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Glad to see you here. We can definitely use an additional pair of eyes this morning. This is a difficult assignment, requiring the assistance of two of our charges. Water Princess's parents will be here to help, as well.
As you can see through the early morning mists, the forest here is thick, with ever-violet trees spreading their needled branches tall and closer together than is usual, the native deciduous white-bush fighting to catch what sunlight filters through with their translucent leaves of a color you would place in the ultraviolet part of your physically visible spectrum, and indigo vines draped thick from tree to bush making progress difficult off the few, irregularly traveled paths.
Are the unfamiliar colors of this world interesting? How is it, you ask, that you can register them all?
Now there's a good question.
"Not what I'd call a tourist attraction." Earth Prince's voice comes low through the trees.
"We aren't here to be tourists. We're here to research our family history." As we see them approach between the trees, avoiding the needles, Water Princess's hair glows amber in the deep gloom, catching what little light there is and re-radiating it.
"I can't imagine you'd have any ancestors there."
"As my dad sometimes says, no stone unturned." She half-giggles.
"I'm not sure that's an appropriate joke for this place. Say, where are they?"
"My parents?" Both stop and turn around.
"We're coming." Her father's voice comes through the gloom. "You two go ahead. We'll come at our own pace. No need to wait for us."
"Trying to give us time to be alone together again?" Water Princess mutters with a wry smile.
Earth Prince shakes his head, ever so slightly, and replies in a low voice. "This graveyard is definitely not a place for games, although some of my school friends would go there to make out on dares."
"Make out?"
"Heavy kissing, hands where they shouldn't, etc."
"I know what it means. Dangerous play. On dares?"
"Thrill seekers."
"What usually happens?"
"They usually come back saying it was too scary to do anything bad."
"And they thought they wanted to do bad things."
Both laugh quiet, wry laughs.
Her parents come into view, holding hands and smiling. "Did you wait?"
"Better to stay together, even if it's just to keep from getting lost." Earth Prince smiles, but his voice has something of an edge, and he reaches out to take Water Princess's hand.
The four proceed ahead of us, Earth Prince and Water Princess leading the way along a path that is becoming less of a path than a thinning of undergrowth, which they push out of their way to proceed.
"You'd think you believed in ghosts." Water Princess's father is still jocular.
"You disbelieve in the spirit that animates the body?" Earth Prince's voice turns sardonic.
"Touché. But, as you should know, I do not yield power to rebellious spirits who refused to be born, or any that refuse to move on from here when it is time."
"But even the scriptures advise against testing evil." Earth Prince pauses, scanning the forest ahead of them. "What did the bishop say when you asked him about coming to this particular site to record names?"
"He laughed." Water Princess's mother laughs as well, "Said it was work someone needed to be brave enough to do."
"Oh, for —"
Earth Prince drops Water Princess's hand, raising his arm in front of her to hold her back, trying to cover her eyes.
But she has already seen and pushes his hand down. "She looks younger than me," she says, quietly, sadly.
Her parents come up behind and draw quick breaths.
They have come to a clearing, and this is where our unusual business for the morning lies, in the form of another young charge of ours, on her back in the clearing in a space between monument stones, uncovered, except for a loincloth and bolero improvised from a scarf, and long strands of a yellow-green vine draped across her body to form an eight-point star on the ground around her. The vine's indigo leaves and white berries rest against her bare skin, and she shows no signs of consciousness.
"What?" Water Princess's mother quietly asks of no one in particular. "Is she alive?"
"Can't tell from here." Earth Prince turns to talk. "I did mention other rumors, didn't I? Where there's a sacrifice, there should be priests of some sort around. This could get dangerous."
観 -- Priests? Eight initiates — four males, four females — one older priestess, to be exact. Dangerous, perhaps."Well, you guys showed up. You might actually be useful for something after all." Even in a whisper, Water Princess's voice is tinged with sarcasm.
"Br-- Dywysoges!" Her mother's voice is quiet but sharp.
"Mom, ..."
助 -- She should say what she thinks."Where are they?" Water Princess's father asks, quietly.
観 -- In the woods around here, preparing, as they consider it, to partake of the sacrifice."I wonder if they know we are here." His voice drops yet further.
観 -- You saw the vines?"Hallucinogens." Earth Prince's voice is low, but the heat is audible. "If they are also wrapped in those, maybe they won't hear us, but they will be even less likely to behave reasonably." He motions and turns out, away from what remains of the path, and the others follow him a few paces into the thicker area, disappearing from the view from the path. We follow.
"So, I suppose, since I am here, I should become the part." Water Princess's voice now reveals resignation.
観 -- It is your choice. You may even choose to leave.""I doubt we'll ever see that happen." Her father shakes his head soberly.
"What is our assignment, other than to rescue as many as possible?" she asks.
使 -- That's all. No force. No violence. As little intimidation as possible. As natural as possible."Can't let it be easy, I guess." Earth Prince expresses his dissatisfaction. "What else, pink unicorns?"
"That might not be a bad idea." Water Princess looks thoughtful.
助 -- That would not be natural. There are none of the equestrian unicorns in this area. And the bovine unicorn would not exactly be in it's natural habit here, either."How about wild boars?" Earth Prince suggests without thinking. "Plenty of those around here. Wait, what am I saying?"
This world of Xhilr also has animals you would recognize as horses and rhinoceroses — and tusked wild boars ... and, yes, equestrian unicorns.
"Great idea." Water Princess takes his hand and reaches out for her father's.
"Maybe I'd prefer pink unicorns. Or even purple."
"Just relax." Water Princess's mother takes his other hand and reaches for her husband's free hand. Water Princess's father shrugs and joins the circle.
使 -- We'll be in the graveyard, keeping an eye on the sacrificial victim."We'll call if we need help." Already, Earth Prince's clothes are changing to ebony fur streaked with purple and pink. Water Princess's clothes change to amber fur, also streaked with pink and purple. Her parents' fur is a more sedate black, with streaks of sand and teak.
As we move to the clearing, four wild boars begin snuffling through the forest undergrowth.
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[JMR2019: Backed up here:
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original backup here:
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