The Sun Seeker- Part 5

The Festival of Solem was taking over the streets of Bashyr, as it would in every settlement and planet across the system.

Golden banners drifted between streetposts, and the bells rang out several times a day in celebration. This all came to a culmination on the fifth day, when the light parade was to march triumphantly down the streets, and the great feast would be celebrated door to door.

Sehkma had the enclave awake bright and early to prepare; rugs and pillows were laid under the bright awning out front. Long trestle tables were lain out with beautiful bowls and loaves of Sola bread, ready for the listeners.

Loretelling had fallen slowly out of fashion over the years, To where the Lorekeepers were more tolerated than celebrated. But during the Festival of Solem, when people remembered tradition and reflected nostalgically on all the year had brought them, they would come to hear the old tales. They would bring their children and a special holiday offering to share, and sit for a while under the tapestries.

As head keeper of the Enclave, Sehkma wore a silk turban of gold and purple. Rashid wore a matching tunic, and organized the people and stirred the soup while Sehkma would orate and lead singing.

Jes worked with the other younger Lorekeepers to tie ragdolls and carve little ships and sun emblems to pass out, and tried not to to think of the little girl and the doll that had attracted the Solari's attention.

The bells today had rung at sunrise, and Jes had felt them reverberate through her with the same plea that had haunted her sleep; Help me.

Every time the bells rang, it impressed the message deeper into her brain. Help me, Help me. Help Me... It overwhelmed her, making it hard to focus on anything else.

The bells stopped around noon, and would not ring again until it was time to announce the parade at dusk. Jes breathed a sigh of relief as the pounding relaxed in her head, and was able to push it to the background in order to help Sehkma and enjoy the passersby.

Sehkma was reveling in all the attention, and was raptly telling the old stories, stirring the crowd to picture the intrepid explorers and devout priests that had found Solem and the seven planets.

“And not the least of the devout was Harald, the first of the Lorekeepers, who stood side by side with the Solari priests, witnessing all these events and retelling them to his kin, so that we may all remember.”

This was Sehkma's favorite story; the telling of the First Lorekeeper. She missed the days when Lorekeepers were honored as a sect of the First Children. These days they were treated more as an afterthought.

The day warmed as the hour approached, hinting at the Miracle of Solem. You could feel the hum of the crowd getting excited. Peoples attention turned to finishing their rounds of the neighborhood before the bells sang them to the edges of Temple street.

Jes knew that on the other side of the planet, in the middle of the night, the people were passing out thermoses of Starthistle tea and bundling up to step outside.

The Lorekeepers soup was well set by now, and the heady spices added to the warmth and draw of the day. Sehkma pushed bowls into everyone's hands so that they had warm bellies before running off to the parade.

Jesphyr ran some tubs of supplies back inside, then ducked into the milling crowds. The temperature continued to rise, to the balmy heat of an early autumn afternoon. The pressure was building again in her head, but she tried to ignore it. She tucked herself into a quieter corner where she could see the floats and banners without being jostled.

Temple street was already streaming with decorations and lines of people. Some families brought little glass cases with plants inside, guarding them preciously against the jostling crowds.

The telltale glow on the horizon put a hush over the crowd.

Glinting gently in the gloam, The procession made their way sedately down the middle of the street. Acolytes held banners and incense burners high over their heads while four priests carried a palanquin bearing the golden seal, a mirrored disc that usually hung in front of the temple. The remaining priests carried drums and bells at the ready. Children murmured excitedly, but their parents kept them in check, everyone waiting and watching the seal.

The strange glow on the horizon grew and grew, and the priests raised their arms. There was a sudden flash, and then in the blink of an eye, the sky exploded in a bright array of colors. Deep magentas and vibrant greens glowed across the sky in streaks as the bells and drums began to sound and the crowd finally broke open in cheers.

Jes was lost to it all. The breaking of the light hit her with the force of a mighty wave. She new the cacophony around her only as a distant buzz.

The light drew her in, and she was lost to everything else.

She was no longer tucked alone in the corner, She was enveloped in a warm presence. It infused her. Lifted her beyond everything, made her a part of everything. She saw the flowers burst open in the children's hands, the bells and banners glisten. She felt the excitement, the thrill and noise and celebration around her. But above it all she felt the presence.

The presence took no form, only the all encompassing light, full of thought and emotion; joy, concern, fear. There was knowledge, and curiosity, but it all fell away to a persistent message.

Jes felt the shock as images and thoughts flashed through her, running over each other so fast she barely comprehended them. Explosions, waves of fire, people laughing, crying, screaming, darkness. Then one clear picture of herself, her ship, flying toward a city of glass.

Her brain struggled to put it all in order, to understand. Jes could feel herself being washed away in the flow of light and sensations and thoughts. She could feel herself slipping away, but couldn't stop it.

Help me, daughter of Lore and Light!