Chapter 56: The mother and teacher

Koth looked at Irin, then he understood what she already understood.

"Oh," he said.

"Right?" she asked.

"That is very likely," he agreed.

"It would explain it," she said.

"But we still don't know why or who," he reminded her.

"That should be possible to puzzle together from the documents. At least the why," she mused. Koth nodded eagerly, and as they both turned to the documents again, someone cleared their throat. Koth had forgotten about the others and turned back to them.

"Care to share?" the chief asked.

"Sorry, we got a little carried away," Irin apologised.

"We think that when Melir used his magic, it woke the temple up. That's what started things happening. We just need to understand why it's happening and, hopefully, who the temple is dedicated to," Koth explained.

"Melir did all of this?" Viturleiki asked, sounding like he had a hard time believing it.

"Not exactly. You could say that he poked a sleeping bear. Once the bear woke up, it did the rest on its own," Irin said.

"So my son woke up the temple, and now it's alive?" the chief asked.

"Not quite, but almost. I would say he woke the deity inside it. From what we have heard, it has been dormant since your ancestors arrived here. But Melir's magic seems to have woken them, and now they are doing whatever they were doing before they fell asleep. As long as we don't know what the purpose of the temple is, or what the deity is known for, it will be difficult to figure out what is happening and how to end it," Irin answered. Viturleiki and the chief nodded.

"Please, go on and read the texts; don't let us distract you," the chief said. As Koth and Irin did just that, they were joined by Viturleiki, who also looked through the documents. Koth studied the circles from the document Irin had found. With the added details, they really reminded him of spell circles, but there still weren't any focal points in them.

"These look like shaman signs, is that right, Viturleiki?" Koth heard Irin ask. The dwarf walked around Koth to look at what Irin was looking at. He grunted.

"It's similar, but they look kind of off," he told her.

"What's the difference?" she asked. He scratched his beard, and Koth became interested in their conversation.

"I would say they are simpler. If I were drawing symbols like this, I would add the element I was trying to summon; I would specify what the goal was," he explained.

"And because these lack those details, they are useless?" Koth said, his tone halfway between a statement and a question.

"Yes," Viturleiki agreed.

"It's the same with the spell circles. It's like they are a primitive form," Koth said.

"That's true for the figure as well," Irin added, pointing at a sketch of the central figure of the mural. In this depiction, the shape was clear, and in the centre of it, there was a swirl. Koth scratched his beard and looked at the symbols again.

"What if that's what they are?" he said.

"What?" Irin asked.

"Primitive versions. This symbol," he said, tapping his finger on what they had assumed was a deity, "I haven't seen it, but I have heard of a legend that could be this."

"What? Tell us!" Irin demanded.

"I need a moment to think. It has been years since I read the text. I came across it when I did research into how the different branches of magic were connected. I wanted to see if there would be any advantages in combining two or more of them." He remembered his disappointment when he had found no evidence that it would merit the time it would take for him to learn a new kind of magic.

"Well, spit it out," Viturleiki said.

"Give him some time," Irin objected and took Koth's hand. He smiled at her attempt at protecting him. "Come, let's sit down," she then said and towed him over to a bench.

"If I remember correctly, there is a legend of a being older than the gods themselves. More powerful, more primal. I found some different legends about this being. Some said she was the mother of the gods, some said she was the teacher. All of them seemed to agree that the gods were fearful of her. She was the one who was to keep them from running wild. It was said she was depicted with a centre of power," he told them.

"You think this is a temple to worship this... this over-god?" Viturleiki asked.

"It fits," Irin said. "That would explain why Alesseja refuses to help; she doesn't want this mother, or teacher, to think she is going against her. It would also explain why the symbols are not quite right. They aren't supposed to be used by humans, but by gods." Koth looked at her.

"Of course! That's why there are no details. The gods use magic far more sophisticated than we do. They wouldn't need the details as they would already be in the magic itself," Koth agreed. He felt the excitement grow.

"So we have had a temple for this primal thing in our back yard all this time?" the chief asked. He didn't sound happy.

"Most probably," Koth agreed.

"Who knows when it was built. I think it's probable it has been there since the gods walked amongst us," Irin added.

"And the being has been asleep, and Melir woke them up?" the chief asked.

"Yes," Koth said.

"But a god, or what we can call this being, doesn't sleep like a human. It's more of a rest. They can still be aware of things around them and can still use some of their power. I think that your ancestors were right. They came to this place, saw a temple that had to have been abandoned for centuries at least. They respected the temple and even repaired it. The part of the being that was conscious must have appreciated their respect. She most likely took a liking to them and made sure they were safe and fed," Irin said.

"While she was asleep?" Viturleiki asked.

"If this is who we think it is, someone who even the gods fear, even one per cent of her power is mind-blowing. Even if she was almost completely asleep, it would have been possible," Koth answered.

"So we just live with this being in our backyard? Now that she is fully awake, what will, or can, she do?" the chief asked.

"Maybe not fully awake. I would think it's more likely she is waking up. I think we should talk to her," Irin said.

"You think what?" Koth asked. He had thought he had curbed Irin's tendency to put herself in harm's way. Apparently, they needed to have another talk about self-preservation.

"Cool," Melir said. His father and Viturleiki were too stunned to speak.

"Not cool. Not cool at all," Koth objected.

"Think about it, Koth," Irin started.

"I have thought about it. I just needed two seconds to realise it was dangerous and suicidal," he said. He was getting angry and scared in a very unpleasant mix of other emotions. How on earth was he supposed to keep her safe against the mother of gods? Especially if he couldn't even use his magic.

"Now is the only time it is safe to do it. She is conscious enough for us to talk to her, but not fully awake, so she has her full power." Safe? Koth thought. Maybe that's where they had their issue. She and he must have very different definitions of the word 'safe'.

"When?" the chief asked. Koth turned and glared at him. To the man's credit, he barely flinched.

"Not today. We don't want to do it in the dark," she told him. At least she had some sense. "I say we do it first thing tomorrow." And there her sense went out the door, Koth thought.

"Let's do it. I'm sending Viturleiki and Lokhue with you this time," the chief said.

"And Melir," Irin added.

"Melir?" the chief asked, and it was clear he didn't want to put his son in that situation.

"He was the one who woke her up; he might be needed," Koth agreed with Irin. If she insisted on doing this, he would make sure they did it properly.

"I see. Then he will go with you," the chief agreed. Melir looked like his birthday had come early. Koth didn't share his enthusiasm.