Orb and Prophecy Prophecy Part 11 of about 13
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Orb And Prophecy: Prophecy (Part 10 Of About 13) free porn video
(Passages surrounded by asterisks are the character's thoughts)
"He's really grateful for what you did," Marcus consoled me. It was the
next morning, and we were with Alwyn at her home. "He's still running and
jumping around the house like he hasn't done in years! You should see
it!"
"But I failed!" It came out in a tortured wail. I hid my head in my
hands, not so much because of grief now, but in shame and anger at
myself. "How could I have failed him so?"
"You did what we thought no one could ever do. It may be that he'll live
the rest of his life like this, and if he does, that's okay. We were
already resigned to far worse than that."
"You must despise me." I might have been talking to myself as much as him
at that point. "I took off without telling you, I took a huge risk with
all of your hopes and plans, I put you all in danger, I can see that now.
And then I came back and didn't finish the job."
"You shouldn't have done it. Somehow, though, I, I can't find it in me to
be angry at you for it. Yesterday I saw my son walking for the first time
in years! Yes, you were foolish, but I am so grateful for what you did."
I looked up at him and saw a warm smile, the last thing I had expected to
see. Alwyn spoke up then, surprising me, for I had almost forgotten she
was there.
"What you did was not wise, Marisa." Alwyn spoke gently, as she always
seemed to do. "It was not wise but it was selfless. I think the Council
may be ready to trust you with more now. I'm hoping they will agree we
can move forward with greater confidence from here. And that they will
let you have the rest of the information you have been waiting for."
I looked at her with wonder. "What is it with you people? I just messed
up everything! I snuck off, tried something foolish, got caught, got
rescued, ran away again, came back with a promise I couldn't fulfill,
failed in the end. If one of my men had done that, I would have had him
court-martialed. If he was lucky, that is!"
"Marisa, we've known all along you were an adventurer and a risk-taker.
That part of what you did was no surprise to us. I've been frankly amazed
that you stayed put as long as you did. What we've wondered all this time
was whether you had a heart."
I stood up over her. "A heart! A heart? What did you think I was?! Did
you--did you think I had to become a woman to have a heart?"
"It's not what we thought that matters, Marisa," responded Alwyn. "And we
certainly don't think a man can't have a heart. Look at Marcus here--why
do you think he followed you? But consider what you were before, and
whether you've changed at all."
I stopped at that and sat down. My skin felt hot. I felt on the spot, as
if they were waiting for me to agree with all that Alwyn was saying. I
wasn't ready to do that quite yet.
"Alwyn, would you allow Marcus and me a few moments?"
"Surely. I have some gardening to tend to." She put on a pair of gloves
and left the house.
"So, why did you follow me?" I asked him. "I thought it was because I was
your weapon against Moranna and you couldn't afford to lose me." That
wasn't all I thought, really; I was baiting him.
"Your role on our island for the resistance--for all the people--could be
pivotal. I care about our island. And I care about you."
My heart beat faster when I heard that, but the pain of my failure was
still far too real. I did not feel free to pursue that matter quite then.
But I had another question. "I need to ask you about when you shot that
guard, Marcus. How long had you been watching me?"
"I was closing in on you for about the last mile, but I didn't really
catch up with you until he stopped you."
"It was that close?"
"It was that close."
"Do you have any idea how strange it feels to be the damsel in distress
who gets rescued in the nick of time?"
"I can't imagine it at all. I cannot imagine even being the damsel."
"Neither could I, a few weeks ago," I said with a wan smile that suddenly
turned playful. "When I get my powers back, you could find out what it's
like! You might like it!"
He blanched. "No, thanks! I like myself the way I am, thank you!"
"So do I. I mean, I like you the way you are." I paused for effect, happy
to see that he seemed to enjoy hearing that. "But I'm confused. You're
not a violent man like I was. Why did you shoot him?"
"Because he was going to hurt you. He was doing his job, serving his
queen, but you and I know that her goals are perverted. You were in
trouble. I had to do what was in my power to do, to help. It had to be a
death shot. You know that, Marisa: it had to stop him so cold that he
couldn't even cry out."
"You're a pretty good archer. It's good you brought a bow and not a gun."
"I did have a gun, but I couldn't afford to make the noise. As for the
bow, I try to keep all my skills up. I'm in her army remember?" He spoke,
not with the pride of the warrior but with the sarcasm of the spy. "I
really prefer to use my skills and my strength for right reasons. Hunting
has been one. This was another, but it was way out of the norm. I don't
enjoy killing, not at all. But this time I was saving a life."
"Thank you for being there. Thank you for saving my life." I hugged him--
and he hugged me back! *Oh, the glory! There's hope!*
"Marcus, I'm so mixed up. The Council was pleased at my 'selflessness,'
but I'm not sure what I did was so selfless at all." He looked at me
questioningly, waiting for me to continue. "I wanted to help Jakob, yes--
oh, how badly I wanted to help him! But I was hoping, if, maybe--" I was
stuttering now "--if I could help him, maybe you, Marcus--" I looked at
him hopefully yet timidly, "--Maybe you and I could..."
"Oh, Marisa!" He pulled me to himself in yet another deep embrace, and
held me there. I felt his strength, the warmth of his arms, the power in
him. After a few moments, I felt him sobbing as well, and then it passed.
He released his embrace, but kept his hands gently on my shoulders. His
eyes were faintly red. "Marisa, I cannot tell you all the things I have
felt about you, and for you. But there is more you must know, and you
will learn soon. You will learn that it is impossible. It could never be
right. Ultimately, I think you'll agree. But I can never thank you enough
for what you did for Jakob."
"Well then, at least make love to me!" I cried out. I knew how that had
to feel to a man. It was an offer Winterhorn never would have--probably
could not have--refused. I could sense Marcus responding, and I smiled
into his eyes. But he was hesitating. I gave him my best coy smile. "In
case you're wondering, I can't get pregnant today." To myself I added,
"At least I don't think I can."
Amazingly, though, he backed away. There was sweat on his face. "No,
Marisa, thank you, but it wouldn't be right. That calls for a commitment
we could never keep, and it would create a bond we couldn't maintain. So-
-as much as I would like to--I won't do that with you--to you."
"What? I don't see how...." I was too astonished to speak. Marcus drew me
in for one more close embrace. Did he really mean what he had said? If he
did, it might be my last time to be held by him so close. I tried not to
think of it that way, but I couldn't stop myself. He let me go, and
strode out the door, leaving me confused and alone. Very alone.
*****
There was another meeting of the Council that evening, and for the first
time, I was invited. I sat through Alwyn's and Marcus's explanation of my
trip to the city, which one or two of the members had not yet heard. I
preferred that they share it; their telling the story implied they
approved of what I'd done.
There were nine people there in addition to myself, meeting in the same
barn where my aborted training under Marcus had taken place. No names
were given. I was aware of guards posted around the barn, and wondered if
there was a trap door under the straw on the floor, through which we
could hide if necessary. Once again I deeply regretted my loss of magical
power, and regretted also that I had to dress plainly yet one more time.
I kept looking at the back of Marcus's head. I wondered if he had
intentionally positioned himself there, slightly in front of me, so he
would not have to look at me.
Roger was apparently the presiding leader. I still wondered if that was
his real name, but I got no further to an answer about it tonight. They
were still guarding themselves. I approved of the secrecy; it was the way
to stay safe and to win. I had led war councils like this often enough
myself. The others, in addition to Marcus, and Alwyn, included two men
who arrived alone, and two apparently married couples. All of them looked
to be in their 30s and 40s, and all were dressed in very ordinary garb. I
learned little about any of them that night, as I had learned little
about any members of the resistance. The focus was on the strategy I was
going to have to learn.
Marcus and Alwyn finished the story of my trip to the city, and Roger
turned to me. "Do you have anything to add?" It was hard to read his
intent; he seemed gruff as in our first meeting, yet not hostile by any
means. I felt so vulnerable then, before him and the council. It was a
strange feeling: probably the first time in my adult life I was so
dependent on others, especially people I knew so little. So it was hard
not to feel intimidated at the question he had asked me. I looked at
Alwyn, who simply gave me a reassuring smile. I took a moment to recall
who I was--*I'm not just a weak woman--I've been a fighter all my life!*-
-and spoke with confidence.
"They've told the story accurately. All I would add is to repeat the
reason for what I did. They told you what I told them, which is that I
did it for Jakob, knowing the danger I was putting myself in. If you have
any questions, I'll be glad to answer."
They asked me just a few, to clarify some details, and then asked me to
step outside while they came to their decision. It was but a few moments
before Alwyn came to usher me back in, smiling. Roger motioned me to a
seat, and I could sense a different air in the room even before he spoke.
"Marisa, welcome to our resistance group. We've been praying for you for
years." Every one of them broke into large smiles, some in relief, some
in congratulations to me.
Roger looked to me with a more open countenance than I thought he could
even produce. "Now, I think there are some things you've been waiting to
know."
I nodded eagerly. "If I'm going to be the one to help here, then I'm
ready to find out how. Let me at that queen!"
I saw a few smiles around the room. Roger nodded to an unnamed man, red-
haired and bearded, across the circle from me. He launched into the
explanation I thought I had been waiting for. By the end of it, I was as
confused as before, but about different and even more difficult
questions.
"Marisa, we do believe you are the one who has been chosen to help us out
of our bondage. Many of us have been surprised by how this has come
about, considering where you came from, but we have become convinced. Now
you need to know what that involves.
"In order to remove Moranna from her power, you obviously must regain
yours. That will entail another secret return trip to the city, like the
one you already took. Now, your magic is certainly more powerful than
Moranna's, but that doesn't mean you are automatically safe from her,
even with your power fully restored. Any reasonably good magic user could
still reach you by surprise through a direct attack unless you were
properly prepared for it. She could also harm you indirectly, by causing
a wall to topple on you, for example. You could be injured or killed by
non-magic means as well, like a gunshot. Your last foray into the city
was risky; this one will be more so, because you will have to reveal your
presence there before you are finished."
"Couldn't I use the same spell to not be noticed?"
"Yes, and that will protect you to a great extent, but you will probably
have to drop it to finish your task. Now, let me describe to you what we
understand to be your task. We will be with you all the way in it,
through our prayers, but it will be up to you to know and to do it. You
have heard of a Prophecy. Now let me share it with you:"
His voice tone changed as he intoned words that were obviously holy to
him. "The lost is regained; what is gained is lost. The Orb is lifted and
injustice is shattered."
He paused. I waited, then said, "Yes, go on..."
"That is it."
"That's it?! That's what I've been waiting so long to hear? No, there
must be more to it!"
"Well, there is, actually. The Prophecy is a word that goes back many
generations, to a God-fearing man who we believe was inspired in many
things he wrote. As you can imagine, much study has gone into trying to
understand its intent. Let me add some further information that we
believe connects with it. There is a legend that goes with the Orb, that
if a man lifts it, then magic power will be lost to all women and
transferred to men--to some men, that is, just as now it is given only to
some women. We know that the room in which it sits is guarded by magical
wards, and any man who approaches it simply dies. This seems to indicate
that Moranna believes there is particular danger in letting a man near
the Orb."
I was still confused. "So a man must lift the Orb. I'm not a man, see?" I
stood and did a small curtsy. I was being overly cute, I knew, but they
were gracious enough to smile anyway. "Even when I tried to change myself
back again, I couldn't. What does this have to do with me?"
Alwyn replied this time. "A magic user cannot use a spell on herself
directly, except in the most trivial ways. But there is a way around
this. One way is to set a magical gate up that would remove any spell
from anyone who walked through it. Then you could walk through, and by
this indirect method you could be changed. You could have done this from
the start, had you known."
My mind was working at full speed as I grasped the implications. "So
you're saying, that no man can enter this room, but possibly if a woman
entered the room and then became a man..."
"That's right. Then he could lift the Orb, and as the Prophecy says,
justice could be restored. This, we believe, explains the first part of
the Prophecy as well: "The lost is regained; what is gained is lost." You
lost your maleness, and will gain it again; you gained magical power, but
on the moment of becoming a man you may lose it. And so will Moranna, and
all the women guarding and supporting her."
"But if I lift the Orb, I might still have magic again as a man."
"That is possible; it is not guaranteed, for we have no experience with
this. We do have the Prophecy guiding us to believe this is the right
course to pursue, even with all that remains unknown."
I pondered this as the Council allowed me some minutes of silence. All
this instantly raised an enormous conflict within. I had grown used to my
new life. I had settled into the idea of remaining as I was. I was hoping
to reach Marcus's heart, and -- but oh, now I knew what Marcus had meant
when he had told me it would be impossible. But I could refuse! And then
it would still be possible -- but no, they would spend all of their lives
running and hiding from Moranna, and the island would remain under her
tyranny. Was there another way? Couldn't I just face Moranna down in
magic battle and remove her? But what if I lost? What would become of me?
And (still more disturbing) what if I won? I would have power
unimaginable, even more than Moranna had had. I had come to know myself
better in the past weeks, and I could imagine how easily I could succumb
to the corruption of power. I might become worse than Moranna. I had a
lot to think about, more than I could work through in a few moments. And
I had a question.
"What of this Prophecy? Where did it really come from? I don't know how I
can have the same confidence in it that you all seem to have."
The red-bearded man looked back to Roger, who answered, "We have more,
much more than this Prophecy that we are staking our trust in. We have an
entire book of Scriptures that we have followed and found trustworthy. We
all believe in a God who oversees our affairs, who has come to this earth
Himself once to rescue us from ourselves, and who has sent deliverance in
many other ways. He is not unknown in the rest of the world, is He? You,
Marisa, were sent to us by God; of that we are convinced."
Now I was really taken aback. Roger saw that and went on, "Oh, don't let
that last line spook you. All of God's people have been sent by Him for
one purpose or another; your role is different only in its degree. Being
sent by God doesn't make you better than anyone else, and it doesn't
require you to be better than everyone else. In fact, you ought to take
it humbly. If God works through you and you succeed, then it is God who
is working through you; you're simply a vessel, as we say. But you can be
very confident in God, for if He is working through you and He means you
to succeed, then you cannot fail."
*Okay,* I thought, *now I have even more to deal with. This all-important
prophecy doesn't have much more basis in fact than all their praying has.
I'm in real trouble now.* I found it impossible to dismiss it out of
hand, though. This praying group was surely not naive, as I had first
thought they were, nor were they given to superstition. They were wise,
even canny in their dealings with Moranna. They accepted the risk of
resistance and remained a hearty, good-humored lot even under their great
oppression. Maybe there was something to their strange beliefs after all.
But other questions needed to be answered. This was a huge, earthshaking
thing they were asking me to undertake.
"What will happen to the island if all the magic is changed? How much
does the economy depend on it? And the social order?"
"Moranna has never used her magic to create much good. That would be far
too selfless for her," said Roger, with more than a trace of scorn in his
voice. "We don't depend on her--or the magic-using women she controls--
for food, or anything else we use. As for keeping order, there will be
repercussions. The main thing we need to be concerned about, we believe,
is what might happen to these magic women. When they suddenly lose all
power, they could be victims of mass reprisals. We would want them to
have their chance at proper justice, too."
"But how could we manage that?"
"We have more people on our side than you know of--more than we can
safely tell you about, since your success is not assured. Whether they
will be enough, time will tell. But we must try."
"Is there anything else I need to know?" I asked. I was not ready to
digest what I had already heard, and I would need time to work through
it, but I thought I should first find out if there were more surprises.
"We have shared all of it with you now, Marisa. All that remains is to
work out some strategies. But I think you need some time to yourself
first."
I nodded slowly, numbly. The group dispersed in silence. Marcus was the
last to leave. He came to me with a look of compassion, an unspoken offer
to help, but I waved him away. I was relieved and grateful to have been
given their most confidential information, but I was left with a strange
mixture of hope and dread and confusion. I stood, extinguished the last
light, and walked out alone into the dark night. Somewhere, someone
behind me was undoubtedly still standing guard over me. But not Marcus
this time.
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