"Kishishihihi." The disproportionally tall and slender woman giggled as I gazed in a dumbfounded stupor. All three women were disfigured in one way or another, either too tall, too wide, or too short. They were covered head to toe in dull multicolored rags that draped loosely over their head, body and arms, obscuring their faces in the dim ambient light of the cave. Loose threads flit through the air as if dancing on an unseen banquet floor, neither rising nor falling to the ground.
"Kohohoho." A deep chuckle drew my attention back to the women. "We are visited by the blended one, Sisters. Offer him his fate, we must." A hoarse voice instructed from the shortest and widest of the three. She appeared the least interested, not bothering to even glance in my direction as she continued operating a strange looking contraption with a large wooden wheel at one end.
"Kekekeke, right as always, Clotho. We must not delay our dear blended ones fate. Come boy, come see The Moirai." Exorbitantly long slender fingers, dry and cracked with age gestured me forward. I hesitated, unsure if these elderly women would be a threat.
"Where are my friends?" I asked cautiously.
"Oh hush now, needn't worry about your friends, they are fine. Fine, fine... Mostly fine." The tall lanky women stated, snatching three threads from the air, examining them closely, then tossing them haphazardly back to flit about.
"You said you are the Moirai? Who are the Moirai?" I inquired, continuing my line of questioning while tentatively stepping forward.
"Kishishishishi. Do not know the Moirai? The sisters of fate? I am Lachesis the allotter, measure your fate I do. Yes, yes. The squat one is Clotho, the spinner. Makes the threads she does. None to measure for Lachesis, if no thread. Clotho very important. Oh yes. and-" The woman rambled happily, seemingly glad for the opportunity to converse with someone, anyone who would listen.
"Silence sister! You talk to much!" The third exclaimed. "I am Atropos and I..." As she spoke a long thread once happily gliding through the air suddenly seized and fell into her open hand. "Cut the threads..." She finished as tiny scissors appeared in her long delicate fingers, and she quickly and rather unceremoniously snipped the thread, its ends floatingly lifelessly to her feet. "The Moirai..." She added with finality as she bowed low.
My mind swirled with questions. I had a vague understanding of who they were once they mentioned the sisters of fate. They determined the life and death of Grecians in the mythos, but what did that have to do with me? I was not Greek...
"Indeed, young blended boy. What to do with you, what to do... Kishishishi." Lachesis cackled once more as she stepped forward in a single drawn out stride; towering over me by several feet, her small head dangling atop her overlong neck that stretched upward into the darkness hidden by her fabric.
"Found your way here by design, yes. Yes, yes. Need to share with you, we do. Share your fate, guide you. Indeed." Her voice quivered with excitement as she gently swayed to and fro. I gulped back my nerves, anxious of their strange behavior. If they had something to share with me, better to be out with it and away.
"What do you have to share? Do you know how I find my friends?" I asked plainly, my eagerness to leave overwhelming me.
"Only one friend, need you find. The swordsman. In danger he is. Yes, yes. Dangerous danger." Lachesis suddenly bowed deeply then, her thin and elongated body contorting awkwardly as her face bore down before my own. Her skin was grey and cracked with untold wrinkles, black orbs that seemed to suck in the light, sat where her eyes should be. Her toothless aged smile sending shivers down my spine.
"You are not ready, not strong enough. Too weak you are, to save the swordsman. A blended one combining the mysteries of the cosmos and the divinity of heaven, though the scales tip towards divinity. Towards destruction." Her words bled from her mouth mechanically as if she were in a trance.
Abruptly Clotho was gone from her spinner, appearing beside her sister, her wide face glowering up at me from beneath her own rags. Wisps of old dry black hair dangled in her face, her eyes devoid of light and life just as her sisters, she continued exactly as the other left off.
"The snake in the ear whispers poison that tastes of honey. Sip only to sate the empty belly, but capture it for the remedy. You walk a path of sadness and sorrow, but at the end is joy and comfort, if only you can endure."
Lastly was Atropos, her own disfigured form twisting to appear beside the others, her face matching that of theirs, though hers was the sickliest of the three; Her grey skin devoid of wrinkles stretched taught and tight as if pulled over her skull. Her toothless lips were agape, and moved with uncanny speed as she continued uninterrupted.
"Look to the tower within and find the power that only stars know. Only then can you hope to overcome that which looms ahead. Power begets power begets violence, only the strong who dominate know peace, for a time. Find another path if you wish to find respite for all and for always. Heed our words, or perish with them."
Chills once more ran throughout my whole body, all the hairs standing to attention as if a spell had been cast over me. I was stunned, my heart raced and I had no words to say as theirs clouded my mind.
"Kekekeke, Kishishishi, Kohohoho." Their cacophonous laughter echoed as Atropos pressed her sickly long fingers into me, pushing me backward.
Then I was falling, darkness filling my vision.o
*****
My eyes snapped open in panic as I searched my surroundings for the Moirai, only to find a dense thicket of trees, chirping birds and insects, and a twilight sky. My lips tersed in confusion as I considered how I came to be here. Standing I noticed Lucifer approach with an equally colored confusion.
"For what reason would you be laying in the dirt, young Desmond?" His words inquired as I felt him probe my mind. Setting the barrier in place I dusted myself off. With the barrier in place, my mind reeled with the implications of the Moirai's words. As always I found myself in need of time. Time to consider what happened, how it happened, and what their words meant. Lucifer raised an eyebrow expectantly as I stood deep in thought.
"I'm not really sure." I answered as I shook the train of thought from my mind. "This is still all so new, maybe I did something wrong?" I added, posing the question back to him.
Lucifer ceased his teasing probe of my mental shield. I knew he could tell my thoughts were roiling, but had no reason to doubt my explanation.
"Curious indeed. There is much we do not know, yet plenty of time to learn." Lucifer's words were dismissive as he turned on his heel, walking calmly with his hands held leisurely behind his back. Since we had taken to training within Arcye Elymas Magus, his wardrobe had changed from slick and sleek suits with high fashion in favor of more modest robes.
Today he wore a dark brown robe with long sleeves rolled up to his wrists. Loose pants that swayed with each measured step as he strode proudly. His blond hair was tied tightly and twisted up above his head in a knot, revealing the nape of his tan neck. He appeared like a sensei in an old martial arts film, powerful yet elegant.
As I followed behind him, I tried to recall the Moirai's words. So much of what they had said seemed like nonsense. 'the power that only stars know...' 'the snake in the ear...' 'too weak you are, to save the swordsman...' I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Theseus!" I blurted as I realized part of their ominous message. Lucifer stopped, turning with confusion.
"Desmon-" He started, but I cut him off.
"We need to save him. He's in trouble!"
*****
Lilith and Asterion still sat with their bowls of rabbit on rabbit soup in hand. Mere moments had passed since I had entered the meditative state that they had become accustomed to. With a startled jump I came to life, my panicked expression alerting them instantaneously that something was wrong.
"What is it, is Lord Lucifer okay?" Lilith was the first to bounce to her feet, already pacing over to inspect me. Asterion for his part, looked confused and searched the surrounding area before slowly rising.
"Is everything okay, Desmond?" He added as he approached.
"Desmond, stop. This is not the plan we agreed upon." Lucifer's warning rang hot and hollow in my head as I ignored him. Standing up to face my two companions.
"Theseus is in trouble, we have to go help him!" The seriousness of my words stopped them both in their tracks, frozen with uncertainty. Unsure exactly how to explain, I decided to focus my messaging on Asterion, sure that he would understand what occurred.
"Ace, I think I had a vision. I saw these three women, sisters. They called themselves the Moirai. They said that Theseus was in danger!" My words raced from my mouth in a barely recognizable jumble.
"The Moirai?" Asterion's face went pale as he retreated a step, his hand covering a gasp.
"Desmond, are you sure? This isn't something to lie about. The Moirai-" Lilith began, but I cut her off.
"Of course I'm sure. Do you think I made up the name 'Moirai'? Come on.. Lilith..." I retorted, my frustration evident. Lilith's brows raised in an almost mortified surprise as she balked at my tone.
"Stop. Desmond, you need to tell us everything." Lucifer commanded from within my head.
*****
An hour and more passed as we sat around the fire, I explained everything that happened, omitting everything except the part about the swordsman. Asterion had quickly become outraged that we had initially opted to wait until the next day to depart. He had demanded that we leave immediately. However, Lucifer had talked him down once again. Explaining that the danger was not going anywhere...
"Asterion, their message was not that we needed to hurry to save him. Their message was that Desmond was not strong enough to save him. This implies that whatever danger he is in, is not immediate." I parroted his words to my furious bull headed friend.
"Now that we know he's in danger, lets just go get him? Who cares if the boy is weak, Ace and I are more than enough to handle just about anyone out there." Lilith added, her expression dark and murderous. Asterion puffed steam from his nostrils in agreement.
"This reeks of a malicious plot, someone has planned this as a trap for us." Lucifer said thoughtfully. I relayed his message to the group and he continued. "While I do not agree that we should risk our larger goal for Theseus; I am willing to concede that point as I have the least attachment to him out of all present here. Not to mention the fact that we would need to venture to Veria regardless to resume our search for the portal. If Veria is indeed dangerous due to a trap laid for us with Theseus as bait, it will be just as much so regardless of if we intend to rescue him or not."
A smile beamed from my lips as I relayed the message to the group. Everyone sighed in relief as Lucifer had approved of the rescue operation. We discussed plans for another hour before opting to get some sleep and leave early in the morning. Fresh and rested minds would be better able to discuss the plans on the way.
Satisfied that we would be going after Theseus as soon as daylight rose, I laid my head to rest.
"Do not think this 'Moirai' business is over, Desmond. We will discuss your encounter at great length soon. I know there is more you did not yet disclose." Lucifer's words of accusation cut deep. Not because they were false, but because they were obviously true. The patrician rose in my mind as I protected my thoughts, but chose to respond through it anyway.
"I'm sorry, Lucifer. You are right, and we can discuss that later. But I can't tell you everything... Not yet anyway..." Hiding behind my mental barrier I awaited his reply, but rather than speak, I got the sense of his wordless acceptance.
My mind raced with worry for the coming day as I struggled to sleep. Not only would I need to face the very real threat that was Theseus's rescue, but now I had to worry about this threat to my partnership with Lucifer...
Would everything turn out okay in the end? It had to.... Right?