The Pearl Fox

Red Ghosts

The ruins sparkled like crystals and the night was dark velvet, tinged with stars. She knew it can't be. These Vralli Ruins was not the place that hid the Pearl Fox but it was considered almost a Valley of the Dead and Homes of the Dead. For many hundreds of thousands of years, the prehistoric city had fossilised, and in places, crystalised, where the forests had grown over it, but never covering it, and vines grewspinning around pillars to flower in Spring bloom. That time was here, and blossoms in rainbow colours turned the dimness of the forests Winter phase into a sweetened picture. Arasine didn't sense anything dark here, but the spirits of trees and animalswho were not ghosts. She'd ridden Nutmeg through here, moved on, and following the Green Snake River that made her travel from West to the East. She came to Temple Jasmine, a beautiful structure of grouped pyramids, a tier of magical stone craft. She dismounted from Nutmeg when a priestess came to greet her. Arasine bowed, then offered a token of kindness, a small bunch of grapes among edible blue leaves. "Welcome to our temple," said Sara."On behalf of the priestesses of Temple Jasmine, I accept your kind gift to us."

"Thank you,holy sister of Skylore," Arasine said, and she knelt on one knee, and lifted her hands with the grapes to Sara, who gently lifted them at the stem. "I come here on a mission."

"Rise and tell us what it is you seek. May I know your name?"

"Yes," Arasine stood. "My name is Arasine from Jorno. I'm a priestess of the Blue Path."

Surpised, as Sara had never known anyone from the Blue Path faith in the area. "Come inside and meet the Skylore sisters. You'll be our guest and they'll be pleased to meet you, Arasine, our Blue Path sister."

The insides of the pyramids astonished Arasine, for they were not what she imagined they would be like. She had always assumed the insides of pyramids would be dark, stuffy, and claustrophobic with narrow passages, dusty and gritty. Instead, were bright open rooms, halls and corridors, a place of residence, with a healing bay, comfortable warm dwellings for animals and orphaned children. There were marble stairs, carpetted floors, kitchen, brilliant sanctuaries with crystal pyramids giving off light, fountains of pure water, indoor gardens. A double door of glittery wood led down into a sacred tomb. The warrior monks were enigmatic, in coloured steel armour and rose gold and steel swords, decourated with green and red gemstones and knotted patterns at the pommels, cross guards and rain guards. The monks wore their hair long and or partially shaved, with braided beards. Arasine sensed sadness in the atmosphere despite its splendour. The priestesses were astonished to see her, a priestess of the Blue Path. Her attire was so different to their long gowns. She wore a tunic with colourful patchwork, hemmed with tassels; dark laced breeches, and white sheepskin boots. Arasine was offered food, wine, fruit, nuts, cheese and bread. 

"Please tell us what brings you here, sister Arasine of the Blue Path," asked Polly-Zia.

"I'm searching for a missing icon that vanished from one of our shrines near Belldark. The Zirch wanted me on this task because I share a birth sign with this icon." 

"Your faith values the zodiac animal trends. What is the icon you're looking for?" asked Cilly.

"The pearl fox," she told them and described it as she was informed when the Zirch has told her.

Mater Amela, who was listening, chose to speak now. "We don't know the whereabouts of a pearl fox icon, dear sister. We do have a white wolf that serves as our temple guardian." Many of the Skylore prietesses glanced at Amela as though she'd sworn. She turned red and looked away. Arasine noticed a change among the gentle priestesses.

"Mater Amela, please, you've said nothing wrong," announced Polly-Zia. "Arasine, she's right. The white wolf guards us all each day and night. This is true."