Ch.5 "Lost Souls" / Kell and Sigrlinn

[Legendary Sidekick]

The boy places his hands below his waist to cover up.

"Um……… oh……… heh? Hi ladies." He blushes. The boy looks about Hess' age, or rather, the age Hess looks. "I'm Icarus. Have you seen my dad? He was just…

"Huh? Me? I wasn't doing anything really. Just hanging out, fishing in the River Styx, talking to harpies. They taught me to fly so I wouldn't crash again."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn looks at Kell with wide eyes, then down at Icarus. "Does your father have wings like you? What was he doing here?"

 

[tbgg]

Kell tells the boy, "Icarus, my unicorn Helix and I are coming down to your level. We won't hurt you. I'm going to see about getting the both of us some clothes, and then we can try to figure out how to get you to your father."

As long as the boy does not seem alarmed by this idea, she looks for the closest way off the roof and rides Helix down. Once off the roof, she dismounts, telling Helix to stay with Icarus, and then goes looking for clothing. If she finds any that she can wear, she releases her spell and dons it. If she finds anything of Heph's, she brings it for the boy.




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[Legendary Sidekick]

Kell finds some robes in the spa nearby. Heph is much bigger than the boy, so his robe would fit loosely. Some robes meant for petite women might fit the boy. Of course, his wings might present a challenge.

The boy's father wore a toga. There are sheets and sashes in the spa.

The boy tells Sigrlinn, "My father is Daedalus, Priest of Apollo. He found a way to make us fly so we could see Apollo, but I had trouble flying when it got too hot up there. You know what, little fairy? You may be sad to have lost your wings, but flying is very dangerous."

 

[tbgg]

Releasing her spell, Kell quickly fashions a short dress for herself from one of the sheets, which she ties with a sash. She gathers up a second sheet and sash for the boy, and then returns to him.

Averting her eyes to respect the boy's modesty, she hands him the sheet and sash, saying, "Here. I think you can form a toga with this. While you are dressing, I need to check on a friend of ours. He was badly wounded the last time I saw him. I will return here once I do whatever I can for him."

She calls to Sigrlinn, "Do you have healing magic? Heph may need it."

She thinks to Helix, 'Sidekick, do you have a way of alerting Aphrodite about Heph? I'd send her a bird with a message, only I don't know where she is.'


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[Ireth]

Sigrlinn looks at Icarus and shrugs. "I never had wings in the first place. This isn't my real body -- it's complicated. But I'm really just a human Huntress."

When Kell calls to her, she says, "I have no idea. What I'm capable of in this body depends on what Phoebe could or couldn't do. I can try, but I can't promise anything."

As she tries to find Heph, she prays as hard as she can to Eir, the Barbierian goddess of healing. Please help my friend Heph if you can, or make it so I can help him!

 

[tbgg]

Kell leads the way to the lab. Will they be in time to do any good for their ally?


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Icarus gets dressed, then offers to carry the fairies—"though I guess you're both not really fairies"—to the lab. "Uh… but where is it?" he asks. Penni guides him.

His swift flight is enough to catch up with Kell and Helix, as the unicorn needs to move cautiously through the rubble.

Not far from the lab is a room with a hearth. Aphrodite is on the floor, kneeling with Heph's head on her lap. She has her back to you and her head down.

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn calls out to the goddess as she clambers down to the floor. "Aphrodite? Can we help? I could try a healing spell... I don't know if this body has that ind of magic, but it can't hurt to try, can it?"

 

[tbgg]

Kell places a hand on Aphrodite's shoulder. The dejected slump of goddess' shoulders - so different from her usual proud posture - tugs at Kell's heart-strings. "I'm truly sorry," she says softly. "I could not wake quickly enough to -" She can't finish the thought.

'That, too, was my fault. Another injury or death I could not prevent. But the time is drawing nearer when payment shall be rendered. By my own hand, I will see it done.' She does not speak these thoughts out loud.

She looks to Sigrlinn. "Do you need anything from me?"


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[Ireth]

Sigrlinn just shrugs, waiting for Aphrodite's response.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Don't…"

Aphrodite says. She turns to Sigrlinn, her face streaked with paths of fallen tears.

"That little fairy body you're in lost its soul because of healing magic. If not for the magic in you, she may have died. Instead, if I understood Artemis' explanation correctly, she switched bodies with you. But if the magic forces your soul out, you won't end up in my husband's body. You'll simply die.

"If you understand why Artemis rebels against her father, then you understand why I can't ask you to forfeit your life for my husband's."

She places a hand on Kell's.

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn takes a deep breath, her throat tightening as her eyes fill with tears. "But what if we don't switch bodies? What if the magic just works like it's supposed to? There has to be some way to help him! You shouldn't be able to kill a god!"

Even as the words leave her mouth she knows how hypocritical she must sound to the others, but she still has her doubts that Apollo is really finished after having his mortal body destroyed.

 

[tbgg]

Kell asks Icarus, "Did your father get a knife or dagger from Apollo?" Maybe HE was the one she fought against. He called it 'dirty work', and he said that Apollo owed him for doing it. Maybe....but no. One thing at the time.


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[Ireth]

Sigrlinn spins around and looks at Kell. "Ja! The knife! Maybe if we figure out how it works we can bring Heph back! You said it sucked light into it, right? Maybe he's just trapped in there and we need to get him out!"

 

[tbgg]

Kell raises her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn't considered that possibility. She asks Aphrodite, "Have you ever heard of such a thing? A knife with the ability to suck a god's soul into it?"


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Aphrodite first responds to Sigrlinn saying, "Your body-switching experience may have made this painfully clear now, but a body is just a vessel for the soul."

Penni asks, "You mean like a pilot?"

Icarus is about to respond to Kell, but soon our two heroines give each other ideas about the knife's significance.

Aphrodite says, "I was going to tell you that an Olympian falling is not unprecedented--which, incidentally, is where I was going with the body is a vessel thing. But clearly I failed to consider the possibility that Zeus' side would develop a weapon that prevents resurrection. The strange thing is, my husband would be the Olympian to develop it."

Aphrodite turns to Kell. "I never heard of such a thing." Facing Sigrlinn, she adds, "That doesn't change the fact such a thing might exist."

Icarus asks, "How would you get a soul out of a knife?"

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn bites her lip. "I want to say that breaking the knife would be the answer, maybe with Heph's hammer, but somehow I doubt the simple solution is right. Whoever invented the knife wouldn't want its power undone that easily."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Icarus says, "Maybe it's a good idea to look at it?"

 

[Ireth]

"I agree." Sigrlinn looks at Kell. "Where is it?"