Fragment 5- Rage

It had been three days since the fire tore the library from this world. Innocent, old women had died. That's what everyone had thought. The Order, the only sort of guard or police state we have silently murdered innocent old ladies. It was cruel, and unjust. It was frightening. It was shocking. The strange visitor who had come looking for Page was nearly forgotten. That is, forgotten by everyone but Doris and her husband. They watched over Page the last few days. The poor, slip of a girl had lost the only people should could really call family. Mostly, Page slept, not knowing how to deal with what happened. But her body still reacted. There wasn't much peace in Doris' inn, as Page unknowingly made things twist shape, and shatter, and move...magically. It had to be said. Doris couldn't deny it any longer. Page was gifted. Which meant she would also be hounded.

It was that third day after the fire, when the men of the village finally had the decency to clean up the remains of the fire it took them twelve hours to put out. Many of those in attendance mumbled silent prayers, and attempted to pay their respects. No one could remember such a tragedy. The worst that had happened here was when farmer Pritchard lost half his sheep to some mold. There were no words for this. But late that afternoon, words were heard throughout the village.

A man dressed in all white robes, with a shining breast plate and a buckler shield, intricately designed with laurel leaves yelled out to the village. If one looked hard enough, they could see the faintest yellow glow about his head. People were scared, especially since no matter where you were, you could hear him. He stood in the very middle of the village, and spoke to everyone; every resident. He commanded their attention:

" Good People, I am Cassius Pelops, Grand Marshall of the White Wolves of The Order. As I'm sure you all know, The Order is the Police State of the church of Our Lady Palas-Homonay. It is by The White Lady's graciousness that your backwards little village receives our protection at all. And although it is an abomination unto Homonay, you are allowed to worship freely. She truly is gracious."

As he spoke, he took his time, enunciating every word, making sure he was totally understood, and bowing his head every time he spoke of his Goddess. His speach went on most of the afternoon:

"Unfortunately for you, there has been another abomination unto Our Lady Palas going on here. One in which The White Wolves are especially tasked to manage. The third abomination unto Our Lady is sorcery. Magic defiles the natural order of things, and power is only to be granted by the Gods. We wolves of Homonay hunt down sorcerers and charlatans, as well as the aberrations magic has created in nature. So you can imagine how surprised I was to find the whole of your village reeking with magic. Your beloved librarians, well meaning though they might have been, were using sorcery under your very noses. Six evil old hags, and their apprentice! It is an outrage, and your little town is safer now that they are no longer amongst us."

It was a blessing Cassius thought they had killed Page,but he didn't stop there, he kept prattling on, like some crazed zealot, about his glorious Lady, and abominations, and sorcery, and how giving he was for helping these back-water people, etc ad nauseam. Most of the town had gathered around him to listen. Many in silent wonder, some in shocked silence, others raging at his injustices. But Cassius was gifted power by the Goddess Homonay, and no one could speak out against him. No one dared. Until nightfall crept in amongst the village, as sunlight slowly faded away, was there a change in his speech, and it was a memorable one.

Although the people were cold, and the children tired and hungry, no one retreated to their homes. They stood afixed in place, listening to Cassius go on and on. After it had gone completely dark, something strange started glowing in the distance. The remains of the library had a faint, orange glow about them. Cassius paid no mind, but many of the townsfolk began to pray silently. As Cassius went on about the fifty third abomination unto his Lady, a great orange streak flew from the library, past through crowd, and directly behind Cassius. It scared him so much, he fell flat onto his face! The will-o'-the-wisp like glow began to change shape, and grew to human proportions; crooked, and haggard, but human proportions nonetheless.

Gasps and faints rang through the crowd. It was Amy! The glow slowly faded and she stood there solid as a rock amongst the people. Her n0rmally prim hair was a mess, and her clothes were singed, but it was still Amy. The look on her face implied all of her blood would explode out of her at any moment!

" I HAVE HAD JUST ABOUT ENOUGH OF YOU CASSIUS PELOPS! ABOMINATIONS UNTO HOMONAY INDEED! ASK YOUR GODDESS WHY THE GODS FLED THE WORLD! DO YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT CONTROL ARCANA! THE EARTH WAS TOO CHAOTIC EVEN FOR THEM TO HANDLE! SO WHO MANAGED TO SET THINGS RIGHT? WIZARDS AND SORCERERS THAT'S WHO! WE ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO KNOW HOW TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM ALL THE ANCIENT CHAOS FORCES! WHITE WOLVES INDEED, EATING UP INNOCENT OLD GRANDMOTHERS! I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT WERE IT NOT FOR ME AND MY FELLOWS THIS TOWN WOULD HAVE BEEN SWALLOWED UP BY AN ANCIENT EVIL! A SHAPE-CHANGER FROM BEFORE THE EARTH HAD BONES! OH, I AM A GENTLE SOUL!"

She shouted all in one breath, looking like she was going to tip right over and die...again. But Amy took a deep breath and continued:

"A GENTLE SOUL INDEED BECAUSE I DO NOT KILL YOU ON THE SPOT! YOU MARK MY WORDS CASSIUS PELOPS, IF YOU AND YOUR MEN DO NOT LEAVE THIS VILLAGE NOW, AND RENOUNCE YOUR WORK AS MAGE KILLERS THEN I WILL HAUNT YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR SHORT LIFE AND AFTERLIFE! YOU CAN BE SURE OF THAT, SO LONG AS I AM AMALIA GENEVIEVE LASIENNA, LAST OF THE GREAT LASIENNA SORCERERS!"

There was silence for a while after this, with the exception of Amy/Amalia catching her breath. After a few long moments had passed, someone in the crowd started laughing! Amalia looked over to them furiously, but then realized what was happening. The children had been the first to see it, but now everyone saw. Cassius had wet his robes, and then passed out in his own puddle.

After a few moments longer, Doris came forward from the crowd. "Oh Amy, .."she started "are you really..." but she was briskly cut off "That doesn't matter now, Page is the only sorcerer around for hundreds of miles, and she hasn't been properly trained. The poor girl has to take on the Old One alone, otherwise you're all doomed to a fate far worse than mine." And then something dawned on the crazed looking librarian. If you looked hard enough, you could almost detect a smile. "Please Doris, go fetch Page, and bring along her friend too, you know the one who follows her around looking lovesick all the time. I'll need them both. What's his name again? Ah yes, Andrew. Go find Andrew Penn and Page. And thank you Doris, yours is a good soul." Amy/Amalia said with a soft, very warm, and very final hug.