‘Blessings of Ra to you, Eau,’ said Mirrortac.
The Astellitee smiled more readily now and bowed her head to him in a gesture of acknowledgement. She turned to the others and introduced each of them. They bowed as each of them was introduced and their big eyes caught the reflections of other suns as they appeared on the bowl. The faint glow brought brief glimpses of their violet coloured robes.
‘You wish expanding, Mirrortac?’ asked Eau, meeting his eyes with a gentle stare.
‘Yea. I am amazed at the measure of the Greater Sky and your magic bowl of crystal stone that creates such visions of asterees and worlds of all kind and size. What is the measure of this Greater Sky and what are the number of asterees and worlds within it?’
Eau invited them to be seated while the other Astellites resumed their watch of the bowl, floating across the courtyard on nimble webbed feet and trailing their robes unhurried behind them. Mirrortac and twx made themselves comfortable on one of the stairs leading down to the Pool Stone as Eau spoke to them.
‘Mirrortac. Your question is in simpleness as the Greater Sky is in grandness. In the thousands of rools that pass into the Mistness no measure is yet made to fulfil the measure of the Greater Sky. We and our sisters before us are not able to find the ending to it. What is measured fills a space no less than thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands of the measure of Mareos which is itself thousands of the measure of Plumer-Ra. Nerthule is at least this measure of Greater Sky from Mareos. And of the numbering of worlds. We and our fore-sisters number One-Two-Six thousand worlds in the near asterees and one hundred that number of asterees that we see in the Greater Sky. The numbering is not ending. We have marked the places of all the worlds and all the asterees upon a stone outer-court that is placed as we see the Greater Sky. Amazing, Yes?’
Mirrortac was stunned. ‘You may be saying this. Do all these worlds have peoples such as we? How is it that those beneath these balls do not fall into the sky?’
‘These questions are well asked, Mirrortac,’ Eau said thoughtfully. ‘We know not of life in other worlds except Nerthule and the one from which the Utlontees come. When the Dawning Days created Plumer-Ra, the Utlontees came to us in their Celestial Flut. They spoke of our twin world Nerthule and a world that they named as the house of their kin. The Celestial Flut could defy the sky and the Greater Sky where it sailed with the forcing of fire and motion beyond the fastest creature upon Mareos. Ra gave the Utlontees a great force to ride in the places of the spirits. The Ra-force bound us also to the world, for what is down is up, and as all sky is up all earth is down. The Greater Sky is not up or down; not sky nor earth. Day and Night is the mere turning of the world from the light of the face of fire to the shadow away from the face.’
Mirrortac was uncertain. ‘All you tell me of worlds and Greater Sky and of day and night are testing. If I were fresh from the erfin woods I would call this trickery. But then, my erfin folk used to see the end of the world as across the mountains and the up-way we name Mateote. Beyond Mateote, we said, is oblivion, the Netherworld.
‘Howsoever, I am not fresh from the woods and my eyes have seen many wonders while my mind perceives many truths before unseen. My breath is short and my mind swims with wonder but I doubt not what I have seen with my own eyes.’
‘An up-way the end of the world?’ Eau chuckled, then in a serious tone: ‘Mirrortac. What brings an erfin to Plumer-Ra?’
Mirrortac recounted his journeying that led him to this lesser world within the greater world of Mareos and the dramatic events of the Changing. Eau listened with intense interest and was surprised to hear of the dispossession of Nerthule. She had seen no evidence of the Changing but these things were of the within-ways, which did not concern the Astellites as much.
When the sky began to lighten and the asterees dimmed, the night was no longer said to be in the Violet and the magic of the astellite crystal ceased to be. The glowing apparitions of worlds and suns vanished from the Pool Stone and the violet robed Astellites rose and shuffled into another part of the palace. Eau rose also and beckoned her visitors to follow. They were led across the courtyard and through the dome chambers to a far wing of the palace where a table was prepared with many bowls of fruit. Mirrortac and twx ate alongside the Astellites. Clouds withheld the dawning but the erfin could clearly see through the open doorways to the yofir trees and the fields of grasses and white flowers with their petals half open to the waning night. The walls of the palace feasting chamber were etched with a design of irregular shape and bearing notations in the symbol language of the Utlontees.
‘What be that design?’ queried Mirrortac, pointing to the wall.
‘Plumer-Ra and the small lands as seen from above. We have the measuring of our meretees’ lesser world. That is the form of it,’ Eau replied.
‘Who dwells on the small lands to westering?’
‘Flamyll, Qui-ess, ulb and si are the dwelling lands of the serenetees. They have discovered lands in other places upon Mareos but the peoples there are few and dis-expanding,’ she said, chewing slowing at a piece of fruit.
Mirrortac and twx had already eaten all the fruit in one bowl and were starting on a second bowl.
‘The likenesses upon the pillars. Are those of Utlontees?’ Mirrortac asked, slurping some nupyin milk with his tongue.
‘Yes, this is so,’ Eau replied.
Once the meal was completed, Eau took them outside to a large courtyard that had been marked with countless spots representing asterees and worlds that the Astellites had identified. Symbols were placed beside each spot but the erfin could not decipher them. One of the Astellites came out with a stone chisel and chipped at a spot that she first measured out with utmost care. She chipped away with leisure, forcing down her rock hammer onto the head of the chisel with steady accurate judgement and exposing the darker stone beneath. The courtyard was almost completely filled up with spots and symbols that had been put there over thousands of rools.
‘These be all of asterees and worlds in the Greater Sky!’ Mirrortac exclaimed, scanning his eyes over the thousands upon thousands of spots.
‘As far as we know,’ Eau replied. ‘We shall need to build a larger outer-court in time,’ she said.
They returned to the palace where it was decided that the sleeping time had come. Mirrortac and twx and all the Astellites filed down to their sleeping chambers below the large dome where they spent the day asleep. They spent another night as witnesses of the wonders of the heavens, learning of burning stones that fell from the Greater Sky to earth and of mists that roamed the void and of the strange forces that held worlds and suns in place and commanded moons to orbit worlds, worlds to orbit suns and the suns themselves to orbit upon the axis of a swirling mass of many countless suns. The Astellitee females were a tranquil secretive tribe whose life was one in service of expanding the meretees’ knowledge of the heavens. Once in a while the eldest of these would join with a Ra-finelle and her daughter would be taught the numbering and measuring of the Greater Sky so she may replace her mother in time. No sons were ever born as Ra had promised. Ra-finelles who joined with Children of the Divine Green could bear sons or daughters according to their choice as the Green dictated. What fruit was partaken and the time of its taking, determined the sex of the child while a joining of Astellitee and Ra-finelle must only take place at the height of the seventh moon of the dominant rool. Mirrortac did not wish to be joined again but his concern was needless here, as Ra had decreed that he would destroy the seed of any joining between the meretees and peoples from other lands and worlds.
As the second night among the Astellites waned, Mirrortac was greeted with hugs and great affection. But Eau was troubled and took the erfin aside to speak with him privately.
‘I said nothing last evening when you fell into that strange vision, erfin. But this is of much concern. What is this about?’ she asked, her green eyes watching him with intense interest and concern.
/> ‘Beg my ill custom in not telling of this earlier but I had many questions and had seen many wonders here,’ he replied.
Mirrortac recounted all that had led up to his visions and the imminent and mysterious Changing affecting all the worlds of the Greater Sky. When he had finished speaking, Eau seemed quite pale and had to sit down on a step beside the Pool Stone.
‘I am sorry that this news brings such distress to you,’ he said, trying to offer comfort to the ashen-faced Astellitee.
‘No. The news is grave, yes, but that is not the causing of my ill.’ Eau waved her hand in dismissal of his words. ‘This is strange. I feel a sudden weariness upon me since we began speaking. My head is dull and my stomach rolls with ill. This is liking of the over-force. Most strange, most strange,’ she muttered.
‘Excuse me a moment,’ Eau took several slow breaths and hummed.
Mirrortac stood behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders, massaging a little. Eau began to shiver although the air was warm. The erfin frowned and tried to catch the others’ attention. They were all sitting down with their heads in their hands. A confused and concerned twx dashed among them with vain ministrations. Mirrortac joined twx who was as bemused as he.
‘What is happening? Are they all illsome?’ Mirrortac asked.
Twx looked up and shrugged. ‘This is strange indeed Mirrortac. We were talking and they all became ill.’ Twx glanced over at the Astellitee leader who was moaning quietly to herself. ‘Eau too?’
‘She also. But I do not feel illsome.’ Mirrortac scanned the sick Astellites around them. He crouched down among them and stroked their backs and heads but this seemed to make them worse.
In moments Eau had recovered enough to pull herself to her feet and Mirrortac started back towards her. But she stayed his approach.
‘Move away from me, Mirrortac. And you, twx. Move away from all of us. You carry illsome forces. Move away, I say!’ Eau was suddenly hostile.
They backed away across the courtyard, watching in amazement as the sickness lifted from the Astellites who rose up and glared at the two of them as if they were creatures of the greatest darkness. An unnamed fear lined their pale faces.
‘Go you cursed erfin! Go and take the forces of ill with you. Go the both of you. Never return to our palace and leave your brethren behind. The Palace of the Pool Stones is closed to all. Closed to all!’ Eau shouted, her normal whispering breath transformed into a rasping voice of dread.
The erfin and his companion pleaded for sense but the keepers all joined in one voice, casting the two out of the valley forever.
‘These things have been looking up at the sky too long? They are possessed! Take up the sword, now!’
Mirrortac’s hand slipped around the handle of Moongleam and before he could think, he drew out the blade with a clean violent action.
Twx stared at him in horror. ‘You must not! Mirrortac!’
The erfin came to his senses but his eyes were bright with indignance.
‘Let us go! We have no place here.’
In the near dawning sky, the clouds drifted into the opening and shut the valley in under a grey shadow of mist. Mirrortac and twx fled, pacing over the tiled courtyard and into the arcade of menacing pillars. They stopped at the head of the arcade and stared at the rows of statues. A thin film of greyish light had enveloped them, animating them with shimmering spectres. The erfin stepped out into the arcade, keeping eyes fixed ahead.
‘Stay with me, twx. Do not look at the likenesses but keep walking,’ he instructed.
Twx did as he was instructed, keeping close to the erfin as they negotiated the long arcade. Shivers of fear bristled Twx’s fur as they walked. They dared not glance up at the statues. The arcade seemed much longer than they had remembered and, try as they might, neither could shield their eyes from the shimmering half-light nor the burning stares of the statues’ gem eyes as they passed between them. Twx was frightened and grasped the erfin’s arm, sobbing softly. Mirrortac swallowed hard and forced his feet forward. The columns converged in front of them and the shimmering light moved around on their pedestals.
‘Oh Mirrortac. I am thinking these are spirits returned from Nerthule. What are they wanting with us?’ Twx sniffed.
‘I am not so certain, brother twx. There is a coldness about these.’
As he finished talking, all doubt was removed as the shimmering spectres separated from the statues and floated out into a group above the arcade, barring the way to the gateway. The spectres were formless except for shining red eyes and colourless lips that were able to take any shape. The erfin and the Ra-finelle shuddered as the spectres called out in rasping whispers.
‘Come!’ said one.
‘Come!’ voiced another.
‘Come! Come! Come!’ the spectres chorused.
Mirrortac turned to flee back up to the palace but there were more spectres behind them, hovering over the tiles with glowing eyes and misty forms. Twx was near panic.
‘What below Ra are these?’ he gasped.
‘I do not know. My sword will be useless upon these. They are spirits and I fear they mean to bring us ill.’ Mirrortac spoke abstractly, searching his mind for a solution.
The spectres hovered near, whispering in voices that carried through the mist like echoes. The whispering merged into a haunting jumble of sound that was words yet not words at all.
‘We will be dying now,’ twx cringed, hiding his face into the erfin’s chest.
‘Nay, that will not be so, twx. Be at ease.’ Mirrortac embraced his quaking friend. Despite the threat, he was smiling. And addressing the wraiths in a clear voice, he said: ‘Ra loves you my dearness poor spirits. May Ra’s blessings be upon you!’
Twx grumbled into Mirrortac’s chest. ‘What are you doing?’
The erfin did not answer. The wraiths stopped whispering as though listening.
‘Ra be with you wretched spirits. Be of peace and allow us passage,’ he told them.
The wraiths floated together as if considering a bargain. None moved.
‘Come twx, we must go now!’ Mirrortac dislodged twx and urged him to move on but the Ra-finelle clung to him like a desperate and frightened child, burying his face in his hands and bowing low to the ground. The two of them edged their way towards the silent wraiths that still floated motionless as though stunned.
Then they fled, running towards the gateway.
‘Be quick now. We are safe but I do not know for how long.’
They escaped beneath the wraiths and were out through the gateway in a few swift steps. As they reached the cover of the yofir trees, the wraiths re-awakened and gave a chilling series of screams before turning and rushing at the escaping pair. Mirrortac and twx made full pace between the dark shadows of the trees, the erfin’s padded feet bouncing along in soft thuds and twx flapping noisily beside him. Suddenly the trees were filled with whispering dark voices and wraiths swooped upon them with eyes ablaze. Mirrortac shouted at them - ‘May the great God be with you!’ and the wraiths were repelled as though a weapon had been thrust up at them.
As the night faded, the flowers in the fields folded in their white petals, lying dormant in the day until the feeble light of asterees prodded them to re-open and greet another night. Mirrortac and twx made haste through the valley and scrambled up the mossy stairway to the lip of the extinct crater. The wraiths pursued them as far as the scree but melted away as day suggested itself in the thinner mists of the creock slope. Ahead of them a lone figure trudged up the slope towards them. They knew this was no wraith as the shadows lifted and they beheld the grim-faced visage of yt.
Yt stabbed an accusing finger at twx. His body was covered in weeping sores and his eyes bulged out of his face in a terrible stare.
‘Where is he? Where is he?’ Saliva dribbled down his jaw as he spoke.
‘Where is who?’ replied twx. ‘What has become of you? You are looking terribling illsome.’
Yt stared at twx as though he was the
only other person there. ‘The erfin! That Mirrortac! He has cursed me,’ yt cried, spluttering.
Twx and Mirrortac exchanged bewildered glances.
‘What speak you about, yt? Has the madness got you?’ twx said.
‘Where is the erfin? I wish to curse him before I die. He is dark and fouling!’ Yt coughed and spat out a large ball of phlegm.
‘What is this jestening? He is before you!’
‘Where? I see no erfin.’ Yt appeared to look right through Mirrortac as if he was invisible.
Twx shrugged, at a loss for an explanation.
‘I am here as he says,’ Mirrortac spoke.
Yt jumped back, nearly tripping over his own feet. ‘Who be that? I hear the erfin’s voice yet I see nought.’ Yt’s eyes narrowed as he flicked his head about, searching the creocks around them.
‘Where do you hide erfin? I know not your form of trickering but you prove of darkness. Come out and see what your cursing has done.’
Twx was alarmed. ‘What wretchedness smites this youth? I believe he truly cannot see you, Mirrortac.’
Mirrortac’s brow furrowed. ‘Yt, you must try to see me. Place your eyes in the space of eastering to twx. I am there.’
Yt squinted at Mirrortac but could discern nothing.
‘Yes. Your voice is there, t’is true erfin. Then I will curse you in any matter.’
‘Why curse me. I have not cursed you nor harmed you,’ Mirrortac implored.
‘No! I have never been illsome in my life. You come and I am ill.’
‘I am not illsome, yt,’ said twx.
‘No. He did not curse you.’
‘As I be remembering, it was you who cursed him. Are any of the others illsome?’ twx asked.
‘No they are not. But I am. I am!’ Yt broke into a hacking cough that brought up more phlegm.
‘I did not curse you, yt. You may believe that as truth.’
Mirrortac stretched out his arms in a gesture of good faith but yt saw nothing.
‘I had unsayed my curse. If it be not your curse, whose be it?’ Yt stared blindly at the spot where he thought Mirrortac would be.
The Wizard's Sword (Nine Worlds of Mirrortac Book 1) Page 31