Zaniyah jumped when he burst threw the door. She was so surprised that she flew to the floor and seemed to die there. "Zaniyah! Get out! The world is going to end." She sat up, her eyes looking over his body.
"You forget the words?" The fact that she thought he'd forget the words didn't annoy Izel nearly as much as it usually would. He pointed at the door and said with all the force he felt a High Priest should have and ordered her out. She stood, her face a mixture of defiance and fear. Then he was alone. He pulled off the mask and put it back onto its place. Izel undressed delicately placing the ceremonial dress, praying that his counterpart would make up for the failure to provide human blood – otherwise this quest he had to complete would be for nothing.
He realised he was covered in clay and blood. Ten days…Holy Tlaloc, I don't even know where New York is. "The books, the books will know." He assured himself, but he had read all the books, all except one which never ended. I need a rabbit and a cream of potato and pinto bean. He went to the edge of the room and tossed a message-ball down the small shoot. Izel considered bathing before entering the library but he'd only get more blood on him anyway so he decided to ignore the drying paint.
"What do you need for travel? I hope it's not that far away. A sword…hmm…New York, does that mean there was a York before that?" He muttered to himself as he packed what the campers brought with them on their trips to his lake; clothes, bedding, a bag…Izel feel to the floor in defeat, "I can't remember anything else!" The door opened and a half-Chanekeh entered. He turned to her.
"Get me a rabbit, cream of potato with pinto beans, bring it to the library." The half-Chanekeh nodded and left. Izel wanted to slam his head against the floor – but the floor was stone and that wasn't a good idea. Instead he stood, ready to go to the library, ceremony bag in hand.
The room filled with the sound of thunder and Izel felt the presence of the highest God. A storm cloud formed at the ceiling, threating rain. Out of the eye dropped a gold necklace. Izel leapt for it before it hit the ground. As his fingers touched the cold metal he heard the voice of Tlaloc in his head, for the quest. He looked over the gold necklace; it seemed to be the standard patterned necklace of a lower priest, he did not question why he hadn't been given something more fit to a High Priest because he was the highest and lowest member of his order – and it was a gift of a god so probably had a power. He pulled the necklace on and felt no different than before. He frowned but decided that if it needed an activation ritual Tlaloc would have informed him.
He bowed, "Thank you, Tlaloc the Provider."
Then he made his way to the library, the cold metal warmed to his skin. At the entry the half-Chanekeh offered him what he'd asked for. He took them and shooed her off. The rabbit in his hands wriggled but he had been taught how to hold such things properly and it wasn't getting away. The book of all knowing was a long glass scroll. It had no inscriptions, not yet. He knelt next to it and began the ritual. First he lifted up the bowl of cream and opened the rabbit's mouth; he poured the potato down the rabbit's throat and clamped the creature's jaw closed. It struggled even more now and he rubbed the bottom of its mouth to urge the food down. It drank the cream without choking. He lay it down on its back and ran his finger down the animal's major life lines. He pulled out his knife from his bag and cut slowly from the animal's extremities to its heart then a circle and he repeated for each of its four limbs. At last he held up the knife in the air and plunged it into its neck. He ran it down the rabbit's throat and to its heart, pasted the heart and he ripped open the stomach. With the organs falling out he lifted up the rabbit. "Book of all knowing, please, grant me a path to New York, and show me all that I will need to bring." The blood of the rabbit mixed with the mixture he'd fed it dropped onto the book.
The book glowed yellow and began to weep. The blood, cream, and tears mixed and moved to form symbols and words. "Three items of care you will need to bring, the first is what makes the air sing, the second is the pride of beasts, and the third is a friend of all priests." Next to them was an symbol of anger and the words, "New York is north in the east corner of the United States of America, you have not payed enough for a map, but I'll tell you this - pack something to keep you warm." Then the words burst into flames and Izel knelt again.
"Thankyou for your wisdom," He rose less certain what to do, the book would not open itself for another month and only if it wanted too – had he asked too much with the request by adding the list of things to pack? He was even more confused by that then before; he was thinking maybe a special travel thing…not a poem. He stood and walked out of the library, heading out of the temple for a thoughtful bath. "What makes the air sing?" He thought as he walked.
"A sword," This time he jumped at Zaniyah, she appeared next to him with a big grin on her demonic face. "What do you need a sword for? Is this something to do with you forgetting the words?" Izel faced her, his jaw clenched.
"I did not forget the words; I have been given a quest by the Gods to save the world from total destruction. Now, what did you say about a sword?" She shrugged.
"When a master swings a sword the air sings, I should know, I am the daughter of an air elemental Chanekeh. Izel began nodding then stopped when he realised that he had no idea where he could find a sword and how to use one.
"Ah…"
"The lake monster ate the last one." She laughed then ran away. Izel would have yelled at her but what was the point? It wasn't like she actually listen to what he said.
"Idiot," he said heading to the bath. "This night just gets better and better."
