Eric shook his head. “Priestess? What are you doing here?”
“Uh...um...what’s the last thing you remember?”
“Two wrestling wolves after one of them bit me.”
“Oh good! I mean, bad. I mean, ridiculous! You don’t have any bites, so obviously, she just got over-enthusiastic licking you.”
Eric looked himself over. “I guess you’re right...”
“Of course, I am. Come, ah... Familiar. It’s time for us to go.”
One of the two wolves trotted to her and heeled. Priestess gave her a treat, waved to Eric, and they left. Eric waved back, and when they were gone, he knelt next to Perrault and petted her. He even returned to human form again. She wagged her tail.
“If you don’t start acting like your future self right now, then you won’t have a future self, understand?”
The wagging stopped immediately and she nodded while whimpering.
“Good. Now let’s catch up with Annala.”
The chapel was a bright place with illumination from both the sun and blessed crystals. It was framed by a trio of elf statues. One held a broken chain in her shackled hands, a second held a staff and a book, and the third held a microscope and a telescope. On the wall behind each statue was a painting of the Flower of Chaos, each in a different color. Within this double triangle, a circle of seats surrounded a single podium on which a cornucopia of gold sat upon an altar. Above this altar floated an image of Tasio. Sagart pointed at this last one first.
“What is that?” she asked.
“Book of Arin Volume 1: Chapter 2: 3-5. A symbol referring to the duality of our heritage,” Annala replied. “The same force sends us into danger and empowers us.”
Still pointing, Sagart asked again, “Who is that?”
“Book of Arin Volume 1: Chapter 1: 10-15. The Herald of Chaos and Shepherd of Elves, our divine grandfather and patron god, Tasio the Trickster.”
“How is that?”
“Book of Arin Volume 2: Chapter 4: 16-25. The love of our grandmother expressing itself in a way that will not destroy our plane of existence, duplicated into a semi-permanent form to remind us during worship. Tasio is not Lady Chaos’ true form, but only a tiny fragment that exists, sort of, in the here and now.”
“Why is that?”
“Book of Arin Volume 3: Chapter 8: 8-14. To spread the many forms of chaos throughout this planet and world fruit. Both The Trickster himself and we, the elves, must live our lives to the fullest and see to it that our true potential is realized. Those who answer the call of Chaos must do so for others as well.”
“Where is that?”
“Book of Arin Volume 4: Chapter 7: 1-3. Everywhere but especially where there are elves or chaotic thought.”
Sagart touched the golden cornucopia. “What should I do with this?”
“Book of Fredrick the Freak Volume 9: Chapter 10: 106-140. Nothing. It’s just decoration.” Annala stepped up and shook the thing upside down. Nothing fell out. “The outside doesn’t matter. What matters is what’s on the inside.” She put the thing down, then reached inside and pulled out a candy. “A bag of junk could serve the same purpose.”
Unwrapping the candy, she popped it into her mouth. Then she stretched the wrapper out into a blanket-sized sheet and wrapped it around herself.
“Book of Ariek Valeten Volume 3: Chapter 0: 5-6. Because chaos is everywhere, the wrapper is not truly separate from me. I can change it as easily as I change myself.”
She raised her left hand and it became a scorpion’s stinger. She raised her right hand and it became a lion’s paw. Next, both of them acquired the other’s characteristics. Then she pushed each into the other until her arms created a seamless loop.
“Book of Ariek Valeten Volume 3 Chapter 0: 7-9. Both it and I are but pebbles in the River of Chaos. Order himself is part of this river, and so, while he is the enemy of our kind, he is a necessary evil.”
She pulled her arms apart and shifted them to her default humanoid form.
“What about these statues?” Sagart asked. “What do they mean?”
“Arin’s Triangle is the three ways in which elves are blessed.”
Annala stood next to the one wearing broken shackles.
“Book of Arin Volume 10: Chapter 12: 1-10. We are free from death. Neither the slow path nor the violent end can sever our soul from our bodies. We are also free from the hand-to-mouth existence that enslaved our mortal ancestors, as well as the physical imprisonment of a single form. We are thus free to do whatever we want.”
She touched her naked throat. Neither Nulso’s collar nor Eric’s gift was there.
“I have direct and personal experience with how valuable this blessing is. My life and future were trinkets for someone to dispose of as they willed. If it were anyone but Eric, I would have been scared out of my mind. Then my very free will was taken from me, and I was made to feel happy about this. Even now, I can still feel it...”
Perrault licked the fingers of her other hand. She smiled and rubbed the wolf’s ears. Then she stood next to the statue that was carrying a staff and a book.
“Book of Arin Volume 10: Chapter 12: 10-20. We are endowed with both magical power and endless hope. As our lives continue forever, our hopes and dreams can extend indefinitely. A mage’s staff and a mage’s book; each one represents one half of magical power.”
Holding out her right hand, she effortlessly transformed it into a complete copy of the Elven Tome. She opened its cover and flipped the pages as she would twiddle her fingers. Eric could only stare in amazement. This was a level of complexity far above what he was able to manage.
“My power was never gone. It was my faith that was missing. It’s like if I were to say that Eric’s magecraft was gone if he lost the willpower to cast but his mana was still present. Faith and willpower are two sides of the same coin and in this case, the coin is called Sacred or Secular. There is no difference between them other than the manner of expression and the means by which it is acquired.”
She stood by the third statue, the one with the microscope and telescope.
“Book of Arin Volume 10: Chapter 12: 20-30. No one is better suited to unraveling the mysteries of the universe than the elves. We have both the time and opportunity to do so. It also keeps us busy so we don’t go mad or get bored.”
She spread out five fingers and turned them all into books she’d read. Then she spread out another five fingers and turned them all into reports she’d written. Finally, she created five more fingers for various hobbies she’d picked up.
“From the smallest particle to the furthest star, I’ve studied and contemplated. Thanks to Arin, Tasio, and Lady Chaos, I can continue to do so. I’ve also helped a couple friends of mine to do so as well, and it was the hardest thing I’ve done all year.”
Eric cracked a smile and snorted.
“You be quiet!” she snapped. “Is it my fault they couldn’t understand an academic explanation of this or that?”
“Yes,” Eric and Sagart chorused.
“Well, I have time to improve.”
She returned to her place before Sagart at the altar.
“Demonstrate the Trifecta of Holy Chaotic Ability.”
Annala cleared her throat. “Book of Gaius Luscious Luxous Polario Primordial Volume 1: Chapter 1: 1-100. As chaos is everywhere and is everything, it brings everything into the one. From this one, they fall into three basic categories: Create, Modify, and Obliterate. Though we call them three, they are truly one as they are all one form and that is Change, and from this one, they extend in three directions, but these three directions all lead to one destination. However, because of the freedom granted to us by Lady Chaos, this one destination can have three or more manifestations as long as we recognize that there is but one...”
Eric yawned as Annala more or less repeated herself. When she finally finished and beckoned him forward, he gladly did so. When he reached the altar, he extended his right hand over it. Annala placed her
right hand over his and prayed to Lady Chaos in a similar way to Eric chanting a novice spell.
“Lady Chaos, allow me to perform and cause this hand to transform!”
Her hand shimmered with golden-brown light and Eric’s followed suit. Nail by claw and flesh by scale, it became a bird’s talon. Wordlessly, she shifted her own hand into a talon and stabbed Eric’s palm. He grit his teeth.
“Lady Chaos, in your mercy, grant me a boon and close this wound!”
Faster than any mundane healing spell, the hole in Eric’s hand closed up.
“Continuing from the same,” Annala said, “Lady Chaos cannot only change the state of matter and the nature of life but can also change death to life and life to death because, to her, they are the same thing: a change in the condition of the soul essence, paku, as it travels Noitearc, the Great Tree that Supports the Worlds.”
Sagart brought forth a pig carcass from behind the altar and dropped it at Annala’s feet.
“Prove it.”
Annala took a piece of masonry in both hands and whispered prayers over it. A spark of golden-brown light soaked into it and grew until the entire piece was glowing.
“Book of Arin Volume 2: Chapter 4: Mana exists within all things and all living things are made so by paku, which is one step removed from chaos itself. Stoking that innate divinity makes chaotic enchantment possible. Through this, objects may be invested with chaotic power and used in all the ways of Chaos.”
With one hand, she opened the pig’s mouth and with the other, she shoved the masonry inside. The chaotic energy shot through the body and the pig came to life, squealing and kicking. Then it knocked Annala over.
Eric jumped to assist her, but Sagart pushed him back. Annala had it by the tusks. She spoke chaotic verse over its squeals and more chaotic light entered its form. Then it exploded.
“Now,” Sagart said, “why did that happen?”
“...Uh...” Annala bit her lip. “Um...Oh yes! Book of Fredrick the Freak Volume 4: Chapter 2, Verses 564-565. Calling Death where he lives and inviting one of his guests is an invitation to return to Death with the guest. Only in very specific circumstances may the dead return to life. Otherwise, the only outcome is more death.”
As evening closed in, Annala was physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. Even Perrault was pooped. All of a sudden, Sagart clapped. The statues of Arin clapped. The image of Tasio clapped along with the real deal floating next to it. Annala lit up like a light and hugged Sagart. Arrangements for the formal ordination went through immediately.
Nunnal was more than happy to make Annala’s ceremonial outfit. Sagart set up the area in front of Tasio’s Shrine. The residents of the village reserved time for the ceremony. Meza and his Elven Preservation Society made their own plans. It would all happen first thing the next morning.
Annala spent that night with her own preparations. She snuck out of the village and dashed across the field. With only Perrault for company, she approached one of the most dangerous places in the world.
When Nulso attacked and Order possessed him, the only way to kill him was with Chaotic Starlight. This created a class “C” Chaotic Zone. Even the area around such a region was forbidden territory to civilians, much less its boundary. Only the suicidal or immortal would cross that line. Annala crossed it while wearing nothing but her Arin costume.
Intense Fog swirled around her. She breathed it in. Eldritch plant life grew everywhere. She touched it with her bare hands. Never before seen monsters attacked her, and she slew them with weapons she created from her twin chaos seeds. Then she drew symbols in their blood to restore their life or create a new life as suited her fancy.
Her own blood was shed here as well. If she were not immortal, then she would have died ten times in the first five minutes. Even elves would find it difficult to continue moving with their healing factor so heavily strained. However, she was no longer a normal elf. Though she was slashed, poisoned, crushed, burned, and radiated, she pressed forward.
“If you don’t go to sleep, you’ll be too tired for your ordination.”
Priestess walked out of a distortion in the ground, or the water; it was hard to tell which in this area. On her back was a staff in a sling along with a bow and a quiver. Behind her trotted a wolf with golden-brown fur. Unlike Annala, neither of them was coated in blood or slime.
“I thought I’d find you here,” Annala said.
“You have questions and you think I have the answers,” Priestess said.
“Will Eric survive?”
“He has so far, but it has been a near thing.”
“How do I keep him safe?”
“You’ll figure it out. Just trust in yourself and in your divine grandmother.”
“How do I get one of those staves? It doesn’t look like something I could buy in a store or beg from my mother’s workshop.”
“That is a story too long in the telling for tonight. All I will say on the matter is that it was expensive in many ways and worth it for all of them.”
“One more question...” Annala paused and pushed her fingers together. “Will you...stay with me for my vigil?”
“Of course.”
Annala sat down, crossed her legs, and entered a meditative trance. Perrault and the other wolf lay on either side of her. Priestess sat behind her, back to back. They breathed in and out in perfect sync. The Fog of the area entered them and melded with them. Annala cleared her mind of past problems, current fears, and future plans, and entered a timeless state.
She looked beyond Tariatla to see what was there and what she could learn. Her consciousness expanded beyond her body, beyond her soul, and into infinity. At dawn, she opened her eyes and left the gorge. It was time to begin her ministry.
Outside Tasio’s shrine, the people of Dnnac Ledo gathered to watch a special ceremony. Sister Sagart and Annala stood in front of the shrine’s entrance while Tasio floated over them. Perrault sat next to them, wagging her tail.
Annala stood in a simple dress. Her hair was straight and unadorned. Her feet were bare despite the cold. Her hands were joined in prayer and she gazed up at Tasio.
Sagart was more dressed up with ribbons, tassels, and fine silk. In her right hand, she held the Elven Tome, and in her left hand, she held a short stabbing spear.
“Annala Enaz, why are you here?”
Annala replied, “It is the desire of my heart to become a priestess of the Chaotic Faith.”
“Do you believe in Lady Chaos, The Mother of All Things, The Source of All Power, and The Cosmic Killer?”
“I do.”
“Do you believe in the freedom of all life, including the freedom to do evil?”
“I do.”
“Do you believe in the Undead Cycle of the Seasons, the Solar Furnace, and the Untamable River of Chaos?”
“I do.”
“Will you do what is necessary to make sure that magic eternally flourishes, that freedom is ever expanding, and that creativity knows neither limits nor censure?”
“I will.”
“Do you reject Order, the Original Oppressor?”
“I do.”
“And all his commands?”
“I do.”
“And all his conquests?”
“I do.”
“And all of his hypocritical justifications?”
“I do.”
“If you become a chaotic priestess, what will be the nature of your ministry?”
“Like Arin before me, I will spread creativity of mind, freedom of knowledge, and the fulfillment of each person’s full potential. I will cast down rulers and free slaves. Oppressive governments, whether legitimate or not, will dissolve in my presence. Wherever I go, I will be the lance that breaks every shield, the arrow that breaks every armor, and the scythe that slays immortals. I will teach my children to do the same, but not force them onto this path. This will be my cause, my guiding light, my Eternal Hobby.”
“Annala Enaz,” Sister Sagart said as
she lifted the spear, “I name you, Priestess of Chaos.”
She stabbed Annala in the chest and enough blood gushed forth to dye the dress red down to her hem. Annala grimaced but stayed on her feet as her Seed of Chaos mended the damage.
Tasio, still hovering above her, transformed into green slime and oozed down on her. Annala’s grimace mixed with a smile. The slime covered her from head to toe, like a gooey and disgusting hug. Then it descended on Perrault, who licked it. The blood and slime mixed and produced a column of divine fluorescence. Stepping from this pillar of light was a transformed Annala. No more cloistering in a library; this girl was dressed to travel.
She wore a knee-length dress with the symbol for chaos on her chest and assorted runes on her skirt. She wore sturdy boots and archer gloves. At her waist was a pouch of supplies and on her neck was a paidrin. On her back were her Deathkiller bow and a quiver of arrows. Descending over her hair and leaving her face clear was a transparent white veil. Braided into the top of the veil was a circlet made of dandelions.
“My name is Annala Enaz, granddaughter of Tasio and priestess of Lady Chaos.” She curtsied. “Pleased to meet you, Dnnac Ledo. May we live in interesting times.”
“May interesting times live in us!” the crowd cheered, applauded, and hollered.
Perrault barked and wagged her tail so hard it shook her entire body. Ponix dropped his puzzle book so he could wave his arms above his head. Nunnal dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. Kallen was crying and smiling. Forge gave his twin a thumbs-up. Annala gripped her own hands and smiled so brilliantly her hair shined.
“Speaking of interesting times…!”
The crowd hushed. Several elves parted and Meza stepped forward with his Ordercrafter Hunters at his back. The Elven Preservation Society was dressed for war. Meza entered the ordination circle and Perrault trotted to meet him. To her delight, he scratched her behind the ears.
“Sister Sagart, Acolyte Annala, how would you like to free some slaves right away?”
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