Past the tree line the plant life is very dense, then suddenly, it ends. Immediately I realize something isn't right… I find myself in a clearing filled with berries, all appear perfectly ripe. First I walk up to low-lying blueberry bushes – right or not, I love blueberries, and these taste amazing. The raspberries, strawberries and black currants are all perfect; I can’t even feel the instant of separation as I pick them. I eat what a few weeks ago would have been my fill, but now only whets my appetite. At the far edge of the clearing are fruit trees; avocado, orange, apple, cherry, tangerine, olive… all my favorites plus many I do not recognize, and again everything is in the height of ripeness. It doesn’t make sense, the variety and perfection of the fruits I see… this place is like a fantasy orchard stocked with all I could think to ask for and more.
Woman cannot live on fruit alone though; I walk further and find a tremendous vegetable garden. There is certainly something strange about this world – everything seems caught in the peak of ripeness, as though nothing here ever changes. I break off some of the richest looking broccoli I’ve ever seen and go searching for fresh water.
I find a perfect little clearing with a soothing waterfall. The water tastes sweet and pure. There is a rock outcropping extending slightly behind the waterfall, I stand on it to rinse off my bounty, though something tells me such is entirely unnecessary. Not far away is a concave topped rock; it's time to give my powers a test – I intend to levitate a cup or two of water from the waterfall into the depression in the rock – but I instead deluge it with gallons! It's as though… as though I am accustomed to having to fight the existing order of things; but now I am infused with so much of that order that I must tread with feather-light steps. This time I exert only so much power as it would seem necessary to move a couple of drops of water, and a couple of cups relocate perfectly! I suspend my broccoli over it and superheat the water to create steam. Pity I haven't any balsamic vinegar… Instead I pluck some wild tarragon and cilantro and add them to the steaming water; the result is delicious. It reminds me of some of the meals William and I used to eat as children when we went traveling alone on Shiral.
So all I really need to do to cast properly powered spells is to make them seemingly far less powerful than would normally be necessary. Use a feather light touch. The implications are somewhat daunting. What can I accomplish if I really need to? How powerful am I now? The darkening sky draws my mind back to my new surroundings, I should prepare for the night. It is not as warm here as my Shiral, and yet it can’t get too cold or the plants would wither. I return to the beach and test the water, it is pleasantly warm, this place shouldn’t get cold at all; I need not bother constructing a shelter for the night.
Falling asleep is the next challenge; my body thrums with energy, yet my mind needs rest. Perhaps if I concentrate on something that seems to block my ability to think? I choose the moment when the Emperor's jewel touched my brow, and soon…
~~~
SHI'AHN! The very Shir trembles with the sound, and my now open eyes see the huge face of Cailli in the sky. “Shi'ahn, hear me!”
“I hear you, I hear you. What's wrong?”
“What's wrong? You've been entranced for over a day! Can't I ever leave you unwatched?”
“What's the problem? It's not like I have much to do here.”
“You think you have nothing to do? You have to study, child! We don't have much time.”
“Study what? I'm stuck on a deserted island! There are no libraries, no teachers, I'm stranded!”
“Not everything worth learning comes from someone else's experience, Shi'ahn. Especially for you. Just… see what's out there, and try to manipulate it. Much can be learned from trial and error.” With that her face recedes to nothingness.
Well fine. I'll investigate this place more, after I've eaten. Strange, I am terribly hungry; why hadn't that awoken me? My suspicions about this place are confirmed when I return to the orchards and gardens; everything is exactly as it was before I picked anything. Interesting indeed. Sated, I try to plan out how to educate myself. Carefully inspecting my surroundings seems a good place to start. I listen carefully to this place - life is very limited here, there are no insects, no animals, only fish and the extraordinary assortment of plant life. This world sounds very old, and yet all of the plant life is in the peak of perfection. Could this be Cailli’s pantry? The concept seems odd, and yet, for a Luminarian who doesn’t like to leave her tower, why not?
I investigate my prison further by listening to it while I cast my mind out as I do with my power ring. Just one place seems… well, very different than the rest. Far into the island there is a place that sounds important. I can’t make out any details, as though it is powerfully shielded. As I listen to it, my mind is filled with thoughts of entrapment - of endless isolation. I don't like that feeling, I need something less… lonely.
What about the edges of my prison? I cast my listening awareness out toward it, and then… nothing, as if existence itself ends. That can’t be, of course, I know full well that existence goes on beyond this place - I’ve even seen Cailli out there. I’m missing something. What about the stars, I didn’t sense any of those before the barrier either. I cast out more, listening all over the sky for the stars, but find none, just the odd ending of everything. That's not right; what about the sun, yes, I can see that now. I listen toward it, but hit the maddening nothingness before reaching it!
Just how far does the sky really reach? I send a burst of sound upward, expecting to measure the distance by the echo, yet there isn’t one; the sound simply ceases to be. I have to be missing something. I’m not going to let this thing beat me… I start the dance that draws one's mind into focus, forgetting all else. I make myself conscious of the pulses of life within this place, of the sounds that surround me, as minutely as I am capable of. I know this place. I stretch my awareness out further, further, until all seemingly ends, but I know that it does not. There is something here, I know it… what are you? I try to push against the nothingness, but there is nothing to push against. I try to create more substance where the nothingness begins, but there is resistance. A reaction! But from what? I imagine my dance filling this entire place, I’m becoming one with everything here. We become… music. Music that echoes throughout this existence, and yet ends at the barrier that isn’t.
I stretch out yet further, and try to join with the edge of this reality, and suddenly I hear it. Immense beauty, a symphony of power! Everything stops. I’m standing on the sand, frozen in place, and see Cailli’s face in the sky again.
She laughs, “Very good! You’re a quick study, once you set your mind to it.” Her smile turns stern, “But that won’t get you out of there - nothing will until you have done what you must do. Eat and rest, child, and then see what else you can do with your new knowledge.” She recedes away, and I can once again move.
She was right, I am hungry, but not physically tired. That last exercise used up a lot of energy – I need more sustenance than plants. I turn my concentration to the water. It is teeming with fish. I do not like killing, and yet fish feel different – many eat their own young, after all. Eating a single large adult could theoretically save hundreds of little fish from being eaten - where is the harm in that? I single out a large, hungry sounding one and levitate it out of the water. While it is still over the water I thank… not Shiral, for that is not where I am. I thank this nameless place for the sustenance I have just claimed, then cast a cleaning spell upon the fish, to remove all that I do not wish to eat. Its death is so quick that it simply can't feel any pain, thus preserving the sanctity of its life. I easily cause its temperature to rise to a proper, cooked state. I wish I had some white wine, pepper and flour to make a sauce to eat it with, but I don't – I don't even have a plate! I keep it levitated and summon a lemon from the orchard, causing its juices to drip onto each piece of fish before I eat it. It is a good dinner and yet when I'm finished I find I'm terribly tired, intellectually. I lie down on
the sand and try to fall asleep, but I can't. I need to meditate, but on what?
My encounter with the Emperor's jewel has already proven itself a poor choice, what about the amazing encounter with the primal tree when Cailli took me up the Path of Enlightenment? It was a beautiful silvery oak. The place wherein it stood was so peaceful, I can hear the background song in my mind. A branch reaches down and touches my brow; I am filled with the most perfect music ever heard. It seems pleased that I have returned.
~~~
I become surrounded by a different shade of light, sunlight. I open my eyes to the early dawn and realize I did it – I managed to rest even though my body did not wish it. Now if I could only somehow summon breakfast – a proper breakfast including grains. Are there oats somewhere on this island? I listen to the harmonies of the land again, and yes, there are many grains. I start walking toward them, but my stomach growls angrily. A detour through the orchard seems in order. Once I reach the grain fields it dawns on me that there is more to achieving a bowl of hot oatmeal than simply finding oats, they must be rolled. So, how am I going to roll them without any tools? One flat rock and a rounded one seem to work, but after only a handful of them are rolled they disappear!
I hear Cailli's voice, “No no no, child. This is an excellent opportunity for you to practice new ways to use your powers.” I look around, but I do not see her, neither do I hear her presence. Interesting.
I suppose two very small shields; one flat and another oval would do the trick. It's a bit slippery, I have to levitate the oats all the way through the process, but it works. I hear a disappointed sigh, but still no physical presence.
“What? I'm using Harmony now, what's the problem?”
“You're not doing anything new.” Suddenly my small collection of rolled oats bursts into flames, which spread with unnatural haste to the field.
“Cailli, that's not fair!”
“Then do something about it.”
“Fine!” I stretch out my left arm toward the ocean, filling my mind with the harmony of water, then draw as much water as I can back toward me, directed at the fire. A huge arc of water descends toward the fire, but evaporates before reaching the ground.
I hear the annoying, disembodied voice yet again. “You're too practical, Shi'ahn, you fall back on tried and true methods. Try to remember that you are a Harmony wielder. Put out the fire in a way you have never heard of anyone using before.”
I don't want to think, I want to eat! Soon! I could just leave it burn and go find something else to eat, but I suspect she wouldn't let me get away with that. Well, what does fire need in order to burn? Fuel, of course, and oxygen. I listen to the harmony of the air, identifying the different components, Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen. Over the entire field I remove the song of Oxygen – the flames die instantly. I don't return the song to its proper harmony until I am certain the flames should stay dead. Mentally hurling unspeakable oaths toward the ancient meddler, I finally break my fast on toasted oats.
~~~
Eating does nothing to temper my annoyance, I defiantly fall back on the tried and true; I go for a swim. These waters are beautiful! At first there are coral reefs teeming with all kinds of life, vividly colorful and no doubt very nutritious. Further out there are many, many plants – seaweeds in every shade of almost every color. Curiosity overcomes me and I swim down to take a taste of a beautiful violet, flower like plant, and suddenly I'm surrounded by blood red, long weeds that wrap around my legs. Nothing else seems to be happening, so I summon a vibration blade to cut myself free – but it doesn't work! Weeds stronger than a sonic knife? It doesn't make sense. Cailli, I bet she is behind this. All right, how else would I get out of this? I listen to the weeds, they sound… unnaturally enhanced – Cailli's work for sure. What else, what can I ascertain from what I hear? They are slightly acidic. Lovely. That part of their harmony steadily increases in volume, they are secreting acid, attempting to dissolve me. Yuck. I remove that part of their song before they manage to harm me, but they do not let go. What else? There are other, similar plants nearby, what is different between those plants and these? The underlying harmonies are the same, but these sound… curlier? How do you uncurl a harmony?
Motion in the distance catches my attention, the biggest, ugliest, most dangerous looking monster I have ever seen is swimming my way – I have to get out of this trap! Forget uncurling, I just mentally force my captor plants to sound exactly like the nearby plants. I'm free!
All suddenly goes dark and I’m jostled around strangely – I feel slimy. Rats, I've been swallowed. My breathing air disappears in moments – and there isn't any water against me to use in re-establishing the spell, I'm completely surrounded by slime. I listen to it, it's acid! Why doesn't it hurt? I can see now, by the light of my own glow, I share this delightful place with many… things, in varying states of decomposition. Apparently this beastie never bothers to chew anything – for which I suppose I should be grateful, but soon it won't matter, I need air! The water it swallowed with me seems to have been directed elsewhere. It may be the most disgusting thing I've ever done, but what else can I do? I use matter from my decomposing companions to create what I need. It's far more complicated than breaking oxygen molecules apart from water, but it works. I wonder, does it really stink terribly, or is my mind creating that delightful illusion? More importantly, how the heck am I going to get out of here? More and more acid surrounds me, yet still I feel nothing and my skin shows no sign of damage. My clothing, however, begins to thin. I'm being jostled around again, it begins as a small thing, but steadily increases. The place spasms violently and I am shot out – it threw me up! I alter my breathing spell to once again use water, but it still stinks – I swim as fast as I can to the surface, careful not to touch anything else, and make sure to expel any nitrogen that may have built up within me. At some point my clothes fall away – but I don't care, I just want to breathe sweet, clean air again!
I break the surface at such a speed that I actually fly completely out, and realize in that instant that for the first time in my life, I really don't want to touch water. I cast a shield beneath me before the water can reclaim me, and then alter the nearby harmonies to stir up a wind to push me back toward the very distant island prison. I'm quite dry by the time I reach shore, but I still stink. I am not, however, getting back into the water here - I use cleaning spell after cleaning spell upon myself, and either finally succeed, or simply grow used to the stench.
~~~
Why do I end up naked when I'm imprisoned? At least this time I should be able to clothe myself, but what to use as the raw material? Growing plants are somewhat in my disfavor at the moment, and sand wouldn't be practical at all. I listen to the land and hear wind in the leaves of trees. My mind floods with the wonderful memory of the metaphysical tree; I approach the tree that looks most like the great oak. But, would it be wrong to take from such a majestic entity? Many plants are meant to be eaten, but trees are especially sacred. Well, I could ask. I gently touch the trunk and fill my mind with the harmony of the tree – every little aspect of its being. Now I alter the harmony in my mind to reflect matter taken – gently and carefully, of course – from the tree, and create another harmony, that of the clothing I would make from it. Then, I try to surround myself with the harmonies of this place, this land that does not care for change. How do those harmonies, and most especially the harmony of the tree I hope to use, interact with my projected harmonies? I fear discord, but instead I hear… expectation? Not only acceptance, but also encouragement? That must be it, then, I have permission. Since I already have the new harmonies fully developed, I merely impose those harmonies upon both the tree and the space around me. It seems to take a while – the concept is simple, but unfamiliar, and I'm also making sure to maintain the encouraging harmony of the land. I don't want to accidentally stray from what it has accepted. Finally the songs seem stable, I open my eyes and see both a slightly smaller tree and a very nice, extremely pract
ical jumpsuit of brown and green on me… and the ground, quickly approaching.
~~~
I awake to the smell of… pancakes and eggs?
“Ah, there you are – I thought the promise of food might bring you around.”
I try to sit up, but fail. “Why am I so…”
She helps me up and feeds me some pancake with honey. “Depleted is the proper descriptive. Have you ever heard the term 'Biting off more than you can chew'?” I don't bother to answer, but eat everything she has provided. “Feeling better?”
I nod, afraid that if I speak I may say something to the effect of 'No thanks to you.' I must be awfully transparent.
“Now, now, I did just provide you a fully cooked meal. I'll even grant you answers to any questions you wish to ask at this time.”
“Any question?”
“Within reason, of course, but the questions I sense bubbling up within you are not unreasonable.”
I barely have to think, “Tell me more about the crystal staircase!”
“There is a great deal to tell about it, child, please be more specific in what you wish to know. And please do not make a habit of referring to it as the crystal staircase. The less outsiders know of the true nature of it, the better. That's why we refer to it in so many different ways; the Path of Enlightenment; Ascending the Path; or simply, The Path. The less understood it is by anyone outside the family, the better.”
“I understand.” Then my blood turns cold, “Cailli, I have known for quite some time that The Path was a staircase, and have interacted with many Chaosians since then. What if they have read my mind?”
“Relax, child. I have been quite aware of your inability to protect your memories, and so I have always taken care to shield sensitive information within your mind. Trust me, No One would be able to read from you any details of our interactions, or any other information that I do not wish them to access. The primary danger lies in what you say aloud.”
Between Darkness and Light Trilogy Page 31