A Rising Power (Dayea/Jory)

The room was warm today, but not stifling. A mild breeze from the lake toyed with the curtains, brought subtle hints of spring scents; dandelions, cut grass, and damp earth mingled with herbs and the comfortable feel of the divining room. They had talked for some time before beginning, settling Jory's mind and going through simple exercises to help with his self-awareness. It had been some time since the young man's last significant prediction, but there was no rush.

"Make your choice," Dayea said softly. "Will you ignore the distractions or embrace them? Allow instinct to guide you."

Were they really distractions when they were just part of the same world that had given him this gift? A breeze, a scent, a sight, the natural world held power. Even emotions and relationships held power, to the point where his first prophecy had occurred after sleeping with the first person he'd ever really loved. Perhaps they weren't really distractions at all.

Jory closed his eyes and tried not to focus at all, something he had nearly perfected over the past couple of years working under Dayea. Distractions were natural, normal, just like breathing, if he only accepted them as such. This time, when Astra perked and began to pay distinctive, almost severe, attention to him, he wasn't aware enough of her to notice.

Dayea noticed. Jory didn't need her to channel his energies anymore and so she sometimes watcued him or went into a parallel trance. She wasn't overly fond of dogs, but Astra was Jory's familiar, a partner of sorts, and belonged here. Her days of leaving to be trained were in the past.

Dayea watched curiously. This was the first time she'd seen the dog interact like this. She would leave Jory to his experience for now, but be ready in case he needed her. She pulled a slow breath to relax. This was Jory's time.

As in the last time, it was only a minute or so before Jory's posture shifted, although this time his head simply dropped rather than being propped by his hands. His voice shifted, and in a raspy, unfamiliar tone, he recited

Struck down once before, the halfblood gathers power more.
Whispers spread through the dark to seek a proper mark.
Members of a shattered troop gather in a deadly group.
A new philosophy is rising as old powers begin failing.

It was more complete than the previous prophecies he'd given, which had been so fragmentary, but he was just as unaware on the third try as he had been on the first two, and once it was over he slumped. Astra darted forward to offer what little support she could when her master was in a chair and she was restrained to the floor.

"Jory," Dayea said softly. "Are you with me?" She would not pull him rudely from his trance. If there was more, or if he was quite deep, it could be a shock. She wrote the words he'd spoken quickly, murmuring to herself. The halfblood. This could be the same young man from Jory's first prophecy.

Dayea kept her excitement tempered with the same skill she used in everything and watched the dog. Would Astra wake the young man?

Jory's eyelids fluttered in response, but he didn't immediately rouse. It took a few moments for his eyes to open completely, and only then did he seem to register that Dayea had asked something of him. One hand drifted reflexively to Astra as he fought against a not-quite-yet familiar feeling of being light headed and slightly dizzy. But at least he didn't pass out this time. "I gave another one," he said. Not a question.

"You did," Dayea said. She touched the edge of the ever-present bowl of chocolates in silent offer. "I have written it down, but I wonder... Do you recall your words? Or, perhaps, do you have any lingering feelings?" If it had been Dayea herself, she would consult every source until she had exhausted herself, but Jory was still training. Such power he has. Oftentimes several prophets foresaw the same events. He seemed attuned to his own particular line of sight.

Jory blinked bleary eyes at the woman by him and reached for chocolate as he tried to balance thinking and letting things come to him. "It felt familiar," he said after a time. Three in such a short time when some of the most powerful Seers he knew of had only ever given one or two legitimate prophecies in their entire lives; it was mind boggling. "Like I should remember it, but I don't."

"Yes, very good," Dayea said. She looked down at the words, ran her fingers lightly against the edge of the parchment. "Struck down once before, the halfblood gathers power more," she recited. Would that bring anything else back to Jory? She pushed the paper toward him, in case he wanted to read the words he'd spoken.

"Oh, god," Jory groaned, "it's Saren again, isn't it?" What other halfblood could it be? It wasn't like there were a lot of mean, bitter halfbloods wandering around trying to cause drama. Astra whined softly at his leg, and he sifted his fingers more deeply into her fur for both of their comfort. He wiped his other hand clean of any chocolate crumbs and touched the parchment with his words written in clear ink.