Under a Starless Sky

Chapter 87

“Let’s try again. What is your name?”

“Whatever name you wish.”

Tama blocked her from collapsing the shield. The Elder was furious enough that her staff illuminated.

Her friends brought Tama down to her knees.

“You punish him for rejecting his answer, and then would punish him when he deferred to your

authority,” Tama offered in defense.

“He is being defiant. Defiance is punishable…”

“He is not defiant. He can’t harm us. He is not fighting. He has committed to this path and we hold the

superior position. He should be allowed to speak his truth, regardless of what you think of it. If

consensus rejects it, then that is on us,” Tama said.

“There is truth in that.”

Tama was surprised she had an ally in the group. She hid her surprise. It was possible it wasn’t an ally,

just a neutral acceptance of her statement.

“That he can’t harm us? That is so obvious it shouldn’t be spoken.”

“He used tech to counter your attack. If he wanted to retaliate, he would have,” Tama said. “My brother

is a peaceful man. He would not kill a rabbit. He can fight, and he will if so provoked, and if he had

wanted- Sinter would be gone. You need to be more considerate in this matter. He has been to the

depth of the ocean. He lived with giants. You should fear him.”

“There are no giants…”

“The drowning you allude to. You and he schemed that out to create a myth?”

“Tama is not that sort,” Lanore said. “She is not humble, but she is as timid as a rabbit and will not

fight.”

“Those are exactly the type to scheme. And having male do her bidding leaves her plausible

deniability.”

There was debate about whether their attack had indeed be blocked, or had simply failed. It eventually

wound back to the point he was capable of waging devastating war. Tama went on further, “if he

wanted to attack you even here, even now, he is capable. He is exercising restraint, and that warrants

our appreciation.” There was contempt and mockery in response to that.

“Then why doesn’t he?” Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Dereference to a higher power,” Tama asked. “Mother called him here.”

“We speak for Mother!”

Again they turned to Shen.

“Who are you?”

“There is no answer I can give you that will satisfy. I have a name, but I am not just that. You wish to

label me, and I resist your constraints. I am what I am, and no matter how you pen it down, I am still

only that. But should you say I am that, then I guess am that, until I am not," Shen said.

The shield was collapsed, and when it bounced back, it was collapsed again. He lay on the floor, fetal

position.

“How dare you blasphemy in this temple?”

“I told you that he knows our sacred text, that he is Seer,” Lanore said. “This is enough to warrant his

death. Why do you delay in this?”

“If you kill him, there will be consequences,” Tama said.

“You’re threatening us?”

“Of course not. I am a Seer, you will accept that I have vision. You will sort it like you would any vision,

even if should take you years of study to understand it. You kill him, the world will change,” Tama said.

“I wish to preserve the world.”

“If you don’t kill him, the world will change,” Lanore said. “I wish to preserve our ways.”

“The two of you are recognized as Seers. You are also both emotionally enmeshed in this and can’t be

trusted.”

“Then invite Mother into it,” Tama said. “It is because of him that Tulia is killed. Mother will want to know

why a Daughter was killed.”

“Tulia was a fool…”

“Yet it was on her counsel you attacked,” Tama said.

“It was consensus.”

“Not full…”

A very subtle verification was exchanged by several of the membership.

“If you want to end this, just kill him,” Lanore said.

“Mother! He is your son. He is my brother,” Tama said.

“So the fuck what?! He violates the path. He was afforded multiple opportunities to conform. The law

permits death,” Lanore said.

“We’re all off the fucking path here! We all go off path all the time. It is only in divergence that we find

new ways,” Tama said. She looked to the Elders. “There is reason for the first fall. If we don’t learn,

there will be a second fall. Eventually there will be a fall that is unrecoverable. The onus is on us to

discern truth and rightness and come to a consensus.”

“The colors may diverge from the One, but they still conform to the One Path.”

“Even rays may diverge and spark a new array,” Tama offered. “It’s still connected to source.”

“Lanore is right. Let’s just end this.”

“Agreed.” “Agreed.” “Agreed.” All the Elders agreed. They circled the cylindrical prison of light. Jerica

discerned what was about to happen and walked forward into a shield. She tried to push through it, to

the point her hands were blistered. Tell and Neva held her back. Lanore was instructed to join the

circle.

“No,” Tama snapped.

“L’Ma, end this thing that you started.”

Lanore spoke a prayer and then touched the shield. It collapsed. Shen didn’t have far to fall, as he had

remained on his knees.

“Stop this!”

“We have consensus.”

“No. If one voice asked for Mother, it must be granted,” Tama said.

“Again.”

Lanore reached out touch the shield. The Elders pushed it with her.

“Mother!” Tama yelled.

“I am awake, child.”

The Elders turned to see who had spoken and to a one, they all went to their knees. Lanore went to her

knees. Tama didn’t have the training or the sense to go to her knees. The being was taller than the

average Filipina. She had attributes that suggested she was Samoan, blended with African. Her hair

was curly and long. Her dresses seemed to wrap around her, black and white with geometric patterns,

traces of gold that were asymmetrical. There were gold tracings on her face. The wrapping of cloth

captured her upper arms, but left her shoulders bare.