Postby Mimichan » Wed Oct 22, 2003 8:36 pm
The High Priestess of Aiken'yar wrapped her dark cloak more tightly about her. She had received a summons from the Council, who had evidently decided that another meeting was in order. The room she entered was very large and it gave one the impression of floating in limbo. No one but the High Priestess ever entered this place. It was sacred and strictly off limits to everyone but her. Not even the Queen Mother ventured here. May her flame burn forever, Maisige thought sardonically.
When she reached the middle of the room, Maisige knelt down and raised both claws to the heavens. "Aede lathi Hii", she cried, "As you have summoned me, so have I come!" There was a pause, and then the air began to crackle. She could feel the atmosphere vibrating and every scale on her body tingled. No matter how many times she went through this, Maisige never quite got used to the feeling. It was like darkness itself wrapping her in a death shroud. It was the cold, icy chill of terror grasping at her soul and trapping it into a single moment. The room began to spin. And suddenly it was gone. Maisige raised her head and looked at her surroundings. The Council sat before her, each one the overlord of a different clan.
"Maisige, High Priestess of Aiken'yar, come forward" the voice of her master boomed. Aidomar, the overlord and principal driving force of her clan. Let the Queen believe what she liked, this was the true ruler of Aiken'yar. And nobody knew it but her. She moved closer to his forboding presence. "My lord", she murmured respectfully and laid prostrate before him.. Part of her was in awe. Part of her was incensed at the fear that choked her. Was she some fledgling acolyte? Had she not served as High Priestess, second only in power to the Queen, for over five generations? What need had she to fear a summoning? She was faithful and obedient. Surely, the Council planned on rewarding her.
Aidomar was not a dragon. Maisige was not certain what he was. There was no doubt that her clan resembled him in many ways, nevertheless, he would never be mistaken for part of the hive. For reasons she never understood, it was his desire that none of them were aware of his existence. He did not desire to be worshipped. He did not demand anything of them in the way of sacrifice. No, Aidomar had demanded none of these things. His power was not the greatest. None here could be considered more powerful than the other in all honesty. Yet they were all connected, for good or ill, to something far greater. All power truly belonged to the Great Dragon. The Council merely sat as representatives and overseers, implementing what methods they deemed necessary to ensure that all sentient beings remained within the grasp of his power.
In the case of her master, he had modeled his method of control after one of the greatest attributes of the Great Dragon himself...pride. All of Aiken'yar, from hatchling to Elder, knew without a glimmer of uncertainty that there was no one greater than himself or herself. As High Priestess, Maisige did not promote any god or any philosophy other than the god of self and the philosophy that all power had initially come from the Great Dragon, who had long since vanished. Every member of the clan held the firm belief that one-day they would ascend from the physical realm they knew and into one of absolute power and deity. Every act and deed performed within the clan was meant as a stepping-stone toward that end, and the dragons of Aiken'yar placed great emphasis upon the rituals and traditions that had been with them since anyone could remember.
Maisige did not understand everything about the Council. She knew that they were higher beings. She also knew that although they seemed to work together, they were infinitely opposed to one another. The hatred and disdain they had for each other was palpable in the already close atmophere. Oddly, the more they hated the stronger they appeared, as though their might was dependant upon opposition and conflict. Maisige lifted her head and stole a glance at the figure a few chairs away from her master. The overlord of the Dai'og Theyhl stared at her with intensity. She felt the malice of his gaze upon her and fought the urge to whimper. Here was one who used far more brutal methods of control. The priestess focused her attention to Aidomar, who had begun to speak in that all-consuming way of his.
"Arise, Priestess" he said. Maisige stood to her feet. "The Council has been made aware of recent events within Clan Aiken'yar. It appears that you have allowed the Humans, once again, to poison the mind of one of your people. We would have thought you would be more careful this time. Yet you continue to underestimate the Humans. Because of your negligence, because you failed to keep your grip firmly about the Clan you've been given charge of, another dragon sits with the seed of discontent firmly planted within her breast. Had we known of this sooner, perhaps something could have been done. But the seed was planted long ago and it has taken root . This young dragon ,that now is held in confinement, feels the call of the Spirit upon her soul. Her dissatisfaction with the life she knows has grown stronger by the year, and it is uncertain if she can be reconciled to us."
Maisige protested. "But my lord, I was only just made aware..."
"Enough!" Aidomar snapped angrily. Maisige suddenly felt a stabbing pain behind her eyes. It felt as though someone had taken a sharp object and had run it through her. The feeling intensified and she screamed in agony, falling to her knees before the Council. Her master was still speaking. She could barely hear him through the pain. "Enough of your excuses. It is your responsibility to maintain control of your clan. Your laziness has brought you exactly what you deserve!"
"Forgive, master.." She groveled before him, stretching out a claw in supplication.Maisige whimpered and all the while hated herself for doing so. There was the urge to tighten her jaw and endure the pain. She was one of the most influential dragons..the most powerful.... Yet she heard her own voice, small and distant, begging for mercy. "Forgive, Master!" And suddenly, the pain was gone. Maisige looked at the overlord of Aiken'yar and tried to control the trembling that had taken over her body.
"Were you also unaware, Priestess, that she has had contact with a Human? A Human that could be a danger to us. He comes from a line you should know quite well" Aidomar lifted a bony finger and an image appeared before her.
"Why do people not notice until they lose it?
What it is that's truly important...
Although I can't afford to forgive even myself,
Because you were there,
I was able to be myself (Natural).
I want to be honest...I want to be kind...
I want to be the adult I once (in my childhood) longed to be.
I go on fighting against the heart to run away...
I go on fighting against that invisible something!"---
True Navigation: Two MIX