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 Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:14 am
Arrows and Thunderstorms - Part One
Ianna had relatively healed since the last wand escapade, but the relief was short lived for exactly a week later, a very weary Matilda voice echoed in her head.
"Mother...."
Ianna's eyes snapped open from her half-sleep before mumbling sleepily, "Again? So soon? Are they TRYING to kill you, Matty? AND me?"
"I'm starting to wonder. Something...Something is not right. Something is making them awaken at a faster rate than they have ever done before. I'm weak, mom. I can barely manage the connection...I fear...I fear I only have enough strength to send you there and back...."
To hear her daughter's fear and concern almost sent the silver-haired woman into a panic. "Where is it?" she asked, trying to shake the panic off.
"It's...at a Navajo Reservation."
Ianna slid from her bed and grabbed her coat, wrapping it around her shoulders and adjusting her glasses before giving a nod of her head, "All right. I'm ready."
For once, Matilda had waited until she had said she was ready to transport her. Ianna, however, had no idea that it was because she was phasing in and out of conciousness.
"Okay," Ianna murmured, looking around the relatively empty looking reservation. It was late at night - the moon shining high in the sky, even if it was half covered by an onset of dark clouds hinting at it storming soon, "If I was a wand...where would I Hide?"
Quicksilver eyes shifted back and forth in an attempt to find one, scanning the lands much like a laser would have, determined to get it done as soon as possible. She wanted to go home before it started to rain.
A mist of purple coming from what seemed to be a winged fence post caught her eye and she smirked - Bingo.
Ianna made her way to the wand, and was about to grab it when...
"WHO'S OUT THERE?!"
s**t.
Ianna took off running, her hand grasping at the wand and pulling it from the earth as she shot off. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, two things that were not in favor of the woman, happened.
The first? It started to rain. Hard. The thunder seemed to shake through the sky, and lightening started to immediately flash, lighting up the dark, inky pool of night.
And the second resulted in a long, loud wail for Ianna - an Arrow piercing her left arm, causing her to trip and fall over herself, rolling down one of the hills and into a near by stream. Her entire body wracked with cold and pain.
The shooter, apparently satisfied with making whatever the woman was drop and roll down a hill, retreated back to wherever they came from.
She was about to call out for Matilda when a rather anguished scream filled her own mind, causing a second bout of pain to stab through her, blinding her momentarily to the point of passing out. Matty hadn't closed their link, leaving Ianna vulnerable to whatever she was feeling.
And the pain was like nothing Ianna had ever felt before - as if a very piece of her essence had been torn from her and lit aflame by a white-hot fire. Her mind could not even register the fact that another wand had fallen with the storm and into her open hand, the one empty of the other wand.
The mortal passed out from the pain, the water carrying her away for a good half mile before Matilda recovered enough to transport her back home and passed out herself. 
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:20 am
Ianna was sitting rather stunned on her desk. She had had quite the day the previous day and it was still weighing on her mind. Ianna was NOT used to anything that was happening, and she was someone who didn't quite like change. She would deal with it, however.
Her arm was still in the sling, and would be for a good while, but her good hand was idly playing with the thunderbird wand. Ianna's mind, as hard as she tried, could not quite focus on her work. Despite her curiosity on who the wand would belong to...she was still in the clouds.
Coailiann was gnawing on a piece of apple in her playpen, trying to get her mother's attention. Unfortunately, she failed.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:39 am
Sarah Two-moons stepped carefully into the shop, taking care to first brush off the water droplets from her rain-beaded yellow jacket. A sudden storm had picked up the day before, and even today a low gray overcast the sky, sprinkles of water wetting the ground below.
Her dark eyes scanned the shop, finally focusing in Ianna's direction. Sarah tipped her head, and spoke softly: "Ta'c meeywi." The native words spilled from her tongue easily, followed by the same words in English, coated with an intruiging accent. "Good morning... miss."
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:47 am
Ianna snapped out of her trance, shaking her head to clear it of the clouds which muddled her thoughts, and a small smile touched her lips, "Hello, what can I do to help you today?"
The woman would have no idea who came in for wands, not without Matilda, so she would certainly have to deduce it herself for the time being. Easier said than done, really, since she had been getting visiters more and more lately.
Coailiann made a little babble sound and threw her piece of apple at Ianna, the apple bouncing off her forehead causing Ianna to blink, "Baby, what did mommy say about throwing food?"
Coailiann just burbled again.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:52 am
Sarah laughed, a short nervous burst. Honestly, she wasn't entirely certain why she was here. It felt as if she had been drawn to the dusty, beat up shop.
"I am not certain, miss..." Sarah ventured, smiling at the baby before taking a few steps to look some musty artifacts. "You deal in antiques and relics, yes? I wonder if perhaps you have something I might be interested in."
She turned to face Ianna.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:56 am
Ianna raised a brow, "Not sure, eh? Mmm, I don't sell anything here...It's just kind of here, for....a certain reason."
The woman seemed to grasp for the correct words, her speech slow...Didn't know? Mmm, maybe the woman in the shop was the rightful guardian of the thunderbird wand? Only one way to try!
"Though, there's a book I think you may like. Come to the desk, touch the book," She said, a smile on her face as she went behind the desk and pushed the old leather bound thing towards her. "The Book of Life and Death."
The minute the woman would touch the book, the cover would fly open, an invisible wind winding through the pages and blowing them rapidly open until it landed, quite suddenly, on a well-worn page. On this page was a very realistic sketch of the wand currently held in Ianna's hands.
Under the picture read:
"Thunderbird. Wand ID 00015. A Soul has been trapped within the confines of the wand. Congratulations, you have become the next guardian to take on the task of raising it from infancy to greatness. We, Ianna and I, have the upmost faith in you to complete your task dutifully. Best of luck,
Matilda."
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:01 pm
Sarah furrowed her eyebrows, but relented to the woman's request. Advancing to the desk, she reached forward to grasp the worn top cover. Her hand jerked back in suprise when the previously stationary cover flew open, and the pages began to flip as if riding an invisible wind.
The woman startled, and took a step backward, eyes wide and flighty. "What...?" was all she seemed to be able to say.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:06 pm
"You're a mother," Ianna said simply, a nerve-wracking smile on her soft lips. Ah, so she was right yet again! The book had proved her right, "Of a thunderbird. Well, the reborn soul of a thunderbird...You see, the children inside here died a horrible or wrongful death and my daughter, Matilda, made to set it right. It is their second chance."
It all seemed perfectly normal to Ianna...NOW. When Matilda had first arrived, she had completely spazzed. Especially when her three year old was talking as if she were twenty and she grew to adult within two months.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:16 pm
Sarah stared blankly in the woman's direction, trying to deduce the level of her insanity, and whether or not she was dangerous. "Thunderbird? It is an old myth... soul? I... don't understand." This was all very hard to process. Her mind did not want to accept any of it, there was no logic at all. Somehow, her heart insisted that it could all be true, and heart and logic were now at battle.
"I don't understand..." Sarah reaffirmed, seeking an explanation or to wake up from the strange dream.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:22 pm
"It's not that hard to understand, Miss," Ianna said softly, handing off the wand to her, "The soul was once alive and it died a wrongful death. It's been trapped halfway between life and halfway between death for a very long time. It now has a second chance to live, to the fullest. With you as it's guardian to make sure that it does. And before you ask me why, I must tell you I can't answer that.
You see, the soul chooses the guardian, not the other way around. It chose you for some reason. So the book confirmed it. You can walk away, but the soul will truly die."
A pause as her eyes turned to the little Sidhe in the playpen, "She was of the wands as well, and she is now my daughter. I have had two, from wands. They have both chosen me. I accepted it, though I freaked out the first time."
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:26 pm
Sarah took the wand in hand, and stared down at it. It was obviously old, but otherwise very simple. Created in the true design of Native American craft, aged but solid. She felt almost afraid to touch it.
"How..." she asked, wincing to herself even as she said the words - words that would make her look crazy too! - "... how do I use it? How do I help the soul come out?"
What was she saying? She was talking crazy! Was she prepared to believe that this lovely but simple object was somehow extraordinary?
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:29 pm
"You don't use it. You watch it. Guard it. Make sure nothing happens to it. Once the soul feels as if you have accepted it, Miss, A wisp will appear. The very essence of the soul. It's the most vulnerable, ever. You must make sure it never seperates from the wand and remains intact. From there, it will form into a sort of smoke-essence child. You can feel it's emotions, and hear it. Only you can hear it, though, because your bond will be there.
Once it's felt close enough to accept you...It will become a human infant."
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:39 pm
Sarah nodded mutely and continued to stare down at the wand, trying to deign anything extraordinary about it. She turned it around, and looked at it from all angles.
She had always wanted to believe in the mysticism of her forebearers. Her grandfather had talked often of the soul, and even told her legends of the giant thunderbirds who rode on the clouds and brought with them the storm. It had been years since Sarah Two-moons believed in either. Such stories were the things of children and superstitious elders.
And yet...
What if it could be? What if the only thing preventing her from experiencing this mystic world was her own blind and stubborn eyes? She wanted to believe...
And so she said the only thing she could think of to say. "Thank you."
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:44 pm
Ianna smiled and nodded her head, "I know, it's hard to swollow. Come with me, I have one more thing to show you."
Ianna walked from behind the desk, picking up her daughter and holding her to her body as she walked to the door to the side of the desk, pulling it open, "It's my home, and Ghosts of the Past's headquarters. You will be able to meet other guardians, most of the time, but today it's empty.
As they entered the main lobby Via the portal connecting the shoppe and the headquarters, the first thing they would notice is the vast...largeness...of it. The high ceilings, edged with gold, the large chandeliers dripping with crystals, the smooth white tile-floors, colorful rugs, and beautiful paintings.
To the left was a large recreational area complete with a large flat-screen television, several rows of various games, movies, video game systems and books. There was a basket of toys in the corner, full of plushies, dolls, cards and various other objects which would appeal to most ages. Included in the area were several comfy looking couches and plush chairs just made for sitting, lounging or bouncing in. It seemed to be heaven on a fluffy carpet. It even had a foos-ball table and an air-hockey table....and for the slightly more food-minded GoTP, a mini fridge always full.
To the right was a large elaborate counter, which seemed to have a force-field of some sort around it, keeping anyone who was not Ianna or Matilda from going behind it. On the counter lay a roster with the names of all the Ghostly children and their guardians, and an appointment book.
From there, it branched off into halls with rows and rows of rooms. Some were storage, some were guest rooms, some were bathrooms, and one very large and ornate door to the end of the hall led to the gardens. "Welcome to Headquarters, Miss, You're welcome here at any time. By the way...I...Don't know your name. I'm Ianna."
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:53 pm
It was a moment before the woman could speak. How could it be that such a grand and glorious place was connected to such a run-down shop front? She had to catch her breath before she could answer the question. "Sarah... Sarah Two-moons..."
So there were others. Either Sarah was in a delusional hallucination, or everything that Ianna had claimed to be true was... true!?
A lightness filled her heart, and for the first time in days an honest smile lit Sarah's face. The world had suddenly ceased to feel utterly mundane.
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