It's evening again in the City of Hands. There are only a few lights about the campsites, plus a few fires for the sole purpose of warding off denizens of the jungle, lest they become a hazard to the workers … or generally make a mess of things.

The Savanites didn't have to go to too much effort to find things for Willow to do – mostly involving simple masonry to repair some of the more functional buildings that had suffered only a little amount of damage. With something better than tents to stay in, perhaps more ambitious efforts to restore the City of Hands might be undertaken.

It wasn't back-breaking labor by any means, but the jungle gets hot during the daytime, even if it's winter back up in Kroz. With the setting of the sun, the shadows have fallen more swiftly within the canyon, even though there's still light in the sky. In any case, there's simply not enough light to keep working by, so that's it for another day's labor.

A quick check with Glass-Beads reveals that the Priest-Queen is in her tent, rather than off in the "tabernacle".

Willow strides through the camp towards the Priest-Queen's tent, holding herself with a bearing that she has rarely ever taken. She walks with authority and has an air of the royal blood that flows through her veins about her. A simple brown dress has been exchanged for her normal clothing, the same work clothing that many of the Savanite women in the camp wear. Her dusty fur is painted caramel in the firelight and her tangled black hair swirls freely about her shoulders. Her only other ornamentation – aside from her rings – is a headband that she wore to keep the sweat out of her eyes while she worked. It's an odd combination of looks, but for once the Skreek wears both of them equally.

A Savanite guard outside the tent bows his head when he sees Willow approach. "Good evening, Lady Dack," he signs slowly and formally with one free hand, the other hand holding a polearm.

"Good evening to you. Please inform the Priest-Queen that I wish to see her," the Skreek signs. Her movements are slow and deliberate.

The guard nods his head, and reaches into the tent flap, grabbing something. A bell rings, and the next instant, a female Savanite servant steps out, bowing to Willow as soon as she sees her. The guard repeats the request in sign to the servant, and the servant signs, "I will announce you," and ducks back inside.

There is an uncomfortable pause … but the servant appears again, bowing once more. "She will see you." The servant holds the tent flap aside, to save Willow the trouble.

Willow inhales slowly, bracing herself and whispering a prayer inside her head. She bows to the servant and steps inside of the tent.

Inside, Jade-Eyes nibbles on a couple of berries, finishing off her meal for the night, and sets the plate aside, wiping her fingers off on a napkin. "Good evening, Lady Dack. Would you care for some refreshment? I do hope they didn't work you too hard out there today."

"I am fasting at the moment, but might join you after the sun goes down completely if you still wish me here. I wished to sign to you one final time about my concerns." The Skreek seats herself across from the Queen, brushing a lock of her wild black hair from her face as she settles herself. "Before I begin, I would like to ask your opinion of the Champion of Shadows. I was told that he was the one who guided Third-Vision to the path of the Star, and I have received a copy of a prophecy from his Order. Before I reveal this prophecy though, I believe it would be good to know if you hold the Order in any kind of regard or if you also look upon them as 'impostors'"

Jade-Eyes pauses at this, then signs, "I believe that they mean well, but I am not convinced of their whole dedication to the Star, since they are, after all, subjects of the Rephidim Temple – known worshippers of the First Ones. You cannot serve two masters, let alone more."

"The order that made the prophecy broke away from the Temple. I was given the final prophecy of the Champion of Amber last night," Willow signs. "I also spent a great deal of the night reading my copy of the book of the Star, hoping to quiet my fears. Instead they grew worse. I wish to sign to you what it was that disturbed me."

"Prophesy?" signs the Priest-Queen in query.

The Skreek swallows and holds up her hands, making her signs as clearly as she can."I looked into the heavens, and saw one who shone like an angel, who seemed to be made of precious metal and jewels, so that men sought after this one. But this false angel was stained in blood, and though soothing words came forth from his mouth, they were poison to those that received them. He reached even higher into the heavens and stole away a bright and burning star, and put a dead one in its place."

"The host of heaven marveled at this, and rejoiced, and those of their number who did not rejoice, they cast down so as not to diminish the joy of those pleased with the new star, though it gave no light. And to worship this new and dead star, they cut off their right hands and plucked out their eyes, and reasoned to themselves that this star did not give off a light to be seen with the eyes, but to be seen with the heart, so that their eyes lied to them, and should be cast away, and they would have cast off both hands as well, except that one was needed to wield the knife," she continues.

"Thus maimed, they bled, thinking themselves exalted, and a red rain fell upon the earth at their passing. And the dead star stole a little of their shed blood, thinking to keep it for itself, but it knew not that its master, the shining angel, took every drop it stole for himself in turn. And once the host had maimed themselves and bled themselves until they were weak and helpless and slowly dying, the shining angel laughed and devoured the dead star and all of the host, and so great was his hunger that he kept consuming all within sight. At last, he devoured his own limbs, then, maimed and bleeding just as the host, he expired, though he did so thinking himself victorious at last, and heedless to the damage he had inflicted upon himself." Willow folds her hands in her lap, her fingers ache but she manages to keep her fingers still.

Jade-Eyes nods. "A most intriguing prophesy. And what do you make of this prophesy?"

"I worry that this might speak of your Star. I worry that my daughter and my family and those dear to me may be the ones who meet with the 'holy fire'." The Skreek purses her lips. "I fear that you listening to a false star, one who will bring blood and one who may very well make you all slaves again."

Jade-Eyes shakes her head, smiling again … perhaps smiling a bit too often for such serious matters. "The prophesy is obviously symbolic. How then can you assume that a reference to an 'angel' or a 'star' refers to the Star or its true servants? The nature of prophesy is such that the image used is rarely equal to that which it is to represent."

"The nature of prophecy is to show the future, be it in a symbolic manner or otherwise." Willow flexes her fingers out. "What made you decide to use the tabernacle to begin with?"

Jade-Eyes signs, "Members of the Twelve-times-Twelve informed me of its existence, and encouraged me to investigate."

"Why would those who followed the original Priest-King encourage you to seek out the Star? Did they not raise up statues of false gods against the wishes if Third-Eye? Did they not use their powers to try to help the original Priest-King attain his attempt at godhood?" The Skreek recalls the broken statues in the garden while in Safar.

Jade-Eyes' ever-present smile falters. It takes her a moment, as she evidently has no reflexive response to this one. "Their ultimate desire is to serve the interests of the Savanite Empire, though they may be misguided on some points. Evidently, this is something that worked out for the better."

"Yet there is still the danger that they might be fooling you, that they may wish another type of Empire." Willow shrugs her shoulders. "Besides the assurances of this angel's words, what proof do you have that this truly is the Star? Have you tested it?"

Jade-Eyes signs, "What sort of faith is it, if you test every message given you from … " She doesn't finish the rest of her sentence. Her ears flush.

The Skreek shakes her head. "Many deceivers have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and one of the fallen." She pauses, closing her eyes for a moment and mouthing the words as she tries to recall them. "Dear friend, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from the Star, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

"Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of the Star does not have him; whoever continues in the teaching has all. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work," Willow continues.

"No!" signs Jade-Eyes, as she makes a quick bark, and then throws her hands over her mouth at the inappropriate noise. She stumbles as she rises quickly to her feet, and shakes her hands in sloppy signs, "It is Star! No! You can't – Please go!"

The Skreek shifts a bit. "You are putting your empire, maybe all of Sinai itself at risk because of this faith! I believe in the Star because of your sister guiding me to it, and I do not want to see her dreams destroyed. I don't know if you loved or hated her, and that does not matter to me either way… but… " She sighs and remains sitting. "The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth – and not I only, but also all who know the truth – because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace from Star, will be with us in truth and love. It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Star commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not signing to you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another."

" And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." Willow rises up. "Please listen. Please… "

The Priest-Queen shakes her head. "No! You have signed enough! Go now!"

"Why? Tell me what is wrong with my signs! Tell me how I have wronged you! If this were just about you and I, then I would do as you say, but … my daughter." The Skreek balls up her fists, for the first time too angry and frightened to sign. "What little sleep I had was full of dreams, dreams of watching them burn at the hands of this Star. Look at me. If you are going to blindly follow this path, then the least you could to is look at me and know that you could be bringing death and slavery to us. Look at your people and think of the holy fire. Is your faith in this Star so blind and so strong that you would look into my daughter's eyes while she burned at your god's hands?"

The Priest-Queen no longer directs her signs to Willow. Instead, she directs her guards … and they move to bodily "escort" Willow out of the tent.

The Skreek lets her head drop. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love the Star,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love the Star, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: 'Whoever loves the Star must also love his brother.'" She pulls her headband off and drops it at her feet and then turns to leave, or allow herself to be thrown out. "I am sorry that you feel as you do about your sister, but as you madly try to prove to the world that you can walk in her footsteps, you risk condemning us all. No one judges you against her, least of all me. I forgive you, she forgives you… and I hope you will forgive me."

The guards don't allow Willow to say any more, as she is escorted from the Priest-Queen's tent, then left just outside. An attendant signs, "We will arrange for a boat to take you back to Safar in the morning."

Willow glances towards the tent. "Am I banished? Or just not welcome anymore?"

The attendant signs, "That will be for the Priest-Queen to decide. For your sake, I would recommend that you return to Safar, and do not seek to anger the Priest-Queen any further."

"I've said my piece, maybe planted a seed or maybe did as much good as kicking a mountain. The rest will be in the hands of the Star, both hers and mine." The Skreek dusts her skirts off and pulls out her whistle. "I'll wander for now, just please tell her that I only came here out of love."

The attendant bows, nodding. "It will be done."

"Then good night to you." Willow bows. "If anyone wishes to speak with me, I will be around where the Palace once stood. Just tell them to listen for me." She gives the Beggar's Whistle a soft blow and wanders off.

The Skreek's wanderings are not met with any interference, her way lit by the low-burning lanterns set on poles at the digging sites, marking the safe routes and marking off the dangerous spots. The palace is in such ruin as to bar all entry.But nearby, the archway leading to the opening to the cliff is wide open.

Willow takes up one of the lanterns and steps into the open archway. ( I wonder what they'll find once they clear out the rest of the rubble in the palace, or how they plan to get rid of those twisted bits of stone. X's got the right idea about magic. )

Inside, the ceiling rises high … as high as the top of the cliff, in fact. The walls are carved with panels and ledges, and glyphs telling a history of the old Savanite Empire. Once, this larger chamber had been secret, the antechamber thought to be the destination of the entrance archway … but now the doors that sealed off this larger chamber are gone.

There are still several discs parked on pedestals … discs that the Twelve-times-Twelve magically compelled to float off of the ground and carry them through the air, the legends say. The Twelve-times-Twelve of this age, however, seem to be less than inclined to repeat the feat, however.

The Skreek arches an eyebrow and holds the lantern high, reading the glyphs on the walls as she circles the room. "Jade-Eyes said that Priest-Kings before the last one were worshippers of the Star. Let's see if anything on here hints at whether or not that happens to be true… "

The tiers of glyphs stretch up toward the ceiling, and the ledges cast shadows that make it impossible to see all of them from the floor, even with Willow's night-vision. And even if that were not a problem, there is the matter of reading writing at such a distance. Still, there are plenty of ladders set up for the purpose of reaching those higher levels. They are sturdy and well-secured, since a fall in here could well be fatal, and it wouldn't do to have things falling down on one's head from above.

"Well, I've got some reading to do tonight, I suppose." The Skreek looks at one of the black disks and then glances around the chamber to see if anything else might make for a better spot to hang her lantern on while she reads. "Star knows this place is big enough to fit a Creen ship… "