CHAPTER XIV
DIVINE MADNESS
Merri landed in Orga. Still suffused with power, she began
smashing through the jungle, uprooting trees and crushing
boulders with equal ease. There was no telling how long she
continued like that, searching the island for something--even she
never really understood what--and destroying everything in her
path. Eventually, however, the rush of energy began to fade,
ever so slightly at first, until finally she stopped uprooting
trees and began to simply go around them. Her body still
radiated the vibrancy the Stones gave her, but the aura around
her no longer acted of it's own accord. The madness, however,
still gripped her, driving her to dash furiously through the
jungle. Creatures who would ordinarily consider her prey glanced
questioningly in her direction, then turned to seek other, less
dangerous meals.
Merri continued running, heedless. She didn't stop until
she realized, dimly, far down in what remained of her rational
thought, that she had left the jungle. She took in her
surroundings. She was suddenly aware that there had been a
rhythmic music that she'd been following, and that it had
stopped, which was what drew her concious attention to it. She
stood in the middle of a village, among a crowd of humans, who
were glancing at her fearfully. Several of them began speaking
in a harsh, guttural language. Merri was surprised to find that
she understood them perfectly. They were calling for the chief
to come deal with a death-spirit that had interrupted a ceremony.
Merri's wits slowly began to gather again, and she came to the
startled conclusion that she was the death-spirit to which they
referred. Then their chief arrived, a gargantuan ogre wielding a
club about the size and thickness of Merri's legs. He made it
quite obvious, even to Merri's dim thinking, that he wanted a
fight. Merri grinned, her madness returning with a vengeance,
the Stones responding to her instinctive demand for their power.
The ogre attacked first, swinging his massive club in a wide
arc, catching Merri full in the side, battering her. It might as
well have struck a mountainside. Merri responded by grabbing the
club as it struck her. The ogre tried to pull his club free, but
Merri had a vice-like grip on it. Merri laughed, and jerked the
weapon out of his grasp. With a casual thought, Merri ignited
the wooden bludgeon, and cast it aside. Merri drew her sword,
the energy coursing through her sending sparks and arcs of
lightning across it's blade. The ogre, more intelligent than
most of it's kind, realized that it's defeat was imminent and ran
from the village. Merri, still laughing maniacally, sheathed her
sword and turned to face the villagers.
The villagers fell as one to their knees, bowing before her.
She stopped laughing, puzzled. A toothless man in an elaborate
headdress came forward and genuflected, babbling about how sorry
he was, how sorry they all were, for whatever crime had summoned
her. He promised her that he would make appeasement, sacrificing
whomever her wrathfulness should choose. Somewhere deep in the
recesses of her mind it occurred to her that they thought she was
a goddess, a spirit-being of some kind, sent to visit vengeance
upon them. Her lunatic grin widened. She appraised the man, who
trembled beneath her gaze, and ordered him to follow.
She quickly located the chieftain's hut, following the smell
of an ogre's dwelling. Turning to the toothless priest, she
ordered the hut destroyed, and a more suitable dwelling erected
for her. The villagers hastened to comply, and the priest
suggested that her greatness might be more comfortable awaiting
the completion of her new dwelling in his hut, which he would
humbly vacate for the duration. Merri lashed out at him for
speaking, backhanding him across his face, throwing him to the
ground with a whiplashed spine. She stalked over and relieved
him of his headdress. She scanned through the village, and drew
a young woman forth from a nearby hut. Summoning the young lady
to her, she crowned her with the headdress, declaring her to be
the new priestess. She asked her name. The woman, her head
bowed, answered.
"Jenna, O merciful one." Merri smiled.
"Then you, Jenna, will be my Champion, who acts in my name,
for that is the Way of Gods among mortals. You will obey me, or
I shall visit my wrath upon you all." The villagers once again
fell to their knees, praising her. She turned to her new
priestess again. "Do you know my name, mortal?" Jenna nodded
hesitantly.
"I know you, mighty Aeshma, spirit of anger, who stalks
these forests as the great panther."
"You please me, Daughter. Tell me all you know of me."
Jenna related all of the legends of Aeshma, spirit of war and
punishment, justice and revenge. Merri listened, taking the
primitive lore to heart. When the recitation of legends was
finished, Merri praised her new follower. "You have indeed
pleased me this day. Receive now a mark of my power!" Merri
reached out and laid her hand on Jenna's forehead while she stood
transfixed, and sent her power flowing through the other woman's
body, bringing new vitality and beauty to her, and leaving a red
mark on her cheek, the sign of a panther's paw. She withdrew her
hand and her force from Jenna, who then shuddered and fell to her
knees, not out of obeisance but because her legs would no longer
support her. "By this sign, I bestow upon you my power and
authority. Let all respect it!"
So saying, Merri lifted her new spokeswoman, and carried her
back into her hut, shutting the door behind her. Merri laid
Jenna out on a cot, and sat back to await her awakening and the
completion of the new dwelling. Time passed, night fell, but
construction continued unabated and Jenna did not stir. The
light of morning was creeping over the horizon when the hut was
finished. Had Merri thought of it, she would have been surprised
that she felt no need for sleep. As it was, she merely accepted
it as part of her new status as a goddess. She opened her
scarred hand, which ached momentarily from being clasped shut for
hours on end, and discovered that the Stones she had been holding
were embedded in her skin at three points of the sextagram,
forming a semi-circle. She flexed her hand and was contented to
find that having three sharp objects lodged in her palm was not
causing her any pain, and she was pleased that she would not need
to keep her hand closed anymore.
Jenna finally woke when the light from the window reached
her. She looked around, feeling somewhat uncertain about the
events she recalled from the day before. When she saw Merri
standing near her, however, all doubt fell away, and she made
haste to get up from her cot and praise her new patron. Merri
accepted this as no more than her due.
"Rise, woman, for there is much to be done this day." Jenna
did and Merri led her outside, to where the rest of the villagers
were putting the final touches on her new home. The hut was, by
the village standards, incredible. Merri took this into
account, and it was, indeed, more than she had expected. The hut
was a simple thatched affair like the rest, but it was decorated
with bones, teeth, claws, and pelts. Examining the skins, Merri
found something that drew the wrath of her newfound diefic
persona. Over the doorway was stretched the skin of a black
panther, in tribute to the legends ascribing that shape to her.
She turned to face the villagers, her eyes flashing death.
"Who has done this?" she demanded, "Who told you to defile
the sacred panther?" The villagers were quick to lay the blame
on the old priest, who, knowing the legends of Aeshma's wrath and
the consequences of arousing it, ran as fast as his aged legs
could carry him, trying to flee the village as the ogre had done.
Unfortunately, his legs weren't fast enough to outpace the black
panther chasing him, three glowing Stones set in it's forehead,
giving it's face something of a spider's look. Just as the
panther jumped to bring him down, the priest was whisked out of
harm's way, and Merri tumbled through empty air. Resuming her
human form, Merri stood to see what had spared the priest from
her vengeance. She found herself facing a tall woman, dark of
hair and eye, bearing a spear and clad in animal skins.
"Who are you, that dares interfere in my affairs?" Merri
demanded.
"I am Aeshma." was the woman's reply, "I have come for
what is mine."
"False fool! Pretender!" Merri challenged, "I am Aeshma!"
The other stepped forward, and they knew that the matter could
only be settled one way. The villagers had gathered at a far
distance, wanting to watch but unwilling to draw the attention of
either of the dueling spirits. Merri drew her sword, and with a
flicker of her will it became a spear, identical to the one the
other was wielding. Aeshma swung her spear, and Merri blocked
with hers, and the battle was joined.
The fight raged on for the better part of two days. They
first dueled with the spears, blocking and thrusting and dodging,
until it became obvious that neither possessed superior skill.
One of them became a panther, and the other soon followed suit,
and they battled in that manner for a time, circling and biting
and rolling, each managing to open wounds that would heal moments
later. When that combat proved indecisive, they changed form
again, taking to the air as hawks. Several hours and a menagerie
of shapes later, they returned to human form, grappling hand-to-
hand. This, too, proved to be inconclusive, and the two finally
fell back, gasping for breath and exhausted at last. After
recuperating for a few moments, they were at it again, neither
willing to admit defeat. One Aeshma finally proved herself the
victor, when she broke free of the other's grip and placed a
glowing hand on the others forehead. With an inhuman shriek, one
Aeshma was slowly drawn into the other, until only one remained.
She turned back to her followers.
"Thus die all who dare to defy me!" She cried. The
villagers cleared a path for her, and all stared downward for
fear of meeting her terrible gaze. She returned to her hut,
tearing the panther skin from above the door. Her eyes sought
and found the old priest, hiding in his home, huddled against the
corner cowering and desperately hoping that in the heat of battle
she had forgotten him. She had not. She called him, ordering
him to come out. When he did not, she brought her hands together
and then quickly brought them apart. As Aeshma drew her hands
apart, the hut was likewise divided, raining straw and timbers
onto the terrified priest. Though battered, the priest remained
alive. He stood, and turned to run, knowing that it was futile.
Aeshma threw out her hand, and he halted, frozen in mid-stride.
She called both the old priest and Jenna to her. Jenna came
willingly, but the old man still struggled to move away. Aeshma
spoke to him, her voice soft, calm, and deadly.
"Come here, Ulech. Do you fear that I will be unjust to
you? Come, you are wounded, come and I will heal your wounds."
Still he would not return. Extending her power, she seized
control of his limbs, moving him jerkily back towards her. "You
are foolish to try to escape my vengeance. Do you not know that
I will find you? There is nowhere to hide from me, no-one who
can protect you. But fear not, poor Ulech. My wrath is tempered
with justice. As I promised, I will heal you. You have taken
the life of a black panther, sacred to me. Since you have paid
so dearly for this skin, it seems only fitting that you should
wear it!" She threw the skin over the priest, who screamed in
agony, falling to the ground and writhing, his limbs twisting.
As he struggled, the skin seemed to stretch, until it completely
enveloped him. The screams gradually became snarls, and the skin
tightened around the thrashing form. Minutes later, a black
panther lay on it's side on the ground, hacking and retching. As
the villagers watched, unable to tear their eyes from the horror
before them, the animal that had been the priest coughed up,
slowly, painfully, mouthful after mouthful of bloody flesh. When
the last of it was coughed out, the panther lapsed mercifully
into unconsciousness.
Aeshma gathered up the bloody pulp, and called for water.
Handing the tangled mess to Jenna, she ordered her to clean it.
Jenna obeyed unhesitatingly, and, several buckets of water later,
she gasped in astonishment at what the cleaning revealed. Aeshma
ordered her to display it before the entire village. Even loyal
Jenna needed a moment to calm herself before lifting the creamy-
tan skin above her head. When all saw and recognized Ulech's
skin, Aeshma took it and placed it above her door, in the same
place the panther skin had recently occupied. She bent and
placed her hand on the panther's head, outlining his body with
blue for a brief moment, and the panther woke, and rose, slightly
unsteady, to it's feet.
"Thus I have fulfilled my promise. His body is now
perfectly healthy, young and full of life. Since he no longer
serves as priest, he will serve as my totem." Aeshma retired to
her new home, followed closely by the panther. Once inside, she
transformed the cot provided into a small yet luxurious bed.
Exhausted by her displays and the strain of the battle, she
removed her armor and clothing, fell into the bed, and slept for
the first time in days.
She found herself to be a hawk once again, flying high above
the jungle canopy. Tucking her wings, she plunged downward
through the dense branches and vines, landing as a panther on the
lower limbs of a massive tree. Leaping from tree to tree, she
made her way through the forest until she found what she had
sensed. She stared down at the robed traveler, who, feeling her
attention on him, turned his gaze upward. She showed her teeth
and hissed at him in warning, seeing that his eyes were twin
embers set in a field of midnight.
"Yes, I have returned." The deamon said, his voice rasping
and scratched, "Your powers are exhausted, your goddess no
longer protects you. I can...Ah!" He stopped as Aeshma pounced
on him, but her claws dug into empty cloth. She took a human
form and look around to find the deamon. She caught sight of
him, a leather-winged snake flying across the night sky.
Becoming a hawk once more, she took off in pursuit. She gained
ground on him quickly, and she almost had him when he suddenly
vanished and a cliff face appeared before her. Unable to swerve
quickly enough, she smashed into the cliff, and plummeted
downward toward the dense jungle below. She braced herself for
the impact...
...and slammed into her pillow. She jerked back, her pulse
racing and her breath coming in jagged heaves. The panther woke
at the sound, and padded quietly over. He gently brushed his
head against his mistress's hand, and she absently began to
stroke his sleek neck. She mused for a while on the meaning of
her dream. She didn't remember meeting the dark-robed one in her
time in the jungle, but he seemed to know her. She resolved to
pose the matter to Jenna in the morning. With that out of mind,
she lay down to return to her much-needed sleep, and the panther
curled itself up at the foot of the bed.
She woke the next morning completely refreshed, despite her
dream-visions. She looked at her armor, and wondered what had
possessed her to wear such bulky, ineffective protection, when
she could shield herself far better with the merest touch of her
powers. Gathering some of the pelts from the walls, she soon
fashioned more comfortable attire. She summoned Jenna with a
thought, and described her duties as priestess. Jenna would sit
in judgment, accept sacrifices of grain and meat, uphold the
village laws, and see to the education of the children. Any
matter that she could not resolve on her own would be brought
before Aeshma at sunset. Aeshma would protect the village,
roaming the forest. There would be no more chieftains, no more
rule by combat. When she was finished explaining this, Aeshma
related the dream-vision she'd been sent the night before.
"I saw this vision as well, revered Mother. Can it be that
the dark one is your father's son, Adad, he who brings the
darkness to obscure the sun, so that the very sky sheds the tears
that make the streams flow, he who wields the light-spears of the
heavens?"
"You may be right, my Daughter. Mayhap he seeks to
challenge my authority here. If that is so, then he will not go
uncontested, for though his is the power and fury of the storm,
mine is the strength of the forest, the power of tooth and claw.
Let him come. I will be waiting." Jenna bowed, and left to
arrange the establishment of a place of judgment. Shortly after
she left, a passing villager was startled by a hawk, which turned
a pair of soul-piercing eyes in his direction, and flew off in
the direction of the jungle. He had just recovered his composure
from that unsettling experience when a large black panther leapt
from the window of Aeshma's hut, following the hawk's path.
The days passed quickly, with Aeshma patrolling the forests
during the day and returning to the village at day's end,
settling disputes and passing judgment. Jenna proved to be a
capable leader, especially with Aeshma's authority behind her,
and the people were, if not happy, then at least no less content
than they had been. Aeshma found that she needed to sleep about
once a week, more or less depending on how she exerted herself.
Her sleep continued to be disturbed by the visions, which became
darker and more disturbing each time she slept. She changed her
habits from simply patrolling the forests to actively searching
for the dark visitor of her dreams. The first actual disturbance
of her order in the village, however, came from a far different
source.
Aeshma awakened from another nightmare to discover that her
visitation had not ended with her sleep. She found a tall robed
woman, radiating light, standing in her hut. Aeshma leapt out of
bed, instantly clothed and bearing her spear in her hand, her
black hair pulled back behind her where it would not interfere
with her fighting.
"If ye be my half-kin's minion, then ye may meet thy fate at
the point of my spear!" She challenged.
"Merrideth, I do not have time for this," The other deity
said, "I warned you against further blasphemy, but I never
considered that you would dare to go this far. So you think
yourself a goddess? Puny mortal, you do not have the faintest
idea what you are claiming."
"Foul-tongued wench!" Aeshma yelled, shaking the hut with
her fury, "Ye dare insult such as I? What manner of being be ye,
that speaks so to a goddess?"
"Merrideth, I grow weary of this. I have come to return you
to your senses. Your quest continues without you, but it cannot
be completed unless you come with me."
"I am going nowhere, jackal-spawn!" Shani finally lost her
patience, and the hut and the entire village shook with her rage.
"Stupid, ignorant mortal! If not for your quest, I would
leave you to rot here, with these barbarians and your familiars.
I should let Li-Ren-Ka, your so-called half-brother, wipe this
abomination of a village from the surface of the island." Now it
was Aeshma's turn to lose her temper, and, forgetting her spear
in the heat of her passion, she backhanded the goddess across the
face just as she had done to Ulech weeks earlier. The goddess
stood as though thunderstruck. "You dare to touch me, you
arrogant... I felt that!" Shani fell silent as the full
implications of this dawned upon her, for a god may not be
physically assaulted by anything of lesser stature. (Personally,
I think Shani should have caught on that something was amiss when
she noticed the changes in hair-color and dialect, but then, that
is but my own humble opinion.)
"Aye, foolish wench, mayhap that will teach ye to guard thy
tongue more wisely. Begone from this place, for it is mine, and
the likes of thee will not have it for thy sport!"
"I.. I.." Shani struggled to find something to say.
Already the red mark of Aeshma's hand on her cheek was beginning
to darken, and would likely form a bruise if not tended. Not in
ages had she been opposed by someone who's power approached, or
perhaps exceeded, her own, and she was at a loss as to how to
proceed. "I will bring my Father! Do not force me to bring him
into this!" Aeshma laughed.
"And who be thy father, that such as I should fear him?
Mayhap thou art the get of my half-brother Adad? If he be thy
father, call him as ye please, niece, for I have sought him many
a day, for he haunts my sleep. Now go, or I shall hang ye by thy
thumbs from a mighty broad-leaf."
"Why, I have never been so insulted in... in millennia, at
least! Niece? You paltry upstart! Hang me by my thumbs? And
with what would you bind me? What do you use to bind a goddess?"
Aeshma smiled smugly.
"Why, with thine own hair, of course. How else doest one
bind a being of spirit?" Shani bit back a caustic remark as she
realized that such a trick might actually be effective.
"You have not heard the last of this, puny demi-mortal! I
know not how you acquired divinity, but when my Father finishes
with you, what Li-Ren-Ka would do will seem a pleasure!"
"I tell ye thrice, wench, send him! Thy father is nay match
for me!" Shani vanished, humiliated and beaten, the only blow
struck the crippling slap across her face.
Shani did not return for some time, a couple of weeks to be
precise, during which time Aeshma was twice as alert, and twice
as thorough in her searches. She told Jenna of the encounter,
and Jenna put forth the theory that the visitor had been a Valik,
a minor entity of thunder, who could possibly be the daughter of
Adad, although the legends weren't clear about her origins.
Aeshma expressed her pleasure with her priestess.
"Ah, Jenna, ye have served me well and true this past month
and more. I grace thee with my favor. I grant ye that I will
bestow upon thee one gift, be it in my power. What say you,
faithful favorite Daughter?" Jenna thought long and hard before
answering.
"I ask that, as you have set your mark and blessing upon me,
so may it be with my children, and their children, that they may
be strong and fit, and have thy favor." Aeshma smiled, for she
was pleased both with the request and the manner of asking. She
set her hand upon the mark she had placed on the cheek of her
priestess, and the mark lit with her power, and the light passed
into the skin and the eyes.
"It is as ye have asked it. Henceforth ye and all thy
descendants shall bear my mark and my gift to thee. To that end,
that ye may indeed bear descendants to inherit my blessing, I
give ye leave to chose of any unpaired man, that he may make ye
quick with child." Jenna was greatly pleased, and a large smile
was on her face when she bowed to take her leave. Aeshma soon
saw that Jenna felt strongly for a certain unpaired man, and that
their children would be worthy, even before the hereditary
blessing strengthened them.
Aeshma fended off what seemed another attack from Adad, a
sudden series of storms and strange weather that swept across the
island, including one terrifying incident where small sea
creatures rained down upon the village. As one of the
personifications of Nature, she was capable of altering the
weather, and she exerted her power to restore the normal rythems
of weather locally. Shortly thereafter she was disturbed again
by the presence of another goddess. She turned to see Shani
standing behind her, looking smug and confident again. Standing
behind Shani was a large, white-robed man, his face obscured by a
radiance like the sun itself.
"Ah, ye must be the father of which she didst speak. Ye art
nay the dark-robed specter of my visions. Who art thou, and why
doest ye trouble me? Dost I nay rule these mortals fairly, and
just? Dost I nay revenge where there be need, and reward when
there is merit?" She looked from one to the other. "Aye, it is
truth that I struck thy daughter a harsh blow to her head, but I
did so with great warrant, I assure thee. She threatened my
people, she did, and my duty to them is clear as daybreak." The
radiant figure turned to look at his daughter. "Ah, so she did
nay mention that to thee?"
"No." The radiant figure rumbled, his voice like distant
thunder. "But the fact remains that your interference in the
daily lives of these mortals is against the rules we must live
by."
"What interference? The only mortal I speak with is Jenna,
and if I may nay speak with my priestess, then what may I do,
aye? All else I do is steer harm from my village, as I have
always done. If I may nay interfere by protecting, then tell me
how it is that my half-kin may threaten to harm." Both father
and daughter were brought up short by that. At length the Father
turned to Shani, and spoke chidingly.
"I see that things here are not quite as you represented
them, Daughter. I am disappointed in you."
"But Father, she struck me! She even admitted it!" Evan,
god of Light and primary god of the eastern pantheon, smiled
patronizingly at his Daughter.
"Then hit her back, just as you did when you were wont to
quarrel with your Sisters. I seem to recall a few times you gave
Vasi and Gaia marks they did not soon forget. You must handle
this on your own, the more so as this problem is partly of your
own making." Shani sighed, and slumped her shoulders.
"Yes, Father." she mumbled, with downcast eyes.
"That's better. Now, do not disturb me again unless the
rules are truly being broken." And the radiant god disappeared.
Aeshma turned to her chastened opponent.
"Well, if ye nay be a daddy's girl! I should have guessed
from the way ye went storming off last time." Shani turned a
loathing gaze on her.
"You will come with me, one way or the other. Do not make
me take you by force."
"That will nay happen. If ye think ye can best me, then ye
have but to try." Shani glowered at Aeshma, and with a flash of
light she exchanged her flowing moss-green robe for more
practical clothing, and in her hands she held a thick, gnarled
oaken staff. Aeshma called for her to remain still. "This is
nay the place for this battle. If ye would fight me, ye will do
so elsewhere." So saying, she raised her arms, and the room
faded out of existence. When the world came back into focus
around them, they were standing on the outskirts of the village,
where Aeshma had fought herself earlier. Word of the impending
battle spread like brush-fire through the village, and a crowd
gathered to watch from a safe distance.
"Now may we begin this?" Shani asked sarcastically. Aeshma
nodded, and Shani fell into a defensive stance. With a flash of
light, Aeshma armed herself with her spear. They fought, slowly
at first, each testing the other's ability, searching for
weakness, but soon exploding into all-out combat.
"Ye defend thyself well, green wench!" Aeshma gasped as
they clashed, spear on staff, again and again. She brought her
spear down, overhand, and Shani brought her staff up cross-wise
to block. Checking her attack, Aeshma reversed the direction of
her swing, slamming the butt of her spear into the midsection of
her opponent, who grunted in pain and fell to the ground. Aeshma
stood over the fallen goddess. "Ye have fought well. It would
bring me nay pleasure to kill ye. Leave this place, and do not
return to threaten my people again." Shani slowly stood, one arm
still holding her bruised stomach.
"Sorry, Merrideth, you know me better than that." Aeshma
shrugged.
"Have it thine own way, it is all the same to me." Still,
she fought less fiercely this time, refusing to take advantage of
her opponent's injuries. Seeing that Aeshma was showing her
mercy, Shani became furious.
"Fight me! I do not need your pity!" Aeshma shrugged
again, and tripped her with her spear. On the ground once again,
Shani began to recall the many battles she'd fought with her
Sisters. "It has been too long since I have an opponent strike
me physically." she admitted to herself, "I have forgotten even
to heal myself!" Correcting this mistake, she stood, no longer
in pain. They continued fighting as before, until Aeshma cast
her spear aside and grasped Shani's staff, and they both twisted
and pulled to gain control of the weapon. Aeshma was about to
deliver a surprise kick to Shani's shins, but found herself
instead the only one holding the staff. The staff began to
writhe and move under her grasp, and she saw that it had become a
cobra-like serpent, its body trying to coil itself around her.
The snake struck, to find it's jaws snapping around empty air, as
Aeshma became a great eagle, with the snake grasped in it's
claws. The serpent twisted around to bite, and the eagle
repositioned its toes around the snake's neck, pinning it to the
ground, its body whipping around frantically. The snake,
sensing that the eagle was about to deliver a fatal blow with
its beak, metamorphed into a bobcat, which the eagle was
grasping by it's tail. Seeing the hungry glare of the bobcat's
eyes, the eagle released the tail with a piercing cry, and took
flight.
Circling around and swooping back to the ground, Aeshma took
on her most favored shape, the great black panther. Shani was
surprised to see the three Stones set in her opponent's forehead,
and doubly surprised to find that she faced not one, but two
panthers, identical save for the Stones and their gender. She
sensed that the second panther was the familiar she'd noticed
earlier, but she wasn't sure if he possessed enough of his
mistress's divinity to do her harm. Finding herself at such a
disadvantage, she took the shape of a great brown bear. The
panthers broke apart and began circling her, so that she was
forced to either back up or allow one of them to reach her back.
The male panther finally managed to get behind her, and with the
female facing her, they both pounced. They flew through empty
air to crash into each other and land in a tangled heap as Shani
shrank to become a field mouse.
Shani regained her human form and raised her staff to strike
a crushing blow to the fallen panther's skull. Before she could
begin her down-swing, however, she felt her body being pierced
through the back, and looked down to find the shaft of Aeshma's
spear protruding from her chest. Shocked and in more pain that
she had imagined herself capable of feeling, she fell to the
ground, struggling to draw life into her pierced lung. With a
shudder of agony she reached her hands around behind her and
slowly twisted the spear free of her body. The wound healed
poorly, and Shani knew that she was nearing the limits of her
powers. Turning, she saw who had thrown the spear. Jenna stood
defiant, the mark on her face displaying the faintest glimmer of
power. Shani gaped in disbelief at the ignominy of the
situation. She had come within a few breaths of dying at the
hands of a mortal woman.
"Another familiar?" she winced as the act of speaking
aggravated her mishealed chest. She scooped up Aeshma's spear,
and leveled it at Jenna, intent on destroying this impudent
creature. She heard a feline growl behind her and whirled
around, hurling the spear toward the sound. The spear passed
cleanly through Ulech's body, entering in his chest below his
head and exiting near his tail. Aeshma, however, had also
recovered, and she finally knocked Shani to the ground. She
returned to her human shape, kneeling on her fallen opponent, and
reached out to finish the battle, the Stones imbedded in her hand
pulsing hungrily, eager for the energy she would yield.
Shani, however, knew that she'd lost, and blinked out of
existence before Aeshma could kill her.
Seeing that victory was denied her, Aeshma turned her
attention to her wounded totem. Ulech's body had absorbed a
measure of her divinity, but the wound was still gravely serious,
having been inflicted with a divine weapon. Aeshma healed him as
best she could, but the panther's breath still came in ragged
gasps, and he whimpered as he tried to move. She mentally
commanded him to lie still, and lifted him on a cushion of air,
floating him back to her hut, where she lowered him slowly onto
her bed. She called Jenna in, and told her to shut the door
behind her.
"By what right didst ye interfere in the affairs of gods,
Daughter? Think ye that my gifts to thee entitle ye to such
pride?" Aeshma delivered this softly, evenly, but even so, Jenna
trembled as she answered.
"Great Mother, the Valik meant to slay you as you lay unable
to defend yourself. You who are the goddess of justice know that
such a death holds no honor for the slain, nor for the victor. I
only intended to make the fight a clean one. If I have
displeased you, I submit myself to your punishment." Jenna knelt
before Aeshma, her head hung low, awaiting her fate patiently.
Aeshma found herself stirred to mercy.
"Then rise, my Daughter. Ye have done nay wrong this day,
and I'll nay harm thee. Go, and choose thy mate. It is well
with ye." Jenna rose, somewhat shakily, surprised to still feel
her heart beating. "Jenna." Aeshma added, as she was leaving,
"See that we are nay disturbed. Make it known that in two
settings of the sun there will be a feast, and there shall ye and
thy mate be bonded." Jenna nodded, and left, closing the door
behind her once more.
Aeshma sighed and turned to her stricken companion. "Ulech,
thou also hast served me well and true, for which ye may yet die.
To save ye and reward thee, I forgive thy previous
transgressions, and free ye of thy punishment. Therefore rise,
and walk as a man again." She placed her hand on the panther's
forehead, making the transformation slow and gentle this time,
drawing the process out through the night and into the following
day. When she was finished, Ulech was once again human, but he
retained the panther's youth and supple form. The former priest
opened his eyes and looked down at himself with great surprise.
"Yea, thou art a young man again." She gestured and suitable
clothing appeared at his side. "Dress thyself, and go. I give
ye thy freedom." Ulech slid himself off the bed, and crouched
for a moment on all fours. After attempting to stride like a
panther for a few moments, he recalled some of the forgotten
aspects of human form, and cautiously stood. He smiled, and
slowly took a step, followed by another, more sure this time. He
soon remastered the art of walking, his uneasy steps becoming a
confident stride and he gave a low, rumbling grunt in
satisfaction. He was about to open the door and leave when
Aeshma cleared her throat. Ulech turned and she gestured to the
clothing he'd left untouched on the bed. "Ulech, art thou well?"
He cocked his head to the side, and walked back to her. He
picked up the shirt, unsure of its proper usage. Aeshma helped
him struggle into his clothing, but she was troubled by his
apparent confusion. She gazed into his mind, and found that it,
unlike his body, retained many of the attributes of the panther.
She placed her hand once again on his head, this time
concentrating on his awareness instead of his physical form.
Ulech drew away from her, and sat down on the bed, his brow
deeply lined in thought. After shaking his head a few times as
if to clear it, he began to speak haltingly.
"Mistress... what am I? I remember this shape, but I do not
remember its ways." Aeshma sat beside him, and placed her arm
on his shoulder.
"Thou art a man again. The ways of men will return to thee
in time. For now, ye should return to thy place among men."
Ulech frowned and looked forlorn. "What be the matter with ye?"
"I am being punished, and I do not know why." he
complained.
"I am nay punishing ye, I have given thee back thy health
and human shape."
"You are sending me from you. I have fallen from your
favor, else you would not drape me in this strange skin. Please,
mistress, what have I done?"
"Nothing, faithful Ulech. Go, and trouble thyself no more
with guilt, for I have forgiven thee." Ulech left, still looking
for all the world like a dog that has been beaten and can't
understand why.
The next day a feast was held, as Aeshma had commanded. The
villagers gathered and danced to the rhythm of drums and flutes.
Aeshma sat watching the festivities from a great chair on a
raised dais, hewn by hand from a single massive rock. Jenna
stood beside her, and Ulech crouched at her feet, gazing
adoringly up at her. Aeshma sighed. She'd found him curled up
in his hut, shuddering with tears of grief. He looked up to see
her and cringed. She spoke soothingly to him, saying that she
bore him no malice, and still looked upon him with favor. For
the rest of the day, he was constantly at her heels. She did
everything she could think of to discourage him, but her efforts
were either ignored if subtle, or brought him to the brink of
tears if direct. She'd even tried teleporting herself away from
him, but he unerringly homed in on her location, acting as though
it were a game, a test of his tracking skills. When the dancing
was finished, she motioned to Jenna, who stepped forward. At her
command, the eligible men stepped forward from the crowd, lining
themselves up before the dais.
"Daughter, is the man ye favor for thy mate here before
thee?"
"Yes, revered Matron."
"Then call him to thee." Jenna stood looking at the line of
men, who stood looking back at her, their faces expectant and
nervous.
"Havlin. Come forward." All eyes turned to the young man
she had named. Hesitantly, he walked up to her, nearly falling
as he tripped over the stairs to the dais. Jenna smiled. "You
need not be so nervous," she told him when he was close enough
that she could speak without the whole village hearing, "I plan
to bond you, not kill you." When he stood beside Jenna, Aeshma
ordered them both to kneel. She stood.
"Jenna, thou didst act with bravery and honor in striking
the Valik. I have given thee that ye may choose of the village
any man for thy mate who was nay taken. Be this the man ye
choose?"
"Yes, Mighty Aeshma."
"Then henceforth thee and thine shalt be known as my favored
children. Rise, Jenna Spear-Wielder; rise, Havlin Spear-
Wielder." Jenna and her new bondman rose, surprised to find
themselves bearing an unexpected new surname. Aeshma directed
them to take their positions, Jenna on the right hand and Havlin
on the left. Long tables were moved into place, and they were
soon laden with hot, steaming food. The first cup of ale and
loaf of bread were brought before the priestess, who drained the
cup and broke the break, at which point the villagers fell to
eating with a passion. Both the priestess and her new bondman
were served where they were, and someone thoughtfully loaded a
plate and set it down next to Ulech, who ignored it. When almost
everyone had their fill--some people are never satisfied, of
course--the tables were cleared and pulled aside, and circles
were laid out for mock-combats, both hand-to-hand and with
lengths of wood. Aeshma saw a way to rid herself of her follower
for a moment.
"Ulech." she said, and she could have sworn his ears lifted
when he heard his name, "Would ye fight for my honor in these
games? I am certain ye can make a good accounting of thyself."
Ecstatic at having a way of regaining his mistress's favor, he
was first in line to wrestle. He defeated every man who
challenged him, fighting fiercely but careful not to do any
lasting harm. He fared less well with the staves, however. In
the first competition, he simply stood there and clutched his
stick, uncertain of its use, while his opponent bludgeoned him.
Finally growing tired of being hit, he cast his staff aside and
lunged forward, catching hold of his opponent's staff with his
teeth. The other man stood shocked for a moment as Ulech's teeth
slowly pushed their way into the hard wood of his stick. The
match was decided when Ulech, his teeth more than half-buried in
the wood, began growling, and his opponent would later swear that
his eyes flashed red in the firelight. The man took a large step
back involuntarily, placing himself outside the circle and
disqualifying himself. However, the man he faced next was less
easily intimidated, and laid into him with a vengeance, until
Ulech fell to the ground, causing him to lose the match. Even
then, the brute continued to beat him, until Aeshma intervened.
The brute trembled under her wrathful eyes, recalling the price
Ulech himself had paid for displeasing her. Fortunately for him,
the goddess was in a merciful mood, and she merely dismissed him
from the festivities, while she had Ulech brought before her.
She didn't bother healing him, waiting for him to awaken on his
own. When he did, his first thought was to apologize for losing.
"Mistress, I beg your forgiveness. I have dishonored you
with my weakness." Aeshma smiled. She was amazed to find that
she had some surprisingly mortal feelings for this person, who
devoted himself so single-mindedly to her.
"Tell me, Ulech, what is thy one wish? What would ye have
of me?" A wonder-struck smile crossed the beaten man's features.
"That I be allowed to love thee as I did before I fell from
your favor. That I be granted the honor of guarding your bed as
you sleep, and your back as you fight." Aeshma was moved by his
selflessness, and touched by his humble expression of love for
her.
"Then so be it, Ulech, who shall henceforth be known as
Ailuros." She turned to face the crowd, "As my priestess hath
done, so shall I. I take Ailuros to be my mate and consort, and
restore to him the form of his choosing." Aeshma once again
began transforming Ulech, renamed Ailuros, into a panther,
finding the transformation much simplified and quickened by his
body's familiarity with the process, and his willingness to
regain the shape he'd lost. This change took only slightly more
time than his first, yet was as painless as his second. She was
amazed when a soft voice, gentle yet savage, spoke inside her
mind.
'Thank you, Mistress,' the voice spoke, 'Does this mean that
I am forgiven?' Aeshma's thoughts echoed with laughter.
'Yea, all is forgiven. Dost thou wish to remain here, or
would ye return to our home?' The majestic black panther's eyes
met hers for a moment, then looked away.
'Home is wherever you are, Mistress.' Then, after a moment,
'May I eat this food? Someone left their plate here.' Again
Aeshma's mind rang with laughter.
'Yea, my pet, it is for thee.' She ended the communication,
but she could still feel him, like a soft pressure on the edges
of her mind. She found herself eagerly anticipating the end of
the festivities, when she could retire to her hut with her new
consort. She impatiently waited while the priestess blessed the
village in her name, and the villagers returned to their huts.
When the village square was clear, Aeshma took her leave of her
priestess, wishing her and Havlin a good Firstnight for their
bonding. She maintained her composure while she was still within
their sight--a goddess has to maintain a certain image, after
all--but as soon as she was sure she wouldn't be seen, she took
the same form as her new mate, and playfully bit at his ear.
They walked side by side for a brief while, but Aeshma was in no
mood for walking. Glancing coyly at Ailuros, she raced him back
to their hut. He won the race, but only because she ran around
to the door, which was shut, while he simply leapt through the
open window. Laughing at her own folly, she followed him in
through the window, and they consummated their bond in the age-
old way, in the tender passion that makes men of gods, and
teaches even goddesses to be human.
They woke the next morning as sunlight streamed through the
window. Aeshma could not recall when they had fallen asleep,
blissfully exhausted, but she was pleased that their Firstnight
had been respected by all, even her errant half-brother. For
that matter, there were quite a few places where she couldn't
recall the exact happenings of the night before. She looked over
at her mate and saw that he was still a panther, but she saw that
she was not. She recalled that they had become human to
consummate their bond, but that somewhere along the line he had
begun to revert and she, sensing that he was less comfortable as
a human, had shape-shifted with him, and that this had gone on
for some time, especially when they found out that... she
couldn't quite recall that part, but she was certain it had been
fun. She was surprised to discover that she was slightly sore in
some places, and that she had small scratches that her powers
just wouldn't heal.
Her lover woke and stretched with a contented purr. She
felt his thoughts brush across her mind, sending a delicious
tingle down her spine, and recalled yet another aspect of the
previous night. She vaguely recalled his passionate thoughts
flooding through her mind, and hers through his, and guessed that
might be another reason for her spotty memory of their
activities. Ailuros laid his head back while she scratched his
neck, but seemed uncertain of his new role.
'Well, Mistress, what do I do now? I've never been the
consort of a goddess before.'
'Thou art the one who wanted things as they had been, so
come. As before, we will patrol the jungle, to ensure the safety
of the village.' Ailuros nodded, a strange sight on a panther,
and climbed from the bed. Aeshma took her third form, that of
the hawk, and was somewhat amused to find that her feathers were
ruffled. It appeared that the effects of her Firstnight would
show no matter what form she took. She preened her feathers into
order, and suggested that Ailuros might wish to set his fur back
into place. When they judged themselves to be presentable,
Aeshma flew out the window with Ailuros right behind her, and
they began their patrol of the surrounding jungle. As always,
they mainly searched for signs of the robed figure of Aeshma's
nightmares, but they found nothing that day or the next. The
third day after their Firstnight, they found something, though
not quite what they were expecting.
About midday they spotted a pair of Ravagers, heading in a
direct line for the village. The panthers dropped to the ground
right in front of the giant, misshapen leopards. Baring her
teeth, Aeshma warned the ravagers away. They were not impressed,
seeing only two panthers who came to but half their size. They
soon gained respect for the pair, however, when they tried to
continue and found themselves forced to retreat from a frenzy of
teeth, claws, and black fur. The ravagers backed off, then each
chose a panther and they separated, one taking Aeshma and the
other taking Ailuros.
Minutes later the two panthers stood victorious, and the
ravagers lay dead before them. They lost no time in self-
congratulation, but bounded off into the trees, leaving the
corpses for the scavengers. Aeshma wanted to be certain that
there were no other threats to the village nearby. After
completing their search, they returned to their hut, for it was
almost sundown, and the priestess would be waiting for them.
The panthers bounded through the window, as usual, and
Aeshma returned to her human form to open the door, admitting
Jenna inside. There had been no matters that day that Jenna
couldn't handle on her own, as was now frequently the case, as
Jenna became more adept at adjudication, so Aeshma told Jenna of
the encounter with the ravagers, and voiced her suspicions that
it was more than simply a chance event.
"They were heading straight for the village, Jenna. It dost
nay take the wisdom of a goddess to see that something is amiss."
"You suspect Adad?" Aeshma nodded.
"As ever, yea. This is likely but the beginning. I am much
disappointed in him. For all his faults, I never knew him to be
a coward."
Aeshma proved to be correct in that the ravagers were only
the beginning. Over the next week they encountered Janns,
A'wars, a centaur raiding party, and a pack of fever-tooths.
They managed to discourage or kill every attempt, but not without
cost. By the end of the week, Aeshma's powers were weakened and
Ailuros lay sick of a fever-tooth scratch. A wound from a fever-
tooth is almost invariably fatal among mortals, and even
Ailuros's semi-divine body was having trouble fighting the
infection. Aeshma realized that she needed to sleep, and as soon
as the evening's business with Jenna was finished, she lifted her
fever-weakened mate into bed and took the same shape, comforting
him as best she could, licking the sweat from the tangled fur on
his head. They were both soon deeply asleep.
Her nemesis chose this moment to strike. Drakana-riding
trolls charged into the village, led by a familiar dark-robed
figure astride a ravager who was even larger and more twisted
than his brethren. They rampaged through the village, setting
houses on fire and trampling anyone unfortunate enough to be
caught in their way. The screams woke Aeshma from her brief
slumber, and she left her stricken consort asleep, leaping out of
the hut and seeing the horror being committed. The sick
horrified feeling in her stomach soon turned to anger. The
butchery of this dark cavalry was halted by a furious snarl, and
the trolls turned to see one after the other of their number
knocked from their lizard-like mounts by a cat-shaped shadow.
Their screams would cut off abruptly moments later, and the
shadow would dash toward her next victim, dodging spears, rocks,
and kicking Drakana to take down another troll. When more than
half a dozen were silenced, she turned to find another kill, but
was halted by a harsh mocking laughter.
"And this is she who has bested spirits and gods? This
mange-ridden animal?" The black-robed deamon laughed again. "I
came to find a mortal who thinks she's a goddess, and instead, I
find a goddess who thinks she's a cat. Perhaps I should leave
you to catching mice, eh?" Aeshma took her human form, furious
at this mockery.
"So, Adad, ye show thyself at last. What purpose have ye
here?"
"Interesting." The robed figure said, curiousity tinging
it's voice, "You don't remember me, Merrideth?"
"Yea, thou art my half-brother, Adad, Lord of Storms."
"Really? So, it seems your memory has become as dark as
your hair. You don't remember the archmage, the thief, or the
cleric?"
"I know nay what ye speak of, but I swear that I shall have
thy blood for this disgrace." The deamon cast off his robe,
revealing a goat-legged, bat-winged body topped with a grinning,
fleshless skull.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. You may find that I am harder to
kill than you seem to think. Your powers are weakened, you are
outnumbered, and your familiar cannot rise from his bed."
"Outnumbered?" Aeshma laughed, "By such as these?" She
whirled and cast her spear, striking the nearest troll through
his heart, killing him. She called her spear back to her with an
unspoken command, and channeled her power into the weapon, the
troll's blood slowly absorbed into the tip. She thrust the spear
into the ground, unleashing her power, and the earth trembled
beneath their feet. Tendrils of thick, rope-like vine burst
forth beneath the drakana mounts, growing at an impossible rate,
tangling both rider and beast. The deamon watched in
astonishment as the vines contracted, choking his minions, and
hardened from a soft, tender green to a near-unbreakable brown.
"Now, dark one, it would seem that thy advantage hath been lost.
Dare ye fight fairly?" It was the deamon's turn to laugh.
"There is hardly call for me to do that. I'd wager that
little display of power has drained you fully. You are now as
vulnerable as any other woman." He threw his hand out towards
her, and she was lifted into the air by an unseen force. Her
Stone-embedded hand flickered weakly, trying to resist.
"Miserable little ambitious mortal, tell me, does this seem
familiar to you? I'll crush you, and pry the Stones from your
cold, dead hand, and that will be the end of your forgotten
quest. It's a shame, really. This would be so much more
gratifying if you remembered who I am." Aeshma felt herself
being squeezed as if by a giant hand. Somewhere deep within her
battered mind, she found that the situation actually was
strangely familiar. As her breath was forced from her lungs, it
came to her that if she could but call to her goddess, she would
be saved, but, alas, Aeshma had none to call upon. She found
herself unable to draw another breath, and soon the world began
to recede from her. She felt her life losing its ties to her
body, slipping away.
Meanwhile, Jenna Spear-Wielder arrived on the scene. The
deamon, sensing that he was victorious over Aeshma, let her body
fall to the ground and turned to face this newcomer.
"So, it seems that not all her familiars are accounted for.
Not that it matters. You are minutes too late and far too
inconsequential to help your mistress now." Jenna was about to
reply, when the panther-paw mark on her face blazed, and she
found herself seized by a higher power, and speaking in a strange
language she'd never so much as heard before.
"I do remember you, dream-deamon. I remember that I do not
like you."
"What's this? Still clinging to this world? At least
you've remembered how to speak proper Common. All those thee's
and thou's were becoming annoying. Tell me, how do you plan to
stop me? Both the Stones and the Pattern that you used against
me are on your dying body, and there is nothing in this puny
mortal that can save you." The mark on Jenna's cheek flared
again, and the deamon was shocked to find that his true form had
been pierced by a bolt of magic.
"Stupid deamon, one of the many reasons I chose this mortal
as my champion was because I sensed in her a strong magic
potential. I don't need glowing rocks or scars on my hand to
deal with the likes of you. You are a pathetic, cowardly minor
power, who gets his pleasure from manipulating others, pretending
to be an entity of true Power. I'd almost be inclined to laugh,
if it weren't so pitiful." The deamon didn't bother to respond.
The magic bolt had caught him completely off guard, and had
burned away a portion of his actual substance, which he was
trying desperately to recover.
Behind him, Aeshma's body began convulsing, as it began to
function again, but had no direction from her mind. Seeing that
her body would do itself harm if left untended, Aeshma released
her hold on Jenna's form, and Jenna's will eagerly rushed in as
she vacated. She sped to return to her body, hoping that she
didn't draw the deamon's attention while she was non-corporeal.
Though the deamon was busy with a crisis of his own, he managed
to throw a blockade of darkness in her path, preventing her from
reaching her body. Frantic, she cast about, searching for an
energy source she could draw from to break past the cloud of
darkness. She felt through the village, sensing the presence of
Jenna behind her, and Ailuros in her hut, but she couldn't draw
from them, Jenna because her newly-returned will was in-
stinctively shielding itself now, and Ailuros because of his
illness. Even in such dire straits as she found herself, she was
still unwilling to risk his safety to save herself. The
villagers barely registered, lacking for the most part any true
measure of strength she could draw on.
Terrified that the deamon would recover sufficiently to act
further against her, she widened her search and found a single
radiant life, ancient beyond belief, standing just within the
jungle and offering his power freely to her. She unhesitatingly
reached out to him, and drank deeply of his vitality. Like water
to one dying of thirst, the rich, vibrant energy filled her with
nigh-indescribable joy, and it was only when he abruptly flung up
shielding around himself that she realized that she had been
attempting to deplete him entirely, to the point of death, and
she guiltily pushed her way back to her body, settling down into
herself. She screamed in unbearable agony as she became
reacquainted with every tortured nerve in her body, but her body
slowly calmed and stopped shaking. She was dismayed to discover
that she couldn't control her limbs, and, though her body was no
longer in a fit, she couldn't rise to deal with her enemy.
The fight continued without her, however. Jenna lived up to
her surname as she pulled Aeshma's weapon from the ground,
breaking off the roots that had somehow grown from the buried
shaft. Not daring to throw the spear, fearing that she would
miss and lose it, she stalked closer to the deamon, who saw her
approach and weakly threw up his arm to protect himself, knowing
that it was futile. His true form was once again wounded as
Jenna stabbed into him again and again. He finally managed to
knock the weapon from her grasp, and rose to kill her, but
discovered that his wounds were serious, possibly enough to be
fatal. It was fortunate for Jenna that the deamon's wings were
undamaged, for had he been grounded he might have continued the
battle anyway, and a wounded deamon is much like a cornered rat;
it fights twice as fiercely. As it was, he flew off to recover
in safety, his arms wrapped around his punctured chest.
Jenna carried her goddess back to her hut, and put her in
bed next to Ailuros. Just being near the panther seemed to help,
but Aeshma was still in bad shape. Jenna left them to recover
together, and began walking back to her own hut and her own
interrupted sleep. She was almost to her hut when she felt
strange eyes watching her. She turned around, and saw a tall,
strange looking man standing silently behind her. His skin was
pale, and so thin that she imagined that if she looked hard
enough she could see the bones underneath, and he was so
emaciated that he looked as though a strong wind would be enough
to carry him off. The strangest things she noticed however, were
his ears, which came to sharp, backward sweeping points and his
hair, which was so colorless that it almost seemed translucent,
and it caught the light of the moon above and refracted it into a
sort of halo about his head. She recognized him as one of the
pale ghosts that were sometimes seen in the jungle.
"Who are you?" Jenna demanded, knowing that the village
could ill afford another destructive visitor. "What do you want
here?" The man looked back in the direction of Aeshma's hut, and
vanished.
The village was nearly silent the next day. People
conducted their business as quietly as possible, or gathered in
small groups to mutter their fears to each other, or grieve for
those slain the night before. Even the most boisterous children
sensed their parent's fear, and were hushed and nervous. The
bodies of the dead were given the proper ceremonies, but the
troll corpses and their dead mounts were hauled into the jungle
for animals to scavenge and birds to peck. Several new tall
bushes decorated the streets, mute testament to the night's
events, and there was discussion, held in whispers, of removing
them as well, but all such talk died when one villager, taking
matters into his own hands, struck the bush closest to his house
with his ax. The man dropped the ax and ran back to his home in
panic when the bush began to bleed. The next day passed in much
the same way, and fearful rumors began to spread that the goddess
was dead, rumors which Jenna could do little to dispel.
It was late the day after that when Aeshma finally awoke,
with Ailuros gently licking her face. Aeshma sat up, her body
sore but thankfully controllable once more. She was much
recovered, but she still felt half-dead. She felt Ailuros gently
brushing her thoughts.
'Mistress, there is someone who wants to see you.'
'Who?' Ailuros looked over his shoulder, and Aeshma
followed his gaze to see the withered elf seated across the room.
"Greetings, young one. It is pleasing to see you again,
although these circumstances are less than auspicious." Aeshma
realized she should be furious that her privacy had been
disturbed--again--but she simply didn't have it in her at the
moment.
"Who are you, and how do you know me?" The elf ignored her
question.
"You are close to remembering yourself. I can help you, if
you will allow it this time."
"I know who I am! Why must everyone insist that I am not
who I say I am?"
"Because you are, and are not, the goddess Aeshma. Do you
not recall arriving in this village?"
"Yes, of course."
"What was your name then?"
"Aeshma. That has always been my name."
"Do you now remember the battle that you fought, the battle
over the priest?"
"Yes, there was a young woman pretending to be me."
"Could you tell me what she was like?"
"She was fair-haired, and dressed in ridiculous looking
metal clothing."
"Did you make the woman Jenna your priestess?"
"Yes, of course I did, and she has served me well."
"But did you not also save the priest Ulech from this
pretender?"
"Yes, I... No.." Aeshma found that she couldn't decide
which was correct.
"You see? You arrived on this island as the fair-haired
warrior woman, bearing the three Stones now set in your hand.
When she and the original Aeshma found themselves to be equal in
power and skill, she ended the combat by merging with Aeshma,
becoming you. In time, she took on the attributes and memories
of Aeshma, but the enemies of the woman she had been followed her
no less for it. I knew the young woman you were once, and it was
I who gave you the strength to return to your body."
"Then... which person is really me?" The visitor gave a
brief laugh.
"As well ask me to number the stars, or tell what lies
beyond them. They are both 'really' you. The original you is a
woman named Merrideth Doomslayer, and it is that part of you that
I can help restore."
"But I am needed here. I cannot leave my people. What if
Adad comes back? Who will protect them from Ravagers and
Thrangs?"
"An excellent point. You truly care for your villagers
then, do you not?"
"Of course! They are my duty, and they are to me as my
children would be."
"But what if I told you that there was a threat to your
village greater than anything that deamon could do?"
"Then it would be my duty to stop that threat."
"Even though it meant losing your life?"
"Yes. My duty to my people is clear as daybreak."
"There is such a threat. The three Stones set in your hand
are not the only ones of their kind. There are three others.
These six Stones are the force that binds the elements of our
world together. The balance of power has been disturbed, and
chaos spreads throughout the land. Your village is far from the
source of the disorder, isolated, and it will be many years yet
before the destruction reaches here, but it will, and by then it
will be too strong for you, or any other force, to stop it. If
you act now, however, you can restore order."
"Tell me what I must do."
"You must give up being a goddess, and become mortal again.
I warn you now, you will not even have the strength that you
possessed before you merged with Aeshma. The damage your body
received in the battle with the deamon is far more serious than
anything you have ever suffered. Your physical form was damaged,
and came extremely close to suffering total death. As it was,
many of the bindings of your soul have been damaged, and your
ability to contain power has been greatly reduced."
"Then I am consigned to being semi-mortal anyway, am I not?"
"Yes, but... The gods would not be pleased that I have told
you this, but I have never cared for their pleasure. It is only
for your sake that I have come here at all. There is a way you
can regain what you have lost. At the Altar of Unity, once you
place the Stones back where they belong, you will have almost
unlimited power at your disposal. Since you are obviously happy
here, and these people have benefited from your protection, I
recommend that you restore yourself to full godhead, and return
here. Until then, however, it would be best if you forgot
Aeshma."
"How can I forget myself?"
"I will help you. If you will allow me, I will transfer
what divinity remains to you into your priestess, where it will
be hidden from her, for she, too, is happy as she is, and would
be less happy as a spirit-being." Ailuros growled.
'What of me, Mistress?' He thought to her, worriedly.
"Yes, what of Ailuros? Duty or not, I'll not be parted from
him."
"I understand. Ailuros, you, too, must lose what divinity
you possess if you are to leave here with your mistress.
However, you can still be her familiar... and her consort, or
mate, or bondman, or husband, or whatever term you like to use.
Your ability to become human or panther as you please is so much
a part of you that you will not lose it. I warn you, however,
that your mistress will be human, from now until she reaches the
Altar. Do you understand?" The panther nodded. "Good." He
turned to Aeshma.
"You will cease being Aeshma, and you will be returned to
your original form. You will forget everything that has happened
during your time here, though I have no doubt that Shani, the
goddess you fought, will be quick to remind you of that part of
your stay, and you will remember Ailuros and your feelings for
him, though neither of you will know how or why you are together.
There is, however, an added benefit from your time here. While
your ability to channel power has faded, your near-constant use
of power has awakened the other, non-magical abilities I spoke to
you of before. Your mind and will remain as strong as ever,
therefore I think you will be well pleased with these new assets.
I repeat my earlier offer to help you learn to use them, but that
is something you will need to decide after your change. Are you
committed to this?" Aeshma gave the question very careful
consideration. After all, her very existence was at stake.
However, she knew that her duty to protect the village was the
most important factor, and she finally nodded, ever so slowly.
As one of her last acts as goddess, she summoned Jenna.
"My Daughter, there is a matter of great importance that I
must take care of, far from the village. I do not know when I
will return, but I leave you to keep things in order here."
Jenna was overwhelmed with the thought.
"But, great Mother, how can I handle the affairs of the
village without you?"
"You already do, Jenna. When was the last time you actually
had unfinished matters to discuss with me? You have become wise
and just, and the entire village knows it. You will be given a
measure of power, so that you may protect the village if need be.
Do you understand?" Jenna nodded sadly. "I will miss you. You
truly have been as a Daughter to me. Now go, and await my
return." Jenna bowed, even more reverently than usual, and left,
closing the door behind her. "Very well, do what you must."
Aeshma said to the elf.
"I will be glad when this is done with. My peace and rest
have not been disturbed in this way for many centuries." The elf
closed his eyes, and placed his hands on the sides of her head.
Aeshma cried out, feeling his sharp, probing mind piercing hers.
***************
Merri woke with a warm gentle breeze caressing her face.
She opened her eyes, and found herself lying on a bedroll in a
large tent, hanging high in the branches of a massive oak. She
felt warm and cozy, safe and content, rare feelings for her. She
realized that she had not even the first clue where she was, or
how she'd come to be there, but somehow it didn't seem to matter.
She felt as though her mind was wrapped in cotton and floating in
a syrup, but it was not an unpleasant sensation. She reached out
and found that Ailuros felt the same way. She looked around to
find her companion, and his soft growl told her that he was
resting in the branches above. She rose, somewhat sleepily, and
stretched, calling him down to her so they could see about
finding some sort of food, since they were both famished. Merri
went to roll up her bedroll, but stopped first to shake it out.
She was slightly surprised to find the head of the bedroll
covered with long, black hairs, but that didn't occupy her
attention for long, as her lover came bounding through the flap
of the tent, his amber eyes bright with joy. He purred softly as
she stroked his thick, black fur, and she realized that as long
as she had Ailuros, nothing else mattered.
(
geocities.com/timessquare)