Shepherd

Eioldth joins Sophia in a meeting with Yesh

20.

Shepherd

 

Eioldth had suffered through Sophia's quick smoke break as they prepared to go meet with Yesh, so she was very glad when they were teleported into Yesh’s presence.   It was a beautiful pastoral scene with rolling green hills and a crystal clear lake in the distance, reflecting the deep blue sky above it.   On the hill was a large flock of white sheep and she was surprised at their presence.

 

But of course her attention turned to Yesh, who stood there waiting for them, leaning casually against a shepherd’s staff.   She had seen him in the vision from 80 years ago, but she still felt as awestruck as a scared little girl.

 

Yesh smiled warmly and she immediately recalled her father’s smile, which made her instantly miss him.

“Hello, Eioldth", He greeted her and she bowed to him respectfully.

“How are you handling your new life in Flux?”

“It is an amazing place, Lord.”

“Bewildering as well, I would imagine.”   He laughed, and then walked over to Sophia with a big grin.   Kneeling down, he touched her pregnant belly with the familiarity of a close relative, but Sophia seemed totally comfortable and pleased at his interest in her growing belly.

“Sophia, you are growing quite wonderfully huge and radiant.   Enhanced, no doubt by heavy Dart’loxinchu use.”

 

Sophia grinned and shrugged, “Well, you created the tree it comes from.”

“Indeed, but I did not intend for the bark to be smoked.    It is most fortunate for you that it will not harm your daughters, other than addicting them to it.   The offer still stands, Sophia; I will gladly remove your addiction to it.”

 

“You know what my answer is, Lord.” She replied and Yesh nodded, turning back to Eioldth.

“I have offered to take her addiction away, which is a blessing that I certainly don’t extend to everyone.   She has always declined.    I give everyone free-will, so I won’t force it upon her.”

“You could make those of us that work with her immune from the smoke.”   Eioldth commented.

“Oh, I have already done that once.”   He replied, and Sophia looked over at Yesh in surprise.

“You have?   Who?”

“Why, your husband, my dear.”

“Khord?!   He came to you about my addiction?”

“Not exactly.   He mentioned his frequent headaches from the effects of your smoking - this was years ago when you both became Watchers and after you had greatly increased your consumption.    The more you smoked, the worse his headaches and nausea grew.  He said that he thought that you were perhaps exposing him to it more and more in hopes that he would build an immunity to it. "

"He had developed an  immunity, when you didn’t smoke as much -  before both of you became Watchers.”

“But he was being sickened by it, due to your increased consumption.   Yet he never said a word to you about it.   He wasn’t complaining, Sophia, he was resigned to living with his reaction to your smoke.   In fact, he thought he had grown used to your addiction and that he was only slightly irritated by the smoke.   He was suffering needlessly.   His love for you was so touching that I gave him complete resistance to Dart’loxinchu.”

 

Sophia sighed, “Well, that would explain a lot.   I thought he was just growing accustomed to it, due to my experiment to expose him to more and more of it.   So he didn’t know what you did?”

“No, though he was quite glad that he was no longer getting sick when he was around your smoke.   Anyway, both of you sit down and let us discuss why you have met with me.”

 

The two women suddenly found a large flat rock behind them and seated themselves.   Yesh sat on the grass across from them.

“I don’t want you to interfere with the quest for the spellbook, nor with their attempt to destroy the Gem of the Oscinate.”  Yesh told them, getting right to the point.

“Lord, why was this demon allowed to come to Synomenia?”   Eioldth asked.

Yesh frowned slightly at the mention of the creature, “He is one of a handful of demons that tempt people in the Prime World.   I have restricted their powers to temptation, though they can possess animals.    I allow them to tempt, as anyone who believes and trusts in me, will easily resist them.   Those that do not trust in me will sometimes find after their encounter with them that they are ashamed of their actions and then come to me.”

“So you sent them here?”   Eioldth asked.

“No, but I did not prevent them from coming here.  All they have actually done in Synomenia is to accelerate the evil that was festering in the hearts of Nunmontu and especially Torrin.   As well as those who gladly follow them.   This demon is named Mazzikim’ruhin and he is very hungry to corrupt as many as he can.   He is working on terrible plans that you do not yet know about.”

 “Even without this demon tempting the Nunmontuites, they would have eventually developed similar ideas.   Perhaps it would have taken several generations to reach this point, but it would have come sooner or later.”

 

Eioldth nodded, but looked troubled, though she remained silent.

 

“You are thinking that I am promoting evil by not preventing it.”   Yesh said to her gently after a moment of silence.   Eioldth looked up surprised, but then hesitantly nodded, somewhat timidly.

“I’m sorry, but yes, actually that is what I’m thinking.”

 

Yesh sighed, but was smiling, “I find many people think that.   Both here and in the Prime World.   It stems from a faulty understanding about the nature of good and evil and free-will.   I won’t explain it to you now, but suffice to say that everyone has a sense of what is right and wrong in their minds.   But it is a limited understanding, much like a child who thinks he knows what is best for him and thinks that his father is mean for withholding what he wants.”

 

“So we don’t see the greater reason clearly?”   Eioldth asked.

“No, and it is understandable.   But you do need to understand that just because something looks a certain way to you; it can look vastly different to me.   I weigh many things that no mind can even grasp when I decide to act in a situation.   But if I acted - even for good- all the time, then everyone in Synomenia would be my followers simply because it would mean that no bad thing or problem would befall them.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad, really.”

“No, but take for example when you were Queen: you had many people in your court who bowed and scraped to your every word or whim, but they did so because they liked the care and benefits that you gave to them as Queen.   Some wanted titles and lands, others power or wealth, still others status.   But I imagine you knew those among them that were using you and those who actually loved you.”

 

Eioldth nodded, “It was rather obvious who the bootlickers were.   So you are saying that if you intervened in Synomenia all the time, it would just make bootlickers out of everyone?”

“Yes.    Those with hearts of greed, lust and anger would not dare reveal what was in their hearts and would be law-abiding, as they would know that I would reward them or at least take away all their problems.    True love is determined by what a person does when they are desperate or gain nothing by loving someone.”

“So you would spoil people by taking all their problems away?”

“Oh yes!    Some worse than others, but yes, if they lived a perfect life with no worry of anything, and knew that by simply bowing before me, they would get all their problems removed, then everyone - good and evil- would submit.”

“Does that mean that evil exists in Synomenia because you allow them to go down that road, rather then taking care of everything so they don’t go down that path?”

“It means, Eioldth, that the only way someone can choose to love anyone - either God or each other- is by choosing to love.    Anyone would be a fool not to love a god that gives them everything and removes all problems.   But even in this environment - and perhaps especially in this environment- selfishness and evil grows.   A perfect life filled with all your wants makes a person take what they have for granted and greedily hunger for more. “

“Selfishness is the root of all evil.”  Sophia interjected into the conversation.

Yesh smiled and nodded, “Quite right.   Putting yourself before others is the root of all other types of evil.   But free-will must have the option to turn away from good and into selfish evil, or it isn’t really free-will.   Even demons like Mazzikim’ruhin, were given free-will and their rebellion led to their evil.”

“But how do we just sit back and watch everything happening?”

“By trusting that I am still in control of everything.   Nothing escapes me, Eioldth.   The key to being a successful Watcher is in knowing this.”

 

The Elven lady looked at her feet, nodding, “I’m probably not going to be very successful.”

“Nonsense!   Sophia here is the most headstrong Watcher there is, and yet she is leading them.   You will do fine.”

“Can I ask for immunity from Sophia’s Dart’loxinchu as well?”   She asked, and Sophia just shot her an amused look.

“Yes, I will permit that.”

 

The conversation turned to other issues and Eioldth was surprised how comfortable she felt in Yesh’s presence.    She quickly understood why Sophia seemed so at ease.   She felt as if she was around her father or maybe grandfather when in his presence.   Wise, kind, and caring.   She began to think she might enjoy this new job after all.

 

 

Reviews

[Elina]

"Hello, Eioldth, “He greeted..." The apostrophe in the wrong spot, here.
"...Sophia looked over at Yesh is surprise." The "is" should be "in," I believe.
"The more you smoked, the worse his headaches and nausea grew, but he said that he thought that you were perhaps exposing him to it more and more in hopes that he would build an immunity to it." This is a rather long sentence and gets especially wordy after "...but he said..."
"He had developed some immunity to some degree..." Perhaps, instead, "...developed an immunity..."
"Can I ask from you to give me immunity..." It looks as though you had two different ideas of how to write this, and they became combined.
"...Yesh felt as if he was her father or maybe grandfather..." With the way this was worded, it almost sounds like this is talking of Yesh's feelings, rather than Eioldth's.

[Eddie Davis]

Thanks, Elina, insightful suggestions and corrections as always. I'll change them this evening. It is so amazing how some mistakes that are so glaring when I see you mention them, are so easily missed when I read the chapter. You are a wonderful proofreader.

[Crystal Ellyson]

Love the chapter!!! I find it very interesting!!!! Great Job!!!

[Eddie Davis]

Thank you.