chapter the second

And then from the trees of the forest arose a cascade of voices, each bringing issue against the frozen lake and against the city imprisoned in it. And the air was choked with the sound of the birds and insects. And their song echoed across the lake.
Holy Holy Holy Lord and maker
giver of life and parent of us all,
She who is the Father of light,
The Son and offspring maiden,
Who dwells in unapproachable splendor,
Who walks along the solar arc and measures the galaxy's span,
Heal us
Heal us
Seal us in your faithfulness
Seal us in your Holy Spirit.

And when they finished the sound of their song was like the diminution of thunder. When I turned around to see the trees and to see the birds, all was quiet and still. And a voice said to me, "look out onto the lake, over the ice. Tell me what you see." I turned from the forest back toward the lake and I looked. I spoke and said, "I see a leopard sitting on a throne and smoke ascends from its lips. It presses a goblet of pearl to its lips and in its ear are jewels, gold, jasper, and sapphire. " And the voice said, "this is the fear of life and the lust for death. She holds all the world captive. People sacrifice what they love in return for the promise of safety." And I looked closer and saw ravens devouring her. Before I could speak, the ground shook and the earth melted. I reached to break my fall and I fell, faint.