On the Subject of Pythonesses

While Ruby continued with her washing, Colman lay back on the grass, staring up at the sky, thinking to himself. Would he actually have gone to a pythoness so she could conjure up the spirits of his parents? Now that he actually thought about it, he was not so sure. What if she ended up conjuring up the spirits of a different couple with the same appellations who had also had a son named Colman? If pythonesses were indeed real, then how exact was their conjuring? If a pythoness to be asked to conjure the spirit of a past monarch, such as Bloody Bess' half-brother King Edward, would the boy king be the one to be called up or would it be someone else like Edward Longshanks or Edward IV?

Was that the real reason that Gardiner had vowed to defend Ireland from pythonesses? In his hedonistic days had he gone to one and found that the spirit she had conjured had been that of an individual completely different from who he had asked for?

Alas, Colman knew not.

As much as the Young Poet knew about his mentor, there was still so much mystery about the old man, as if he was hiding something. But what? He had been honest about his youthful ambitions to usurp the throne and create an empire that could rival that of Rome, he had been honest about his hedonistic pursuits, what else could Master Gardiner have possibly been hiding?

Sitting up, Colman looked over at Ruby, the sun shining on her red hair. He had a question for her.

"Ruby, would you go to a pythoness to conjure up a spirit?"

Turning with a dress in hand, Ruby asked: "What kind of a spirit?"

"The spirit of someone who is no longer living." Colman answered. "Not an evil spirit or anything like that."

Ruby thought for a moment, still with the dress in hand. "I suppose… I would like to speak with my grandmother again and if my parents are indeed dead, then I would like to speak with them. Would you like to speak with yours?"

"I would." Answered Colman with a nod. "And yet I realized something: what if the pythoness were to call up someone else? Someone with the same names as my parents who also had a son named Colman? You do not know who your parents were, so what if she were just to call up someone else completely?"

"Has Master Gardiner ever told you how pythonesses do their conjuring?" inquired Ruby, returning to her washing, but still listening to Colman.

"He has not." Answered Colman, lying back on the grass. "I almost wonder if he has had dealings with pythonesses in the past. He was an assistant to alchemists, he has spent time amongst robbers, panhandlers, wastrels and unfrocked priests, he has counted Bloody Bess, Brian FitzGerald and that blackguard Apollo Sidney as compeers… I can only wonder."

Yes, he could only wonder. How much did Master Gardiner know about pythonesses and mages? Was it possible he actually was one of the latter? If that was the case then why would he want to defend Ireland from them? Did he want to be the only mage in Ireland? He had no idea. Colman simply did not know.

Looking over at Ruby, finishing her washing, Colman smiled to himself. Wherefore think of such things, here he was with a friend with better things he could talk about. Wherefore speak about pythonesses and his mentor?