Chapter Twenty-Nine
A dedicate brought my horse back out to me, still saddled and ready to ride. I hopped up onto Miquien's back and rode off at a canter around the large temple, going towards the front and tying my horse to a rail designed for mounts. I walked inside of the sanctuary and found a shadowy corner where I could lie on my back in peace and quiet and think.
After a time, I heard a gentle voice asking me "Excuse me, do you mind if I join you? It's a bit darker over here, and much quieter than the rest of the temple." I glanced up to see the soft face of a female werewolf in human form with a strange relic resting in her hands. I considered her question for a moment before smiling relaxedly and nodding to her.
"The grass here is very soft and cool, and it should be easier for you to concentrate here." I offered. She smiled and sat beside me, tossing the small glass globe back and forth from hand to hand.
"What is that?" I asked her. She glanced down at the relic in some surprise before smiling to herself.
"It's a channeling orb. When I need to clear my mind or organise my thoughts, I use this to delve inside myself and focus on the problems that need fixing. It's a much deeper type of meditation that also strengthens my spells and adds meaning to my blessings." She explained to me, showing me the orb.
"It looks so fragile." I commented. She shook her head with a smile.
"Nope, it's tougher than steel. I could drop this thing a million times and it wouldn't get a single scratch on it." She boasted. I smiled, clearly impressed.
"So, what's your name?" I asked her. She smiled shyly and held out a hand for me to shake, embarrassed that she didn't introduce herself right away.
"I'm Sylvicma, one of the priestesses in the Lower Council of Sight and Wisdom. Most of the other members think they made a mistake when I wad chosen; I have no real wisdom, and my gift of the Sight is weak even when I focus my power and energy into it." She confided in me, hanging her head in shame.
I gave her a small smile, saying "You're still just a pup in this world Sylvicma, and it takes time and practice to become a master at such a difficult skill. Have patience and your prayers will be answered. A little faith couldn't hurt either." I commented, winking at her. She laughed and relaxed, smiling at me as she cheered up.
"I better get to organizing my thoughts then, otherwise this will take a long time." She said, sitting cross-legged in the grass a few feet away from me. I smiled and lied down on my back with my eyes closed, simply clearing my mind and focusing on the sounds from the world around me.
I slowly began to clear my mind of the sounds in the rooms around me and focused on the wind entering the large temple, carrying voices from far away places. As I listened, I could hear a faint whisper of sound coming from far off. I listened and was surprised to hear Garrow and Roran speaking to one another out on the field.
"I went back to the house for another tool and noticed that Ayla and her friend were missing. Do you know where they went father?" Roran asked Garrow. I heard Garrow sigh and scratch the back of his head.
"Its their business where they are and what they're doing. They probably went out for a ride on those new horses of theirs; Ayla seemed very excited about them." He suggested. Roran grunted in agreement and silence descended upon the two men as they continued their work in the fields. I smiled to myself and allowed my senses to drift with the wind, listening to the world as it breathed.
As I drifted on the wind in spirit, I heard a different kind of sound. It was the sound of heavy boots marching down a small hallway. I heard a creaky door swing open and something heavy thrown beyond it. The door slammed closed with a strange metallic ringing quality to it, and I realized the door was made of metal. A cell door.
There was then silence for a long moment, until you heard a cold voice whisper "Very soon you shall tell me where the egg is Princess, you'll see." The icy voice whispered menacingly. A female voice whimpered slightly, but didn't respond. The sound of light feet stalking away was heard, and then there was again silence. I quickly retreated from my voice on the wind and back into my own body.
So, the elf maiden that Durza captured is still alive, but why would he be asking her about an egg? What was so special about it? I pondered this as I lied in the soft grass, weighing thoughts in my head.
After a while of lying there, I decided I would go up into the spirit realm and visit my mother Hecate again, since I had the ability. Perhaps I would find the answers I was seeking up there faster than I would down here. I decided to try it out and let my spirit float away from my body, towards the sky. Once again, my real arm held my spirit self by the ankle, refusing to let me go. I yanked myself free and soared up into the clouds, as light as a feather.
Once again, I entered through the ancient stone archway into the room of grass with the white marble fountain in its center. The lounge chair was still sitting beside the fountain, and mother was laying in it just as she had been before. I bounded towards her across the grassy floor, calling "Mother, I'm back mother!"
She glanced up at me from the book she held in her hands and smiled, closing it and setting it on the floor. She stood from her chair and opened her arms to me, allowing me to embrace her. I laughed like a small child and released her, running around the fountain as she ran after me, laughing in her soft and soothing voice. For a while we just ran and played around the fountain, mother and daughter were oblivious to the rest of the world.
After a time, we were laying in the grass on our backs and looking up through the shifting purples mists above us at the stars in the night sky, just thinking together. I rolled onto my side and looked at my mom, who looked so at peace in this green room with her white robes and white hair tumbling over her shoulders. A light purple and blue aura surrounded her wherever she went, and her bare feet were grass-stained.
"Mom, why is it I love Durza so differently from the brotherly love I have for Nyvern and Kallaheart?" I asked her. She glanced over at me with surprised eyes.
"I thought you would have guessed that already. You fell in love with Durza while you were still mostly human, and your heart was meant to connect with his. Besides, he isn't a brother to you; your love goes too deep for that to be possible. Don't you see? He is and always will be important to you Ayla." She told me quietly.
"What if I'm not strong enough to cure him, and what if I die instead? What do I do then Mom?" I asked her. She looked unsure for a moment, then sighed.
You'll just have to hope and practice my dearest. Practice your Dark Gift and expand it to broader horizons. Practice sword work and healing and learn all that you can with the time that is given to you. You will leave for your journey in less than two months, and it will be a journey for the survival of more than just you and your companions. The whole world is resting on your shoulders now Ayla. Its up to the Greater Gods what happens next." She said, glancing up at the stars.
"The Greater Gods?" I asked her, puzzled. "I thought you were the only God?" I asked, confused. She laughed a pealing laugh, her gentle chime spreading through-out the room.
"Oh Sweet One, of course not! I'm one of the lesser Gods, the Goddess of Werewolves. There are many Gods and Goddesses higher up above me. I have the most power concerning our race, but over-all I am still a Lesser Goddess." she told me a bit sheepishly. I grinned at her.
She stopped for a moment and seemed to be watching something from far away for a moment before her attention snapped back to me. "You need to go now my dearest one; Kallaheart and Nyvern will soon come looking for you." She told me.
I nodded and got up off of the soft grass. Hecate joined me and guided me back to the fountain, where she picked up the book she had been reading and looked at it. She muttered a few words and passed her hand over it, and the book changed in her palm. It was now slightly thicker, and it had changed from a red book to and orange one. She handed to me and pushed me towards the archway.
Clutching the book tightly, I waved goodbye to my mother before walking through the stone archway and zipping through the clouds and back to my body.