Day 231 (209th)

Day 231 (209th):
The bells seemed louder this morning. Not wearing the robes, having our swords in the open, and our companions with us made getting ready much easier this morning. We still received stares from the clerics as we took our usual table. We could tell by red eyes and tired faces who had been up copying the ritual. A copy was on our table. It was a little difficult to read until Treena blessed us with the understanding of the language. When we got to a part about a mixture used to anoint the participants, we all chuckled, which caused several odd looks from the neighboring tables. Lord Bishop entered alone, looking tired as well. He remained standing while telling everyone to sit.
"Brothers and sisters, before you is the ritual that we will perform today instead of mass. While there are still some things to work out, we are confident that it will produce the desired effect. Please, everyone, enjoy your meal and let us pray for our success."
He led everyone in a short prayer and took his seat. As we ate, we heard that the transformed clerics had, apparently, become animals that reflected their personalities. There were many sheep, some cows, a handful of donkeys, and a dusting of peacocks, lizards, and song birds. Unfortunately, they said that some were missing or unaccounted. Remembering the rodent that Sis. Elm had become, we guessed that some of the others may have become something similar.
Just before we were dismissed, Lord Bishop announced he would present the new Lady Bishop at dinner tonight. Sis. Cedar relayed a message to meet Lord Bishop in his office when we were released. I could see that Sis. Cedar was nervous.
I took her hand, "Worry not, I am sure Lord Bishop will find someone well suited to be Lady Bishop. He will not want a repeat of this incident."
She nodded and left, but worry still weighed upon her. Looking around, I saw worry hung upon everyone but not for the same reasons. Some worried about their transformed fellows. Some worried about the next Lady Bishop. Some worried about our presence. The ritual also produced some doubts and fears. When we were excused, worry followed every cleric like a smoky ribbon.
We entered Lord Bishop's office just after he had arrived. Worry engulfed him like a shroud. Sis. Willow was a shade behind him.
"Ladies, I fear our ritual will fail. There are three ingredients to the anointing powder we cannot find nor do we understand what they are. You have read the ritual, do you know of these things?"
He pointed to the list and singled out "drungare", "leasfarrtu", and "sarifatalie". These were what had made us giggle. Suppressing that urge, we told him we could provide those items at the ritual. He relaxed only slightly while looking at us somewhat puzzled. He voiced other concerns, all of which we listened to and tried to allay. One concern was where to perform this ritual. Rereading it, we found a part speaking of "round this tree we gather". Sis. Willow spoke of an ancient tree out in the courtyard. We stepped to one of the small windows and looked out. The layers of power around it was surprising. It was apparent that the prayers were stripping the tainted energy away and revealing the other surrounding energies. We tried to explain to Lord Bishop what we saw, but he could not understand and argued that it was "unsuitable". He said that it would be best to hold it in the worship hall and have a staff as the "tree". Sis. Willow and I tried, but he would not listen. My sisters took up the argument, but he still refused. I felt Fate and another presence descend upon Sis. Willow and myself. Without our control, our bodies turned to face Lord Bishop and my sisters.
"Hear us now, Lord Bishop, and know that the gods speak."
Lord Bishop looked at us and paled. My sisters stepped back to let us talk.
"The tree in yon court is sacred to many beings. It is rooted not only in this earth, but in many other realms. Perform your ritual there and a great swath of land shall be cleaned and healed."
Lord Bishop tried to argue, claiming the worship hall was the center of the cloister. Fate stopped him.
"Your cloister is but a speck, a temporary thing. That tree has stood before the first stone was set in this fortress. It has witnessed wars and wonders. It will be there after this place is dust. So, do not claim the importance of this place or your position, Brother Hawthorn, for both are but a blink in time."
Lord Bishop was silent with his mouth open.
When he found his voice, he whispered, "Who do I tell has ordained this?"
Sis. Willow's body looked at me, Fate actually, with eyes of solid black, no whites, nothing but black. Words passed between them that I could not understand. We turned back to face him and my sisters.
"I am Kayla's patron. Her sisters and Set know me well. I am Fate."
Lord Bishop fell backward. Lisa's hip against his chair kept him upright. He stammered, trying to come up with the appropriate platitude. Fate stopped him.
"Do not strain yourself. I am not one who needs grand words or fawning followers. Just perform the ritual around this tree and all is well."
"Fate, he still doubts, believes his structure of stone is more suitable than a mere tree."
Lord Bishop tried to counter, but those black eyes bore into his soul and he admitted that he still felt the worship hall was still preferable to the tree.
"He is a man of sight. He needs to see for himself. Fate, take my hand and let him see you and I, who goes by the name Lor-O-Va among mortals, as his mind can comprehend."
Lord Bishop reeled again at the name given by Sis. Willow's body. We took each other's hands. Light surrounded us. I could not see what he, and my sisters, were seeing as they looked at us. Even Set and Dawn registered reactions. Bo was a little hard to read, being a snake and all. I'm not sure how long we glowed, but it faded and the pair of gods left us. I had to catch Sis. Willow, as she was unaccustomed to channelling such power. My sisters raced to our sides to aid me with her and check on me as well. We practically carried Sis. Willow to a couch where she could rest. Lord Bishop rose rather stiffly and quietly asked if we would show him this tree.
The entire way, he walked as if he did not trust either the floor nor his legs to support him. Even outside, his gait remained stiff and unsure. He nearly walked into the tree before he realized we were there. He circled the tree several times before he faced us.
"I must be thick. I do not see anything special about this tree. What am I missing?" he asked, almost pleading.
I walked up to him, "Take my hand, Lord Bishop, and see as I see. The power enveloping it will astound you."
He looked at my hand warily, then accepted it gingerly.
Just as I had shared my sight with my sisters, I gave Lord Bishop the ability to "see". We stepped back so he could see the whole tree. The look of awe and wonder painted his face. He looked at the tree and its power for several moments in silence.
Finally, he spoke, "All these colors. Shapes, ripples, plus many other things. I had no idea this unassuming tree held so much power. What is all of this?"
I went about explaining everything we saw. Set commented on a few of them. Breaking contact, we began working on the ritual. Walking through it, we saw how vital a tree was to making the ritual work properly.
The bells for lunch actually startled us. We hurried back into the cloister and arrived at the back of the group. Lord Bishop, of course, went to his side door to enter by his table.
I could see the nervousness and anticipation thick around the other clerics. Most had their copy of the ritual, going over every syllable, every motion and step. We were glad to have gone over it outside so that the rest could follow us and gain confidence from us. Lord Bishop entered, we all stood, and he motioned for everyone to sit. He took a deep breath and began.
"Brothers and sisters, after we leave here, we will be going to the large tree, near the women's wing, on the southeast corner of the grounds. The Seven Sisters and I have practiced the steps and feel that we all can do this properly and that a great change will take place. For now, sit, eat, and relax, for the gods have ordained this day."
The rest sat, still very nervous. They barely ate, concentrating more on the ritual than anything else. We heard many comment on the missing ingredients, wondering if Lord Bishop was hiding them to add at the ritual.
Just before the mass bell, Lord Bishop signalled for us to exit with him. Out in the corridor, Lord Bishop handed us the bowl full of the other items.
"Outside, please add the last items in front of everyone. I need them to know that I did not keep anything important from them after revealing you identities and the completed book."
We understood his need to have the cloister trust him. We took the bowl and saw the assortment of herbs, powders, and items that the ritual specified. We also saw evidence of many attempts to set it alight. The ritual said it, when complete, would become ash that would anoint everyone taking part in it.
We exited with the bowl in hand and went straight to the tree. We were barely in place when the bell rang. A few moments later, Lord Bishop led the rest of the cloister in a procession towards us. A few paces from us, they stopped and fanned out so everyone could see us. I held the bowl above my head.
"Clerics, I see your nervousness. You have not failed when you assembled this concoction. Lord Bishop has not hidden the last three items. We have them and will add them now."
The clerics muttered to each other softly, even Lord Bishop. Set walked up slightly in front of me.
"Drungare is a stone not found on the ground or under. Set, if you please."
I lowered the bowl below his head. He coughed, groaned, and, finally, spit a peach-pit-sized stone into the bowl. It landed wetly among the other items. A small wisp of smoke began to rise from the bowl, eliciting a collective gasp from the clerics. Set stepped back. I held the bowl high above my head.
"Leasfarrtu is a share of sparks no ordinary fire can produce. Dawn, your turn."
Dawn took off from Alice's shoulder and hovered over me. Giving a sharp cheep, golden sparks showered both me and the bowl. The smoke became thicker and curled above the bowl. More gasps, then stunned silence. I lowered the bowl to my chest, looking through the smoke at the clerics.
"Sarifatalie is hair from a very unique person. It is a maiden of the Faerie race who has been to the Faerie Realm."
The clerics looked around to see if someone else would step forward. They looked back at me as I reached up and plucked a hair from my own head. As I dropped it in, I raised the bowl. A bright violet flame burst inside the bowl. Many stepped back in surprise or shock. I held it until the flame went out and the smoke was gone. When I lowered the bowl, I saw inside a bone-white ash that moved like fine sand. Lord Bishop approached first, smiled, and dipped one finger into it and smeared a line from his hairline to the end of his nose. Seeing that the result was just as the ritual described, the clerics eagerly advanced and repeated Lord Bishop's action. After marking themselves, the clerics formed a circle around the tree, enclosing us and Lord Bishop. When the circle was formed, Lord Bishop began the ritual. Reciting the ritual in the Treegal language, Lord Bishop began building the magic around the tree. The other clerics chimed in at the appropriate times. At our cue, the seven of us encircled the tree and pointed our swords at the trunk. The energy from the clerics flowed into us, through the swords, and into the tree. Before all of our eyes, spectral leaves unfolded upon every branch, limb, and twig. Once they were the size of a human hand, buds began forming like soap bubbles. Delicate transparent pink flowers bloomed, filling the air with a sweet smell. When these had reached their peak, becoming the size of a gold coin, they petals fell in a shower that never reached the ground, evaporating like morning dew. In their place, glass-like fruit of every variety began growing. Apples, oranges, pears, cherries, lemons, limes, plus many more grew to fullness in seconds. As they "ripened" and fell, they, too, evaporated without touching the ground. Around the base of the tree, at the same time the flowers and fruit were growing, crystalline grass rose around our feet, covering us and the clerics to our knees and extending several feet beyond their circle. I could still see the physical snow through the translucent blades.
Upon reaching the end of the ritual, as the clerics spoke the last word, we seven rotated in place, putting our backs to the tree and swords pointing at the clerics. They all bowed low, so that our swords were over their heads.
In the Treegal language, we seven said, "Let it be done."
The phantom leaves swirled off the tree and, along with the build up power, raced through us and our swords. The force of it made most of us stumble a step forward. I watched the power soar from us, through the clerics, and out of sight. I could feel it re-clean the area around the cloister and, when it hit the perimeter, push that area beyond the town, through the forest, over the fields, and many miles beyond. How far it went, I could not tell.
The last of the power leaving left us weak and spent, even the clerics seemed tired and drained. Lord Bishop told us in a hoarse whisper to return to the cloister and rest. Many leaned on each other as we trudged back to the building. I noticed we were followed by a small herd of sheep, some birds, and a few other creatures. When a cleric faltered, one or two of the sheep or a donkey aided them up and inside. Lord Bishop, as best he could in his exhaustion, confidently told the animals that, if they now believed the book showed the true path, their penance was ended. Many of the sheep returned to their former selves while only one donkey changed. Birds hovered, then flew off. I was inside by now and did not see any other transformations.
We did not undress when we reached our room. Exhausted, we fell into bed.