"I think it's better if we ward against privacy here. I wouldn't want to intrude." Nick said, feigning politeness.
"Hmmm, if that's the case, then take this as your first lesson," Circe said, before raising her puppet's hand and waving it; in that instant, words in Ancient Greek formed from the very air around them.
The glowing words formed hung in the air, lines of Ancient Greek written in light itself. They shifted with a slow rhythm, each symbol bending as if alive.
Circe's voice carried through them, calm and deliberate.
The air thickened, and he could feel Circe calling upon something, though his senses failed him.
The runes moved with intent, shaping themselves into patterns that anchored the space around them. For a moment, the island was utterly still. The sea, the wind, even the birds seemed to hold their breath.
Circe again waved her hand, causing the sea below to stir.
"These fish are the lesser kin of the monster Ketos, descendant of Typhon. I keep them around for ritual uses, oh, and they are a really pretty sight."
A shape rose from the surface, a gigantic fish easily 10 meters long with golden scales, flowing with faint golden light. The fish was obviously some sort of mythical creature. It hovered just above the water, motionless, as Circe's eyes glowed faintly gold.
"Close your eyes and use your soul to see. If you see what is going to happen next with your mortal eyes, your mortal body would get fried." Circe said, causing Nicholas to immediately shut his eyes in preparation.
His 6th sense then saw Circe wave her hand once more before the Ancient Greek runes she outlined flew towards the creature's body, imprinting on its skin.
Right afterwards, the creature's outline wavered, its form seemed to unravel into a thin stream of dazzling blue light that then quickly converged and flew toward her hand.
From it, he sensed what could only be described as pure concepts: the infinite sea, a raging volcano, a bottomless abyss from which came infinite screams.
"This is its Immortal Essence, it is the core of its being; it is what would return to its ancestor Tartarus and reform before being able to rise once again to the Earth. However, this will no longer happen as I will use it to power the ritual. Immortal Essence is the best way that you can use to anchor magic into a more permanent form." Circe said quickly, not stopping for an instant, before immediately starting to chant.
That, however, suited him just fine, with his photographic memory and exploration of magic; understanding what she was doing wasn't an issue.
Κρύπτειν τὸν τόπον, ἀόρατον γίγνεσθαι·
Conceal this place, let it become unseen;
Ἀναδύεσθαι ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων, ἔσωθεν καὶ ἔξωθεν, σχήματα ἱερὰ συνάγειν·
Rise from the waters, within and without, gather the sacred forms;
Ἄναρθρα φῶς καὶ σκιὰ συνδέειν·
Bind the light and shadow into unbroken harmony;
Τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς θάλασσας, τῆς γῆς, τοῦἀνέμου, τῆς φωτὸς, τῆς σιωπῆς, τὰ πάντα ἐμὴ δύναμις καθιστάναι·
The elements of sea, earth, wind, light, and silence, make all of them subject to my power;
Ἰχθύς χρυσίζων, ἀθανασίας οὐσίαν ἐν τῷἀέρα ἐκβαλλόμενος, εἰς τὰ σχήματα τῆς τελετῆς ῥέειν·
Golden fish, casting forth its immortal essence into the air, flow it into the forms of the ritual;
Σφαῖραν ἀόρατον ἐκ τῶν στοιχείων πλέκειν, κύκλον προστασίας ἀείποτε ἀνθεῖν·
Weave an invisible sphere from the elements, let the circle of protection bloom forever;
Οὐδὲν ἐξωτερικὸν διείσεται, οὐδὲν ἀθάνατον ἀποστρέψει, ἀλλὰ τὸν τόπον ἀσφαλῶς ἐν σιωπῇ διατηρεῖν·
Nothing outside shall penetrate, nothing immortal shall turn away, but keep this place safely in silence;
Ψυχὴ καὶ πνεῦμα ἐν σχήμασιν ἱεροῖς συνδέειν, φῶς ἀθάνατον ἐν αἰῶνι κρατεῖν, καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τῶν θεῶν ἀπαρατήρητα γενέσθαι·
Bind soul and spirit in sacred forms, let immortal light endure through eternity, and let it remain unseen by time and the gods;
Δῶρον ζῶον, φῶς ἀθάνατον, τὸν κύκλον στήριξον, τὰ μυστήρια φύλαξον, καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἀόρατον ἐς τὸν αἰῶνα συντήρησον.
Living gift, immortal light, support the circle, guard the mysteries, and preserve the energy unseen for eternity.
Nick's brain was busy copying down the ritual she was conducting. It was the first of its kind that he had seen anywhere. The intent and symbolism were so complex that watching it being cast felt like he was a little kid watching a true master.
Every word wove together with the next one in the sentence, where their interference unified in his prescience sense, again and again and again, the sentences wove together, each one building on the one before, their interference unified even in their overwhelming number.
From her words, he could feel the very air tremble as she finished, and the blue light bloomed outwards from her hand.
The moment the blue light unfurled from Circe's hand, it spread like a tide alive with purpose, reaching outward and downward until the water surrounding the island also shimmered as if each droplet had been coated in molten glass, and the air formed a dome-like barrier.
The dome of the ward expanded upward and outward, shimmering and bending in space, reacting to every minor motion of the sea and the wind.
Above the water, the dome formed a semi-transparent shell that shimmered faintly, refracting sunlight into silver and indigo lines that danced across the waves.
Fish near its edge barely hesitated before going around the barrier as if unaware of the island or even of the fact that it was there at all.
"It's really not as complex as it may seem at first. After a while, you get a feeling about how symbols and sentences mix and how the chant governs the ritual." Circe said, seeing the awe on Nicholas' face.
"What I did here is, in effect, use the fish's authority and faith, no matter how small, as a permanent power source of the enchantment. It should allow us to remain undetected by any Gods wanting to spy here, and at the very least, it should alert us if they do."
"It is also possible to use an immortal's essence as a way to forge an artifact not of your essence but of theirs. The artifact would allow you to wield that immortal's domain and all incoming faith; it was basically like you turned them into a puppet and then instructed them on exactly what to do. That was, in effect, what I was just doing, except the artifact was the island." Circe explained, her countenance visibly relaxing now that the privacy wards were up.
----------------------------
If you want to support me read 5 work in progress chapters in advance visit my P.a.t.r.e.o.n at
p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/atanorwrites
I appreciate all comments and take suggestions seriously! Thank you for your support!