Ku Lon looked around from where she sat in the middle of the circle of symbols and lettering painted on the smooth rock of the mountain ledge the Amazon matriarch and her great-granddaughter had chosen for the ritual. It was an excellent location, high up the side of the mountain valley on the opposite side from the Cave of Worlds, so there was no chance of encountering the guards of the new door closing it off and less of random wanderers in the night stumbling across them. And with the tall, ancient pine trees screening the ledge from below, there was little chance of any late night wanderers seeing the flickering light of the lanterns lighting the ledge.
Noting that the lanterns were well placed away from the screening trees with no chance of accidentally starting a fire, she next checked that Xian Pu and Mu Tse were on guard as ordered and was pleased to see that they were actually acting as guards and not an audience, looking out into the night and not ruining their night vision by watching the lantern-lit ceremony — not that there would be anything to see, only a very old woman sitting in the middle of the circle with her eyes closed and her staff laid across her crossed legs.
Finally, Ku Lon carefully looked over the circle she and Xian Pu had created, checking for missed or misdrawn letters or symbols, and gave a satisfied nod. Xian Pu might at her young age be more interested in the arts of the warrior rather than those of the priestess, but she had at least learned her symbols properly. All was in order, and it was time to start.
The tiny crone closed her eyes, shutting out the outside world — the touch of the cool breeze on her skin, the smell of the pines, the sounds of the wind through the trees and the nighttime insects — as she focused her heart on her cry for aid even as she quietly chanted the ancient prayer of praise.
Suddenly, between one chanted verse and the next, her world changed. The cool night air was replaced by a soft warm breeze, the feel of sunlight on her face, and she opened her eyes to find herself sitting by a still artificial pool before a small stately, pillared temple made out of marble such as her ancestors had worshiped in centuries before, far from the home in the backwaters of China. Frescos of home and play, crafts and war, ran along the edge of the roof, gaily painted.
Standing, Ku Lon looked out across the vista revealed from the grassy hilltop the temple occupied, at the open fields and patches of woodland below, then ran her hands over her nude body. Yes, she was once again her long-lost height, her skin again smooth, her breasts again large and firm. Brushing her hair back as she knelt down by the pool, she examined her mirrored reflection in the still waters and smiled in delight at the sight of the unmarked face she’d had before her years as a warrior, and the scars they had brought — those scars had been badges of honor and symbols of victories won, but they had turned one of the loveliest faces in the history of the tribe (she fondly believed) into something ... much harder.
“Are you sure it’s me you want to speak with, and not Aphrodite?”
The voice came from behind her, and Ku Lon rose and turned to find what she expected. Standing in the entrance to the temple was a tall, imposing woman dressed in light flowing robes from her shoulders to her feet, belted at the waist and covered in the front by a light breastplate. On one bare arm she bore a shield with a lightning bolt on the front, in her other hand she held a long spear with the butt braced against a sandaled foot, and a golden old-style Greek helmet was tilted up on her forehead.
The young Ku Lon bowed deeply to the goddess. “There are a great many things for which I would seek the lovely Aphrodite’s company, but what brings me here tonight is not one of them. Thank you, Athena, for hearing my petition for advice.”
Athena stiffened, face clouding up, until she caught the urchin grin on Ku Lon’s face. Relaxing, the goddess shook her head with a chuckle. “You do enjoy living dangerously, don’t you?”
Ku Lon laughed. “What kind of Amazon would I be if I didn’t?” she asked lightly. “I may have grown old and exchanged my warrior’s sword for an elder’s staff, but I can still remember the exhilaration risk brings.”
“Yes, and there is something else I’m sure you remember,” Athena replied, voice going soft. Leaning the spear against a column, she slipped the shield off her arm and placed it beside the spear. Stepping forward to embrace her naked young/old companion, she pulled her into a deep, hungry kiss. “The couch is still in its usual place inside, or would you prefer the grass and the open sun?”
“Out here will be fine,” Ku Lon replied huskily, fingers working at the straps of the breastplate.
An endless time later, a sweat-covered Ku Lon sighed as the echoes of pleasure again passed through her body. Beside her, an equally sweaty Athena sat up with a very satisfied smile on her face. “You have lost none of your skill since the last time you visited,” she remarked, stretching. Noticing the way Ku Lon’s eyes followed the interesting motions her stretch engendered, she laughed. “No, Ku Lon, as much as I would enjoy another round, the night is growing short in the world your body occupies. And considering which world that is I suspect we have much to cover. I do have to admit that I was surprised at where you were calling from.”
Ku Lon sighed regretfully, then sat up herself and looked out across the grassy hillside and the fields and copses beyond. “You know of Yrth?” she asked.
“Yes, some Olympians have worshippers here. There are some in the Megalan countryside, a debased form of the old religion that hid in the occasional backwater throughout western Europe, but most of them are in the cities of Megalos. Actually, Ares has the most, but they’re mostly common soldiers in the Megalan legions. Aphrodite has the next most, but they’re mostly bored rich and would-like-to-be rich women looking for a thrill. I like to think that my worshippers are of a higher caliber than the others.”
Ku Lon shook her head slightly, suppressing a chuckle. It isn’t hard to see where we Amazons get our egos, she thought, carefully keeping any hint of her ruminations off her face as she turned to face her goddess. “Good,” she said instead, “that means that I don’t have to give as much background as I thought I would.”
With as few words as possible, the Amazon matriarch explained how she had ended up in Yrth, the result of Miyo’s demand for answers, and the request the newly-minted seer had made of the three Amazons.
When she finished, Athena gazed into her eyes for a long moment, then turned to also turned to admire the view. “You’re tempted to take her up on it, aren’t you?” she idly asked.
“Of course I am,” Ku Lon replied instantly. “What Amazon wouldn’t? Miyo is going to be the center of one of the great epics in history, and the names of those closest to her are going to be repeated in stories for centuries. Perhaps as I am I cannot be spoken of with the fighting prowess of an Achilles or the cunning of an Odysseus, but certainly I can be remembered with the wisdom of a Mentor. As well, with their training, Xian Pu and Mu Tse will earn their place in the tales.
“But we Amazons learned long ago that personal glory earned at the expense of the tribe is no glory at all, and we have only Miyo’s word — or rather this Deborah’s word, given through Miyo — that the tribe is safe and not really in need of our services.
“And as well, there is this,” she added, waving at the landscape around them. “If I accept her offer, I will have to adapt what I know of the mystic arts to the Christian faith, and for that I will have to convert. And it will have to be a true conversion, the Christian saints and angels will most likely be as jealous as their God, and unwilling to answer one that only pretends at their faith. I would miss this ... miss you.”
Athena turned from the watching the landscape to smile softly at the young-seeming woman that she had known for centuries, intimately for much of that time. Then her smile turned into an urchin grin that very few were privileged to see on the normally serene goddess’s face. “What? Just because you convert, you can’t visit an old friend?” she asked impishly, then laughed at Ku Lon’s dumbstruck look. Finally sobering, she returned to her previous soft smile. “I mean it, Ku Lon, just because you may no longer be a worshipper, singing my praises, doesn’t mean you can’t still visit. And if you are no longer petitioning me for aid, you can still ask me for advice.
“Now, for what Deborah told Miyo, it is the truth — your tribe is as well off as it has ever been, and its future abruptly much brighter. When you throw your lot in with Miyo’s crusade, you need not fear an adverse impact on those you have left behind.”
Ku Lon sighed, seeming to shrink a little as she relaxed at the news, then cocked an eyebrow at her companion. “You are very confident in what my decision will be.”
“Of course I am! What other decision is possible for a follower of Olympus but to reach for the olive wreath, so long as her people are not injured? And now,” Athena added, her appreciative gaze roaming over the lovely nude woman sitting beside her, “I think we have enough time for one last round before you return to your charges, and your new cause.”
Ku Lon opened her eyes to a brightening world, the lanterns long guttered out no longer necessary, the morning birdsong ringing through the woods. Sighing, she stood with the help of her staff and stretched, relaxing muscles stiffened from her hours sitting in one position, then turned to her two guards.
“Great-grandmother, were you with the goddess Athena? Did Miyo tell the truth?” an excited Xian Pu demanded even as she continued to scan the trees around them.
“Yes, child, I was, and she did. I will be staying, though you and Mu Tse will need to come to your own decision — I will not command in something this important. If you do choose to return to the tribe, I would suggest joining the Lost Boy in his wanderings — sooner or later he will pass by the village, and you will have less trouble with your cursed forms if he is with you. But more discussion will need to wait until after breakfast, let’s get this cleaned up so some woodsman doesn’t stumble across it and panic, and go home.”
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(Posted Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:10)
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