Thrice Descended Master

 

Now I invoke thee, great Cadmean queen, to bless thy mystics, lenient and serene.

It wasn’t the flickering light in the upper storey window that drew the watcher’s attention, for there were many lights in his eye that evening. It was the melody drifting upwards through the gradually darkening sky.

A rose-gold sun set the western horizon alight and resplendent Venus shone like a beacon above the rooftops. The lone figure, invisible to the naked eye, made slow, wide circles in the radiant atmosphere.

Sensing her presence below, the watcher moved down effortlessly and hovered before the house in his sights. The flame of a candle within licked gently at the surrounding air and a heady scent was carried to his face with the rising music. He inspired silently, considering the one inside.

She was stretched like a cat upon the bed, with one hand relaxed behind her head. An open book lay face down beside her on the pillow.

Intently he watched, his eye now fixed.

A powerful gust of wind blew the window open and she jumped violently, shaken from her hazy reverie by the sudden noise and rush of cooler air. Moving like quicksilver, he slipped inside.

She searched the indigo space he left behind him, trying to trace the formless form that had been there.  Arising thoughtfully, she took a step towards the window.

He watched again while she turned her head north and then south, seeking what or whomsoever had disturbed the smoky ether.

Finding nothing but the dying throes of day, she fastened shut the window and lay down again, book in hand, not quite unaware of the almost unexpected arrival of the thrice-descended master.