The Silver Sphinx

 

“Help others without payment or expectation of gratitude.

Treat everyone as you would like to be treated yourself. Forgive missteps and misdeeds."

philosophy of Elysium

 

 

Third Lady's Day of Savorus, 126 HR

Although the Conclave Fidelis was an outstanding example of Amorian architecture and had to offer some remarkable works of art with its frescoes and mosaics, the furnishings were kept rather simple. The monastic community did not follow a strict ideal of poverty, as some monasteries did, but luxury and pageantry were deliberately avoided. The rooms that Cebulon had made available to them were comfortable and spacious, but not overly ostentatious. As she lay down to sleep, Morânia realized how much she needed the rest. More than twenty-four hours had passed since their accidental trip to Ferrug. In all the agitation of the hunt for the bebilith, they had not been able or willing to take a long rest. Kiyoshi had gotten a few hours of sleep from his dragon blood surge and Lereia and Sgillin from the song of the delphons, but she herself, Naghûl and Jana had only taken a short nap while traveling on the Oceanus. Otherwise, they had been awake the whole time, had hiked a lot, had fought, plus the tension in the Abyss, the events in the Great Gymnasium, the death of Jalkim and the people in the inn ... all that had left its mark and it had been high time for a rest. The next morning, a young woman brought her and Naghûl a tray of sweet almond bread, fresh fruit, milk, coffee and tea for breakfast in their room. They ate, washed and then met with the others at the monastery's entrance, where Lady Galdras, the guard from the previous day, had also brought the bebilith Abaia. As she left, Naghûl told the others what he had already told Morânia in private the night before: He had seen another of his mysterious signs. It was a V, or perhaps the Olympic number five, which he had seen directly above Cebulon's throne. Unfortunately, they couldn't make any sense of what it meant this time either. So Lereia noted it down in her book, as she did with all the important information, and they decided to turn their attention to the task ahead for the time being: the search for the Regalia of Accord.

Morânia had carefully stowed the Chalice of Peace in her backpack and looked at the others. "Are we ready?"

Kiyoshi took his naginata off his back and shouldered it with a serious face.

Sgillin nodded curtly. "Yes."

Jana stayed close to the bebilith, trying to play with its antennae and forelegs from time to time. Morânia could not shake off the impression that she was displaying an alarmingly reckless artlessness.

Lereia also watched Jana somewhat uneasily, but then nodded and turned to Morânia. "Do you know your way around in this realm?"

"Not really, I'm afraid," the bal'aasi replied. "Cebulon said we have to go to the Lake Serene. The path will take us through the Ornwood, which you can spot back there." She pointed to the lush green treetops that could be seen on the edge of the Oreb Hills a few miles away.

"All right, then. The faster the better." Sgillin nodded and kept some distance from Abaia, while Kiyoshi deliberately stayed close to it.

Their path now led them through the lovely Elysian landscape once more, and after about an hour or two they reached the Ornwood. It was a peaceful mixed forest, filled with birdsong and golden light, in which they kept spotting celestial animals, larger and more beautiful than their prime relatives. Their hearts were also still filled with the peace and tranquility they had felt since they had been in Elysium. The bebilith followed them quietly and unobtrusively, making no attempt to behave in an aggressive way. Every now and then it stopped for a moment and seemed to think, but it quickly caught up with the group again. Kiyoshi and Jana did not leave its side, although certainly for very different reasons. Jana smiled dreamily and let every butterfly take her away from the path. Sgillin and Lereia also seemed to relax again as they wandered through the friendly forest, and Naghûl began to sing Arborean children's songs at one point, always looking enthusiastically at Abaia. Another hour later, they came across an aasimar merchant who had broken the axle on his wagon. He was naturally frightened by Abaia, but was persuaded that the bebilith posed no danger. The fact that it was still behaving completely peacefully helped, as did the external change that had taken place with Abaia. The fiend even helped to repair the wagon by lifting the heavy cart together with Morânia so that the others could easily change the wheel. The bebilith could have easily done it alone, of course, but Morânia did not yet trust its transformation to the last and was worried that it might suddenly let go. Kiyoshi and Naghûl held the wheel and then slid it onto the new axle while Sgillin handed the tools to the merchant. Meanwhile, Lereia calmed the ox that Abaia was making nervous by talking to it in animal language, and Jana praised Abaia. In general, the sorceress only seemed to have eyes for the bebilith at the moment and treated it like a cute little dog. Abaia, on the other hand, seemed happily excited and somehow proud that it was able and allowed to help. After successfully repairing the cart, they said goodbye to the merchant and continued on their journey. Naghûl collected some berries along the way, while Kiyoshi continued to keep a watchful eye on Abaia. Then the trees thinned out, revealing a lake with turquoise-blue water, wildflowers and fragrant herbs growing on its shores.

"Is that the Lake Serene?" Lereia pointed to the body of water.

Morânia nodded. "I think so."

She looked a little worriedly at Abaia. While the bebilith had been peaceful, even helpful, the whole time, it had made a rather nervous impression in the last few minutes. Then it suddenly stopped, clacked its jaws excitedly and let out an aggressive hiss.

"Shh," Jana warned it. "Take it easy. We'll both stay back here and let the others go first, okay?"

Kiyoshi gripped his naginata with both hands, then they heard the telepathic voice in their heads again, yet this time not peacefully, but full of hate. "Demolish ... kill ... tarnish the innocent ... destroy beauty ..."

And at the same moment, the bebilith rushed towards a particularly beautiful spot on the shore and fanatically tore it apart with its claws. The grass and flowers flew in all directions, as did the bloody, mangled bodies of a squirrel and a dormouse that had been unable to escape in time. Morânia was shocked out of her wits. There it was - what she had feared, what had also made Sgillin, Lereia and Kiyoshi remain vigilant, what Cebulon had warned them about the day before: the demonic side of Abaia broke through again - suddenly, ugly and merciless. The bal'aasi drew her sword, but hesitated to attack the bebilith. Somewhere inside her, there was a faint hope that it might calm down and allow the deva spark to prevail. Sgillin, on the other hand, did not hold back. In a flash, he put an arrow on the string and shot it at Abaia. The arrow found its way unerringly into one of the fiend's leg joints. Kiyoshi had also raised the naginata and ran to the shore of the lake to attack the bebilith.

"No, don't!" Jana cried desperately. "Leave her alone, she'll calm down in a minute!" She had decided a while earlier that Abaia was a female.

But the demon didn't give a calm impression. Instead, it continued to tear up the beautiful bank and then turned to the nearest tree to strip its bark with its claws. It was only when Sgillin's second arrow hit it and Kiyoshi had almost reached it that Abaia turned towards the group, raised its forelegs threateningly and hissed dangerously. Morânia had also run to the shore in the meantime, fearing that her hopes might not come true. Lereia was still waiting, but her eyes had already turned turquoise and her pupils had become narrow slits. Naghûl also hesitated, apparently undecided as to whether he should send a hail of magic missiles or whether there was another way.

Jana, on the other hand, did not hesitate - she rushed forward, placing herself between Kiyoshi and the fiend. "Don't!" she shouted again. "Don't hurt her! It's not her fault!"

Despite the threatening gesture, Abaia made no attempt to attack anyone at the moment, neither Kiyoshi nor Jana, who was standing directly in front of it.

Nevertheless, the young soldier's features seemed to harden even more than usual. "Step aside immediately, dear Jana-san," he demanded sternly. "This oni is obviously a danger."

Morânia had now also reached the group and eyed the fiend warily. Abaia was hesitating, its claws still raised threateningly, but it seemed to be struggling somehow. But when Kiyoshi tried to walk around Jana, the bebilith let out another warning hiss and clacked its jaws. The bal'aasi thought feverishly about how she could best defuse the situation without being blind to the danger. Then she heard Naghûl's voice behind her.

"Gently, gently, holy wise, float up to the starry skies." Her husband sang the well-known Arcadian children's song in a loud and clear voice. "Song, resound! In celebration, exalt my prayer to elation.”

Sgillin still had his bow ready, but did not send off any more arrows and Kiyoshi also paused. The bebilith actually calmed down at Naghûl's song, finally slumped and crouched.

"To you I raise my hands in plea, powers of eternity," Naghûl continued the song in a calm voice. "To guard us from all danger's snare, send your angel hosts with care." ¹⁾

It did indeed work. Abaia now only hissed softly and Jana walked slowly towards it with her arms outstretched. "Shh," she said quietly. "It's all right."

Kiyoshi stayed close behind the sorceress, apparently ready to pull her away quickly if necessary.

Sgillin, on the other hand, gave Jana an aghast look. "Are you completely nuts? Get away from it!"

Jana did not respond, but was completely focused on Abaia. Although the bebilith now seemed calmer, docile even, Morânia didn't quite trust the peace yet and kept her sword in her hand as a precaution.

"That ... was evil?" the bebilith's voice sounded telepathically, now much softer again. "Why is it so ... inside Abaia? Explain the pain ... in there."

As both the behavior and the voice of the fiend became more peaceful again, Lereia visibly relaxed, her fingernails receded and her slit pupils became round again. "We want to help and we have to be patient," she said. "But Sgillin is right, we should still always be careful and on our guard."

Jana knelt down and exhaled deeply and audibly, then she tried to stroke Abaia between the eyes and talked to it soothingly. "It's all right. It's all right now, you haven't hurt anyone. The pain is ... old, Abaia."

Morânia watched Jana warily, while Sgillin still kept the bow pointed at Abaia with a taut string. Kiyoshi also held his naginata raised.

"Explain ... grief," the bebilith pleaded. "Guilt?"

"Are you saying you feel guilty?" Jana asked. "Because of what you ... because of what old Abaia did? You know that's not you anymore, don't you?"

"Yes ..." the demon replied, obviously hesitating. "Grief over the deeds ... What is good? What does being good mean?"

"Being stronger than the anger and the urge inside you," Morânia explained, supporting Jana. "That's what it means to be good. If you manage to resist the demon inside you, that's good."

"Abaia ... will try," the bebilith assured. "Will."

Jana continued to stroke its carapace. "See, nothing happened at all. But you know you're big and pretty dangerous, huh? It would be really good if you could warn us the next time you ... well, when old Abaia gets strong, I mean ... if you could warn us then. Not that anyone gets hurt unintentionally, you know?"

"Abaia understands ... must ... think about all this." The telepathic voice sounded sad and confused. "Abaia is following you."

"Thank you," Jana said appreciatively. "You are very sensible and responsible."

Naghûl smiled with relief and Sgillin slowly lowered the bow. Morânia sighed inwardly. Yes, the rise to goodness was not easy, especially for a fiend, and it had been foreseeable that there would be setbacks along the way. Still, she felt the situation was now manageable and so she sheathed her sword.

"I think we should get the water," she said. "The sooner the better."

The others nodded, and so they walked down to the shore, now much quieter and more serious despite the Elysian influence. The water of the Lake Serene was crystal clear and quite shallow, so they could easily see down to its bottom, where green and bluish water plants grew in the light sand and shoals of silvery fish darted back and forth. Again and again, the lake was interspersed with small islands, some covered with soft grass, others consisting only of sand, in which flowering acacias, robinias and feather trees took root. On one such sandbank, just a few steps from the shore, Morânia discovered four figures: two women and two winged lions were standing under a pink flowering feather tree. The bal'aasi stopped.

"Do you know these ... creatures?" Lereia asked quietly and somewhat hesitantly.

"No," Morânia whispered. "But they have a celestial aura. We should go over to them. But be respectful, for I assume the four are proxies or even avatars."

Naghûl whistled softly through his teeth, while Jana put on a rather skeptical look. "A strange play of colors, don't you think?" She looked at the others questioningly and nodded her head slightly towards the four figures on the sandbank.

She wasn't wrong. One of the women had black hair and dark skin and wore a white dress, the other had silvery-white hair and a pearl-colored complexion, but wore a black dress. The fur and wings of the two lions were jet black on one and bright white on the other. Something ancient and powerful emanated from them, which was certainly felt even by those who could not perceive auras. The light-skinned woman now beckoned them, clearly an invitation to come over. Morânia had no real concerns, as the four were clearly celestial beings However, the presence of a fiend, even if it could be on its way to ascend, might complicate the upcoming encounter. They therefore left Abaia on the shore, and Kiyoshi also stayed there to guard it. The others walked slowly into the lake and found that the clear water was tepid and so shallow that it reached no higher than up to their knees at any point.

 

 

"Their signatures are definitely pleasant," Lereia explained quietly. "With the dark-skinned woman, I perceive a warm summer evening when the sunset paints the sky. With the light-skinned one, it's a refreshing autumn morning with a clean wind blowing. The white lion has the signature of freshly fallen snow and moonbeams shimmering on it. And the black one of ebony in the sunlight, dusted with fine gold."

 

 

Morânia smiled at Lereia's poetic description. She found the young woman's gift highly fascinating; the idea of perceiving the soul of a living being in this pictorial way had something fairytale-like and mystical about it. When they arrived on the sandbank, they stood only two or three steps away from the celestial beings, and from close up their presence seemed even more impressive, especially that of the two lions, which were far larger than ordinary animals. Their heads were about the same height as the women standing between them and their feathered wings were as powerful as griffin wings. The black feathers of the dark lion were also interspersed with dozens of peacock feathers.

Morânia bowed in greeting to the four of them. "I greet you in the name of the Morninglord."

"We greet you in the name of balance and harmony," the dark-skinned woman replied, her voice warm but strong. Now Morânia could see that she had silver eyes.

The light-skinned woman smiled gently, while the lions slowly moved their mighty wings up and down, calmly examining the group. They all seemed benevolent, but were clearly looking at Abaia with concern. Jana probably wanted to say something, but glanced at the lions and let it go.

"We know you," said the white-haired woman, friendly but serious.

"Really?" replied Sgillin. "Then you're one step ahead of us."

"You are the Chosen of the Ring." Now the white lion spoke, in a deep, full voice. Morânia was not surprised that the celestial animal was able to speak. "You are on a quest."

Lereia nodded with a smile. "We are."

While the young woman seemed quite taken with the two lions, Jana slowly but steadily backed away further and further. The black one in particular seemed to inspire a great deal of respect in her.

"And may we also ask who you are?" Morânia said politely, although she had an idea. Unlike Jana, she felt a deep happiness and a sense of safety in the presence of these heavenly beings. Naghûl's smile showed that he felt the same.

"We are also chosen, if you like to put it that way," the black lion spoke. "We are the Guardians of Balance. I am Skiá, the shadow."

"And I am Lumen, the light," added the white lion.

The dark-skinned woman smiled kindly. "I am Vesperis, the evening."

"And I am Aurora, the morning," the light-skinned woman explained, bowing slightly.

Morânia nodded as the four confirmed her assumption. The Guardians of Balance were less well known than some of the other powerful beings of Elysium, but her father and grandmother had told her about them when she was a child. Legend had it that they roamed all over Elysium and were always in a different place, so it was not easy to meet them. If she remembered the stories correctly, these four were probably some kind of avatars of Neutral Good itself - and thus an embodiment of the plane. The Chosen introduced themselves politely, some more reserved, others more open.

Jana spoke last, just murmuring her name before adding: "But I think you already know who we are. Were you ... waiting for us?"

"We were," Aurora confirmed. "Welcome at Lake Serene. Together we keep the balance. Between light and shadow, morning and evening, movement and idleness, warmth and cold, chaos and order."

"But not between good and evil," Vesperis added emphatically.

Lumen, the white lion, nodded. "We just keep the balance between all good things - and bring them into harmony."

"That's how it has always been," concluded the black lion Skiá.

"You're beating about the bush," Jana suddenly burst out. "What do you want from us?"

"Jana ..." whispered Lereia in a warning tone.

Morânia also flinched a little when the sorceress spoke to the celestial beings like that and gave her a reproving look. But the four remained calm and friendly.

"What do you want to say?" Vesperis turned to Jana.

The sorceress took a deep breath, but her voice trembled a little as she replied: "You won't get her!"

"What or who?" Aurora asked calmly.

"Abaia. We will stand by her."

"Jana, stop it." Lereia looked at her, shaking her head. "You don't know why they were waiting for us here."

Sgillin nodded at his companion's words. "I'm sure no one wants to take your pet away from you."

The black lion laughed, not unfriendly, but the volume of his full voice made it sound a little like the rumble of distant thunder. "Do you mean the creature that isn't consonant? Like you?"

"There you hear it!" Jana shouted angrily. "They balance everything out!"

"But not good and evil," Morânia replied as calmly as she could.

Jana now began to tremble visibly. "And what is Abaia if not between good and evil?"

Lumen, the white lion, nodded thoughtfully. "That's true, and not all of you are here in the spirit of good either. And of those who are, only one is in accord."

Lereia glanced briefly at Morânia and she lifted her shoulders. Yes, it was true, it looked like she was the only one in the group with a neutral good alignment. However, the fact that this was emphasized by the Guardians made her uncomfortable. "I ... well." She didn't know exactly what to say and bowed briefly.

"Do you want to talk to her alone?" Lereia asked cautiously.

"No," Skiá replied kindly. "That was just an observation. You all are what you are. The fact that we are the Guardians of Balance does not mean that we force anyone. That would be too extreme."

Lereia looked relieved. "You speak very wisely, Skiá. May I ask why you waited for us?"

"We waited for you because you seek two things," Vesperis explained. "You seek the Holy Waters of Serenity to help this being." She looked at Abaia on the shore. "And you seek your destiny."

Aurora nodded in agreement and pointed at the bebilith. "This creature is more imbalanced than any here. It must come into balance or it will perish."

"That's why we're here," Sgillin explained.

The black lion gently moved his large wings up and down. "We can give you the Holy Waters. But you must promise that you will lead this being there to its destiny without pain or loss."

Morânia smiled. That was exactly the spirit of good: to help and save wherever possible rather than condemn or punish. "We promise that we will do everything we can to help it and the angel," she explained. "Without anyone coming to harm."

"Can you also tell us something about our destiny?" Lereia now asked. "Or about the other Chosen we are still looking for?"

"You are searching for the Keeper and the Proclaimer," the white lion stated. "They have the knowledge of the entire prophecy that is still hidden from you."

"But there are more of you," Vesperis explained. "Everyone has their name, their purpose, their role."

"Can you tell us how many of us there are?" Morânia asked cautiously.

Now Vesperis looked at Aurora, who sighed regretfully. "The Concord forbids us to talk about it. Only the Envoy may speak to you at this time."

Jana had wrapped her arms around her body and had calmed down since her outburst, although she still eyed the Guardians of Balance skeptically. "What concord are you bound by?" she wanted to know.

"The Concord," Lumen explained. "The first one. The great one. The true one. The Concord of the oldest ever ..." The white lion interrupted himself and shook his mighty head. "No, I'm saying too much."

Sgillin rubbed the back of his neck and sighed in the face of the new questions that had just arisen. Then he brought up a topic that was obviously on his mind. "What happens if one of us dies?"

"That's uncertain," Skiá replied. "At least we don't know."

Morânia noticed Naghûl taking a deep breath next to her. She knew that he did not like riddles and that the many nebulous and unclear elements of the prophecy sometimes bothered him. "Well ..." he began. "I also have a question. You were waiting for us because you wanted to help us, I suppose. But since you don't want to, can't or aren't allowed to answer our questions, I wonder how you want to, can or are allowed to help us?"

Morânia frowned. She did not like the way Jana and now Naghûl were speaking to the four celestial beings, but she did not want to start a discussion in their presence.

Aurora, on the other hand, smiled indulgently. "You are impatient because you are young. And because your mission is important. But your question is justified. We weren't expecting you just yet. Not until later."

"Above all I am stressed," Naghûl replied, obviously not appeased, and Morânia would have liked to elbow him in the ribs.

"I'm sorry about that," Vesperis replied sternly. "But we are bound by the Concord, just like you."

"But we didn't agree to any concord," Naghûl replied. "We were simply made what we are. An agreement implies consent somewhere ..." He interrupted himself and waved it off. "Oh, what am I saying ... Forgive my disgruntled mood."

The white lion nodded in understanding. "It's probably not easy being one of the Chosen."

"Who contracted this ... Concord?" Morânia asked.

"The oldest beings," Aurora replied.

Jana apparently decided to rejoin the conversation after all. "This Concord, does it only deal with our prophecy?" she wanted to know. "Or is it ... more general? Does it include other things, I mean? And does it include Evil? I mean, do devils and demons also belong to the oldest beings?"

"It includes more," Aurora confirmed after a moment's hesitation. "Many big and important questions. And yes, the Concord includes Evil."

Lereia returned to one of the two main reasons for their journey to Elysium. "The Keeper and the Proclaimer said we would meet them again if we followed our path."

"And so it will be." Vesperis nodded. "You will find each other. All of you."

Sgillin rubbed his temples. "Why can't someone just tell us what's going on? I mean, surely you and the others realize that the more you keep us in the dark about the prophecy, the greater the risk of someone screwing up?"

Aurora smiled mildly at his choice of words. "Of course. But everyone defines that differently. And that's why everyone's hands are tied, so that no one can exert too much influence."

"I think I understand that," Morânia replied. "But I have one more question. The Envoy, the angelic soul within me ... Is it possible to call her consciously? To awaken her so that we can learn more about her?"

Aurora nodded. "All your abilities will grow. Yours too. Therefore ... Yes, I suppose you will learn more about her eventually. You may be able to awaken her if you find more access to her. But you'll have to learn how by yourself."

"That means I could control it too?" Jana sounded excited. "Suppress a vision or delay it? Or take others with me in a more targeted way? Even extend the vision perhaps?"

"Yes, your gift will grow too," Vesperis replied. "Yours too can be controlled. You can let others see what you see. You may learn to control when you see something and whether you see the past, present or future. But you also have to find your own way."

"In that case, I also have a question about my gift," Naghûl said. "I see numbers that will probably form a pattern at some point. Is it an encryption or can I save myself future cryptography lessons?"

"There is definitely something hidden in these signs," explained Lumen, the white lion. "Places, people, artifacts ... They will one day tell you where to find important secrets and even show you the way to your destiny."

"Can I influence it directly?" Naghûl asked hopefully. "For example, by writing these signs or rearranging numbers?"

"You can bring something about, yes. Just as he," Lumen nodded to Kiyoshi, who was still standing guard besides Abaia. "can cause certain effects when he speaks the words, you can do this when you write the signs."

"I've been trying to figure out and expand my gift on my own," Lereia objected cautiously. "But it hurt someone important to me. Was that a mistake? Should we wait for the abilities to develop on their own?"

"This accident is unfortunate," Skiá explained. "But I think you were on the right path. Your gifts are your power and you can and must work with them. It is therefore very important to explore them. All your gifts are connected to the soul, but yours in particular. You sense the souls and can draw them to you. This ..." The black lion hesitated briefly, but then continued. "This may decide your fates one day."

Lereia took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Thank you ..."

Skiá nodded gracefully and Sgillin looked at the others. "Good," he said when no one seemed to have any more questions. "Then I think we'll take the water with us and lead our claw-armed friend at the shore to its destiny, eh?"

Vesperis nodded. "Draw the water from the lake with the chalice and then set the chalice down in front of us."

Morânia took the silver chalice out of her backpack and stepped right up to the edge of the sandbank to let the clear water of the Lake Serene run into the blessed vessel. She only filled it halfway, knowing well that they would have to carry the chalice with the water to the labyrinth without spilling it. Then she carefully carried it back to the Guardians of Balance and placed it in front of them in the light sand. The four of them gathered around the filled chalice and the women spread their hands over it. Then they all spoke together:

Morning - Evening
Light - Shadow
Beginning - End
Birth - Death
Order - Chaos
Warmth - Cold
Movement – Idleness

Lords of melody and song,
Lords of roses burning bright,
Stars will right the ancient wrong,
Though the way is dark and long,
Stars will shine with loving light.

Lords of water, earth, and fire,
Lords of wind and snow and rain,
Give to our hearts' desire.
Life as all life comes with pain,
But stars will come to us again.

At you in this fateful hour,
We place all Heaven with its power,
And the sun with its brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
And the fire with all the strength it hath,
And the lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the winds with their swiftness along their path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the earth with its starkness:
All these we place,
By heaven's grace,
Between ourselves and the darkness! 2)

 

Morânia felt a warm feeling of hope and confidence during these words. When the Guardians finished, a bright light shone inside the chalice.

Vesperis pointed to the vessel with a solemn gesture. "The Holy Waters are yours. Take the chalice and guard it well."

"We will." Morânia bowed deeply. "Thank you."

All four nodded and Naghûl now bowed respectfully as well. "I thank you," he said. "And forgive me my initial rudeness."

"It's already forgotten." Aurora smiled. "We know you have a hard road to walk."

Vesperis nodded in agreement and pointed towards the hills. "If you're looking for the phoenix nest, go that way. The lake is very shallow here, so you can cross it on foot if you don't mind the water. In any case, that will be the quickest way."

The others, even Jana, bowed in thanks, said farewell and then prepared to leave the sandbank with the flowering feather tree.

Aurora raised her hand at parting and waved. "So go and be blessed. We will meet again."

They picked up Abaia and Kiyoshi, who was still watching over it, and decided to follow Vesperis' advice and cross the Lake Serene. The sandbanks were repeatedly interrupted, so they had to wade through the water, but it was so shallow that it rarely reached above their knees. The sandy ground was soft and free of any sharp stones or dangerous poisonous animals, so they could take off their shoes and walk barefoot through the tepid water. So they wandered over sandy islands and flat sandbanks, a walk as pleasant as it could only be on a heavenly plane. Now and then a refreshing breeze cooled them, but the temperature was generally very pleasant, neither too hot nor too cool for a long walk. They saw celestial water creatures everywhere: crabs with sparkling ruby-red shells, shiny silver fish, beautiful white birds standing on long legs in the water. The lake must be quite large, because they walked for several hours, which seemed much shorter due to the pleasant surroundings, though. Abaia had kept very quiet since being dropped off on the shore and trotted after them.

At one point, as they waded from one sandbank to the next, Naghûl stopped abruptly. His gaze was fixed on the water in front of him. "Fascinating ..." he murmured softly, and Morânia stepped up to his side.

She searched the surface of the water with her eyes, as well as the light-colored sand that could easily be seen underneath. But she saw nothing unusual. "Another one of your signs?" she asked her husband.

He nodded. "Yes, there in the water. But this time it's different ... No digit or number. It's a circle with three dots or smaller circles in the middle. One is very light, one is dark, and the third is exactly in between in terms of shade. And on the edge of the large circle there are also four smaller circles, each surrounded by four even smaller dots."

 

 

Lereia frowned. "And do you have any idea what that means?"

"Of course not." Naghûl sighed in resignation. "I can't make any more sense of it than I can of the numbers - or anything else."

The young woman nodded gently, then pulled out her notebook and drew the symbol, just as Naghûl had described it. Not knowing what else to do with it, they continued on their way. A good deed to reach the Oreb Hills finally presented itself to them in the form of an injured goldbeak. The white-feathered bird had a lame wing, which Sgillin carefully straightened out. Morânia then laid her hands on the animal and soon the Elysian heron was able to fly again. After helping the bird, they reached the other shore half an hour later. Here the area was a little rougher, but the temperature remained mild and the vegetation thrived. Flowers of heavenly beauty grew here, butterflies with intricate wing patterns danced above them. The terrain rose gently, becoming hilly, until individual boulders pushed through the earth and built up to a smaller rocky outcrop.

Sgillin looked around with a smile. "Nice here."

"Yes." Morânia grinned. "Elysian, that is."

Almost immediately, she noticed her husband's teasing grin out of the corner of her eye. "Yes, Elysium is quite beautiful," he conceded. "But it could be a bit more peppery."

Kiyoshi frowned in confusion. "Forgive my ignorance, honorable Naghûl-san, but in what way would a spice improve this plane?"

The bal'aasi had to laugh at his remark, but then turned to Naghûl. "Elysium is perfect as it is," she explained amusedly, but with emphasis. "Not everyone has to be as tripped-out as the hotheads on Arborea."

"Hungry ...", Abaia's telepathic voice rang out in their heads at that moment.

As they turned towards it, they realized that its attention was apparently focused on a rabbit sitting behind a bush a short distance away.

"Oh." Morânia nodded. "Well, it hasn't eaten in a while, has it?"

Sgillin sighed a little. Perhaps because he didn't like the idea of the bebilith's hunting instincts awakening, if only to find food. Perhaps also because he still didn't really trust the fiend. But no one knew better than the ranger that Abaia was a predator, and even in Elysium there were hunters and prey. "Well then, get yourself something to eat," said the half-elf. "But only as many animals as you need to get sated, no more."

Grateful telepathic vibrations reached them from Abaia and it began to stalk the rabbit. But at the same moment, a fox jumped out from behind the bush and snatched the prey from the bebilith. Abaia hissed and pounced on the cheeky thief, then devoured both, rabbit and fox.

 

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played July 28, 2012

1) Carl Maria von Weber, Der Freischütz

2) Madeleine L’Engle, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, slightly changed