Zorian frantically went back to work. Rory held the dragon's head, but he was aware of another power coming their way. Then yet another, and this one not from far away.
The two powers somehow reached them at the same time. They collided over the castle with an explosion that shook everything and likely destroyed lesser buildings. And then it did it again, as though the two powers demanded the other give way.
"What is going on!" Rory demanded.
"You just fulfilled an ill-made prophecy, my friend." Zorian gave one more grunt and pulled the spike out. The stars swarmed it and carried it off -- he hoped to somewhere it could not hurt others.
The dragon fell unconscious. Zorian simply fell and sat with his back to the dragon's side. He pulled the book from under his tunic and then shoved it back.
"I don't need the book to tell the story. Aien and Eket were lovers, having learned that game from humans. They were, for a while, the brightest stars in the heavens. All the gods envied them, and it was that envy that unintentionally worked against them.
They had a falling out, a change so drastic that the world shuddered at the loss. The clouds wept for years. But the other gods, sorry for their part in this, decreed that Aien and Eket would be together again -- at a time when a human called upon them both for aid."
"And I did."
The building trembled. A crack appeared in the wall to the right.
"You did." Zorian struggled to his feet. "And here is the problem. Those other Gods never said they would come together in amity, and they are still angry."
Rory knew he should have felt something other than annoyance. He briefly tried one or two others, but anger, fear, and remorse seemed to take too much energy and attention to maintain. Annoyance came naturally after all else that had happened. He didn't want to turn that emotion on the two gods, but the only other two immediate candidates were either Zorian or Greenal. He considered it, but he liked Zorian too well and turning annoyance on a dragon that had already given them so much trouble -- well, no.
So the Gods it was.
Another explosion shook the building --
"Stop it!" he yelled, standing and shaking a fist at the ceiling.
Zorian made an inarticulate sound and tried to grab him. He moved away.
"Stop acting like ill-mannered children! You are not helping the situation. We have dragons, for the love of the gods! If you are going to show up, at least don't make this worse!"
Everyone except for Zorian and Greenal had become a blur. Zorian appeared to be praying. His friend's panic worried Rory, but he already sensed that he couldn't back out. The two gods had listened to him.
He hadn't expected them to hear him.
He especially didn't expect them to show up.
Something bright, casting him in two shadows, stood behind Rory. Zorian and Greenal struggled to their feet, and Rory, with a touch of wise reluctance, turned.
Except for the glows around the two, they did look human. Far too much human, in fact. Rory had counseled -- or at least tried to -- couples who came to the Temple of Eket for help with their marriages.
Okay, why not?
"Before we begin, I want you both to find a neutral emotional base. Anger will help with nothing, no matter how justified you might think it to be."
Zorian moaned. "I can't believe he's doing this."
"This man is wise," Greenal added.
Rory wasn't confident how well any dragon would understand human wisdom, but it was a better reply than from Zorian.
Aien and Eket stared at him. At least he had their attention, and the building had stopped shaking.
"There. That's better," Rory said. They did not look neutral, but he appreciated that the world had become calm again. Rory did his best to keep a non-accusing tone and spent no extra time looking at one or the other. All the training returned, and if he survived, he would thank Brother Narkin. "Now, can you tell me what the base of your problems --"
"That's not what you want to say to us," Eket said as he stared at Rory.
Never lie.
"I want to tell you both to stop acting like children," he admitted. Zorian did start praying, and he thought a few others did as well. "I want you two to look around and realize that something is wrong here, and we need your help."
Aien was the one who looked startled first as she glanced around the area. Eket took a moment longer, and Rory suspected that was while he considered if this bothersome human was worth keeping alive.
"He is right, Eket," Aien said. Her voice sent a slight tremble through everything. Eket seemed confused by her answer -- or maybe it was only her attitude. Rory felt a little of it, himself. Aien had gone from rage to what might be concern in the blink of an eye. "I have been sitting here in the midst of it but never truly looked."
"And what has it to do with us?" Eket demanded. His voice cut through the air and knocked Rory down. He considered staying there, but it would not help.
"It has everything to do with us," Aien replied, her tones softer and more concerned. "It is a manifestation of our own reactions to life around us. We drew ourselves closer to humans by taking their form, and our human-related feelings drifted through their world."
"I still don't see --"
"Eket," Aien began. She had been about to say something somewhat rude. Rory saw it in her face. Instead, she stopped and took a breath before she spoke. "I have been anxious of late. I've felt currents moving that belong to old powers. Tell me that you have missed that sign."
"I have felt it."
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