PART ONE: THE BUSHLAND

Chapter Five- Love Potion

The next morning, Sisi was recovering in the patient’s hammock of Wiseherder’s great tent. The old shaman had carried her back and cared for her condition all through the night. She finally came to, just as the sun rose over the highest bushes. She seemed clear eyed, as she smiled at Wiseherder.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes. I’ve had a wonderful dream.”

“Really…”

“It was prophetic.”

“Indeed. You were still channeling, child. What was the subject?”

“Love.” She smiled, “I know what I must do now, to save the tribe.”

“Yes?”

“I need your most powerful draught. I must begin my courtship.”

“Haha! That is good news.” The elder widely grinned with patchwork teeth, “Right away, my dear.” The tribe had been waiting for their beautiful priestess to enter marriage. This would help to complete her final passage to High Matriarch, and also put pressure on Orion to find his queen chieftain. Until the siblings both married, the tribe’s governing system was incomplete. Not since their parents had died of the terrible illness from the pale meat, had the tribe been whole. It was already past the time in which the elders had expected the process to have unfolded.

The only questions now, were whether Sisi’s vision was of Gobi or Hara… and when Orion would recover from the loss of Bibji, to choose another partner for the great love spell of the chief. It was terrible that the mooncats had taken her. Wiseherder had already prepared his elixir for Bibiji:

* 12 parts humulus flowers, aged in an open clay jar of south-flowing river water for one moon cycle

* 8 parts kalibachus flowers, hang-dried for eight days and sprinkled into the jar for a half moon cycle

* 1 part dried sap of the pop flower

* 3 parts clover secretion of the striped Buzz Faerie hut

* 2 parts nectar of the white cactus flower

* 2 parts rotten tree fruit, aged for 12 days and juiced into a separate clay jar, mixed with five crushed jeho leaves

* The tip of a unicorn horn, finely ground, and added when the two jars are mixed on the final day of the moon cycle.

The jar was then sealed with Swifthorn hide and preserved until the night of courtship. Luckily for Sisi, Wiseherder had already prepared this for Orion, who likely wouldn’t be using it in the immediate future. Otherwise, Sis would have to wait up to an entire sun cycle for the shaman and his acolytes to gather and age all the necessary ingredients, particularly the unicorn horn.

Unicorns were very elusive, and even more dangerous than mooncats. They have been known to charge like the great bull gods, and could grow even larger and more violent. Their horns could grow to the length of a man’s arm, their skin was a grey hardened armour, they had the beak of a giant raptor, the speed of horses and the hooves and tails of the great mammoths. Many acolytes and even shamans have died in an attempt to retrieve the precious horn, which was the most essential ingredient of the love potion.

Wiseherder decided it was best to give Sisi the potion. Orion may take a long path to grieve for Bibiji, who was a true love. The tribe needed some good news, and the next best thing to Orion choosing a queen, would be Sisi choosing her mate, who would become the High Warrior of the tribe. Wiseherder had always possessed great intuition, and he was pretty sure that Hara would be the choice. He was extremely close to Sisi and they had been great friends since the age of three. There were rumours that they had even been seen kissing by some tribes-folk more than once. Besides, apart from Orion, Hara was the best hunter and strongest fighter. They would make an excellent match.

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