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Chapter 5. The Elon |
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am dancing over pebbles, I have smoothed them and there is sand. See how the sunlight weaves through me? There are salmon nosing the pebbles aside, they have come home and I hold them, their mother. They smell of the sea and carry dreams of open water. Do not taste the foulness that taints me, my love, I will tell them. No, do not struggle, I know it hurts. I will soothe you with my music, do not cry out now, I need your voice. You wound yourself, poor frail creature of flesh. Quiet now, go back to sleep, I will speak to them while you rest. No darling, the light is distraction, I can only speak through you in dream. Come with me now, I will show you light, see? Is not this place beautiful? See how the sunlight makes rainbows of my mane, ah yes, you like the falls, I understand. No, sleep, my love, it is not time to wake, I need you to sleep now. I need to speak to them of the Margonites and the ones they slaughtered in my upper reaches. Oh the blood, how it sickens me, so many innocent people. No, my love, do not look upon it, it will break your heart. "Massacre at... at the Mirror..." Zhou coughed, his breath coming in painful gasps, close and harsh against the inside of the heavy mask. His hands were clenched over the harsh stone of the Oracle's seat and the chill water racing over his feet burned like acid. He was awake for the first time in what might have been days. He collapsed in the comfortless seat, his chest heaving as he stared into darkness and silently prayed they would release him if only for a few hours. "Holy One, have you awakened?" "Yes," Zhou panted. It was Vehdil, one of his two attendants. He assumed Rasdha was currently resting as the two shared a constant vigil, scribing the words of the Elon as she spoke through him. There were others, he sensed their comings and goings, but he was kept blinded now, the sights of the world a distraction from his duties. "Do you wish sustenance and a rest, Holy One?" "Please," he replied wearily. How long had this session lasted? His joints burned with stiffness as Vehdil rose to lift him from the throne. He had lost considerable weight and noted how lightly the man carried him now. His feet were never to touch the earth outside of the oracle pool and he was only allowed to rest in a specially consecrated cave. The low roar of the falls outside the rocky hollow reached him now as he was taken to his secluded hollow. Vehdil set him down on a raised slab amid cushions and blankets, gently laying him out on his back and drying his feet before wrapping them in soft swathes of silk to keep them warm and prevent them from touching the bare stone. The mask was finally removed, its weight seemingly immense where it pressed against his shoulders. His bleary vision perceived shadows and faint rushlight as Vehdil placed a cushion behind his head. He made out the man's tall figure leaning over him as he ritually cleansed Zhou's face before wrapping a blindfold loosely over his eyes. In darkness once more he endured the ordeal of having his body attended to, his soiled clothes peeled away and his body sponged with fragrant water before he was dressed in clean silks. There was food and water brought to his lips. He was allowed to do nothing on his own behalf except chew and swallow until even this was too much and he requested to be allowed to rest free of the river's voice. He listened for Vehdil to retreat, the closeness of the tiny cave empty of all but the sounds of his own breathing and the low rumble of the falls above. He sensed the man was nearby, ready to rise at a moment's notice to assist him. Zhou's head pounded with exertion as he rolled onto his side and tried not to think about home and the people he had left behind. His only comfort was that he would not be required to perform the duties of an oracle forever. Death would take him eventually, soon if his wasting flesh was any indication. Vehdil had told him oracles rarely lasted more than a few years, the river was too great for a single human being to endure for long. A good thing, he decided wearily. He was not certain how much longer he could go on. |
