| 18.5: Two Hearts Beat As One Two figures walked out into the Wastes, this time-there were the flowing robes of a priestess of Columnia, and the long black coat of a Church missionary. They went to a small little corner under the wide open night sky, a niche of rock that sheltered them from the wind. The rocky floor was littered with wax, particles of salt and other detritus of the arcane. "Where are we?" Chronos asked. "Yeah, where are we, you bleeding Imperial spy!?" demanded Chronos in falsetto. Vanana ignored the harsher of the two voices, instead responding to the first. "We're at a little place I go when I need to be alone. It's my retreat from the world, and nobody knows it but me." "I have a few of those," Chronos said. "I go there... and it keeps the Empire out. Keeps the ants out... keeps Formicus out... keeps Room B-8 out." "You're out of there, I promise you," Vanana told him. "You're free." "I can't believe that, I can't. This is either a dream or the latest nightmare of Earthbound." She hushed him then, and drew a huge circle on the ground in olive oil. Counterclockwise twice, and then clockwise once. And then, she set down nine green candles on the circle, lighting them as she did so. Then, she drew three triangles to connect the candles, making a nine-pointed star. Then, in the center of the star, she set down two candles. They were odd-red and green wax melted together incompletely. One she set down on one of the innermost lines, the other was set down opposite it, the same distance from the center-but not on the line. Vanana sat down, legs crossed, next to the candle on the line. Chronos, insane as he was, understood that he was to sit by the other candle. Though the circle was large, only a foot or so separated them. Then, she lifted up her spirit, and uttered a spell. She was dealing in strange magics now, having been warned in a dream not to use the name of the Four any longer. Instead, she drew inspiration from the holy books that Chronos had carried with him, figuring it would be best to heal him with the magics of his own God-and the God of the Four, as the dream had informed her. Many are the afflictions of the righteous Kyrios deliver him from all Let evil slay the wicked And the enemy be desolate Kyrios redeem the soul of his servant And keep the trusting from desolation Chronos, in many voices, writhed and uttered back: Our soul waits for Kyrios Our help and shield Vanana nodded, seeing that Chronos, deep down, wanted to be healed. She then took a vial of myrrh out of her pocket, dipped her finger in it, and with it inscribed arcane marks on his forehead-triquetras and circles and triangles and crosses. With her other hand, she anointed her lips with honey placed under an enchantment, and then leaned over, across the two candles (which now were almost completely brown, having been melted together) and kissed him. In that moment, in that kiss, the honey came to his lips, and the spell was completed. The two candles, fully brown now, snuffed out magically. Chronos' fragmented self was made whole, and he threw his arms around Vanana, kissing back with all his might, his eyes opened. "I'm actually free, aren't I," he realized. "You are, my love," she declared, unable to stop smiling. *** In the middle of the circle they lay on their backs, staring up at the stars, their arms around one another. "We should probably go back sometime soon," Chronos said. "I don't think that's necessary," Vanana replied. "Headquarters is celebrating right now-we captured the Stellemort and now we've got the initiative. We have a real shot at winning the war now." "I see... they don't need us, then?" Chronos wondered. "Not for the moment... not tonight," she said, a smile in her voice. "Good. I don't want to fight, I just wanna stay here with you," he decided. "Well, that's good," she affirmed, a devil-may-care grin tugging at her face as she looked into his eyes. "Because... by supreme order of Lady Protector Vanana Loe of Columnia, you are commanded to stay by my side." "And what happens if I don't?" he asked, smiling. "Well... we'll have to send the death squads after you, put you against a wall, give you your last smoke, all that." "Hmm... I suppose that it'd be somewhat messy to clean the blood off the walls. I'll save you a cleaning job and stay here with you." He stuck his tongue out at her. "Well, how considerate of you," she rebutted, nestling her head onto his shoulder and smiling. They lay there in the desert, Musiforme and the war a distant din on the horizon as they were lulled to sleep by the rise and fall of each other's breath, their two hearts beating as one. |