The Silver Sphinx

 

"Evil, by its very nature, will always turn in upon itself."

the Disks of Mishakal

 

 

 

 

Second Void Day of Savorus, 126 HR

Naghûl uttered a wild curse in Abyssal as the bebilith teleported away with the deva. Morânia felt her heart sink in shock - and then an uncontrollable rage. At the bebilith, who had disappeared with Ybdiel, but also at herself for letting him get so close to the angel. The deva spark, hope and faith in redemption were all well and good, but here they had been too careless, too reckless. And now the bebilith had disappeared with the spark - and to make matters worse, Ybdiel with it. They had taken one step forward and then three steps back. Frustrated and dejected, they returned to the ship to see if Lereia and Sgillin were awake by now. Before they boarded, Jana looked up and down the shore with a hopeful expression, but there was no sign of the monster nor the angel.

"And now what?" the sorceress asked resignedly. "Do we have to do another good deed to follow them?"

Morânia slowly shook her head. "Saving the people here was certainly a good deed that should get us further."

"Follow who?" a voice now sounded behind them. "The singing?"

They turned around and saw Sgillin and Lereia on the gangplank, who had apparently woken up and were about to disembark to look for them. Lereia was still in tiger form, and both looked a little confused, as one does when waking from a slightly too deep sleep.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Morânia had to smile at the sight of them. "Ah, awake again?"

Lereia shook her large head, slightly disoriented, and ran a paw over her muzzle.

"Yeah, pretty much ..." Sgillin replied, blinking. "What was going on? And who was singing the whole time?"

"They were delphons," Morânia explained. "Intelligent, large fish, not unlike sharks, that inhabit the Oceanus. Their song can mesmerize you, and then you fall asleep and dream."

Sgillin rubbed the back of his neck. "Delphons, huh? Not blonde, busty mermaids, then."

"You were probably just dreaming about them," the bal'aasi said with a grin.

"Me?" The half-elf laughed. "Never ..."

Meanwhile, Lereia had looked around the shore inquiringly. "Where are we now?"

"As planned, in the realm of Mishakal. There was, however ..." Morânia sighed. "There was a small incident while you were sleeping."

Sgillin raised his brows in alarm. "Ay me ..."

Now Morânia, Naghûl and Jana took turns at reporting what had happened since Sgillin and Lereia had fallen into the deep dream sleep of the delphon songs. Only Kiyoshi, silent as usual, held back and let the others tell the story. When they told about how Abaia had teleported away with Ybdiel, Sgillin buried his face in his hands for a moment.

Lereia, on the other hand, immediately lifted her muzzle and sniffed, her whiskers standing on end. But then she shook her head regretfully. "I can't smell it anymore. Hm ... Are teleportation spells here somewhat flawed or limited without good deeds?"

"They do indeed only work to a limited extent," Morânia confirmed her assumption. "The bebilith can teleport, but not as far as it usually would. Yet far enough that we are not able to follow it."

"However, it could – again out of a guilty conscience - do something good and get ahead that way," Naghûl pointed out.

Jana spread her arms in frustration. "There has to be a way to track down a demon, especially here!"

"Normally, yes," Morânia said with a sigh. "But the spark seems to be covering up the demon's aura more and more. It's hard to find it that way."

"I have a suggestion," Kiyoshi spoke up. "Would it perhaps be possible to use a word of the Old Tongue? Like when I created the illusion of blood in your home. Perhaps we can hereby determine the oni’s direction?"

"I'm afraid I'm at a loss now," Morânia replied with a smile. "As I don't really know how your gift works."

Jana raised her shoulders. "I don't even understand exactly what you are speaking of. But if you think you can do it ..."

"Since they travel together, we should find them both in the same direction," Kiyoshi tried to explain his thoughts. "Perhaps I could try to search for their souls with a word. But unfortunately, I can't guarantee that I'll succeed."

"Just give it a try," Sgillin suggested and Morânia nodded.

"Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to try."

"You won't let Elysium slip away," Naghûl remarked with a grin towards Kiyoshi. "So go ahead."

"I wouldn't be so sure if the Harmonium is involved ..." Morânia interrupted herself and coughed a little. The sentence had slipped out spontaneously, but of course she didn't want to offend Kiyoshi. If he even knew about the story of Nemausus slipping away to Mechanus. "Sorry, I didn't say anything," she added apologetically.

Kiyoshi's expression remained stoic, whether because he really didn't know what she had alluded to or because this was his preferred facial expression.

Naghûl had laughed a little at her comment. "If we find ourselves in Limbo afterwards, then it probably wasn't so successful," he joked.

Morânia nudged him a little. "Cut it out ..."

"I'm honestly curious to see if this works," Jana said, and Sgillin took the bow off his shoulder to be on the safe side.

Kiyoshi concentrated, closing his now orange eyes with their slit pupils. "Âtmâ Ybdiel ," he then said aloud.

As the young man spoke these words, Morânia felt a brief, violent tugging deep inside her. It felt strange, almost impossible to describe, as if something was grabbing at her soul. It wasn't exactly painful, but it was unpleasant, like a gust of wind that was too hot and carried prickly sand with it. Fortunately, it blew away quickly and left her unharmed.

Jana shuddered visibly and Sgillin flinched. "Don't say that again ..." he grumbled disgruntledly.

Kiyoshi didn't say anything back, but pointed away from the shore, past the stables. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the right direction, honorable companions."

"Then we should probably go that way," Morânia said. "Because we have no other clue."

Naghûl nodded. "Better than nothing." He inhaled sharply and shuddered as if he wanted to get rid of something - perhaps the feeling caused by Kiyoshi's word. Then he followed the young soldier's directions towards the stables.

On the way back past the inn, they said goodbye to Elinda and the two wounded guests, gave them a few healing potions and promised to take care of the bebilith in whatever way they could. Then they walked inland away from the river Niloa, and soon the Elysian landscape stretched out before them: rolling green hills and clear streams alternated with flowering groves and small lakes lined with purple feather fern. Celestial animals of rare beauty frequently crossed their path: Amorian wild geese with feathers in all the colors of the rainbow, winged white wolves or iridescent ruby beetles with wonderfully patterned shells. Once they saw a flying azure snake coiled around the branch of a tree, its wings glistening bright green. Another time, they even spotted a unicorn grazing quietly under a flowering tree. During this hike through the realm of Mishakal, Morânia noticed how her traveling companions became calmer, more relaxed, more cheerful. Sgillin and Lereia carefully examined the new flora and fauna. The ranger and the nature-loving Eldath follower were naturally particularly interested in the animals and plants of the plane. Lereia occasionally rubbed her head against the tall grass in a relaxed manner and they could almost hear her purring. Naghûl whistled softly, occasionally plucked a flower to give to Morânia and obviously enjoyed the balmy air and the pleasant weather. Even Kiyoshi seemed almost cheerful, at least less stiff and serious than usual. Jana was remarkably quiet by her standards, but although she certainly didn't feel too comfortable as an Athar in the realm of a goddess, even she didn't seem tense. Morânia nodded to herself. This was the reason why Elysium was known as an expression of the utmost inner peace: Because the plane itself calmed and smoothed the troubled souls of the Chosen during this hike. They breathed in the pure air, they felt the peace that flowed through everything here and felt more at ease. It seemed hard to imagine that anything originating from here could be bad, dangerous or malevolent. Goodness dwelt here, untouched by the concepts of law and chaos, it was all about good and good alone. Morânia rarely felt safer than here in Elysium, she realized that every time - and this despite the knowledge that the bebilith had to be somewhere nearby. It was a carefree hike along even paths. They walked for two or three hours ... but it seemed shorter to all of them. Then Sgillin noticed tracks in the grass, tracks like the ones at the inn before, only fainter, almost invisible to untrained eyes. The tracks disappeared, then reappeared, sometimes fainter, sometimes more distinct. After another hour, the deciduous forest they were walking through thinned out and they saw a beautiful building appear in the distance. A narrow river flowed past it, crossed by a simple but sturdy stone bridge. The structure itself was built close to the hills rising up behind it, with golden roofs, pointed arched windows and numerous oriels around which white birds were fluttering.

"Yes." Sgillin looked at the ground, then ahead. "The tracks lead there."

Lereia stopped. "I think I'd better change back," she said. "As a human, I won't feel so conspicuous in this environment."

Sgillin handed her her clothes, which she carefully picked up with her mouth and carried behind some taller bushes to change shape and get dressed.

Meanwhile, Morânia took a closer look at the large structure. The wide stone balustrade on the right, the shimmering golden roof, the small waterfalls that poured over rounded rocks to the left of the building ... Yes, there was no question about it, she was sure where they were. "Conclave Fidelis ..."

"What is a Conclave Fidelis?" Sgillin wanted to know.

"The Conclave Fidelis," Morânia explained. "It is one of the largest monasteries and most important temples of the goddess Mishakal."

Sgillin nodded in understanding, and as Lereia, back in human form, emerged from behind the bushes, they covered the last part of the path, following the tracks that the half-elf could now make out more clearly in the grass. Despite the Elysian atmosphere, Jana was now becoming increasingly taciturn and silent, and Morânia thought she knew the reason. She didn't address it, however, but instead turned her gaze to the beautiful building they had almost reached by now. About fifty paces from the main entrance, they came across a middle-aged human man dressed in a plain blue and white robe. It was probably one of the monks of the monastery. They stepped closer and bowed slightly in greeting.

"Mishakal bless you, travelers." The man bowed as well and smiled kindly. "I welcome you to Conclave Fidelis. Can we help you?"

"Yes, certainly," Jana replied promptly. "That is, if you know where we can find a demon."

Morânia sighed softly. Jana's way of expressing herself was sometimes awkward, to say the least.

The monk frowned seriously. "A demon?"

"Yes," Jana explained offhandedly. "With eight legs and a fox in a basket."

"A bebilith," Naghûl added by way of explanation.

He was considerably quieter than on most days in Sigil – let alone Arborea. Morânia rarely saw her husband so calm outside Elysium. It wasn't that he was usually unrelaxed, but he was more of a restless person, constantly needing to do something, to undertake something, to experience something. He was never as relaxed in the Cage as he was here in Elysium.

The monk now nodded with a sigh at the explanation. "Yes, I think we can help you with that." He gestured towards the main gate of the Conclave. "Ask for admission at the entrance. Ask for Cebulon."

Morânia was taken aback. That was indeed unusual. "Um, sorry ... You really want us to ask for Cebulon? Seriously, for himself?"

The monk smiled kindly, but seriously. "Yes, in this particular case, for himself."

Morânia nodded in astonishment, thanked him and then beckoned the others to follow her. They walked slowly towards the main gate, taking in the beauty of the building as they approached.

Jana went to Morânia's side. "Who is Cebulon?" she asked timidly.

"He is the patriarch of the monastery," the bal'aasi explained. "And a very powerful high priest. It really isn't usual for the head of such a large and important temple to receive ordinary travelers. Hence my surprise - and concern. It must be something serious.

Abaia has certainly passed by here, but ... perhaps it still is here."

When Morânia had said the words high priest and patriarch , Jana had slowed down and finally stopped. "Maybe I should wait out here ..."

Morânia could understand her unease, given her faction affiliation, but shook her head. "We should all go inside."

"Come on, Jana," Naghûl said with amusement. "You're not going to duck out in awe, are you?"

"No," the sorceress replied tight-lipped. "Well, at least not in awe."

The tiefling smirked. "This is a special moment, Jana. You don't experience something like this every day."

She straightened her shoulders and then resolutely continued on her way, but not without casting a wry glance at Naghûl. "I will hold back and not say an unnecessary word." Then she returned to Morânia’s side and whispered softly: "You know this was his temple, don't you?"

The bal'aasi nodded. Factol Terrance had been the head and patriarch of Conclave Fidelis until he had abjured his faith. "I know," she replied just as quietly. "Kind of strange ..."

Jana looked towards the entrance with a certain unease. "You’re telling me!"

Her concerns about entering the monastery were understandable, but Morânia still had the feeling that it was important for some reason. That Jana should come with them and not wait outside.

Naghûl obviously trusted her judgment, but she could tell by the look on his face that he still had some concerns. "As a paladin of a native god," he said, "perhaps you should do the talking, dear."

Morânia nodded. "Yes, that might be best. And Jana will stay in the background."

When they reached the large gate, they realized that Mishakal's sacred sign, a horizontal blue infinity symbol, was embedded under an entablature frieze with white bird reliefs. It was an elaborate mosaic of lapis and turquoise, but other gemstones kept sparkling in between: tears of heaven ... A younger woman in armor could be seen at the gate, but she had leant her shield against the wall and was sitting relaxed on a ledge. She nodded to the arrivals in a friendly manner and stood up as they approached. All in all, she looked more like a concierge than a guard.

"Lathander’s blessings," Morânia greeted kindly and she replied with a smile: "Mishakal's blessings, dear guests. What can we do for you?"

"We are here because of a bebilith that is endangering the area," the bal'aasi explained. "One of your brothers said we could even speak to the venerable Patriarch Cebulon himself about it."

The woman at the gate nodded, but surprisingly did not seem worried, but rather pleasantly surprised. "About the bebilith? Yes, certainly in this case. The patriarch is currently in the sanctuary. Please enter and follow me, I will take you to him."

She led the group into the interior of the Conclave, and the sight that met their eyes made Morânia's heart beat a little faster. The beauty of Amorian architecture was evident in every pillar, every arched frieze, the mosaic flooring: playfulness, but without any overloaded heaviness, combining a cheerful lightness with natural grace. This style, which was often found on the first Elysian layer, was combined here in perfect harmony with the elements of the goddess Mishakal: the colors blue, silver and white, the infinity symbol, white birds and stars. Inside, many of the ornaments were also decorated with tears of heaven. Morânia noticed that Naghûl and Lereia in particular were looking around with interest and fascination. While her husband perceived and appreciated the architecture of the monastery in his capacity as a Sensate, the young woman certainly felt reminded of her past, having grown up in an Eldath monastery herself. Kiyoshi also seemed impressed, while Jana remained in the background as announced. However, Morânia noticed that the sorceress was looking around curiously and quite openly. The guard led them through an entrance hall, in which an oval pool of water was surrounded by slender columns, then through a wider corridor and an anteroom, in which there were wonderful murals depicting the goddess Mishakal surrounded by white birds. Finally, they entered the sanctuary, which was vaulted by a high domed roof. It shone in a rich indigo blue and was painted with countless silver stars, giving the impression that a clear, nocturnal sky was arching over the room. In the center, on a slightly raised platform, was a round altar made of light-colored stone, and in front of it stood an older man, perhaps in his early sixties, with silvery white hair and beard. He wore a noble robe, simple in style, but made of precious white fabric and decorated with wonderful embroidery. The silvery sheen of his hair and his intense blue eyes gave Morânia the impression that he was an aasimar. The guard bowed low before him.

"Venerable Cebulon. This is a group of travelers in search of the bebilith. We thought you might want to speak to them yourself."

The high priest nodded gently and looked kindly towards the group. "That's right. Thank you, Galdras, for bringing them here." Then he beckoned the Chosen closer.

Morânia approached, but stopped within two paces of the altar and bent her right knee. It was the customary greeting to a high priest, at least if one wished to respect etiquette and the cleric in question did not represent anything so contrary to one's own faith that such a gesture was forbidden per se. As a paladin of Lathander in the face of a high priest of Mishakal, the question therefore did not arise for Morânia; it was natural for her to show this respect to Cebulon. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naghûl, Lereia and Kiyoshi do the same. Jana and Sgillin had apparently stopped a little further back and Morânia strongly suspected that they were content with a bow. Since the bal'aasi had gone ahead, Cebulon probably correctly assumed that she would speak for the group. He came down from the platform, stepped towards Morânia and held out his right hand to her.

She bowed her head and kissed it, another customary gesture to high priests. "I greet you in the name of the Morninglord," she said. "It is a great honor that you receive us, Your Magnificence."

Cebulon smiled kindly. "It is a pleasure. Since Lady Galdras said it was about the bebilith, it is certainly of importance. Please stand."

They raised and Morânia nodded. "That's right, Magnificence, we're here for the bebilith."

The high priest stroked his beard thoughtfully, then crossed the room with a measured stride, circling the altar, and walked to a large chair at the other end of the hall. It looked more like a throne, as it had a very high back and was upholstered in elaborately embroidered velvet. Replicas of rays of light made of pure gold were mounted behind the backrest and two lion statues rested to the right and left of the imposing chair. The patriarch took his seat there. They followed him and stood at a respectful distance, but he beckoned them closer. He scrutinized the group for a while and Morânia found that, despite his exalted position, he seemed very relaxed and in no way arrogant. Apart from the formal greeting, everything had been quite unceremonious so far.

Finally, Cebulon nodded gently. "Please tell me your names and which factions or other organizations you belong to."

The bal'aasi bowed again. "Morânia of Wolkenfels, my lord. I am a paladin of Lathander and a member of the Ciphers." She looked to the others, who were still standing behind her.

Naghûl now took a small step forward. "My name is Naghûl Ka'Tesh," he introduced himself. "Factotum of the Society of Sensation, Magnificence."

Kiyoshi bowed in his usual manner, hands folded in front of his chest. "Kiyoshi, soldier of the honorable Harmonium and ashigaru of the venerable factol Sarin-gensui."

Lereia also took a step forward and curtsied. "I am Lereia, my lord, member of the Believers of the Source."

Then there was silence for a moment, apparently Jana and Sgillin didn't quite agree on who should speak first. Finally, the half-elf cleared his throat. "Sgillin, sir." He didn't seem to know what else to say, then he added: "From the Prime."

Morânia suppressed a grin at this notion. She could tell that the half-elf didn't feel too comfortable in this environment.

The same was true of Jana, of course, who bit her lower lip before replying: "My name is Jana Wetter. I ... am an Athar."

Morânia held her breath for a moment and eyed the patriarch intently. She hoped that her intuition had not deceived her, that it had been the right decision to take Jana with them into the Conclave.

Cebulon's white brows lifted slightly and he looked at Jana in surprise. "A Lost One, really?"

Jana nodded, almost apologetically it might have seemed to Morânia. "I was going to wait outside, but ..." She interrupted herself and did not speak any further.

The patriarch raised his hand and beckoned her over. "Step closer." He looked serious and thoughtful, but very calm and not upset.

Jana approached hesitantly, then stood in line with Morânia, Lereia, Kiyoshi and Naghûl. Cebulon stood up and beckoned her even closer. She complied with his request, albeit even more cautiously, but she looked directly at him and did not lower her gaze. Morânia admired her steadfastness.

"I wanted to ... I hope not to offend you with my presence," Jana said quietly, but with a firm voice.

The patriarch looked her in the eye for a while, serious but not unfriendly. "No, no, you don't," he then explained. "Tell me, how is Terrance?"

Jana smiled, obviously relieved that Cebulon wasn't hostile towards her or even threw her out. "Oh, Factol Terrance is in the best of health," she explained. "Yet."

Morânia winced. The sorceress was undoubtedly alluding to her recent vision, which was rightly a cause for concern. But suggesting this here and now to the head of Conclave Fidelis was certainly not the best idea.

Cebulon also immediately raised his eyebrows in concern. "Yet?"

Jana realized her lapse and cleared her throat, embarrassed. "Yes, but ... well, that's ... I don't think I ... should have said that." She smiled nervously. "It doesn't matter now!"

"It does matter," Cebulon replied, clearly worried. "We miss Terrance, even after all these years. He ... was a good friend, I regret his absence. But of course I respect the fact that this is no longer my concern." A sigh escaped his lips, but then he straightened and took his seat again. "So please, Lost One, tell me what brings you here."

Morânia stepped aside to make room for Jana as she returned to the row of the other Chosen. She was relieved that the patriarch had not taken offense at Jana's presence. Her intuition had not deceived her. Her thoughts and actions had been one, she had felt deep inside herself which decision had been the right one, just as the philosophy of the Ciphers taught her. Unfortunately, she didn't always succeed in this, and not as accurately as her factol, far from it, but she was making progress.

Jana took a deep breath when the high priest asked her to speak. "We ... So, we're looking for this demon, a bebilith ... we need to find it before more harm is done."

Cebulon nodded gravely. "What do you want to do with it?"

"That ... we don't know," Jana replied, obviously a little surprised by the question. "It seems ... Well, it teleported away, but it wanted to help a ... friend. Or so we think ..."

"Are you considering helping the fiend?" Cebulon's gaze was calm but inquiring, it was difficult to interpret the intention behind his questions.

Jana looked to Morânia and Naghûl for help, but then turned back to the patriarch and answered firmly: "No. It ... it is a demon, but we are considering ending the situation as peacefully and safely as possible."

"But it needs help," Cebulon replied seriously. "Something big is happening here, dear guests. Something that has not happened since the days of Minod the Solar. Only by helping the bebilith can you also help the deva. - Yes, I know about it, about Ybdiel's fate."

This remark confirmed Morânia's suspicion that the demon was still here, even if she could not perceive any fiendish aura nearby.

"Fine, then we'll help it," Jana agreed. "Not to help the demon, but for the sake of the deva and the plane."

Naghûl cleared his throat and raised his hand. "I would like to note that Jana speaks only for herself here. I would want to help the bebilith because, in my eyes, there is an opportunity for ascension here."

Morânia smiled warmly at her husband and nodded affirmatively at his words. She felt a certain pride that he was immediately willing to seek redemption for one of the most depraved creatures of the planes, a fiend. He would not always have done that. Once, many decades ago, he had been different. That he had walked this long, not always easy path to the point where he stood now filled her with pride, but also with a deep love for him.

Jana, however, gave Naghûl a skeptical look. "What do you mean by that?"

"The demon seems to become a different being through the power of the spark," the tiefling explained. "An ascended fiend. And what a success it would be not just to fight and defeat evil, but to redeem it."

Cebulon smiled. "You speak wisely, Naghûl of the Sensates." The Sensate addressed bowed at the compliment and the high priest stood up. "Without the spark, the deva will die. But to take the spark from the bebilith is to destroy the being it is becoming."

"But that condemns the deva entrusted to us to death?" Jana replied, almost upset. "Without us being able to ask him beforehand, simply on the suspicion that he would sacrifice himself for this ascension? I don't think that's right."

Morânia understood her objection, but was sure that the high priest of a good goddess would certainly not seek a solution that would condemn an angel of that very deity.

Cebulon nodded to Jana in agreement: "There is often more than one way to a good goal."

"There is often more than one good goal," the sorceress replied immediately.

The fact that Cebulon was not displeased by her contradiction spoke for his composure and the self-confidence with which he carried out his duties. Instead, he smiled a little. "Not a bad answer, Jana of the Athar. - Come, I want to show you something."

He walked to the wall to the right of his throne and stopped at a spot where the fresco on it showed a flowering bush with a blue night thrush perched in its branches. The patriarch ran his hand over one of the bird's tail feathers and a secret door opened. Behind it was a much smaller room, circular and empty, except for a light wood cabinet decorated with carvings. But in the middle Abaia was sitting ... Yet in contrast to the first two meetings with the bebilith, something had changed in its appearance: The carapace, formerly covered in sharp spikes, was now smooth and no longer of a dark purple, but a light blue-gray with a silvery sheen. It also seemed to Morânia that the demon was slightly smaller and therefore less frightening overall. Nevertheless, Kiyoshi's hand reflexively went to his naginata, and Sgillin almost wanted to take the bow off his shoulder.

Naghûl, on the other hand, looked at Abaia in awe. "It has visibly changed."

Morânia concentrated on the fiend's aura and realized that it was even weaker than a few hours earlier at the inn. She could barely sense it. The deva's spark seemed to be having more and more of an effect ... Now Abaia approached slowly, bending its body towards the ground as if it wanted to appear as tame and unthreatening as possible. Jana and Naghûl watched it with fascination, while Morânia could sense a wary caution from Lereia, Sgillin and Kiyoshi.

The half-elf shook his head at the tiefling's words. "Looks just as menacing as before."

"No, look," Naghûl objected. "It has become smaller and the spikes on its carapace have disappeared. As if it wanted to shed its evil."

Sgillin's mouth twisted. "Smaller or bigger ... I still see razor-sharp claws, deadly jaw pincers and venom glands."

"It's changing, though," Morânia said as she looked at the demon thoughtfully, a little undecided as to how she should feel about it. "The spark is gaining influence."

Then suddenly they heard Abaia's voice in their thoughts again. "You ... friends of the deva ... grief ... I feel ... help … I need ... "

"We will do that!" Naghûl was visibly agitated, but in a positive way. "We'll help you!"

Jana seemed to shed her previous resentment to the bebilith very suddenly now and held out both hands towards Abaia as if to let it sniff at them. She looked at the legs and mandibles with fascination. Abaia touched Jana's hand very lightly, but did nothing else. While Naghûl watched the sorceress and the bebilith almost with envy, Sgillin looked much more skeptical.

Jana tried to grab one of Abaia's legs and actually chuckled happily. "To think that I was afraid of you ..." she said, shaking her head.

Sgillin looked at Jana as if she had lost her mind, and Morânia shared his unease. She wanted to help the bebilith if she could, and she had confidence in the spark of deva, in goodness in general. Great confidence, in fact. But this demon had not yet risen and a certain caution was still appropriate in her eyes. The brief glance she exchanged with Lereia told her that the young woman was probably thinking along similar lines. Kiyoshi's still vigilantly raised naginata spoke for itself.

Lereia now turned to Cebulon. "But where is the deva?" she asked in a low voice.

"Unfortunately, we don't know," the patriarch replied with a sigh. "Abaia said he was safe. I'm inclined to believe that."

"But I thought he was dying without his spark?" Lereia objected.

Cebulon nodded. "That is true. But there may be a solution ... If you find the Regalia of Accord."

"Then they can both live?" Jana asked, listening with half an ear.

"Yes, that would be possible," confirmed the high priest.

"Then we have no choice!" Naghûl's enthusiasm was clear to see. "We have to search for them with united forces - immediately."

Jana smirked. "Sometimes I can actually understand what Morânia sees in you."

The bal'aasi smiled at her husband and briefly squeezed his hand before turning back to Cebulon. "What do the Regalia of Accord consist of, Magnificence?"

"You need the Chalice of Peace," the patriarch explained, "the Waters of Serenity and a Gem of Harmony."

Lereia nodded and pulled her notebook out of her pocket to jot down the information in it. Cebulon, on the other hand, stepped to the cabinet, which was the only piece of furniture in the small, round room, and opened it with a golden key he wore around his neck. He took out a beautifully decorated silver goblet.

"This is the Chalice of Peace," he explained. "We have kept it here for many millennia. But I will leave it to you for the duration of your mission."

He handed the chalice to Morânia and she accepted it with a bow. "We thank you for your trust, my lord." She noticed that Jana obviously found it difficult to take her eyes off the goblet, but at a sharp, warning glance, she looked back at Cebulon.

The patriarch had probably also noticed the Athar's brief covetousness and arched one of his silver-white brows meaningfully before continuing. "You will find the Waters of Serenity in the Lake Serene, not far from here. Scoop them from the lake with the goblet and be careful not to spill them. You can get a Gem of Harmony at the nest of the Great Phoenix of this realm. Ask him to give you one."

"He's just going to give it to us?" Jana asked doubtfully.

"Perhaps he wants something in return," Cebulon replied. "But I'm afraid I can't tell you what, you'll have to find out for yourself. All I know is that you will find his nest in the Oreb Hills."

Jana nodded. "Good. And when we have everything, will we come back here?"

"No," Cebulon corrected. "You go to the Labyrinth of Accord in the Ornwood. Carry the Regalia to the center of the labyrinth, together with the bebilith and the deva. Abaia must lead you to Ybdiel first."

"That Abaia will ," the telepathic voice immediately sounded in their heads.

"Thank you, Abaia," Naghûl said with a smile.

"It would be an honor to help the deva as well as the bebilith in this matter," Morânia explained.

"An honor and an indescribable experience," Naghûl added. "I can't say which would be more important to me right now." He winked jokingly, but Morânia knew him well enough to know that he was partly serious. A Sensate just couldn't change his spots – or preferences.

Sgillin nodded with a sigh and with visibly little enthusiasm. "I'm in."

When Kiyoshi and Lereia also signaled their agreement, Cebulon nodded with satisfaction. "Then go and help provide the triumph of good. Take good care of Abaia ... It has not yet ascended, its other side can still break through."

Morânia nodded gently as the patriarch put her previous thoughts into words. She was relieved to see that, for all his good and noble intentions, he was not careless or naïve about the matter.

Sgillin also seemed quite pleased with this warning, casting a meaningful sideways glance at Jana and Naghûl. "Exactly. I don't want to be around when it snaps."

"But Abaia is in good company," Naghûl said confidently. "We'll help it."

"Be careful, though," Cebulon urged them again. "Lead it on a good path and guide it."

Jana nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, lead it on a good path, that ... is good. We will."

Lereia gave Abaia a rather uncertain, cautious look, but then nodded.

Cebulon performed a gesture of blessing. "Get some rest after your hike here. A novice will provide you with rooms here in the monastery. Set off rested tomorrow to complete the Regalia. Our prayers will accompany you." He turned to Jana once more. "Oh, and you, Lost One ..."

"I don't feel lost," the sorceress replied politely but directly.

The patriarch laughed a little. "Surely that's what your factol says too." Then he became more serious again. "I hope we'll see each other again when you return the chalice. But if not, give my regards to Terrance. And tell him we miss him."

Jana nodded, now more open and approachable. "I'll be happy to do that."

 

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played July 17, 2012