Chapter Summary: A visit to a Wind Clan Seer yields mixed results.
Chapter Word Count: 5,177
They met for breakfast in the main chamber, dressed for visiting Seers, and discussed the previous evening's activities.
"Clubs are clubs no matter where you go," Miranda said. "Though the Wind Clan seems to take it to an extreme."
"The nude dancing clubs were a bit different," Andy said, winking at Miranda. "But have my approval."
"It was an interesting experience," Romana said. "But I find myself uninterested in returning to them."
"Yeah," Andy said. "A little too much bare flesh, even for me. The novelty wore off quickly."
"They are very different from any that I have experienced," Ixchel said. "The Goa'uld are what you would call hedonistic, but I didn't see them enjoying the freedom that provides. And my previous Clan was many generations ago and the way Clan interact has obviously changed."
"I wonder if that's where they get their name," Andy said. "Wind Clan because all of their bits are hanging in the wind?" She giggled.
"No," Romana said. "I do not recall where their name came from but that is not it."
"I believe it does not matter," Miranda said. "Our search will not be affected by the meaning of a Clan name."
"And which Seer are we visiting first," Andy asked, when Garnes joined them. "What can you tell us about them?"
"The list of official Seers was provided by the Society of Wind Seers," Garnes said. "There are five they recommend we visit."
"And the unofficial Seers? How many of those are there?" Andy asked. "And how did you find out about them?"
"Two who are willing speak with us," Garnes said. "The other four said we didn't need to see them this visit."
"Interesting," Miranda said. "Apparently we will be returning later?"
"Or they are just making that up," Ixchel said. "In my experience, Seers are not the best communicators."
"That doesn't seem right," Andy said. "Wouldn't Seers need to be good communicators?"
"Only if they are true Seers," Miranda said. "If you are not a true Seer you would want to be as vague as possible."
"Like the Oracles at Delphi," Andy said.
"Yes," Miranda said.
"Oracles at Delphi?" Romana asked.
"Terran Seers," Miranda said. "It is unclear if they were true Seers. Their temple was built on top of hallucinogenic gas wells. They were good at being vague and confusing."
"Ah," Romana said. "Let us hope these Seers do not have that kind of problem with coherency."
"The elder Seer is known for making pronouncements that make little sense," Garnes said.
"Let's check that Seer out first," Andy said. "Let's eliminate the obviously senile ones."
"And if they are all senile?" Ixchel said. "What shall we do then?"
"Try something else?" Andy said.
"They can't all be senile," Miranda said. "That would be too much of a coincidence."
"Or whatever makes them Seers also makes them senile," Andy said.
"Have our travel arrangements been made?" Romana asked.
"The Council has provided a shuttle and escort while we are on the planet," Garnes said.
"So, they don't want us to go wandering off," Andy said. "Will we be able to still visit the unofficial Seers with this escort?"
"The escort is the Wind Clan Memory," Garnes said. "You met her yesterday."
"We did?" Andy said, frowning. "We met their Air Marshal and that Mars guy."
"We also met another member of their council who was not introduced," Miranda said. "It is possible they are the Clan Memory."
"Are all Memories so young then?" Ixchel said. "Lady Rachel, our Memory, is young and this Wind Clan Memory, if that is she, is also young."
"Not enough data to determine that," Romana said. "The original Serpent Clan Memory, before the Red Pirates killed her, was older than most of the Clan Elders."
"The Wind Clan Council member is waiting for us," Garnes said, pausing for a moment to answer her comm.
"Good," Miranda said. "We should not keep her waiting."
They gathered their things and exited the Lucia through the main hatch. Standing back from the ship, stood the Wind Clan member they hadn't been introduced to, looking slightly nervous.
Taking charge, Andy led the others over to her. "Good morning," she said. "I don't believe we've been introduced."
"I am the Wind Clan Memory, Memo," she said, nodding. "My Council does not see much value in a Memory. The others were busy with other pursuits and are unable to accompany you."
"Well, we see the value in the Clan Memory," Andy said. "All of our Clan Councillors are valued for different things. Our Memory is small in stature but large in influence."
"She's also bonded with our Lady of the Hands, our War Leader," Ixchel said. "They make a formidable team."
"We do not know much about the traditions of the Serpent Clan," Memo said. "Your War Leader is a woman?"
"All of our Council are women," Garnes said. "Without discussing private Clan business, let us say that a large portion of our Clan, at the moment, are women."
"No men?" Memo said, raising an eyebrow.
"As I said, that is private Clan business," Garnes said. "Our Clan has always been led by our women, and few Clan men survived the Red Pirate attacks that decimated us."
"That is unexpected," Memo said. "How do you fight without warriors?"
"Our Lady of the Hands is a fierce warrior," Ixchel said. "There is none better. She has had a hand in training all of our warriors."
"Our Fleet commander, the Lady Air, is also a fierce warrior, if in a different way," Romana said. "We do not find the lack of men in protective roles in the Clan to be a problem. Someone, after all, must be nurturing, and our few remaining men excel at that. Though the peoples we live among do find this to be unexpected, we find it to be productive."
"As you might know, the Clans evolved in different ways," Romana said. "The Serpent Clan has always been dominated by our females. It is just the way we are."
"I find it refreshing," Andy said. "To find women who are better than men in these warrior roles was a revelation. And you are escorting us to see your Clan Seers? Yes?"
"Yes, Lady Andrea," Memo said. "I apologize for the delay."
"We have no problem discussing many things," Miranda said, "but we do have a limited time for our visit."
"Of course," Memo said. "The shuttle is over here." She guided them out of their docking bay and down a long hall.
Entering the shuttle, they noticed that it was small but luxuriously appointed.
"It is my personal shuttle," Memo said, noticing their interest. "My pilot is Deronos, who is an excellent pilot. He has been with my family since my grandmother was Memory."
"So, he is aware of all of your possible quirks?" Andy said, smiling at her. "That can be good and bad."
"Yes," Memo said, blushing. "He's like an uncle, on most days. I shall introduce you when we land."
"We were given a list of different Seers," Garnes said, as they all sat down. "Are they all in close proximity?"
"May I see the list?" Memo said. Garnes handed it to her and she glanced through it. "Yes," Memo said. "We shall be visiting the Seer enclave. They all live there during the cold months. They don't normally have audiences on the same day but you shall be able to visit with all of them today. "
"Even those?" Garnes asked, pointing at the bottom of the list.
"Yes, of course," Memo said, "though they tend to be a bit crude, unlike the Seers who live in the main house."
"So, that's why we were discouraged from visiting some of them?" Andy asked.
"Some of the Seers don't treat the Council with the respect some of them feel they deserve," Memo said. "But, really, they are just plain speakers. If they believe you need to hear something they aren't going to wrap it up with a bow first."
"Plain speaking would be a welcome relief," Miranda said. "Too many wish to cloud the issue using extra language, which is unnecessary."
"You may regret meeting them," Memo said. "There is a reason they are not on your original list."
"Landing in five," a male voice said. "Please sit down and prepare."
"The first Seer we are here to see is the Honorable Jasper," Memo said. "He has been Head Seer for many cycles and has a seventy percent accuracy rate."
"Ah, so that is what those numbers mean," Garnes said, quickly scribbling a note on her list. "What of the ones without a number?"
"A Seer's accuracy rate can be hard to determine," Memo said. "We rate them but it is only a rough guideline. Some Seers make hundreds of predictions, while others may only make two or three over their lifetime."
"How do they become Seers," Andy asked as they followed Memo down a wide street. "Is it something that they learn or is it self taught."
"Seers, at least in our Wind Clan, are born with the ability," Memo said. "It may manifest at any time during their lives. For many of us, we have a single incident of truth seeing, that never occurs again. Those who have repeated occurrences are sent to this village which has a school for new Seers."
"So, it is true that all members of the Wind Clan can become Seers?" Romana said.
"It is part of our genetic makeup," Memo said. "But very few can tap into the ability."
"A genetic ability?" Andy said, frowning.
"It makes sense," Miranda said quietly. "Lady Shadow makes use of her predictive model, but no one else can make sense of it."
"Which is a competitive advantage," Andy said. "As long as she's the only one who can make use of her model, she's safe from interference from others."
"Well, they would have to get past Lady Air first," Miranda said. "Just as any access to our Memory must go through Lady Q."
"Jasper is expecting us," Memo said. "He will have finished his morning beverage, and will meet us in the sun room." She knocked on a large wooden door. The door was opened by a short woman with white hair up in a bun.
"Yes?" she said.
"We are here to see Jasper," Memo said. "He is expecting us."
The old woman bowed. "Please come in." She led them deep into the house. She stopped and left them in a large room that was flooded by sunlight.
"Come in," A rough voice said. "I would like to see she who tamed the Devil."
"There was no taming," Andy said firmly. "We came to a mutual understanding."
"So it seems," Jasper said, rising slowly to his feet. He circled the four of them, ignoring Garnes. "I see the difficulty," he murmured. "I will be unable to help you," he said. "Most of us cannot see in the presence of such a one as you, Lady Miranda."
"I can leave if it helps," Miranda said.
"No, your influence would continue to be felt around your companions," Jasper said. "You will need to see Sorto Blache. She shall tell you everything you need to know for your quest."
"I do not have that name on my list," Garnes said.
"She only just arrived," Jasper said. "She has had several highly accurate visions. But she is still being evaluated by our Seers Council, so you will find her at the Evaluation Center before lunch."
"Will they allow us to see her?" Andy asked.
"Of course," Jasper said. "Just tell them I told you to see her. If they know what's good for them they will allow a meeting."
"Thank you for your assistance," Romana said.
"Go, so I may meditate," Jasper said. He waved at the door before turning around and facing away from them.
"That was strange," Andy said. "Are they all like that?"
"They usually don't admit when they cannot help," Memo said. "They all believe they are the best Seer in the Clan."
"So, we need to find this Sorto Blache?" Andy said, looking at Miranda.
"If she is in the Seer Evaluation Center, she should be easy to find," Memo said. "They have a regimented process for all newly discovered Seers."
"Do you ever get any Seers who do not want to be evaluated and regulated?" Miranda asked, frowning.
"It's rare, but it happens," Memo said. "Although Seers are honored by the Clan, it is a very limiting life for some. Even if they don't stay in the Seer compound, they have an assistant who records everything they say."
"So, every sigh and burp," Andy said, grimacing. "I can see that getting to be tedious."
"Not quite to that extent," Memo said. "But it is worse than being the Clan Memory. All of my memories will belong to the Clan when I die, but I'll be dead."
"And their every word is recorded as they say it," Miranda said, nodding. "Some would like that, that their words are so valuable that they will be remembered."
"Most Seers are not like that," Memo said. "The Clan gods who pick our Seers rarely pick someone who likes the attention."
"So, a Seer is constantly being recorded and most of them are private, shy people," Andy said. "That sounds horrible for them."
"The attention must cause them problems," Romana said. "How many of them live here?"
"There are four score Seers here at the moment," Memo said. "Though a score have not been seen in public since they came here."
"And how many of those are still sane?" Andy asked. "The pressure must be horrific."
"I cannot say," Memo said, sighing. "The village managers keep that a secret."
"And who would want to know," Miranda said. "Who would want to think about the sacrifices they must make."
"Yes," Memo said. "It is safer to not know the price we pay for their sacrifice."
"So, this is the Evaluation Center?" Andy said, looking up at the imposing edifice. "Do you get that many Seers in to be evaluated?"
"A former Council member had this built as a monument in honor of our Seers," Memo said. "He liked to build large impressive structures. If we had that many Seers, it could handle several dozen a day. In reality, they get one a week. Which is why it will be easy to find her."
"Ah," Miranda said. "That makes sense."
They followed Memo through the tall, ornate doors and into the huge building. It had the quiet atmosphere of a library. Murmuring could be heard coming from several different points. Once inside, Memo headed towards a seated woman, who would have been a receptionist.
"We would like to speak with your head intake specialist," Memo said. "Seer Jasper sent us."
The receptionist looked at them closely, before nodding. "Sir Ralf will be out here in several minutes. Please take a seat while you wait."
"At least they have seating," Andy said.
"This seating is not comfortable," Ixchel said. "They must use it as a test to see who is serious about being here."
"Yes," Memo said. "Though they must get fewer than us here daily."
"What can I do for you," a loud cheery voice said, coming their way.
They stood and waited for his arrival. The head evaluator was shorter, by several inches, than any of them. Wearing a bright purple and green cloak, he smiled brightly.
"Lady Memory! You are a welcome sight here. We haven't had a visit from you in months," he said.
"How are you doing, Sir Ralf? Busy?" Memo said.
"As busy as ever," he said. "Who have you brought to see me this time?"
"They are not Seer candidates," Memo said. "They are visitors to our planet from the Serpent Clan."
"The Serpent Clan is not known to have Seers," Ralf said, looking at them closely. "What brings you here?"
"The Lady Andrea is on a quest, and it was suggested that she visit us for assistance," Memo said. "The other ladies are her consort, the Lady Sorceress Miranda, and Lady Romana and her consort Commander Ixchel. The remaining Lady is their speaker, Lady Garnes. We have just been to see Seer Jasper, and he recommended that we come here to see a new Seer, Sorto Blache."
"Sorto Blache?" Ralf said. "Yes, she is here, though I do not believe she is able to have any visitors at this time."
"Is she ill?" Romana asked.
"She is not well," Ralf said. "She had her first vision before coming here, and while she was being evaluated a second vision rendered her unconscious. She is currently sleeping with the aid of a strong sleeping draught."
"Ah, then we shall not bother her," Miranda said. "There are other Seers on our list that we were interested in visiting with."
Before they could turn and leave, there was a commotion on the other side of the hall, out of their sight. "I must see them!" a hoarse voice shouted. "Do not let them leave."
"Sorto Blache?" Andy said.
"Yes, though she should not be awake," Ralf said. "Excuse me for a moment."
"I believe we shall have a chance to speak with this Seer," Ixchel said. "I feel her presence in the back of my head, like an itch."
"She's reading your thoughts?" Romana said, glaring at the small crowd gathering across the chamber.
"No," Ixchel said. "But she is expending energy that I can feel. I fear that if we do not attend to her, she'll burn herself out. Permanently."
"That won't do," Miranda said. Gesturing to the others to follow her, she set off across the chamber. When they reached the other side, they were met with the sight of a slight, dark skinned woman, sitting in a chair, who appeared to be having some sort of panic attack.
"Let me see her," Miranda demanded imperiously. "Make room." The crowds around Sorto Blache parted like the Red Sea, leaving a space for Miranda and the others in front of her.
Sitting down in front of Sorto Blache, Miranda gestures for the others to sit also, on the floor in front of the Seer. Holding up a hand, Miranda quieted the crowd.
"You wished to see us," Miranda said, in a soft, but firm voice.
Sorto Blache looked up. "You are here!" she said eagerly. "Lady Protector Miranda, you have come here as I have seen. And the Lady Romanadvoratrelundar. I am honored to be in your presence." Sorto Blanche shakily stood up and gave them a brief bow.
"Please sit," Miranda said. "It is we who are honored to be in your presence."
"It is not I who matters," Sorto said. "The Clan Gods may speak through me but you they speak to."
"You wished to speak with us," Miranda said. "What did you need to say?"
"Your quest to seek out the Prophets of Zircon Nine will not be what ultimately saves your Clan," Sorto said. "But releasing them from their prison is a necessary step in defeating the Sun Stealers of Kraal."
"We suspected as much," Romana said. "But we need to examine and explore all options."
"Do you have any advice as to where we may find them?" Miranda asked. "We know their planet was hidden away."
"Yes," Sorto said. "A thousand cycles ago, the Weaver of the Wind Clan gathered up all of the Prophets and sent them into exile on the planet Zord."
"How do we get to Zord," Andy asked.
"You must find the Furlings," Sorto said. "They will take you there."
"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Miranda asked.
"We shall meet one more time in the after," Sorto said. "You shall bring your daughters to be welcomed into their Clan, but not for many more cycles." And saying this, she leaned back in her chair and was fast asleep.
"Well," Miranda said. "We have heard all we are going to hear," she said to the others. Gracefully standing, she turned towards Ralf. "We thank you for your indulgence in this matter. We must now leave."
"And what of what she said?" he asked. "What does it all mean? You appear to have understood her."
"I suspect she will not remember any of this," Miranda said, waving her hands. "But we will be back if we are able."
"Your quest is not exactly as you have said," Memo said, looking at all of them once they had returned to the shuttle. "Is it really about your quest to discover more about the Winter Folk?" she asked Andy.
"While that is a true quest, our ultimate aim is not that," Andy said. "We are seeking information the Prophets of Zircon Nine are claimed to have about the Kraal. Whether they do or not is unknown, though the Seer did not appear to believe the Prophets will be able to directly help us."
"She said to seek out the Furlings if you wished to help the Prophets of Zircon Nine," Memo said. "I am not familiar with beings with that name. And the disappearance of the Prophets is what led to the creation of the Seer Intake Center. Before then, all Seers were taken in by the Prophets."
"The Furlings is another name given to my people, the Winter Folk," Andy said. "So that quest continues also. We must seek them out."
Before the Wind Clan Memory could question them further, they arrived back at the station.
"Will you return here in the end?" she asked them from the door to the shuttle, as they left the docking bay.
"It is uncertain," Miranda said. "Your Seer appears to believe we will be back."
"Yes, but even they can be wrong," Memo said.
We shall be in contact in the future," Miranda said. "Perhaps we may bring others with us."
"Well, that was marginally successful," Andy said, as they prepared to leave the station. "We know the Prophets of Zircon Nine are still out there somewhere and that we need the Furlings to rescue them."
"Not necessarily," Miranda said. "We already have a Furling. She just needs to know how to use her abilities to provide us with the answer we seek."
"Easy for you to say," Andy said, grumbling. "If it is something I will suddenly know, I don't know how to get to it."
"It will come to you," Ixchel said. "The Goa'uld had myths about the Furlings, and feared them, but they had disappeared long before I heard of them."
"Well, at least it's not 'A Power he knows not' and the associated mumbo-jumbo," Andy said. "We don't really have a prophecy."
"The Prophets of Zircon Nine will likely have one for us, if we can ever find them," Miranda said. "Prophecies and prophets tend to go together."
"Like peas and carrots," Andy said.
"Or peanut butter and chocolate," Ixchel said. "What? I've been converted. Chocolate has a long history but peanut butter is new."
"The wheels of progress march on," Andy said, winking at her. "I can't imagine a time or place where peanut butter did not exist."
"So, the next stage of this quest, depends on Lady Andrea remembering something she never knew," Miranda said. "We have every confidence in you."
"That's good, but I don't," Andy said. "If it is something only a Furling would know we are in deep trouble. I only know the name because my mother had a small chalice that had a message in some unknown language engraved on it. And she had no idea what it might say."
"That seems like an important starting point," Miranda said. "Do you remember any of this writing?"
"No," Andy said. "It sort of looked like Hebrew, though it wasn't."
"If you wish, I can look at your memories of this object," Miranda said.
"I suppose," Andy said. "But it was a long time ago. I just barely remember what it looked like."
"Memory is a tricky thing," Miranda said. "We should do this somewhere where you are comfortable."
"Lying down?" Andy said. "Our bed is comfortable. And if it doesn't work I can just go to sleep."
"Yes," Miranda said. "You can take a nap while I rummage around in your memories."
Miranda looked down at Andrea, laying down on their bed with her eyes closed. "It works best if you relax," she said.
Andy opened one eye and peered up at her. "It's a bit difficult," she said. "I know you're there."
"Of course," Miranda said. "Maybe we should have tried this later?"
"No, now is fine," Andy said. "Let me try that again."
Shaking her head, Miranda leaned forward and kissed Andy. "Let's try this a different way," she said, placing both hands on the sides of Andy's face. "Concentrate on the feeling of my hands on your face," she said.
Sighing, Andy closed her eyes again and sank back into the bed. She concentrated on the feeling of Miranda's soft fingers against her face, and felt herself drifting off.
"That's it," Miranda whispered, "let yourself go." After several minutes, she said, "now open your eyes."
"Where are we?" Andy asked, opening her eyes to find herself standing on a white plain under a bright blue sky.
"This is your memory scape," Miranda said.
"There's nothing here," Andy said. "Where are my memories?"
"This isn't a physical place," Miranda said. "It is a metaphor. From here you can access any of your memories."
"Like a TV?" Andy asked, looking around.
"If you must think of it that way," Miranda said. She waved an arm and a large tv appeared in front of them.
"Awesome," Andy said. "Memories in surround sound video."
Miranda shook her head. "Think back to the last time you saw your mother holding that chalice."
"I think it was her fiftieth birthday," Andy said, humming to herself. A scene appeared on the large screen. It was a rustic looking kitchen. A small cake sat on a marble counter, with a single candle in the middle. A tall skinny woman who bore more than a passing resemblance to Andy was looking down at it with a frown.
"She doesn't like a big birthday celebration," Andy said. "Usually we have to fight her to get her to even do a cupcake."
"I suspect it has more to do with how long the Winter Folk can live," Miranda said. "She was probably much older than fifty at the time."
"I hadn't thought about that," Andy said. "She hasn't changed much since then. She still looks like that. And how long do Winter Folk live?"
"Longer than most Clan," Miranda said. "We both might outlive my daughters."
"Oh, that's not good," Andy said, frowning.
"No, it's not but that's a topic for another time, when we can discuss it with them," Miranda said. "Now focus on this memory. Where is the chalice?"
"It's in that cupboard," Andy said, as the view shifted to the right and focused on a cabinet cupboard above a shiny silver refrigerator. They watched as a hand reached towards it and pulled the cupboard door open.
"It's in a small wooden box, I'm not sure what kind of wood," Andy said. The memory paused."It's a family heirloom, according to my father."
"Where was he?" Miranda asked.
"He had a meeting in Chicago the day before," Andy said. "And there was a blizzard. He didn't make it home until the next day. She forgave him. Eventually."
The memory continued on the screen. A hand with long skinny fingers reached up and took a small wooden box, in an odd grey and red color, out of a corner of the cupboard. They watched as the box floated through the air in the hand and was placed gently next to the cake.
Another hand took up an odd position on the box and together they twisted it until it split in half.
"A code to open it?" Miranda said.
"Yes," Andy said. "They haven't taught me how to open it yet. They said on my thirty-fifth birthday."
"Which is next month," Miranda said.
"Yes," Andy said. "They're expecting all four of us in Ohio for my birthday. I don't think we'll make it."
"We can only try," Miranda said. "We may have to bring the rest of our team with us."
"And Aunt Sue," Andy said. "And maybe discuss a few things that they refused to tell me about until my birthday."
"We will try to be there," Miranda said.
"If we learn things that could have removed the need for this trip..." Andy grumbled.
"This trip was still necessary," Miranda said. "We have made connections to the Wind Clan and their Seers that I believe will be very important in the future, when the Clan confronts the Council of Clans."
"I wouldn't want to be them when our ladies confront them," Andy said.
"Quite right," Miranda said. "They have been taught well."
The chalice was removed from the bottom half of wooden box in a cloth bag. It was then removed from the bag. The hand rotated it revealing a uniformly metallic surface, before putting it down next to the cake..
"I'm not seeing the words," Andy said, disappointed.
"This isn't the end of the memory," Miranda said, as it continued. "How did your mother get the words to appear before?"
"I'm not sure," Andy said. "It was like they suddenly appear."
There was a quick golden sparkle that seemed to flow between the hand and the chalice. Miranda paused the memory. "It looks like your mother has a talent of some sort."
"I've never noticed her doing anything like that before," Andy said.
The chalice glowed a bright, hot red for a moment, and when the red receded there were words in some unknown language facing them on the chalice.
"And there they are," Andy said. "Still don't know what it means."
"I am not familiar with that script," Miranda said. She waved a hand and a small notepad appeared with the words on it, and a picture of the chalice, including the words. "We shall have to find someone who does."
"My parents claimed to not know what it says," Andy said. "But I feel like I should know what it says."
"It may be the clue we need to find the Prophets of Zircon Nine," Miranda said.
"Or we need the prophets to make sense of it," Andy said, sighing.
"Yes, that is a possibility. But we can discuss that later," Miranda said.
"Does that mean I have to get up?" Andy said. "I like having you to myself like this."
"We can come back, or visit other plains some other time," Miranda said. "But right now we have others who expect us to return."
"Adults are responsible people, yada yada," Andy said, nodding. She leaned forward and kissed Miranda on her cheek. "Okay, wake me up."