Post by εмρяεss αкαяα яαvεηℓσcк on Jun 24, 2014 0:49:32 GMT -6
It had been years since Akara had started down her path toward ascension. Painstaking care was taken on the search for the ritual artifacts she needed to perform the spell that would either send her down a path of great power, or kill her. When Akara had spoken to Lady Raven last she gave no detail on the possibilities of what might happen to Akara during or after her ascension. All Lady Raven would say is that ascension is different for every being and that she would have to wait and find out like any other that was faced with the decision of ascension. Akara had her servants preparing the space she would use for this ritual and at this juncture was only missing the artifacts she had collected for use in the spell. All the herbs that she needed along with other various bits such as a mortar and pestle, and something to represent each of the elements had already been put in place months ago. It was up to Akara to put the finishing touches on everything and consecrate the area before she began. She had chosen the remote cave in the mountains that she would disappear to when she needed time away for its seclusion knowing she wouldn’t be bothered or interrupted during the complex magic she intended to perform.
Once she arrived at the caverns she was going to need to seal the place with blood magic to be sure that no one might stumble upon what she would be attempting. A myriad of things could occur, so much could go wrong. She wasn’t about to let anyone suffer for what she had to put herself through, whether she succeeded or failed. If she failed at least one of her sisters would be able to ascend the throne and none would argue their right to it. If one of her sisters had to take the throne, she surmised it would be Akeema. Akira had never shown much interest, even when she had stepped in for Akara while Akara ventured out of the kingdom to distant lands for one reason or another. Akira seemed perfectly content in the Holy Isle teaching the girls they fostered there, as well as the novices who stayed on to learn all the ways of the Goddess.
Akara had been chewing her lip worrying about the side effects and possible consequences for the entire night, depriving herself she was sure, of much needed sleep. Morning had come and left, followed to quickly by the afternoon and dusk was upon her before she had even mentally prepared herself for what was to come. Such was the way of things in her life and quickly she steeled herself against what would come and set out for the stables. Akeema had already been notified of what she was doing and was wandering about the castle while Akara readied her horse to leave. Leading the stallion out of the stables she took one last fond look at the castle before mounting and directing the horse to the gate. She paused at the gates, took a deep breath, kicked the horse harder than she meant to. The horse darted out of the gates as if it was a race, running in the direction of the mountain. The speed with which the horse took off startled her and she almost found herself slipping from the horses back and would have hit the ground with a heavy thud had she not had the reins in hand and grabbed onto the saddle to steady herself.
Once she had righted herself it was easy to get into the motion of the run and almost become one with the horse. Each of their movements, Akara and the horse were fluid, working as the perfect team. If they kept up their current speed an hour might pass during the time it would take to travel to the base of the mountain from the castle. Akara let all thoughts slip away as she rode, enjoying the sights, sounds and even a few scents that wafted through the trees past her.
The ride from the castle to the base of the mountain was over much too quickly and though an hour had past felt as if no time had passed at all. After Akara had dismounted she began removing the saddle from the stallion as well as the blankets. She had traveled so much with this stallion in the past that she knew the stallion wouldn’t stray far, and if she didn’t come back within the next few days it would retrace their path and find its way home only to alert the others that something had happened and someone should investigate. She began up the mountain, always taking a different path than the time before because the entrance to this cave was hidden and she did not want to travel over one area so often that a well-worn path could be seen for anyone to travel down and find her secluded place. She wasn’t about to have that.
The trek up the mountain to the mouth of the cave took longer than she would have liked but taking a winding route was a necessary evil. It took her a moment to get through the wards she had set up on her last visit here, and had to reset them once she was through. Even though the mouth of the cave had been glamoured so it wasn’t visible she was not taking any chances this night. She placed the saddle and blankets she had taken from her horse gingerly near the entrance to the cave. Turning to gaze down the consuming darkness of the tunnel she moved into it watching as the torches she had mounted on each side of the cave walls flare to life at her approach. The corners of her mouth curled in the slightest of smiles, she always did enjoy the things possibilities that came with fire magic. It wasn’t long before the tunnel was illuminated behind her, showing the path she had taken though the way in front still remained dark.
She came to the first room quickly and glanced around for a moment. Her servants had taken to changing the blankets on the bed she had commissioned and built here. She could smell roses and see steam coming from one of the tapestries where she would expect it to come from being that there was a very large hot spring hidden behind the tapestry, along with a larger cooler pool of water with crystalline waters that beckoned to all who might come across its beauty. The table was laden with food, her favorite wine and fresh water. It seemed that all things that had needed tending had been taken care of. A pang of regret hit her, if she survived she would have to reward the servants that were allowed here, that knew of this place and took care of it for her. They deserved something for all the work they accomplished without being asked. Loyalty was definitely a trait to be praised and rewarded.
A set of onyx doors that had been built into the cave lay before her. As she approached, a sheen of what resembled fire slid up the doorway signaling the various charms, protections and complicated blood magic that had been cast on them to keep those not permitted out. As she stepped up to the doors she placed her hand on a symbol of the moon and pushed. The door swung open enough that she could step through. Once past the door a flick of her wrist sent it slamming shut and the magic cast upon it still firmly in place to bar entry. A chain reaction of torches in the large circular room flared to life along the walls illuminating the space with blue fire.
In the center of the room lay a large stone table, her altar. It had been laid out down to every last detail she had given the woman who had been in charge of its creation. All the herbs, the mortar and pestle, the objects that would represent the elements, and even the artifacts she had acquired through many long journeys and hardships were in their rightful place. Akara approached the table with her head bowed in silent respect giving thanks for each item that she had worked so hard for, even the rarest of herbs that sat on that very altar.
Lady Raven had gone into much detail when outlining the ritual for Akara. They had spent days with Raven reciting a few lines at a time and having Akara repeat them verbatim. Only when Akara had perfected each and every line did Lady Raven let up. She had gone through this ritual in another lifetime and knew it well. While she had unforeseen circumstances during her ascension there was no guarantee that Akara’s would be the same. Each ascension was different, none were ever the same because each living creature was different at their very core and would react to things differently. Akara had questioned Raven for months trying to get answers to suppress or dull some of her fears but to no avail. Each of her fears remained as they were and only time would get rid of them as if they had been silly flights of fancy, or make her face them dead on.
There was still much to prepare by way of the ritual, but she had 3 hours before she had to begin the ritual. Plenty of time to make sure everything was prepared, and even take a cleansing bath in the hot spring before she would have to begin what would determine her future, or lack thereof.
