Chapter 121: Tale 12, Ch 8: A Ceremonial Entrance

The girl in the metal cage let out a scream as I swore I heard Hednar laugh when, with a burst of light like a golden explosion, the man crashed into the grass before us. A shallow crater appeared where the man rolled, and I felt the pain of breaking bones in legs and arms as he came to a bloody stop.

I nearly screamed as well, till I felt the sensation of unnatural relief wash over him. The bones and blood that jutted out from his legs sealed. Like the rewinding of time, his body was remade as if it had never fallen. When he turned toward me, I saw the thick yellow beard and gauntleted hand of the man I’d met atop the spire.

“…and be able to achieve wonders like surviving a fall from a thousand feet,” the Blesser continued as if the disturbance had been planned. Those with red weapons laughed freely while the golds chuckled and the whites stared with silent disapproval.

“Pardon,” the gauntleted Gold Prophet said as he brushed blood and dirt off his unharmed legs. “Got tired of waiting for a White to come get me up there.”

I had never felt more embarrassment from Lia as she tried her best to keep her face from reddening.

The gauntleted Gold took his place among the other Gold Prophets and the Blesser continued. “In the spirit of demonstration, you have all witnessed the power of Whites to teleport you from planet to planet. Now you have seen a Gold’s restorative strength. For a Red’s mastery of the killing arts, a later date may be appropriate. Suffice it to say, all colors possess remarkable abilities, abilities we do not pass on lightly.”

The Blesser twirled her staff back to its position and called to us as she walked toward the steps. “Come,” she called to us, “You must enter our shared dwelling. There is much to see.”

Jessy didn’t want to follow the Prophets as they walked toward the high black steps. The other six young men and women with me followed with their various means of travel and stopped before the steps. But Jessy showed no restraint of her dislike for going toward those buildings.

“Kagis,” Lia said when the others had moved forward, “don’t fall behind.”

It took a severe amount of emotional communication between the two of us just to get her to not fly away right there. The best thing to control her was actually to dismount. Once I’d hopped off and held her crown with my hand, I said, “I’m going in there, Jessy. I’d like to take you, but I’ll go without if I have to.”

Jessy could sense the lie in my words.

“Fine, but they’re going to be upset if we don’t follow,” I said.

At the steps, the Blesser announced to us, “Leave your vehicles in the grass. They will be cared for. You will have access to them in the immediate future.”

The other six stepped off their various contraptions. The large boy in front slipped out of the seat of his craft, making it wobble a bit as it rested on the air. The girl with the long braid stepped out of her chariot. The girl in the walking contraption turned a series of levers and yanked stiffly on a chain that let out a loud burst of steam. With loud clanks, the suit sank down and the gage-like front lifted enough for her to hop out. The multi-colored girl on the four-wheeled machine hit a button and the object grew silent.

“Trouble with your creature?” asked the young man in the metal armor with the weapons bulging from his saddlebags as he dismounted his horse.

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“Her name is Jessy,” I said.

A Prophet came up to him as the armored man dismounted and took the reins to lead the horse away, its owner petting it across its shoulders in parting. Prophets took the other creatures as well, and Hednar kept grinning at me, waiting for me to hand over Jessy.

Jessy let out a low growl.

“Jessy. Hmm. You gave an animal like that a name like Jessy?” the boy in the armor asked.

Jessy snapped at the air like she was trying to bite the boy’s hand.

“Her name is Jessy. I didn’t name her.”

The boy didn’t smile, but I could sense the laughter in his eyes. He turned and walked toward the stairs where the others were waiting for me to follow. I did so, sharing emotions with Jessy that she was free to fly on her own for a while. When Hednar put his hand out to grab her, Jessy really did try to bite him. Luckily the Prophet was fast enough he merely stepped back.

I hadn’t gone three steps before Jessy took to flight and landed beside me, following up the steps. “I see you’ve changed your mind,” I said.

Hednar was saying something to Lia and the two kept bickering about something behind me as we walked up the deep black steps. Jessy padded along beside me, her wings kept slightly stretched to keep others from coming too close.

“You’re not supposed to bring your mount in with us,” the girl in the robes said when we reached the top of the steps. The Prophets and six candidates had gathered together and looked like they’d been waiting for me. “It’s damaging the ceremony.”

“The Blesser doesn’t seem to care,” I said. The Blesser was at the moment shoving aside a White Prophet who didn’t appreciate his post as door opener.

“She has her ways. But this is a ceremonial proceeding. I’ve watched it a dozen times and I will not have mine damaged.”

“Why can’t he bring in his griffon?” the freckled girl asked, shorter than the girl in robes though standing on her toes as she crossed her arms to make up the difference.

Jessy cocked her head at the word griffon. I shrugged.

“Because this is an act of intimacy in our first entrance,” the robed woman said as the Blesser opened a massive iron door with a loud cranking sound.

“Come on!” she shouted to us. The Prophets all pushed and shoved to get in as well, but the Blesser waved her hands to stop them. “Hold on now, not all of you! I meant the seven candidates and their recruiters. The rest of you have business to take care of now see to it!”

“She doesn’t sound all that intimate to me,” the freckled girl said.

The robed girl sniffed loudly and said, “Candidates are common. One from each planet together, is not. Especially after the war between…” The robed girl cleared her throat. I felt the caution in her voice as she faked a smile. “Forgive me. I misspoke. We are to forget all past allegiances.”

“I’ve already forgotten it. Don’t bring it up again.”

“Jessy doesn’t want to go with the horse and the machines,” I said as the Prophets dispersed and the Blesser waved us forward.

“Well she has to. I’ve waited too long for her to mess this up,” the robed girl said.

“She’s scared to leave.”

Jessy backed away and I sent feelings of apology for embarrassing her.

“The candidates will step through the doorway and enter their new home,” the Blesser said with a not quite ceremonial tone. “And if that thing is coming it better be still as its rider or I’ll crack both their heads open myself.”

Jessy and I both gulped. I sensed shock from the other candidates as well and we all stepped quickly through the open door, Jessy keeping her wings and head low as she passed through the threshold.

I could sense the awe in the robed girls eyes as she stared at the small doorway. I would have thought if it was such a ceremonial entrance we’d have gone through the big door up the next level of stairs, but the Blesser ushered in this dark, immense chamber without hesitation.

None of the Prophets came in and it was with a confused shock that we turned around and saw our recruiters slam the massive wooden door closed. An iron latch cracked in place as the room became absolute darkness, the Prophets left outside.

“Blesser,” the robed girl said. “What is going on? Aren’t we going to have our initiation ceremony?”

“Ow, watch where you’re going!” I recognized the freckled girl’s voice echo in the pitch-black room.

“The trials that await you are great. But you have chosen your companions. Those beside you, even the creature you entered with, will aid you in your journey to becoming Sevens Prophets,” said the Blesser. “And now, your training begins.”