Log Date: 9/5/96, 9/6/96 Log Cast: Rayek, Ktai, Winnowill Log Intro: It's been relatively peaceful in the Palace as of late. Rayek continues to guard it on Tilia's behalf, seeing the occasional visitor coming, but mostly focusing on his work with the Scroll of Colors to locate the missing Timmain. And Glider-born Ktai is focusing on the work of making sure Rayek doesn't lose himself in his current obsession, as the airwalking hunter is so apt to do.... But somebody else has other ideas. ---------- Rayek's Chamber(#7481RAFL) Smaller than many of the other chambers of the Palace of the High Ones, this quiet nook is the place Rayek has appropriated for what passes as his rest. Like the rest of the Palace, it is a room of oddly rippling walls and ceiling and floor, a room where a flicker out of the corner of your eye might be a shadow -- or perhaps a lingering spirit. Ekuar's deft and ancient touch is everywhere you look, in softly smoothed stone and gently curving walls. Shaped torch-holders bathe the chamber with a warm glow when the tapers are lit. The old rockshaper has crafted this place to be restful for the spirit, radiating the care he feels for his Brownskin. Contents: Ktai Obvious exits: Corridor Ktai has grown bolder over the days, and actually steps into the room on her own, mere seconds after sending wordlessly her arrival. Various meats and fruits are in her hands. ** Rayek...? Are you here? ** The airwalker is, once more resting at Ekuar's behest, after toiling with the Scroll of Colors, seeking anew some sign as to the whereabouts of the missing High One. Rayek lifts his head, and half-smiles at your entry. ** Here. ** Ktai smiles, her eyes lightening. ** I brought you some food... I thought it might help... ** Rayek sits up, drowsily, and stretches. ** How long have I slept this time? ** he asks, the question all business, though oddly at ease, comfortable. Ktai tilts her head, pondering. ** The light is dimming... it may have been a few hours... ** She smiles at the sight of you stretching, and offers you food, not trying to hide the smile... or the why of it. Rayek inclines his head, and allows, in sending, that he hungers; his amber gaze scans the proffered edibles, and he chooses the first thing that catches his eye, without really paying attention to what he eats. A glint of impatience mingled with a kind of frantic eagerness lights his gaze, as he tells you, ** I _nearly_ sensed her, today. High Ones, but there are so many wolves in the world...! ** Ktai's lips quirk. ** Yes... but you must be careful... lest the other one find you... ** Rayek blinks, and focuses on you, as he chews at the meat you've brought him. ** Eh? ** Then, he gestures with his free hand, shortly, dismissively. ** She has ignored me for years now; why should she care what strivings are mine, after all this time? ** Ktai sighs. ** Rayek... we only think she is away from us. She knows where I am and what I do... and... how I feel... ** Rayek stops chewing, and begins to scowl. ** She has sent to you? ** Ktai looks off sharply. ** Once or twice. ** She is trying to pass it off, to play it down as much as possible... Rayek studies you levelly for some time. Then his mouth quirks, not quite a smirk, not quite a scowl. ** You are Glider-born; it would make sense that she would choose to try to call you back to the Mountain, I think. But she cannot harm you here. ** Ktai sighs. ** She can. And she does. ** Rayek's slender frame goes taut, even as his gaze flares. ** She will harm no one in the High Ones' abode -- I will not permit it. What tricks does she attempt, and when? ** Ktai shakes her head. ** When I am outside... she tells me of my daughter... ** At that, Rayek pauses, the fierceness in his face warring, slightly, with a gentler emotion. After a moment, he lifts a brown hand to your shoulder. Rayek considers and then sends, ** Your daughter... ... made her choices. You are... right to wish otherwise. ** His tone is gruff, but strangely awkward. Ktai nods sadly. ** I still love her... ** Softly, it seems the room almost darkens, an old familiar touch flickering through. Rayek sends, heavily, but truly, ** That cannot... should not... cause you pain. Do not let her wound you. ** Briefly, his gaze flicks into the air, slightly distracted. Ktai looks to you. ** She uses her knowledge of Eveshka to hurt me. ** Once again, the softly dark feeling... followed by a laugh that seems to chill yet warm you.... or is it all in your mind...? Rayek begins, ** She may lie -- you cannot trust what she tells you, even in sending... ** Then he frowns, gaze going slightly inward. Ktai looks to you. ** Rayek..? Is all well? ** Rayek murmur-sends, ** Memory, perhaps... or perhaps I am too weary. ** Ktai moves to you, resting her hand on your cheek. Openly, she sends of her ** ** Rayek shakes his head, as if to clear it, and faces you. ** She has not sent to me in years -- not since... Ekuar and I left. She cannot pretend to still have any concern for me. ** The dark feeling almost seems to seep in from somewhere, the laugh soft and yet somehow full. It seems to carry words... you can almost make one out... ** Me... ** Ktai blinks, and then impulsively hugs you. ** ** Rayek blinks back at you, and breathes, "Did you feel..." Ktai blinks back at you. "Feel...?" Ktai shakes her head. ** I didn't feel anything... should I, Rayek? ** Rayek frowns, and scrubs the back of his hand across his eyes. "Too much staring into the Scrolls," he murmurs. Ktai reaches up to massage your temples. ** Then rest, please? Eat and drink... but most importantly, rest. The High One isn't lost to herself. She knows where she is... no doubt. ** Rayek sighs. ** But if she is lost to wolf-form... it took the Palace to restore her, before... surely she cannot prefer... ** He rolls his shoulders. ** I _have_ napped... ** ** Napped isn't always rested, my soul's brother... ** The words almost have form... but not quite... perhaps they are your own. Did you send them aloud? Rayek blinks, again, suddenly, and frowns into the air. Ktai sighs softly, moving to better rub at your temples. ** Then just rest. Sleep doesn't always cure the ills, Rayek. ** Rayek looks at you blankly for a moment, then suddenly scowls again, up and past you. His form goes taut, alert. Ktai blinks. ** Rayek? ** She looks around, seeing nothing. ** What is it? ** Rayek doens't answer you, at least not immediately. Dimly, you can feel him reach out in sending, scanning the chamber with the same acuteness that resides in his amber gaze when he hunts. The darkness has little form, nor shape, but it exists. Ktai frowns, opening her mind as well, but then reeling as the many 'feels' touch her... 'feels' she is not used to, the many overwhelming, and wincing, she gives up trying. Rayek scowls. And to himself, hiding it from Ktai, thinks: _She_? Here? Or the power of suggestion brought on by talking with his companion? But he _knows_ the feel of Winnowill's mind, and he circles that darkness in the air, testing it, probing. If she is watching, he _will_ know it... and his determination brings a more visible glitter to his gaze. Winnowill locksends ** /The send 'hangs' in your mind... as if she uses your own thoughts... thoughts she one thought with... thoughts she once felt with...thoughts she once was./ Yes, my Soul's brother. It is I. ** Rayek's scowl abruptly deepns. You locksend ** What do you want? ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** Ah... Rayek... such a different greeting than before. Has time not been kind? ** Ktai almost instinctively wraps her arms about you. ** Rayek? Love? ** Rayek mutters, aloud, "She _does_ listen. She sends." You locksend ** There is neither kindness nor harm in time. Not to us. ** to Winnowill. Ktai swallows, hugging you to her. Her soft voice offers the first thing she thinks of. "Puckernuts." Winnowill locksends ** /Softly seductive, she sends with your own thoughts./ Yet others treatment of us varies with time, Rayek. The young grow tired and the old decrepit. Which have you become, Rayek... or neither? Have you lost that driving force that glitters in your eyes? ** Ktai begins to rock with you in her arms, sending love and support gently to you. You locksend ** Gracious of you, Mountain Lord, to ask after my welfare just as I was conversing of you. You do not send to me without purpose, though. What do you want? ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /Soft, like a lover's lullaby, comes the reply, artfully crafted for your soul/ To remind you, my Soul's brother... of what we are... what we shall be... ** Rayek sucks in a breath, mouth parting slightly, in sudden startlement. Ktai looks nervously on, her sends continuing, her voice picking up a soft melody from nowhere, singing lightly. You locksend ** We... there is no... 'we'. ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /Gentle and like the softest of 'soul-kisses'/ Have you forgotten the joy, my Soul's brother? Have you forgotten our bliss together? ** Rayek's mouth tightens, and he suddenly clasps your shoulder firmly, as though to remind himself of your presence. Ktai, in reaction, holds you all the closer, singing softly in your ear, her sends filled with love and support while picking up the song. You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek allows grudging acknowledgement; no, he has not forgotten. But his mind still crackles with wary alertness, sharp and clear. ** That time is past, Winnowill. ** Winnowill locksends ** /Her send is your own, her thought on the very edge of being felt throughout your entire being./ And time is a Circle, Rayek. Full Circle is now. Come, my Soul's brother.... let us finish the Circle... ** Rayek seems to forget to breathe; his hand on your shoulder quivers, unconsciously. Ktai kisses your ear, her sends carrying the melody. "Rayek... stay with me... I'm here..." You locksend ** No. ** to Winnowill. Ktai blinks, trying to pull you to her. ** Rayek? ** Again, Rayek sends, firmly, ** No. Do not claim you can have missed me, Winnowill -- what, three sendings, in that many eights of years? Do you think to convince me to return the Glider-born one to you? ** Winnowill locksends ** /Soft and loving, the send twines and caresses you./ My dear Soul's brother... just because I did not send does not mean I was not nearby... ** Rayek unaccountably feels his mouth go dry, and he fumbles his other hand to one of your arms. You locksend ** Oh? Would you have me believe you have watched over me? ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /Soft as a lover's sigh of delight, her send almost laughs/ Indeed, my Soul's brother... indeed. I have spent many a day nearby you. ** You locksend ** What do you know, then? ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /Softly tinged with distaste/ She cares for you... she is tainted, Rayek... you know that... /It is not Ktai she sends of./ ** You locksend ** She has taught me more of caring than you have, 'lovemate'. ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /Her send caresses with the soft and promising touch of fufillment./ As you said, my Soul's brother... time has indeed passed.... and I long for your touch... just as you must long for mine... ** Ktai holds you tightly, whisper-singing into your ear. You locksend ** You know... nothing of my longings, Winnowill... nothing save... that which you would have manipulated in me... ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /Her touch twines softly./ The touch of power, Rayek... the High One... my dark sister... me. You long for power Rayek, power I can give you... power for only you... ** ** No! ** The sending escapes him palpably. ** You have _never_ understood, Winnowill... for all that I would have gladly accepted and returned your love... ** At that Ktai shivers, and holding you close, takes a deep breath. Eren soulsends ** Rayek... I love you... ** Ktai tries to gather you into her arms, as if by the sheer act she could protect you from the one who has taken everything away from her. Rayek opens his eyes, but his gaze is distracted, still. Ktai rocks you lightly, tears forming and falling in her efforts to help you, to protect the one she loves from something she knows can harm. Her sond remains free and sweet, filled with love and strength, as well as her support. Slowly, she opens her mind, guarding against the 'many' and seeking for the 'one.' Rayek's mind can be sharply felt, near as he is to you. He is still open, but working on closing off his mind against a subtle darkness in the room, barely palpable, as if someone stood in the corridor and cast a shadow into the chamber. Ktai closes her eyes, drawing herself together as she has not done in many hundreds of years, and firmly tries to 'plant' her mind between the darkness and you. Winnowill locksends ** /Something has her mildly annoyed./ Why does she try, Rayek? She cannot best me... she never could. Yet still I find her puny and unrewarding challanges brought to my face when I send to you. /This time, it is Ktai she referrs to./ ** Rayek looks up at you, blinking somewhat dazedly, though distractedly still. Even so, his sending is clear -- and you can hear it: ** She loves me, Winnowill, and this is something you have never learned to understand! ** Ktai's face is a slight frown, she may not have even heard you, for all the attempt she is making on trying to keep you safe. Winnowill locksends ** /Ktai is annoying her indeed/ Rayek... I love you... with all my soul... for you and no other are my Soul's brother... capable of completing me like no other... just as I complete you. ** Ktai rocks you gently, trying to guard you, calling on old memories of how she protected her child... her soft song continuing. Rayek abruptly shivers. ** I complete you? I, or my magic? ** he send-snaps into the air, unsteadily. His eyes clamp shut. Winnowill locksends ** /Ktai is slowly beginning to drag on her... but her send is still as seductively caressing as it has been/ You complete me, Rayek. All of you. Soul... magic... dreams. The stars call us still, my Soul's brother... we still have the ability to go to them and answer that call... ** Ktai kisses your temple softly, sending love briefly before trying to block you from her sends. Eren soulsends ** ** Rayek presses the back of his hand to his forehead, clenching his teeth. ** ** Winnowill locksends ** /Ktai's interference is beginning to grate on her nerves, and so she allows the thin veil that Ktai is trying to place over you to have more effect than not./ Rayek... our pasts are indeed dark... and the one who holds you from me has a dark past as well... find the lesser darkeness, my Soul's brother.... ** Ktai sends almost constanty, trying to guard you from that touch. Well she knows it, and she has fought it... but it has been long since she needed to fight it. Rayek's black eyebrows draw together, and he sends, firmly and openly, ** Do not try to turn me against her, Winnowill. Ktai has saved my life. More than once. All that you have ever given me is an empty promise! ** Rayek, with that, reaches into the swirl of power that resides in the Palace's walls, that has spent much time seeping into his own small frame, strengthening his magic. Ktai might not be able to shield well against Winnowill -- but he has more power than she, and he begins to close a door on the contact. Winnowill locksends ** /She senses you both working against her, and seems to caress you with her smile once again./ I will take my leave of you for now, my Soul's brother, for I am needed. But we will speak again... and perhaps soon be in each others arms.... /The touch fades with the softest of caresses./ ** Rayek's frame shivers without his permission, and with a muttered wordless growl, he slams the door on his mind, refusing to permit any further sendings from outside the Palace's walls. Only when there is truly silence from without does he open his eyes; even then, he sits there, panting, shaken. The darkness seems to fade, if that were indeed possible, lightening the room and the two sending occupants. Ktai ceases sending herself, and merely holds you close to her. Rayek for once does not hesitate to embrace you, brown arms wrapping about your shoulderblades in mutual need for comfort. "Great Sun," he whispers. Ktai just wordlessly holds you, rocking slightly, pressing her lips to your temple softly. Her breath hums with a song, light and soft within the room. "She... has not... sent like that before," Rayek tells you at last, "not since... I first met her." Ktai sighs softly, her voice small. "She grows malcontent in there, and it makes her bold, I suppose..." Rayek murmurs, "She has always been... bold." Something in his voice sounds strange, almost... regretful. Almost needful. Ktai doesn't ask, she merely holds you lovingly. Her song softly becomes fuller, her sends picking up the thread of melody and winding it about the room. For the longest time, Rayek does not release you; if anything, he might almost be sensed to cling to you, both in physical presence and that of the song-send, before he finally sits up, grim of eye, set of mouth. Mutedly, he sends thanks, without words... but in his gaze yet lingers that strange regret, a darkness of its own about that otherwise bright amber. [End log.]