090 - The Witching Road

Kujata bit her thumb until it bled. Three times, in the time she'd sat waiting for Magnus, three times she'd left the Ether. Each time she'd paced up and down through the shrine room, going out into the courtyard - looking out into the skies.

She had called out to Magnus through the candle - hells, she'd even yelled her head off - calling "Magnus! Magnus!" again and again at his totem forest in the Ether.

Orpheus . . the bloody poet! Hells . . is this fate? Is this destiny? It's not fair! Not fair at all, thats what it is!

He'd seen through her in an instant - seen through her plans, her hopes . . what chance was there now of rescuing the Celestials in the Alchemists prison formation? If the poet knew, then surely El knew . . surely the others knew . . surely . . but Orpheus had been defending them, hadn't he? He said he would keep them hidden . . said that he regretted his action.

Even the thought of the silver suited Orpheus up on his silver lined cloud sent a shiver down her spine. Trust him? Pah! But . . if what he said was in the least bit true then it gave her an opportunity that she couldn't afford to waste. She couldn't afford to not trust his words . . the alternative . .

She was torn between an almost overwhelming instinct to run - run! Flee! Get out of here!

But . . .

Go where? Do what? Leave them all? Hide away on some remote star at the edge of the galaxy for another ten thousand years?

Instead, Kujata bit down on her thumb, paced up and down the shrine courtyard, and went back into the Ether - sitting back on a conjured stone bench and waiting, watching the forest and swirling mists.

It had been a day - a full day since the gold pillar vanished - since the marking party entered into the forest with Magnus. At that time there had been several horrific screams and powerful waves of energy, screams and then . . silence. An uneasy unending silence, for a full day - nothing but the swirling mists.

Would Magnus even be coming back out? He was still alive, that much was certain - his totem was still there - it would have faded if he left the Ether, that was . . if it were a normal Celestial totem. Magnus' forest felt nothing like a Celestial totem - too real, as if it were its own world within the Ether.

A totem like this . . ah, why couldn't things be simple with Magnus? His awakening was odd, his development strange . .

A Celestial would never be normally able to enter into another Celestials totem without explicit permission from the Celestial - no Celestial would want to either. Going into another totem . . was wrong, felt wrong - it was one of the most personal and private places a Celestial had, and to invite another Celestial into that private place had always been something considered almost taboo.

Calm . . I've gotta stay calm. Whatever happens I have to make Magnus act according to my plan. His presence . . it is a heaven sent opportunity - it doubles the chances of breaking through the Alchemists formation! If there were a Celestial running riot inside the Revolving Tower then all eyes would be on that . . all their attention would be on Magnus.

If Magnus comes . . if . . when! His totem is there, he ain't dead, he ain't gone. What the hells is taking him so long? If he does not come - what else can I do? If I were to act on the information I've already gathered, with what I've got now there is a chance getting through . . a chance . . the longer she stayed in the Ether the worse her expression grew, the more she bit down on her thumb drawing blood.

Before it's too late . .

Before I really have no other options . .

"Hello big sis, you miss me?" Magnus stood a few feet away, a sheepish grin plastered on his face.

"Bloody hells! Magnus! Where the devil did you pop out from?"

"Uh, from the forest? I would've said something earlier, just you looked like you were busy thinking and sucking on your thumb, so . ."

"By the stars! you nearly gave me a bleeding heart attack . . oh ye gods and little fishes . . look at that, would you? I've nearly bitten through my bloody thumb ‘cause of you!"

"Sorry."

"Ah hells, don't worry about it." Kujata looked Magnus up and down, finally looking into his eyes. "Don't worry about it . . . you look different Magnus."

Magnus' shoulders seemed broader, his back straighter - an aura of vitality permeated his Ethereal form making him pop out from the ash-grey grass and ghostly forms of the Ether, as if he were the only thing that was real - and . . and it looked like his belly had grown three times as large.

Kujata sighed, forcing a calm expression on her face. "That pillar of golden light . . that was gnosis, right?"

"Gnosis? What's that? No . . I mean . . I feel different *Phrrrt!* . . uh, sorry . . I mean, I feel different. Sorry big sis . ." His face flushed red. "I just can't *phrrrrrt* stop farting . ."

"!"

"Ah . . *prrrrt* . . sorry . ."

"How did you do that? It stinks! How? How the hells are you farting in the Ether?"

"Uh . . sorry, sorry . . ah it's a bit better now. Sorry for that big sis . . maybe you can help me . . It's a Celestial thing, right? Gnosis? Is that what this is? Since the Alchemists and the others came into my totem and I devoured 'em I've been feeling awful, real bad. Is it normal?"

"Hold on . . hold on a tick - what? You devoured them in the Ether? What? That . . stop farting Magnus, dammit!"

"Sorry."

"You didn't just wither them? You devoured them all - are you sure? You're not lying to me, are you Magnus, are you sure? Maybe you're just confused . . you can't have devoured anything in the Ether . . that isn't . ."

"I'm pretty sure I devoured them, big sis."

"You sure?"

"I'm pretty sure. Three Alchemists, two seers, and . . and two Martial Cultivators. What's wrong with me sis? I've got all this gas around my core now - I feel it building up inside."

"Ah. Ah . . it is a Celestial thing, I guess. Well, a pretty unique one, ha! In the normal course of matters I would've balanced it out for you, but well . . ah. The problem is an imbalance in you Logos - you've got plenty of Animus, Mens, and Vis - and plenty of Vigour, but no Elemental Logos, see?"

"Ah. So I just need to find Elemental energy?"

"More or less - balance it out, else . ."

*Prrrrrrrt*

"Indeed. That lizard you came across in the Empire Swamp, that was an earth elemental - that oughta do, one way or another . . one way or . . ah blast! Dammit Magnus, you and your bloody farting! We ain't got time for that! I mean . . you have to balance yourself out, but . . hells! You really devoured them? You ain't lying to me? Hells alive . ."

"Yeah . . I really did."

". . ."

"Hey . . Kujata . . about the Alchemists . ."

"What? I'm thinking, wait a moment."

"I'm worried. I mean, the formation - woods-for-trees, it failed, right? Surely . . surely . . the Alchemists found us so easily in the Ether, won't they be able to find us again? The formation didn't do squat, did it? Why ain't you set up an Ether blocking formation, something to run interference on the Seer song of the Goddess?"

"Seer song? Goddess?" Kujata frowned. "I've never heard of those! I've no idea how you devoured them. It shouldn't be possible in the Ether . . the Poet said . . you've got their memories now, right? Look through them! It isn't . . it's not feasible . . wait . . your totem, your forest" Kujata took a deep breath. ". .ok."

"Ok? Big sis . . master, I think there are some things you are not telling me, some things that I need to know." Magnus voice grew stern, his expression stony. "We're both Celestials, right? What happened out here . . I saw it all, in Pontius mind, the old Alchemist who came to mark us, he saw the lights - he came for my totem because he saw that there was something strange, someone blocking their advances - and it wasn't you, right? I need to know - why do the Alchemists hate us? Why do they fear us? Why do they capture and imprison all the Celestials in a prison formation? Who else is there helping us now?"

"I told you - I've said it - the Alchemists want to extract resources! They harvest Celestials for, for all kinds of things. They break our bones Magnus, suck out the marrow - pluck our feather, tear off our scales, drain every last drop of Vigour and, and . . and there is no escape, no death . . just an eternity of suffering."

". . . that is not what I asked."

"It's my friends and family, Magnus . . my disciples . . everyone I ever knew or loved - everyone I still love - trapped, tortured for thousands of years. You see, right? I have to save them . . I have to do what I can . ."

"Kujata. I get it, I hear you . . but that is not what I'm asking."

"You have to understand - it ain't normal Magnus, you've gotta understand that. How can you devour in the Ether? How? It isn't possible . . but . ." Kujata paced back and forth, looking from Magnus to the forest and back again. "Bring it in, take your totem in Magnus. It isn't safe to leave it there."

"Ah. Sure, how do I do that?"

"Just pull it into your mind, should be as easy as willing it to happen."

"Sure." Magnus looked to the forest, focusing on the trees and mist.

"Come on now Magnus, what's the hold up?"

"Uh . . I'm trying big sis. Nothing is happening. I keep saying 'pull, pull' in my head, but the forest, uh, doesn't want to come?"

"You can't pull it in? Use your Vigour, send out a strand."

A red-gold thread shot out from Magnus finger to the mist covered forest, wrapping around it. Magnus pulled on it, the trees and mist shuddering violently, suddenly shrinking down and being reeled in along with the thread until he had the whole thing, the whole forest and mist resting on the palm of his hand.

Magnus grinned, glancing up at Kujata. She looked back at him with utter horror, her face twisted in fear, her lips quivering and teeth clattering noisily.

"Uh, big sis?

"Big sis?"

"Put it away!" Kujata hissed. "Take it away from me!"

"What? This?" Magnus waved the strand of red-gold Vigour in front of Kujata. "Oh. Is this not normal either? Hey, big sis - what is the plan now? Why do the Alchemists hate us so? Who else is there - what are you not telling me?"

"I don't know . . I don't know. Please, put it away!"