Ad astra per aspera
Translation: To the stars through adversity
Two Days before Full Moon
My head... it feels so heavy. Why is it so heavy?
Pepper opened her eyes slowly, to stare at a white ceiling. She sat up in a small, completely white, windowless room.
So I am not at the inn any more. Clearly. What am I lying on? And how did I get here? Think, Pepper, think!
She was lying on a soft cot and nearly fell off with fright, when she saw another girl lying next to her, fast asleep. She was as tall as Pepper, with blonde hair.
Pepper looked down at what she was wearing. A white toga fastened at the shoulders and a gold belt around her waist. Her hair was open.
The sleeping girl was wearing the same but her belt was black.
I distinctly remember wearing a blue dress... what is the last thing I remember? Tony pleading with me not to go. But where? Did I go there anyway?
She closed her eyes, the thoughts swimming in her head and making her feel dizzy. She needed to walk but she was not confident that she could stand.
Just then, she heard a noise at the room's door as if a lock was being opened. She tensed as she saw a fat, frog-like man in a blue robe and a pretty, young woman enter the room. Seeing them stirred Pepper's memory and she stood up quickly, raising her fists reflexively.
"You, you damn frog!" she yelled at the man, who was beaming at her nefariously. "You and your fellow frogs brought me here from the Temple! You drugged me!" She took one step forward, only to step back as the priest pointed a thick stick at her.
"My dear child, your rage is inspiring but I must ask you to calm down. I can subdue you and you will not like it. You have been brought here for a divine purpose. Please understand that resistance will do you no good."
Pepper took a deep breath. Calm down, remember the mission. You need to see what is going on, do not react. She could see the historian widen her eyes pleadingly at Pepper, as if to warn her not to cross the priest.
Pepper lowered her head in a submissive pose. "I'm sorry, I will behave." She said woodenly.
The priest said "Good. Milene, wake the other one up."
The historian gently shook the sleeping girl awake, who drowsily stood up.
The priest said in a soothing tone, "Milene will explain what is expected of you. Then you will be sent for a bath. You desperately need to be cleansed before your presentation. Then you will be fed. And finally, you will be presented to the guests."
Pepper raised her head. "Presented to the guests? What do you mean?"
The priest moved so quickly, Pepper did not time to react. He swung the stick at her knees, rapping her sharply across them, so she cried with pain and fell forward to the floor.
She looked up at him warily, scared of another blow. "You will address any Mensoleste as Your Holiness. And you will not speak unless spoken to. Is that clear, Virginia?"
She nodded and he left the room.
The second he left, Milene came over to her and helped her sit on the bed. Pepper massaged her knees to ease the pain. The historian said softly, "Do not cross the priests. They are very ruthless and always get what they want, some way or the other. Keep a low profile, do not attract attention and they may ignore you."
She patted Pepper's head reassuringly. "You want to get out of here right? Do not get into trouble. I will try to help you. But it is difficult. Somehow they are very interested in you."
Pepper still felt drowsy. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.
The other girl had come to sit beside her and seemed equally drowsy. Pepper murmured to her "I am Virginia, you are?"
"Eleta" the girl whispered. "How did you get here?"
"I was kidnapped from the Temple, yesterday, I think... What about you?"
Eleta said "I was kidnapped from the Marketplace. Two days ago. They keep drugging me. I cannot think clearly."
The name "Eleta" was nagging Pepper for some reason and she jogged her memory. Then Milene interceded.
"Okay, you two, now we are going to take a nice walk to a gathering room. Where you will meet the third candidate. And I will explain what is expected of the Oracle candidates."
Both Pepper and Eleta stood up and followed her out of the room.
Pepper looked around the wide corridor that she and Eleta were walking in. It was painted sea blue with white waves painted on the blue. There's the sea motif again. I wish my head would stop aching.
There were no windows in the corridor. We must be underground. I can not hear any sounds of nature. It is too quiet.
She had stopped walking to rub her temples and Milene came to her. "Here, drink this." She handed Pepper a vial of amber-colored liquid and Pepper sniffed it suspiciously.
Milene smiled a little sadly at her. "You have every right to be suspicious, Virginia but rest assured, I am trying to help you."
Pepper slurped the vial in one go. It was strong and citrusy in taste. Milene resumed walking and they followed her to a small
room with chairs and stools. There was a young man with thick, black hair sitting on one of the chairs, head thrown back, eyes closed tightly.
The room was entirely white in color, save for the beautiful design painted on its ceiling. Pepper stood under it to take a closer look.
It was a circular emblem. On a lush green background, flowers with curved petals of white and blue were painted, artistically twining into each other.
The white flower looks like the flower in the Temple. The offering given to the worshippers after the service.
Milene walked over to the young man. "What is the matter, Dante? Is the room too bright?" She asked with concern. He moaned and Milene handed him and Eleta, vials as well.
"Drink these, you will feel better for a little while."
Pepper agreed. Her head had stopped aching and she could see clearly. She took a deep breath and sat down.
Milene looked at the three of them. "You do know why you are here, right?" Pepper shook her head negatively. Eleta and Dante stared at her incredulously. "I'm new to Patait. I do not know why I am here. I was at the Temple, the priest invited me to visit the inner sanctum and then... here I am."
Milene said softly, "Virginia, you were there when I explained about the Goddess of this land, right? Well, the Being that the Princess communed with all those centuries ago, the one that created Patait, has come back."
"Yes, I know..." she said at Pepper's look of skepticism, "I know it sounds ridiculous but the Being will be in Patait soon. And we need to be able to communicate it."
"So the Menolestes feel that there are certain souls, certain people who can act as oracles for the Being. And hence the ceremony, where one of you will be chosen as the Oracle."
Dante said sarcastically, "Come now. This selection has been going on for nearly a month. Are you telling me an Oracle has not been found from the fifty or so candidates so far?"
Milene shrugged. "It is the Being's decision. No one can influence or predict its choice."
Eleta asked nervously, "What will happen during the ceremony? Will it... will it hurt us?"
Milene looked indecisive. "The Being will assess you. You must just be open to it. It will try to talk to you. It will not physically touch you."
"And what happens after?!" Asked Dante angrily. "What happens after the Ceremony? Will we get to just walk out of here?"
All three of them looked at Milene, who stammered and looked down at her hands. "I do not know... I... it is not my decision..."
Before she could continue, the doors of the room were pushed open with force and three horsemen entered. They forced the three candidates to stand up and then stood behind them.
Another frog-like priest entered. This one had a large tattoo drawn on his fat belly, that of a wave. He seemed angry and Pepper tensed.
"Asking impudent questions is not expected of a Candidate. When the time comes, all will be revealed. The will of the Great One shall be done."
Then he clapped his hands. "Milene, go back to your duties. The guests should be arriving soon. Receive them at the gate, redirect them to the right rooms, see to dinner... you know what to do."
Milene nodded and left the room, looking back at the three of them, with worry. The priest rubbed his hands together and looked slowly at each one.
Dante sneered at him. "What sort of racket are you playing at? Fooling the good people of Patait with your parlor tricks! Well I won't let it happen!"
The priest calmly raised a wide palm and crooked his fingers at Dante, in a beckoning gesture.
Dante took that as a challenge and made to charge at the priest but the horseman behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder and Eleta screamed, "Dante! Do not move, do not move! There is a needle in his hand!"
Pepper gasped as she saw that the priest was holding a very thin, long needle that would have pierced Dante in the shoulder if he charged at the priest. It was as long as a ruler and was so fine, that it was almost invisible to the naked eye.
The priest giggled, the sound so incongruous for the situation, that Pepper stared at him. Then he clapped his hands once and Dante was pushed back to his seat by the horseman.
"Now then, candidate sound off. You angry one. With the red belt. You are Candidate One."
He pointed at Dante and then pulled out a piece of paper from his robe and made a note.
He looked at Eleta. "Candidate Two." He noted this down as well.
Then he looked at Pepper. "Red haired wanderer. Candidate Three."
He made a final note and said, "Right. It is clear you three are not as... grateful as is required from our Oracle candidates. Never mind."
He grinned evilly, the smile not reaching his eyes. "We cannot make you grateful but we can make you... obedient."
He clapped his hands thrice and a bell started to ring shrilly.
Where is the sound coming from?
"Let the spraying commence."
The priest turned and exited the room, the horsemen marched out after him.
"Spraying?! What!" yelled Dante and Eleta put her head between her knees and began to rock gently.
Pepper looked around. Spraying sounds ominous. From where and what will be sprayed?
The answer came to her, just as the sound of liquid moving, could be heard. Good God, the petals on the emblem are openings! Shit!
She ducked as a warm burst of liquid started to spray from the emblem, soaking all three of them. Pepper covered her mouth and bent her head, so it wouldn't go in her eyes. The liquid was falling on her hair and on her back, leaving warm patches of moisture on her clothes.
Eleta was bent forward too but Dante had got a full spray of the liquid on his face and was rubbing his eyes slowly. "What the devil is this?" He shouted.
Pepper yelled back, "Stop shouting and cover your face!" as they heard a clanking noise. The liquid turned into a very fine, gaseous spray, so fine that it fell on them like a light mist.
Pepper could taste the spray on her tongue. It was sweet and cloying and faintly familiar. She thought dimly, If I didn't open my mouth, how can I taste it on my tongue?
She saw the room spin and swirl about her, the white, green, blue colors melding together.
She closed her eyes to get rid of the swirls but in the darkness, she could see the same colors as bright splashes of light against her eyelids.
When she opened her eyes again, the room was swaying. Perhaps I'm swaying.
Her throat felt so parched and she swallowed hard. Eleta was lying on the floor and Dante was slumped in the chair. Someone was talking gibberish. Wait, that's me ... why am I talking so much...
She looked down at her hands, they were moving. No, no the floor is moving. Yes, I'm standing still and the floor is moving. All is moving around me... I'm the solid center.
The door opened slowly and the Frog came in with two horses. Pepper giggled at the sight of a frog dressed in blue. The Frog giggled back, which amused her instantly.
The horses were very stern. They pulled Dante to his feet. Eleta was also pulled to her feet.
The Frog was asking her something. "What, what... Oh I'm number three. Candidate number three."
He smiled, such a cute froggy at her. Then he gently pulled her out of the room.
The white corridor was swaying gently. Just like on the ship. See saw. The Frog led her to a beautiful, stone bathroom, white and blue in color.
There was a tub in the center filled with water. Pepper sighed as a lot of little sparrows came to her and started to take off her clothes. The Frog had gone.
She tried to resist them. How dare they take my clothes!
But they paid her no attention. They pushed her hands away and she seemed to have no strength to fight back. Then she was naked and being helped into the bath.
The water is so warm and smells so nice. So nice. She closed her eyes and dreamt she was riding Buttercup and Tony was chasing her on Balthazar. They were laughing together.
Tony?
She stirred and saw that she was sitting on a settee. A sparrow was combing her hair gently. Pepper felt so tired all of a sudden.
"Where is Tony?" She asked the sparrow who looked confused. "He needs a bath too. He always has grease on him. But he smells so nice, even with the gtease."
Out of nowhere, the Froggy came with a glass of hot steaming liquid and urged Pepper to drink it.
She did and it made her body flood with warmth.
Then she started to fade into unconsciousness.
Tony, where are you? Tony, where are you?
The banquet was in full swing. Pepper looked down the long dining table. The villagers and the Carinthians were all eating together.
King John sat at the head of the table. She waved at him and he waved back.
She laughed and then turned to Tony, sitting on her right. He was smiling at her so sensually, she blushed. He came close to her, pushed her hair back and whispered lazily in her ear, "Pepper, do not eat what they offer you."
She looked at him with confusion. "But Tony... we are the guests of honor."
He whispered again, "Do not eat it, Pepper, put it in your mouth but do not swallow. Spit it onto a napkin and put the napkin on your lap."
He looked into her eyes, his beautiful brown ones appealing to her. "Pepper, sweetheart, do not eat what they give you."
Pepper gasped as she was jerked awake by a hard hand on her shoulder. She looked right into the empty, cold face of a horseman.
He left her then and she blinked, once, twice to clear her throbbing head. She was sitting at a long narrow table. Eleta on her right, was slumped on her hands. Dante, on her left, was gently snoring. Pepper glanced around. There were a few servants running about and the horseman glaring at her. She glared back at him.
She touched her face, it felt numb to her own hands. She was warm and thirsty.
Then a servant came and placed a tray with three dishes of blue petals soaked in a syrup. They were each handed a dish.
Pepper remembered Tony's warning in the dream and just placed the petal in her mouth and pretended to chew. The horseman was bored and was looking at his fingers. The servant had moved away. She raised her napkin to her lips, pretending to wipe them and slowly took the petal out of her mouth. Then she lowered the napkin to her lap.
Dante was chewing his petal sluggishly and Eleta was still slumped over the table. Pepper tensed as the horseman came over and shook Eleta hard, to wake her up.
Pepper shouted, "Leave her alone!" but the horseman didn't even look at her. Eleta drowsily wiped her eyes.
The servant came back with another three dishes, this time white petals. Again Pepper sneakily spat it into her napkin. Dante and Eleta were too drowsy to notice her and the horseman had left the room.
Pepper's vision had started to clear. How much time has passed since I woke up in the cot?
There were gaps in her memory. I remember the candidate call off but how did I end up here?
The servant brought three dishes, full of steamed vegetables and Pepper gorged on her dish with gusto. This food is not tampered with. Thank god.
Then a bowl of fruits was brought and she ate those happily as well.
She glanced sideways at Eleta. Her head was lolling and she could fall into her plate with sleep any minute.
Then a gong was sounded and the servant returned with three bowls.
Oh no... I will have to drink this, I can't get rid of it in the napkin!
The horseman came closer and growled out, "Stand up, you three."
They obeyed and the servant handed them a bowl each. Then the horseman said, "Drink deep. Drain the bowl."
Pepper had no choice but to drink from the bowl. It was thick but clear and and sweet. She left some of it in the bowl, hoping the horseman wouldn't notice. He didn't.
She felt drowsy but not completely out of her senses. The horseman motioned at them to step away from the table and line up, facing him.
Then a servant came and blindfolded them.
The horseman said "March!" and she had to walk forward blindly, following the lead of the servant.
She realized they were being led somewhere as she could hear people moving and talking. They stopped for a minute. Pepper heard a handle being pulled and then they were led somewhere inside and made to sit down.
She heard footsteps shuffling away and the door was closed then.
She gingerly lifted her hand to lift the blindfold, so that she could see which room they were in.
She did so and was amazed to see they were sitting in a beautiful glass aviary, with all types of exotic birds flying amidst lush greenery.
She stood up, entranced. I've never seen such birds in my life.
Then she noticed the multiple buds of white and blue flowers growing amongst the plants.
These are...the moonflowers? They look so beautiful. So beautiful but dangerous.
She sighed deeply. Now I can do nothing but wait. So she sat there in the aviary quietly, enjoying the sight of the bright and colorful birds.
