The Rising - Ennead 2

Scene 13.4 - Sleeping with the Enemy

Aunt Phyllis is concerned. Something about this spying session has set her on edge. She stems any questions her nephew has by saying brightly, "You're getting better. That's good. You haven't held your focus that long before."

"Of course," Kelly brags, "I'm a genius. Prof. Annan says I'm her favourite prodigy."

Phyllis' disposition sours, "You're not her prodigy, you're mine. I don't like that woman. You know that."

"Ebei. Chill small okay? I was just saying. Let's go again."

There's a sparkle of mischief in Kelly's eyes. Something makes me think that the reference to Florence Annan wasn't by chance.

Aunt Phyllis perhaps reads the same thing I do. She lets go of the bowl for a second to tweak Kelly's ear.

"So violent!" He mumbles, scowling.

"What was that?" she asks.

"Nothing." He replies out loud, "I didn't say a thing."

"That's what I thought!" she smirks. "Let's go again. You lead."

#

This time the blood leads us elsewhere. Not too far actually. We don't even stray beyond the boundaries of the country within which the Dankus work their voodoo.

We catch a slim, but surprisingly busty, middle aged woman talking to a younger woman, perhaps in her mid-twenties "...nothing out of the ordinary happened. Sometimes they brain sees things that aren't there okay? You're safe..." She moves closer to the younger woman and utters more comforting drivel.

Two young men watch at a distance. One of these men is tall, muscle-bound and africoid. The other stands out amongst the rest as being the only Caucasian: spare and dressed in a polo shirt and jeans that had both seen better days.

The taller man squints, sighs and then walks away. He fingers a swollen face gingerly and winces. The smaller one calls out, "Kwame! Wait up. Won't you wait for..."

We're distracted from the rest of what he says. Two people, both oriental, fade into sight: a frail old man who leans on a gnarled wooden staff and his companion, a pinched faced, lean, young woman with a harsh bowl cut.

"Father." The middle aged woman bows with all the respect she can muster. Her eyes remain lowered until he speaks.

"You have a good reason for calling me child?" The old man asks in stilted but perfect English, his tone firm but gentle.

"Yes indeed Father. The Feather Magus was here."

The Thought Father's milky eyes seem to cloud even further. The private 'sending is unexpected, even to the so-called "un-surprisable man'.

He glances at the sleeping form of the young woman who was being soothed by the middle-aged psychic just moments ago. "You got this information from her? She is not of the unhidden world."

It was a statement, not a question. "She was here with two others, a Maker and a Knight. Without those two and the Magus, there wouldn't have anyone left alive."

The Dream Father, Tenzin, mulls over the information for minute and turns to gaze upwards, as if at the night sky. His milky gray eyes struggle to focus on anything at all.

"It's a full moon night. I loved those as a child." He beams and turns back to his subordinate, "Did you ever spend time outside with the moon Comfort?"

She bows and answers in the affirmative, "The world was different then Father. Simpler."

"And it will be different again. There is something else." Again he states instead of asking what should have been a question.

"Archdaemon. If Feather is to be believed, one of them was here. Perhaps Lilly or..."

"Let's not make any assumptions child. I will examine the information. Thank you, it is good we do not speak of these things over the network."

He chuckles out loud before commenting silently in a thought sending, "Nothing good ever comes out of hunting a spider. Some things remain the same."

"Thank you Father," Comfort bows and then edges in a request, "Speaking of which..."

As sweet as bread pudding, he stops her short and 'sends "You can ask your sister yourself, Comfort. You and Denise will either sort out your silly grudge or you won't. I'm too old to coddle you anymore."

With that, he grabs the arm of his Faerie companion. As he fades out he makes a final comment, "Find Feather my dear; perhaps he can tell us more. Now I must really go, another requests my audience..."