091 - The Witching Road

Magnus waved the red-gold thread in front of Kujatas’ face, her eyes reflecting an absolute fear - he saw the effect it had on her, saw that she was shaken to her very core. The red-gold thread had a profound effect on her - Magnus hadn't really given it any thought.

"Who else was here?" Magnus asked in a level voice. "Why do you fear my Vigour?"

"Please . . I don't know, stop!" Kujata pleaded, trembling. "Stop . . oh ye gods . . oh . . ah!" A sudden flash of recognition appeared in her eyes ". . he called it gnosis! Gnosis . . oh, oh, oh!"

"The gold light - right? That was gnosis . . who told you? What is gnosis? Why're you so damn scared of this thread?"

"Ascension . . . gnosis . . oh ye gods . . Magnus, it's you, isn't it? Oh gods . . the poet, he must have known! No! No, don't come any closer!"

"Ain't Celestials meant to be real powerful? Didn't you show me a vision of a giant bull destroying a world? Why are you so frightened of the Alchemists, hey? Kujata! Hey! Why are you so scared? Ah hells . . here, I didn't mean to . . ."

The red-gold thread vanished back into his fingertip.

"That better? Alright? Can you at least answer some of my damned questions now?"

Kujata stared at Magnus for a moment, opening her mouth as if to speak - then fading from the Ether leaving Magnus alone on the flat expanse of ash-grey grass.

"Kujata? Damn it all!"

She's scarpered. Vamoused. Fled the coop. Made like a tree.

I damn well know that, Hob. Damn. Blast. What was she so scared of?

Dunno. It looked like she thought you'd eat her alive . .

Ah, fuck it. What was the point? Big sis, master . . what's the point? Hey?

Magnus felt incredibly frustrated - all the questions he had seemed to have their answers in Kujata, and now she'd just up and run off. What was there to do now? Bloody good for nothing master . . what do I do now?

I dunno Magnus.

Can't sit around. Can't stay here, the Alchemists are sure to look in the Ether again, why would they stop? Their whole hunting team has been killed . . there will be more coming and Kujatas formations are bloody useless. But . .

Now, in Magnus' mind, were all the most advanced and up to date techniques and abilities of the three great powers - all the formations of the Alchemists, all the songs and Seer skills, all the martial prowess of the Martial Courts. Well, not all - but enough! They were all experts in the Ether, that was why they had formed the team in the first place - the Mithraic Seers and the Segye Palace - together with Pontius and his students they formed a group of the most advanced experts on the Ether - and now, all that was their belonged to Magnus.

Every Seer song could be blocked, every formation undone - every divination hidden from or countered. From now on Magnus knew he had nothing to fear in the Ether - nothing the Alchemists or their cohorts did could reach him!

This gnosis - what did Kujata call it? Ascension. Right.

Magnus looked at the tiny forest in the palm of his hand. By willing it, he was in it - standing amongst the trees by the black stream. With a thought he was in the memories of Pontius, skimming over all references to gnosis, ascension, and to the poet - going from sleeping face to sleeping face upon the trees and exploring them all - it was easier now, much easier.

The information flowed into his mind - from the ocean of memories Magnus was able to extract several drops of relevant knowledge. Gnosis and ascension . . they were not Alchemical subjects - their meaning was not lost to the Alchemists though; both gnosis and ascension were ancient terms, dating back to the earliest of known civilizations. Gnosis was knowledge - heavenly illumination - divine enlightenment. So . . the golden light was knowledge?

I sure as shit don't feel any more enlightened . .

As for ascension - a term referred to as 'divine favour' or 'entering the heavens'. Becoming a god while still living - before death? The recorded instances of ascension were confusing and contradictory, Magnus found himself unable to come to any clear definition of the term. Only . . only in the memories of Baqir there was a semi related instance - something that stood out - The Poet.

The Poet, a mythological figure from thousands of years in the past who achieved transcendence - not ascension, but described as an unearthly golden light from the heavens that fell upon the poet. Poet - who the hell's was he? He had been here, with Kujata . .

Ah hells! You're gonna go mad just going in bloody circles Magnus!

Right!

This ain't time to sit around in a cave!

Damn right!

Magnus faded from the ash-grey grass expanse of the Ether, back to the gloomy cave. He pocketed the several green formation stones, stuck the ragged sheath and heart sword in his belt and set off in the morning light.

Right, the Horn is to the south-east, the peak of the horn itself was not visible, but many mountains and hills stretched over the eastern horizon. Magnus jogged down the road, easing himself into a steady run - his bones and muscles cracking and popping and warming up - running was easier than ever.

The shrine - Kujata would still be there, right? Where else would she go - it wasn't too far, maybe a day's distance . .

After a few minutes along the path Magnus laughed - the sheer joy of simply being able to run freely! Every single step felt powerful - far more than when he had just devoured the griffon, far more than when he'd devoured Sung Soo - now his every action seemed entirely free from normal human constraints.

At first he stuck to the path, running faster and faster, his feet raising huge clouds of dust and leaving deep imprints in the dirt. Then, coming to a boulder blocking the road, he leapt! Flying up! Higher than he'd ever been from the ground - up and up, over the boulder, over the nearby trees, and down - smash! His legs absolutely sturdy, the rocks beneath his feet turning to dust.

A whole day to reach Kujata? At this rate he would be at the shrine this very morning!

Magnus leapt again, soaring over the land and laughing wildly - his ragged clothes flapping and catching on tree branches leaving him bare chested - but he cared nothing for them, running and leaping onwards.

Soon he was on familiar ground - the valley and the hamlet with the familiar tavern nestled in the farmland, the snowy peak of the Horn clearly visible on the horizon.

Magnus didn't slow his pace at all - leaping the full length of the valley and tearing through the forest towards the shrine - there! Just ahead - in a single bound he was up the stairs and before Kujatas’ formation . . but . . what waited for him was a barren hill.

Up where the shrine should have been was instead an empty field - no buildings, no shrine courtyard - nothing.

"Kujata!" Magnus roared. "Let me in! I know you are here!"

Silence.

Magnus walked around the perimeter of the hill, trying to recall exactly where Kujata had placed the formation stones. Picking up a flagstone from the shrine stairs, Magnus hurled it at roughly where he thought a formation stone might be - bang! The flagstone smashed into the dirt - there was a flicker of light and a great cracking noise, and in an instant the formation fell, the shrine and courtyard appearing on the empty hill.

"Kujata!"

No response.