Sun Dance
Master Mnmemon Laccar was left almost entirely to himself and his scholarly endeavors. As fame was something so hard to come by with in house Mnmermon, that the strange little wizard never desired for but to study his sorcery was a relief to the other Dragon-Blooded of his generation. 'Let him study' they'd joke 'more glory for us.'
No one batted an eye, then, when his studied carried him from the Isle to the edges of civilization and beyond. No one bothered to ask what the silly young man was reading that kept him up so late at night.
Maybe it was chance... Or maybe it was predestination that while traveling along to Threshold, he found himself visiting with an old hermit named Varku. Varku had many very interesting things to say, he also had a gift, a book that he gave to the young Dragon-Blooded.
When Laccar returned home and read the book, he immediately burnt it afterwards. It was blasphemous. It was contrary every thing he'd ever been taught, everything he'd ever read, it took his history and tore it about.
The book contained a poem called 'The Sun Dance.'
Since Time was not We have heard it.
Since Light was not We have felt it.
The heat in Fire/The breath of Air
Water's motion
Wood's resilience
Even the Earth does not beat without His dance.
Glowing Father who's feet dance the Sky
Glowing Father who's rhythm moves life.
Glowing Father.
It's assonance and tone was singular, as Laccar translated it, it was clearly in melodic form. A song, or perhaps better, the words to a dance. It went on further of course, telling tales of the First Age. Vastly different then the fearful stories of the Anathema. In the end, it painted his Noble line as little more then unruly children slaughtering the rightful Lords of the Land. It was terrifying, it also rang some inner truth deep within him. It was worse then blasphemy, because it seemed true.
To the outsider, Laccar's change was subtle. He withdrew now nearly entirely from society. Even his direct brothers and sisters could not lure him out of his study. They couldn't have that, of course, they did have a duty to family at large that their brother not turn into a complete hermit. (Let alone a complete embarrassment.) So they thought they would bestow upon him a gift. Something that could drag him out of the dust and perhaps even teach him a thing or two. Things he didn't seem to realize couldn't be found in books. After some searching, Laccar's brother and sister knocked on his door, left his gift outside, and went back to their gala.
Vadavaka Adele found herself standing outside of one of the private libraries of house Mnmemon wondering at the wisdom of having taken this particular job. Eventually, The door swung open and standing in the door way to Adele's complete and total surprise, was a nervous looking boy.
"Yes?* The boy said with some considerable annoyance. "For the last time Zara, I told you I wasn't.... com....ing..." Like a deer caught in front of a carriage, the boy froze staring up at the women before him.
"Not coming?" Adele smiled. "I'll be the judge of that." She moved into the library around him as he stood stunned. Adele busied herself perusing the books on the shelves.
It took Laccar a moment for his mind to catch up to him. "L-l-l-look here my good women!" Following behind the much taller women, he comes from behind her and snatches a book from her. "Don't g-g-g-go touching th-that!"
She turned and fixed warmed honey colored eyes on him, caressing him with that glance. "You have a stutter. Is that why you hide up here by yourself?"
"I don't have a s-s-s-tudder! I'm here because this is w-w-where the b.." The lad stomped his foot. "Books are!"
Adele passed close to the lad and put a hand on his cheek. It was a quick, affectionate action that caught the young Noble off guard. "Books are safer then people. Books can't read you back." She said and dropped her hand, turning to pick up a tome. "What's this book? I don't recognize the language."
Poor Laccar was left standing dumb founded for the longest time. She'd touched him, and softly, what's more as she spoke he could feel her eyes look right down into his soul. "It's... A book on first circle demons."
"Demons?" She laughed and put it down. "Not the sort of sorcery I would meddle in, to be sure."
'Your sure?' He thought. 'You might well be a succubus by your looks.' The boy had to shake his head at the thought. "Me either, it's just one of my family's books. You know about sorcery?"
She nodded, running a long slender finger along he spine of another tome. "What I could glean from the library's I have been allowed into."
"You read?" He came around to look at her. "I thought you were just one of the Noble's companions."
The laugh that peeled from her was warm and teasing. "I am every Noble's companion. However, as it pleases you my Lord, I am yours as long as you'll have me."
The boy stood shocked.
"And yes, I read."
That night Adele made Lord Laccar into a man. In return, Laccar showered his personal succubus in gifts, and more importantly, started taking her on his trips farther and farther into the Threshold. Whenever the young wizard left the Blessed Isle, it was with his loyal traveling companion in toe. He explained to her only as much as needed about the old Gods and their cults as they traveled along the outer edge of the known world. For her part of things, when they returned she allowed the other nobles to 'pump' her for prepackaged information so they had no idea what really went on while they were gone.
Years passed as they are want too do as Adele occupied herself between Laccar and a few other little matters. He was floored by how easily she understood, though could not practice, the Occult arts he was researching. She seemed to him some sort of savant. Eventually, the dreams started. Almost every night Adele spent with him, Laccar had terrifying dreams, dreams that told him more and more obvious that he had to visit the old hermit who had gotten him into this trouble in the first place.
They left a week or two into the dreams. Left in more clouded secret then they ever had before. In time, they arrived at the old hermits hut. Varku was standing waiting for them as they approached from the road.
"Took you long enough boy." The old mans voice rasped like sand across the dessert. "Good, you brought the women."
Adele and Laccar stood shocked and silent.
"Well, come in come in. You'll need your rest now, before it gets too late to go. The natives in the village not far from here prepare for a festival. You will take part lovely women. You will be the main event."
Laccar turned and looked at Adele, in that moment, she saw some strange resignation in his eyes. Like he knew something that both saddened him, but resigned him to some unknown duty. "Don't worry 'Del." The boy said. "I think I've finally found what I was looking for in all those books."
They sat through that morning and into the after noon. Laccar and Varku speaking to each other in a language Adele did not understand. It was haunting somehow. Like the words to a song she knew so well she didn't understand them anymore.
As evening came closer and closer she felt some strange anticipation. The sun slipped further and further from it's apex and she could hardly keep herself sitting still in the little stuffy hut. "That's it!" She finally exclaimed. "I have to go." Adele rose and left the hut just like that. Laccar stood to stop her, but Varku seemed quite intent on letting her go.
She started to run almost before she realized she was doing it. Running faster and faster down the path till she realized she was running to a large bonfire in the middle of a small village. Her ears registered as she could see the fire a strange primitive chant in a language unfamiliar to her. Yet somehow she knew the words. Like a mantra put right into her head she found herself inexplicably chanting along. The locals seemed not only not put off by her intrusion, but seemed to have been prepared for her. They laughed and helped her out of her courtly clothing she was dressed in only enough to not be entirely bare. That's when the dance started. The chant became a song. Something heavy and pulsing with a drum rhythm so intense she could feel it in her bones.
"Dance!" Cried the villagers. "Dance for Him who is your King!" And Adele danced.
It was more then impassioned. It was ecstatic. Though she could only scarcely realize it, this was dance she'd danced before. A sacred thing to reach a perfect union with her God. Not just her God though, the God of all like her. The intensity of the rhythm increased and taken by fits, Adele saw visions of the pure Sun. The Unconquered Sun showed himself to her as she danced and she was changed.
Faster and faster she went. Dancing circles around the bonfire. Faster and faster the dance went on for hours until the Sun set and Adele danced in twilight. Her feet bled into the earth feeding it, but even that did not stop the dance. She'd grown so exhausted she couldn't hear the chanters any longer. All that was left was the rhythm of the dance and her visions of God.
The chanters stopped. The drums stopped. All of the villagers stopped and stared as the strangers dancing form started to glow. A pure golden glow brighter and brighter. They turned their eyes away as the women seemed to rise off the ground. Flesh a blinding gold, two extra arms extended from her side and the air around her seemed full of shimmering mouthed feathers that flickered and floated and shined all around her.
"She remembers!" The chanted ecstatic as the Sun reclaimed on of his own.
Glowing Father who's feet dance the Sky
Glowing Father who's rhythm moves life.
Glowing Father.
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