Chapter 16
I was having trouble accepting that a demon wanted our help. Vostich, however, verified it. So that was that. I went back to my apartment, and sat there thinking. Ok, something was scaring the demons enough that they were going out of their way to get our attention.
Wait a minute! How come Vostich read the demon's mind now, but not before? What had changed? The armband and ring! That was it. Before, the demon probably had enough power to stop Vostich.
I shook my head. It was all very confusing. Not only that, but Vostich told me they were preparing to send me and the demon to the gate that the demons had into our world. Or, I should say, I would accompany the demon. A totally strange turn of events.
Now I just had to sell it to Mariel. That wasn't going to be easy.
I returned to our apartments, and waited. Since Mariel had been spending so much time with Salvadi, I would have to wait. Unless I sent a summons of some sort, and I wasn't about to do that.
I made coffee, and lit a cigarette. I took a deep drag, and surprised myself with a coughing fit. Ok, I had not smoked for a while, but this was unusual. I had been smoking for over fifty years, after all.
I smoked half my cigarette. I put it out in the dish I had been using as an ashtray since my arrival in Morwan. I drank my coffee, and waited on Mariel. I got up and paced. Perhaps I should send for her after all. She might not return for hours, and I really wanted to settle this, now.
I felt a gate forming in my room, behind me! I whirled, gathering power even as I did, ready to lash out with a spell if I had too. I also felt a PRESENCE! A God was at the other side of this gate. Strange, Gods don't use gates.
I saw the Goddess Shabasonti standing before me on the other side of the gate, as soon as it stabilized. I bowed to her. Goddess of Chaos, she was not one to fool around with.
"Paul, bring with you your power rings, your staff, your sword, and your cloak. Come to me through the gate when you are ready," her voice said.
While I didn't know what she wanted, I wasn't about to argue. I gathered the items she mentioned, and stepped through the gate. It collapsed behind me, immediately. I bowed low to her, again, after I had stepped though. She smiled at me, and nodded. I took that as a good sign.
I surreptitiously looked around. We were in a cavern like place. The walls glistened with... something. In the exact center of this cavern, was a pool of water. At least I thought it was water. It was liquid, at any rate.
"Welcome to my home, Paul. You should feel honored. Only one other human has ever been to this place," she said, smiling at me.
"I thank you for the invitation. I will cherish this memory, always," I responded.
She laughed.
"That remains to be seen. First, refresh yourself," she said. A golden cup of some sort appeared in her hand. She knelt, and filled it from the pool in her cavern.
"Please. Place your things on the floor. They will be safe," she said to me.
I placed everything in my cloak, and placed it on the floor beside me. She then handed me the cup. I bowed my thanks, and drank it all. First my tongue, and then my throat went numb.
I could feel it traveling down my throat, and into my stomach. The numbness spread, and I felt myself falling. The Goddess didn't try to catch me. I could feel myself hitting the hard stone floor.
I felt myself straining, just to breathe. I felt alternately hot and cold. I started sweating profusely! I started shaking uncontrollably! What had the Goddess done to me? I felt things happening inside of me!
Agony hit me, the likes of which I had never imagined before. I screamed and screamed! I was knotting up, and relaxing alternately. It hurt like hell! Then the pain started fading, and I got a tingling sensation in my limbs.
The tingling spread all through my body, until it felt like I was buzzing! I found I had control over my body again. I also saw things in a new way! I could see the Goddess glowing with energy! I saw stout cords of energy spread from her body out into, well, everywhere!
I regained my feet. I felt better than I had ever felt before! I felt strong! I looked the Goddess in the eyes.
"Don't let it go to your head, Paul. You have drunk from the fount of Chaos, and lived. It can do nothing, or everything. It can and did change you. You are now much more powerful than you were before.
"It will also armor you, in ways, against the demons. It also armors you against that which they fight. That was beyond you, before. Congratulations. The last human I tried this with, died," she said, still smiling at me.
I gaped at her. Died? She had risked my life without telling me of the risks? I got mad. I was getting ready to tell her off.
I know, I know. Not a good plan.
The Goddess frowned at me. I could feel her displeasure.
"I would not carry through with those thoughts, Paul. I understand your anger, but it had to be done. You survived, and are now more powerful by it. Feel your new powers Paul. Look at yourself, and see," she said intensely.
And I did. I felt and looked at the connections I had made with the land. They were thicker, brighter, more firmly made than ever before! I could see more connections, too. I fairly buzzed with power. I felt as if I could move a mountain if I wanted!
The Goddess laughed.
"You could move a mountain, but what for? I have prepared you for your upcoming trip into the lands of the demons. Now I will change your cloak, rings, staff, and sword," she said, and grasped each item in turn.
I could feel her concentrating on my rings. She then held them in the fount of Chaos. When she returned them to me, I could feel the change. They had connections to the Chaos of the Universe, a most powerful source indeed.
She changed my cloak. Oh, the exterior was the same, and it looked the same; but when I put it on, I could feel the power, though it was muted. I only had to think, and it presented me with a sort of powerful shield. My exterior spells were still in place, but were they augmented by this new spell? I felt that this new internal spell was an almost perfect defense, somehow.
Finally, she returned my sword to me. It, too, had been augmented. It seemed to thrum with a new energy, which fairly crackled. It was even eager to kill demons. It was eager to kill anything, actually.
"The ones the demons are fighting are powerful. I have armed you not only against the demons, but against their foes also. The Creator has forbidden the Gods to come into contact with those Others.
"However, he did not say we could not give you help from afar. I will only tell you that where the demons are silver tongued, and can talk most humans into anything; those Others that they fight, are even better at it. Resist all offers from them. If you accept even one little offer, all is lost! Do you understand?" the Goddess asked, looking intently at me.
I nodded.
"I do. I will refuse all offers from those Others," I told her earnestly.
She laughed at me.
"Good. Don't forget, the demons will be working you over also. They are not as dangerous as those others, but they are just as serious in their trying to convert you. Don't fall to them, either," the Goddess said.
She gestured, and a gate appeared. I looked through it, and I could see my apartment, right where I had left.
"Return to your place, and remember... All the Gods are with you in this. We will help you as best we can; but once you confront those Others, we cannot be involved. Now go," she said.
I bowed, and stepped through to my office, in my apartment. The gate collapsed, and I no longer felt the presence of the Goddess.
I took a deep breath and marveled at how I felt. Sure, I was pretty pissed at the Goddess at first, but now? I reveled in my new power!
'Ok Paul, get a grip, ' I told myself.
I turned my attention inward, and asked Pao what he thought of the new me. No answer.
I thought harder: 'PAO?'
No answer. I could not feel Pao, anywhere! Admittedly I had not spoken to him in a couple weeks, but I thought he was keeping a low profile.
About this time Mariel came in. I turned to looked at her, and stopped. I was looking at her in a new way, with a new form of vision. I could see that she was pregnant! How did this happen? I mean, how was I able to see that she was pregnant?
I ran over and hugged her. I picked her up, and twirled her around. She laughed, and asked me what I was so happy about.
"Honey, you're pregnant!" I exclaimed at her.
Her eyes got huge.
"I am? But how do you know that?" she asked me.
So I had to tell her what had just happened. Her eyes got even bigger. I was sort of disappointed that she didn't feel me, as I could feel Fithian or Vostich. She asked me how I felt, and I tried to describe it to her. It was very difficult, really.
After a while, she got very quiet. She placed a hand over her stomach. Her eyes were half closed. Then she widened them suddenly.
"You're right! I am pregnant! I can feel it inside of me! It's going to be a boy! And I can feel Someone else. I swear that he said he was 'Pao'!" she exclaimed.
I remembered someone telling me that when my wife got pregnant, Pao would move into the new baby to be reborn. Well, he was going to be my child. This was going to be interesting. While I was pondering this, Mariel had exited the room. She said she was going to find Trayla, or her father. I couldn't say for sure, because her voice sort of trailed off, as she went down the hall.
I smiled to myself. A baby. I was going to be a father! I went over to where I kept the hard stuff, and poured myself a brandy. I downed it. I needed to go tell someone, so I left. I was still dressed in my cloak, with my sword and rings; but I left my staff leaning against the wall in my office.
I made my way to Mirwanna's portion of the palace, and asked if she were available. Apparently she was busy with foreign dignitaries. Damn it! Woman had it easy. They knew where to go during times like this. I had no father or mother to go to. Most likely, Vostich and Fithian were involved with Mirwanna, shepherding the visiting dignitaries.
I made my way up to the roof, and looked into the evening sky. Why not? I transformed into my dragon body, but not the really big one. I did a small lumbering run to the edge, and launched myself off and into the air.
I quickly gained height. I soared through the evening air. I had no destination in mind, just aimless flying. I was soon joined by another dragon.
<Ioffer my congratulations on this joyful even, Lord, > the dragon said to me.
I was stunned. <How did you know?> I asked her.
<Your body language shouts it out loud, for those of us who know how to look, > she said to me.
<Thank you. You are the first I have told> I said to her.
<I will inform the rest of the dragons of this blessing. We will assign a dragon to guard your little one, until it can fend for itself, > she said fiercely.
I thought this over.
<While I appreciate the thought, I doubt a dragon will be able to go indoors, which is where human little ones spend a great deal of their time>
She snorted.
<The little one will come out, eventually, and we will guard, > she finished firmly.
She then banked away.
I went back to the palace roof. I landed and changed back into my human form, in a much better frame of mind. At least someone cared about my good fortune.
Edited By TeNderLoin