Zaire Solaris
Soon after the ruling council meeting, I left to visit the coterie temple in the center of Xhatal.
My mind was a tangled mess of worry.
The sisters of the Coterie were a major pillar of our society. Some even considered them as important as the Twelve Great Families, with influence in every country.
One would be unwise to undertake endeavors without first consulting one. For they had one of the strongest connections to the Patheons and were the best at interrupting their intent.
Through their divinations, they have provided a great number of prophecies to the world of Valonara.
Prophecies that I fought hard not to come true.
An external intrusion will give aid in the gluttony of dusk.
A prophecy I was given nearly thirty years ago, before the birth of… Theron.
Then even the sister struggled to convey a clear message and could offer only a single parting gift.
Be wary of relics, the high pantheon has not blessed us with.
So I followed it.
Inside the temple, the sweet and charred smell of incense being burned crawled into my nose. A familiar smell, taking me through decades of memories.
"Lord Zaire Solaris, how may I help you?" a soft voice said, stepping out from behind the altar's curtains at the end of the temple.
The sister hovered across the temple floor, wearing the standard uniform of the Coterie: a headdress that covered the eyes and an all-white ensemble of layered silk garments, with small green spirals stitched in to show a touch of Kazehoshi clan pride. She was the head of this temple and also one of Nagomi's trusted advisors.
"Afternoon, sister, I've come seeking guidance," I say, performing a slight bow.
"Come," she says, waving me over to follow her.
This temple was similar but much smaller than the Cathedral, where the Head Priestess of the Coeterie performed her most important divinations. I hadn't visited that place since the death of the last Hierophantess, Lady Brontarion.
I was guided past the celestium and gold-encrusted idols of the high pantheons that rested on separate altars, weaved through the array of pews, until finally we entered into a back room.
In the room, chimes gently collided, creating a soothing melody that eased the tension in my body.
Light from the open dome above kissed a shallow pond at the center of the room, making its surface sparkle.
"Sit, Lord Solaris," the sister said, gesturing to the large pillow at the edge of the pond.
I nodded and sat, my legs crossed as I awaited further instructions. The late Lady Brontarion used the same divination setup at the cathedral. She demanded that the Coeterie all use the same method, so that people who come looking for guidance wouldn't feel that any bias occurred based on pantheonic affiliation.
I was glad that a small bit of her influence was still present even years after her death, because that standard isn't upheld as much now.
"What is troubling you?"
I stared into the pond.
"I'm worried that I cannot fulfill my duty. To my pantheon, to the world… and my family, or whatever is left."
There is silence after my words. The sister gently raises her hand to the side, and a small gust of wind is expelled from it. The wind flows through all the instruments in the room, changing the tone of the chimes.
The tone is deeper as it washes over my body, causing the pond before me to ripple. The sister places her glowing hands into the pond, illuminating the surface, as the rest of her body levitates.
The event causes the pond to become murky, like a nebula of stars flowing into each other, as cosmic energy floods the waters, activating the stardust that flowed within it.
I watch as the sister's jaw clenches, as she pours more cosmic energy into the pond.
My chest races because I know the clearer the water, the more precise the message will be.
The water doesn't change after many minutes. But suddenly the pond shifts. For a fraction of a moment, the water is clear, glasslike, right before it shifts back to the glowing murky cloud.
The sister rests on the floor, breath heavy as she dries her hands.
"What did you see?" I asked, the thud of my heart pounding in my ears.
The sister grimaces.
"It was brief, but I saw a vision of you before two paths, during the world festival of planetary alignment. One path leads to a castle shrouded in the dusk of night, and the other leads to a meadow bathed in the warmth of dawn."
My eyes shuttered closed as I slumped in my seat.
"I think you are supposed to make a choice, Lord Zaire."
"Any insight on which I should make?"
"I'm sorry, there wasn't."
"Thank you for your efforts, sister. Praise be to your pantheon."
"And praise be to yours," she said, bowing to me.
Leaving the temple, I wished for more. Ever since the day of our clan's massacre, I have been getting only fragments of the puzzle. I need more; otherwise, I feel like I would lose my mind to the battle of chaos and lunacy.
How can I guide Cyrus? How can I aid Ezra? Find potential displaced members of our clan, and save… Theron. If I can't guide myself first.
I stared up into the sky, gazing upon the charcoal clouds.
High Pantheon, please help, I'm lost, and the dusk is crowding the light.
I was not a member of the coterie, so I received no answer.
I called for a vehicle to take me back home. During the ride, I swiped through my communicator and read Arya's message again. I hadn't trusted her at first– her family had betrayed the ceasefire agreement tied to Ezra and her engagement.
But Cyrus was adamant that I do.
During the ruling council, it seemed her mother had no knowledge of our contacts or her visits; either that, or she never let on that she did.
But for Arya to leave her post while her mother was here, things must have been dire.
I guess we will find out in a couple of days.
The car dropped me off at the estate. I waved the driver off and headed into the home.
"Solmane I'm back."
But I received no message.
Strange.
I called through our telepathic link once more. Still no response. Then I sensed a familiar cosmic energy signature, and I began to follow it out the screen door.
Sitting on the ground were Solmane and Cyrus, his legs crossed and eyes closed. The stress ball I sent him was floating in the air in front of him.
"Hey, Gramps, how was the meeting?"