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part three.
IP: 82.14.67.140
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 02:43:41 AM by georgia

Part three The Core, Shaman Contrary to everyone’s expectations following Khasekhemwy’s final message from Tsi, Mallos did not attempt to vote – or, as Arthur suspected Tsi had meant, attempt to rig the vote. Possibly he realised that with even his own familiar against him on this venture, he didn’t stand a chance of success. Dawn on the fifth day found the Spaniard pacing outside the gazebo where he’d originally seen Arthur, alone but for the two guards who had been tasked with delivering news of the voting results immediately to the King. Arthur had been called inside the castle to deal with one of the million and one impossible problems a day which appeared on his desk. This time, a fire had started unexpectedly in the grove where the Commune was, burning down half the people’s homes and all of their food supplies. While Arthur coordinated the relief effort from his offices, Mallos waited with a patience that did him credit for word from Tsi. Only an hour before he’d received communication via his divine pendant informing him that the votes were still being counted – probably by the most trusted, high-ranking members of Khasekhemwy’s Divine Scribes. Under no circumstances could there be bias in the vote-counters. If the wrong god was chosen to ascend the divine throne of Shaman, war would break out once more. Sperantia sat on the gazebo railings, as still as the two frozen deities, watching the first glimmers of pink light form on the horizon. At the suggestion of several of Arthur’s courtiers, Aura and Gwythr had been moved outside to the location of the ballot, where those who were too young to remember the war could examine the candour in their faces. Presumably, it was supposed to help them vote. Patriotism would never allow Mallos to admit that Shaman’s sunrises were more beautiful than those of his own country: the warm, rose-coloured light, tinged with gold, reflected off the untouched snow all around them and caused it to glitter like diamonds. The light relieved Gwythr’s face from shadow and gave the impression of smoothing the concentrated frown on his face. Light was powerful. Mallos ought to know: he was still worshipped as the solid embodiment of the sun-god in various cultures across Earth. The only sign of movement came from the royal paddock some distance away, where a small, slight figure was leading sleepy-looking pony out of one of the stables. Mallos smiled in spite of himself. The public had been asked to keep clear of the grounds today to prevent crowds but one young, cunning member of that group had found a way to observe the proceedings from afar. Of course, he had more right than most to be among the first who knew the decision, but his bold move had a distinctly rebellious air to it that Mallos was sure Aura would have been secretly proud of. The warm, golden light dipped the goddess in a magnificent glow. At precisely the same moment, Mallos felt heat rush to his limbs and heard a shout from one of the guards. He looked up just in time to see Gwythr vanish into thin air before the hot, yellow light shrouded his vision entirely. Aura felt invisible hands lift her up and place her gently on her feet. After shaking her head for a moment to clear it, she looked up to see Mallos standing before her, a broad grin lighting up his features. “Oh yes,” he said with relish, “still got it.” “Got what?” “The touch. The spark. The flair. How are you feeling, by the way? It will be a few hours before all the memories are in their correct place.” “Er – ” She lowered her eyes and rubbed her temples. Trying to think clearly and logically was never that easy when Mallos was around promoting the opposite, and currently her thoughts were as far from clear as they’d ever been. The recall process was messy. For a normal fairy it should only take a few minutes, but given the length of Aura’s life so far it would be hours before all her memories were back and, as Mallos said, in their proper home. At the moment, random memories kept leaping to the forefront of her mind in no particular order. Trying to ignore them, she looked past Mallos and up the slope to where two fairies were standing; the first she recognised after only a few seconds, but the second took a little longer. Following her gaze, the cheerful expression on Mallos’ face dropped away and a slight frown creased his forehead. “I’ve been wondering about that, too,” he admitted grimly. “Let’s go and find out, shall we?” Tsi, the Acting Chairman of the Council of Originals and the patron god of China, was conscientious enough to come himself rather than appointing a delegate to make sure the Shaman situation had gone smoothly. Slightly on the short side for a man, with a round face, slanted eyes and a mop of black hair, he had an affectionate appearance and an extremely likeable personality. Today, his usually jovial face was overcast by a solemn expression. If that wasn’t enough to try the suspicions of anyone who knew him, then the man standing at his side was. Tall, wiry, with neat blonde hair and heavily-lidded purple eyes, Rhaegar was such an unfamiliar sight that it had even taken Mallos a moment to place him. The rebellious Scandinavian deity hadn’t been seen since 1864, when he’d elected to establish a time loop rather than live in modern society. Time loops allowed a person to live continuously in a single period of history, which would simply keep replaying for them – rather like Groundhog Day. Easier and safer to establish than rips to other worlds, many deities opted to relive their favourite parts of history through time loops rather than deal with a world which was progressing too fast for their liking. With folded arms and a stiff expression, Rhaegar looked exactly as the deities of England and Spain remembered: like he didn’t want to be here at all. If it weren’t for Tsi, they strongly suspected he wouldn’t be. Zed and Mallos’ diplomats worked together to keep time looped fairies up-to-date with important developments, such as the appointment of a new Chairman, and occasionally pulled one of them out of history to help with a particularly difficult problem. Rhaegar was a fighter. If he was here, that usually meant only one thing: the declaration of war. “Good to see you two again,” Tsi began, to no response. Few friendships blossomed between the original fairies, and when they did see each other it was rarely a good thing. Apparently even Tsi realised the hollowness of small talk, because he got straight to the point. “I’m recalling you both. I’ve got a full report for you to read when we get back, but to cut a long story short we’ve got a parallel with the Ohagan case.” Since Aura’s memories weren’t back properly, he elaborated for her benefit. “About six thousand years ago, the Earth was experiencing a lot of problems with natural disasters and unusual natural activity. Some kind of ancient magic was the cause of it. You,” he looked directly at Aura, “fixed the problem by travelling to the centre of the Earth and sorting it out, but you never filed a report on how you did it.” “I don’t remember that.” “Let’s hope you remember by the time we get back,” Tsi replied grimly. “I’ve put together a small team to travel to the centre of the Earth on a reconnaissance mission. You two will team up with Rhaegar and Allianah, whose warrior skills are bound to come in useful. I want you to find out what’s down there. If it’s feeling cooperative, you – Mallos – you’ll negotiate our terms with it. You’re the best diplomat we’ve got. Everyone else,” he shot a look at Rhaegar, who glowered back, “is going along to make sure you get in and out safely, and in case whatever’s down there is not feeling cooperative.” This launched a storm of protests from the others. Mallos growled, “I can take care of myself,” at the same time that Aura argued, “I’m not a fighter or an ambassador. What am I supposed to do?” Rhaegar said nothing, but his silence upheld a new kind of fury. Tsi held up his hands. “You’re the best magician in the business,” he said calmly to Aura. “Like I said, we don’t know what’s down there, and physical strength might not be enough. As for you, Mallos, you’re not a soldier – get over it. This is dangerous.” “How do you know it’s dangerous,” the Spaniard lifted his eyebrows, “if you don’t know what’s down there?” Tsi treated this remark with the disgruntled silence it deserved, so he added thoughtfully, “you’re sending me down to the centre of the Earth.” “Yes.” “With Rhaegar and Allianah.” “Yes,” Tsi repeated nervously, not missing the gleeful look Mallos shot to Rhaegar or Rhaegar’s clenching of the fists. “But please, Mallos, please – for once – could you not try and… and aggravate anyone unnecessarily?” Shaking her head, Aura abandoned the group and turned to trudge back down the hill. Tsi glanced after her, told Mallos to meet him back there in ten minutes and gestured to Rhaegar to stay put. Mallos presumed Tsi would be taking a moment to speak with Arthur – whom he had great respect for – and briefly explain why he was taking away Shaman’s deities. He was also giving Mallos and Aura a chance to say a quick goodbye to their friends and families here. Predictably, Tsi vanished through the castle doors and Aura jumped the fence into one of the royal paddocks where the small boy was still standing with his stolen pony. Images of Mallos’ own family – his grandson Tristan, his daughter Morgana and son Mordred – and acquaintances passed briefly through his mind, but he stayed where he was. Él se fue con el invierno: he is gone with the winter. This is the way that the patron god of Spain was best-known throughout history: never solid, always just beyond the grasp of mortal men and women, and as settled as a passing breeze. Would anyone really care, at the end of the day? Mallos was erratic, but even impulsive characters could have their personalities pinned down enough to generate a degree of predictability, and to slip silently away was only what the world would expect of him. Besides which, he always hated saying goodbye. Precisely ten minutes later, Tsi reappeared at Rhaegar’s side with a tense expression. If he noticed that neither of the other men had moved, then he didn’t comment; instead, he simply checked his watch and glanced over to the paddock where Aura and her son were deep in conversation. When she eventually returned fifteen minutes later, even Rhaegar’s scowl could not shatter the heavy atmosphere. One by one, the leader, the warrior, the diplomat and the magician vanished into thin air.

Replies:

• part four. - By georgia September 10, 2012 at 02:43:34 AM
• part five. - By georgia September 10, 2012 at 02:43:23 AM
• part six. - By georgia September 10, 2012 at 02:43:10 AM
• part seven. - By georgia September 10, 2012 at 02:42:56 AM
• part eight. - By georgia September 10, 2012 at 02:42:50 AM
• part nine. - By georgia September 10, 2012 at 02:42:40 AM
• part ten. - By georgia September 10, 2012 at 02:42:30 AM
• epilogue - By georgia September 10, 2012 at 02:42:21 AM

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