Into the Land of Immortals - 21B
Monday, May 25, 2009 (12:14:01)

Posted by TerishD

Into the Land of Immortals
Chapter Twenty-One
Part 2

...
"Uh... well." Straekin's voice suddenly boldly asked, "Terish, sorry to interrupt, but exactly how did you and Ferrigote become immortal?"

Her husband replied, "It was part of the first major rite in our church. I believe it was something added to the consecration ceremony, but I remember them using a lot of incense and water."

Ferrigote added, "Yeah, my beard was dripping with water when we got zapped by lightning."

Giluchex voiced his disbelief, "Lightning?"

"Yeah. Terish and I came out stuttering as we continued to thank Fergush. It was nice enough for Fergush to say we were immortal, but after that ceremony there really was not any doubt in our minds."

Giluchex received the impression that Straekin knew about the events as she asked, "But there was a ceremony with priests? So there was a ritual. It could thus be done again."


Giluchex finds himself confronting more of the facts that had been around him all along.


Into the Land of Immortals
Chapter Twenty-One
Part 2

Giluchex found himself becoming irritated as he listened to the discussion between Terish and Dirchein. He wanted to scoff at the words, but he knew better than to speak against the belief system of another. The reasons for certain rites, the ways the deities interacted and related, it sounded completely fanciful. Seeking some outlet for his exasperation, he turned to his empress. Her whimsical gaze however caused his words to stop in his throat. She read his expression however, but moved close to speak her words without disturbing others.

"It is all true, Giluchex. Remember, Terish and Ferrigote are not immortal due to science, but due to an act of a god. Specifically, the god Fergush that is being discussed."

He really did not want to speak in return, but as the other conversation continued he felt a need to somehow drown out the words. "How? I mean, there had to be a process. There are things on Davelda that Munulva supposedly does, but they are really done by some means."

"Uh...well." Straekin's voice suddenly boldly asked, "Terish, sorry to interrupt, but exactly how did you and Ferrigote become immortal?"

Her husband replied, "It was part of the first major rite in our church. I believe it was something added to the consecration ceremony, but I remember them using a lot of incense and water."

Ferrigote added, "Yeah, my beard was dripping with water when we got zapped by lightning."

Giluchex voiced his disbelief, "Lightning?"

"Yeah. Terish and I came out stuttering as we continued to thank Fergush. It was nice enough for Fergush to say we were immortal, but after that ceremony there really was not any doubt in our minds."

Giluchex received the impression that Straekin knew about the events as she asked, "But there was a ceremony with priests? So there was a ritual. It could thus be done again."

Terish turned to look at his wife. The expression that crossed his features seemed to confirm to Giluchex that some type of ploy was being enacted. He however stayed silent as he listened to the reply from Ferrigote.

"It was the consecration ceremony for the church. There is a rite, but it is not exacting as each church and surrounding community is different. When Fergush commanded the priests to add in something to bless us with immortality, they complied as they thought proper at the moment. For some reason, what they thought proper was to surround us with incense and douse us with water. I am quite certain that Fergush himself supplied the lightning."

Giluchex decided to play along as he asked, "But you looked it up, right? I mean, you have obviously studied the religion rather thoroughly. There is a ritual?"

Terish now looked annoyed as he said, "No, there is not. What was done that day was unique. They wrote down what they did and what resulted, but there were no set rules for the ritual."

"So others could not take the ritual and use it for their own immortality?"

The man turned to his wife to ask, "Are your people looking past science?"

Straekin replied, "I have been with you, Terish. What are you asking about, Giluchex?"

He wanted to say that he was simply checking theories. He had come out to finally adventure with Terish for himself and gain some first-hand information. The words however would not come out as Giluchex realized that he had spoken merely to ridicule the words of Terish.

Giluchex considered the discussion that had caused him to make his remark. He recalled his experiences in Merkinnist. He thought of Kethal. Finally, Giluchex reviewed his knowledge of the stories of Terish and Ferrigote. None of the tales had ever been disputed. The rationales for why certain decisions had been made had been challenged, and the logic leading to specific conclusions had been debated, but the facts themselves had always been accepted. He had thought it due to a bias of those making the reports, but now found himself understanding that the evidence had been glaring to those investigating the stories. Thiminy did exist, and there was a cavern whose floor was covered by so much treasure that a grand dragon fought for the right to simply claim the place as its residence. Gaeskow did exist, and the politics of that land were even more convoluted with deadlier rivalries than Davelda ever had. Suddenly, the reality of the stories hit him. He looked to Celatia and understood that her devotion to Terish was due to a real history of the man actually saving her world from a horrible advance of a most malicious tyrant. He looked to Dathol and accepted that his claim to being a holy man was truly due to him communing with a God. Giluchex then looked to his monarch, and felt a need to ask her a question.

"Straekin, what convinced you to commit yourself to Terish?"

She had been watching him. He did not doubt that she had recognized some of the expressions that passed upon his face. Straekin had not been reading his mind, so could not know the exact thoughts that caused the change in his features, but Giluchex did not doubt that she understood some of the underlying mental processes. Her guarded response he thus considered to have been carefully considered.

"You would not believe me if I told you, Giluchex. I will only say that it was something that I have not ever challenged. Let me also add that I consider myself blessed for accepting my fate."

"Yes, well." Giluchex stopped with the desire to switch topics, and thinking he found another subject to consider he turned to the centaur. "Celatia, I have not heard you bother Terish about walking."

"He has been talking to Dirchein. If he had simply been walking along, I would have bothered him quite some time ago."

Even after traveling with her for a number of days, Giluchex still found the sight of the golden lady enchanting. In once again looking at the lady, his thoughts returned to the topic she and Terish had been discussing. Once again a desire to refute the words of gods and souls came upon him, but he stared at the lady while considering that there was no other way to explain her. Mechanical gears and electronic circuits just could not operate a form so smoothly. He thought to break his gaze from Dirchein, but to do so he had to jerk his head towards the only other lady that he considered to have value. As before, her eyes were there to meet his, so Giluchex felt a need to say something.

"A ceremony ending in a lightning strike. Why didn't we think of that?"

Straekin replied, "It was a divine lightning strike, and we didn't think of it because no one ever considered that Munulva would provide the lightning."

"I still don't believe that she would."

"Well, I know that I would not have allowed myself to be subjected to a lightning strike unless I heard Munulva tell me that it was what I needed to do."

Giluchex considered being a little mean as he chose his next words. "I feel certain that I could have paid a priest to make a proclamation."

Irritation filled Straekin's voice as she said, "Giluchex, you just heard the voice of Evinnell. When I say that I heard the voice of Munulva, I am talking about something similar."

"Okay, pay an actress and buy an appropriate sound system."

"Giluchex, what will it take for you to realize that some things cannot be duplicated?"

"Listen, I accept that you saw an answer in Terish. He deals with gods, so an answer from his interaction with gods I can accept. That is not the way of Davelda. We don't interact with gods, even our own goddess. Science gave us immortality, so we have to trust in science to improve us further."

"It has been over six hundred years, Giluchex. How many more centuries are you going to wait?"

"It has been longer than that since Munulva spoke to us, even assuming that it was really her that spoke then."

Straekin moved near Celatia as she said, "Giluchex, it is not my place to defend Munulva. Still, we are in a divine land. You are hearing the voice of gods and goddesses. Maybe you should be working to hear the voice of Munulva."

The man looked around before saying, "Yes, well, we had to travel quite a distance to get here. I believe that we are too far to hear Munulva, and I don't believe that there is any place like this back home."

"I do. I am far from ready to go there, but I believe that it will be there for me."

Her head moved to allow her eyes to scan the scenery before she said, "I however often agree with Dathol that I won't be happy in a place such as this."

Giluchex turned to look at the stream that they followed. The water was crystal clear. The bed of the stream showed no silt, but fish and other animals could be seen clearly. The trees all had a full canopy, although the leaves did not reduce the presence of light that revealed everything clearly. After what he could only consider to be hours of traveling, he did not feel tired, hungry, or even thirsty. He looked again at the water considering to drink, but he had never been one to drink straight water.

"Terish, how much further do we have to go?"

The man turned from speaking further to Dirchein. A grin came to her face when he looked back to her with an apologetic expression. Seeing the non-verbal exchange, Giluchex expected a quick response from Terish. When he spoke however, the fact returned that he had not spent his life looking for simple answers.

"I suspect quite a distance, and I already do not like what I believe we will find."

Straekin quickly asked, "What is it, Terish?"

"Look at the stream. It is a lot wider than it was when we started. Also, the feeder streams do not feed into larger streams, but the smaller streams branch off from the larger. That means that the waterways are going to be getting larger. The water we are supposedly to get could therefore be from a large lake or even something as grand as an ocean. I figure that is why we were given permission to drink the water. Swimming out to get the water would almost be impossible if we were to keep the water from our mouths."

The voice of Evinnell again sounded in their midst, "You are as perceptive as the reports say that you are, Terish."

"Your land is much more serene than that of my God's. The concerns that I had on my journey through that world are not present here. And the fact that this is your divine realm, let me compliment you on having a much more active place to exist than that of my God."

"You still have things to learn, Terish. I do want you to know that I recognize the qualities of your group. You are guests that I am proud to have my realm."

Kethal said, "I do travel with great people."

Giluchex smiled as the man jumped when he heard Terish say to him, "You were included in that."

Kethal tried to redeem himself by saying, "No, no. I am not worthy."

Terish replied, "We are speaking to a goddess. However great you might think I am, I still fall far short of being equal to Evinnell. In her eyes, we are probably ranked the same."

"That cannot be true."

Dathol replied, "It might not be exactly true, but the philosophy is sound. Gods are powerful enough to deal with all on their level, so actually see everyone as different. They can deal with you as easily as Terish."

"My wife came to me. She told me to keep traveling with you, but not that I was worthy to travel with you."

Straekin said, "She told you that you had done well, Kethal. Your gods are giving you a chance to continue your life and gain their approval. That is all any of us desire."

Kethal turned back to walking as his head bobbed showing his approval of the words. Terish smiled as he moved to his wife. While the man had been walking and speaking with Dirchein, his approach to Straekin was more direct. Giluchex saw his empress cheerfully allow her form to be pulled close to the man, and she turned eagerly desiring a kiss. Terish said something as the two looked into each other's eyes. While Giluchex did not hear the comment, he did hear some disapproval in the lady's return statement.

"Terish, you already have the approval of a number of gods. The fact that we are even here is a testament to the honor you have earned."

"But my God is Terdeskollit."

"No, Terish, he is your adversary. When he forgot you, when he wiped your whole creation out of his mind, he gave up any claim to you. You have only the words of Desiree and the Dozzrines connecting you to Terdeskollit, but when that God removed his creation he caused them to no longer exist. You could claim any deity you desired, and they would be honored to have your support."

The arms that Terish had around his wife dropped as he said, "I really do not know who I would choose."

Straekin moved close enough to have the front of her body touch that of her husband as she softly confronted him, "Why not Munulva? Having someone like you claiming her allegiance I am sure would get her to talk more."

"I have never spoken to Munulva."

"It seems that Venicht has, Terish. Talk to him."

Giluchex noticed that the man did not reach to again hold his wife. His eyes however stayed looking into hers. Giluchex expected a smart comment in return. He knew that he would have tried for some statement of one-upmanship to put him on a level with Straekin. Terish did not show any need to hold himself to her level, but spoke as if his standing had never fallen.

"I do talk to Venicht, but I desire to speak to you. As for Munulva, or any other deity, my focus on Terdeskollit will come before my focus on them. I am all that is left of the words of Desiree and the Dozzrines, and I will not allow those words to fade. They were true words, and if I don't act the stain of having civilization after civilization fall because I turned my back to them will be on me."

"I accept that, Terish, but I want you with me. I thus would desire that you take on Munulva's standard as well."

"Munulva would have to speak on that." Terish turned his gaze to Giluchex and spoke before Straekin could, "What do you think, Giluchex? Would you want an eternity of having me present?"

Giluchex looked at the couple while considering the words. He truthfully found himself having a problem with Straekin even considering Munulva as a real entity. He however again found himself having to admit the reality of the people and terrain that surrounded him. Not really liking where his thoughts were going, he spoke a quick reply to hopefully change the subject.

"I am immortal, Terish. I am not going to die. I thus don't bother with the concern of an afterlife."

Straekin turned to him to say, "Giluchex..."

"No, Empress. If I die, it will be on some foolish journey like this. I will keep my promise and visit Thiminy. I will then return to Davelda and spend my future guiding my world in the direction that I want it to go. I believe that it is the best course for me and Davelda."

The lady said, "But, of course." She turned back to her husband, kissed him, then told him, "Get back on Celatia. We need to get back to steady travel."


In the next installment we return to Dirchein and work to settle her situation.