She had watched with genuine interest as the gathering of beings inside of Ardgroom’s mysterious stone circle continued to grow. They were a diverse bunch, and they each exuded unique energies of color that curled and cascaded together as they neared. This energy curled and cascaded together into a beautiful collage of color as each new individual added their own paintbrush to the canvas of the Irish night air. She smiled softly as these colors would occasionally flare, stoked by their creator’s emotion, and add starbursts into the kaleidoscope. Despite having witnessed the very dawn of the universe, these colors still transfixed her, and she never tired of marveling at the inherent beauty that each life-force could add to creation.
Though some distance away, her ears could clearly hear the symphony of voices within the circle. When she heard the incubus speaking of the ankh, her ethereal eyes brightened. The colors soon erupted, fed with a spectrum of emotions that danced now like an aurora, unseen to the very artists who created it. The reactions were not unexpected, and she laughed lightly to herself. The incubus had been right to ask her here. As the tempers flared, the energy they fed in turn flared with them. Such strength of emotion, it was something that the gods of her kind did not share, and if there was one thing that she would admit to envy of the lower beings, it was that of their ability to simply lose themselves in the flood of their own feelings.
With a benevolent curl to her mouth, she stepped towards the stone circle.
Atticus had expected emotions to run high following his inquiry, but even in spite of his expectations he still felt frustration grow within his stomach. He noted to himself that it was foolish for him to channel emotion in that manner, because the concerns raised were not invalid. Many here had not known Max at all, nor did they fully realize the level of sacrifice the sorcerer had made for not only Bain & Hoyle, but indeed the world. Henry attempted to explain this, but even despite the Siren’s clear speech, the details were found to be lost upon some.
He remained silent, watching the flow of the conversation before him. His intuition had been correct to ask
her here. Despite his status in the Company, his sway over such powerful creatures as those gathered before him was as fragile and thin as the paper he had written upon to call them here. She, on the other hand, had the light of the first days still glittering in her eyes, and if she could not give credence to his endeavor, than none could.
His eyes fell to Siya as she appeared in front of him with her unnatural speed. The crimson of his eyes shone with happiness at her choice to come with him, and he gave her a broad smile and a wink.
“I am most relieved to hear it,
petit prédateur .” Atticus reached out to gently pull her beside him, orienting her towards the far side of the stone circle. He leaned close to her, his eyes not leaving the darkness beyond the heads of the arguing group. “You’re going to want to see this,” he whispered to her, the smile on his face growing larger still.
She stepped from out of the gloom, her footfalls soft and utterly silent upon the dense grass and earth. As she reached the edge of the stones, she seemed to illuminate the area with a faint glow that shifted gently between pastel hues of the rainbow. Her height of almost seven feet tall put her well above most of the onlookers, and she looked down upon them with eyes of soft, translucent silver. Jet-black hair, utterly smooth and shimmering, cascaded down to the level of her collar bone, framing a face of exquisite beauty so striking it seemed to add light to the air. She was regaled in a form fitting dress of woven linen, with elaborate bands of gold and jewels across her neck, bare upper arms, and around her wrists. Though her figure was as flawless as her face, she did not exude sexuality. Instead, her visage projected a sense of calm, enduring beauty, like that of a mountain, an ocean, or the very stars above.
With a final step of her bare feet, she stopped in front of the group. Bringing her hands across her chest and closing her eyes, she bowed her head slightly.
“Greetings, to all of you,” she said, her voice echoing deeply within the circle, seemingly issuing from inside the very bodies of the listener. “I go by many names, from many tongues, but you may know me as Isis.”
She reached out a hand towards the incubus, her movements slow and almost trance-like. “Atticus asked me here to bring ease to your minds regarding the recovery of my brother’s ankh, as well as the resurrection of your colleague.”
“Long ago, after my brother Osiris was betrayed and murdered by the chaos god, Set, I endeavored to bring him back to life. I gathered the pieces of his body and soul, and brought them together. Though I had the parts of Osiris, it wasn’t until I created the Key of Life--the ankh you seek--to ultimately fuse his body and soul into one that I was finally successful in returning my brother from the waters of death.”
Her eyes drifted throughout the crowd, catching the gaze of each that looked to her. “Once Osiris returned, the ankh was lost. After thousands of years of searching, I discovered that Set had stolen the ankh after Osiris’ resurrection, though I could never glean where the chaos-god had hidden it.” Isis pointed towards the piece of paper with the map upon it. “It wasn’t until Atticus discovered the map that the location was at last known. Initially he came to me, asking if with my divine power I could retrieve the ankh, and grant him use of it to return this ‘Max’ to your realm.”
“It turns out that Set had the Key of Life buried deep in a realm where no god of Egypt can reach on their own accord. As such, I could not retrieve the ankh myself, at least not directly.” Isis opened her arms to encompass the whole stone circle. “This is where Atticus and I reached an agreement, and where your services are required. As I cannot remove the ankh myself, I will guide you in retrieving it as best I can. Once returned I will use the Key of Life to bring your friend back to you. In turn, once Max’s resurrection is complete, I will take possession of the ankh.” The god’s eyes affixed upon that of the giant’s, her expression soft. “It is then that you will also receive your just rewards for your service.”
“Now,” Isis said, her mouth moving into a calming smile as she addressed all gathered, “what say you? We haven’t much time before Set discovers that we possess this invaluable knowledge.”
Atticus leaned back towards Siya, his eyes affixed on the magnetic face of the Egyptian goddess of magic and fertility, an awed expression upon his face. “I fucking love this job.”
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