Settling back, holding that cup of kaf tight, Specula on my lap, I pondered where to start.
The Triari must have sensed that, and chuckled. "The Augurii I have dealt with tell me to just take things in the order they are seen, boy. The gods and gifts use that order for reasons, even when it leaves us confused and clueless."
I let a puff of breath out, inhaling slowly afterwards to find that point where normal dreams turned prophetic last night. They let me do this in peace, uncle from lack of knowledge, and Bentarius's experience with priests and seers obviously guiding him in waiting. Eyes closed, my ragged shields held tight against the intrudiong auras of my companions and those nearby, I at last spoke.
"These night-visions center of late around brooms, scaly beings, flames, darkness, and pain." I admitted. "Each starts differently, but at some point the theme of the last few years worth..."
That got me cut off fast. "Years. Gods, Billenius." Uncle gasped. "You said only the last few hebdomae."
"Pacio! Let the boy speak." That command voice, something the Praetor apparently never lost, rumbled softly, but with authority. "Continue, Varus."
I swallowed a bit, knowing matertera's next missive to me after hearing this from uncle would be one of advice, chiding, and sharp words. "The juncture of roads centers around hooded figures, some scaled, some not, but all with a taint of darkness around them. Seven figures move about, amid a throng of folks, doing actions that border on... evil." I used that word lightly, and kept the actions I knew to myself. No sense leaving uncle spun up about the town being host to such soon.
Two long sips of the kaf gave me the calm to move on, despite the jitters that brew gives me. "These robed ones, they move towards a place. Given the hints I see of mountians and walls, I believe it is here. Each walks along different roads, but all those roads come to one town, on the edge of the Shifting Grey Sands. No hint lies in when, but I see the blades of the butchers, as the walkers in darkness enter the town, so it must be a Carnifex, the slaughter day.." That got a reaction from Bentarius.
"Perfidio." His soft whisper interrupted my relating of the dream. "Too close to what I've already heard, son."
Letting my lids open a bit, I handed over Specula. "This is about the point she struggles to hold control for me, when walking this dream." Clearing my throat to get his attention, once noting his hand pressed to his own eyes. "she fears these walkers, for some reason."
Accepting my acinicas after a moment of confusion, the Triari nodded. "Go on."
Another long swig, draining the cup, which I set upon the desk. "Once in that place, they meet, not to unite, it seems, as there are conflicts within this group, but in the end, they all depart together. Under a set of claws grasping in the skies above them, casting a long shadow over the world. Scaled claws, red, blue, grey and green scales, some mingled with other colors. Two loom larger than the others at this point, one of sapphire and onyx, the other flames, gold and smoke." That evoked a his. All knew only one of the draconis scales held those three hues. She already held enmity towards me for foiling several of her plans.
"Anathi-Faruth-Glathin, Blaze-upon-Angered-Mountains." Uncle's words barely stireed the air after a moment. "Billenius, given your history with the Queen of Flame..."
"Let it rest for now, Mattio." Bentarius injected. "We'll parse it out after we have it all."
Yet, I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head, unable to preven the roils in his aura driving upon my perception. I dared not stop, after this bit. "I see myself then. I know, you cannot trust visions of your own future, but I see me, out on the desert, seeking a trail of one walker in particular. Yet, other hunters seek this one as well." I shook my head. "Then it really turns on me, beyond my control. I see the Dunes, footsteps leading into them, under the long shadow, with me following that trail. Through it all, onagers dance along beside me, wild beasts of the desert, not the tamer ones from home."
I tapped the cup. "Mind if I refill this?"
Uncle grasped it before I could. "Dammit. Sorry Billenius."
"I'm the junior here, sir." The laugh at uncle being the servant in his own office lightened the darkness I was about to deal with. "Besides, this is the only part that I feel to be imminent."
"As a soldier, I'd tell you to trust that gut feeling, boy." Bentarius spoke softly, words nearly drowned by the rush of kaf back into that mug."The last few years leading the Triatium tend to speak differently, though. Too often, seers over-estimate their ability to understand what the goddesses show them."
I let the nod of ascension be my only answer, accepting that cup carefully. The next part would be something more disturbing to them, I was sure.
Three long, slow sips later, I took up the dream again, fortified against what I'd seen. "There comes a period of long blackness, then faint light, under which I see a time when Pelori lies in the hands of Athalanic demons, allied with the Flame Queen, and Radixium falls to raiders from the Sands. Over it all hovers a number of spathas, repeled only by a constantly fading number of spears. In the end, the spears fail, the swords descend upon the lands of the Empire, destroying the peace, upending the world as we know it. Then, once more, hunters come into view, fighting the blue and black scaled claw seeking dominion over the central lands, two daggers rise against the sunrise slicing darkness with their shadows. When it all settles down again, there lies before me a choice of paths. My decision leads to a place of flame, smoke, and pain, then utter darkness. There was no more." That last a lie I intended to stick to.
A lie, I knew, the Triari was aware of. His solid stare tried to pry more from me without asking directly. I met his eyes, daring him to ask.
Remarkably, he looked away first. "Not good omens. Nor all of the dream, I dare say. Keep the part you refuse to speak of, boy. I have hints from the temple augurs enough to sense that the Ordo Triarium will suffer in times to come."
Finding one held holds their own breath often is surprising as the reasons to discover it. Given his history with the Centuria Sinistra, I expected him to press for more details, not to mention the omitted portions of the dream.
"This is why you call your doni curses, rather than gifts?" Uncle whispered.
I held my peace. The time to deal with my reluctance over training was not after dealing with those powers lain upon my shoulders. Or so I hoped.
"Given this vision, and the echoes of fear I sense this blade still resonates, boy, I'd say you saw much more after that." The Triari grumbled. "Things my sources hint at. Like a scepter lost amid grass and rocks, the claws of other draconis you dare not speak of here, and a darkness that never lifts."
Too close, I thought. I opened my mouth to discourage the line I sensed he would walk, only to be silenced by a gesture. "Your face says it all, Varus. Perfidio." He whispered.
Uncle sat back, confused by his face. "Bento?"
"Later, Mattio. After the boy decides if he dare trust us." His gaze came back to me. "One thing he does not mention is which spears hold off the spears. That speaks volumes by itself."
I sighed. He knew already. "The greatest spear falls from hands here. Soon, sir. Sorry."
That snort made me smile despite the bad news. "Knew that before coming here. But, the hand to lift it up again may be here. Or so Doma Velina warned me when I left her."
That small reminder, that his own lover suffered the same curse as me, to know the futures, possible and probable, chilled me. His refusal to marry her, or her to marry him, often figured in court gossip that managed to travel to this distant borderland.
When he spoke next, I almost missed the warning tone. "Caution I admire, but you tread on the edge of rebellion against the godesses, boy."
I let it sit a few fingers of sand before answering. "Somethings, I am not sure I should speak of yet."
His nod let the matter drop. Though I was sure he would bring it up later. "I will only ask one more thing, then." His eyes locked to mine as he spoke. "Do the spears break, or go into hiding?"
My brow crunched up. That question I failed to anticipate. "I will say that I see a time they arise again, when light perhaps returns. But that part felt uncertain, Triari."
His face held worry. But no further did we speak of the dream. I wished later he'd pushed more.
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