House Ravenin - The Folded Path Pt. 03

"Thank you, dear Sun. You have helped me more than I can ever express or repay," Atarah whispered, a silvery tear streaking down her purple face. She drew her hand back from Lenu's and slowly bowed, turning toward Ulizu and I.

Atarah took three slow steps across the sand in my direction, ignoring all other looks and propriety as she took my face in her hands and rubbed my cheeks. She closed her eyes and I did the same, feeling her rest her forehead against mine as she began to hum. It was a tone both glorious and soft, a vibration that made my heart leap in the hearing of its hymn.

There is an island, deep in the sea, where one man waits for peace, Atarah murmured into my mind, the same island we were all standing yet it was only us that heard it. Upon this island he waits, a perfect memory of what could be echoing endlessly inside him.

A lovely moon-colored light beamed down upon the quiet island, a perfect ring of tender nightfall encircling us. It is a blessing, this memory, of how the world used to be. Patient and kind, even in the face of hate and confusion, it cared and protected even as it weathered the heaviness of sadness and guilt. It brought forth a path that had been hidden, gave way to walk it even with hearts breaking in absence. It wept in joy, even as it remembered in pain. It held close the presence of another, even against the venom of distrust baked into an unworthy soul. Forgotten by all, lost to the fog of bloodshed. All but one.

"I claim you as my own, Kashio," Atarah said, slowly caressing the lines of my face with her delicate fingers. She drew back and blinked her lovely silver eyes at me, long violet lashes dashed at the tips with pearlescent moonlight. "I offer you this Pillar to stand next to you, to draw upon when needed as you walk the Folded Path. I believe in the memory you hold, have perfect understanding in your willingness to walk the true path in times of uncertainty and confusion."

Atarah drew close, pulling her body form-tight against mine. "I am no slave, yet I claim you as my Master," she whispered, gently kissing me like a breath of a cool, moon-kissed mist.

"I honor your commitment and path, Atarah of Ul'Uril, and your claim upon me." I slowly recited, holding her close. "In turn I claim you as my own, my precious Moon Pillar. I will honor your service and sacrifices, hold you close and protect what is dear, as we travel the Folded Path together."

I let my lips linger upon Atarah's, drinking in her divine presence and returning my peace with a wholesome heart. "May the Path serve us both, equal and honest, until the world knows endless peace and prosperity once more."

"Until peace once more, Master Ravenin," Atarah said, snugly holding her body against my own for a few moments more before drawing backwards out of my reach. She returned to her place next to Lenu, the pair exchanging joyful glances filled with hope and love.

"Your Pillars stand tall, Master Ravenin," Ulizu softly crackled. "It is a rarity to see such closeness, yet the pact remains unfulfilled. One Pillar remains absent, that of Fire. Without it, there is no-"

"Hope," came the errant word. We all turned to see Ignia stride onto the beach, fiery and strong with bronze skin reflecting brightly. "But, no, you weren't going to stay that, were you?"

Ulizu suddenly sizzled with energy, like the audible bristling of a defensive porcupine. It was a break in the facade of a stone-cold creature, its effect and meaning not lost to me in the viewing of it.

"I imagine what you had to say was less to do with emotion, caring, and connections than that one word would ever mean to you," Ignia slowly continued, the heat in his tone noticeably growing as he took one step toward Ulizu and myself. "It has always been like that for you, closed off and absent from the world's longings and yearnings. As long as you can serve your own interests the rest is just dust and ashes, isn't it?"

Ulizu slowly turned, shifting like an unmovable monolith and setting narrowed eyes of static upon Ignia. There was such contempt in both their gazes as Ignia approached unbidden, matched by such arrogance in speaking out of turn. It was like witnessing the manifestation of familiar ties, naked and filled with emotion before us.

Ignia approached and offered me a slow bow, rising to meet my eyes in kind acknowledgement. We never had to ask, he whispered into my mind, a keenly strange sensation since he wasn't wearing a piece of the Biting Desire set.

And we never had to offer, I responded, feeling Ignia's connection real and pure inside; just like a Pillar.

"What do you want?" came Ulizu's voice. It was a growl both acidic and primal, like a wizened grandmother to an errant, know-it-all daughter.

"I want what you want, as much as I am loathe to admit it," Ignia reluctantly grumbled toward Ulizu. "I desired to seek out those worthy in holding the Nenis as equals, and I have found them. House Ravenin has never wavered in its dedication or purpose, not once since the beginning when the first Nenis were created. I knew only stories of them, Ulizu, eldest tales passed down barely remembered in the passing of ages."

"Now, you would blatantly eradicate that loyalty on the basis of an eldest bargain that has been unchanged for millennia," Ignia hotly stated as he took another step closer to Ulizu, his grumbling voice grudged like a long-held axe in desperate need of grinding. "Under your gaze, Houses have fallen that would have served and befriended us without hesitation. Would that you held one mecum of compassion, one inkling of patient perspective, you'd see that the world has changed and as such the bonds and agreements have changed as well."

"All the more reason the eldest bonds must be remembered. In the ages of forgetting the agreements have not gone null. In truth, they have become more important than ever," snapped Ulizu, a tremor of anger in the crackling pop of lightning. As Ulizu growled the storm wall echoed its sentiment. "You know all this, Ignia, yet you would stand before me and spout sentiment over necessity. If it is not done, no one will remember."

"And if it is continued to be done, as it has always been, then we will be destroying our own legacy with every act of 'necessity'. There will be none left to remember, the world absent of those who once sang and treasured each other in fellowship." The heat in Ignia's tone lowered, but the firmness of the high ground where he stood was rock solid. "The world has changed, and we need to change with it to survive."

"What is this prattle?" Ulizu snarled, waving a long right hand out in a staticky sweep of smooth white flame. "Who is this pitiful Nenis that stands before me? A being of pure fire, borne from the very soul of the bronze mountain and given form like a bursting volcano, now whimpering for parley because times have changed and become difficult to suss out the true and honorable bonds?"

"The true and the honorable have always existed. That is why we slept for ages beneath the care of those self-same Houses, ones that you have deemed unworthy due to an incomplete, yet pure, bond!" retorted Ignia.

"Those are the only bonds worth having!" roared Ulizu, all pretenses of niceness suddenly fading. "Weak bonds are the ties that break under pressure, unstable families becoming the legacies of fools and beggars! I will not be remembered by those unworthy to speak my name! I will not bend beneath anything less than a full and true bond, forged in ancestral strength that has withstood the tests of times and histories!"

Ulizu pointed an accusational finger at Ignia. "And I will not stand here and be lectured nor scolded by a creature, borne from my power, who has not the inkling of dedication it requires to even be considered in such a bond!"

"You question my loyalty?!" Ignia roared. "You question my servitude?!"

"I question your will and bond to do what is right in the face of challenging decisions, weighed with incalculable consequences! Those that define legacies and reach further than you can even begin to comprehend!" Ulizu countered.

"Never again!" Ignia screamed, marching up and slamming a hand down on my shoulder.

I felt Ignia's bond snap tight inside me, slamming into my psyche like a rampaging fire storm. The song that roared from inside him, broken into fragments echoing from within my other Pillars, was a bone-humming sound that reverberated throughout my body at his touch. It was the voice of a sunrise, the subtle vibration of light and heat that is always hidden beneath thousands of other sensations.

Now unfiltered, powerful, and radiant, the hairs on my body stood up before the agonizingly pure feeling. I wept as the achingly soulful song found my heart and wrapped lovingly around it, taking a long, shivering breath that was soaked in pure, truthful presence. Ignia squeezed my shoulder and brought me back to the island, giving me a moment to blink away my tears before turning toward him.

"Until the world knows peace once more, Master Ravenin, I will stand next to you as your Pillar of Fire. You alone trusted me when I had only rage and destruction roaring in my veins. You are the one who took me in, valued my family and their safety while placing your own in revealed danger. You gave me honor when I'd forgotten the taste of it, understood my plight even though our races have been ages apart and lost to history. You helped me break my chains of servitude, both to my incitement and then to what I once thought was my natural form of existence."

"You have given without expectation, bonded without reciprocation." Ignia licked his dry lips, a crack in his molten eyes speaking a whisper of sadness. "If only all Houses could hold to such legacies, the world would know peace and prosperity in the likes that would hold all of us close in fellowship."

"I am no slave, Master Ravenin, yet I choose you as my Master if you'll have me," Ignia intoned.

"I honor your commitment and path, Ignia of Telaneos," I slowly recited. Lenu's eyes lit up at the word, a new meaning adding to such a beautiful sentiment she'd held dear. "I honor your claim upon me and in turn I claim you as my own, my strong Pillar of Fire. I will honor your service and sacrifices, hold you close and protect what we hold dear, as we travel the Folded Path together. May the path serve us both, noble Ignia, equal and honest until the world knows endless peace and prosperity once more."

Ignia nodded powerfully at the sentiment, contentedly breathing out like a piece of a puzzle had finally been fit true inside him.

Ulizu did not look pleased as a growl left its lips. "What have you done? Bonding with this human? This is not some game, Ignia. There is no prize to be had at the end of this contest. You were immune to my judgment, just like your brothers and sisters. There was no need to finalize the bargain to save your own skin."

"Then you should know, Ulizu, that I didn't do this out of fear, but for hope that our race will live on in the memory of lesser races. I would see us honored, appreciated for our bonds and brotherhood, in ages beyond when they tell tales of remembrance instead of far off fables and histories unfeeling," Ignia proudly spoke, his words filling with a need all his own separate from Ulizu's. It was glorious to feel and be present with. "You created us to be separate, to experience things elemental and apart from the whole that you represent. I want to be a part of this House, to protect and see it flourish, until the end of my days and our people are remembered. Not to be seen as enemies, only wayfarers upon the Folded Path finding companionship on the long journey."

A look that could only be kin to contemplation passed over Ulizu, a mote of intrigue slowly adding to its scrutinizing look. "You are doing this for all Nenis, then?"

Ignia nodded, panning his gaze around the island and my Pillars standing nearby before returning his gaze to Ulizu. "All of us, and all of them. We deserve to have our place in this world, and we should craft it with allies. Telaneos is just a dream to me. I want to make it real, a place where we can live in peace. I believe with all my being that it can be done if we choose this path."

"And this is the path you have chosen then, of your own free will?" Ulizu asked, the lace of heavily ingrained acceptance residing inside its words. "You divine this as the best use of our power? That this is honorable path of the Nenis?"

"I do," Ignia responded. "This bond is sacred and I choose it as my own, keeping with the eldest bonds that were forged before my time."

Ulizu slowly returned its gaze to mine, followed by a knowing inclination of its head. I felt the storm wall around House Ravenin grumble in a throaty moan as it gently tapered off, its intensity morphing into a roiling, thick mist absent the raging lightning and thunder from earlier. The deep feeling of impending calamity evaporated, the weight of the storm gently passing.

"Master Ravenin of House Ravenin," Ulizu said in a submissive tone. "With Ignia's ascension to your Pillar of Fire I find our ancient pact completed, pure and honorable in keeping with the eldest promises of ages long past. Your Pillars are assembled, and I am yours to do as you choose."

I nodded and exchanged passionate looks with my Pillars. I felt the deep success of this momentous occasion with them deep in my bones, victory proudly flaring inside my heart. House Ravenin was safe due to them and our commitment to its safeguard and love. In keeping with that belief that we could accomplish anything together, I turned and bowed to Ulizu with deep respect and honor.

"Then I release you, gracious Ulizu, from our forced pact and bond," I hummed, instantly drawing a stunned look from the primal elemental being. "Follow the path of your desire, prime Nenis. If it ever returns this way you will be welcome, an honored guest in keeping with eldest agreement."

"You're letting me go?" inquired a skeptical Ulizu, the baffled expression something alien even on its smoothly foreign face. "You'll not use my power to better your House and destroy your enemies?"

I honestly shook my head. "No, I will not."

"With our bond enacted and the mantle you wear, I could be bent to any number of destructive desires you could have," informed Ulizu. "The world would tremble in reverberation of your name, saturated in the breath of the elements now under your control. The storm would flow, bent to any winds and thunder imaginable."

"All the more reason I will not, gracious Ulizu. There is too little freedom in the world, too many paths that need walking," I murmured, taking a brave step forward. "Walk yours with my blessing, keeping with bonds and fellowship made this day. I do not desire to wield you like a blade, rather honor you as a friend."

Ulizu stared at me for an infinity stretched long and far in its gaze, history flashing through its eyes as a kindness found its staticky look. The feeling caused a deep inhale, the first I'd seen it take.

"Master of House Ra'Ve'Nin, descendant from eldest times to take form before me once more, our bond is true today as it was the first day." Ulizu offered a deep bow, the crackling upon its skin almost soothing and calm. "Never has a family more deserved to harness the primal storm of the Nenis, and continually declined to do so."

My blood went cold at the information, an uncontrollable tremble in my lips at what it meant.

Ulizu rose and nodded to me, like it was reading my thoughts. "Yes, its true. House Ravenin has never taken the storm under its power. For twenty three generations, not one missed or overlooked, the patriarchs and matriarchs of your House have always declined to accept this rod of humbling omnipotence. It is why your house sigil is the storm crow, bright and true upon a blue and white background. It is why each estate of your name that has come before yours has prospered in the most elegant of ways."

Ulizu took a step closer, turning its hands up and bringing them waist high. "And it is why the Nenis have called you friend, beyond all others, forward to this very day."

I extended out my hands and placed them in Ulizu's. Where I held an expectation that they would be crackling and filled with sharp sparks, I found only long fingers with an alien smooth palm that took mine with an unforeseen gentility. Palms to palms, fingers on each others wrists, Ulizu and I slowly nodded to each other.

"Until the world knows peace once more, Master of House Ra'Ve'Nin." Ulizu hummed, the last line of the Pillar's bond spoken as though it had already chanted the rest. In truth the bond was pure in choice and reason, something so clean, mysterious, and true. It required only one thing of me, and I readily gave it.

"Until peace once more, gracious Ulizu," I hummed, our hands softly vibrating from the completion of a most sacred bond and understanding. A kind smile, warm and knowing, crossed Ulizu's lips as the island in my mind flared white and brilliant.

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Day 12

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I woke up in my large bed as the first rays of morning light peeked through the thick drapes, shining down onto the white floor tiles in lovely yellow slats. I was alone amongst the tumble of covers, yet I knew in my heart everything had changed. I didn't need anyone to tell me because I felt it true and real inside me, like a weight had been lifted and a burden was missing.

Whether it was all a dream or not, no matter which path became of my choices, I was committed.

I nodded and rose, refreshed and naked. I went to the bath, slowly washed and rinsed, before drying and dressing in a leisurely manner. When I exited my room I found Miris standing there, proud and dressed in a functional yet ceremonial dress. He held the ornate helmet that had been inside the tabard underneath his left arm, right hand across his chest in respect.

"Good morning, Miris," I hummed, closing the bedroom door behind me.

"And to you, Master," Miris returned and bowed. "I figured you'd like to get an early start."

"Reading my mind today," I said with a grin. "Lets not keep House Gour waiting, shall we?"

"One moment, Master," Miris offered. "There's something you should see first."

Miris smoothly produced a thickly bound stack of papers, all dated today. They were receipts from the missives that Lenu had sent out, return messages arriving at the break in the Storm Moon. I read them all, slowly and purposefully, and after I'd finished I handed them back to Miris and nodded.

He fell in step beside me as we strode through the house, and upon exiting the manor we found a pair of prepared horses waiting on us. We quickly mounted and rode down the path, racing out the estate gates in a clatter of hooves.

House Gour wasn't expecting us but that would be acceptable, because the storms of our lives don't wait for nice weather. They claim.

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House Gour was one of the eldest houses and estates. Draping the family in ancestral opulence, its commitments and honors had held true for as long as House Ravenin had. A thick white wall surrounded the fields of towering aspen and thick oak, the lumber farm in full swing as they cut, trimmed, and replanted the grove in expertly monitored rows and clusters. A heavy litter of leaves and branches were being raked, stacked, and hauled off, no doubt remnants of the powerful Storm Moon.