C9 "The Lesser..."

"The Lesser Gods"
(WC 2039)

Delyth had not traveled far from Dour Gujhest when, with a pointed smile, she stopped abruptly and sat down. Phillip stopped as well, hoping to stay hidden off to the side of the road and a good distance behind her. Though it felt strange to be stalking this woman, his orders from the White Council were clear. It became obvious, however, that his presence was not as unnoticed as he had hoped. Delyth was staring directly at him, apparently waiting for Phillip to reveal himself. He wondered if this was simply a coincidence, if perhaps she had not seen him but was merely looking in his direction, but a raised eyebrow followed by a motion for him to come over to where she was sitting removed those doubts from his mind. Despite his great care in remaining hidden, she had somehow spotted his presence. Phillip felt embarrassed as he stepped out and walked toward her.
“Why are you following me?” She called out to him as he came close.
Phillip wondered what kind of explanation he could possibly give for his actions. Although his training told him to invent a reason and hide his true purpose for being there, his heart told him to simply be honest.
“It is my duty to learn how you were able to defeat a demon.” He looked into her eyes, hoping to convey some sense of trustworthiness. To his surprise, as she held his gaze she did not look concerned, timid or frightened by his presence. There was a distinct sense of curiosity behind her eyes, as though simply holding his gaze would tell her more than he was saying. Phillip didn't mind. He was suddenly struck by the simple beauty of Delyth's eyes and found it difficult to look away.
So enraptured was he, her next question went almost unnoticed. But then he realized she had been speaking and he broke her gaze suddenly, blushing like a young man and feeling uncomfortable with himself.
“Why do you think I defeated the demon? I simply said the demon does not exist.” Delyth cocked her head to the side and tried to meet Phillip's gaze once again. Embarrassed afresh, Phillip avoided her stare although those eyes felt like gravity wells drawing him in. He took a deep breath and mentally chastised himself for being so unexpectedly foolish and juvenile in her presence. Having regained a measure of his composure, Phillip pondered her response briefly.
“I suppose knowing the nature of a demon tells me you would not have survived unless you fought for and won your freedom.” Phillip was staring at the ground now, coldly suppressing both emotion and instinct in response to the feelings that her gaze had awakened within him.
Delyth sighed lightly and placed one of her hands gently on Phillip's downturned head in a consoling fashion. “I think you have assumed too much.”
He was struck by the clarity of this statement. He felt justified in his assumptions because they were shared by the White Council, as though communal consent created truth. If he removed those assumptions completely, though, what would remain? There was still an unanswered mystery. He knew Delyth had been stolen away from the town of Hearkendale, many witnesses confirmed it. He knew Delyth had survived, she was sitting in front of him now. He knew the demon which attacked Hearkendale had disappeared completely, he could find no evidence of it to track or follow. What did these three facts actually mean? Either Delyth was lying to him, or he was missing something.
“How did you survive the demon attack?” Phillip asked at length, looking up into her eyes once again.
She grabbed his gaze as he looked up, staring at him in a colder and more serious way now.
“I already told you I would not talk about it.” She replied bluntly and with a tinge of annoyance.
Phillip held her gaze defiantly, though, determined to fulfill his duty to the White Council. “I am sorry for my rudeness in following you and spying on you like I have. But you must understand, I cannot leave you until I answer this question. I am sworn to serve the White Council, so I must not fail.”
Delyth looked away toward the horizon. The day was waning, though evening was still hours away. Her hair was caught in the breeze, flitting around her face. Phillip was now struck again by her beauty. He admired her hair especially, intrigued by its color, and wondering whether he had ever seen such a vibrant shade of red before. She looked so vulnerable now, sitting there and contemplating the determination of his quest. Phillip thought he had been too harsh just now, pitting himself against her desire to leave the past in the past. He returned to chiding himself, feeling suddenly guilty about his treatment of a grieving widow. Her poise and grace made it easy to forget all she had been through, but remembering now, Phillip felt horrible about his behavior.
“Your White Council is dogged and insistent...” Delyth said finally, “...and inconsiderate and cruel. Do you have no creativity? Or must you try an force an answer to a question without one?”
She did not look at him. Phillip was once more rendered speechless by her insights. He was unsure of what to do. Never before had he felt so shameful and out of place in his work. He wanted to abandon his search for answers, but knew he could not. His oath needed to be fulfilled before he could return home. He was trapped now in a bad position, much worse than he had feared when the White had originally placed the burden of this quest upon his shoulders. He felt following Delyth any further would be nothing other than wrong but what then should he do?
“I would feel better if you walked with me as a friend.” Delyth broke Phillip's stunned silence. “I enjoy talking with you and I would prefer not to be alone right now.”
Phillip nodded, inwardly relieved to push off making a decision about what he needed to do next. Besides, it offered him an opportunity to do something nice for her for a change. Perhaps he could start to repair the hurt he was obviously perpetuating.

-[ ]-

Despite what Delyth had said, they continued onward for many hours in silence. Phillip brooded over his own behavior, still somewhat surprised and disappointed in himself. He could not think of any question to ask that did not seem to him immediately offensive and inconsiderate. Perhaps the gap between the Eclosei and Dour Gujhest had indeed grown to wide to bridge. He was consumed with his own concerns – with the concerns of the White Council and the mission he was tied into. It made him wish he could better understand the Eclosei and their motivations. It was this realization which eventually led him to his first acceptable idea of the day.
“Why do you worship the gods?” He spoke up at last, breaking the long silence. His question did not sound the same upon saying it out loud as it had when it was being formed in his head. Phillip hoped the honest intention of what he asked would come through and not the skewed connotations which could easily be interpreted from his choice of words. Delyth gave him enough time to worry about this before she finally answered.
“I think men worship gods for the same reason they study magic. They are born with the drive for power. They wish to rule over the world and shape it in some way. The gods offer a connection to this kind of power.”
“Why?” Phillip asked, then clarified, “Why do we want to rule and shape the world?”
“It is the way men were created. It's part of their nature.”
Phillip frowned at this thought. He was unhappy with the suggestion that mankind was somehow enslaved to some kind of hidden desire. “You think the gods created us so that we would rely on them for power? Why would they do this?”
Delyth laughed lightly. “I think we were all created by something far greater than the gods you know.”
Phillip was quiet for awhile longer and Delyth did not interrupt his train of thought. She had suggested there was something even bigger and farther beyond the world as most knew it. The mages taught there were four streams of power, Phillip had always assumed it was the streams which ruled over creation and the fate of the world. Perhaps she felt the same way.
“Do you know about the four streams of power?” He asked, not wanting to get ahead of himself.
“Yes, they are the guidelines for the third age of mankind.”
It was a matter-of-fact response, but Phillip persisted. “I have always thought these streams persisted through eternity, forming and perfecting life.”
“No, you haven't always thought this way.” Delyth said abruptly and with a measure of disappointment. “Men are not meant to know the true nature of their existence. I don't know why, yet your true purpose can be discovered if you know where to look for the answers.”
“I have not always thought this way?” Phillip noted the lightly scoffing tone of his voice. Delyth had always acted familiar with him, as though they knew each other in the past. Phillip could not think of why, he remembered nothing which indicated they had known each other before. Aside from this, he could not remember thinking any other way than what he had expressed except for the time before he had learned about the streams of power themselves.
“Nevermind.” She rolled her eyes. “The streams of power are simply a manifestation of order. They originate from the source of such things.” Delyth paused a moment.. “They will end with the source as well – and so shall we.”
“So you worship the gods because you believe they are somehow greater than the streams of power?” Came Phillip's retort. He noted the scoffing tone in his voice had not subsided and tried to force himself to be more caring.
“I believe in something greater than the streams of power, yes.”
They had stopped walking and regarded each other now with a measure of consternation.
“So the Eclosei are superior to Dour Gujhest after all. They are more enlightened?” Phillip could scarcely believe this was what he had said next. He felt himself living out the indignation of a schoolchild.
“I don't think the Eclosei realize there is anything beyond their Entat of gods either. They are subject to the order of this age, just as the mages are.” It was a comfortingly mild response, especially considering how heated Phillip had been acting.
“Why are you Eclosei if you do not believe in what they are doing?”
“But I do believe in what they are doing. They are seeking out the truth. I believe in what the mages are doing as well.” She placed her hand on Phillip's shoulder. “You needn't be tied down to the idea Dour Gujhest and the Eclosei should be opposed to each other.”
Phillip looked down at the ground. He had thought he might be a source of comfort for Delyth on her journey. He had thought some form of service he could provide would help ease her grief. How differently their conversation had gone. It was she who comforted him, offering small reassurances which touched his heart on a very personal level. Phillip wondered again if he really had known this woman at some point in the past.
“Why don't you return to Hearkendale?” Phillip asked suddenly. The question had only just dawned upon him, but it seemed an obvious one. If she believed the Eclosei and Dour Gujhest did not need to work in opposition to one another, why wasn't she returning to the mission her late husband had founded to bridge this very rift? “They worry about you. Your presence would help them recover and it might help you as well...” His voice trailed off.
“Hearkendale is no longer what it was meant to be,” She responded sadly, “There is no reason for me to return.”