Valerian Night

3.17. Frowns and Birds

2013-07-30T14:00:00.000+10:00

Alyxa’s frown went deeper than just the skin. She saw her Dream again, standing there with Odin in that strange cavern. She suddenly felt like all the drifting pieces were slowly coming together; a jigsaw puzzle of infinite size made by blind gurus and carved by invisible children with no knowledge of puzzles whatsoever.

“The Trickster?” she asked softly.

“Yes,” June Darjeeling replied, “every religion since the dawn of time has had a ‘trickster’, as with most, they are all one and the same.”

“We learn to diversify, the Tricksters are better at adapting than the rest of us,” Morpheus said to no one in particular, brushing a finger across the porcelain of his teacup; the delicately painted birds fluffed their feathers and took flight, coasting in endless circles.

-And of course Loki is the one we’re concerned with,- Bast grumbled, stretching out to her full glorious self.

Alyxa sighed and looked at her feet. She frowned again; her sneakers were stained and worn from travel. She needed new ones. She blinked and now she was suddenly wearing a pair of purple suede pumps. A quick look at Morpheus revealed his small smile, even though his eyes were still locked in the flying birds in the china.

“Alright, so we’ve solved the mysteries of the universe, now where’s Maye?” she demanded.

“Maye is searching for Loki, I thought I’d made that obvious already,” June told her.

-Not really,- Bast grumbled.

“Fine,” Alyxa cut in, ignoring the Cat-Goddess, “why is Maye looking for Loki and how do we get to her?”

June’s eyes sparkled.

“I don’t know the answer to the first question,” she said, “and as for finding her. You’ll just have to do a little Blood Scrying, now won’t you, dear?”

-‘Blood Scrying’? –

“Alright, let’s get it over with.”

3.16. Lineage and Ambition

2013-07-23T14:00:00.000+10:00

“When Maye was a young witch, her father sent her to us for tempering, to hone her talents in such a way that might make her fit for leadership. It was her father’s dream that she would succeed him in the Great Coven, and so we taught her everything we knew and when she was ready we tried her in the way that was normal. She excelled at everything we threw at her, until finally we presented her with the darker arts. It is a witch’s right to know all sides of the Undivided; we were not to know that Maye would gravitate towards this lore, and too late we discovered that her ambition was stronger than her morality. When she left us to take up her father’s mantle, we had done all we could to caution her against this, but apparently we didn’t do as well as we thought. You must understand that we trusted our own teaching abilities, perhaps a little arrogantly, and believed we had ‘fixed’ her. She was the most powerful witch to be born into our family in generations, it was only right in our minds that her talents came with a certain superiority.”

“This is all very well, June,” Alyxa put in gently, “but it doesn’t tell us where she is. Where is she?”

“Most certainly. What I am trying to say is that despite who she has become, Maye is our family, she is our blood,” the older woman assured her, “and like you, Dreamer, she is born from an illustrious line. Did you know that every witch can be traced back to a deity of old?”

“Of course, it’s common knowledge. I’m Morpheusian...Jessica’s Cassandrian, which is Helion. It’s how we define ourselves.”

“Naturally,” June said, “the Darjeeling s come from the Trickster.”

3.15. Quests and Wishes

2013-07-16T14:00:00.000+10:00

They had adjourned upstairs, where June Darjeeling served Irish Breakfast tea in delicate but mismatching porcelain cups. Bast opted to have cream instead while Morpheus seemed more interested in the fragile sweeps of paint decorating his saucer.

“As you can see, Maye is not here,” June said.

“Do you have any idea where she might be?” Alyxa asked, setting down her cup again.

“Perhaps.”

-What’s that supposed to mean?- Bast demanded.

“It means that she knows where Maye,” Alyxa muttered, “I’ve read this book. Alright, June, what do you want?”

June smiled a very witchy smile, this one full of teeth and gums.

“There is a rather rare book in a...special collection,” the elderly woman said, “I would like it.”

-May one ask after the title?- Bast asked, and Alyxa could have sworn she was batting her eyelashes.

“‘Sefer Raziel HaMalakh’.”

-The original, I assume.-

“Certainly,” June replied, taking a sip from her tea.

“It’s not,” Morpheus stated suddenly.

“I beg your pardon?” June demanded.

“It’s not the original,” the Dream-Lord replied, “the Arcs took the original back when the Elder retired to Reveille.”

June’s face was a tableaux of emotions, skipping across her face like a pebble across a wrinkled pond.

-Weren’t expecting that, were you, crone?-

Alyxa flinched at Bast’s lack of subtlety.

“No, no I wasn’t,” June admitted.

“Is there anything else we might procure for you, my lady?” Morpheus suggested before either of his companions could stop him.

“A good night’s sleep?”

“Done,” Morpheus said, snapping his fingers.

“I was joki- ” June put in.

-You asked, wish granted, now tell us what you know!-

“Very well,” June murmured, shooting a side-long glance at Morpheus, “provided I never have nightmares again.”

“One wish I granted, a second requires a second bargain.”

-Tell us what you know.-

3.14. Words and Understandings

2013-07-09T14:00:00.000+10:00

As it turned out, Dr. Charles Aswynn had indeed forgotten. He had to be trundled out of his lab where he had been arduously be at work making potions. According to Michaela, who had been sent to fetch him, he often forgot everything for days at a time. It took an hour, but she extricated him and brought him before Jessica and Aeron.

“Charles, so nice of you to join us,” Aeron said.

“Yes, yes, sorry, I know, I missed out on the important meeting this morning,” Charles said, plopping down in a chair, “so are you going to tell me why I’m here?”

“We need a quorum and you, Jessica here, and I are it,” Aeron replied deftly.

Charles polished his glasses thoughtfully and peered through them first at the Loremaster and then at Jessica.

“A new Diviner? Why wasn’t I told?” he demanded, turning to look at his daughter. Michaela rolled her eyes but said nothing.

“Yes, the new Diviner,” Aeron said patiently, “you are the eldest witch amongst us, Herbalist, thus you make our third.”

“Ah, yes, well, of course, I see,” Charles mumbled, “I will, of course, be the third, and do my part for the coven. Was that everything?”

“We will need more than your usual attention span, Charles,” Aeron said gently.

“Yes, well, as you will. I s’pose with a youngster like this for a Diviner – ”

“Doctor, I know I am young,” Jessica interrupted, “but I can See.”

“What – oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, Diviner.”

“That’s quite alright,” Jessica replied, “we need to build our strength so we can help Alyxa get the little Dreamer back.”

“No kidding,” Michael muttered. Jessica reached for him and took his hand.

“There is much work to be done,” she told them all.

3.13. Paths and Patience

2013-07-02T14:00:00.000+10:00

Michael scanned the room, seeing flashes of different emotions flit across the faces of the coven members. Here and there he saw relief, but mostly he saw disappointment, and every few faces it was anger. For a breed meant to be upholding the good, this particular species of witch seemed to be slightly too ambitious. He didn’t like it. Just as well that their new leader was not among them; the last thing this Coven needed was another megalomaniac.

“Not here?” Aeron asked, far more demanding.

“I think that is a matter to be discussed after Jessica has had a moment,” the Arc interjected, putting his hand on Jessica’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, Michael,” Jessica calmed him.

“Do you...” Aeron said softly, “...have any idea where is he?”

Michael watched his charge sort through whatever it was that she was Seeing. He wondered what it was that she saw; it was the weird thing, this pact between the One and Apollo to protect the Cassandrian line. To think, Sariel had kept Morgan company for more than a human lifetime.

“He’ll find us,” Jessica said, opening her blind eyes, “we just have to have some patience.”

Aeron scanned her face for a moment and then stepped back.

“Very well,” he said quietly, and then raised his voice, “Lore dictates that in the absence of a Coven Master, the Diviner, the Loremaster, and the eldest member of the Coven form a quorum and lead the coven until the Coven Master comes forward.”

“So...who’s the eldest?” Jessica asked.

Aeron scanned the room, muttering to himself, his eyes lighted on a young brunette.

“That’ll be Charles Aswynn,” he said after a while, “Michaela, where is your father?”

A rustle of murmurs, and finally Michaela Aswynn spoke up,

“My father isn’t here, I guess he forgot.”

3.12. Colours and Faces

2013-05-07T14:00:00.000+10:00

The Coven members gathered in the largest room of the house, some sitting some standing, and all eyes were fixed on Jessica. She could feel the intensity of their thoughts behind the irises, so many different desires and criticisms. Who will she pick? When will she pick them? What does she See? Isn’t she too young? Jessica could imagine what went on in their minds, mainly because she was thinking them herself. They were valid questions too, all of them unanswered.

“Have you got everything you need, my dear?” Aeron asked her, coming up beside her.

“Yes, thank you,” she replied quietly, taking a sip of the glass of cordial sitting in front of her.

“If you need – ”

“Aeron,” she interrupted, sharp enough to surprise herself, “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Alright,” he said quietly, and moved off.

She let him go without making any attempt to apologise. Someone else drifted towards her, she thought it was Delia from the perfume but before she could say anything the whirl of colours that were her Sight settled.

A stream of faces flew past her, like index cards being sorted. They spread and became a room full of people, the coven Working a rite. There were braziers everywhere, and torches. It was Beltane. The Circle glowed in the firelight. The Coven Master stepped into the centre of the Circle and pulled back the cowl of the ceremonial robe.

Jessica knocked over the glass, spilling cordial everywhere, as she stood up. Michael was behind her then, steadying her.

“Jazzy? What do you See?”

The tension in the room was a physical presence, it wanted to know who she was going to choose.

“...he’s not here. The man in my vision, he’s not here,” she said, “but...I think, I know where to find him.”

3.11. Blood and Guts

2013-04-30T14:00:00.000+10:00

As usual, there was blood everywhere. Andreas sighed miserably and shook a bit of human entrails off his boot. It was a boat house of some variety, but it might as well have been a slaughterhouse for all the bits and the smell. He had done his fair share of butchery over the aeons, but this was beyond the pale.

“Why can’t she just talk to people?” he demanded as he spotted his lover. Hector looked up and effected a small shrug.

“You try explaining that torture isn’t always necessary to a woman like Medea, you’ll likely end up like that,” he said, pointing at what looked like the remains of a skull. The brain was leaking out, somehow pooling sadly below it. Andreas decided not to dwell on how it had reached such a liquid state.

“Did we get anything at least?”

“Apparently we did,” Hector replied, gesturing at vaguely-visible sigils written all over walls, “according to Mercedes, these are Keys to open a Gate to Hell, or something.”

“So...what? We’re going to storm Hades and retrieve Amy?”

“I don’t think it’s going to be that simple a plan,” Hector assured him, “not even Medea is a match for the Prince.”

“But does she knows that?” Andreas murmured, then, seriously, “as long as she lets us in on the plan, I don’t like the idea of Lucifer screwing around with the order of things.”

“If the Elder would get off their behinds and help it would make a difference.”

“So you believe we should go to Reveille?” Andreas asked, they had not discussed this before.

“I believe we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“You’re not wrong, love,” Andreas agreed, scraping some unknown visceral matter off the sole of his boot, “not wrong in the least.”

3.10. Assurances and Reassurances

2013-04-23T14:00:00.000+10:00

The house felt full now that there were actual people in it; for Jessica this changed the very timbre of the atmosphere, adding all manner of colours and hues to the odd sense of sight she now had. For the most part, the newcomers were strangers to her; as Morgan’s apprentice it had never been necessary for her to meet or work with other witches. Aeron introduced them to her one at a time so she could get a feel for the sound of everyone’s voices, not that she could remember them all, but a few stuck out. Michael’s presence was always there, somewhere in the room – the coven had accepted his presence as part of her own, and if there were any questions they were asked out of earshot.

“You alright, Jessica?” Delia asked her softly.

“Yeah, just a little overwhelmed.”

“You’ll get used to it,” came the reassuring reply, “or not...Morgan just referred to everyone as ‘dear’ or ‘darling’, I guess that helped.”

Jessica laughed.

“I think I might be a little young to call people that.”

“You’re the Diviner, you can come up with something else more appropriate.”

“I’ll think about it,” Jessica said, “right now I’m more concerned about how I’m supposed to be choosing the new Coven Master.”

Delia patted her hand in a maternal fashion, odd for someone her age and a small part of Jessica resented it.

“It’s meant to come to you, I don’t think you’ve got much to worry about.”

Jessica bit her tongue; she was really tired of people telling her there was ‘nothing to worry about’. No, she thought sarcastically, I’ve got blind, see weird colours and occasionally have weird dreams about the end of the world.

“At least all the candidates are here now, right?” she asked instead.

3.9. Clues and Acquaintances

2013-04-09T14:00:00.000+10:00

“You’re a witch,” Alyxa said accusingly.

“I would have thought that was obvious, given the shop we’re in, my dear.”

Alyxa found herself blushing.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

“As for being a witch, so are you,” the older woman pointed out, “a particularly powerful one.”

“What makes you say that?”

-She’s got eyes,- Bast muttered, stretching out to soothe her hackles, -you’re here with us.-

Alyxa blinked and looked at the cat and then at the Dream God disappearing down the narrow aisle of books.

“My name is June. The Lady Bast I know by reputation,” the old witch went on, following Alyxa’s gaze, “the other...I cannot name.”

Morpheus stuck his head out from around the end of the bookshelf.

“I am Morpheus, Lord of Dreams, Wandering King, Master of Reveille, Prince of – ”

-I think she gets it, kitten,- Bast cut in.

“Are you sure?” Morpheus asked, tilting his head curiously at June.

“I am honoured to make your acquaintance, Lord Morpheus,” the witch assured him.

“Of course,” Morpheus agreed, taking it for granted. Alyxa couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him.

-Now...you wouldn’t happen to have a tea-like last name would you, June?- Bast asked slyly, her narrow face looking decidedly pointed at the question.

“Darjeeling? You’re looking for young Maye then, I assume.”

“Actually, yes, we are,” Alyxa replied, glad that they were finally making some headway.

“She is my great-niece,” June said softly, “she said people would come looking for her. I didn’t expect you. What do you want with her?”

-She cost us something precious in exchange for her newfound powers,- Bast snarled.

“What precious something?” June queried.

“An Unbound Dreamer. Traded to Lucifer,” Morpheus stated, “a trade this world cannot afford.”

“Then it is true, and Lucifer wishes to bridge the Rift. How interesting.”

3.8. Dust and Cobwebs

2013-04-02T14:00:00.000+11:00

“Can I help you? Or are you happy to browse?” the elderly woman behind the counter queried politely when Alyxa and Bast came in.

“Um...just looking, thanks,” Alyxa replied. The old woman nodded and smiled. The shop was incredibly narrow, as though it had been squished between two buildings as an afterthought by some enterprising young architect bent on efficiency.

Floor to ceiling, the place was packed full of dusty books, jars full of herbs and spices, and all manner of ingredients for ritual, spell, charm or brew. Alyxa had never seen so much witchery in one place, not even in Maye’s spellroom. Morpheus was running his fingers along the spines of a few books.

“Morph-” Alyxa started, halting herself when she realised ‘Morpheus’ wasn’t the most common name in the world, “what are you doing?”

“Searching,” he replied stoically.

“For what?” Alyxa demanded impatiently, but he had wandered down the aisle of shelves already.

“Where’s that accent from, dear?” the old lady asked. Usually such a question, prying into her personal affairs, would have rankled Alyxa, but it was posed so politely that she felt quite happy to reply.

“Oh, I’m English but I lived in France for a few years when I was little.”

“How wonderful,” the old lady declared, “I visited Paris as a girl. A long time ago.”

“Oh, neat,” Alyxa replied, trying to be polite.

“My family is from India, originally, most of us lived in England, but some came down here. What brings you to Australia?”

-This old bat likes to talk,- Bast commented, jumping onto the countertop.

“Only about interesting things, Cat Queen,” the old lady replied without missing a beat.

Bast’s fur fluffed itself into a fury and she hissed.

“You...you can see her?” Alyxa asked softly.

“Of course, dear, can’t you?”

3.7. Magicks and Lore

2013-03-26T17:36:00.000+11:00

Melbourne. A collection of a-stringent synapses, ley-lines, and otherwise intersecting waves of thought and power. There were different people everywhere, not a one was the same. It was fascinating. Even more so than London. Morpheus was having trouble focussing, there were new things all over the place, every nook and cranny had something different to look at. There were cafes and eating places; you couldn’t swing a cat without hitting some tiny shop full of fascinating goods – not that you would be swinging cats in Bast’s presence. More than once, Alyxa had to haul him away from a window behind which lights flickered and masses of fabric folded themselves into masterpieces of fashion. Intoxicating humanity and its ingenuity.

-You’re like a week-old kitten, Dream King, seriously, get a grip,- Bast hissed at him the fourth time she and Alyxa had to come back for him.

“Sensory overload,” Alyxa said with a shrug, “we’re lucky he wasn’t like this on the plane.”

-He was like this on the plane, you just didn’t notice.-

“That’s not the point,” Alyxa murmured, pulling Morpheus away from a bookstore window.

Suddenly, Morpheus looked away, staring down the street. His eyes were violently green slits as he scanned the people wandering the pavement.

“Morpheus?” Alyxa asked, but he was moving away from them, darting down the street.

-Fishsticks and – what’s got into him?!-

They raced after him, struggling not to lose him in the crowds. When they finally caught up he was standing in front of the smallest shop Alyxa had ever seen. Before either of them could ask what had drawn him here, Morpheus opened the door and went inside without looking back.

“What on earth?”

-Well, well...look at that,- Bast mused, looking up at the shop sign.

In gilded letters, glowing: ‘Magicks and Lore’.

3.6. Tea and Pastry

2013-03-19T14:00:00.000+11:00

Barring the doe-eyed waitress the cafe was empty, something that had been ‘Arranged’, no doubt. Alyxa prodded her tea with her spoon, trying to decide whether she wanted sugar or not. Everything tasted strange at the moment: jet-lag. She heard the shriek of a child’s laughter; a girl bolted down the street, a bewildered parent giving chase. Alyxa swallowed a mouthful of tea.

“Are you alright?” Morpheus asked, looking up from the pastry he was decorating with butter.

“I miss Amy,” Alyxa said softly.

-Who knows what Lucifer is doing,- Bast muttered sullenly.

“It is moot to speculate. Our best change of freeing the little Dreamer is to find Maye Darjeeling and force her to return her powers,” Morpheus stated, “we do not have the necessary calibre to go after her directly.”

“We could have stayed with Medea’s team,” Alyxa said, “they’re not lacking for fire-power.”

Morpheus frowned a little at the mention of Medea’s name, but his attention remained otherwise focussed.

“This is silly!” Alyxa declared, shoving her tea back, “what are we doing about finding Maye? We’ve been here three days and nothing’s happened.”

Bast eyed her over a raised paw, the tip of her tongue poking out of her mouth.

-Of course stuff has happened. I’m just waiting,- the Cat-Goddess said after a moment’s pause, -why do you think we’re sitting in this tacky little cafe?-

“The pastry is just a bonus,” Morpheus murmured.

-We’re here for her,- Bast stated, pointing her washed paw in the direction of the approaching waitress.

“The waitress?”

-The waitress.-

Said waitress bowed when she reached the table.

“Mistress, the witch you seek is not in this city,” she said.

-Where then?-

“Melbourne.”

- Thank you, kitten.-

The waitress blinked dully and toddled back to her work.

-Of to Melbourne then.-

3.5. Reception and Messages

2013-03-12T14:00:00.000+11:00

The kaleidoscope of Jessica’s world settled momentarily into patchy visions of caves and rocky surfaces.

“Jessica?”

She turned in the direction of Aeron’s voice.

“I’m alright,” Jessica said, smiling at him, “please, continue.”

“Most of the Coven members are returning now. We should have a full house in a matter of days. After that it will be up to you to choose the next Coven Master or Mistress.”

“Because Maye left no successors we are facing an unprecedented occassion,” Delia’s voice put in from the left side.

“And in such circumstances we defer to the Coven Diviner,” her father finished.

“And I’m meant to See who the next Coven Master is?”

“I suppose,” Aeron said.

“You ‘suppose’?” Jessica laughed, “what do you mean by that?”

“It’s not like it’s happened before, Jazz,” Delia chided.

“I know, I know,” Jessica replied, “but it’s not like I’ve done this before.”

“Touché,” Delia joked.

“We know this is a little intimidating, Jessica, but we are all behind you.”

“That makes me...”

A flash of colours showed her the face of a beautiful young boy in total agony.

“...Loki?”

One some other sensory level she realised Delia was frowning. The negativity was almost tangible.

“Sorry,” Jessica apologised.

“Morgan used to do that too,” Aeron commented, “you said something about ‘Loki’?”

“The TrueSight is starting to show me something,” Jessica explained, “but it’s patchy. I sort of feel like I’m not getting good reception.”

Delia chuckled.

“Give it some time, there are plenty of stories of Diviners not receiving the full vision until the time was right.”

“So I just wait?” Jessica asked, “strikes me as slightly inconvenient, but alright. Is there a time limit on making this decision?”

“Sooner would be better,” Aeron said, “the Coven needs strong leadership in the times to come.”

3.4. Possession and Opinion

2013-03-05T14:00:00.000+11:00

“You Dreamed Odin?” Morpheus demanded.

Alyxa was brushing her teeth and had to rinse her mouth before she answered.

“Actually, I Dreamed about Loki, Odin was just there.”

Morpheus stared at her through the reflection of the mirror.

“How dare he interfere with you,” he grated after a long minute of silence.

“I think he was visiting his son, and I just happened to Dream at the same time,” Alyxa told him, applying her moisturiser next, “I wouldn’t take things so personally.”

“I’m not taking it personally, I’m – ”

“Acting incredibly human,” Alyxa cut in, crossing her arms to face him, “you’re being a little bit possessive, more so than usual.”

Rather frustratingly, Morpheus simply turned around and left the bathroom. Alyxa threw up her hands and followed him. She had taken two steps when he had her pinned against the wall, fangs buried in her throat. The blood streamed, and she felt her body grow lethargic in his arms. It grew, gliding over her skin and through her veins, until suddenly it was gone. She blinked and looked up.

“You can take more if you need it,” she whispered, drowning in the viridian of his eyes.

“No,” he told her, brushing back one of the strands of her hair, “I’m by nature selfish, and you are by nature giving.”

“I’m alright. I’ve rested, I feel good as new.”

Morpheus nodded and simply walked away again. Alyxa sighed and sat down on the sofa next to Bast.

-You two don’t keep your lovers’ quarrels to yourselves do you?- the Cat-Goddess asked, Alyxa glared at her, -I’m just saying, kitten. Some of us need sleep.-

“We have to get Amy back and stop Lucifer.”

-And I’m working on it.-

Alyxa curled up and sighed.

“But why am I dreaming about Loki?”

3.3. Father and Sons

2013-02-26T14:00:00.000+11:00

A cavern, screamingly open and vast. Dreaming, Alyxa, sees a simply altar, pulled from the rocky floor itself. Upon it, a young boy with the face of such love-crafted beauty that it breaks her heart when she sees the shackles chaining him to the unforgiving surface. A young woman stands beside him, weeping at the sight. In her hands a bowl full of violent green. She holds it over his face, catching the droplets tumbling from the ceiling. The bowl is full, hastily she drains it over the side, but a drop manages to touch skin. The boy screams in agony. Alyxa starts forwards, but she cannot help him. Fates are at work here, Fates that she cannot control. The boy turns his head, unseeing, towards her. The poison has streaked his face in red gashes, scoring the youthful beauty. She has seen this before, but she cannot remember where or when; she knows this story.

“Does this disturb you, little Dreamer,” a voice whispers in her ear, “seeing him like this?”

In the Dream, Alyxa turns. An man stands before her, old and yet not, with one eye covered by a patch.

“Lord Odin,” she murmurs and his head nods an assent, “I...don’t know. I don’t know what I’m looking at.”

“This is my son,” he tells her, “locked thus for his crimes against the world.”

Alyxa looks back at the boy.

“I thought Baldur would be older looking.”

Odin chuckles, coming forwards.

“I have many sons. Most of them trouble-makers, to my shame. This is not Baldur.”

“Then wh- ,” Alyxa stops herself short and looks again, straining her mind for a half-remembered story.

Odin waits patiently for her to put the pieces together. She stares at the boy, names and stories manifesting themselves in her mind.

“Loki?”

3.2 Flights and Findings

2013-02-19T14:00:00.000+11:00

There was a singular moment, somewhere during the twenty-four hour journey, when Alyxa wondered why Morpheus and Bast had not simply brought them to Australia the other way. Looking at Morpheus on the plane, however, made her realise that he was enjoying the new experience. With all that had been going on, Alyxa had forgotten how new all these things must be for him; everything was tangibly real compared to Reveille. When they finally landed in Sydney International, Alyxa could practically taste his excitement.

“Alright, it took us long enough to get here. Now what?” she asked, shooting a pointed look at Bast – who everyone else ignored.

-We check into a hotel, I could use a nap,- Bast replied calmly.

“You slept on the plane, the whole way. In my lap,” Alyxa countered.

-And your point is?-

“Enough,” Morpheus murmured, “we shall find a place to stay and perform more research to find the witch.”

“Most witches aren’t this much trouble,” Alyxa grumbled, grabbing her suitcase.

-Most witches don’t trade god-souls with the Prince either,- Bast pointed out. Alyxa eyed her for a moment, the travel exhaustion was getting to her and it was beginning to frustrate her that neither of her companions was at all affected. She doubted that Jessica was having any such issues with Michael; the Arc probably travelled First Class.

“Alright, whatever, let’s just go. I need a shower and about a week’s worth of sleep,” she stated, and looked around for any helpful signs or directions.

-This way,- Bast announced, padding away silently towards a door that had not been there before, -I know a place.-

“As long as it’s got a real bed and a hot bath, I’m fine. Just don’t expect me to deal with any kangaroos.”

-Or wombats. Wombats are extremely odd.-

3.I: Words and Witches

2011-11-15T14:00:00.000+11:00

It might become a dark and stormy night, the weather report had mentioned the possibility of storms but as of yet there was no sign of anything other than a pleasant evening; assuming pleasant involved sitting in the Darjeeling manor’s library for the fifth night in a row scanning books and reading manuscripts.

“I still don’t see why Enyo couldn’t stay to help,” Alyxa muttered darkly as she leafed through a book of genealogical records.

“She had to go,” Morpheus told her, standing with his arms crossed in front of another bookshelf – hovering several feet above the ground, but standing nonetheless.

“I know, I know,” his Dreamer replied, and deepened her voice to mimic Enyo’s, “’I have not seen Ares for many centuries.’”

Morpheus laughed softly.

“I could tell you stories, Dreamer,” he told her.

“Well, the only story I’m currently interested in is one with a clue on where the hell Maye disappeared to.”

-I may have found something.-

Dreamer and Deity turned to where Bast had been sitting quietly, more on top than in front of a book.

“What’ve you got?” Alyxa asked.

-Maye’s family were spread across the world,- the Cat-Goddess started.

“Yes, I read that part yesterday, Bast,” Morpheus remind her.

-Patience, kitten. Do you have any idea how hard it is to turn pages with these paws? Hmm?- Bast chided, -but to cut to the chase, Maye has a grand-aunt who migrated to Australia at the end of World War 2.-

Alyxa rapidly leafed through the pages of the tome she had been reading.

“Considered ‘one of the most powerful witches of her line’,” she read aloud.

-Exactly.-

“Australia is practically the end of the world,” Alyxa stated, “it’s where I’d have gone to hide, at least until I figured out my new powers.”

Interlude between Part 2 & 3

2011-09-25T22:22:00.001+10:00

And so we come to another start of a new segment. I don’t know where we’re going from here, just as I have had no idea where it was going from the beginning; in other words, I suppose it’s as much of a journey for me as it is for all of you who have been reading the words I’ve been putting onto your screens.

Over the last two parts I’ve been introducing characters and concepts; now because I’ve been doing this unplanned, I realise that I’ve probably been doing it a little too fast. Too many characters in too short a time coupled with a painfully authorial presumption that most of you have a handle on the mythologies and religions I’m drawing on – some of which have been dead for thousands of years. If any of you have felt at any point throughout the course of reading Valerian Night that I’ve left you behind, I apologise.

Which brings me to Part 3. I’m going to attempt in this new part to slow things down a little, to break the characters up a little more. Heck, I might even plan a little! This oncoming part will deal primarily with our original characters, Morpheus and Alyxa, as they search for Maye Darjeeling, the witch who made the deal with Lucifer, briefly mentioned in chapter 78 (Payment). So we’re going back to the beginning, and trying to get to the heart of all that business about bridging the Rift between Reveille – where the old gods reside – and the mortal world – where the rest of us muddle through our lives.

I won’t be able to start part 3 until the end of October, I don’t know how it’s going to go, but I know it’ll go somewhere. I hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am!

Enjoy the journey...

LXXXII: Fields

2011-08-22T21:00:00.000+10:00

“No, wai- ” Alyxa shrieked but the Underworld faded and then she was standing on edge of a lake.

There were people all around her, people she did not know.

“Dreamer,” a woman in red said, “welcome back.”

Then Morpheus was there, and almost instantly his teeth were in her throat and he was drinking, drawing the blood that was his life-force directly from her jugular.

-Morpheus, enough,- Bast’s voice snarled a moment later, -she’s weak.-

“Let the Angel do his healin’ thing, she’ll be fine,” a male voice.

Alyxa blinked her eyes, trying to gain some clarity; there were three men she didn’t know, and apart from the woman in red there was a younger girl. Morpheus pulled back, licking his lips to sweep up the last of blood.

“We left Amy there...with him,” Alyxa murmured.

“You did what?” one of the men demanded.

The lady in red lit up a cigarette.

“The pieces are gathered then,” she said, “and you’ve brought back one of the things we needed.”

-You sent Amy there on purpose, didn’t you?!- Bast hissed, -you sent her there to sell her!-

“Lucifer would have kept Amy no matter what, an Unbound Dreamer! Unbound! He would not have let her go, regardless,” Medea retorted, “but now we have her!”

A scarlet-nailed finger pointed at Enyo.

-You traded her! Like an object! My Dreamer!-

“The Rift will open at this rate, three Deities this side of Reveille. Bast is right, Medea, what are you playing at?” Morpheus asked, cradling Alyxa to him.

“Lucifer will bridge the Rift anyways, he wants to battle Baldur and restart everything,” Medea countered, “but with Kali on our side, the field is even.”

-Except that Kali lives only to destroy everything.-

“I am standing right here, children, I can hear you.”

LXXXI: Accord

2011-08-12T14:00:00.000+10:00

“Is that Amy?” Alyxa mumbled as they came in.

“Yes,” he replied simply.

“Why?”

Lucifer smiled magnanimously.

“She is here to take your place,” the Morning Star told them with an expansive gesture of his arms.

“She’s what?” Alyxa demanded, shaken out of the stupor.

Amy blinked, twisting where she knelt by Bast’s cage.

“What do you mean?” the little girl asked.

Lucifer moved to kneel at her side and he laid a calming hand on her shoulder.

-Don’t touch her!- Bast hissed; her words ignored.

“I mean, little one, that if you stay here, with me, I will let your friends go. I will let them return to the World of the Living, if you promise to stay with me forever.”

Amy hesitated.

“‘Forever’?” she echoed, a little undone by the word itself.

“It is not enough,” Morpheus said, stepping forwards and setting Alyxa down on the chair Amy had vacated not long before.

Lucifer’s brilliant eyes flashed and he met Morpheus’ eyes.

“Do not push me, sweetheart.”

“If you have an Unbound Dreamer, Morning Star, we will not walk away empty handed.” Morpheus said softly, eyes narrowing.

The Prince of Darkness took a moment to consider this.

“Your suggestion?”

Morpheus raised an elegant finger and pointed at Enyo.

“Kali comes with us.”

“If I release her it should be into Reveille,” Lucifer countered.

“We will send Amy back.”

The Morning Star hesitated.

“Take the Destroyer then,” Lucifer murmured, studying Amy, “take her and go.”

-We can’t just leave her!- Bast roared.

Morpheus looked at the little girl.

“Amy?” Morpheus asked the girl.

She glanced at Lucifer.

“If you let them go and never touch them again, I will stay.”

“Then it is done,” Lucifer replied, and waved a hand, “go. Don’t worry, Bast, I will care for her.”

LXXX: Convenience

2011-08-09T14:00:00.000+10:00

“Can I talk with them?” Amy asked the Prince, suddenly not sure about what she was doing here.

“I will let you see them,” Lucifer replied, and clapped his hands, summoning a strange bird down from unseen rafters.

It was brown, but no kind of brown that Amy had ever seen before, it was shiny and reminded her of the hair pins the Bad Lady had worn when she had stolen Daddy.

“Bring Morpheus and his Dreamer,” Lucifer instructed the bird, who took off and vanished.

“What about Bast?” Amy demanded.

“Patience, little one, Bast is already here.”

Lucifer waved a hand and the air beside the throne shimmered, revealing to golden-barred cages, one of which held the most beautiful woman Amy had ever seen and the other held Bast, although she was no longer pick-up-able.

“Bast!” Amy exclaimed and bolted forward beneath Lucifer’s indulgent smirk.

-Amy? Kittens and fishsticks, what are you doing down here, child?-

“Medea sent me, and there’s this girl who sees things before they happen, and boy name Michael, and they told me to come here and talk to him and get you out!” Amy told her in a rush of emotion, sinking down beside the cage and reaching through the bars.

Bast licked the child’s hands gently, ignoring the amused looks she was receiving from both Enyo and Lucifer.

-They should not have sent you.-

“On the contrary, little kitty,” Lucifer countered, “she is the only thing of worth that they have.”

“Huh?”

Bast bristled and hissed at him, reaching through the bars to swipe at him in her anger.

-How dare you! She’s just a child!-

“An Unbound Dreamer, goddess, is worth more than a hundred Bound Dreamers, the Witch-Queen knows that and yet she still sends her to me? How convenient.”

LXXIX: Value

2011-08-02T14:00:00.001+10:00

“Actually, it’s been around for a long time,” Lucifer assured her, leaning back in his chair and sipping the fruit, “and witches have dealt in souls for many, many centuries.”

Amy screwed her little nose up.

“That’s gross,” she said.

“Depends on your perspective.”

“It’s gross,” she repeated.

“It raises a big problem for you though, little one, because essentially what I’ve been paid is in gods and the soul of a Bound Dreamer. The only way you can get them back is replace them with something of equal worth.”

Amy was trying very hard to listen to everything he was saying, but it was all very confusing. Daddy had always told her to ask questions if she did not understand something, but she wasn’t sure that Lucifer would understand that philosophy. She had to try something though.

“What’s the difference between a normal Dreamer and a...bound Dreamer?”

“A Bound Dreamer,” he said slowly, “is a Dreamer whose life is all tangled up with a Deity’s, in other words, your sister and Morpheus now share one lifeline. They are ‘bound’ together. He drinks her blood, she is strengthened by his energies.”

“Oh,” she replied and chewed on her lip for a moment, “does that mean I’m a not bound Dreamer? Since Bast doesn’t drink my...blood?”

Something flashed in Lucifer’s eyes; Amy wondered if they had a name for that kind of blue.

“If you have not shared your blood with a Deity or supernatural force then you are Unbound, and thus far more powerful than Alyxa.”

“Why?”

“Because Bound Dreamers are restrained Dreamers, Unbound Dreamers are not limited by the powers of their Deity. As a result, they are also much more valuable.”

“How valuable?” Amy asked softly.

“Valuable enough to trade for two gods and a Bound Dreamer.”

“Oh.”

LXXVIII: Payment

2011-07-26T14:00:00.002+10:00

There was every kind of food she could think of, and it all drifted in on clouds of red and blue lights. It was very pretty. Lucifer sat in a shiny chair next to her, it was a really long table, but they occupied only one little corner of it while the food drifted by them. Lucifer himself put bits and pieces of food on her plate, suggesting that she try something.

“This is delicious,” she told him politely.

“You should have some of this fruit juice, it’s made in the Elysium Fields.”

“Where’s that?”

“It’s here.”

Amy looked around, trying to see what he was talking about.

“Where? I don’t see it.”

“You can only see it if you live here, and only then if you’re allowed to.”

“Who says you’re allowed to?” Amy asked him.

Lucifer leaned in closer to her to tell her a secret.

“I’m the boss,” he told her.

Amy nodded, she knew that.

“You’re trying to distract me,” she said to him, putting on what she called Daddy’s Business Look, “it’s not going to work.”

Lucifer leaned back again.

“It isn’t?”

“No, it isn’t,” she replied, “I want you to give my friends back now please.”

“Are you sure you don’t want some of the fruit juice?”

“I’m sure,” Amy told him.

“Then we shall begin the negotiations,” he replied.

He clapped his hands and everything except the cups and jug of juice disappeared.

“You want your friends back, but they are mine,” Lucifer said, “so what will you give me in return?”

“They shouldn’t be yours, they were free!” Amy countered, “you took them away.”

“Actually,” Lucifer said, “they were given to me in payment by a witch who was looking for more power.”

“How can you give people in payment? That’s wrong!”

LXXVII: Audience

2011-07-12T14:00:00.001+10:00

Lucifer lounged in the over-sized chair that made up the Plutonic Throne, one leg dangling over an arm and the other curled up underneath him. His wings drooped over the other arm, just for show.

“I didn’t realise you were still here, Chiron, I should’ve given you a redundancy package and sent you on a leave,” the Morning Star mused, “my apologies.”

“No need, y’r Excellency,” Chiron assured him, his skeletal hand wrapped gently about Amy’s, “I’m quite happy fishin’ for lost them lost souls in the river as it were.”

“Good good, but still, if there’s anything...”

“I’ll be s’re to mention it, y’r Excellency.”

“Good,” Lucifer said and turned his gaze on Amy, who stared up at him with large eyes.

He was so tall and impressive, and reminded her of Daddy, but scarier.

“What can I do for you, little one?”

“I’m from the Living World,” Amy blurted out, “my name’s Amy. I’m here for my friends.”

Lucifer’s gaze turned curious.

“And which friends are those, my dear?”

“Alyxa ‘n Mister Morpheus ‘n Bast!” Amy stated, a little rattled by the pure colour in his eyes.

“Ah. Then you are here to negotiate their return?”

Amy didn’t really know what ‘negotiate’ meant so she nodded.

“Then, as the Witch Queen’s ambassador, you are my guest, are you thirsty or hungry? I will see refreshments brought.”

Before Amy could reply the shining creature waved a hand and a small chair and table appeared just beside his throne, on the table sat a plate of cookies and a large mug of something steaming.

“I’m not suppose to drink or eat anything,” she said dubiously, but Lucifer waved a hand, swinging his feet off the throne to make his way towards her.

“It is freely given, little one, I promise.”

LXXVI: Guide

2011-07-05T14:00:00.001+10:00

It was deliciously warm, and dry, and she was so hungry. Thirsty too. Amy sat up. She was lying on moss that was growing on rock. She was in a cave, everywhere she looked there were those things that grew from the roof and grew from the floor, here and there they had formed gigantic pillars, holding up the cavern roof. She blinked, suddenly realising that she could see quite clearly. There was no light source, unless you counted the fact that the ground and walls gave off a pale white glow. It was really pretty.

“Are you awake then, girl?” a voice asked her, making her start.

She looked around and felt her eyes nearly drop out of her head when she saw what she could only assume was a skeleton.

“’s not nice to stare.”

“Sorry. I’ve...just never seen a talking skeleton before.”

“Name’s Chiron,” the skeleton told her, adjusting the black cloth he had wrapped around his bony shoulders.

“I’m Amy, I’m looking for my friends,” Amy replied, and then remembered she was suppose to say something, “and I’m of the Living World.”

Chiron chuckled.

“I’m not gonna be keepin’ you here, girl, I just ferry people across the river when it’s time, they’s that pay. Used to anyhow, but those days ‘r long past now that there’s a new Prince on the Plutonic Throne.”

“I’d like to go to him, he knows where my friends are,” Amy said.

“Best to leave the Morning Star be, girl, he’s not to be trifl’d with.”

“I promised.”

If a skeleton could ever be described as thoughtful, now would be the right moment.

“Well, seein’ as you’re not dead ‘n I haven’t got a job to do no more, guess I’ll be y’r escort.”

Amy’s face brightened.

“Thank you, Chiron.”