Iolanna held Aiden’s hand with fingers entwined; the habit formed at a time when he might have needed help navigating the dense forest in the dusk. Now, the gesture was simply comforting and familiar. They both knew their way to the glade by heart, how to follow the sound of the water, and the gleam of light through the trees.
The treeline met with lush grass, canopy opening to the moonlight that hung over gently streaming falls. The the pool at the bottom had been carved so deeply, it let the water remain still, lapping onto smooth rock and muddy banks. A tranquil sanctuary in the gloomy heart of the forest.
This time, Aiden didn’t allow himself to bask long. He rested a hand on the small of Iolanna’s back.
“Do what you need to, love. I’ll keep watch.”
"You know it could take time, right?" She asked again, "If something happens, you can wake me-"
"Hey, some stray gnolls won't bother me. Go, you'll be safe."
Aiden left a kiss on the woman’s forehead and squeezed her to his side, then turned back to watch the thickening darkness for danger. She watched him go, now a wandering figure in the trees, and smiled. There was an unspoken promise the swordsman had made to her, to not ask or pry into the secrets of the Druids even when he guarded those same rites. It was a small kindness to save her the trouble of choosing between him and her duty.
Iolanna stepped to the water’s edge. Her bare feet sunk into the muddy grass and bit by bit, she tugged away her outwear. The blanket-robe, gloves, the worn bodice and hide trousers were all dropped into her gathering basket, till only the old shift remained. The druidess knelt down then, and pushed her hands into the mud.
Rich, cold earth clung to her skin; she raised her fingertips and began to carefully paint a pattern on her face. An inverted teardrop on the bridge of her nose. Upward swoops over her eyebrows. Feather-shaped streaks that radiated from her eyes and over her cheeks.
And then, in the softest whisper, the Druidess began to chant in that most secretive and sacred language.
"The domain of night,
Under starlight’s map,
Great Owl, I invoke your guidance."
She drew more mud, the patterns continuing down her arms. Symbols of feathers weaving into those of a lotus flower; long waving lines to symbolize water straightening over hands into the shape of talons. Giant Owls were a favoured servant of Eldath; she chanted for their insight.
"Eyes of night,
Silent flier through dark skies,
Lend me your vision, that I might find my way to secret knowledge."
Iolanna covered her neck right up to her jaw, fingertips flecking the mud into featherlike marks down her chest. The markings completed, her earth-coated hands came to rest on her knees, her eyes heavy lidded, and her whispered prayers faded to silence.
All became still. The druidess watched the moonlight gently dance on the water, letting the gleaming sink her into a hypnotic trance… an owl called nearby and the rush of its wings beat in the air. Sounds echoed in unison with the dancing light... then, as a waterlilly opens to the sun, Iolanna's mind opened to the cosmos.
The invocation was deeper than a simple spell of wisdom and insight. It began to disconnect her consciousness, it plunged her into deep meditation. So still and peaceful was she, the only sign of movement was the slow tide of her breath.
Time stretched… the lights on the water warped and danced, and made shapes sparkle in the mist of the falls. The longer she stared, the misty shapes became familiar. She saw wings, then the whole owl, weaving and swooping in the air. Glittering droplets formed constellations, circling in a path as the stars do in the sky.
The rotation continued thus, whirling closer, tighter, till the sparkles had created a ring, a wheel, rotating in mid air. The stars of dew moved with it, constellations telling a story. The circle rolled on, drawing in more mist… till a droplet of water formed like a cancer, gathering, growing heavy, and dropping into the pool below. Droplet, after droplet, forming, dropping, breaking the wheel and unbalancing it.
Marks melted away as the wheel had turned, but it was only now there was movement from the druidess; a flinch around her eyes, a flinch of pain within her soul as the shapes in the mist fell apart.
Then a beam of moonlight caught on something in the middle of the rainy mist… Iolanna’s eyes narrowed, peering. A thin veil had begun swirling again, another wheel, though paler and more difficult to find. After all the chaos it hung peacefully in the air, slowly rotating, new constellations rotating around it and continuing the story.
The first ray of sunlight bloomed between the mountains, and the message ended. Shapes were nothing more than mist once again, and the sounds of the forest returned so abruptly it broke Iolanna from her trance.
Pain shot through her folded legs and with a wince she rolled off her knees. Every muscle was tense and cold from being frozen in the position for so long, no matter how calm and relaxed the meditation had been. SHe hadn't felt the hours till they ended.
Iolanna started rubbing the feeling back into her legs, and let the mud crack and flake off with her movements. A sudden rustle preceded Aiden pushing through the brush. It looked like he’d encountered a scrap or two through the night as he guarded the little glade. The swordsman went to Iolanna’s side, and helped her to her feet.
“You were out a while. Did you get your answers?”
She glanced back over at the waterfall, and nodded.
“Yeah. Yeah, I know what to do.” She looked up at Aiden, smiling as he wrapped her blanket robe around her shoulders. “But first things, should probably find some food, huh?”
