As she's looking up to check the sky again a great sound echoes through the water- the Council's underwater songshell that's only used to announce very special events. It's time for the Consilium to begin.
*Hurricane Lords.* With one last look in Epuri's assumed direction she reluctantly turns go swim to the gathering place. Now would be a spectacular time for a suprise entrance Epuri!
The gathering place is an area in the very center of the Clan's territory, halfway between the sandy bottom and the rippled surface. Twilight gives the water a surreal quality and a lavander-grey tint, and the current feels unsure of which way to go. Dozens and dozens of sirens trickle in to form a great circle with one gap in it for the Council, which hasn't arrived yet, and the adolescents can easily be picked out because of their nervousness. Dulcis comes to a stop at the outter edge, still fidgeting and looking out for Epuri, when Vellicare swims in with her friend Locusta, one of the few wingless siren. Noticing Dulcis, Velli looks around for Epuri and, not finding her, glides over with a smile somewhere between suspicion and joy.
*Why Dulcis, where's Epuri? Isn't this her Consilium, too?* She smiles a little more, full well knowing the answer but enjoying the taunt. Locusta remains unnervingly silent, only staring hatefully at Dulcis
from beneth long red hair.Dulcis frowns angrilly and crosses her arms- she had never really understood the rivalry between her friend and Velli, and how Velli could make Epuri so furious, but now being the direct target of these cloaked attacks for the first time she feels frustrated anger pulse against her temples. *Oh, I wouldn't worry about her Velli* she says, suprised at her own bitterness. *I'm sure your presentation requires your full attention.*
Vellicare's wing twitches and her smile thins. *Well, then, may you have enough luck to complete your own.* She speaks slowly, and turns to leave before finishing. Locusta hangs back a moment, still staring icily, before turning and leaving all in one sudden movement.
Dulcis gives a great sigh of relief and lets her wings sag. Silently she urges Epuri to hurry, and not give Velli such an easy victory! -when she slowly realizes the assembly has fallen silent. Floating herself up a bit to see over the crowd she makes a small sound of dismay- the Council is arriving.
Even from her place at the side of the circle, Dulcis can feel the change that follows the five members of the Council- four plus the Head Elder. Even the rowdiest siren youths fall silent and fold their wings in respect along with everyone else as The Five slide in silently, bringing an overwhelming feeling of sad wisdom to the gathering.
Dulcis dares a look back over her shoulder as the Speaker begins the traditional speech, but it's no good- Curse it Epuri... the speech will buy you some time, but... She blinks, suddenly feeling as if someone is watching her, and turns her attention back to the gathering. Sure enough, across from her on the other side of the circle, Vellicare has noticed her nervous searching and looks about ready to break into tears of joy. Dulcis wipes her own face blank and returns her stare. Suprised, Velli shrugs and turns most of her attention to the Speaker, who is now announcing the order in which the adolescent sirens will be called to present. To this both Dulcis and Velli pay attention- Velli will be called fairly early on, Dulcis at about the halfway point after a boy named Aludor, and Epuri's name will be called right after hers. Dulcis nods grimly, not wanting to give Velli the satisfaction of her dissapointment that they won't be called later.
Quite a while past, the silent air of respect is all but gone nearly everyone other than the nerve wracked adolescents has settled into a sleep like state. Many have taken their turn, including Velli with her seaweed weaving, and others with equally 'exciting' pieces of work. Dulcis, too, hovers as if in a trance, fighting not to give up on her friend and to recall the predictions she had to memorize at the same time. Her concentration breaks as, with a naseous feeling in the pit of her stomach, she realises Aludor has just finished presenting and is returning to the circle, face flushed with relief- it's Dulcis turn.
*Dulcis of the western sands of the Clan's Territory, come forth,* the now bored Speaker calls. Having to force herself to breathe past the blockage in her throat, Dulcis nods and floats forward into the center of the Circle. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Vellicare looking all over the place as if this was too good to be true, joy shadowed with suspicion in her eyes. Dulcis sets her jaw against the blood thundering against her temples- Epuri, come on now... She bows to the Counci somewhat stiffly, and folds both her hands and wings behind her back to keep them from trembling.
*I, Dulcis, come here before the great Council to prove my worth.* Dulcis hopes no one can hear the strain in her voice as she speaks the traditional introduction. *My presentation to you consists of predictions made by the stars, which I swear I have done entirely without help...* For once she's glad for the length of the formalities, and speaks as slowly as she can without being rude. Velli's eyes burning against the back of her neck don't help, either. Come on 'Puri... She stops to rub at the spots in her eyes and then to cough, but it's no use. She's come to her last prediction. *...and there will be a strong current from the north next quarter moon.*
The Speaker nods and begins to excuse her, and she bites her lip against the feeling of her heart crumbling. I'm sorry Epuri. I've failed you... As she turns and begins to drift back into the circle, Velli beaming at the edge of her vision, Epuri's words from the other day return to her mind- "Dulcis, they would go out of their way not to turn you out!" Oh Dulcis. This is a bad, bad idea. The Speaker opens his mouth to call Epuri, and Dulcis takes a deep breath. A terrable idea, but my only one. Lady of the Tide help me. Before she can stop herself she spins back around. *Wait!*
Everyone gasps and she blushes deeply- she actually inturrupted the Speaker! Velli looks as if she would like to swim right out and drag Dulcis back into the circle herself. The Speaker frowns and seems about to tell Dulcis to leave the circle, and in a panic Dulcis turns and looks pleadingly into the eyes of the Head Elder herself. *Please pardon my rudeness Great Ones. The stars have told me a most unusual thing, and I feared to say it, but now I feel that I must.* I can't believe I'm lying to the Elder! Lady forgive me... But to her shock the Elder, after staring back into Dulcis' eyes for a moment, nods for her to continue (drawing more gasps from the assembled.)
Frowning even more now, the Speaker nods for Dulcis to continue, and she takes a shuddering breath. Lady give me strength... *The stars have told me that the rest of this Consilium will be delayed. I rest my place in the Clan on this prediction.* The whisper of talking breaks into a roar. Dulcis closes her eyes as the entire Council turns to consider such a radical statement, feeling all her muscles knot. There. Now they'll have to delay it or say that I was wrong and exile me. Epuri, lets hope you weren't joking.
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Elsewhere...
Epuri, floating below a surface that glows with twilight, sighs and rubs her eyes with one hand. The voice had started to fade away as soon as she decided to find it, although wether it was satisfied that she got the message or didn't care who felt it and when she had no idea. However it felt no less real, upset, and somehow... lost? and Epuri had followed it as best she could without sleep for the day and a half since she left. But now...
*I don't believe this. I come all this way...* She glides up to look above the surface again, as if looking again will make it change, but it's no good. With a frustrated yell she slaps the water angrilly- the voice has led her to the shore.
*Well? I don't know if you can hear me, but now what?* But nothing happens, and she crosses her arms to stare frustratedly at the distant green and brown land, as if it's in her way. Not for the first time she wonders if she really might be loosing her mind. It's no use thinking that way- I already decided it's real enough to check out. No more second guessing. Suddenly it's the voice that she's mad at, and she flares her wings. *You pester me for help, you make me think I'm crazy, pull me away and keep me going for near two days- and now you let up? I don't dare get any nearer to the shore, there's land-walkers all over it!*
Lack of sleep, stress, and the raging emotions of the whatever it is that's calling rush over Epuri in a wave then, and she lets herself sink slowly down to the sea floor. Laying on her back she misses the soft golden sand of home; the sand here is grey and corse from being so near to the land. She closes her eyes and rests a bit anyway, drifting into a chilled and lonely sleep.
Epuri wakes up to a fully risen moon, shining through the water like a silver lantern. It's especially bright for the shallowness of the water here closer to land and she blinks, suprised. *I can't believe I fell asleep in the middle of all this. I must have been pushing myself too hard.* She runs both hands through her hair and stretches her back, then lets her arms drop to her sides- where her left hand brushes against the side of her bag, and she freezes in shock.
*Oh, Tide Lady!* Epuri takes the songshell out of her bag with trembling hands and stares at it, horrified. *I've been gone two days! The Consilium!* A long, unbelieving sound struggles out of her throat, and the shell slips through her fingers to fall to the sand. She presses both hands against her eyes and tries to breathe, not bothering to retrieve the songshell.
She wipes her eyes, in a haze of shock. *I could go back... But there's no point. It's over by now...* The voice reacts to that, not 'speaking' to her directly, but responding to her thought with irritation. Epuri blinks. *You think I would be giving up not to at least try. She bites her lip. *Who ARE you?* Good thing she didn't expect an answer, because none came. Luckily, she didn't need one either. I'm not quite exiled just yet. No, not yet! Her defiant thoughts give her strength, and she bends to gently pick up her precious songshell from the dark sand. The feel of it in her hands actually makes her smile- I do have to go back. I still have to see the look on Velli's face when she hears this!
Mentally she braces herself for a long physically and mentally tiring journey. Her mouth set in a grim line, she turns to look back over her shoulder towards the land for a moment. *I don't know that you can hear me, whatever you are, but I know you're still in trouble. I'll go home and do what I can, and then I swear by the Great Lady that I'll come back.* Not wasting another moment she tucks the songshell back into her bag and goes, pumping her tail hard and folding her wings back to go as fast as she can. In her hurry she doesn't notice that the strange calling begins to fade, leaving her mind completely quiet for the first time in days.
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