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August 25, 2004
Find Him...
It is the hour before dawn; the darkness hanging on dearly for its last respite, not yet willing to yield control to the light. In the house on the hill there has been no sleep this evening. Instead there has been a meeting of the minds and circle after circle has been cast. The ever-faithful Nikola and Mandolus have been here the entire night, assisting Her when requested and offering their own strength in will as She goes about her task. Coyote is here as well, the Trickster who set the ball in motion. The room is charged with energy as the Tabernacle Priests maintain a soft chant of prayer to Morakai. Tonight has been about work.
"There is one thing we have left to try. I admit to not wanting to go this route, I'm not sure I'll be happy with what I see but this seems to be the only way to handle this. Yes, Nikola. I do understand. The orb is not eternal, to use it this way is to drain it of what it has left before fully understanding what it is. Coyote, if you wouldn't mind parting with your toy for a moment?" Snorting at her sarcasm, Coyote flicks the orb in her direction. Catching it with a smirk she stares into it, looking at the opalescence. "There really is nothing to be considered. I'm going to make use of this thing, even drained of its energy it makes a wonderful *coughs* dog toy. What use is it to have a home full of virgin trinkets if they can serve an actual purpose?"
With eyes honed in on the statue of Morakai in the corner of the room, She sits in the circle and rolls the orb back and forth between Her hands. Chanting softly, She looks from the statue into the orb, asking to be granted the gift of visions for a moment so that he may be found.
At first, nothing. Only the murky interior of the orb as it rolls across the floor. Nothing, it seems like an hour when in fact it has been only a few minutes. All eyes are glued to the orb and the melodic chanting seems to grow louder. Patient and skilled, She sits and watches, unblinking. Quietly She speaks, "Lord Morakai, my Father and my Deity. I ask that you grant me access to the energies of this Orb. I ask that you allow me to see where it is he has gone to and what his state of mind is. It would mean a great deal to your daughter if you would find it within you to grant me what I ask..."
The murky nothing lingers a moment longer and then seems to split down the middle like curtains as an image appears. The orb no longer seems a small ball, the image inside is large and clear. She is caught off guard, a small gasp escaping from Her lips. Coyote stands to the side, his tail swishing quickly back and forth as he contemplates what trickery is afoot and even the unfaltering Tabernacle Priests seem intrigued. "Nikola, Mandolus," She whispers as if afraid of chasing the image away, "Is that what has become of him and what is he saying? Who is he talking to? What in the name of God and Goddess has happened to him?"
The image in the orb is a disturbing one. A male figure walks through what appears to be a world of nothing. A flat landscape decorated with horrific cries from unseen sources and a frenzied chaotic feel to the air. What would look to the untrained eye to be whirling clouds of dust or sand are recognised by the skilled immediately as scattered auras, trapped essences in a bad place.
The figure at first seems to be deeply engrossed in a heated conversation, his eyes blaze and his motions are strong. It takes a moment to realise there is no one there with him. Bits of his words can be made out, sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two and .. "Is he counting? Nikola, look closely please. He appears to be counting an endless count..." The Priest stares into the orb, sixty-four and sixty-four are one-twenty-eight, the count continues. "Look in his eyes, he's fighting a battle of some sort regardless of whether we see anyone there. This is bad, my friends. This is very bad. I've read of this place in the Annals, his being sent here was akin to a mental death sentence. He hasn't been beaten yet though, there is something cohesive in the counting."
He continues his walk, wings beating furiously and then stopping dead still, his gait steady and tenuous at the same time. One-thousand-twenty-four and one-thousand-twenty-four are two-thousand-forty-eight... Silence followed by a flash of rage in his eyes followed by a look of despair, both come and go in the blink of an eye..
"Enough! I can't watch this anymore, I can't stand to look at him like that! Thank you, God Morakai, for allowing me to glimpse into the heart of darkness and see the horror. It angers me, it saddens me, it bloody well disturbs me!" Looking away from the orb She scans the eyes of those in the room and sees agreement in all. There never really was any question at all.
"You have to find him, Nikola. Take Mandolus and a Dominion sentinel, all will be well within the Tabernacle. Zayne is learning quickly, this will be a good test of what he has picked up. The lore will be recorded. I don't care how long it takes or who you might have to slaughter on the way, Dominion will be paid their usual fee and they won't disappoint." With that, She passes a hand over the orb and the image is no more and the murky interior has returned. Shaking Her head sadly as She rises from the circle, She tosses the orb back to Coyote and looks at Her Priests.
"There ya go, Dog. Nikola, Mandolus. I ask of and entrust to you a great favour and a task. I ask that you and a Dominion sentinel go and find him. Enter the netherworld of chaos and find him. I ask that you remain clear of purpose and mind in this world of chaos and are able to withstand its pull. I ask that once you find him you bring him back here immediately, if necessary by force. I understand if he has to be subdued, we don't know what his state of mind is. This is not right, this is not what he is meant for. Go. Find him and bring him home."
Walking over to the Priests, She kisses each of them on the mouth and whispers a few ancient words of safety to them. "Be safe, my Priests. Be safe and find him. Please."
to be continued
Posted by Strega at August 25, 2004 08:02 PM