Chunk 12
Very short chunk tonight -- my apologies but I was dashing around like mad today and I'm exhausted right now so I'm going to post what I've got and then go fall into bed. I'll be travelling tomorrow, going to visit my mom for Thanksgiving, so I have no idea whether tomorrow will be any better. In between my e-mail binging every eighty seconds today, I did some really great work with Alea so now I actually know where I'm going; once I have some more time to write and the energy to keep my eyes focused, I should be able to get some things done. So thanks to Alea, and thanks to the rest of you for your patience. {{{}}}



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His mouth opened several times, like a babe searching for a teat, until finally he managed to say, "Lady, I beg pardon, but what do we do?" The goddess turned and glared at him, despite the fact that she'd been staring right at him the entire time. He didn't know how it had happened, but only that it had.

The goddess sighed and took on an aspect of impatience. "Put down Baruno, little prince. He has horded power and bartered it into more, multiplying his influence on the mortal Earth like a moneylender redoubling his coin. He has accumulated enough to manifest upon a mortal, as I have upon this my servant.

"But Baruno remains. This is...." Ashti paused, as though searching for words. Perhaps she was puzzling out how to explain the unknowable affairs of the gods to a mere mortal, but Arden got the feeling that there was something she was reluctant to say.

"This is costly," is what she finally chose. "I cannot remain for long without expending a great deal of... of influence. I must leave soon. Baruno remains. He stays, inhabiting his mortal host continuously. Rather than influencing through dreams and portents, or even through commands, he controls directly. It focuses his influence, allowing him to make frugal use of what he has. And mark well, little prince -- what he has is more than any other god, enough to manifest four times over already, and still he craves more. He would starve us all and rule this world with his own hands."

"Who?" Arden dared to ask. "Who has he inhabited?"

"You can puzzle out whom he has already inhabited for yourself if you think on it. I will tell you something much more valuable -- that the one he seeks next is your emperor."

Arden felt a frigid shiver move up his spine, and while his shocked mind sorted through everything the goddess had piled on his shoulders, she reached out with two fingers and gently but firmly touched both his and Luka's eyes, simultaneously, in the impossible way of deities. She said, "Do not delay and do not fail" and then... left.

The priestess was herself once more, with smooth, pale skin over harsh features, her hair loose around her shoulders, and a body which seemed more a captive of the earth, and which clearly never did much walking despite the goddess she served.

Her eyes rolled up in her head and she pitched forward. Arden scrambled to catch her and the two younger priestesses hurried to her side. Their eyes were huge and round with shock and awe, but they lifted the older priestess up easily and carried her away without undue fuss.

Arden had wanted to ask more questions -- surely a priestess would know more, could fill in some of the gaps, pits, canyons in his knowledge of the gods and their workings -- but the three women had disappeared through a silk-draped arch and he dared not follow.

Besides, Ashti had specifically said they should not delay. Arden had never had much to do with the gods but disobeying a direct command from one didn't strike him as the act of a wise man, nor of one who wished to live a long and peaceful life.

Of course, his life wasn't likely to be either long or peaceful if he set out to thwart the motions of the most powerful god of the empire.

He turned to bid Luka follow him, but he stopped and stared. Luka was staring back at him. Their eyes met and they stared into each other for a handful of heartbeats.

Arden said, "Your eyes -- they glow."

Luka swallowed hard. "As do yours." He blinked and Arden blinked back at him. The glow remained.

"It's the touch of the goddess," Arden said. He looked around the room, a quick scan for anything which might appear different.

The statue of Ashti's eyes glowed too. So did one of the pins holding the shoulders of her gown together, and two of the gems in her sandals.

Luka said, "There," and pointed back toward the door they'd come in through. Arden looked and saw that there was a row of symbols glowing across the lintel.

"We can see things the goddess has touched," Luka whispered.

There was no one near to hear, but Arden whispered back, "Or made. Or written. That could be useful but I think we need to leave now." He headed for the door and Luka followed. He kept an eye on the writing on the lintel as he passed, part of him expecting it to flare or move or speak, but it only glowed and he was just as happy to have it so.