Sorry this chapter is so short... but this all got written at once, and this was just how it broke up best. Hopefully quality will make up for lack of quantity. :-)


III

Martha had written down all the instructions and left behind a list of procedures in case of emergency. Nayovi would likely be fine, but it had only been twenty days since the attack, and she was far from fully recovered. But with Lewogue and its Chief Soothsayer safe, it was time for the Doctor and Martha Jones to move on.

She went into Nayovi's chamber to say goodbye. She was surprised at how sad she was, how attached she had become.

"Martha," she said as Martha entered sadly. "You look lovely."

"Thanks," Martha answered. "I feel much better in my own clothes."

"You look rested at last," Nayovi said sheepishly. "Thank you for giving so much of yourself. I would have died without your devotion and kindness – you and the Doctor both."

"It's what we do."

"Still. I must thank you properly."

"You have," Martha said, sitting down upon Nayovi's cot, taking her hand. "You may not think so, but you fought for your own life, Nayovi. It was hardly just me who saved you – you helped plenty. Seeing you awake and alive is thanks enough."

"Nevertheless, I have a gift for you."

Martha decided not to protest. Something in Nayovi's tone told her that this was a very important moment, and it should not be ruined by Martha's very British sense of self-deprecation.

"But first, I have a story to tell." Nayovi revealed in her right hand a small pink trinket, a model of some sort of winged creature. In her left, she revealed a blue trinket, a model of a creature with antlers. "In my right hand is Vaennar the Moth, he represents great truth in our society. This trinket is symbolic, but the spirit of Vaennar has the power to bring clarity. In my left, I have Aturra the Hart, who represents great desire. You can guess that invoking the spirit of Aturra is one of the more popular pasttimes of the people of Lewogue."

Martha remained silent, waited for the clairvoyant to continue.

Very pointedly, Nayovi said, "As you well know, Martha Jones, great desire does not always go hand-in-hand with great truth."

Martha caught a chill, as she had not forgotten the woman's words on the day when her fever broke. But Martha remained stoic.

"And as such, I have found that when the essences of Aturra and Vaennar are invoked in tandem, a different kind of clarity can be achieved," Nayovi continued. "An excellent example is a man called Dolino. Through the power of Aturra, he became the greatest Gladiator in the land, attained fame and fortune overnight, and became a very powerful, influential citizen. And through Vaennar, he realised that this scenario was his destiny, it was meant to be, for better or for worse.

"Another excellent example was Naphil. Aturra gave him freedom. He travelled the cosmos, experienced every land, every culture, every language he had ever heard of, and some that he had not heard of. His wanderlust was satisfied at last, but Vaennar showed him he was not a man of the universe. In fact, his family languished in his absence and he found that his own soul languished without them. He was helpless without his heart's home, and his destiny was not that of a wanderer. He was bitterly disappointed, of course, but he accepted the truth because it was the truth."

Nayovi placed both trinkets in Martha's hand, and closed it.

"Great desire fulfilled, followed by great truth revealed," Nayovi mused, still holding Martha's hand. "I cannot tell the recipient how to use the spirits of Aturra and Vaennar – it is not, alas, for me to say. These gifts are bestowed upon those who are hungry for discovery, and therefore, the user must search within him or her self. I know that you are hungry for discovery, Martha Jones, anxious for truth, and I know that your search will not take you far. Just remember both stories as you inquire with Aturra and Vaennar, and be certain that you are ready for the answer. Simply hold them both close to you, and let your great desire, and your quest for truth consume you."

Martha thanked her, and said goodbye. Outside the door, she stared at the two animals, pink and blue.

Her hands shook.