This is where dreams — dreams, do you understand — come to life, come real. Not daydreams: dreams.

[glass-beddau.livejournal.com]

[Wednesday            17th       479Thursday, September 18th (day 480)]
[The Abbey]
[In a late strange time]

The air is cool, and still, and waiting to burn.

The graveyard here is different to what it was a day ago; it's the one I've dreamt of, I think, where and a year and more ago I saw Nanshe come walking from the north; graveyard north, not town north. But the ground seethes like bothered ants, and the grass does not whisper. If I left off on looking, I think it would pull itself free and crawl away.

And I leave off looking, as that is not where we are going.

You feel no especial call to goodness, do you, Glass? No. It's not in me, not rooted; but I have come to hate the other, and what it works, and may be that is a beginning.

The Abbey's stone is weeping, and there are shapes even I cannot see in the shadows. This is not the Shuck's night; this is safety twisted to fear. And we have come.

[Open]

Comments

[hermia-sophia.livejournal.com]

I shift Chester up onto one shoulder so that I can reach out to clasp Nanshe's hand, then step back as she explains. It is connected to the dream disturbances of last spring, the ones just before my wedding to Valmont. The ones that nearly stopped the wedding, and everything else in the town as well. I glance over at Valmont and Glass, remembering their stories, and I suppress a faint shiver at the memory of what they said.

Nanshe knows Damien, too - if she trusts his abilities, then so will I. Syl, of course, does not trust my abilities, and it is all that I can do not to bristle at her skeptical look. But now is no time for us to be quarreling amongst ourselves, and if we have to work together then we must find a way to do it.

So I reply, quiet and even, "I know quite a bit about protection spells, and I have all of the relevant supplies with me." I could easily pick the right herbs from the backyard, and the chalk and Helena's silver bracelet were in the bedroom. "I've warded the Whitechapel and the sheriff's office and the library, and they've stayed safe. And my power has increased quite a bit in the last few months," I add. "Especially for protection spells." I don't give Chester's secrets away, but his role in that will become clear soon enough, even if Syl doesn't know the meaning of the matching circles of gold around my wrist and his neck. And from what Nu said, I will be strongest in the spells that give life and protection. "Whatever you need of me, Kyria," I finish, turning back to Nanshe, "I will give."

[damien-dw.livejournal.com]

Zann uses more words than I did to tell the woman that no we aren't going to just leave and hole up somewhere. That we will help. Find I'm smiling just a little at that we, and that I don't mind when her arm drapes itself across my shoulders. It feels like part of that we.

More people arrive, most of whom I know. Nanshe, The deputy, and the doctor. The one I don't seems to know Zann though. She looks like someone I'd be wary of were I to meet her on my own on the road.

I'm surprised as Hermia calls Nanshe by a name I've never heard before, though I listen carefully to what Nanshe says. It is worse in some ways than I had expected. A god (a god!) from dreams is loose in this world. I shiver a bit at remembering the being Nanshe faced at the end of the dream all those months ago. Stand up a bit straighter and smile at her, pleased by her saying that my skill with dreams will be needed. It feels good to be needed.

"I may not be able to directly affect him," I tell the Lady of Dreams, "But I can still do some of my tricks just fine." Don't know how useful the wings or shapechanging might be, but I bet there'll be more things like those water-girls to fight and that I can do.

Zann's friend and Valmont's wife are talking about protection spells an stuff. I hope it works. Think we need all the help we can get to face this guy. I can't help noticing the large white cat as he climbs up on Hermia's shoulder. It's looking around at everyone and especially at Zann's friend Sylvia; and If I wasn't looking right at it when it opened it's mouth and that voice came out I'd probably have jumped in shock.

It may not be obvious, but the kid does know her stuff. She's had some pretty decent trainin'.

[goddessnanshe.livejournal.com]

The others talk and I'm glad to see them cooperating.

"I think between you, Syl and Hermia, you can give me long enough to get to the gate, to hold Icelus away from it. But after that... He will be weaker, with the connection broken between worlds, and he will also be very angry." I take a breath. "So we will have to kill him. For sure, this time."

[jack-hollow.livejournal.com]

Don't have much ta add, with alla this goin' on. But it hurts to hear her talking about killing so plain, that it's come ta this. I understand, sure. I just don't...

Hell. Don't hafta like it, I guess.

"With the connection gone," I say careful, "that gonna be a straight-up thing? Killin' him?"

[goddessnanshe.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," I say, and it hurts to admit it, because if I was in my own realm and as I once was I could be so much surer. "I am not sure what will happen, what power he'll have." And by closing the gate I give up another chance to return to who I was; but that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make for these people and this town. I look at Jack's face, and I touch his shoulder. "I hate to do this," I say. "But he has nothing but hate in his heart. And for all our sakes, he's better dead."

[damien-dw.livejournal.com]

Now that Nanshe names our enemy and saysthat we will have to kill him, it somehow makes things feel less dreamlike and more real. And scary. She's talking about really killing someone. I don't know if I can do that. Really kill someone. Not going to admit to being scared in front of everyone though.

The deputy asks if that's going to be as easy as she's making it sound and I'm glad that he's the one asking her questions about it. Maybe he doesn't want to do it either. I feel a strange sort of annoyed that she's touching him and I only got a smile earlier. That's stupid. He's standing right next to her and he asked her something about what we're going to be doing. This is no time for stupid jealous shit.

"Guess that means we'll have to play it by ear after the gate closes. Hit him hard and keep hitting til he goes down type thing?"

[syl-thorn.livejournal.com]

Nanshe says we gotta kill Icelus, an'I nod, bare m'teeth. "Killin'im's overdue, t'my mind," I says. We'd'a been better off killin'im last time. "Any thoughts 'bout how? Any weaknesses y'c'n think of?"

Hermia, meantime, act'ally sounds like she might know what she's doin'. "I know quite a bit about protection spells, and I have all of the relevant supplies with me. I've warded the Whitechapel and the sheriff's office and the library, and they've stayed safe. And my power has increased quite a bit in the last few months. Especially for protection spells."

I note th'gold collar 'round th'cat's neck, th'bracelet on'er wrist. If'n she's gotta familiar, she must have some real power t'er. "All right, hope so. But ye're gonna follow my lead, y'hear? I been pract'cin' fer near thirty years. I gotta lotta 'sperience 't you don't." She'd damn well better listen t'me onnis. We don't got time t'argue.

[hermia-sophia.livejournal.com]

Chester speaks up, saying "It may not be obvious, but the kid does know her stuff. She's had some pretty decent trainin'."

My lips twitch in a little smile, both in thanks for Chester's words and in guilty amused satisfaction for the looks on people's faces when they hear him speak. "Thank you," I murmur to him. And Syl does know what that means, for she looks at the gold bracelet and collar, and recognition shows in her eyes as she says, "All right, hope so. But ye're gonna follow my lead, y'hear? I been pract'cin' fer near thirty years. I gotta lotta 'sperience 't you don't."

As much as it rankles to be ordered about by her, I know that Syl is right. If she has been practicing magic for longer than I have been alive, then she should be the one to take charge. And, in truth, I am glad that I do not have to do this alone. "All right," I agree quietly, meeting her eyes directly.

Nanshe and Jack are speaking of the other side of the plan - of the fact that the only way to stop Icelus this time is to kill him. I feel a sad and wonderful warmth for both of them, Nanshe and Jack, that they are so reluctant to kill, even someone - or something - as terrible as Icelus. But if that is what they have to do, then that is what we will help them do.

I swallow hard, and glance over at Valmont once more before I draw myself up taller and say, "So. Where do we start? Would it be more effective to protect the path, or to put the protections on the people?"

[goddessnanshe.livejournal.com]

"Well," I say mildly, to Syl's criticism, "last time I had to kill myself to break his spell, so my opportunity to kill him was a little limited," and I smile.

"So, where do we start?" asks Hermia, and I nod at the question she asks about protection.

"On people, I think, at least until we reach the abbey. We can't assume any path we find will stay the same. Once in the abbey, perhaps you can defend a perimeter around the broken gate until I have found a way to mend it."

This discussed, and protection charms employed, we move toward the abbey (http://estdeus-innobis.livejournal.com/470488.html).