PART THIRTEEN:
Stolen and seperate identities:
Ethia tightened the veil around her face and reinforced the shawl draped loosely from her head down to her shoulders. The need to stay warm from the cool draft of the early dawn wind complimented her covert mission. With knowing steps in familiar bearings, she made her way to the hut. Then halting briefly and rather abruptly, she caused her close and trailing maid to stumble right into her tensely staightened back. Turning sternly, she eyed the already shaky and nervous girl as she quickly glanced back to the two distant figures passing by. The oblivious trekkers were the cause for the queen mother's collision in the first place. The reason she travelled in the dark, was to avoid detection and recognition. Being detected in the dark would be very counter-productive and trivializing to the importance of secrecy. She looked even closely at the retreating firgures again, to make sure they were indeed the people she expected them to be. Mere farmers making an early headstart to their livestocks and crops. When her suppositions were confirmed, she relaxed and continued her quick and long strides. Setting a pace that the panting maid only strived to duplicate and keep up with.
The witch was staring and chanting at disintegrating embers, when the royal crouched and almost crawled into the visiting area of the hut. As Ethia pulled sharp splinters from her shawl, she complained like she always did. The bamboo rafters in the hut's low roof were a source of aggravation for her among other things. She really wished the placid old woman would fix or trim the spear-like edges. Hopefully, her intent was not to kill her customers before they crawled in. The queen mother smacked of her maid's helping hand from the back of her head as their hostess rose to acknowledge her un-royal and raucous entrance. The witch bowed in lavish obeisance, while discreetly twitching her nose in mockery. It would be a negatively charged day she already knew. But considering the fact that she herself was no peddler of positive goods either, she would indeed survive. Greeting Ethia loudly, the hostess stepped towards her visitor arms outstretched.
"Welcome your highness, I hope all is well with you." Exclaimed the hostess cheerily as she mysteriously provided a wooden stool, which she promptly placed in front of the now grunting royal. "It just might be well for all concerned, if you provide the answers I need." Came Ethia's curt reply. She was still agitated with her ongoing search for foreign and intrusive objects on her shawl, as she absentmindedly retorted. "Everyone and thing is going haywire around me. I feel like I am loosing control. There are traitors in the palace, of which I know nothing about." This she said as she once again smacked her maids hand for adjusting the quaking stool. That one still went ahead to make sure the stool was standing right. For if the queen mother should fall off a badly situated sitting object, she as her maid would suffer a fate more deadly than the sting of a slap.
"Well then your highness, let us see what we can find out." Provided the witch rather heartily....
Two hours and three tired bodies later, the witch's brow was deeply furrowed in puzzlement. Greatly disturbed in her quest to unravel a messed and deeply entrenched maze, she straightened her back for what she was about to say.
"Your highness, a search for your mystery person just shows that your son is with you in the palace." The sorceress stated, still intrigued by the incongruency of her findings.
"Of course, you stupid crone! My son is in the palace with me. HE IS THE KING!" Shouted Ethia in a fiery rage.
The Crypt: An addedum for death and decay:
"....Above all, we must aim to control the good." Thundered the fly-lord, who had chosen not to manifest physically in this session at this time. It made no difference if they could see him or not, as the vileness of his aura still permeated the sinister crypt. His oppressive commands and demands also filled the chamber with a creepy stillness that saturated the dense atmosphere.
"For if we control the good, then it ceases to be effectively good." The master continued emphatically. "When good is least effective, it gives way to bad. And then it will in itself eventually leak its power, ability and elements to be good." The six monitors nodded their hooded heads in meditative silence. Creating along with the flickering flame from the single candle, bobbing silhoettes on the echoing cryptic walls.
"And how about the bad?" Asked Xitus the second monitor, responsible for human relations. "Do we loosen our hold and influence on it, since it does our bidding anyway? That is, in order to focus on reining in the good." He had his head still lowered the whole time he spoke. And all that could be seen in the almost visible portion of his hood, were two straight glints enveloped by pitch blackness.
"Have you spent so much time with these mortals in relationship and not know the answer to that?" Boomed the 'fly-lord' in irritation.
"The bad you have certainly at your bidding, loosened hold or not. So you need not grasp further for what you already have and hold. But what you do not have that is greater and capable of destroying you, you must strive to control and eventually destroy for your survival."
The hush in the crypt was as deafening as it was drowning. Even the occassional spitting of grey and dancing smoke from the lone light provider, ceased its supple sway.
"The good you must always go after. It becomes incredibly resourceful, when good becomes bad." The fly-lord finished. At that final statement, the six monitors lifted their hooded heads in unison and began to chant. Conversing in a disturbing language known only to the them and their master. The candle's flame fluttered one last time and then died instantly. Plunging the crypt into its familiar state of darkness. As the chants rose in magnifying volume, the walls began to vibrate. Sending in a harsh gust of wind from one end of the chamber to the other.
The hidden infernal intern rolled with the whirling wind until it got trapped in a cascade of layered clothing flowing down from the great mirror's stony slab. As he made to untangle himself from the excessive and suffocating mass, he felt something move against his humped back. Until then, he had been careful to steer clear of touching any form or substance of the Monitors whatsoever. So far he had been successful, since the session began. "Did you feel or hear anything?" Asked the fifth monitor, suddenly interrupting the lackluster flow of rhytmic murmurings.
"Yes I did!" Replied Heinus angrily and sarcastically. "I felt and heard your disruptive breath!"
Visitation rights and visiting hours:
'Shiny-shoes' looked on in surprise as the normally unexcitable witch grappled to calm herself down. "We were getting ready to come over to the coven this afternoon." Stated the high priestess flatly and suspiciously. "And here you have come to us, panting as if being chased by a pack of hungry wolves." That statement, she concluded with a wary giggle. "It is for that reason that I have come to warn you." Said the flustered older woman, who semed to have chosen to ignore the insulting jabs. "For what reason exactly are you warning me?" Asked the surprised hostess defensively. "You cannot come now or today at all", continued the witch ignoring the combat bait. "Why have you changed your mind so suddenly?!" Shouted 'shiny-shoes' hysterically. She was beginning to feel a mixture of panic and frustration rising up in her gut. "Does this now appear to be a joke to you? I have workers trapped in between two worlds for days. Probably hungry and dying. And here you tell me I must relent in my pursuit of an answer and solution?"
"They are not hungry and dying", stated the witch without any glimpse of emotion. "They are long gone. They are long dead. Your aim right now should be to prevent an epidemic and save the ones that are yet to die." Finished the witch nonchalantly, as she looked around the room that was the priestess' meeting place.
"How can you say they are dead, if they still move around and look at me as if pleading for a release." 'Shiny-shoes' reiterated doubtfully.
"It is no longer 'them' that move or live inside. It is 'the ones' they lent their bodies and soul to, that yearn for continuation. For 'they' of the forbidden world cannot die." The hostess just stared at her visitor in resignation.
"So why have you come then? To accentuate the obvious?" Asked the high priestess' forlornly.
"To warn you that the queen mother is at the coven right now." Answered the witch almost breathlessly. "She came in before the break of dawn and must wait for sunset to leave. You see, she dreads to be seen for who she is, or spotted for what she does."
"Oh her?" Began 'shiny-shoes' excitedly. "I am not afraid of her! Actually, I do intend to see her. We still have an unfinished business of abandonment to clear up. A score to settle if you must," continued the younger woman. "I am quite sure you do," agreed her visitor. "But it will not be on my time, nor will it be in my place." She said with finality.
"Okay then, that will do for this time." The high priestess was quick with her compliance. "As my main priority right now, is to get things around here back to normal."
The witch merely nodded, still studying her surroundings.
"Do you have to rush back now? Or can we talk a little before you go?" Asked the priestess visibly harrowed by the latest development. "Certainly," assured the witch. "I still have some time to kill, before her royal highness realizes that I am gone."
"Okay then," plunged in 'shiny-shoes' immediately. "Tell me what the rebellious prince did with two wives, a mistress and two daughters." "Not much really, not long either." Started the older woman. "For you see, it cost him more than he thought and was willing and able to pay...."
If it is good for the goose....(Dreamworks):
The queen saw herself running hopelessly to a vague destination. Not only did her feet feel like lead with each lifting, but hoisting her three children was also a daunting challenge. Finally, she stopped to catch her breath. Carefully placing each child in front of her, she began tending to their needs. No sooner had she settled herself to maternal duties, howbeit temporarily. Than the initial fiendish pursuer showed up again. This time he was brandishing what looked like a thick long rope in his hand and spitting threats like it was flames. "You can make this easier for you and your children," suggested the menacing assailant. "Just give me the girl right now!" The command was bone chilling and gravely unsettling. "I do not wish to give away any of my children." Returned the queen in an uncompromising stance.
"I only asked for the girl," continued the oppressing brute. "You and the other two are free to go." "Like I said earlier", continued the queen unwavering. "I do not wish to give away any of my children. Now go away while I tend to them." As if she had never spoken, the brutish attacker quickly flung the hooped side of the thick rope towards the queen until it caught around her daughter's neck. A struggle that the assailant apparently never envisioned ensued just as quickly. As he tugged the rope towards himself, the queen scuffled to loosen the rope on her end from the girl's neck. To increase the impact on the pull, the man tied his end of the rope to a nearby rock and watched with a smirk as the tiring woman continued to grapple with what appeared to be a hopeless life and death situation.
Unbeknownst to the attacker, the resilient woman had eventually succeeded in lifting the hoop from the girl's neck. He only realized it, when he saw the hoop flying viciously towards and beyond him. As he looked back to see where the hoop had gone, he turned again to the woman in confusion. "What do you think you are doing?!" The livid man roared. "Oh nothing that you would not approve of I promise." Answered the woman with a smile. "I guess if it was good enough to be done to me, then it should be better done to you." She finished with a clap. Suddenly, the brute heard a whimper behind him. He turned instantly, just as the moan began to crescendo to a piercing scream. When he did, he saw his only daughter thrashing around in pain with a rapidly tightening hoop around her neck.
The queen woke with a start and droplets of moisture streaming down the side of her face. A maid was pulling and opening the mammoth drapes to let in the morning light, when she heard the queen gasp. Rushing immediately to the royal's side, she asked: "Shall I get the king your majesty?" "Yes," answered the queen rising gently as she rubbed her swollen belly. "Get the king and Reinah too." Was her softly spoken command.