Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night(whichever one it is in your part of the world),
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First Impression: Okayy...so this is off to a pretty fun start here. I have no idea what might be revealed with this whole Oracle detour, but it seems like it will be something relatively seriously if what we've seen so far is anything to be judging by.
Anyway let's get right to it,
We didn’t make it far before the visions started up again. Not only was I seeing ghastly specters instead of flowery witches, up ahead was a strange monstrosity that refused to solidify. It was something massive, fanged, and hostile, radiating an unfriendly aura that stank of elder sorcery. Add to that its singular, stocky, very-much-not-a-hydra head, and this Trial was a recipe for disaster.
Malia pulled me aside after my third dip in the realm of phantasie. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Would that I knew.” I kept one eye on the troupe with Hasda and tried to keep the growl out of my voice. I wasn’t cranky at Malia, but I certainly wasn’t happy.
“Hey.” She gripped my shoulder and gave me a look. “You go back to Nebesa and see Phemonoe. I’ll handle this.”
“Now?” Fighting the urge to chase after the enchantresses, I settled for folding my arms. “And leave you here? With an unknown barrier creating unspecified interference in our ability to communicate and exercise our powers.”
Hmm, well that seems like an interesting choice, it appears they don't want to keep risking whatever magical interference is causing all of these problems for too long. That is probably a good idea and I suppose Malia is more than capable of doing this sort of thing by themselves.
Her grin was smug. “I can handle the children.”
I huffed. “Fine. But I’m coming straight back.”
“Only if she says you can.” She kissed my chin and slipped out from behind the tree. “And no skimping on any healing she tells you.”
“How will you know?”
She smiled back at me under her wing.
I growled. “Yeah, yeah, you and your ways.”
“Mmhmm. Now get your wrinkly butt moving.”
“It’s not that wrinkly anymore,” I grumbled as I trudged back towards the shoreline.
Well that was a fun little line, a little close to home for poor Charax though, although I guess he's not too sore about that whole situation anymore now that this has been tossed at him more than a few times and he has totally learnt to just own the situation.
Despite the effort it took to chase down Hasda and the witches earlier, it was almost no time at all before I’d reached the forest edge and stumbled onto the rocky beach. Although I didn’t smell any sorcery at work, there had to have been something affecting the terrain for me to depart so quickly. But I could feel the tug of my bond with Malia, even though I must have crossed the boundary on my way out. Scowling, I traced the outline of my portal. If Malia had noticed the edge of the ward, or whatever was obstructing the maas, she hadn’t said anything. I certainly hadn’t, but then again, I’d also been stumbling through these anomalous visions.
The orange oval wobbled before it stabilized, sparks splattering the air. A milky white film veiled the opening for a moment, then faded. I frowned at the portal, tested it with my toe, and when my digit came away intact stepped all the way through. Although I didn’t feel any strange sensations going through, the portal was clearly misbehaving because I came out on the marble stairs of the Oracle’s temple instead of the flagstones of my maas.
OKayy...some interesting descriptions there. I assume this is a tiny bit of foreshadowing for some sort of reveal set for the not too distant future, we have had a lot of setup happening in this piece as of late I think.
Inside felt like bathing in sunlight. The atmosphere was bright, the air warm, and the roiling fumes of incense ticklish but not quite sneeze-inducing. Maidens and attendants in breezy white robes glided about, towels draped across their arms. Swirling fog obscured their feet, adding to the illusion. Sparrows chattered in cages overhead or darted among the rafters, and potted plants with wide, ovaline leaves added splashes of greens and minty whites to the otherwise creamy interior of the temple.
Filling the whole center of the room was a porcelain bath, like the water dish of a giant’s guard dog. A woman stood at the edge of the pool, hands folded before me. Her back to me, she didn’t turn as she addressed me, but subtle movements jangled the thin golden chains that adorned her robes and set her apart from the rest of the temple servants.
This is a pretty cool little introduction to this lady here. The description in this certainly never fails to bring up some really cool images for each of the things that you end up mentioning here.
Phemonoe jerked, her eyes snapping to mine. “What?”
“I was just as surprised as you are.” I gave her a brief summary of the dream and the visions that had assaulted me in the forest. As she listened, lines crept across her angular face, aging her in a way she usually hid. She shook her head as I finished.
“I wish I could be of more help,” she said, letting her gaze drop to the troubled waters. “But you’re the first god I’ve ever heard of receiving visions from a higher plane.”
“Assuming that’s what actually happened,” I said.
Hmm, well that doesn't bode too well for poor Charax, although I guess at the very least, it means that him having visions isn't a total impossibility since Phemonoe is at the very least considering that something like that could actually happen.
My eyebrows scrunched together. “The same as the Paedan interference in Aenea, or worse?”
“Much worse.” Her fingers clenched on the porcelain. “I have tried—oh, how I’ve tried to see. But I can’t.” She gritted her jaw. “With the Paedens, it was like swirling mud, and I had only my hands to scoop it out. But this?” Her chains rattled as she shrugged. “I might as well be trying to enter the world of a mirror.”
I had an idea. “Have any of the gods tried to help you?”
“How could they?” She gave me a sideways glance. “You know most of them treat me like a weathered wine glass. They fear to jostle me even slightly, lest I shatter and they lose their scryer.”
I grunted. “You don’t look that fragile to me.”
Hmm, well that's an interesting detail to slip in there, I wonder what makes the gods treat her in quite that manner. There definitely aren't any indicators as to why something like that would have to happen from what we've seen.
That earned a tight-lipped smile. “So, what did you have in mind?”
“Have you ever scried from the astral plane before?”
“Never.” Phemonoe slipped the tips of her fingers into the pool. “I’m not even sure how.”
“I could lift you up.” It was an untested theory, obviously, but it should work. We’d brought Phemonoe, and every other High Oracle before her, up to Nebesa to give them the elevation they’d need to scry heavenly things. Why couldn’t a higher temporal altitude help her see the future of greater beings?
Okayy....that seems like it shouldn't probably be that simple to appropriate as it would be just going higher to see higher...but I guess considering this is a world of gods and magic, that could just work.
I nodded. “You’re the Oracle.”
Closing her eyes, she sighed and faced the pool. For a moment, she let her hands hover above the rippling waters, and then she wound them in circles as her fingers danced on an invisible harp. Subtle notes crept through the air, mixing with her soft incantation. When the waters finally sloshed in response, I placed my bony fingers on her shoulders and fed her a tiny bit of power.
At first, nothing happened. Phemonoe continued her chant, the pool splashed rebelliously against its sides, and the waters remained murky. But then they surged upwards, dowsing us, and the Oracle’s eyes began to glow white. She opened her mouth to say something and fainted.
Well, Oracles tend to do that no matter what universe they are in, although in most others lots of smoke is also involved. Well this is a fun little cliffhanger to end on, it seems we have some news to look forward to here.
Aaaaand that's it for this one.
Overall: Overall, things are definitely heating up a little more, as it has been for the past few chapters. We are now slowly but surely building to the central point of this arc as well it appears.
As always remember to take what you think was helpful and forget the rest.
Stay Safe
Harry
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