The feeling of drowsiness continued to envelope you, threatening to drag you down into the abyss. Max, you managed to force your eyes to stay awake, but every second is a fight against the sandman. Klara, with your rambunctious source of energy, you'd be pretty alert - even as your body ached for a nice nap. And Carolina, the tired, draining feeling continues to pull on you, but in the way you might feel when heading to the airport for an early flight - exhausted, but awake and alert.
Mercymorn, the more sarcastic and mean of the two horses, let her head droop as she fell asleep. Butter Rum tried nuzzling her, but it wanted to sleep as well.
They're coming... The Green Eyed One is coming... Butter Rum warned.
The poppies continued to bring on drowsy sleep. Ropes of bones crawled out of the ground, making their way slowly towards you. They shot up, stopping short of entangling you, before assembling themselves into a person with glowing green eyes.
"Mm, hello there, poppets," they said. "Don't you all look tired? How about a nice rest and a cuppa, eh? I've got just the thing..." They waved their arm, and suddenly, a path cleared in the hedge maze. It led to a magnificent manor, made out of a strange off-white material. Carolina, you would be the first to recognize what it was. It was made of human bone.
I had mentioned before to you, Max, that the Green Eyed One is a deity of death. I should have been more clear. The Green Eyed One deals in death. They trade. A soul for a miracle. A life for a jewel. A death for a dance.
* * *
You have a good eye, Madalyne. Ananym certainly would not tell you this, but there were no other demons in that tower. There were others trapped within its walls, bound to a cruel and unsuspecting mistress. "No one important!" Ananym told Mads cheerfully. Space-time seemed to contract as you all dashed down the staircase. Within seconds, you were at the bottom of the tower. Annika, you would be hit by a sense of vertigo, as if you had left your stomach at the very top. "I let them in, duh! They came in through the door," Ananym then answered Jack, as if he had said something very stupid.
"Ooo, yeah, you can have all the knives you want! Just not my special knife. That one's for important occasions only," Ananym told Annika cheerfully. You do not want to see her special knife. I have. Trust me.
"We need to go that way to get to the library," Ananym said, pointing her finger towards a red brick path that led into a thick woods, and up to a mountain beyond. On this mountain sat a fierce and sinister castle. Lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating it as if on cue. "We could race! Let's race!" Ananym then took off at a run, a bundle of pure demonic energy, heading for the woods.
Tread lightly, my friends.
* * *
Prudence, I am not surprised you did what you did. I will be more interested to see whether or not you regret your actions, but I think that you will not. The quickening of your heart, the tensing of your muscles, the sharpness upon your teeth. Those are the first signs of this new power you have welcomed. As you step out of the mausoleum, a veil seemed to slip away before your eyes.
You are in a space that is pure red. There are no features. The ground appears to be water. In front of you, there is your
Lord. Make no mistake - it is not his power that allows him to appear to you now. It is
yours. To you, Edus, you would not see anything amiss with Prudence. Aside from her eyes. They are orbs of pure red, no pupils or other colors in sight.
Runa the Grey
Location: Limbo
Skills: Intuition
Spells: N/A
Runa chuckled, smiling sharply at Ed's answer. Prudence gave her no response. That was fine. They were quickly likening Prudence to a cat. They did not mind. Although they preferred the company of wolves, they could respect a feline companion.
"The mantle has already been thrust upon you, my friend. There is no refusing it now. You may shed it and bestow it upon another - perhaps, if you wished to give your piece to me, I could begin to reunite whatever has fractured the office so. Or perhaps you wish to bestow it to someone else, but choose wisely, as you will be handing them the power of a god." They made no designs as to whether Edus ought to give the power to themselves or not. They would certainly like for him to do so. They had forgotten the taste of magic in their blood for so long, it felt good to have it flow once more. And now, she wanted more. She craved it. She craved the power she once possessed, back when she had been the Mother, not the Crone.
But those who asked for power from a man were rarely given it. That had been their experience. If they were a quiet, frail old thing, then they would not be distrusted. Or perhaps Edus was wise and would see that even snakes grew old.
They noticed nothing of Prudence's choice. They did not sense that the shadow had retreated. And she did not hear the scraping of the iron gate, as the exit of the cemetery swung open, revealing a red brick road.
