, and a yellow streak raced across her vision, then disappeared as quick as it had come. She rubbed her eyes and focused.

"After what our people took from Mai, after the evil that runs in our blood, Mai still found the survivors and brought them here, to Eurora. He gave us a home. That is why we must learn to manage the taint."

Rina's hand reached out and brushed a lock of thick brown hair behind the girl's ear, then moved to her sternum, touching the hard lump of crystal recently sewn beneath the skin.

"It hurts, Rina."

"I know. You will feel pain for a time, but soon it will heal, and the crystal will become a comfort."

"I want it gone, " Safiya sobbed.

One side of Rina's mouth twitched up. "Of course you do—so did I. But we must remember, the crystals protect us. Without them, we'd put Eurora at risk. Part of becoming a woman is forsaking yourself to Mai, and our crystals enable us to do this."

"What about the boys?"

"The men have one too. It's just—we are more unstable."

"Why?"

Rina's cheeks blushed. She remembered having a similar conversation herself, five years before with Martha. Remembered the shock and pangs of guilt and shame. The heated face, the cold chest and tight fists. Yet it had been enough to keep her safe.

"The taint can be triggered by extreme emotions. Within a week or so of your bleeding, you may notice you're quick to anger or tears."

Murmurs sounded. From the corner of her eye, Rina caught dark-haired heads nodding.

"We must release this bitter energy, using our crystals as a conduit, to ensure that we do not endanger—"

"That doesn't seem fair!"

Safiya's mouth snapped shut at a glare from Rina.

"Rina?" said another girl in a tentative voice.

Tia was three years older than Safiya—a better time to come to womanhood. Far less reckless. Less likely to find herself in trouble.

"Yes, Tia?"

"Why does the forsaking make me so tired?"

Standing, Rina continued her way around the room, puffs of white forming before her mouth as she wrapped her cloak tighter about her. "When we open ourselves to Mai, he removes any possible germination of the taint. It means he must take more than what we offer him. Just as a medic may take more than the gangrenous flesh to stop blood poisoning."

A few faces blanched, but most of the heads bobbed.

"I heard Mai doesn't even exist," said a new voice.

The long, sallow face of an adolescent sitting at the back of the room, close to the crackling fire, was familiar, but Rina could not place her. More Denese lived in Amadore than any other settlement in Eurora. It was to be expected she wouldn't know them all.

Her chest clenched as she approached the sullen figure. "Who told you that?"

The girl looked down at her slender hands and pressed her lips together.

Yes, shut your mouth, stubborn child. The words were treason. Treason had a price. One that came to a person's home late at night and dragged them to the citadel. A price that ended in the mines of Hypat in the Devastation, or the gallows. And though Rina's greatest wish was for a world where her people were no longer feared and ostracised, the thought of Mai doubted—or worse, betrayed—made her blood boil.

She shook her head and let the warmth flow from her body as she had been instructed, as she was teaching her students to do, willing herself to calm.

"He lives in Nebia and has much work to do there. Magister Media is Mai's representative. She speaks for him and does his will."

Safiya fidgeted in her seat. "I still don't understand why Mai must take the taint. If it's so bad, and he takes it, what does that make him?"

Rina would need to speak to the girl's parents. Were she not careful, one day she might find herself on a ship sailing the Passage of Shadows.

Sighing, Rina made her way to the head of the room and leaned against a desk, her hands gripping the chipped wood as she addressed the girls. "The taint is like the seed of the Sakaya vine. Planted in barren soil, it is harmless. But should we plant it in a fertile field and water it, what would happen?"

Someone gasped. Another said, "It could kill someone!"

"Just so." Pushing herself off the desk, Rina clasped her hands behind her back and circled the room again. "Passion makes our souls fertile. As women, our moon's blood makes us doubly so. Mai plucks away any sprouts of growth. We give him our passion, and the taint remains dormant."

Almost every head in the room nodded.

"But if we don't, if we betray Mai and give into our base urges to consume or hoard power, what could happen?"

"The—the mubash might..." Tia's shaking words trailed off as the colour drained from her face.

The mubash were legend. A deadly black serpent that grew within the most tainted Denese like a parasite, taking over their minds and consuming them from the inside out before leaving their hosts dead bodies. They had been the terror of Old Denea.

"Yes," said Rina, her tone grave. "At worst, if the Taint went unchecked within us, the mubash might return and pose a risk to all.

"But Mai and the Magisterium are merciful. There is a purpose in our lives. We Denese, we each have gifts." As she spoke, she held the gazes of each young face in turn. "The gift of working metal, or stone. Weaving tapestries and bringing a canvas to life with paint. Of knitting bone and stitching skin or nurturing life from the earth to feed Eurora. We are blessed to have the opportunity to discover and harness them."

The girls nodded, their almond-shaped eyes sincere.

"Life, the world, may not be fair. At the same time, it comes with many small blessings. The key is to open your eyes to them."

The room continued to cool with the dying of the day. Rina returned to the fire, catching a glint in the dark eyes of the sallow-faced girl. She positioned her back to the blaze, her palms facing it and imagined the flames leapt higher, a hint of woodsmoke tickling her nose.

Understanding her cue, the girls left their chairs and made their way to the closet and withdrew cushions of various shapes and sizes. They set them in a circle and sat, waiting until Rina lowered herself to her own and, now sweating from the sudden heat, helped them to let go of their pain and fear and suffering. 

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A/N: Thank you again for reading. If you enjoyed this chapter, please support my writing by voting. Constructive criticism is the biggest gift you can give a writer. If you saw any areas for improvement or enjoyed anything in particular, please leave a comment to let me know. If something didn't make sense, please tell me. Most importantly, I'd love to know if this chapter felt like it had a sufficient hook. And if you prefer to remain a silent reader, thank you too!

Banner art 'Medieval Hall Paint Study' by STDrex on DeviantArt

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Dedicated to LnDscripts for your friendship, support and encouragement. And for making me gush at the love you have for your wife and children. And for making me blush at your poems about curvy ladies 😻