"Thank you, Ceres, Mimete and Eudial are already here."
The shrine maidens immediately took their places around the stone-hewn circle; Tau stood in the middle.
"Are you sure this will work, you Holiness?" Telluy asked.
"No," Tau replied. "We will just have to hope for the best."
The shrine maidens began to chant, and Princess Tau held the eight pronged crystal high above her head. It glowed faintly red, and she willed the power of the storm to funnel into the Taioron crystal.
~*~
Helios looked to the sky while he stood on the porch, his face troubled. As Small Lady approached him, he turned towards her. "Something is amiss," he said.