Methaphoras

3 TRACKS

In the butterfly conservatory, Kayros took a step forward and stretched out his left arm to the dragon being, after which the beast bowed its head so he could massage the softer skin behind the folds of the eye sockets. A moment later the monstrous creature emitted an elongated scream, after which it flew up Marac breathed again with relief, saying:

'That alpha dragon is Malachondrai, normally he is not so easy to appease. I see that you will have nothing to fear here, Lord Kayros.'

'They are horned bantamdragons. They reflect the nature of the person on which they are fixated. If you treat them badly, they will pay you back for that tenfold, but, conversely, they can be perfectly pleasant to deal with.' Marac did not seem convinced, thus he quickly guided his porters to the large, long altar. The sacrificial shrine was on the podium of a semi-circular theater. After an approving nod from the cold-blooded magician, they carefully placed his things on the smooth surface.

In an abundance of wavy colors, they swirled up at the slightest sigh, and he noticed that in the greenhouse there seemed to flow around at least as many butterflies as there were universes to see in free space. He smelled the overwhelming sweet odors and remarked on the increased oxygen content in the butterfly house that promoted the growth of the germ. Despite the idyllic atmosphere, he was plagued by an almost unconscious realization that something was wrong.

Kayros quickly counted his goods once more, thanked Marac, and walked relaxedly deeper into the garden until he found the much-discussed universe germ.

So, there she stood... Perfection in full glory. A beautiful specimen indeed, twice his own length, whose dark blue button glistened in the fairytalish light. The court enchanter wondered how Ardor was able to achieve this flawlessness again and again. He remembered the masterbuilder as a pedantic fanatic, who endlessly got lost in all kinds of technical aspects of a case while he too easily ignored the emotional concerns of others. Not that he was free of any comparable behavior, yet the differences were big. Kayros sometimes also remained deaf to ancillary matters, futile for his purpose. If, on the other hand, he made time for it, he did not stay insensitive to the needs of others. As far as Ardor was concerned, it stayed unclear whether he ignored other opinions or whether a blind spot impeded his empathy.

A shrill chant at the level of thought stealthily exceeded the rattle of the drums and drew his attention like a swelling, scratching sound. Through the transparent roof plates, he saw many ghostly figures displace each other, forming the origin of the mental pressure that was building up.

The continually pulsing tramping gradually reached its goal. The Charonns, awakened from their half-existence, sought the cause of their revival and felt the promise of new opportunities, dormant inside the dark fruit. Time and time again they bumped into the translucent planks, even though they could project themselves to any destination they wanted if they knew how. For the time being, they remained ignorant and anonymous, just a loose collection of individual talents.

In order to unlock the roof hatches, Kayros sang some syllables of the spell, however, something made him stop abruptly. He restrained himself from opening the panels, turned, and hurried to the sacrificial stone whereupon which his equipment lay scattered.

The moment he wanted to relieve the Charonn's urgent craving, his instincts gave him a stinging and uneasy feeling. In the conservatory, a vague strange smell hung and he decided to resist the eagerness of the called ones. He first had to examine the scent track before it disappeared in the desert wind.

On the table, he rummaged through the tools, not really knowing what he was looking for. For every conceivable complication during the last phase of the bud development, he knew an incantation or he had an instrument.