Quick lexicon (for those of you who might be unfamiliar with the Euthanatos, Buddhism, and Sanskrit in general)
Acarya: Mentor
Bodhisattva: Sanskrit word meaning "Enlightened One".
Mahatma: Sanskrit word meaning "Great Soul". Used as a honorific, as in Mahatma Gandhi.
Mudra: a hand sign, each with a specific meaning.
Shravaka: Disciple
Vajra: one of the symbols most commonly used in Buddhism. The word vajra can mean both thunderbolt or diamond, depending on the context, and is a metaphor for supernatural power. It's usually represented as a double-sided trident.
Chapter 3: A Parting of the WaysFive minutes after they'd entered the cave, Damien noticed a diffuse glow that seemed to come from the rock walls, bathing the tunnel in a pale light not unlike that of the moon. Behind him, Christie walked slowly, her eyes flickering nervously over the bare rock and the packed earth, her hand tightly clutching her knife.
The further they moved, the weaker the light became, until the tunnel was as dark as a moonless night. Scattered on the ground were more cherry blossoms, almost a trail of them, filling the still air with their fragrance, and Damien saw small candles flickering in little niches carved into the rock. The light was more than enough to see by, and it lent its flickering to the deep shadows it cast into the tunnel.
Several minutes and an indeterminate distance later, the candles were accompanied by Japanese ideograms painted on the rock in fading red ink. Just as he moved to get a closer look at one of the symbols, he heard a muffled curse behind him. He turned, to see Christie standing in the middle of the tunnel, one hand extended in front of her.
"What's wrong?", he asked.
"I don't know", she answered in a puzzled voice. "Some kind of barrier, I think…"
Damien looked around, up and down, but could see nothing. Then he realized he'd felt something, very faintly, when passing through the same spot where Christie was standing.
Closing his eyes, he whispered a mantra, then looked again.
This time, the barrier was plainly visible, a wall of glowing bluish-white ideograms which filled the tunnel. Damien stretched his arm out, and his hand passed through the barrier, causing the ideograms to glow slightly brighter.
"Try to put your hand through", he said, examining the barrier.
Christie obeyed. Her hand was stopped as though by a solid wall, while the ideograms at the point of contact flared in a blue flash.
"No good", she said. "It's like a wall or something."
Damien smiled thinly. "Yeah, someone probably set up a banning ward…"
Christie gave him a blank stare.. "Pretend I don't understand, and explain that again", she said.
Damien cleared his throat. "It's a warding spell", he explained. "It looks like it was made to stop anything that's not a mage from going any further." He thought for a second. "Then that would explain why there were no guardians at the entrance. Lemme see if I can find a way to bypass it."
The Garou nodded, and took a step back. Damien laid both hands on the ward, and closed his eyes. He focused on the barrier, then slowly reached out with his mind, mentally touching the glowing ideograms. He felt great power, a immensely strong will holding the barrier in place. He surmised that the barrier could be unmade, but by someone with much greater power than himself. Reaching out again, he tried to gain a sense of barrier's maker, and had a mental glimpse of a tall man, clad in what looked like a samurai's armor, holding a spear of some kind. Then the picture was gone, with a swiftness that made his head hurt.
Damien took a step back, one hand going to his temple. Then he tried a different approach, attempting to sense a weak point in the barrier, but to no avail. The ward was as strong as if it had just been woven. The young Euthanatos sighed in annoyance.
"No good", he said. "I can't even find a weak spot in it."
"So what's the plan?", Christie asked, sounding thoroughly annoyed.
"Well, it looks like you're not going through", he answered. "Sorry", he added with an apologetic smile.
Christie sighed, then looked around again. "Oh, well. Looks like my path ends here." She turned around. "It was fun knowing you", she added. "Look me up when you're back in Seattle." Then she left the way they had come, whistling softly to herself.
Damien watched her go with a slight smile, wondering if he might just take her up on her offer, then turned to the way ahead. The candlelit tunnel seemed to stretch on into the distance, its bare walls offering no hint of an exit. With a sigh, he set his bag down and sat down. He smoked a cigarette, ate a cereal bar and drank some water. After this brief pause, he started down the tunnel, wondering who had set up such a ward to protect a funeral shrine. On a sudden thought, he checked his watch and cell phone. His watch was working again, indicating the time as 3:15. As he thought, his phone was still showing a "No Service" message. Shrugging, he went on.
* * * *
After less than twenty minutes, he finally saw the end of the tunnel. Smiling, he walked a little faster, and soon left the tunnel behind him.
When he looked around, he had a powerful sense of deja-vu, the scenery identical to that of his dream. The stream, red bridge and windswept, calf-high grass somehow instilled him with a feeling of peace and harmony, and he found himself wishing he'd known about this place sooner. Like before Ashley died, he thought grimly. She would have loved it. Chasing the unwelcome thought with a shake of his head, he went on towards the small copse of trees that stood close to the bridge. Christie had mentioned something shiny on one of the trees and he intended to take a look at whatever it was.
Coming closer, he became aware of another sound besides that of the wind, a faint chatter, as of several people whispering quickly to each other. One hand reaching into his pocket for his gun, he walked on, all senses alert.
When he came to the trees, he heard the branches rustle, and looked up, just in time to see a small squirrel, its bushy tail twitching, its beady eyes fixed on him. Damien ignored it and looked at the tree. He saw a red ribbon tied around the trunk, one end badly frayed, looking almost chewed. He looked up again, and saw that the squirrel was still looking at him, chattering to itself. Damien touched the ribbon, and the squirrel hopped down to another branch, this one almost level with Damien's face. It chattered again, and as if in answer, its chatter was echoed in the other trees. A second squirrel joined the first on the branch, this one seeming to glare at Damien. Then another, and a fourth came from the other trees. Damien chuckled, and one of the squirrels glared at him, almost as though trying to stare him down.
"What is it doing here?", a thin, high-pitched voice asked.
"Me knows not… lost it is, maybe?", another answered.
Damien was strangely unsurprised to hear the squirrels talk. Somehow he'd expected them to sound like animals in a Disney movie, and he felt oddly disappointed by their squeaky voices.
"Lost, this one is? Me thinks not… me thinks the key it wants!"
"What's that key?", Damien asked.
The squirrels ignored him, and kept on chattering amongst themselves.
"What does it wants here, me wonders… maybe not a friend, maybe hurts us it wants…", one of them said, with a quick worried glance at Damien. The gesture was so human that Damien had trouble stifling a laugh.
"I don't want to hurt any of you", he said with a smile. "I just want to go pay my respects at Mochizuki's shrine", he added on a sudden hunch.
One of the squirrels glared at him with its beady eyes, its ears twitching.
"It knows the Old Master", it said. "Not one of the Warring Fists, it is…"
Damien started, and looked at the squirrel, recognizing the ancient name for the Akashic Brotherhood.
"You're right", he said. "I'm not one of the Warring Fists."
"Then what is you?", the squirrel asked, its eyes fixed on Damien.
"I'm a Tender of the Wheel", he replied, hoping the old name would sound familiar to the squirrels.
It was the wrong thing to say, however, as three of the squirrels jumped back up into the trees with what sounded like frightened squeaks. The fourth one remained where it was, looking at Damien with such a human expression of mistrust that the young mage unconsciously took a step back.
"Tender of the Wheel", it repeated. "What does you wants here?"
"As I said, I just want to pay my respects to Noburo Mochizuki's memory. Will you not allow me to do so?", he asked.
The rodent seemed to ponder Damien's answer, scratching its head. "What does you gives for passage?", it asked. "Maybe you gives something good and we lets you pass through, maybe we does…", it squeaked, a hopeful note creeping into its voice.
Damien shrugged. "Maybe I give you something, and maybe you give me the key in exchange?", he asked, trying to sound as uninterested as possible.
"The key? The key you wants? Maybe you gives something very very good, and maybe we lets you look at the key, yes…"
Damien shrugged again, then took his rosary from his bag. It was well-crafted, the beads carved from soft-grained, light brown wood. The squirrel followed intently each of Damien's gestures, and hopped closer when he held the rosary up.
"Praying beads? Yes, something good this is… maybe we lets you look at the key, yes…", the squirrel said.
Smiling inwardly, Damien made as if to put the rosary back in his bag, and was rewarded by the squirrel hopping up and down the branch with something like frantic greed. "Is that it? It's worth more, a lot more than just a look at the key…", he said, mentally crossing his fingers and hoping the squirrel would fall for it.
It did. It stopped mid-hop and looked at him, rubbing its front paws together, its tail twitching.
"More? Worth more than a look, you says?", it asked, almost nervous. "What does it do, me wonders?"
"Eh. I can't just tell you that", Damien replied. "You'll have to find out by yourself. What you gain without effort has no value", he added.
The squirrel didn't answer, evidently pondering Damien's words. It looked at him, scratching its chin, its tail twitching, then moved closer. Damien once again pretended to put the rosary away. The squirrel began hopping up and down the branch again, darting quick, worried glances at the young mage.
"Fine, you wins… gives me the beads, and me gives you the key…", it said.
Damien stretched his hand out. "Deal", he said. The squirrel hopped forward and put its paw in Damien's hand. "Deal", it repeated, then climbed down the tree, and began scratching at a spot just in front of the tree. After a few minutes of feverish scratching and digging, it held up the key. Carrying it in its jaws, it climbed back to the branch and held the key out to Damien. As he had thought, the key was nothing else than the vajra symbol, made of metal. The squirrel looked expectantly at him, and Damien handed the rosary to it. It snatched it from his hand, grasping it with both paws, then jumped back up into the tree.
Damien walked a few yards towards the bridge before allowing himself a wide smile. He wouldn't mourn the loss of a rosary bought at Pike's Place. He examined the 'key': made of a golden metal, the vajra symbol shone in the sunlight. Tied to one end was still a piece of frayed red ribbon. Still smiling, Damien put it in his coat pocket and walked on, crossing the bridge.
When he came to the cherry tree grove, he saw something that hadn't been in his dream: a huge stone statue, towering several feet over him, of a man in samurai armor, spear in one hand, a huge sword in the other hand. The pedestal held no markings of any kind. On the other side of the path was the statue of the Buddha, its eyes closed, smiling its benevolent smile upon the young mage. Damien bowed to the warrior's statue, then knelt in front of the Buddha. Pulling another rosary from his bag, this one made of finely carved mahogany beads, he chanted a mantra. When he was finished, he rose, and entered the grove.
* * * *
The first thing he was aware of was the feeling of peace that blanketed the area. Then he noticed the smell of the cherry blossoms, their fragrance almost palpable. Smiling, he walked on, and reached the shrine. As he remembered from his dream, it stood in the exact center of the grove and held another statue of the Buddha, and the votive plate bearing Mochizuki's name. He stood in front of the shrine, admiring the craftsmanship of the carved stone, then took his lighter out and lit the three joss sticks. Then he took his rosary again, and knelt in prayer in front of the shrine.
After a few minutes of praying, he felt a change in the grove's atmosphere, a sense of a missing piece being fitted into a jigsaw. He finished his prayer, then stood. And noticed the faint golden glow around the statue of Buddha which adorned the shrine. When he touched the statue, it felt warm under his fingers. On an impulse, he took the vajra key from his pocket. It too was glowing with the same faint golden halo, and felt warm. He moved his hand closer to the statue and felt his hand being drawn subtly towards the base, where the hollow was. He put the key into the hollow, patting it into place until it fit perfectly.
Then he stepped back, not knowing what to expect.
The statue's eyes opened slowly, shining with golden light, while a humming sound filled the grove, as though a thousand throats were chanting a mantra. The ground began to shake and rumble, the sound coming from behind the shrine, between the trees. Damien braced himself, almost expecting an earthquake, and watched in wonder as the trees parted while the ground between them rose then opened. Two carved stone pillars pushed up from the ground, covered with Sanskrit letters. Between them, the air shimmered like heat-haze. Then the shrine pivoted, until it was facing directly between the two pillars.
Damien took a cautious step forward, then went around the shrine, looking at the pillars, trying to read the carved letters. All he could decipher was the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra, repeated over and over again. Taking a deep breath, he approached the pillars, fully expecting a lightning strike or some similar fate.
Nothing happened, and he came closer still, looking between the pillars and trying to discern the other side. The shimmer was stronger now and blurred what he saw of the cherry trees beyond it. He looked around one last time, then closed his eyes, held his breath, and walked into the shimmer.
* * * *
There was no resistance and he walked easily through, feeling a deep warping sensation in the pit of his stomach. He recognized the sensation as the side effect of a Correspondence gate, and was surprised to discover that the thought actually relaxed him.
Feeling solid ground beneath his boots, he opened his eyes, and let out a surprised exclamation. The cherry tree grove was gone. Instead, he stood in a bright, sunlit meadow, the air filled with the smell of rain-damp grass. He looked around, and saw a small hill not far away, crowned with a huge tree that spread its boughs to shade the hilltop. The sun was warm, but not hot, and small clumps of colorful flowers dotted the meadow. Turning away from the hill, he saw a building of some kind, its white walls reflecting the sunlight. Shading his eyes against the glare, he moved closer, until he could recognize the general shape of the building, and the large statue of the Buddha which stood close to it.
He sensed something behind him and turned around, towards the small hill. There now seemed to be someone sitting under the tree, where he was positive no one had been when he'd first looked. Deeply intrigued, he walked towards the hill and climbed up to the top. When he reached the tree's shade, he stared in wonder. The person sitting beneath the tree appeared to be nothing more than a beautiful Indian woman, clad in white robes which contrasted with her dark brown skin, her forehead marked with a single red dot over the third eye. She sat in the full lotus position, her eyes closed, her hands clasped in the dhyana mudra, a rosary around her neck. She sat there, unmoving, her lips quirking up in the slightest of smiles as she seemed to sense Damien's presence.
Damien simply stared at her, overwhelmed by the aura surrounding her, then caught himself and knelt quickly, then bent down until his forehead touched the ground.
"Forgive my intrusion, o Mahatma. I didn't intend to disturb your meditation", he said quickly, his voice quivering slightly.
She spoke, and her voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, ringing in his mind with pure, crystal-clear tones.
"Do not be troubled, child. Please, rise up", she said.
Damien obeyed and rose from his prostration, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground.
"So it was you who reopened Mochizuki's gate", she said. "You passed through, and thus are worthy. Who are you?"
Still kneeling, Damien relaxed, the woman's voice incredibly soothing.
"Damien Valentine, Hand-of-Garuda, bani Euthanatos, o Mahatma. Oathbound to the Cascade Chantry, in Seattle", he answered quickly.
"I am called Ashura", she said in return. "As a member of our Tradition, you are most welcome in this Horizon Realm, Damien."
Damien looked up quickly. He couldn't have been more surprised if he'd seen a mountain stand up and walk. She sensed his surprise and went on.
"You do not know of the Sanctuary?", she asked.
"Forgive my ignorance, o Mahatma. I had no idea that such a place even existed", he answered.
"Few among us have heard of the Sanctuary, and even fewer have visited it. If I may ask, how did you find Mochizuki's Shrine?", she asked.
"I was traveling the Near Umbra with… an unexpected guide, o Mahatma. And we both saw the Shrine in a dream. And, well, we decided to look into it. We found a tunnel, and passed through it, but my companion was prevented from going any further."
"How so?", Ashura asked.
"She was a werewolf, o Mahatma. The ward in the tunnel stopped her", he said.
Ashura nodded. "I see", she said simply.
Then before Damien could reply, he heard hurried footsteps behind him, and was surrounded by three men, obviously guards, clad in black fatigues, all armed. Their leader bowed deeply to Ashura, then turned to Damien.
"Who are you and how did you get here?", he asked, but without hostility.
Ashura answered for him.
"Do not trouble yourself, Edward. This young man is Damien Valentine", she said. "A member of our Tradition", she added with a subtle emphasis.
Edward nodded. "My apologies, Ashura. But we have to be extra careful these days."
"I know. But you should know better than to think I need protection, Edward", she replied.
Edward bowed stiffly and said nothing.
"How long have you been traveling, Damien?", she asked.
"Two days, o Mahatma", he answered.
"You are welcome to stay here as long as you desire", she said. "Edward, please tell Kamila we have a guest. Tell her to prepare a room for him."
"As you wish", the guard said with another bow. Then he walked away, his men following him closely.
Ashura opened her eyes and stood up slowly. "Stand up, Damien. I'll show you to the guest quarters", she said.
Damien rose, still averting his eyes. "Thank you, o Mahatma", he said.
"Am I so terrible to behold that you look away from me?", she asked, sounding highly amused.
"It's not everyday that I have the fortune of meeting a bodhisattva, o Mahatma. I was taught to always respect my betters", he said.
She smiled. "Well, I could argue that I am no bodhisattva, but I find your respect of the old customs highly commendable, Damien. Especially for a young man your age. Who was your acarya?"
Damien bowed his head, blushing slightly. "Thanks for the compliment. I was taught by Julianne McLellan, o Mahatma", he answered.
Ashura looked at him closely. "I didn't know Julianne had taken another student", she said simply.
Damien stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "You… you know her?", he stammered.
"Of course I do, Damien. Julianne was my shravaka", the Indian woman answered. "Now, let's get you settled down and refreshed, and I'll introduce you to the others", she continued, ignoring Damien's look of complete astonishment. She started down the hill, and Damien could only follow her, numbly wondering why Julianne had never mentioned her own Mentor. I expect I'll probably get all the answers I need after I've had a good shower and something to eat, he thought. For the time being, I might as well relax and enjoy the vacation.
On these thoughts, he followed Ashura down the hill, and towards the closest building.