June 9th, 2008 Midnight - Schmiede's POV by Eddy W.
Schmiede watched Eric...
/No, not Eric. Hollywood now./
His former apprentice went through the motions of the ritual. To
Schmiede's Mage Sight, the Supernal energy rippled and flowed like
water folding around a hammered blade, swirled like the sudden steam
that shoves at your face like a wall. The vagaries of Fate and Time
were still beyond his personal Gnosis, but Schmiede took pride in the
unconscious precision of Hollywood's movements. He appreciated the
quiet support that Mirror gave to him, the stiff martial Arrow acting
as the right hand of the wise Ladder acting to protect the will of a
victim of the Supernal....
The anger at the situation hit his stomach suddenly, like a punch. To
have this woman forcefully Awakened, to have her right to the Supernal
thrust upon her, sickened him. He pushed the fury down, trying to
focus on the ritual, but the ancient hatred of the Exarchs burned in
his gut.
/Even five years away can't dull my hatred,/ he thought. /Even now,
the mention of the Seers reminds me of being a child tormented and
abused by the communists, of the loss of will./
He folded his anger and frustration into itself, like one folds steel
to make it stronger. He focused his attention on the clockwork gears
in Hollywood's nimbus, and felt another flush of pride. /Even his soul
recognizes some sort of precision and order./ The Acanthus spoke to
the woman, but the words were secondary. Schmiede used the Sight to
watch the build of energy, the outward manifestations of his imago.
The teacher in him noticed a few stray threads, and made a note to
correct Hollywood's form. Such sloppy work could....
As soon as he noticed it, it was already too late. The threads latched
onto energy, but it wasn't Supernal. The Abyss flowed through the
spell like soft lead, making the spell brittle. /The spell will bend
and snap. The woman's Fate will be torn asunder./
But Hollywood's will was stronger. He forced the vagaries of Time and
Fate to follow HIS will and no other. The Supernal and Abyssal energy
merged and shaped. The spell was not perfect, but it was strong
enough. It would hold.
And it did.
With a smoothly-oiled click the spell completed. The woman looked up
into Hollywood's eyes in mute thanks. Hollywood relaxed.
Schmiede tried to scream. /Don't relax. It's still..../
The Abyssal energy flowed out of the spell into Hollywood's pattern,
impurities infecting the rest of the design. Schmiede could only watch
as, in a split second, the energy slammed into Hollywood and shattered
his own pattern at every weak point. He tried to shut off his Sight,
but not before he saw Hollywood dissolve Supernally.
He didn't even hear Sojourner's voice calling for an ambulance, or
Mirror's mute fury at her own impotence. At that moment, the rage he
had tempered exploded with heat of a dozen forges. If Eric died, he
would make very, very sure that the one who was responsible would have
everything important in their life ground under Schmiede's heel.
/If I have come back one last time only to avenge my student, then it
is a good end to this life./
/No, not Eric. Hollywood now./
His former apprentice went through the motions of the ritual. To
Schmiede's Mage Sight, the Supernal energy rippled and flowed like
water folding around a hammered blade, swirled like the sudden steam
that shoves at your face like a wall. The vagaries of Fate and Time
were still beyond his personal Gnosis, but Schmiede took pride in the
unconscious precision of Hollywood's movements. He appreciated the
quiet support that Mirror gave to him, the stiff martial Arrow acting
as the right hand of the wise Ladder acting to protect the will of a
victim of the Supernal....
The anger at the situation hit his stomach suddenly, like a punch. To
have this woman forcefully Awakened, to have her right to the Supernal
thrust upon her, sickened him. He pushed the fury down, trying to
focus on the ritual, but the ancient hatred of the Exarchs burned in
his gut.
/Even five years away can't dull my hatred,/ he thought. /Even now,
the mention of the Seers reminds me of being a child tormented and
abused by the communists, of the loss of will./
He folded his anger and frustration into itself, like one folds steel
to make it stronger. He focused his attention on the clockwork gears
in Hollywood's nimbus, and felt another flush of pride. /Even his soul
recognizes some sort of precision and order./ The Acanthus spoke to
the woman, but the words were secondary. Schmiede used the Sight to
watch the build of energy, the outward manifestations of his imago.
The teacher in him noticed a few stray threads, and made a note to
correct Hollywood's form. Such sloppy work could....
As soon as he noticed it, it was already too late. The threads latched
onto energy, but it wasn't Supernal. The Abyss flowed through the
spell like soft lead, making the spell brittle. /The spell will bend
and snap. The woman's Fate will be torn asunder./
But Hollywood's will was stronger. He forced the vagaries of Time and
Fate to follow HIS will and no other. The Supernal and Abyssal energy
merged and shaped. The spell was not perfect, but it was strong
enough. It would hold.
And it did.
With a smoothly-oiled click the spell completed. The woman looked up
into Hollywood's eyes in mute thanks. Hollywood relaxed.
Schmiede tried to scream. /Don't relax. It's still..../
The Abyssal energy flowed out of the spell into Hollywood's pattern,
impurities infecting the rest of the design. Schmiede could only watch
as, in a split second, the energy slammed into Hollywood and shattered
his own pattern at every weak point. He tried to shut off his Sight,
but not before he saw Hollywood dissolve Supernally.
He didn't even hear Sojourner's voice calling for an ambulance, or
Mirror's mute fury at her own impotence. At that moment, the rage he
had tempered exploded with heat of a dozen forges. If Eric died, he
would make very, very sure that the one who was responsible would have
everything important in their life ground under Schmiede's heel.
/If I have come back one last time only to avenge my student, then it
is a good end to this life./