3.80 Someone Else's Love Song

         Jasun struck a chord, all eyes turned to the stage as the sound filled the temple.  

         "Last year I wrote a new song for the Solstice party… It's a Love Song..."

         As if he had just uttered a magic spell, the audience erupted in whistles and cheers, albeit a much smaller audience compared to the last time he introduced the song. The view from the stage was heartbreaking. The Solstice party was bittersweet, a sorry sight, a sore reminder of the tragedies they had endured over the year. He closed his eyes for a moment, then gazed across the room toward his love.

         "I'd like to sing it again."

         Nina felt every nerve ending in her body detonate with the love she felt for Jasun, tonight it was stronger than ever before. The band exploded into the Love Song, the sound filled the temple with inspiration, no matter how devastating the world was outside, for this moment it was all gone, it was gone for everyone... Everyone except Tika.

         Dena couldn't believe her eyes, the song made her cry? Why? She was paying attention now. She glanced around the room, fascinated by the power of the music, noting the reactions with growing interest, it wasn't just Tika crying, even happy Goddesses were wiping their eyes!!! It was almost as if they were completely spellbound, just like they had been at the Farewell Celebration! Her gaze landed on Nina, now she was slow dancing with her baby? She followed Nina's gaze back to Jasun, singing so sincerely to his love... It made her feel uncomfortable. Amazed by what she was witnessing, her focus shifted toward Nel, tending tenderly to the twins, unsure how she felt about it all. She wasn't jealous... She didn't like the chains of motherhood one bit, she was glad Nel wanted the job. Bit by bit, she was beginning to understand why Atalon had bred and raised the children in the institutions. It made perfect sense.

         Her gaze returned to the music god on stage, pondering her fleeting affair with the piper, still turned on by his physique, his sexy hands, playing his magical pipes like the first time they met.

         "Wow..." Suddenly it dawned. How powerfully she had been wooed by his music, his jewelry, his exotic wardrobe and hypnotic songs… It wasn't simply the music, this sorcery had multiple ingredients, it was a recipe! Was this recipe the secret of Serpent Sorcery?

         Amazed by her own intelligent conclusions, her gaze returned to the crowds. The scene on the dance floor certainly indicated a supernatural power was in play, a power so great it could harness the minds, hearts and souls of an entire Grand Courtyard!!! Every way she looked, couples were arm in arm, swaying to the ballad in time, even Zara was slow dancing with someone!

         "Look" she nudged Bell, sitting by her side. "Sugar Cheeks at 2 o’clock."

         Bell frowned. "Wow... She's desperate…"

         Dena agreed. "What on earth is she thinking?" She shook her head in disapproval.

         "Or not thinking?"

         "That Lunie's way too old for her!"

         "He's Star tribe. Lunies comes from the Lunar tribe." Bell studied the dancing couple for a moment, Nahash was clearly the one making the moves, he didn't get it either.

         "Same thing" she snapped. "The Origians are like, over a hundred years old you know!"

         "She's not that hot" Bell wondered what Nahash even saw in her. "She's got no hair. She's kinda lucky she can get anyone, actually."

         "HA-HAA, true that!" Dena could chuckle yet she couldn't take her mind off the puzzle for long. There was more to this musical sorcery than any of them knew, she knew that now. Pondering the mystery farther, her gaze returned to Nepheus. Had he tricked her into breeding with a music spell? That was some spell... She leaned closer to Bell and lowered her voice so as not to be overheard.

         "That music they play, it's some kind of sorcery, you know.... I swear that Nepheus hypnotized me. I mean, think about it for a minute. Me? A Breeder? Come on Bell, you have to admit I wasn't thinking straight!"

         "You weren't thinking straight" Bell didn't need a minute to think about it. "I think you're absolutely right. I noticed the same thing about all of you as you flocked onto Vikkar's ship. For fuck's sake, Dena, I thought you were all committing suicide!"

         "Were you watching the Dog Show?"

         Bell didn't answer, he had been joining dots himself, dots like the sound chambers in the Underworld, dots like the strange drum music at the Green Serpent... Maybe Dena was right. Maybe that's what they were developing behind closed doors. Music Sorcery. No one ever asked, no one ever discussed it, everyone had just accepted the Sound Chambers as noisy classes which no one wanted to take.

         "Atalon obviously knew about this music sorcery." Every day he was realizing more and more how little they really knew of the Firmary operations, the revelations were endless.

         "Nepheus didn't just hypnotize me, either. Look!" Dena gestured towards Nel, her pregnancy now showing, seated by the edge of the stage she was obviously happy with her fancy music god on stage, playing someone else's Love Song.

         "Just think" he replied. "We've got two of his tadpoles to experiment with so we'll be able to figure out what it is for ourselves."

         Bell was right. Dena returned her gaze to Nepheus, he really was sexy hot, he still made her feel lush inside... Suddenly, as if he knew she was watching, he blew a kiss to Nel, in front of the whole audience!

         "Ugh! I HATE him! I'm SO glad we're leaving!"

         Zara too pondered her fortune as she swayed in Nahash's arms, she didn't understand love at all. Why Nahash? Why never Nolan? She reflected upon the olden days when Nolan was all that she had ever hoped to marry... She saw him in new light now as Nahash held her tight, as if he would never let her go... Nahash was different, he didn't care about her hair, or the scars on her back, or her Vine Club scores, he cared about her. It felt good to be held so tight... She had to admit, feeling loved was all she had ever really wanted and the truth was, Nolan could never have loved her this way. So why had she felt like he was so right? Was it just his sexy hair? His dreamy brown eyes? His Panther education? Why had she felt like she knew him or was somehow destined to be by his side? Why had she secretly felt like she loved him when she never really knew him? Or knew what love even was?

         "They used their music to lure us onto their boat!" Dena had obviously given it a great deal of thought. "These Serpents are Sorcerers, they're trying to possess our minds!"

         Bell didn't know this new paranoid Dena but he knew she was tapping into stuff that was real.

         "They're doing a good job so far…"

         "They're evil. Do you really think we would have chosen this life? I mean, really!" Bell let his eyes wander as Dena ranted on. "Look at them. They're a bunch of potato farmers! Look at their village, it's a shambles."

         "They make good wine."

         "That too! I swear on Medel's sorry grave it's got drugs in it! Mind altering drugs! There's a reason we were better than them, there's a reason we had all those great buildings and monuments, all those restaurants and stores. Atalon made it ALL happen. We worked for it in an organized manner, we weren't in some stupid Love Trance!"

         Bell found her passion arousing. "Well, like you said, it's a good thing we're leaving."

         "I can't wait" Dena replied, returning her attention into the sea of lovers swaying to the beat. "Look at how they're even copying the Lunie dance moves! Somehow this music possesses their entire body! Have you noticed the power of attraction it generates?"

         "I think it has great potential, but not used like this!" He gestured towards the stage. "This is crap!" He gestured to the tent city. "This is exactly the kind of damage that gets done to a society if it isn't deployed properly. That's why Atalon wouldn't allow it."

         While the Lemurians were celebrating their love that Solstice eve, Tika was mourning her losses. Hunt a deer? It just didn't seem possible for someone to be so cruel... Josh knew how much the Solstice meant to her, there had to be another explanation. Unable to shrug it off like everyone was telling her to do, she found herself alone with her thoughts and wandered into the kitchen to pour another goblet of Moonwine. She knew Josh was a product of his cold-hearted world, refugees always were. Was he simply having a difficult time coping with all the pain and suffering? Was the Solstice a trigger? Was he in fact, really upset somewhere... All alone?

         "Any signs of Josh?" Mira queried as she wandered into the kitchen to top up her wine.

         "I don't think Josh is dealing with the anniversary of the holocaust well" Tika replied, concluding. For once, she knew Josh wasn't with one of the goddesses. Everyone was here, except Josh. Mira sensed she needed a friend and took a seat beside her, noticing the small gathering of goddesses sitting a bit farther down the table, nursing a newborn, stealing glances their way. "Is that one his too?" Tika nodded, ruefully. "Well, at least he doesn't lie to you... You know he's only trying to re-populate the tribe, he still loves you, you're still his one and only Honey Bunny! Everyone knows it."

         "Everyone knows what he's doing in the Salon too!" Tika wasn't able to hold back any longer. "How could he love me and then go do something like that behind my back?"

         Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted outside, the musicians on stage stopped playing immediately. There was loud yelling, as if a fight was breaking out! Seconds later, Josh burst into the temple, flapping his arms, panicked, his eyes so wide he looked absolutely terrified.

         "AQUILLA! Oh my god! AQUILLA.... AQUILLA.... AQUILLA'S OUTSIDE!!!"

         "WHAT?"

         "Josh!" Tika gasped, jumping to her feet.

         "Oh my god! Oh my god! It's AQUILLA! AQUILLA'S OUTSIDE!!!" He was almost in tears he was so frightened, Mina rushed to comfort him. "He ran right past me!" He was hyperventilating. "Oh my god, Oh my god... AQUILLA'S OUTSIDE!!! I think he's MAD!"

         "Where?" Mina waved Neter over, Josh was clearly shaken, she could feel his body trembling.

         "Down the street! I... I think he's INJURED or something, he was, like, TOTALLY BLEEDING!"