Chapter Thirty-One #2
I turn inward to summon Lunos to this dying dreamscape, except, nothing happens. No rustle of wind or crack of thunder. No ripples across the silky surface of the water. My unease only grows with time as I wait in eerie silence, reaching out, knocking on the void.
A twisting shudders through the space, quicker than a breath, yet stretching out to infinity shooting nausea through me.
The creaking of bent wood buffets me from the tree line at my back.
The sand beneath my feet floats into the air suspended by some invisible force.
The lake, normally calm and serene, whirls at the center creating an impossibly deep vortex.
The moon, or what’s left of it, vibrates, hurting my eyes to follow its movements.
Pressure clamps onto the sides of my head, forcing me to my knees.
Everything stills suddenly, returning to its previous state in the blink of an eye, the pressure at my temples subsiding. I open my eyes and I see Lunos before me, standing knee deep in the water, leaning heavily on her staff. No, not Lunos, but a desiccated husk of her former silvery luminance.
Her hair, once brushed and voluminous now lay matted and frayed, as though she had been through a storm. Her tall and full figure now hunches over, her bones showing where muscle and healthy curves used to lay.
I wade into the water quickly, surging to her side and taking her weight on my shoulder.
With her staff as a crutch we slowly cross to the lakeside and Lunos collapses to the sand before pulling herself into a sitting position.
I crouch in front of her, resting on my heels, trying to process the sight before me.
Lunos catches her breath before meeting my eyes, the silvery luster now duller than a dirty pearl.
“Are you okay?”
Lunos croaks a laugh and arches an eyebrow at me while gesturing to herself; quite human of her. I blush, realizing I had just carried a goddess to the shore.
“I do not think I need to answer, but I appreciate your concern. I will not be able to stay long, much as I would like to.” Her wain laugh dies as she looks at me, question clear.
“We are marching to Askepollo. To your temple.” Lunos’s eyes close in relief, my words a balm for her aches. “We have some priests of yours along with us too. But I need to know; what is the ritual we must perform?”
Her eyes slowly open and meet mine; unreadable and abyssal. “You must hurry Skion. I am not sure I can hold out much longer.”
Fear threatens to wriggle into my heart; if a goddess as powerful as Lunos is struggling, I will be swept away in the wake.
“It’s Itho now. I am Skion no longer.” The strength in my words surprises me as Lunos offers a wan smile.
She didn’t know did she? Not as omniscient then as we all are led to believe.
Lunos’s definition of power rings true again.
As my words leave my mouth, a subtle twisting ripples through the space again.
Not as strong as before, but still nausea inducing.
Lunos pulls herself upright with the aid of her staff and I follow suit.
“My time here is short. Heed me; you can return here to train more, but I will not be able to visit. You are on your own now.” She pauses closing her eyes and turning inward.
Flickers of silver threads shimmer from her body, summoning what energy she can.
Her eyes snap open with the speed of lightning, the familiar sheen of power blazing in her eyes, a measure of strength returned to her body.
“Come find me.” With a flash of silver power, Lunos vanishes, leaving a shockwave in her wake, pushing me backward.
I stay there, back flat on the sandbank, staring up into the unnatural sky trying furtively to wrap my head around the chaos I find myself in.
True power is belief. The thought nags at me, poking, twisting, eating away at the back of my mind.
Right up until it hits me. A single, simple thought.
Basic, easy, obvious, and yet, terrifying.
I close my eyes to return to the waking world, the beginnings of a plan forming.
***
I shoot up from the ground, sweating and grasping the air, my breath coming in gulps. The dirt beneath my hands feels coarse, grounding me to the reality of being awake. I hate coming out of that dream. I need to breathe.
Easily stepping around a snoring Helia, I sneak a quick look before leaving the camp’s perimeter, watching the serene rise and fall of her chest. Finding a nice rock to sit on overlooking the valley, I watch the stars twinkle slowly in the dark sky, a thousand torches flickering in the night.
The sweat down my back starts to cool in a moment of calm and night chill.
“Itho?” Helia’s sleepy voice drifts groggily to my ears. I scoot over on the rock, giving her room to join me in contemplation. She sits next to me, her warmth a bolstering comfort. “What’s troubling you?” Laying my head down in Helia’s lap, I continue to look out across the valley and to the sky.
“I visited Lunos. She seemed, weak; exhausted more like. As if she hasn’t eaten in weeks. I don’t think we have a lot of time left.” Shifting my body, I look up at Helia, sleep disappearing from her face as she listens to my tale.
“That’s troublesome. She is one of the more powerful members of the pantheons but if she’s weakened…” Looking up at my part-goddess guardian and lover, I can’t help to imagine how she feels about it all. She’s marching to her death for a goddess that cares little for her.
“Itho?” I blink. Helia just asked me a question. Looking down at me, she strokes the side of my face with a calloused, yet gentle hand. “Did Lunos say anything important to you?” Ah, right.
“She said that she wouldn’t be able to return to my dreams. That she needed all of her power, which I understand given her state.
” A dull ache forms in my knees from laying on the rock, forcing a stretch.
Helia purrs appreciatively at the sight, bringing a smile to my face.
It fades as she falls back into being the commander.
“Well, it won’t take too long to reach the wildlands.
Then it’s just a matter of reaching Askepollo.
Maybe we can shave off some time if we cut into the barrens…
if the priests can keep up…” Helia scratches her chin at that, thinking several steps ahead.
I reach a hand to grab her face, tilting it down to mine.
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t rush, but leave that for the morning.
For now, just be here.” Helia’s gaze softens away from the planning and tactics ahead.
My eyes flicker across her face, just before Helia bends down and locks her full lips with mine.
Tender and loving; the softness of unconditional care.
Our embrace falls away as Helia leans up.
“You know, we haven’t talked about the other night.” We share a smile, heat filling both of us in memory. Helia awkwardly scratches her head, loose hairs swaying. “I want to check in and see how you’re doing with…” She gestures along my body, lacking the words, but intent clear.
“You know that I haven’t been with many people, and this was my first time as, well, me.” The backs of my fingers caress her cheek, my smile never wavering. “Believe me when I say, I have never felt that way before.”
“But I—” I stop her reply with a hand.
“Shh. You tried something, and listened when I didn’t want to continue.
I think it’ll take time to know what works and what doesn’t.
” The corner of my lip quirks into a knowing smile.
“We’ll have to explore more. Repeatedly.
You know, to make sure we’ve figured everything out.
” Helia smiles greedily, hunger deep in her eyes, our unknown future cast to the wayside for the moment.