《Ignis》Chapter 12: Merging Souls (Dream)
Advertisement
You Dream
"...it. Medic to the feast hall! Wraith, get a quiet priority line to..."
+Who are you / am I / are we?+
+Thruthseeker / Miotal Scathanna / Ethna Nic Vir Dannan+
"..igns of recovery? If she isn't at..."
"None yet, but the scans show..."
+Where were you Born / Forged / United?+
+Dagada, the house in the clearing / The Night's Labyrinth and the Sundered Wayshrine / In Fire.+
"...ence was remarked upon."
"We are scheduled to make warp soon, perhap..."
+What are We? How can we be as One without Knowing the Other?+
+Then let us Share Alike. See me, see you, see Us +
You stand in a cave, deep below the red ground. At your toes, an abyss stretches, sound and light alike vanishing in its depths. It stretches beyond your sight and Sight alike, neither end nor far wall visible. You shudder, though you are not cold. You can feel the Beast at the Night's Labyrinth's heart before you.
You stand in a shaded clearing, a Titan Oak older than all but the oldest townships at its center. A small wooden hut leans against its base, a small plot of gravestones beyond its back wall. You don't need to read the time-worn names that were once etched in their granite faces. You know them, their stories and sagas, loves and heartbreaks, etched in the tongues of the lorekeepers.
You stretch out your hand and tug ever so gently on the shadow cast by the Beast, pulling free the tiniest of whispering shards. You could forge from its bones and blood and scales, craft a blade to sunder the stars themselves. But that is not needed. There are no weapons more deadly than information and surprise, and you mean to make a weapon to aid them both.
Advertisement
You stretch out your hand and brush your fingers over the places where the names once stood. Pellea Flametoung, firekeeper and flamedancer. Calamas Earthfriend, old soul and lorekeeper. Alea Dannan, first of her Clan. From this place and these people your lineage springs, oaths and vows bound in blood and fire.
You stand at the Shattered Anvil at the heart of the Sundered Wayshrine. Will and metal and shadows flowing together, crossing over and under, through and around, binding together and folding in upon themselves. No words are spoken, for none should echo in this place, lest they awaken the Shades from their rest.
You stand at the iris hatch to the Navigators Vestibule. Your first flight and first solo Transit await. Exultation and fear dance in your mind, for no Warp transit will ever rival this one, not for you. The hatch shusshes open, and you step through it to the next part of your life.
You stand at the old curtain of pelts. Every other item has been cleared away, and it is only this one last thing to do before you can leave this place for good. You grip the staff, still asleep and awaiting the Truthseeker, tightly. You let out a long breath, and brush the curtain aside. When you return, the staff sleeps behind you. The Old Wolf and the Shadow will arrive shortly, and you need to be well gone, onto the next piece of your plan.
"...elids are flickering! She's waking up!"
"after a head hit like that, who knows if her thoughts are back yet."
You Awaken
You crack one eye open, trying to figure out exactly where you are. Not standard piping and mesh all over the ceiling, so not in a normal shipside room. Nor the plain or painted plaster of a groundside room. Clean steel, regular square pattern, recess lighting covered over with a seamless clear glass cover. Your thoughts start tracking again. Medical bay, shipside, probably the Ignis.
Advertisement
Your hands feel rather stiff. You flex your fingers and they pop, the sound of your knuckles loud as gunshots in the quiet room. The shaft of Miotal Scathanna is smooth in your grasp. Clearly, no one was able to pry it away from you while you were unconscious. You roll your neck sideways. Your vertebrae crack like lightning bolts. Your gaze settles on a white robed figure leaning over an overly large bank of medical displays, and Helheim sitting in a chair watching you. Definitely in a Medical Bay aboard the Ignis, probably the one reserved for use by the Deathwatch.
Helheim leans forward. "You gave us all quite the scare Lady Dannan. Can you tell me what happened?"
Your voice is a dry rasp as you try to speak. "Not... sure. Give me a... day to puzzle... it out?"
The white robed figure turns around. "I'd suggest five or more of rest, followed by at least some physical therapy. You were locked up solid for almost two weeks, no voluntary muscle movement at all, not even a twitch. Had to hook up a nutrient drip and waste disposal plumbing to keep you fed and hydrated."
"And you... are...?"
"Apothecary Zachariah Bedard. I'd have shooed Helheim out already, but he's a stubborn old Wolf. Go ahead and give him what you can for the moment, then I'll help you get cleaned up."
"Ok. Psychic data-transfer, I think... Caught me off-guard..."
Bedard is staring at his readouts again, probably looking at brain activity if the wires you can feel tugging at your scalp are any indication. Helheim nods for you to continue.
"I think... I got a name: Miotal Scathanna, though... I also have a notion... that its a translation from... the language of whomever... made the staff in the first place. Also got the... impression of three places... associated with it, though I don't know... where they are located, not.. for sure. First one is a massive... chasm in a cavern, deep below... red earth. Material for the... staff was gathered there. Second... one is a sundered shrine... of some sort, with a... broken anvil as its... centerpiece. Location associated... with the crafting of the staff. Third... one is where the staff... was placed."
Helheim's left eyebrow raises a fraction. "Placed, not left behind?"
Bedard clicks his tongue. "You knew that Helheim, don't go prying when there's no need. Now, are you going to help me clean her up, our are you going to tell Shipmistress Faunia that her Navigator is awake?"
Helheim stands up and heads for the door. Bedard shakes his head. "Now then, let's get you unhooked and into the bathtub. Lay still, I'll start with the EEG..."
You sigh and does as he instructs. You have a long week or two ahead of you, getting back into some semblance of physical and mental shape after this whole ordeal. The real question, you muse, is whether you intend to push your limits hard, or follow the doctor's orders?
Advertisement
- In Serial46 Chapters
Berzerker
Arron must enter a vast game world to search for the consciousness of his comatose wife. Filled with confidence and ego Arron quickly realizes he has never played a game quite like this before. Clueless MC to start. Slow burn. Low crunch. Releases 1 chapter / week, Fridays. 7:03 am CST. Scheduled several weeks in advance.
8 140 - In Serial55 Chapters
The Alpha's mate// Sterek
Why is Derek hale suddenly protective over Stiles?Stiles notices some changes in Derek, he's more protective and more clingy to him than usual. Why is he like this? What happens when secrets are revealed?
8 189 - In Serial11 Chapters
Errant
Amateur fighter Kestril only remembers two things about her mother's disappearance: a locket and the promise she made to keep her brother safe. That promise is all she thinks of when she jumps in front of a car to save her brother. She expects death, but instead wakes up to a looming clock tower, cobblestone streets, and dead soldiers wearing lockets just like her mother's. Kess's locket marks her as one of the Errant- people with control over dimensions and time, and the same people rumored to have captured her brother across the city. When a military group mistakes Kess for their enemy, she swears allegiance at gunpoint, hoping to search for her brother from within. Inside, Kess finds an even darker side of the city bent on killing the Errant-using any means necessary. When the murder of an important Errant soldier throws the city further into civil war, Kess uncovers a plot that could undo everything she's fought for so far. The only problem? Her brother is at the head of it. Trapped between her promise to her mother and her morals, Kess finds little use for her theatrical brawling of the past. She can only hope to find her brother before it's too late. || Update: 4/24/2022 Have decided to rewrite this novel, but will continue to post chapters of this draft, possibly with commentary. Questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions are welcome. Thanks for supporting me! |||| Story is finished, just getting into a publishing schedule on Royal Road for the first time. ||
8 79 - In Serial8 Chapters
Attuned
A musically minded genius in his second year at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music finds himself swept up in a subsistent world full of smiling psychopaths and grim-faced allies. Between keeping the secret and keeping the balance, can Ladron manage to fulfill his dreams and not get himself killed until he dies a lethal death of being killed from dying?Probably not, but at least he's got the battle tunes ready. (Props to my Editor AficionadoAvacado for putting up with my idiocy)
8 108 - In Serial10 Chapters
Decimation [ Apocalyptic Novel ]
Long ago, The world began to change. the presidencies combined and formed one government. forcing people off the planet before total extinction. which was the Worlds last chance for survival. Plan Z as they called it. All of the popuation got together running tests physical verbal and mental tests to see who would be able to withstand space. only 200 people for each space station. then that was it. The world launched into outer space. many rockets failed but at the same time many rockets were successful leading us to where we are now. we are living in space. on a newly found planet called "xephria" is where our civilization stands. the world was destroyed by an unknown Plague. its been one hundred years and the civilization is now sending teenagers every 50 teenagers is two adults each in a squadrant. there are 5 squadrants being sent down to see if earth will be habitable again. they wil confront many obsticles along the way but what exactly will they find?
8 188 - In Serial33 Chapters
Feral (Book 1, the Feral Series)
C41 was taught to fight and never trust anyone but a select few. But in order to leave prison, he might have to work with those who can break him. *****Inmate C41 is the youngest registered "feral" shapeshifter -- someone unable to control his animal urges and aggressions. When he turns eighteen he is transferred to the Adult Feral Rehabilitation Center in Scotland, where he meets a mysterious American government agent who endlessly probes him with questions. C41 does the only thing he thinks will help him survive - he lies. And that starts a chain of events that will either end in a prison break or a life of torture.Content and/or Trigger Warning: sex and violence.[[Wattys' Shortlist]][[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]
8 66