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The Visitor

Chapter 49

Azrian sat in her cell, against the wall, watching through her remaining eye as the beautiful red vixen stood before her. The vixen was in the cell with her and had appeared out of no where when Azrian awoke. Azrian thought she was dreaming. The vixen was out of focus, like a scattered reflection on the water's surface. She moved slowly, and she was a blur, her many faces only falling into one on occasion. The straw scraped and crunched beneath her feet when she moved, the torchlight reflected in her hazel eyes, and the scent of her . . . it was a familiar smell. Something that enfolded Azrian like the warmth of a blanket. And with the vixen there, she felt safe, and she didn't question her presence.

"In the time before time," said the red vixen in her soothing voice, "there was nothing. Nothing but the infinite darkness. And then . . . the first star was born. It shook the very heavens with its breath. And it was the very first light. First Light called herself Hildrith'el."

Azrian sat very still, ears forward as she listened. Her left eyelid was shriveled shut in the absence of her left eye, and the flesh was crusted with dried blood. It itched, and it still felt as if her eye was there, even if it was not. Sometimes she opened her empty eye socket . . . and she could see the vixen glowing, could see her red mane billowing gently as if on a breeze. And all around the vixen, she could see the light of Skkye shining, and the birds flying around the distant towers, and the pink clouds frothed in gold . . . and then she would close her empty eye socket . . . and the vixen would become a normal vixen once more.

"From the fragments of the first star, a second star was born, swirling with red and blue light. The light separated. The blue light became Sun and Water. Sun and Water called itself Ti'uu. The red light became Blood and Fire. Blood and Fire called itself Ayni.

"Hildrith'el needed a place for her children to play. So she created Aonre from yet another fragment of her birth matter. She walked across the earth, creating mountains and valleys where she trod. And Ti'uu followed her, and where he walked, his light shone, and where he stopped to rest, the waters flowed, seas rushed to gently slap the land, and little rivers reached their fingers through the earth's soil.

"Ayni loved Ti'uu and could not bear to be apart from him, so she walked in his wake, and where she stepped, the forest burned. Ti'uu was displeased and looked to Hildrith'el to stop his sister causing destruction where she trod. Ayni's fire was too hot for gentle Ti'uu's ice, and Ti'uu's water easily quenched his sister's fire. The two could not exist side by side, and their great battles soon caused the earth to shake and mountains to fall.

"So Hildrith'el made Skkye and set it apart from Aonre, hovering above in the clouds. Ti'uu stayed in Skkye with Hildrith'el, and Ayni was given Aonre for her domain. But Ayni despaired on Aonre alone. She wept, and where she wept, her blood flowed in Ti'uu's rivers, and from it, the first foxes took shape.

"Hildrith'el watched from her throne with interest as the foxes grew and evolved under Ayni's care. The foxes loved and made love, and from their first gasps of ecstasy, the sisters Love and Compassion -- Kutre and Zuu'ma -- were born. The foxes died and went mad in their bafflement, unable to understand why they died. And from their death and confusion, the sisters Death and Madness -- Maret and Yfel -- were born. The foxes despaired at death and rejoiced at birth, and from the cycle of their mortal lives, the sisters Despair and Rapture -- Zihma and Eden -- were born.

"Thus the other gods were born of Ayni's foxes, even as the foxes were born of Ayni's blood, and Ayni was happy on Aonre, where she gave the foxes the gift of fire. She taught them to make weapons of steel, she taught them to raise great temples in the name of their gods. And when they prayed to her, she taught them magic. And Hildrith'el was so delighted, Ayni was welcomed to Skkye for bringing the First Light such amusement.

"But the foxes grew too quick and too cunning. They decided they wanted more power. They decided that they had as much right to Skkye as the gods who had been born of their children's first laughter. They erected a great tower that would take them to Skkye, and boldly led an uprising on Hildrith'el in her very own palace.

"In anger, Hildrith'el cast the First Children down from Skkye and destroyed the tower. And she sealed off the light, so that they could never return. The gods were separated from the foxes ever after, and as Skkye drifted further and further from Aonre, the earth's atmosphere became like poison to the gods.

"Without Ayni to guide them, the foxes turned upon each other, sacrificing their children in desperate supplication, begging Hildrith'el to bring her light back to Aonre. The foxes went ignored, and their blood frenzy continued, until the earth ran with blood and blazed with fire, and Hildrith'el passed her judgment upon them. 'Bring me six fox souls,' Hildrith'el said to Ayni, 'and I shall breathe from them the Second Children.'

"Ayni obeyed and quickly returned to Skkye with the souls the First Light had asked for. Hildrith'el looked at the souls which had been brought and chose the most handsome of the group. She took him to her bed, and when he left her, she was with child. She laid a great egg, and from the egg . . . Azrian! Pay attention!"

Azrian snapped awake when the vixen yelled at her. She stared miserably at the cold stone floor. "What's the point of this?" she whispered hoarsely. "And who are you? How do you know my name?" She lifted her face and could feel the broken lashes twitching weakly on her shriveled eyelid.

The visitor smiled. "Everyone in Skkye knows your name."

Azrian stared despondently at her small red feet.

"I'm telling you how the dogs came to exist," the visitor said. "I'm telling you the story they recite in Skkye. Because it is your legacy. Because you are a child of Skkye. You haven't even begun to use the power at your fingertips."

When Azrian continued to stare despondently at her feet, the vixen sank down in front of her and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly until she met her gaze.

"You could walk out of this cell if you wished," the visitor said. "Do you understand? The choice to be here is yours."

Azrian's lip curled in a slow sneer. "Even if I got out, what would I do? Hellene is stronger than me --"

"No, she isn't._And when you embrace the god-side of who you are, you will defeat her. Now listen to me. The goddess Zihma, she is filling you with despair and draining your strength. She has stolen your hope and seeks to keep you here, controlled by your grief, until her worshippers have taken Wychowl. She has sided with Ayni and is trying to help her be rid of you. You _must fight the sadness, Azrian. You have to get up."

But Azrian didn't think she could move. Primus' head was still in the cell with her. Flies clung to his staring eyes, and there were many times when she covered his head with straw. But it didn't matter. Somehow, the straw always moved to reveal his staring face again, and she would weep, whispering that she was sorry she had failed him. As she had failed Etienne. . . . as she had failed everyone.

She felt sluggish. Empty. Beaten down. Her body was still aching from the fight with Hellene. No one had cared for her wounds, and she had sat in the cell for days, dizzy as the wound on the back of her head throbbed against the seal of dried blood. She didn't know why she was still alive and was reminded of the night Etienne placed her on Ti'uu's altar. She had been bleeding from her skull then as well, but the altar healed her in an instant.

She opened her empty eye socket again, and the visitor began to glow at once, her red mane lifting on an ethereal breeze, as behind her, the clouds and towers of Skkye appeared once more. The light reaching from Skkye was so strong, she could feel it on her face.

Azrian shook her head. "What am I seeing?"

The visitor smiled, her blurred faces meshing to one and back to three. "You have pulled me through and I stand in both places to speak to you. I am here. But I am also in Skkye. When Hellene destroyed your eye, she opened it to Skkye. It is not unlike how the Seers become Seers. She unwittingly gave you an advantage. You can look anywhere you like. You could watch Hellene right now. You could see your father. You could see Etienne."

Azrian's heart leapt. ". . . but Etienne is dead."

"Try," the visitor whispered.

Azrian closed her empty eye socket, then took a breath . . . and opened it again. She went very still. Etienne was alive. He was walking through darkness and mist, and all around him, glowing spirits hovered, spying on him as he continued on, unaware. Child spirits giggled and ran back and forth behind him, and his ear twitched. He could hear them but could not see them. He was carrying a torch and seemed to be some place dark and underground. He turned, and as the torchlight flashed, she could see the endless darkness and the spirits that spread away for miles, all watching him. It was as if Etienne were walking through a spirit realm. And even in that unearthly place, he was so handsome, dressed in a rumpled waistcoat, his golden mane tousled, as if he'd been running.

Azrian frowned and a tear filled her eye. ". . . how can it be?"

"He is alive," said the visitor. "I bring you this hope. Now embrace it . . . and rise."

"But wait." Azrian got to her feet. "Who are . . .?" She glanced around. The visitor was gone. "You . . .?"

Azrian looked around. The visitor had told her she could leave the cell if she wanted. Her missing eye must've been the key. She turned to the wall and opened her empty eye socket. She blinked when she was able to see the training yard, empty in the moonlight, straw dummies and targets casting long shadows across the dirt. She focused on one of the straw dummies and walked toward it, and in an instant, she was outside, in the training yard, under the stars. She stopped and laughed sadly.

She was free.

She laughed again, this time in disbelief, and stepped into the moonlight. And she stood for a moment, breathing the fresh air, letting the cool night breeze ruffle her fur. She was still naked, as no one had brought her clothing anymore than they'd cared about her wounds. She hugged her naked breasts, closed her eye, and smiled.

But the sound of swift wings made her look to the moon. She froze. A great winged creature was swooping down from the sky, his narrow eyes glinting dangerously as he sliced along, directly for her. He was black, and his great black wings were like a shadow as he spread them wide. She didn't have time to think, only gasp. He snatched her into the hard wall of his arms, and her scream echoed to the stars as he carried her away.