Second Scene ^_^
Apr. 24th, 2005 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cinaedHere you go!
The Immortal Seer knew that look that had formed on Inness’ face. It was the look of relief that often visited his servants’ faces when they reached the end of their lives—it was the joy at realizing they were dead, that their old and weary bodies could crumble now and that their souls could go forth and be judged by Meninte.
He gently touched Inness’ cheek; the old man’s skin was still warm to touch. The seer snorted to himself. Old man. While Inness had lived for 104 years, the islander’s master was still over ten thousand, two hundred years the man’s elder. Old man indeed.
Had it really been over ten millennia since he had accepted the god’s proposal to lengthen his lifespan until the Savior came? He had been so eager to live, back then. After all, his race—the Galven—lived for only 40 years before dying; the promise of two hundred years had seemed like, well, a gift of the gods. The seer would live for two hundred years, the deity had said, and meet the Savior who would judge mankind. Then the Galven would die, having seen more of the world than any of his race.
It was only afterwards that the god had mentioned a few little details that were unimportant, really. The fact that he was now trapped inside this castle of marble and wouldn’t be able to set foot outside of it until the Savior came, for example. The fact that it might be a bit longer than two hundred years, another.
He wouldn’t have survived that, being trapped alone in this place for two hundred years, much less the ten thousand that it had turned into, but Dalaney had stepped forward then. His best friend had been beyond fury, and when he had spoken, each word had been a dagger, sharp and menacing. The god would, of course, provide the seer with a companion during those years spent trapped in this castle. While Dalaney didn’t wish for the burden of immortality, he would stay by his friend’s side during his lifetime, and then he expected the god to provide the prophet with a companion until the Savior arrived.
So now here he was, with Dalaney long dead along with the countless numbers of “companions” after him. Alone again, at least until his next servant came straggling up to the gates, driven by the Call. He sighed, and glanced around. Sunbeams streamed in through the window and made miniature rainbows on the floor. It seemed that shadow and rainbows would be his company for now.
He walked to the window, and gazed at the land that stretched on like an endless sea of green. Savoring the wind that kissed his cheeks, he smiled a little to himself. In a moment, the god’s promise would be renewed again. Inness’ body would burn to ashes and The Call would be sent out to his next servant.
The smell of smoke wafted over, and he didn’t have to look over his shoulder to see the pile of ashes that had once been his former servant. He squared his shoulders, and breathed out, “Inness Tadleigh, Inness Tadleigh, Inness Tadleigh….” No, this name he would not forget! After all, he could remember Dalaney! Inness would not be forgotten like the other thousands that had knelt before the immortal and offered their fealty. He would be remembered for his determination to live for 104 years.
Then he chuckled to himself. If for nothing else, Inness would be remembered for such ridiculous last words. The Prophecy actually stared? The Prophecy was a lie! This had been a mere trick of the gods, the seer knew. They laughed at him from their celestial home even now. It didn’t matter that there had been a ring of…truth…to the man’s words as he had smiled and died.
But this was no time to be musing about Inness’ last words. He needed to summon his new servant. He took a deep breath, steadied himself against the stone of the window, and screamed out with his mind. //COME TO ME!// Softer, he added, //Come to me, my servant, for I need a companion during my immortality. Come to me, for I am so very jaded, and so very tired…. Come to me, for now my palace is empty, and I am alone. Come.//
And then the Immortal Seer yawned. He had moved more, spoken more, thought more in the past half-hour than he had in at least a hundred years…. Lethargy tugged him back towards his enormous throne, and he stepped over Inness’ ashes without a further thought. Inness would be consecrated to the winds. Let his ashes drift through the sky and back to the island of his birth.
He yawned again, and draped himself across the velvet seat of his throne. Oblivion swathed his thoughts, and he relaxed, falling back into the half-awake state of uncaring that others knew as stupor. Before succumbing to his lethargy, the immortal offered up one last remaining thought, a crazy one that inadvertently directed itself towards his newest servant.
//Will you be the Savior, o servant of mine?//
The Immortal Seer knew that look that had formed on Inness’ face. It was the look of relief that often visited his servants’ faces when they reached the end of their lives—it was the joy at realizing they were dead, that their old and weary bodies could crumble now and that their souls could go forth and be judged by Meninte.
He gently touched Inness’ cheek; the old man’s skin was still warm to touch. The seer snorted to himself. Old man. While Inness had lived for 104 years, the islander’s master was still over ten thousand, two hundred years the man’s elder. Old man indeed.
Had it really been over ten millennia since he had accepted the god’s proposal to lengthen his lifespan until the Savior came? He had been so eager to live, back then. After all, his race—the Galven—lived for only 40 years before dying; the promise of two hundred years had seemed like, well, a gift of the gods. The seer would live for two hundred years, the deity had said, and meet the Savior who would judge mankind. Then the Galven would die, having seen more of the world than any of his race.
It was only afterwards that the god had mentioned a few little details that were unimportant, really. The fact that he was now trapped inside this castle of marble and wouldn’t be able to set foot outside of it until the Savior came, for example. The fact that it might be a bit longer than two hundred years, another.
He wouldn’t have survived that, being trapped alone in this place for two hundred years, much less the ten thousand that it had turned into, but Dalaney had stepped forward then. His best friend had been beyond fury, and when he had spoken, each word had been a dagger, sharp and menacing. The god would, of course, provide the seer with a companion during those years spent trapped in this castle. While Dalaney didn’t wish for the burden of immortality, he would stay by his friend’s side during his lifetime, and then he expected the god to provide the prophet with a companion until the Savior arrived.
So now here he was, with Dalaney long dead along with the countless numbers of “companions” after him. Alone again, at least until his next servant came straggling up to the gates, driven by the Call. He sighed, and glanced around. Sunbeams streamed in through the window and made miniature rainbows on the floor. It seemed that shadow and rainbows would be his company for now.
He walked to the window, and gazed at the land that stretched on like an endless sea of green. Savoring the wind that kissed his cheeks, he smiled a little to himself. In a moment, the god’s promise would be renewed again. Inness’ body would burn to ashes and The Call would be sent out to his next servant.
The smell of smoke wafted over, and he didn’t have to look over his shoulder to see the pile of ashes that had once been his former servant. He squared his shoulders, and breathed out, “Inness Tadleigh, Inness Tadleigh, Inness Tadleigh….” No, this name he would not forget! After all, he could remember Dalaney! Inness would not be forgotten like the other thousands that had knelt before the immortal and offered their fealty. He would be remembered for his determination to live for 104 years.
Then he chuckled to himself. If for nothing else, Inness would be remembered for such ridiculous last words. The Prophecy actually stared? The Prophecy was a lie! This had been a mere trick of the gods, the seer knew. They laughed at him from their celestial home even now. It didn’t matter that there had been a ring of…truth…to the man’s words as he had smiled and died.
But this was no time to be musing about Inness’ last words. He needed to summon his new servant. He took a deep breath, steadied himself against the stone of the window, and screamed out with his mind. //COME TO ME!// Softer, he added, //Come to me, my servant, for I need a companion during my immortality. Come to me, for I am so very jaded, and so very tired…. Come to me, for now my palace is empty, and I am alone. Come.//
And then the Immortal Seer yawned. He had moved more, spoken more, thought more in the past half-hour than he had in at least a hundred years…. Lethargy tugged him back towards his enormous throne, and he stepped over Inness’ ashes without a further thought. Inness would be consecrated to the winds. Let his ashes drift through the sky and back to the island of his birth.
He yawned again, and draped himself across the velvet seat of his throne. Oblivion swathed his thoughts, and he relaxed, falling back into the half-awake state of uncaring that others knew as stupor. Before succumbing to his lethargy, the immortal offered up one last remaining thought, a crazy one that inadvertently directed itself towards his newest servant.
//Will you be the Savior, o servant of mine?//
