Mistress of Siren Cove

Chapter 18: The Mother Goddess Speaks

Elysia and her mother still held daily sessions devoted to reading the energies of the world. One day, they both sensed something very strange. It was evil energy, and of a kind they had never experienced. They spent the remainder of the day trying to figure out what they were feeling, but it was something completely foreign to both.

One of the powers of the Mistress, which Elysia would have only when she inherited that title, was the ability to speak with the Mistresses of the past. This power was used for receiving counsel on hard matters, which was especially useful for a new Mistress. These were not living humans they talked to, nor ghostly spirits. A woman would take counsel with the island itself. The island saved the thoughts and feelings of past Mistresses for just this purpose. Each Mistress performed a ritual bath, once every few weeks, in a clear pool beneath the Palace. Only the Mistress could enter the room where the pool resided. As the woman bathed, she emptied her mind, and allowed the water to receive her thoughts and memories, which were then absorbed by the surrounding stone basin of the pool. The individual personality of each Mistress was also held in the stone.

When seeking counsel, a woman, while bathing, could ask for the advice of a specific Mistress of the past or could ask for the counsel of all of them, even the most ancient ones. As she sat in the pool, Elysia's mother asked for the wisdom and counsel of all. Holding the image and feeling of the strange energy in her mind, she asked what it was. She waited patiently for an answer, allowing her mind to be open to the vast knowledge of this place.

After some time, words were spoken to her, although there was no sound. "Daughter of the island, the energy you bring to us is ancient and evil. It has not been felt in this world for a thousand years. It is the energy of the ancient cult of Karnos, and that cult was once the great foe of this island. Karnos, whom this cult worships, was the nemesis of the Mother Goddess. He loved war and destruction and was finally defeated and imprisoned by the Goddess two thousand years ago. After he was imprisoned, there rose up men who also loved war and destruction, and they tried to free him. That cult died out of the world a thousand years ago. If you feel this energy, then we fear it has arisen again. You should fear them, daughter."

"And what do those of us on this island have to fear from these men?"

"The cult of Karnos believed that if they destroyed this island, they would weaken the magic that held Karnos in his prison."

"Have they tried to destroy the island in the past?"

"Yes, daughter, many times they tried, but our power over men always defeated them. In the past, they tried to use men who were immune to our power as weapons against us. Because you are feeling the rise of their energy, they may be trying this again. Beware, therefore, of the man who lives among you now, who does not feel your power. This is all the counsel we can give you."

The voice was silent, and the Mistress left the pool. She went back to her study and thought for a long time. She saw two possibilities, both involving Connor Bechner, whose immunity was rare. Either he was working with the cult from within to harm the island, or he was the target of the cult, which might try to capture him and use him for their own ends. She did not think the former because he would have had to hide this from her, Elysia, and Miriam, all of whom would have been able to sense traitorous intentions.

She called for Elysia to come to her, and while she was waiting, she continued to gather her thoughts. Why would the cult arise now? How would they even know about the island? Or maybe they were not concerned with the island at all?

And what about the Mother Goddess? Is she no more? There were many rituals on the island performed in her name, but few true believers. The Mistress's own belief in the Mother Goddess was firm but not avid. Given the magics that gave the sirens their power, gave her special powers, hid the island, and allowed her to speak with the ancient ones, her faith in the Mother Goddess should be absolute. But it was the Mother Goddess of old who provided this magic. As Mother Goddess worship faded from the world, would the Mother Goddess herself leave this world as well? But the magic her people enjoyed still functioned. Would that not be a sign that she still watched over them?