15.9
Jewel stared at the figures that had gathered in High King Mathias’s feasting hall. She’d finally learned the actual name of the Archpriestess of Asherah. It was Ursula, not that she would impinge on the woman’s propriety in one of the meetings.
But it had been nice to put a name and a face to the figure.
“We won’t know to what extent the reborn will fare until nearly next year at the earliest, unless we are willing to potentially interfere by quickening them in their surrogates.”
Erhard spoke and was as always enthusiastically excited to her wyrm senses and still as a hammer left to rest on the shelf to any other observer.
Ursula shook her head.
“The more we put upon the miracle to accomplish or seek to layer them onto one another the less security we will have. Asherah is the goddess of birth, but this nearly strains her judgement worse than your ‘vampires’.”
Jewel was not entirely sure why Mathias and Erhard insisted she was involved in these proceedings. It was clear to her from her dealings with Leo and Tsulogothulan it was a very skilled and involved craft they were attempting.
But her own grasp of Wizardly sorcery, especially relating to Erhard and his truth felt woefully inadequate. Doubly so for what she had read in books about the Heavens. She could just grasp the nuance and precision of each of their crafts, the clear mastery in each.
However, as far as to have anything to contribute over this far too long winter?
“It’s not an assured solution either, without solving the question of accommodating a disembodied soul we’d need a woman of childbearing age bound to every soul we wished to preserve, and to keep her close on hand besides even if being reborn does not do undue harm to the soul we wish to save”
Leo’s words had gained confidence over many meetings, he was the one that was really contributing! She offered her opinion where she could, but honestly Jewel was almost entirely overwhelmed here. Occasionally Ursula would call the goddess to wear her so that they could confirm ‘wyrmish clarity’ with Asherah.
Yet beyond the first few days that seemed to be necessary far less often as this project really appeared to have gotten underway.
It disturbingly reminded Jewel of when she had struggled to learn to weave. The Priestess seemed to be scowling behind her veil as she glared at Jewel’s Priest.
“Reincarnation is a well verified blessing of mother goddesses-”
“We’ve established we cannot trust any direct lore on such, it is far too easy a deception for men to ask of the heavens.”
Erhard interrupted Ursula, to mere ears his voice probably sounded flat, or even annoyed but he was really much more like an eager puppy wanting to assist under all that stern sound and frozen furrow on his brow.
“Yes, yes, but we’ve accounted for that, the miracle is prepared, the rite was performed both immediately before and days preceding the executions. We’ve written down the testimonies of each of the potential reborn. For the High King this will more than suffice to secure his soul.”
Jewel was thankful that the Archpriestess and the Wizard were so familiar with one another, it made what she thought would have been an unending series of unintentional insults from the weird merely exasperating for Ursula. The smell coming off the woman only strained when winter hours were nearing evening.
“That is not the task we were ordered too, Mathias commanded that we secure the souls of all the realm, a rite requiring binding a fertile woman to it for every living soul in Cantor Reborn is no solution at all.”
Erhard’s voice took on just the slightest hint of agitation, frustration, confusion. They had ‘argued’ about this before.
"Couldn't the women have twins?”
Leo offered the words, only to cower under the intensity of the glare from the veiled Archpriestess and the smoldering gaze of the wizard.
“No, far too great a strain on the surrogates and would hardly be a match besides.”
The wizard’s voice was still the same monotone tone as before, but the ripple of agitation flared like sparks and fire to Jewel. His condemnation was followed by Ursula’s.
“Yes, even if my fellow priests of Asherah could be found in sufficient numbers to oversee the miracles required for the care of such rites and a safe birth after? There will only be so many women that can survive a birth. Mortal bodies have limits, a god will gladly give a crone a child if she asks for it, but the effort can slay as assuredly as a blade to the heart.”
Jewel blinked, a thought suddenly striking her. Surely they had discounted it for a good reason? But no, as Bethica had always said the ‘vir’ could be quite foolish about such things.
“Do they have to be human mothers? Could we not have the souls be reborn as cows or some other beast?”
Leo turned to stare, expression overwhelmed with a shocked befuddlement. Ursula smelled genuinely scandalized behind her veil, Erhard’s face was the same as always but his curiosity was flaring like hot coals under a bellows.
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However the Wizard turned to the Archpriestess and dipped his head.
“Could we do such a thing? It is admittedly beyond my own skills but if the goddess-”
Ursula’s voice cut harshly through his suggestion, her words was going shrill.
“You’d have them reborn as beasts! Unblessed and thoughtless animals?!”
Jewel’s voice buzzed, not a growl, but close enough to warn the Archpriestess.
“Within old Cantor and my own demesne are herds of minos’ children, who at least three in ten of their offspring are fully capable of speech, thought and acts of memory that to be quite honest put to shame most ‘vir’ scholars I have met. They are assuredly blessed with souls as much as you or Erhard.”
The Archpriestess froze, there was a shake in her shoulders from the fury that was pouring off the woman.
“I... Even if we could secure the necessary... surrogates, to make sure that those reborn from such mothers were in any kind of shape but that of beasts... Only the depraved and accursed would ever accept such a bargain.”
She took a breath, another, but the fury was not leaving Ursula’s scent, the trembles persisting in her shoulders. Erhard stared with a blank face, but something shifted in the whisper of the world around him and to Jewel’s astonishment the wizard reached out and gently placed a hand that looked more steel then flesh onto her clenched hands.
“At ease Archpriestess, the Ridgetail Vault has never felt the touch of a Beast tide, she does not know what she proposes.”
Ursula shuddered, then nodded hard.
“I... Countess... No one in the east or north of the Realm or who has fled from the wastes and ruins made of such in past generations would accept such a rite to be openly performed. If any temple could even be convinced to offer such without the Priests declaring us Fiend accursed for daring it. They would be burned alive in their temples!!”
Jewel could only blink, her neck pulling back in shock at the venom only barely restrained in the Archpriestess’ tone, looking between the Wizard and then the Archpriestess. She was thankful that at least Leo seemed as befuddled as she was.
“Is not Viznove and Arva in the eastern borders of the Realm?”
Erhard huffed like a bellows, his tone a rumble, his intent a jovial amusement and delight that he had an opportunity to assist Jewel.
“The Ridgetails are in the lower-east of the Realm. But to the middle and upper east the vaults of Cantor Reborn share passage to the beast veldt, and omens of a rising tide have been growing for years. It is a worthwhile endeavor to confirm, at minimum if no other solution is found perhaps we could ferry the souls of the dead as unborn beasts until proper mothers can be found but-”
The Archpriestess stood abruptly, pressing back her stool so quickly it toppled onto the black stone of the feasting hall.
“I will not aid in such a horror, Asherah will not be party to this, she is the mother of men, not beasts. The High King can have my headif it displeases him but no matter his enfeebled terror I will not sit here and entertain the idea of impregnating Asherah’s children in the wombs of beasts!”
Erhard placidly considered the boiling fury behind Ursula’s veil, before simply nodding. His inner flame seemed perfectly content despite her anger.
“I bow to your expertise in the matters of Divine, Archpriestess of Asherah, we will abandon the matter, but the issue of how to sustain the souls of the dead without a living body yet remains, be that surrogate mother or otherwise.”
Slowly the Archpriestess settled, Leo standing from his place beside Jewel, nervously moving to right her seat so she could resume her place at the table without having to stoop. Muttering under his breath upon his return to Jewel’s side, voice too low for anyone to hear but the wyrm.
“She sees no problem with a rite that turns someone into a vampire but having a cow mother you is a step too far?”
Jewel was inclined to agree, but she kept her face serene, the whisper of the world in Ursula’s body had yet to fully calm despite how she had mastered her posture and voice. The scent of fury was still thick in the air, but beneath it was a deep, sickening cold of terror and dread as well.
The Wyrm Countess of Viznove listened as the two experts continued to argue specific details of the problem Mathias had set before them, wondering what she was supposed to even be doing here?
Her one contribution in days had nearly sent the Archpriestess to abandon the entire endeavor!
Nevermind the time they were expecting to see any hope of progress.
Any results were not due til next winter! The Pantheon’s party was planning to depart by underriver pass back to old Cantor and their Sun Blessed Vault as soon as they could be assured safety.
Looking over the Archpriestess and Erhard slowly working back around to actually doing what she could only guess was productive discussion on the nuances of divine affinity to different metals, Jewel came to her own decision.
When spring thaw allowed she would be returning to Viznove and more importantly Valasect. A regular caravan sent with messenger birds would suffice for keeping her informed with the developments of this project and a letter every season or so would suffice for all that she or Leo was managing to contribute here.
They were not even trying to find where her Father or Muriel’s souls had gone! High King Mathias was far too concerned with a solution for the Realm of Cantor Reborn and his own mortality then having any interest for those that had already departed and been lost.
It would be up to Jewel to try and find her loved one’s souls!