Wolf: I never said hearing voices is a bad thing. And I know you enjoy your insanity. If you did, I wouldn't hang out with ya nearly as much! As to your "love triangle", I suppose you'll find out soon enough, won't you?
The Rest Of You (Yes, You): REVIEW!!!
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Theoris turned away and shut his eyes tight to the sound of Adjedaa's crying. Just as she hadn't wanted to intrude on such a personal moment as his lovemaking with his wife, he didn't want to be here, watching her in a moment of weakness.
We all have our weaknesses, Theoris. How can she not weep? She has felt the love you give your family and has seen the sorrow you have suffered. All of this in the blink of an eye; who would not weep?
That is not the point. I do not wish to disturb her with my presence as she weeps. My family afforded me the same courtesy as I cried for my daughter; so should I give her the courtesy of leaving her to her own thoughts.
Theoris moved out of the throne room, accompanied by the requisite pair of guards, as several mages rushed forward to help Adjedaa... in whatever way they could.
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That evening, Theoris found himself unable to sleep. This came as no surprise. The memories had not only been revived for Adjedaa's benefit, they'd been brought back to the surface for him, as well. It was easier for him to control his emotions in this instance, as he'd experienced the memories before - hence they were memories - and had, for the most part, made his peace with them. Still, the wounds had now become fresh and raw in his mind. Perhaps he'd made his peace with them, but dealing with them again was not something he wished to do.
Moreover, he was concerned for Adjedaa. I cannot imagine what it must be like for her, to experience everything at once... I fear she will never be the same.
Do not fear this possibility. Now that she has felt what you have felt, and knows much of what you know, she will be more sympathetic to our cause. She is a member of the court - she can influence whatever decision they make regarding the shield. I am confident they will make the right choice, now that she knows.
I wish I could share your confidence, but that is a difficult prospect. The last time I shared knowledge on that level, the person I shared it with disappeared. I fear the same may happen to her, as well... and we will have lost our remaining true ally in this cause.
Then let us both hope and pray that your fears are baseless.
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Adjedaa found no rest throughout the night. She could barely even contain herself. She had just absorbed half a lifetime of feelings and experiences... she wanted to laugh, shout, cry, hit something, hug someone, do something to remind herself that she was alive and had these capabilities.
But instead, she simply tossed and turned in her bed, moaning every once in a while as she tried to channel and focus the overwhelming memories she'd been given. She could barely sort through her own life, much less two lives at once. It wasn't until daylight came that she was even capable of intelligible speech amidst the gibberish of wrangling two warring identities within herself.
This has to be more than Akunosh felt, she thought. He received thought... I received thought and sense alike! Every feeling Theoris recalls, I recall; the touch of his daughter's fingertips is familiar to me; the chaos of war leaves a bitter taste in his mouth and mine.
A servant girl came to the doorway and bowed humbly. "Mistress? I bear a message from Court Mage Kenamun."
"What is it?" Adjedaa asked softly.
"Court Mage Kenamun wishes to convene a meeting of the court at mid-day, and he strongly urges your presence. He also wishes to know if you believe you feel well enough to receive visitors before that time."
Adjedaa smiled slightly. "He is worried for me."
"Yes, Mistress, that is what I heard him utter as I left his presence."
"Very well. Tell Kenamun that if he wishes to visit, he is welcome to do so, but only for a brief time. I am still very tired."
The girl bowed again and rushed away to see Adjedaa's request be taken care of.
Adjedaa let out a sigh. I have no idea what I would tell him... She hoped that Kenamun would feel like asking direct questions. If her suspicion was correct and she was being summoned to this session because Kenamun wished her to relay her experience to the council, she saw little point in saying it all a second time. There was no efficiency in this, nor would there be much point. There was nothing at this point that could be done about it.
I can hope that he is simply concerned for my welfare. She paused. Could what happened be considered a negative repercussion? Weeping is not something positive in itself, but I have been given so much in exchange. I was given everything Theoris has ever felt, every emotion he's ever known... in return, I wept. Though it was... embarrassing... it was, in the end, a worthy trade. Given the chance, I would again do something of that nature, even knowing I would become a spectacle.
Perhaps that is why the Millennium items are so dangerous. After one tastes their power, they can never be rid of the experience... and it drives them to greed and lust.
Her eyes widened. Is that what will happen to me, as well? Will I be consumed by desire for the power that gave me so much? Will there come a time when I would throw away everything in the pursuit of that power?
A time when I would destroy anything that stood between me and that power?
She shuddered. Frightening. That is the power of a Millennium item: to drive the powerful to lust... to drive a full stomach to hunger... to drive the Nile to thirst.
Only the Pharaoh could have dealt with them as He did.
Several moments passed before Adjedaa felt ready to afford herself another thought; when she did, it was the memory of how to breathe. She expelled a great gust of air that had grown stale inside her chest.
What is to be done now? She wondered.
Kenamun stepped through the portal and smiled at the resting healer. "Hello, Adjedaa."
"Kenamun," she acknowledged. She kept her eyes closed; she felt uncertain about trusting them just yet when it came to Kenamun.
"You look well."
"I feel anything but. Memories roil inside me as the raging Nile when the skies roar in anger."
"Memories, Adjedaa?"
"I saw, Kenamun. I saw what lies within Theoris. I know why he is doing what he is doing... and I know much more. Far too much more."
Kenamun's brow knitted. "How can you know 'far too much more'?"
She emitted a sigh, frustration evident in the noise. "I know not. Only that in my case, such a condition can and does exist. Last night... I simply could not contain it all. Every pleasant memory brought me unspeakable joy and every painful memory brought me unspeakable despair. Everything, all together... it was far too much for me to take."
He knelt down by her side. "You saw his mind as Akunosh did, then?"
"I know not how Akunosh saw his mind," she responded. "I know only that I saw his mind... but moreover, I saw his heart. His heart, Kenamun."
She gazed at her colleague; her face told him nothing, but her eyes betrayed mixed emotions over having invaded Theoris in that manner. "I saw every moment he spent with his family... I was with him every moment, from his childhood to his marriage... and then to his children..."
She blinked back tears. "He misses them very much, Kenamun. Yet he has not given thought to leaving these walls, not once... not as we had expected him to."
He stroked his chin. "Then his cause truly is genuine?"
"Yes," she said, nodding vigorously as if the motion would somehow make her more believable. "Entirely genuine. For the cause, there is no deception in his heart. The magicians he speaks of are real, as is their desire for the Millennium items."
"And what of--?"
"Kenamun," she interrupted, "if you wish to make an inquiry on behalf of the court, wait until the assembly you have called is in session. I am planning to attend, you know."
He gave her a level gaze. "Put yourself in my position, Adjedaa. Akunosh is nowhere to be found after two days; there is not a single a trace of him. You are the last person to speak with him, and he gave you the vital information. It was well that you visited him before he vanished. Now the tables have turned. You are the one who may well hold the key to Theoris's future, and the future of the Millennium Shield, depends on the information you hold."
"For the second day in a row," she supplemented dryly. "But there are guards just beyond that doorway... and I am quite capable of defending myself should an intruder approach with malicious intent."
Kenamun scoffed slightly. "I have no doubt of that. And if I implied else, I do apologize."
"No apologies necessary," she answered. Another sigh escaped her. "Now, please, go away. I am very tired and will need all my strength for the session. If it makes you feel better, post guards at the door; as long as I am not disturbed, they are welcome."
He nodded once. "Then it shall be done." He got to his feet and left the room.
But not before glancing one more time at the resting healer mage.
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The circle of the court was noticeably smaller, now that two of their number was missing. It was more noticeable now than it had been the last session; the last time they had met, it was almost as if they had treated Nebankh and Akunosh's absence as due to some temporary malady.
Now, though, the reality of it was striking them. Neither man had been seen in at least two days.
And the prospect of their return was looking less hopeful by the hour.
Adjedaa was the last to come into the throne room. She was being assisted by a pair of guards, one arm around each of them. She had been subject to any number of dizzy spells during the night, and Theoris's memories of war were not making them any better. The combination had led to a violent expulsion of her evening meal several hours ago; she had had only sips of water since.
Her stomach cried out for nourishment, but she still did not feel her constitution quite strong enough to handle food. Perhaps when the mid-day meal came, she would change her mind.
The guards placed her gently in her seat beside Djedhor. Kenamun eyed her, a glint of worry in his gaze. "I am glad you feel well enough to come, Adjedaa."
"I am well enough only to speak," she responded faintly. "After this, I shall return to my quarters for further rest and contemplation, but for now, the entire point behind this conference requires my presence... therefore, I am obligated."
Kenamun sighed. "As you say, then. Will you give us your account?"
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Adjedaa told them everything she had seen. She told them of Theoris's memories as a child, an adult, a soldier, a husband, a father. She spared them no detail in those last two subjects; she came down hard on them, trying to emphasize the meaning of those titles – and indeed, they were titles – by putting every emotion she could into her voice.
Then she told them of the night the magicians attacked Theoris and Khensthoth. "The magician attacked the soldiers; when Theoris regained his sight, there was no one left, and the Millennium Shield was the only remaining item in the sand. He killed the magician out of self-defense. A second magician approached, and Theoris only barely escaped with his life by using the shield to reflect the magician's attack."
There was a note of some surprise and much contemplation in the murmuring of the court mages at this statement. Kenamun raised a hand to them. "Silence... let her continue."
"Theoris learned to use the powers of the shield quickly. He destroyed the monsters that ran rampant throughout the city and then returned to the palace, as you well know. Most of the rest of the story, you have knowledge of: when he returned home, he found that his daughter was missing. He journeyed out into the desert for days at a time, taking the shield with him. It was through the shield's power that he learned of how he might be able to protect the Millennium items from the prying hands of the magicians who attacked him. He came here seeking to do exactly that. He knew, from the shield's example, that the Millennium items must be powerful beyond comprehension, and that if the magicians were willing to kill to take them, their intentions were not honorable. He lobbied this court. We accepted and restricted him to the palace."
"You are sure of Theoris's intentions?" asked Djedhor.
"He could not have conjured false memories," she answered. "His reputation and his mind both tell me otherwise. I saw deeply into his soul; I know that everything I saw is true. Even if I cannot explain how I know it, I do know it."
"Then what is his ultimate goal?"
"He has two," she stated. "The first is to ensure the protection of his people. That goal has been ingrained into him since he became a soldier. The second goal is to return to his family. This has been a very trying time for him; when we declared that we would not allow him to leave the palace, a part of him began to despair. He loves his family more than we know. His love runs more deeply than even I was able to see. Above all else, he wishes to see that his family is safe. And he wishes to be with them. The loss of his daughter hurt him terribly. Even now, it still pains him, and the pain will not part with him soon nor easily."
"What is your counsel, then?" Kenamun asked.
"My counsel is that he should be sent back to his family the instant his task is completed this evening. And we should not contact him again unless and until we make a decision concerning the Millennium Shield, which should also go with him."
The other mages looked dubious about that last one. Surero voiced their concerns. "You ask much of us where the Millennium Shield is concerned, Adjedaa. It is a dangerous thing, as all Millennium items are. Do you seriously believe we can trust him with it any longer?"
"He has been trusted with it this far," she answered. "What is it that should separate him from the shield when he has done no wrong with it?"
"I have been in his quarters to guard him," Surero reminded her. "I have watched him closely over previous days and nights. I find it strange and slightly disturbing that there is always at least one hand resting on the shield, and that he would take it to his bed. I wonder if perhaps he is becoming drunk off the power that it gives him, especially since he has been given the opportunity to put that power to use for the past six nights."
"And there is another matter," Tasetmerydjehuty said. "What of the attack on Nebankh? The fact that the powers of the shield were used to attack one of our court should count for something, should it not?"
"There is a reason for both of these occurrences," Adjedaa assured them. Her gaze panned across the throne room. "There is something I have not yet told you, perhaps for fear of your reaction, or perhaps because it is important enough that I wished to wait for someone to address it."
She turned to one of her guards, who held a small bowl of cool water. The guard handed the water to her, and she sipped it carefully and deliberately before continuing. "There is a spirit within the Millennium Shield. He can only communicate with this spirit if he is touching the shield; the spirit has been an anchor for his waning sanity during these past days. How it came into the shield, neither I nor Theoris have any idea. All we know is that somehow, it entered the shield that night." There was no need to specify which night she referred to.
"And how are you aware of this?" Kenamun asked, his wording slow and careful. "Did this spirit assert such a claim?"
"No. It does not need to."
"Why not?"
Adjedaa took a deep breath. She had stalled long enough; it was time to tell them. "Because it is the spirit of General Khensthoth."
A murmur passed through the court, and there was a considerable amount of shuffling and shifting in seats. They all regarded her with suddenly wary eyes. Kenamun was no exception, and though he saw no reason why Adjedaa would lie, he still asked, "Are you sure of this?"
"It can be no other," she responded. "It makes sense, if you stop to consider it. He was the one given it by the Pharaoh... he was bearing the shield when the first magician attacked."
"But how could General Khensthoth's spirit enter the shield?" Djedhor asked.
"As I said, I know not, nor does Theoris, and neither of us can even venture a guess. All we know is that it is there."
Silence reigned in the throne room for several moments as the mages contemplated what she was saying. Finally, Kenamun bobbed his head once. "Very well. That answers Theoris's strange behavior. But what of the attack on Nebankh?"
"It was not an attack. It was a defense." Adjedaa sipped more water. "That evening, Nebankh went to Theoris's quarters, he said, to speak with him. Yet from the accounts of the guards and servants present at the time, he seemed to want more – although they could not prove it. When the guards and servants refused to leave the room so that Nebankh and Theoris could speak alone, Nebankh threatened the servants. When the guards returned his threats, he chose not to press the issue and instead leave the room.
"As Nebankh was leaving, Khensthoth briefly took control of Theoris's body and accused Nebankh of cowardice. In anger, Nebankh desired to retaliate with a magical attack, but Khensthoth used the shield to block. The attack rebounded and instead struck Nebankh. In essence, Nebankh harmed himself."
She gazed meaningfully at the mages. "Theoris had nothing to do with the attack in itself, save that his body was possessed. He did not employ the powers of the shield. He was asleep and unaware. Therefore, Theoris cannot – and should not – be held accountable for what happened that night."
"Perhaps not, but someone should be," Tasetmerydjehuty responded. "If it was Khensthoth that accused Nebankh of cowardice... that is an insult that cannot go unchallenged. It provoked a response. Therefore, the blame is Khensthoth's, and we must conjure some form of punishment."
"Nebankh chose to respond to the insult," Adjedaa said. "He was not required to by any law or measure of etiquette. It was provocation, perhaps... but he brought the injury on himself."
"Why did Theoris not tell us of Khensthoth's existence within the shield, then, if that is the case?" Djedhor asked. "Does he have something to hide? He must have known that should this information come to light against his will, we would not be pleased that it was kept from us."
"Yes, he knew perfectly well that this court would not sit well with hidden facts. He has a reason, and one that I believe is entirely valid," she answered. "His standing with this court may have been solid the day after Pharaoh disappeared, but after he departed the palace to be with his family, that standing began to wane. He knows the fact that he has a Millennium item in itself puts a strain on his credibility. When he came to the palace to speak with us, he was stopped by Haremakhet, and when Theoris revealed his intentions, Haremakhet accused him of being drunk on the power of the shield. We very nearly made the same mistake and would have rejected his request, were it not for the fact that he is an honorable man... thus bringing the slightest credit to his story, in our eyes."
She looked each mage in the eye and gave them all hard stares. "Were he less than the man he is, and had he told us absolutely everything, we would have instantly branded him a heretic, put him in prison for treason, and sent the Millennium Shield to exist with the other items. And because we would not have believed these magicians existed, they might have already happened on them by now. We would have accused an innocent man of guilt and removed the opportunity for both of his final goals... the protection of his people and the company of his family. We would have deprived him of his wife, his son, his friend, and his sanity. All this, and more, depending on his honor and integrity.
"If he had told us that Khensthoth was within the shield, his frail standing with us would have been destroyed instantly in our minds. We would have called him quite mad and thrown him away, and so he chose to keep that information from us to retain the appearance of sanity. Put yourselves into his position. Can you really hold a grudge against him for keeping that information to himself, when we all know we never would have believed it?"
Several mages looked down at their laps in shame. They wanted to argue, to say that none of what she said was true, that they weren't nearly as closed-minded as she made them out to be... but in their hearts, they knew that was exactly what they would have done, were Theoris just some random soldier with hardly any reputation to his credit.
"Consider it in this manner," she continued. "Suppose that you have been deprived of food for several days, and you are about to starve to death. Then you are offered a feast, food extending as far as the eye can see. Do you eat all the food you are offered? No. That would be foolish. It is harmful to eat so much after having had so little. Similarly, it would have proved harmful to Theoris had he given us all of his knowledge at once, rather than one slow, careful bite at a time. Theoris has done no wrong with the Millennium Shield, and he has done no wrong by us."
Silence again cast itself over the throne room as the mages contemplated this simile. Kenamun spoke after several quiet moments. "In any event, the fate of the Millennium Shield is not the focus of this meeting, nor is the punishment that must eventually be handed down for the events of that night. It is Theoris we are here to discuss. Adjedaa has submitted her counsel: she believes Theoris must be allowed to return to his family the moment his task is complete. Shall anyone here object to this?"
No voice broke the silence that followed. Kenamun nodded. "Very well, then. Theoris will be allowed to leave the palace once his goal is achieved. We shall reconvene here tomorrow to contemplate the fate of the Millennium Shield; until that fate is decided, Theoris will continue to be its custodian. Good day."
The mages rose from their seats and left the throne room, all except Kenamun and Adjedaa. The former approached the latter, who was being helped to her feet by the guards.
"If you feel your condition warrants it, stay in your quarters when the time comes, this evening," said Kenamun. "I do not wish that you should suffer needlessly."
She shook her head. "No, Kenamun, I shall attend, no matter my status. Until now, Theoris has been alone in his endeavors. There has been no one who understands his struggle, understands his pain. Now that I know what it is he feels, I must be there with him to help him through. As a healer, I can do no less. He is alone otherwise."
"He shall return to his family as soon as the deed is finished, Adjedaa. He shall not be alone."
"Pain of this sort is not simply stanched by putting him in the comapny of others. If that were so, he would have healed long ago. Instead, he continues to suffer, even now, and he needs not suffer alone. So I shall choose to share his pain."
Kenamun bowed his head, hearing the tone of commitment in her words. "Adjedaa... for your own sake, I hope that you do not do anything foolish."
She frowned. "You are not presuming to threaten me, are you, Kenamun?"
"No, not at all. I simply mean..." He sighed. "Do not mind the words I spoke just now. But I pray you, take time to hear yourself. Hear yourself as you speak of Theoris. When you do, then you may come to understanding."
"You cannot simply tell me?"
"It is something you must tell yourself." Kenamun turned and made his way out of the throne room.
Adjedaa frowned. Why would he say something of that nature? "Hear yourself as you speak of Theoris"... what–
Oh!
"You speak of my loyalty to him," she called out to Kenamun's back. "You believe I am developing feelings for him?"
Kenamun stopped mid-stride for a moment, but didn't respond before continuing on his path.
Adjedaa frowned at his back, but said nothing. How rude. And how foolish, presuming I have feelings for Theoris. He has none for me. I have none for him. He is a soldier with a family. I am a mage obligated to remain without. We have our paths. Kenamun misinterprets my care for Theoris; it is simply the care I wish to provide someone because of extraordinary circumstances. Were it anyone else, I would do the same.
She decided not to let it anger her further. It wasn't true; what point was there in being annoyed? There was nothing present to hide or be embarrassed about... so there was no reason for her to feel foolish.
I shall pray for you, Kenamun, that you should gain better insight into matters of the heart and matters of the soul, and how to determine the difference. Yes, that is what I shall do.
With the assistance of the guards, Adjedaa left the throne room, determined to offer up a prayer before the evening's ceremony.
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*impish grin* Surprise! I'll bet you were expecting a protection ceremony, weren't you? If I am killed, harmed, abducted, or in any way maliciously touched by anything or anyone (animate or otherwise), you won't get the next chapter! (Which will be the ceremony, I swear.) Review, meantime!