Blasphemy
Paragus stared out at the deep-pink sky. He had slept through most of the day, but it was not yet dark. He wouldn't be able to do what he was going to do for hours. He wondered how he could pass the time now. He could go back to sleep, but he didn't feel tired anymore. And he certainly didn't want to join in the growing celebrations outside. He found that book. The Dark Goddess. He was going to read it properly and make sure he knew exactly what he was doing. If he messed this ceremony up, who knew what appalling could happen? He would be playing with immensely powerful forces tonight. He must above all be careful.
He fitfully skim-read, unable to concentrate. His eyes were drawn to the illustration, a burning tree. Though the tree was on fire, its branches were not damaged. This was a powerful symbol of the natural and the supernatural intertwined, an image common to nightmares. Shivering, Paragus got up and looked out of the window. The sun was beginning to descend in the sky, but the streets were still light. Children walked by, holding sparklers and torches, laughing brightly. He thought briefly of Mehetabel. Turning to the book again, Paragus flicked through a few pages. The letters might as well have been written in Namek. Admitting defeat, Paragus lay on the bed. Perhaps he'd just rest for a few minutes…
He opened his eyes a few minutes later and looked up at the clock. It was half past nine. He must have been more tired than he had imagined. He slipped off the bed and looked outside. It was completely dark now, though the night was lit with distant bonfires. He should wait at least another hour. People would still be awake, but they would be distracted with celebrating. Now would be far too early, though. He would attract attention.
Paragus' mind went once more to the nightmarish thing in his underwear drawer. Unwilling but unable to stop himself, he went and looked at it again. It did not strike him as horrible this time. It was simply a piece of old flesh, the same as you could get in a butcher's shop. It was so old and wormed anyone who sold it would have been prosecuted, true, but the heart wasn't in particularly bad condition considering. Paragus picked it up gently. Small traces of blood came off on his hands. He wrapped it in some paper.
Preparation, that's what he should be doing now. He needed a silver knife, and some white flowers. Sword lilies were said to be particularly sacred to the Goddess. He would go out and pick some now. As for the silver knife, he had several in his inn, though they had wooden handles. He wasn't sure if that made them less sacred.
He slipped through the streets, trying not to be noticed by the groups of revellers who occasionally walked past. No one paid him any attention, and a thickset soldier elbowed him in the stomach apparently without realising he was there. Paragus passed several shrubberies until he found one that contained what he was looking for- a bank of white sword lilies, pointing directly at the moon.
Paragus glanced down the street- some people thought these flowers were too sacred to be picked. Two young women loitered at the far corner, talking rapidly. He waited a few minutes and they were gone. Seizing two flowers by the stalks, he uprooted them. He didn't think quantity would be an issue. He pushed them under his shirt and hurried back.
Bringing the flowers back to the empty inn, he found a silver knife, checking the hallmark. He placed the knife, flowers and heart on his bedside table. He noted with some pride they looked like the materials of a true magician, no posing here. He checked the clock again. It was now ten past ten. It would take him about twenty minutes to reach the Field of Ash and Bones if he walked. He should wait.
At half past the hour the pain and stress of waiting grew two much for Paragus. He placed the things in a small bag and headed for the door. Standing in the frame, he froze. What if the spell had to be performed at an auspicious time? Midnight would surely be most appropriate. After all, he had to get everything right for Cochise. Cursing, Paragus sat down again.
Paragus waited, grinding his teeth and pacing around the room, until the clock showed eleven. Then he got up, winding his watch and making sure it was at precisely the right time. He'd set off early- who knew how long it would take him to reach the centre of the Field of Ash and Bones?
The streets were almost deserted by now and he exited Pistopon rapidly. Soon Paragus was in Tersee, striding over the moonlit moors, wearing a black robe with a red armband. He pulled his robe around him. The air was clear, sharp and cold. He thought wishfully of the bright bonfires that would be burning all around the planet Vegeta, but shook his head. Next year, if this were successful, he'd celebrate Burning Night with Cochise.
The grass was silvery blue under the moon and the shadows were long and clearly defined. In spite of Paragus' hopes, this night looked as clear as last. There was no one in sight, but he could not help but feel an increasing nervousness as neared the forbidden Field of Ash and Bones. He hadn't come here for years. Even the name of the place made him edgy.
Paragus saw the line of conifers that stood around the as he reached the top of a small hill. They were drawn of colour by the dark and there was something distinctly and tangibly sinister about them. To Paragus they looked evil, like a line of accusing words, or dark swords. His racing mind brought up the comparison of a line of soldiers guarding the field. They reminded him that there were many people who would say he should not be here at all.
The dark trees grew larger as Paragus walked, and so did his fear. He tried to soothe himself with reasonable arguments. He was doing this all for Cochise, he told himself. He'd see her again soon. And besides, whatever happened tonight would not be nearly as last night's trip around the graveyard. An involuntary memory of the moment he had ripped off the coffin lid made Paragus' eyelid twitch.
He was standing in front of those pines now. They towered above him, their branches moving soundlessly in the wind. There were deep shadows by their trunks and Paragus felt convinced every piece of darkness hid a pair of eyes. But he could not turn back. He was no coward.
He pushed through the trees, their cold branches brushing against him, and all too soon was on the other side. A tiny bank of grass separated him from the vast expanse in front of him. The Field of Ash and Bones. It seemed even bigger than he remembered it, stretching out as far as he could see in front and to either side. It was simply an open plane of sand or ash, without a single plant growing in it, without as much as a rock to detract from its monotonous flatness. It was out of place in this land of moors and forests, distinctly unnatural- supernatural. Paragus looked on in awe and fear. There was a strange beauty in the desolation of this place.
He checked his wind-up watch. In twenty minutes, it would be midnight. He should set off. He didn't know how long it would take him to reach the centre. But he did not set off. Instead, he stood motionless on the grass bank at the side of Field of Ash and Bones. Paragus was afraid.