The Palace of Exile
For seven years I dwelt
In the loose palace of exile,
Playing strange games
With the girls of the island.
Now I have come again
To the land of the fair, & the strong, & the wise.
Brothers & sisters of the pale forest
Children of Night
Who among you will run with the hunt?
***
Hrafn entered Avamar as a child entering a sweet dream. Perhaps the smell of the city was not the same as when his father reigned there, but for him there was a pressing familiarity. This might no longer be the Avamar who had Krimml and Oligarch under her tutelage, nor the city of the Harems anymore, but Her was still his city and always would be, in one way or another. Just as the present and the past were fractured there, so it was with Hrafn, with his mind and his heart.
Hrafn: "Alfather, I need directions..."
Erik Eyolf: "Follow the street and go through the market, then follow the fishy smell and you will soon be in the Red District. You will want to talk to Theodora, she has a clean house with clean beauties you obviously cannot afford, but I'll find a way. Everything in Avamar belongs to me, you know..."
Hrafn: "Seriously??? I was talking about... I need your guidance!"
Erik Eyolf: "What, have you become loyal as a puppy in a blink of my single eye? Don't be silly, boy. I think better when there's a beauty riding on my lap. ​You give me what I want; I'll give you what you need."
The young crow snorted and covered himself with his black cloak, not wanting to be seen by his Lady as he headed into a world of sinful pleasures. He could feel Erik's smile burning on his own lips and his body reacting as if possessed by that lascivious entity that was his father. This time Nesrah followed him, hidden in the midst of the noisy crowd. The sorcerer had seen Yeux Serpentis in Krimml, as old and alive as only a Great Maharshi could get. A warlock. A dangerous wizard. With Sir Hector in a Duke's position, Nesrah had to make a choice. Although Hrafn does not have the Serpentis name, he would be best suited to hide something... preferably far from Sirion. If Erik's Eye fell on the wrong hands, it could go away with the Tandaros. Nesrah didn’t want this, much less that Yeux, still alive, took control of the family. Of all the clans. Hrafn was his apprentice and his favorite, so the Eye should stay with him. Before he entered the brothel, the sorcerer "accidentally" thumped into his apprentice, letting the jewelry with the Eye slide into one of his pockets. Hrafn didn't notice, but for Erik, or the schizophrenic fantasy that was Erik (Hrafn), the future unfolded a little more. His raven eyes sharpened, but all he saw when the door opened was a hypnotic dance of bare breasts.
A few hours later, lying down, exhausted, sweaty and satisfied, Hrafn had his epiphany. Erik, now complete and glimpsing the future, whispered in his ear:
Erik Eyolf: "In time you will find the truth. Offer her the Hieros gamos. We are one now, son. I name you Mir Atal, Avatar of Destruction and Power, Lord of the Deepest Depth, Ruler of the Crevasse of the Void. I gave my left eye for the knowledge and power he had to offer. That belongs to you now.​ Avenge me... and make her moan for eternity, 'cause it will make me proud."
Hrafn dressed himself amid a great mental mess and staggered drunkenly down the street until a breath of fresh air brought him back to reality. Lady Sigrid must be in town. He needed a bath... and to meet her. Luckily he was in the city of the Daughters of Avamar and the Thousand Bastards. He was at home.
