WarCouncilOfAtlantisIIWar Council IIAura nods solemnly, but it's clear she is both excited and wary. "If it is needed, can you get her out of there?" Kovikin looks at Lorius with a look that suggests that there is only one correct thing for Lorius to say, and it is not "No". "If necessary" Lorius says. He looks at Aura and Nick. "Go, unlock Atlantis' destiny." She leans over and kisses Lorius on the cheek. "Thank you." "What else are relatives for?" Lorius says. "Target practice," Aura shoots back. "That's for Uncle Julian's brood" Lorius shoots back in turn. But before she goes, she does move over and kiss Kovikin. "For luck," she smiles impishly. "You haven't seen that movie, yet." Lorius grins. Aura sticks her tongue out at him. After a deep breath, Aura steps confidently into the chamber and comes to a stop in the center expectantly, though a touch wary in case she does need to call up protection. Wake up. Atlantis needs all her power now. Despite six walls, representing, something, and the buildup of power that Aura had felt on the travel down the corridor, nothing happens for a good twenty seconds. The dormancy of the room gives Nick a chance to fidget on Aura's shoulder. She can also, in the quiet, hear an indistinct conversation between Kovikin and Lorius. At the twenty first second, though, this state of affairs stops being operative. The open doorway ceases to be open, as the two adjoining walls seamlessly and quietly fill in the gap. The other walls adjust, so that all six walls remain of equal size in the hexagonal room that Aura is now within. "I hope Lorius has a trump." Nick comments. "Although I've never seen him use one of you." "Merde," Aura mutters softly. Kovikin was going to be in a right state now. Next, a mental contact, from the room itself, offers itself to Aura's mind. The power in the room does not speak in a voice,mental or otherwise, but rather communicates by means of image. A picture of the city of Atlantis, and then a very pregnant woman. These two images repeat in Aura's mind several times. There is also the sense that these two images represent a question, one waiting for a response or acknowledgment. But what did it mean? Was it a metaphor of some sort? Or was it literal? Was it a reference to the past, the future, or what was needed now? Aura finds metaphor and riddles irksome. Lorius, on the other hand, would love this. "I am not certain I understand what you are asking. But if it is what I guess it to be, the answer is yes. Atlantis is ready for the next stage of its development." Please don't cause an earthquake.... we’re rather skittish of them. After Atla and all. The pair of images withdraw themselves from Aura's mind at her response, and perhaps her additional thought as well. There isn't an earthquake, although there is a brief shudder and a soft musical harp starts to play a song. This plays for about fifteen seconds, and then the imagery of the six walls starts to extend off of the wall into pie slice sections of the floor that start to converge where Aura stands. When they reach the center, each one sixth of the floor will correspond with the wall it is connected to, with them meeting at the center, where Aura stands. "Verbal Communication is limited but now possible." the voice is remarkably like Aura's herself, maybe with the age and experience of her mother mixed in. "Tetra will evolve to become Hexiary. Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Define the Fifth and Sixth Elements for Atlantis." It is at this point that Aura is getting an attempted mental contact, not a trump call but something more directed and spell-like. Lorius, of course. "Allow me a moment to consider." Aura frowns and tries deflecting Lorius's contact to Nick. Goddess knows they are familiar enough with one another. Her familiar can relay what's going on, and if Lorius wants to say something, Nick can pass it to her. She can't be distracted right now. The connection between Aura and Lorius ends abruptly. Aura's attention is indeed fully wrapped up in the matter at hand with the Power, enough that her success or failure at this are not on her mental horizon, at the moment. There are not six Elements. Though she supposes a case can be made for Light and Spirit. But she has to define them as well, and while Light shouldn't be too difficult, Spirit is more nebulous and she can't really think of a range of powers for ii that were not already covered by the others. There is always power over the Void, but great goddess, that will be a disaster if not defined and monitored carefully. Forever. Aura frowns thoughtfully as she looks at the existing Powers; what each represents and the forces they controlled. What was missing? And what would oppose? There were all sorts of magics the others didn't cover. But how to group them? She smiles after a moment more and straightens. Her tone is confident. "I choose the Aspects of Shadow and Light. Shadow with the power over illusions, dreams and prophecy. As the other Aspects grant an alternate form to the initiate, so the Aspect of Shadow grants the form of shadow and the ability to move between them; to summon them and use them for defense of Atlantis in the form of cages of shadow. Its opposite Aspect is Light - the power of Creation and Life and the ability to effect the lights of the heavens and call down meteors to smite our enemies and form shackles of light that cannot be broken. As the opposite of shadow, the Initiate shall have a form of light; a will-o'-wisp, and the ability to travel as swift as light while in that form." There is a humming, a sound that to Aura feels like a extemporization. "Lorius is relieved you are all right. Kovikin is freaking out" Nick whispers, during the lull. "Your configuration is acceptable and shall be implemented." comes the voice. "Hexiary shall have the six elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Light and Shadow. "Creation of nodes for Light and Shadow will take approximately 6 days. Where shall the new nodes be located?" "Hmm...," Aura frowns again and considers the geography, geology and locations of the other nodes. The major ports already have nodes. Where makes the most sense for new ones, that's what she needs to ponder. "The Node of Light on the Northwest edge of the Santori Plains, between Theodoplois and the trailing edge of the foothills. The Node of Shadow on the Western coast between the Horsetamer's Guild and Arkalokhori." It takes a few moments more for Aura to describe the locations in more detail, as whatever animating force is here does not quite understand the locations of cities or the names of locations as Aura gives them. It is clear the animating force is taking note of them. By means of distances and directions, Aura is able to get the places located as she wishes. Aura pauses a moment. "Until there are imprinted overseers, how shall we appoint custodians for the new nodes?" "Custodians created from the noumenon of the nodes can be created and set to watch the nodes." comes the response. "A being of light, and a being of shadow, to ward off the curiosity seekers or those who would seek to do them harm. In the early days of this shadow, Elementals were similarly set over the nodes of Earth, Air, Fire and Water." "The Xag-ya and Xeg-yi and would obey and respond only to you, Creatrix." //Festive// Aura directs to Nick. Nick responds back. //Lorius is enjoying this, and he's managed to get Kovikin to stop having a heart attack.// Aura rubs the spot between her eyebrows with the tip of one finger. She is surely going to have a headache. Thera is going to be all sorts of frosty. "You will create these watchers, or will I need to journey to each of the locations and do it in six days?" "They will be created at the birth of the new nodes." the Voice responds. "No journey from you is required at this time, lest you wish to initiate fully into their power once the Nodes are complete. "I imagine the mages here will want to study them before they let anyone imprint on them," Aura notes wryly. "Such is the way of a researcher." Aura turns slowly in place, looking around the room. There may never be a better chance than right now. "Who created the first nodes? Who founded Atlantis?" Rotating around the room, the walls pulse with the power of the now six elements, the four of Atlantis and the two that Aura has named. The power here courses from the walls to where she stands, and back again, like a tide. "I remember the day that I came to life" comes the voice. "It was long ago, hundreds of thousands of days past. They came from a distant realm, fleeing the War of the Seven Towers and the Great Ice. They came in search of sanctuary, of freedom. " "The refugees were led by a being, half woman and half Elder. It was she who bound the arch and founded the four nodes. It was she who raised the First City. "It was she who hid me afterwards, so that none might disturb her work and creation after she left Atlantis. I sense her bloodline in you and thought for a brief moment that you may have been her, without memory or recollection." "Her name was Kallíste." Aura twists her head to share a look with Nick. //Whoa. Make sure Lorius is getting all this.// //I can barely contain his intensity// Nick responds. The Atlantean born Amberite turns her gaze back to the room. "Elder?" she wonders. Though that is not all she wonders about. "What are the Elders? And what arch? Atlantis has many arches." "The Arch I speak of is THE Arch. The Arch of Place and Time, that which you have recently touched and now changed." the room responds. "Your fingerprints are upon it." "The Elders are the Elder Races of the worlds." the voice continues. "The Races that arose when the veils and shadows first formed. The Thari, The Dragons.The Jaghut. The Elderlings. The Pak. The T'Lan. The Tiste. And others. Kalliste was Half-Tiste." Puzzled, Aura decides that later she is going to have a killer headache. Were those from Amber the Thari? But no, maybe not. Aura was of Kalliste's bloodline, according to this .. entity, and Kalliste was from the Tiste. She mentally smacks herself. Atlanteans were from Tiste. Her father's line. Sometimes I have a blonde aura. THE Arch must be the nexus were they adjusted the Shadow’s properties. Good to have a name for things. ‘//This doesn’t quite fit with the story of Creation we heard from Lorius, does it?// she ponders to Nick. //He's gone quiet and very contemplative hearing all this// Nick responds. //I can feel him thinking.// "I have recently seen one of the Dragon's, I think. And I think my Mother’s line is of the Thari. It is the name of their language. Unless they are Elderlings. Of the others, I have no knowledge. from where did the veils and shadows first come?” "I do not know how or why veils and shadows originated." the voice responds. "That knowledge predates my very existence. Better you should ask one of the Elders, if you might find one still living. Perhaps some few have survived to this age of the world, in secret and remote veils and shadows untouched by the passing of ages." "I know of none who remain in Atlantis." the voice adds. "Perhaps the sorcerer your familiar speaks to may know of them. I feel his energetic mind burning through your tenuous connection to him." Aura smiles. "He is very curious, my cousin. A scholar. He is of the same bloodline as my Mother. We will discuss these things with the Heirs of Kalliste, now that we know of her." She pauses to look towards where the door had been. "I do wonder; only those born of the Blood Royal in distant Amber can imprint upon their Power, for all others will die if they but step one foot upon it. Yet here, all who are born to Atlantis who wish it may imprint on what was called Tetra. Are all here then, descended from the Tiste?" "The bloodline of Kalliste was fecund" the voice responds. "She birthed seven sons and six daughters. I believe that everyone in Atlantis is descended from her or from other Half-Tiste amongst the refugees and thus carry the bloodline for Tetra now Hexiary." "Impressive," Aura murmurs. //Nick....Ask Lorius if he has a question or two right now. I will see if we can come again at some later time to speak with ...Her// //He's selecting one now// Nick says. Aura turns her attention away from her familiar again. "Do you have a name?" "My name has not been spoken aloud for many thousands of years." the voice responds. "Kalliste named me Stoicheion." //Lorius is ready// Nick sends. //He wants to know which branch of the Tiste Kalliste and you are descended from.// "Stoicheion," Aura says as if testing trying out the word. She smiles. "Is a perfect name for you." There is a throb of power, a pleasant sort of emanation. "Can you tell me," Aura continues. "What branch of the Tiste Kalliste and I are descended from? Knowing this will help us in our research, I think. If you know the names of her children, that would also be helpful." "Yes. Her children initiated themselves into Tetra, and so passed into my knowledge and ken." "They were, in order of accepting Tetra, Astrape,Deimus, Dracon, Titus, Ersa, Iason, Melia, Kore, Hypnus, Phoebe, the twins Iapetus and Tethys, and last,Nephele "Kalliste and her children carry the blood of the Tiste Liosan." Aura reaches a hand up to stroke Nick's head. //Not a one of those names corresponds with the named goddesses recognized by common belief as the founders of Atlantis.// //Neither was Kalliste. It appears that this history has been deliberately hidden// Nick agrees. The wall that had closed starts to open up, from the top down. This allows Aura to see the look of relief on the face of Kovikin as he finally sees her again, safe and sound. Aura smiles reassuring at him and holds up a hand to stop him from coming in just yet. "Stoicheion, may I return at a later time to speak with you again? The more I find out, the more questions I have." "Yes, but I will require solitude and rest to create the new nodes. You may return, but not until the two new nodes are constructed . To do otherwise would delay their creation. It requires much energy to speak with you, Creatrix." "I will give you plenty of time. It may be some time before I myself can come back." Aura feels like she should bow or something, but refrains. "Thank you. Rest now." "Creatrix?" Lorius, whose (shorter) head is now visible, says. Aura gives the room another look over before she moves serenely out of it to rejoin the men before she answers. She stops to take Kovikin's hand and moves them away from the chamber. "Yes, well," Aura begins. "You heard the conversation, Lorius. I initiated the creation of the final nodes. Hence, Creatrix." "I heard some of the conversation." Lorius replies. "I didn't..." Nick begins... The wall behind Aura and Nick abruptly closes, with a sudden sound. "*That* was not my fault" Nick protests. Aura chuckles and reaches up to run a finger down Nick's spine. "For once, no one is blaming you." Kovikin, for his part, squeezes Aura's hand reassuringly. She turns to Kovikin. "There is so very much to cover. There will be two more elemental crystals coming within the next week. Six days to be exact. But first, I want each of us to take a memory pearl and record that hallway's historical artwork on our way out. You can take one side, I'll take the other. Lorius can do sort of an overall architectural recording. What happened in the room, I will put in another before we leave this place. It will be easier once we get back. Because, Kovikin, this is going shake up a lot of people, I think. I studied Atlantean religion and mythology right along side everyone else, and the resemblance between what we were taught and what I just found out is not even worth mentioning." She gives him a narrow look. "Unless it turns out to be another State Secret like this place was." Aura stops before they pass any of the artwork to remove three memory pearls from her necklace and pass the men theirs. Kovikin takes his eagerly. Lorius takes his and looks it over and nods. "Architecture. More of Aunt Florimel's specialty. She could tell you the difference between a tudor inspired ranch and a prairie foursquare, but I will do my best." "We don't care about labeling things," says Aura. "This is so everyone who wants to study it doesn't have to come tramping through the place. I don't think it wise for anyone else to find that chamber." "i suspect that room can protect itself, but its sort of like locking the Pattern Room door." Lorius agrees. "It's just good sense." Aura got a sly look in her eyes, but she keeps her comments to herself for the time being. "If there is a State Secret about the religion and mythology, Aura" Kovikin interrupts Lorius in mid-prattle "*I* am not privy to it. It may simply be knowledge that none remember." Aura looks a bit doubtful. "It seems odd with how well everything else is documented. But I suppose it is possible." "Maybe" Lorius says "There's a saying: There is more than one history of the world. Let's get started." Closing a fist around her pearl, Aura takes up along the wall opposite Kovikin and begins her slow walk. Occasionally she moves in closer to register a close up view of some event or item that she doesn't recognize. But her focus is on this, and she doesn't do more than mutter to herself when something catches her eye and curiosity. She will copy their pearls and study this later when she has more time. It takes more than a half hour to get it all down, with the slow walk. Kovikin remains stone quiet for his part, looking at the artwork with a warrior's eye, meticulously looking at things with a rigorous and undeviating pattern and style. Nick cooperates with Aura, pointing out small bits that catch his eye on Aura's side of the passage, everything from what appear to be names to oddly stylized scenes that could relate to the history Stoicheion described. Lorius, for his part, has a low running dialogue added to his recording with the Pearl as he walks behind Aura and Kovikin. He doesn't speculate too much, he sticks to the facts, and what he interprets from them, the shape and size of the passageway, the high level overview that would otherwise get lost in the detail Aura and her lover are providing. However, the group finally does reach the initial room, with the gorgeous mosaic on the one hand, and the intense confluence of lines of power on the other hand. Lorius continues his recording for a few moments more, a comment on the ceiling and its barrel arches. Kovikin looks at Aura questioningly. She looks slowly around the chamber. "I may need to adjust the time flow again. I will need to be here when the new nodes come into being in six days. Do I want it slower, or faster so I can take care of it before I go back to Amber, that is the question." "I'm game either way" Lorius says. Aura looks down at the mosaic then over to Lorius. "Can you float up high enough to get the whole mosaic at once? I am going to imprint the lines of power into a whole different pearl. Those don't need to be public knowledge, and I feel better at the moment with as few people as possible knowing about them the way I do." "Of course I can" Lorius says. He shoots upward, taking a spot near the top of the tall room, and very gradually starts to corkscrew down, a grin on his face. "Goddess preserve us" Kovikin says. Moving off the mosaic, the gestures Kovikin over to her. Aura removes another pearl from the strand and gives it to His Highness after taking the imprinted one back. "Take that and get a good look at the front of this structure. Pick out the details. I am going to stay out of the way and imprint what happened in the chamber while you two do your thing. Nick, go with him. You can climb up for the details higher up. I will help you imprint a pearl when I'm done." "It sounds like you don't intend for anyone to return here anything soon." Kovikin says. "Or she means to destroy it." Nick says. "Boom, baby!" He blinks large eyes at Aura. "Naaah." he says. The two head outside. Transfiguring one of her thinner bracelets into a narrow chain, she strings hers and Kovikin's first pearls onto it before securing it back around her wrist. Then she pulls off a blank, closes it in her fist and replays what happened with Stoicheion in the chamber. Aura can sense Lorius' interest as Aura revisits the full conversation with Stoicheion as he spirals down. He does finally come to a rest next to Aura just as she finishes her recap. "You know, Aura" Lorius says, holding up the pearl. "You might want to take a look at this trident for yourself, from the vantage point that I saw it. I think you will find it...illuminating." Lorius looks up, with a grin on his face as Aura rises to get the view that Lorius so prized. Pacing along the mosaic like a demented museum guide, his movements help illuminate just what he was so excited about. The mosaic itself is indeed of an Atlantean trident, rendered gorgeously. For the artwork alone, its worth the recording in the memory pearl. Looking deeper, and more carefully, a study of the design reveals that its not just a pretty picture. Lorius' pacing along the design helps draw Aura's eye to the fact that the entire design is like the lines and fracture lines in a memory crystal. Or even more poignantly, perhaps, its an esoteric design on the scale and order of a Pattern. It's not the Pattern of course, and not even a reflection. But are there similarities in this design to a Pattern? Absolutely. This design seems to be oriented to the corridor that leads down to Stoicheion, amplifying and spreading its power into this design before radiating out of this temple. Lorius looks up. "You see it, don't you?" he says, with a tone that suggests he expects his pupil to have done so. "I think that whoever created this, and this was definitely made, is someone in the same weight class as Uncle Corwin, Dworkin or Suhuy. Probably your Tiste ancestress, at a guess." "I woud believe so," she replies absently. "It's amazing. Not just in the way art on this scale always is. Now that we know what we are looking for and at, it's all just so in your face, isn't it?" "Hidden in plain sight." Lorius agrees. Aura lowers herself back to the stone floor. "Why in the name of Celestra's brass brassier didn't anyone tell me about this place earlier? I don't *want* to go back to Amber and place nice in Rebma now," she grouses. "There is too much to learn right here." "There is a lot to learn here. Years, worth, at a guess. So we freeze Atlantis in Amber, so to speak, and deal with the pressing concerns." Lorius responds. Glancing towards the outside, she lowers her voice and steps closer to Lorius. "Did you recognize all those races Stoicheion named?" "Most of them" Lorius says. "And the ones that I don't, my sister would." Lorius says confidently. "Stoicheion also didn't list a few of the others I have learned about." Lorius adds with a smile. "The Ori. The Osirians. The Tauri. There are some others." "It is not lying to you about those races' existence, if that is what you are asking." Lorius says. "No," Aura replies with a shake of her head. "I had no reason to doubt what was said. It was just surprising to me. No doubt it will be to the Council here as well." "This is knowledge a fair amount of the family doesn't pay much attention to, either." Lorius says. "Only in the last century has Mother, Me and my sisters really given this serious study." She gestures to what she now knows is The Arch. "One day here for 10 in Amber. As it is now, I need to be back in 6 days, Atlantis time. Will two months in Amber be sufficient for whatever it is Random is sending me to Rebma for, do you think?" Lorius chuckles. "I am sure you can make it work." "Besides. If Random was crazy enough to keep you underwater for more than a month, you could sneak here one night, change the time flow and get things done." "And call me first, of course." Lorius adds brightly, as footsteps suggest that Kovikin and Nick are returning. "Mmmmmaybe," she smirks. "I don't know if I want to share the magics only I can do with the rest of you poor, limited souls anymore than I already have." "So this primal power is limited only to you. Bah." Lorius replies. "It's the knowledge you are acquiring that interests me. More poker chips in the endless tournament of our lives." "'Bah'?" she laughs. "So eloquent." "Just learning from you, mon ami." Lorius grins. "But maybe we'll have to bargain" the last word is said with a grin Aura knows well. He then starts a slow turn toward the entrance. Aura turns to face the approaching pair. "Get anything good?" "We did!" Nick says enthusiastically, hopping off of Kovikin's shoulder, racing ahead,, and and taking a spring-loaded leap to land on Aura's at one go. "There are clear precursors to Old Cycle Atlantean architecture in all of the designs and motifs." Kovikin says once he reaches Aura, Nick and Lorius. "I am not an expert at this sort of thing, but even I can recognize some things that old buildings back in the city copied from. Details on the artwork, positioning and styles. You could have one of the priestesses teach a high level class just from what Nick and I found." "Nothing strange or esoteric that we found, though." Kovikin adds. "Just some very interesting art and architecture." Lorius snaps his fingers at Kovikin's words. "At some point" Lorius says to Aura. "I might ask for a copy of these recordings to show Shannon. She might recognize what all of us might miss. She's got a contact in shadow who does ancient weird archaeology for a living." Aura looks dubious for a moment. But then she shrugs the shoulder not containing a lizard. "It may be that we will want to know if there are are other Shadows that Atlantis' founding race settled. Perhaps we can even trace them back to their place of origin. It is something to think about later. I think the people here will want to familiarize themselves more with it first." She turns to Kovikin. "This has got to be handled delicately, and we need to make a decision before we go back. I do not know how much we want to reveal. Everyone born to Atlantis is related to the founder; that is why everyone can imprint on Tet... the crystals. But not just anyone needs to be able to access Stoicheion. That would just make things insane. I called for the creation of two new Nodes of Power today to strengthen Atlantis. That isn't something you want just anyone doing. Now, they won't appear for another six days and when they do only I can deal with the Guardians. So you have time to decide how you want to present all this. Time is running such now that I will be in Amber for two months while you have those six days in order for me to be able to deal with what Random wants and still be here when it happens. I have tweaked things so that our crystal communications should work between here and there." Aura scrunches her face. "And that means we have to leave right away, since we reversed the flow rate. Blast and damn. Let me have that memory pearl. I will make copies of all of them and send them to you when I'm done. I think I will also do one that leaves out Stoicheion entirely. That way, there is one just of the artwork and architecture for study." Kovikin hands over the pearl, and regards Aura speculatively. "Not to mention, we have to decide *whom* to tell" Kovikin adds. "I think the fewer that know about this place, the better. There are going to be plenty of questions as it is when the two new nodes erupt." Kovikin smacks his palm. "We should tell Mother, and Thera, and bade them to secrecy. You might also want to tell your father, but I leave that to you. And we tell no one else. You know, Aura, this is going to change the balance of the Court. and the Priestesses The eruption of the new nodes is going to inevitably be tied to you, even if few know how or why." Aura winces. "I agree with your mother. She is the Empress, after all. My father should know in his official capacity as Atlantis' Protector. Thera's likely to try and kill me with that glare of hers. The others in the meeting will certainly tie this to me. Frankly, they are the only ones I am concerned about. I have no idea how these new nodes will deal with Initiates, as there are no texts of the elements' histories and powers to study, and High Priestesses will be needed right off the bat - although Caretakers may be more appropriate for these early years. But I will be back by the time they appear, so I can speak to the guardians that come with them. You will need to speak to the architects; they are going to have to design the new Temples quickly. " "It will keep them busy. Mother has not initiated any new building projects in the last few years. It will do them good to be busy. As long as they stop trying to import designs from Etrusca." "Architects" Lorius snickers. Aura wrinkles her nose. "AEgypt's are so much more elegant." "I'd settle for some Aegyptian influences." Kovikin concedes. She looks at Kovikin's pearl in her hand and the bracelet containing the others. "All right. Give me 10 minutes to make copies and edit out the work Lorius and I did at The Arch. I really am going to have to get back to Amber before Random starts to wonder if he imagined me, but you are going to need this, and best you take it back with you now in case I get distracted once in Amber. I will get Nick's memories imprinted later and send them to you." "As long as I don't have to go to Mars, I'm okay with that." Nick says. "Where?" Kovikin says, confused. Aura looks equally baffled. But she clearly blames Lorius. Goddess only knows what he's been telling her familiar now. Aura takes a seat on the floor and lays out the imprinted pearls to one side in a specific arrangement. She gathers an empty one from the strand around her neck and sets it carefully into the center of the arrangement. Then it's all a matter of intent and focus to copy over the information, carefully editing out the manipulation of Shadow-stuff she and Lorius did - as well as any mention of The Arch from the conversation with Stoicheion. Some things she isn't going to share with anyone. In short order, 9 minutes and change, actually, Aura has the pearls she promised Kovikin ready. In the meantime, Lorius continues to bob around the room, looking at things casually. He wanders back a few moments after Aura finishes and is ready to hand it off to Kovikin. "Done?" Lorius asks. "Time, like me, flies. And we don't want Random, as you say, to think you're a delusion of his. Mother keeps him deluded enough as it is." Aura drops the pearl into Kovikin's palm. "I should think that should become part of the Royal regalia. That will certainly limit who can get their hands on it. I'll design a setting for it and send it to you if your mother agrees." "I think she will be delighted." he responds. She steps closer to him and smiles wistfully. "I guess this is goodbye again. But it will be less than a week for you, and you'll be too busy to miss me too much." Kovikin doesn't answer in words. Instead, he steps closer, and his arms encircle her to capture her in his embrace. Once she is so arrayed, he kisses Aura, soundly, and without restraint, completely eschewing decorum, propriety or the presence of her cousin and familiar. "That should settle that little misconception on your part" Kovikin finally says, once lips but not the embrace, are separated. Aura smiles up at him, looking quite thoroughly kissed and rather annoyed they have to stop with that. Sex in a place of this much power would be incredible, she has no doubt. Blast and damn her new responsibilities away from Atlantis. There *is* a tingle, even from just a kiss. Although Kovikin might dispute the diminutive title to describe the embrace. And Aura well might as well. "I will be back as soon as I can," she promises breathlessly. "6 days at the most. Don't make any plans for that night." "I won't" Kovikin says, softly, promisingly. "It will be longer for you. Be strong, and do whatever this King related to your mother wants so that you can return." Aura sniggers at the King of Amber being referred to in such a way. She is sure it would get someone's nose out of joint. She gives Kovikin another kiss; quick and on the cheek. "I will. I will call you as soon as I can. I need to test the crystal portals." She trails her hands down his arms as she steps back. "We need to go back via the palace so we can get our horses. But IA think we should leave from outside." She looks over her shoulder at Lorius. "We should. Just in case." Lorius confirms, with a nod. "I would be reluctant to teleport from here, myself, with this primal power's specifics less than completely known." "Shall we? We will let Kovikin take us back to the courtyard and we can leave from there." Lorius inclines his head, and so in short order, Aura, Kovikin, Lorius and Nick are outside the temple, the temple now somewhat in shadow as the light is partially obscured by the canyon walls. "Right. Back to the courtyard, then." Kovikin says. He does not wait any longer, the spell goes off a moment later, the gate forming as easily as it did when he brought the group to Sacsayhuaman in the first place. The only side effect Aura notices, when she steps through, is the popping of her ears at the sudden altitude change back to near sea level. "I was afraid, doll, Yadia was going to wait like a spy." Nick says, as he looks around. All is quiet, and their entrance has been unobserved. "No" Kovikin says. "You are free to depart without an argument from Thera." "Small mercies" Lorius says. Aura snorts. "Get get our horses, Lorius." "What horses? We didn't come here on horses." Lorius says. "Oh, you want me to pick horses for riding to the gate. Right." Lorius looks around, and glances at Nick. Thumblessly, Nick points him in the right direction. "Do we really need horses, or are you just playing with him, doll?" Nick asks Aura. "One can never have too many Atlantean horses," Aura sniffs indignantly. "Too true, and isn't that Prince in Arden a horse tamer?" Nick says. "Maybe we can see to him about a breeding project" Nick laughs. Aura ignores him. Else she will say something that might run the risk of giving Kovikin things he doesn't want to think about. She smiles up at Kovikin. "Plus it gives me a few more minutes alone with this incredibly handsome fellow." Then she turns and kisses Kovikin's cheek. "Go meet with your mother. Tell my father I will see him in six days and I apologize for leaving without saying goodbye." She smiles mischievously. "And tell Thera as little as possible." "I think it would be best if you explained the change in matters to Thera, when the time comes." Kovikin replies. He takes Aura in his arms again. "If only you could do those tricks with time just for a piece of Atlantis. If you could do that, I would..." Kovikin doesn't quite get to finish what he would do, because Lorius strolls into the courtyard with two Atlantean horses. "I think they are siblings, the stablemaster said that one of these is one you usually ride one of these, but he didn't say which one." Lorius explains. "The one on the left is mine," Aura says without looking at the pair of gold horses with the blood red manes. "The one with the blaze on his forehead. Which is why his name is Blaze." "That sounds like a spell we can work on for the future," she murmurs to Kovikin. "Now, kiss me again and we'll be off." "Gladly" he replies, and proceeds to do just that, and takes his time doing it. Even without the benefit of magical energy, Kovikin makes Aura feel like the one and only woman in Atlantis, and the entirety of the perceptions of his universe. By the time he comes up for air at last, Lorius is on his own horse, murmuring to him, softly. Astron, named for his own marking, is more docile than Blaze, but he is not soft by any means. Finally, once Aura (and Nick) are mounted, her cousin looks at her on Blaze and grins. "Right, lead us to where this gate is." Lorius says, trying to mask his eagerness. "I've got a spot in mind for the teleport destination when we go through it. Especially if we have to go through at speed." "Show off," Aura mutters. She leans down to give Kovikin's hand a final squeeze. "Good luck." She blows him a kiss and straightens in the saddle as she gathers the reins. "The general entry is at the port between the feet of Herakles. Which is handy as that's where all visitors have to go anyway. But for us, take a left at the end of the Royal Way and head for Santori Plains. I will show you from there." "Ah, a private Gate." Lorius says, starting his horse into a walk, and from there into a canter. Lorius is not a horse lord by any means, but he is managing to keep himself from being unduly jolted or bounced around by the horse's gait. "There's an author in shadow whose books Mom discovered who has clearly talked to the family, or shadows of our family, at one point." Lorius says, happily conversing as he and Aura ride down the Royal Way. "He wrote a lot of fantasy novels with multiple worlds, and weird Gates between them. Nothing like shadow shifting or trumps, mind, but barred shadows, gates into shadows, controlling and mastering shadows, stuff like that. Now that you are really getting into managing Atlantis, I'll have to get you some copies of his books, for inspiration. Plus, they're fun to read." Aura just lets him blather on, nodding and making appropriate noises. She had pretty much tuned it out after hearing 'fantasy novels'. The only thing she ever read for fun was history. She had always been a bit leery of her cousin's taste in books. He manages the left turn off of the Royal Way and the road out of Atlantis with decent deftness, not as smoothly as Aura, but well enough that in short order, both he and Aura are riding out of the city, and onto the Plains. "Okay, lead on, oh Princess Magnificent." Lorius says with a grin. "I believe you mentioned something about 'at speed'. How much speed can you handle?" It is a fair question. She has seen him ride and Atlantean horses are *fast*. While waiting on his reply, Aura heads Blaze towards the base of the hills and the treeline. Lorius hesitates a moment and then gets Astron moving. In a couple of minutes. Lorius has caught up to Aura. He keeps pace with Aura for a few moments, and then with a grin on his face, starts to urge his horse to greater speed." "We had better beat him, so he doesn't miss the Gate and run into a hillside." Nick counsels. "Boys," she sighs and pats Blaze on the side of the neck. "Get ahead of Astron and stay ahead until we stop." Blaze gives a whinny in response. After giving his rider this confirmation. Blaze breaks into gallop to pass Astron and Aura just hopes Lorius isn't planning something ludicrous. "Hang on, Nick," she murmurs and focuses on triggering the gate that exists between a pair of ancient pale white trees leafed in silvery-blue that hide just beyond the treeline. Blaze does manage to pass Astron, although Lorius is spurring his mount on faster and faster. Nick's claws hold tightly to Aura's shoulder as the two horses and their riders engage in a duel of speed. While Lorius never quite regains the lead for the ride to the Gate, he does keep Astron close to Blaze, close enough that discerning a winner, were this a race, difficult to tell. The final stretch to the Gate, once Aura activates it, elicits a whoop from Lorius. He doesn't plan anything ludicrous on the Atlantean side of the gate, but he does try to push Blaze and pass him. He doesn't quite manage the feat (not for lack of trying, but he enters the Gate a moment past Aura. The two riders exit Atlantis onto a coast road in Etrusca. It is here that Lorius' propensity for the dramatic comes into play. Neither horse has more than a moment to slow down as they run down the coast road. With arms raised in the air and a spell long held in reserve unleashes, Lorius acts. A personal teleport, in the form of a yellow white light, envelopes Lorius, Astron, Aura, Blaze and Nick, and the wilds of the Etrusca coast give way to...somewhere else. |
