In the Gathering Dark
#22 of The wolf and the rose
And another one. To make up for the delays, in a small way, this one and the one before it are a bit longer than usual. More should also be on the way soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
As always, comments are appreciated and requested.
continued from 'A Test of Law'...
Julianna woke slowly from the strange paths of the dream world, her mind returning from the grey mist of sleep only reluctantly. Opening her eyes, she found the bedchamber dark, even the coals of the fire having gone out during the night, but the cool air of the early morning seemed pleasant, so it didn't really matter. And so was the bed, she realized, lacking the warmth of her grey furred mate and she sat up, looking around in surprise. Then, when she saw that the twilight grey cloak was also missing, she heaved a sigh, lying back and staring up at the ceiling once more. It had been less than a week since the trial and the Galnikin family's vindication, and already, the heady feeling of joy of the days after seemed to have faded in Galen. For a moment, she closed her eyes, wishing that the few moments of joy he got could be more than fleeting glimpses, brief spans of light separated by darkness. Opening her eyes once more, the white werewolf pushed herself out from under the covers of the bed, walking over to the wall to slip her green, full body cloak over her naked form before going in search of her missing love.
The corridor outside the chambers they shared was likewise dim, the torches having been allowed to extinguish, the first glimmers of the dawn beginning to touch the ramparts of the keep far above the Hall. Julianna padded down the corridor as silently as a ghost, not wishing to disturb the other occupants of the Hunter's Hall. Pausing just on the edge of the main common room, she peered out from the archway, scanning the wide room for Galen's large grey form, but he wasn't there. Only Sero, the one eyed Hunter, sat in a chair across the room, leaning back against the wall, his grim countenance relaxed, fast asleep, apparently having dozed off where he sat the night before. Moving with the silent ease that only lycans possessed, Julianna slipped through the room, her nose guiding her towards the corridor that led north, out of the hall.
The small corridor she found herself in sloped gently upward, coming out onto a lower shoulder of the ridge against which the Slayerhold had been built. On that small shoulder, surrounded by a wall that separated it from the rest of the headquarters of the Slayers of Auré was a garden, small, but well maintained, surrounding a well that reached far down into the earth. When she came out into the dim light, Julianna was hardly surprised to find the grey form of Galen seated on the edge of the well, looking eastward to the rising sun, his wolfish face contemplative, looking all the world like a carven statue, a sentinel meant to guard the well, only his eyes betraying his life. When Julianna emerged from the archway and began to climb the slope, Galen turned his gaze towards her, an admiring smile coming to his lips as he watched her walk. When she got to the edge of the fountain, he finally spoke, his tone quiet, but warm and welcoming, showing a definite change from the perpetual brooding that had seemed to occupy him recently.
"Good morning my love." He said, gathering her into a tight hug, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Good morning." Julianna replied, nuzzling his throat before pulling back to look at him. A change had indeed come over her mate, though she could not imagine where it might have come from. The lines of care that had almost become a permanent fixture on his face had eased, and he looked simply content and thoughtful rather than worried. Taking a seat beside her love, Julianna looked out to the east in silence for a few moments, moments that stretched into minutes as the same sense of tranquility that had filled her in the Aspenhald returned, perhaps less strongly than before, but still recognizable. Finally, as the first edge of the sun lifted above the horizon, gilding the great dome of the temple with brilliant light, Julianna broke the silence. "When you weren't there when I awoke, I thought you were off brooding somewhere."
"And so you came looking for me to cheer me up?" Galen replied, his smile becoming broader as she nodded, returning his smile. "Actually, I woke up a few hours ago and got the sudden urge to watch the sunrise. It has been a while since I was just able to sit and enjoy it without the need to go anywhere, or do anything."
"You seem awfully happy today." Julianna commented, giving her love a strange look and he nodded, putting an arm around her and pulling her over so they were sitting with their sides pressed against one another.
"I feel good today." He confirmed, resting his head against hers.
"So I got out of our nice warm bed, and came all the way out here, for nothing?" The white werewolf demanded, giving Galen a look of mock annoyance.
"Perish the thought," Galen replied, his grin turning mischievous as he gently slid a hand beneath her cloak and played his fingertips over her spine, making her shiver. "Seeing you always cheers me up." But even as he teased her, Julianna, or perhaps the wolf spirit that dwelt within her, caught a hint of something else, a strange, almost unheeded echo of emotion in his voice that told of something going unsaid.
"So nothing is wrong?" She asked, her ears twitching with each pass of his hand on her back.
"No." He replied, but when she gave him a skeptical look, he rolled his eyes, continuing his thought. "Alright, so I had a strange dream that woke me up. It wasn't a nightmare or anything. Just...odd."
"How so?" Julianna inquired and Galen looked back towards the rising sun before explaining.
"It seemed at first that I stood at the entrance to a cavern," He began, his gaze going distant as he recalled the images to his mind. "But as I walked into it, a strange light began to shine from the ceiling, and it was as if I was suddenly standing beneath the stars. Then, I noticed symbols carved upon the floor, or rather, symbols seemed to suddenly carve themselves there, as if they were being made before my eyes. It appeared as if they formed the symbols of the Gods of good; the sunburst of Auré, the tree of Alarand, and the hands of Arnath, but all intertwined with one another, forming a single picture. And yet, the symbol that they formed did not seem strange, or wrong to me at all. And then, six more symbols surrounded the three in the center, all somehow linked to one another, like they were all part of the same symbol. Some, I recognized as the symbols of neutrality, but others were a mystery to me. And then, when the last symbol was complete, all of them began to glow, becoming so bright it hurt to look at them. And that was about when I woke up."
"Huh. Odd indeed." Julianna agreed, thinking back through the lore she had learned at the distant Temple where she had spent so many years of her life. Though she had never heard of such an occurrence as the one he spoke of, something about her love's description stuck in her memory. When she didn't continue, Galen eyed her speculatively and she smiled. "I don't recall anything about such a place from my studies, but all the same, something about it reminds me of...something."
"Like the first few notes of a song you heard years and years ago and can't quite remember?" Galen replied and she stared at him, surprised, nodding slowly. That was exactly what it was like. Galen nodded as well and looked back to the rising sun, drawing in a deep breath of the morning breezes that were sweeping up the hillside. "That is how it feels for me as well. And that is one reason I came out here to think this morning."
"I understand." Julianna replied, smiling as snatches of familiar words drifted to her ears from the direction of the Temple as the priests chanted their morning prayer, greeting the sun as it rose fully. It seemed like such a long time had passed since she last chanted that prayer. It may have only been a few months, but it sure felt like a lifetime. "Well, we aren't going to figure anything out sitting here. Let's go in and find some breakfast."
"Alright." Galen replied, chuckling as he pushed himself up to his feet. The two werewolves began to walk back down the slope to the Hall, arm in arm, but as they walked Julianna reflected that perhaps the feeling of time passing wasn't so far off. Back then, she had been a princess, little more than a girl, destined to forever be at the beck and call of her father, or her future husband, and that had seemed to be all that her life had, or would ever hold in store for her. But in the time since she had met Galen, more interesting things had happened to her than had happened in the rest of her life put together.
Now, she was a werewolf, committed to wander the wild at the side of the one she loved more dearly than anyone in the world. What was more, the last time she had really thought about it, she hadn't even been able to recall what it had been like to live that way, or how she could have ever accepted it. In a way, she really was living a wholly separate life, though she still could not quite remember where it had all changed, where her old life had ended and this one began. She felt sure that it was well before she arrived in her homeland again, sometime during that wonderful wandering journey. Giving her mate's hand a gentle squeeze, she smiled to herself, putting such thoughts aside. In truth, it didn't matter; she could not imagine a better life to be living...
***
Julianna sat side by side with her mate at the table in the common room, starting in on her fourth bowl of the hearty stew the Hunters ate for breakfast, ignoring the looks that the grey clad warriors seated around them were giving her. Counting Galen, there were now nine Hunters staying in the Hall, two more having arrived in the week since the trial. Both of the new hunters had seemed to adapt to the presence of the two lycans faster than the others had, perhaps because word of the trial and its outcome had passed throughout the Order by now. Privately, Julianna thought that Hunter Teyan, a hulking individual that looked as though he could snap a full grown tree like a twig, liked having Galen around because the two seemed about equal in strength. Hunter Relara was much harder to read, the slim, black haired woman not having said a single word since she had arrived, communicating with gestures only. She, like the young brothers Tanaris and Yarin, carried no visible injuries, not even a scar, but there was something about her, an air of hidden pain perhaps, that made Julianna feel almost like she should pity her. But, regardless of their attitude, many of the human hunters were currently giving her looks halfway between amusement and disbelief.
Truthfully, she would have been appalled at her appetite too, but she couldn't help that she was still hungry, even after having already eaten more than most of the human hunters had. Even though only Galen and Teyan, the two largest Hunters in the Hall, usually managed to eat so much, she had matched them bowl for bowl and she was still hungry. It probably helped that whoever had prepared the stew seemed to have had a great talent for cooking, the aroma coming from the stock pot enough to make anyone's stomach growl, even if they had just eaten. Eagerly spooning another spicy bite of slow stewed beef and vegetables into her mouth, the white werewolf smiled broadly, savoring the taste of the thick broth, the wolf spirit in her heart seeming to share in her delight.
Something about the heavy food seemed to heat her up from the inside in a way that was extremely satisfying, like it kindled a fire in her heart, a fire she gladly fed. Just when she was getting down to broth once more, the door to the guarded entrance swung wide and Julianna looked up from her food to find Galen's brothers filing into the hall, along with a couple of other Master Hunters she didn't know. The Master Hunters, though they were allowed to enter the Hall, did not have quarters there, instead staying in the Keep when at the Hold, ostensibly to be near the council. Likewise, though the council was made up of Master Hunters, she had still never seen any of them, not even Galen's father. The council had been in session almost constantly for the last week, its members closeted together for most of the day. Julianna was just soaking up the leftover broth with a hunk of fresh baked bread when Aldric came over and sat down opposite the two werewolves.
"What brings you by so early Aldric?" Galen asked, washing down his last bite with a swig of ale. The Master Hunters typically didn't join the Hunters for breakfast, their duties often requiring them elsewhere in the early hours of the day.
"Well, I am supposed to supervise the testing of a new class of aspirants today, and you know how long that can take." Aldric replied around a mouthful of stew. "I wanted to stop by first to bring you two a message that a priest dropped off. The High Priestess of the Temple has requested your presence today."
"Really?" Julianna replied, poking at her bread with one claw to see if it had soaked up the broth yet. "Why?"
"I don't know." Aldric answered, shrugging. "I am sure she will tell you when you arrive."
"If you say so." Galen said, getting up to refill his bowl again. As he left, Julianna regarded Aldric with a suspicious glance. There was something in his face, perhaps simply a strange light in his eyes, that said he did know something of why they would be called to the Temple today, though she couldn't imagine the reasons herself. Shrugging inwardly, she delicately plucked the sodden bread from her bowl and tore off a chunk with her sharp teeth. She had intended to pay her respects at the Temple one of these days anyway, so today was just as good as any other. Julianna was just about to get up for another helping when Galen came back, setting a fresh bowl down in front of her, along with another hunk of bread. Smiling in thanks to her mate, she dug in once more, feeling her ravenous appetite finally starting to wane as she chewed the first bite. But even as she chewed, she found her thoughts drifting back to wondering the reason that they might be called to the Temple, especially by the head of the priesthood.
Naturally, the High Priest or Priestess of any Temple was a person of great importance, but only the most devout and the most experienced of all were ascended to that position at a Temple as important as this one. In fact, only the Temple in Solaria was considered of greater import to the Priesthood of Auré. Which made Julianna wonder why someone so important would be calling for them. Giving a second mental shrug, the former princess went back to her food, putting aside her thoughts and instead setting herself to the task of sating her strangely grown hunger...
***
Walking through the streets of the Slayerhold was an interesting experience, now that Julianna and I were free from suspicion, what with almost everyone bowing and moving aside so that we could pass. As when we had made our way to the keep upon our arrival, the hundreds of Slayers and priests who occupied the Hold stared at Julianna and I as we walked, but this time, though the level of attention was the same, there was none of the sense of tense anticipation in the air. Instead, there seemed to be only a strange sense of awe that followed us, almost like the aura that surrounded the Master Hunters, a grave respect and reverence in the eyes of the watchers. Even the few children that we could see in the city, the sons and daughters of merchants or visitors, seemed to feel it, falling silent and watching us with wonder as we passed. A few even followed us for a while before being rounded up by their parents. But despite the change in the feel of the air, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable here, the wolf in me pacing back and forth restlessly in my heart. Perhaps that was another reason the Hall where Hunters dwelt was kept so private, our long years in the wild once more taking their toll upon us.
Thankfully, the road from the Keep to the Temple was wide, and straight as an arrow, making the journey easy. When we stepped through the arch of jade before the Temple grounds, the keystone of which was inscribed with a brilliant sunburst of gold, we both let out a sigh of relief, the grounds of the Temple seeming far more peaceful than the streets of the Hold, though there were still many people walking the grounds. We had not gone more than few steps before Julianna stopped short in surprise, looking down at her right arm in amazement. The ward she wore on her arm had suddenly grown warm as if it had been lying in the sun for hours, the jade scales giving off a warm radiance, the sunburst clasp shining brightly as if striving to match the glow of the sun far above. Smiling when she looked over at me, I drew the jade knife in my belt a little way out from its sheath, revealing that the stone blade was glowing in much the same fashion and she smiled in sudden understanding.
Both blade and ward had been consecrated within these walls, the priesthood imbuing the sacred green stone with the holy powers that they possessed. Though they were too faded to be seen clearly anymore, the priestmarks spelled out beneath my clothing were likewise warming, greeting the holy power of the nexus of energy upon which the Temple had been built.
"Greetings," A voice said and we both looked around in surprise to find a young priest, clad in light green robes with a gold sunburst medallion around his neck standing before us, his hands clasped comfortably before him. He had come up so silently that even we had not heard him approach. "You must be Galen Galnikin and Princess Julianna. You are expected. Please, this way."
With that, he turned and strode off at an unconcerned pace towards the great golden dome of the main temple, obviously expecting to be followed. Lacking any reason not to do so, Julianna and I walked after the young man, hand in hand once more, looking around at the temple grounds with interest. Like the main courtyard of the Slayer headquarters, this space was almost at odds with the huge dome, almost completely bare of ornamentation, austere in its simplicity, but there the similarities ended. While the Slayer headquarters was without finery because the Order eschewed such flippery as well as individual wealth, this space was bare of such things to guide the eye of the visitor towards the huge temple dome, and the jade statues of the sun god that stood in the four compass directions at its base. Even the slope of the dome was such that while it shone brightly in the sunlight, the angle kept the brilliance from being blinding even at the height of noon.
When the young priest led us into the main complex, beneath the towering dome, we couldn't help but pause in wonder. Though we both had been to Temples before, none of them had come close to the grandeur of this one. While in other, smaller Temples, and the many shrines in the world, the center of the dome would be occupied by the sunburst of Auré, lit from without by skylights, this grand temple was wholly different. In the center of the huge room, positioned so that the light shining in through the skylights outlined it from every direction, was a tremendous statue of Auré, carved with exquisite skill out of jade, gold and silver, so without flaw that it looked as though it might spring to life any moment, becoming a towering giant fifty feet high. Positioned in elegant ranks, stretching in each of the four points of the compass to the edge of the dome, growing in height outward from the center, were towering trees with bark of pale green, their leaves all of burnished gold, each positioned beneath a skylight of their own.
Though one might have assumed that they too were shaped from stone, these trees were alive, as evidenced by the gentle sway of their branches in the breeze that drifted through the airy dome. These trees were of the same blessed breed as grew in the Sacred Grove of Auré, or in the Golden wood. But unlike their brethren in those distant places, these had been carefully shaped, their branches pruned and trimmed over years of careful tending into elegant order, the fallen branches being given to the Slayers to be used in our endless conflict. And yet, for all of their beauty, the sight seemed somehow wrong to my eyes. While the trees were obviously well cared for, the fact that they had been so altered, so rigidly and tightly controlled, made me feel almost sorry for them.
It was perhaps an absurd feeling, for every member of the priesthood would sooner slay themselves than hurt the sacred trees, and they would likely be cared for and nurtured more carefully than any others in the world. But still, I couldn't shake the feeling that they should have been left alone, free to grow in the way that they would. When the young priest leading us paused and turned back to wait for us, looking patient and expectant rather than annoyed, Julianna and I picked up the pace, finally noticing the dozens of people who sat or stood beneath the dome, most praying quietly or else standing in silent contemplation. When we reached him, the priest started off at the same pace, walking with practiced ease, as if wholly at peace with the world, leading us around the foot of the statue and on towards the rest of the temple complex, where the priests lived and studied.
Once we stepped beyond the Temple dome, we found ourselves in a well lit hall that was more like to an art gallery, dozens of paintings and tapestries and other works of art lining the walls, all obviously the work of great masters of whatever medium they were made. The priest's pace was just slow enough to allow us time to see every piece, but not quite enough to linger and truly study them. Most were scenes of the Sun god and the other gods of good from the legends of the priesthood, and my eyes drifted over them without truly noticing the details. But just when we were about to leave the hall, I found my gaze suddenly focusing on the last piece in the hall, a fresco that was so old its colors were fading despite the obvious care with which it had been treated, but its subject was unmistakable, my jaw falling open as I realized what I was looking at.
The fresco depicted a fountain carved from jade and gold, standing in the midst of a ring of water, surrounded by the sacred trees, identical down to the last detail to the one I had seen in the horrific dark vision I had had in the wild, weeks ago. The vision and all the dark foreboding that had accompanied it had vanished into the depths of my memory in the ensuing days, but standing there before the fresco, everything came rushing back to me and I felt my left hand drift to the hilt of the dagger in my belt, the bright Temple no longer seeming quite so welcoming. Instead, I felt the same sort of feeling one got when demons were nearby, the icy, prickling chill of the unnatural crawling up your spine, a feeling that made the wolf in me suddenly perk up, alert and aware, though there was no way that the demons could have come anywhere near the Slayerhold, to say nothing of the Temple itself, without someone knowing about it. And, even as I clung to that knowledge, the fresco seemed to change before my eyes, the vision I had had playing out within it, the fountain and the tranquil clearing becoming dark and evil, twisted and corrupted. Then, suddenly, the young priest was standing beside me, his silent and sudden appearance almost making me draw the weapon I held.
"Hunter, are you alright?" He questioned and I wrenched my gaze away from the fresco, the feeling of foreboding immediately fading, forcing my hand to release the dagger. It was only when I looked away from it that I realized that Julianna was standing at my side still, the look on her face mirroring my own exactly, even down to the foreboding in her eyes. My love shook her head a moment later, looking at the priest in surprise, as if she had completely forgotten that he existed.
"Yes, I think so." I replied, looking back at the fresco again. It was back to the way it had been, a thing of beauty once more, no sign of the dark vision present within it, making me suddenly question if I had seen it at all, or was it simply the memory, an echo of whatever force had sent the vision in the first place. "What is this?"
"This is a carving of the fabled Lost Fountain of Auré." He replied, seeming pleased by the question. "It's legend states that long ago, in the dawn of the world, when the gods of good first revealed themselves to the race of man, that Auré shaped this fountain from his favorite stone, imbuing its waters with his divine powers. The enchantment was so strong that if a follower of Auré drank but a single mouthful from its holy spring, they would gain the might of the gods themselves. It is said that the first priests were told to drink of the waters and thus were the first to gain the magic that we all possess. But there were those who, though no less devout than we, coveted the powers the fountain granted for their own selfish purposes. They sought to seize it for themselves, and after the horrible war that resulted, Auré hid the fountain, removing the knowledge of its location from all mortals, making it a treasure forever lost to the world." The priest paused for a moment in the telling of the legend and Julianna and I shared a worried glance, "Of course, there is little evidence that the fountain ever existed. The priesthood, as well as many pilgrims, have searched all of the known lands high and low, and no sign of it has ever been found. As I am sure both of you know, the gift of priest magic is indeed granted by drinking from waters blessed by the power of Auré, but such a draught is created via a ritual, performed at an alter devoted to the sun."
"Let's say for a moment," Julianna began, her voice quiet, "that the fountain did exist. What would it mean if the demons were to corrupt it?"
"I'm not sure." The priest replied, frowning for a moment before his face resumed its usual placid smile. "I am sure the High Priestess would know, if you were to ask her."
"I might just do that." I replied, allowing the priest to lead the way onward once again. As we walked further into the Temple, I looked at Julianna with concern, for the white werewolf I loved looked deeply troubled, only half paying attention to where we were walking. When we finally stopped outside the chambers of the High Priestess, the priest announced our arrival through the door way before walking off to return to whatever duties usually occupied his days and we were allowed our privacy for a few moments. Concerned, I touched my love's shoulder and she smiled, looking up at me with a knowing expression on her face. "I am not the only one to have seen the fountain before, am I?"
"No." She replied softly, "I have seen it too. Twice. The first was in a dream before we left Gulnia, but I didn't give it much heed back then. It was just a brief glimpse, and I had almost forgotten I had seen it at all. But then, about a week ago, on the last night before we arrived in the Slayerhold, I dreamed of it again. And in that dream..."
"Some dark power seemed to spread throughout the land around it," I continued for her and her eyes grew wide, "Until at last even the fountain was corrupt, its waters shining with an evil light, and even the sky seemed to darken, until the world died, becoming like to the heart of the Demon realm."
"Yes. How did you know that?" She asked, obviously surprised and I smiled ruefully.
"I have seen it too." I explained. "Just after the followers of Alarand joined us. Only mine was a waking vision, not a dream. And when I passed that fresco just now, I saw it again, as though it were happening before my eyes."
"Me too." She confirmed, shivering and wrapping her arms around herself as if chilled. "I haven't the faintest idea what this could mean, but that cannot be a coincidence."
"No, it can't." I agreed. Before Julianna could continue our conversation, another voice broke in, a voice that was so familiar, echoing back from the depths of my past, making me turn around in surprise.
"Well, well, what have we here?" It said and I felt my jaw drop open in surprise. Standing near to the doorway where our guide had announced our presence, two women stood, almost shoulder to shoulder, one clad in the green and gold of a priestess of Auré, the other clad in the green and brown of Alarand. The follower of Alarand was the Ovate who had journeyed with us to the Slayerhold, her smile as warm and welcoming as it always had been. But it was the other that had caught my attention. Her grey hair was bound up behind her head in a bun, held in place by stone clips carved from green and red jade. She wore bracelets of gold on her wrists and the shimmering golden sash of a High Priestess across her chest, but despite the ornamentation, I recognized her immediately. "I believe I see my youngest son in the Hunter before me."
"Mother." I managed, wild joy suddenly breaking through my heart and she opened her arms, crossing the distance to me in a few strides to trap me in a hug, her arms holding surprising strength. "What are you doing here? When last I saw you, you were leading the Temple in our village."
"Oh, I haven't been there since your father was elevated to the ruling council." She replied, her voice muffled by my grey pelt as I returned her embrace tightly. "Your sister Helena is running things there now." Reluctantly releasing her when she started to pull back from the embrace, I stared at her in surprise. It was truly rare for a High Priest or Priestess to take up another position once they had attained their rank, only death usually removing them from their post. Holding me at arms' length, she looked me over carefully, then smiled. "The High Priest of this Temple passed on soon after Anton assumed his new post, and it was decided that I was the best choice to take over for him. After all, it is not often that a High Priestess' husband joins the Slayers' ruling council. But enough about me. I had hoped that you would come to the Temple on your own before this so that we might have a chance to talk."
"Sorry." I replied, suddenly feeling ashamed. But my mother shook her head, smiling broadly.
"No no no," She replied, "I understand. You are a Hunter, and that is reason enough to remain in the Hunter's Hall." Then, she finally turned her attention to Julianna, who blushed deeply and looked down at her feet, suddenly shy. "And this lovely young woman must be your beloved, Julianna."
"Yes, honored one." Julianna confirmed quietly, her hands clasped before her and my mother smiled warmly, reaching out and taking Julianna's hands in hers, making the former Princess meet her gaze.
"There is no need for such formality, surely." My mother said, her tone so warm and obviously pleased that Julianna at last smiled, allowing herself to be drawn into her embrace. "Especially not between us. Please, call me Serena." When the two parted, my mother beckoned towards the door to her chambers. "But what are we doing standing in the corridor? Come in, come in." As she led my love into her chambers, I paused for a moment, nodding to the Ovate.
"Ovate, it is a pleasure to see you again." I said and she gave a slight bow.
"Once more, the pleasure is mine, Galen." She replied, leading the way into the chamber beyond as well. The room we found ourselves in was obviously intended to be a study, or perhaps a meditation chamber, but it certainly did not look that way. Several comfortable-looking ornate benches sat in the chamber around a low table, and the walls were finely decorated by artwork and brightly lit, making it seem much more like to a parlor than anything else. Several potted flowers occupied each corner, each waving in a motion almost like a bow as the Ovate passed them. Julianna and my mother were already occupying one bench, chatting animatedly in a way that made it impossible for me to pick up what was being said, though I eventually gathered that they were discussing how we had met. The Ovate settled on a second bench and busied herself with a pot of tea that had been set out, as well as four cups, leaving me to take the last bench, settling my large frame into it slowly. It was just as well that the others were sitting where they were, since in my transformed state, I easily took up the entire bench. But, as frail and spindly as it looked, the bench did not so much as groan as I sat down.
"So," I began, looking at the Ovate curiously, "How do you know my mother?"
"Oh Serena and I go back a long way," She replied, pouring steaming tea into a cup and offering it to me. "Since we were both novices in fact. I actually began in the Priesthood of Auré, but I realized before long that my heart had always dwelled in the wild places, rather than in the temples. And when my affinity for the natural world showed itself, I realized that my path truly lay elsewhere. We have still kept in touch as often as we can over the years."
"Really?" I asked, accepting the small teacup awkwardly on the palm of my hand. Tea was a luxury I had not had the opportunity to enjoy in many, many years, not since leaving my village for Slayer training. Still, the steaming liquid in the cup smelled delightful, a mix of herbs and chamomile, sweetened with just a touch of honey. "I thought priests usually turned to the life because of faith, and so stayed in a single priesthood."
"Most do," She answered, sipping from her own cup. "Though all priests of the gods of good honor the Three; one more than the rest, it is true, but still."
"Strange..." My mother said, speaking more loudly than she had been, clearly intending all of us to hear. "I would have expected it to be Galen who would have made the first move." At her words, I looked at her in surprise and she winked at me, showing she was teasing. "I don't recall him being quite so shy around girls when he was young." Julianna and I shared an embarrassed smile at the comment, but before I could reply, my mate spoke in my defense.
"He was nothing but a gentleman when we met." She replied and my mother raised one eyebrow, seeming skeptical.
"Don't you mean 'gentle-wolf'?" She asked and all of us laughed.
"Serena," Julianna began, once we had all stopped laughing once more. "There is something I have been wanting to ask, and I believe that you might be the person to answer it." When my mother nodded for her to continue, she edged into the subject slowly. "Well, I lived and studied at a temple for some years, and in all that time, I never heard of a Slayer being able to use magic before I met Galen." At this, I looked at her in surprise, uncertainty suddenly coming into my own heart as well. I had never thought about it before, since I had been able to use a few priest spells practically all my life, but that was a good question. Where had my talent from? "At first, I thought it might be because he was a werewolf, but now that I am one as well, I know that that is not the case."
"Well, since you ask," My mother replied, taking another sip from her cup as well. "That is my fault. As you are aware, when a member of the priesthood is elevated to high rank, they are given a second draught of the holy waters that all priests drink from when they become a member of the order. Well, it just so happened that when I was elevated to my station, I was carrying Galen. I didn't know, or I would never have accepted at that time. Some of that power transferred itself to him, manifesting itself when he began to mature. It has happened before, of course, and the order tries its best not to promote expectant mothers until after they have given birth. Priest magic can be a very dangerous thing if misused." Julianna nodded in acceptance of that answer and my mother set her tea aside, leaning back against the back of the bench. "But, I can see that there is another matter that troubles you both, one perhaps related to this one?"
"Yes," Julianna replied, setting her own cup of tea onto the table before speaking. "In the legend of the Fountain of Auré, it is said that it is the source of the priesthood's magic." My mother nodded in reply and my mate continued. "If the fountain really did exist, what would happen if the demons were to find a way to corrupt it?"
"Well, that is a good question." My mother answered, sharing a concerned look with the Ovate, "If the fountain really did exist, and it really is the source, then if the demons could corrupt it, then they would conceivably rob all of the priests of their power, or worse, twist them to their will, ensnaring them through the very means that we use to fight them. Though I believe I can guess the answer, I must ask, why you are asking this of me?"
"Because, in recent months, we have both had visions that have shown the demons doing that very thing." I replied and the two priestesses shared another worried look. "What? What is it?"
"I am not sure that the Slayer council would give me leave to speak of this yet, but, as you both are aware of it already, I might as well." My mother said, "Despite all of our successes and victories against the demons of late, all of the visions of the seers have been growing progressively darker. And then, some weeks ago, in the span of a single night, all of them, all across the world, shared a single dream. That in itself, is a cause for worry, as you know. But the subject of that dream is far worse. They all dreamed of the exact thing that you yourself described. We could not guess at the reason that such a phenomenon would occur, but all agreed that it presaged nothing good. When similar visions came to the seers more and more frequently, the decision was made to call for a grand council of the three great powers. The Slayer council also came to the conclusion that the matter was serious enough to call for the Hunters to return."
"So that's it then..." I stated, leaning forward in thought. "I wondered. Well, what do you think we should do?"
"Well, I believe that, especially since the two of you had such visions as well," My mother began, "That we should seek for the fountain, to find it and protect before the demons can get their claws on it. The High Priests have always speculated that the fountain, since so many of our ancient legends reference it, must have existed in one form or another. And though many have sought for it, I am sorry to say that there are still places on the map that have yet to be filled in. Every time we seek to know what lies within them, we have failed to discover it. I believe that the fountain must lie within one of those places, protected perhaps, from prying eyes." For a moment, we were all silent, then my mother smiled once again and waved her hand through the air, dismissing the dark cloud that seemed to have descended over us. "But let us set aside such thoughts and speak instead of happier things."
We all nodded in agreement, but even as the three women changed the subject and began talking of other things, things in which I had little interest, I found my thoughts still dwelling in darkness. Somehow, the fact that the seers had shared in our vision made it all the more ominous. In a way I did not fully understand, I knew that whatever the vision portended, it concerned both Julianna and I closely, far more than any others in the world. And that thought alone made me shiver...