CHAPTER 8
AZAKURAIN
IRIS:
"Mystic Sister Iris! Princess of Destiny!" A few fell on their faces in bows of respect.
"Your High Powers are proven! The Prophecy must be true!"
Numerous Enlightened Ones swayed in raucous and continual chants of "M-A-I! M-A-I!" One of the low ranked Enlightened Ones adorned her with a silver tiara bearing a sparkling pink butterfly, Iris' eyes poured tears of gratitude (though the weight of its construction hinted it were made of plastic.)
For the first time in her life, Iris felt special and wanted. Well, Bikini had genuinely wanted her, but much of the respect given to a Hazakurain nun was still derived from self-sacrifice and asceticism.
But here, now, suddenly she was considered intrinsically valuable, in fact considered the polar opposite of the genetic failure she'd been branded as and (in a way) considered herself to be, discarded like a piece of old rubbish. No, like many great women before her, Iris' true life meaning would manifest in her heir, the true heir of the One True Ancestral AMI MAI I AM, the next Master Of Kurain And Azakurain.
"Of course Mystic Phoenix loved you," Mystic Dora had soothed, "it is only an evil warping of fate that tore you apart!"
It was true! After all, Feenie had said it so many times. It only went wrong because Mia Fey disobeyed the spirits and been cast out of the Order, Mystic Dora had reminded her, abdicating her right to be Master, and then defying the spirits' will by distracting and obstructing Feenie from his Destined Path.
Iris was truly convinced of the rightness of all these proclamations. After all, if she had just shown power (by meeting the Order of Azakurain?) before Misty left, rather than being sent away prematurely, she could have succeeded as Master, she was sure. That was what the spirits had told her (through the sacred Channel of Mystic Patricia.)
She stepped through the door of her new promotion house - "A castle!" dear Mystic Dora had called it - and closed it as ritual demanded. Her Mystic Sisters were still outside completing the Blessing Ceremony, but she was supposed to stay indoors. The ritual was actually designed for couples once one had been promoted to High status, but they couldn't really change the Sacred Rules, the blessing might not work or something (Iris shuddered.)
The lovely pink wall clock read it was 2 minutes till 9. Obediently, Iris changed into her flowing Princess Night Robe and clambered daintily into her new soft, huge, pink bed. One minute left. She gazed around her lovely surroundings. The walls were freshly painted in a subtle pink hue. There was a huge dressing table with piles of expensive nailpolish (though she rarely wore makeup, but it was a thoughtful gift by her Mystic Sisters all the same!)
Her eyes fixed on the lacey pink curtains meditatively.
She sort of missed that leaky old blind in gunmetal-mucous-green to which they'd attached a hand-knitted pink tapestry, but at least moths and insects didn't come in, though that hadn't been a problem, really, as Dahlia's...her...Butterfly had used to hunt down and implode them in the dark, she'd gotten used to the flame flashing, it was sort of soporiphic.
The hour struck and all the electricity cut out. Strangely, her bedside lamp (decorated with butterflies) remained aglow. Was something wrong? She flicked it off hastily and closed her eyes.
She sort of felt lost in all that big plush empty space, and missed the companionship of Mystic Dora snoring on the next hard futon over, so close sometimes she accidenly rolled an arm or leg on top of her. B-but, of course, it would not be much longer, the King size double futon was only awaiting Feenie's Blessed Arrival.
Feenie...
Iris sighed dreamily, and her imagination wafted into the kinds of thoughts she wasn't game to Share even with Mystic Dora, involving her and Feenie's imminent Wedding Night (which of course would happen here, probably after they'd eaten mini-omelettes she'd made in that cute little kitchen.) She hoped Feenie would like her new golden hair. Of course he would, she chastised herself, The High Kristoph had chosen the colour Himself to better seduce him! She should have faith...
Her faith was so strong she swore she felt Feenie in the bed beside her right now!
No, her unfaithful eye opened a crack, that sudden comforting presence was Butterfly, who had stopped buzzing irritably in figure-8s in the corner and had swooped down onto Feenie's pillow, singeing a large hole in a several centimetre radius. The other two butterflies (Iris hadn't really thought of names for them, they were the inferior clones she'd herself made) had also alighted, in equidistant positions behind their leader Butterfly, the one directly behind Butterfly was exerting a feeble sputter, but didn't seem to be able to burn its own hole, poor little thing.
Touched by the companionship, Iris sank into scattered thoughts of knitting Feenie a nice heart-shaped replacement pilowcase, to which Feenie responded so l-lovingly and..
The thoughts morphed into sleep.
###
Now she was confirmed as Princess of Destiny, The High Kristoph was increasingly consulted, by the peoples' demand, at near every Mystic Circle . The High Kristoph himself would decide whether he would appear in physical form, or just in spirit in the Mark so she too could hear the Message. Sometimes another Transformation Channeller would channel The High Kristoph for the Mystic Circle , but it was an error-prone and exhausting task for them; none had the close connection that the Princess of Destiny seemed to.
Iris suspected it was not ever in her control or decision whether she Transformed or not during a channelling (being unable to or know how to access this capacity herself,) but she was too scared to ever admit this to another. What a relief The High Kristoph magnanimously made up for her own weak limitations!
She was gifted a large house in Azakurain, now ate the best food and sat at the Leaders' table, and openly feted everywhere she went in the community. Really the only negative was that the earthly leaders were now pretty strict about controlling her movements and actions whenever she wasn't following the instructions of or in the service of The High Kristoph, in case her mortal failings caused her to do something to prevent Azakurain's prophesised wondrous destiny, but it didn't really matter. Upon relating the problem, he promised to give guidance and bless her with his noble presence more regularly, and all Azakurain members allowed without question her to follow any instruction given by the Great One, (including ones that required exiting Azakurain) or rite of passage anywhere whilst he was being channelled.
This was a relief. Since her Blessed Promotion, Iris no longer had to participate in the constant daily duties of the lower ranked Enlightened Ones, which consisted of constant schedules of incense setting, cleaning, praying and serving from the dawn gong till 9pm lights out. There was now time to sit around and look at her surroundings, which were a bit depressing (but she should be Grateful, Iris chastised herself). All that razor wire around the permeter was to stop Evil Master Maya and her minions from attacking the community and keep them safe (not to keep them in) and the electric fence usually wasn't turned on anyway (or at least she didn't think so - she wouldn't dream of getting close enough to check!) Besides, there was only nasty desert beyond the fence, and probably scary wild animals - indeed the fence was a magnanimous Blessing. As the security guards that manned the exit gate said, why would she WANT to go out there if not in Service of The High Kristoph?
And instead of that collapsing long wad of tables and the roster of scooping out the lentil-and-dried-kelp gruel or sweeping up after, the other Mystic servers always presented her with the High Elders' Dish of the Day, with an official command that she MUST eat seconds! This was an Order. She had to prepare for her impending pregnancy, after all, they had decreed. Iris chewed and chewed obediently, though she usually felt sick way before she'd managed to make headway though the second looming pile of nasty minced steak or lamb parts (depending on which High Elder's day it was.). It tasted even worse, because the Medic had started sprinkling it with vitamins and some kind of vile-tasting herbal medicines thought to aid conception. Oh, but surely it was all worth it, she reminded herself as she gazed out the cracked, dusty window, to save the Lost Children Of Kurain! Things must be getting terrible, as they'd started having safety drills in that old fallout N-bomb shelter in case Master Maya sent an attack force. The High Kristoph's Plan must be manifested as soon as Earthly possible!
###
"I will do any service to the Venerated Ancestor Spirit," had been one of Iris' customary initiation vows to her guardian, one she desired to obey (and hoped wouldn't be thwarted by her own weakness.)
Iris found she didn't have much choice anyway, although the first time she'd actively had to facilitate the channelling, The High Kristoph was so clever he then seemed to figure out how to channel himself into her without her active facilitation, she would vaguely feel the Change of Transformation coming on but had no will to resist the subsumation by the Great One, and would resurface maybe hours or days later with no conscious awareness of her time in the Venerated Ancestor's service. She didn't mind, for the first time in her life, Iris was being useful to others as she wished without failing due to her own conscious fear and weakness. She didn't get scared like had prematurely ruined every other attempt at productive action in her life, because she was literally unconscious! Her life had begun to improve in immeasurable ways – the Great One frequently left gifts or money, and tasks she had procrastinated over due to fear, boredom or shyness often got done. The Venerated Ancestor was also, he explained, magnanimously carrying out the steps she was too scared to take to manifest her Destiny.
Once she woke up in a hospital, and was swelled with prayerful gratitude the Great One took such care of her mortal body (since it was of no account to a ghost to have to attend to her mundane injuries.)
###
AZAKURAIN
KRISTOPH:
The High Kristoph was channelled regularly for his imparting of wisdom. It was really easy, he just had to proclaim a fiery rant on the same old story he'd retrospectively constructed, playing on the existing grudges of the Azakurainians and, of course, himself.
LAW, aka the Corrupt Human Legal System (Juries Included) was the ultimate manifestation of Earthly evil, being in opposition and antagonism to the true Way of obeying the Exalted Ancestral spirits' plans and guidance of their destiny, and its terrible powers of lure and misguidance had led astray and caused the Fall of the House of Fey, who no longer followed the plans of the spirits.
Of all the descendents of MAI AMI, only the Chosen Ones of Azakurain were still in her favour, selected for her blessing – denoted by the ones with the power of the gods who Shared, AND those who became Exalted.
Kurain and all other outposts had long ago ceased to follow MAI AMI's will, and most corrupt of all were its Fallen figureheads, all falling prey to the sinister LAW in turn and not only ignoring the spirits' plans, but acting in direct antagonism to defy and try to destroy them. It was True! Had not Misty Fey directly caused the Fall of Kurain by her evil misguided dabbling in the human courts, directly against the plans of AMI MAI? Had not Mia Fey ignored her true MAI-given destiny as Master to pursue the evils of human 'Law'? Had not Maya Fey also fallen to using it to guide her? Has it not unjustly murdered so many of their number?
But the terrible time was drawing to an end, and the prophesised next Leader – one of Azakurain –would take over as Master of the Kurain techniques. The Rightful figurehead rescuing Kurain and all its outposts – all the lost children of AMI MAI!
Kristoph didn't bother to think ahead what would happen when the Prophecy 'didn't occur', there was plenty of time for it to do so and he was that drunk on the power of people feting him as a 'god' he began to forget it was a lie constructed by himself and think it true. He really was a god fighting the ultimate of opposingly Evil Justice System, the same one which had unfairly 'martyred' him, and began to arrogantly suspect he had supernatural powers of influence beyond the usual ghostly vein. Wright would be 'eliminated' somewhere along the line, of course – if necessary, he could just claim somebody in the cult disobeyed the Ancestors' plans and the prophecy had been adjusted to apply to a different person.
###
Each of the High Enlightened Ones was delirious at the prophecy – ever becoming Kurain Master with its associated earthly power and prestige had before been beyond their wildest expectation, even before the terrible and unforgivable Excommunication. Granted, those Leaders themselves would not be Kurain Master – but the potential opportunity was even better, controlling the Master as a pawn by 'guiding' them in every action as a god, with none of the stress and Earthly troubles!
The fact the Master would be the daughter of Iris (they arrogantly assumed any offspring would be as weak-willed and controllable as her mother) rather than their more obstinate rivals for leadership here had them all salivating in anticipation. The Kurain Master could dabble in world affairs, as governments and celebrities sometimes used their services. Thus a god controlling the Kurain Master, they decided, could have control of World affairs!
(In reality, though Kurain had been revived, Maya still had little power in world affairs, this being a property of Kurain's past glory, but of course such realities never reached an excommunicated outpost.)
Blinded by their selfish assumptions they too could become a 'god', nobody in Azakurain ever recalled the 'other' fundamental lesson behind the Fall of the Kurain and Misty Fey. Ghosts can still lie.