by JM Bray
Coleman felt his throat constrict. ‘Me? But, I’ve never even done this!’
She grasped his hand. ‘Coleman, the Divine brought you here and it wasn’t without reason. After dinner, let’s go to your room and you can try it. I’ll help if necessary.’
‘Help, how?’
‘I can talk you through the relaxation; it’s commonly done.’ She patted his hand and picked up her bread.
‘I might need it.’ He grinned mischievously. ‘Of course, if it doesn’t work, we could relax in other ways.’
She matched his grin. ‘I guarantee you, that experience will be anything but relaxing.’
A Trip
‘Do whatever you need to get comfortable,’ Jolie said as they entered his room.
Coleman cocked an eyebrow. ‘Should I disrobe?’
She looked over appraisingly and waved her hand. ‘No need, I’ve seen it.’
He laughed. ‘I love it when I’m wanted.’
‘Now, get comfortable.’ She lightly shoved him.
He removed his blade, loosened his shirt laces, sat on the bed and took off his boots.
Darkness had fully come while they ate.
‘Do you prefer the window open or shuttered?’ she asked, moving around the room.
‘Closed, please.’
‘Want a candle lit?’
He lay back on the soft bed.
‘Since sleep isn’t the goal, let’s try a candle.’ He started to breathe deeply, calming himself, a familiar technique from his Warrior training. His vision roamed over the ceiling, settling where it would. Light flared onto it as Jolie ignited a taper and doused the lamp. It danced across the ceiling as she walked to the candle near the headboard. She padded back to the chair — it creaked as she settled.
‘Coleman,’ her voice came quietly, ‘is there anyone you would like to see before you Travel to that other land?’
The answer had been weighing heavily on his mind. ‘My parents. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been home. I wonder if they are well.’
‘Once you’re relaxed, try to draw yourself out and cast your thoughts to them. Perhaps it will help.’
‘I’ll try.’
‘Would you like assistance?’
‘I might as well give it a go on my own. Would you mind staying with me? The thought of being here unattended is...unsettling.’
‘I’d be happy to.’
‘Thanks.’
He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, and exhaled in a slow steady stream. He imagined a pleasant campfire warming his feet and envisioned the yellow-orange glow of its embers. The colors carried warmth slowly over his toes and spread to his feet, bringing comfort. They moved gently up his legs, and unrealized tension released from his muscles.
His thighs glowed yellow, encompassing the angry red soreness in the left one. Jolie landed a solid blow there today, which he’d forgotten until this moment. The healing yellow curled into the red, absorbing it. As the red became yellow, the pain dispersed and the calmness moved up his body. His back softened into the mattress while his chest released its tightness from the hard sparring. His shoulders slumped and jaw dropped open; his eyelids became immovable leaden covers. The final swirl covered his head, calming him completely.
What did he look like? Let’s see. With that thought, he was above himself. How odd, he looked asleep. That wasn’t the case; his thoughts were active and sharply focused. The warm glow that he had envisioned while relaxing surrounded Jolie. The images of his mother and father came to mind. He needed to see them, to make sure they were well. He had to go.
Go home.
A glance at the shutters moved his perspective closer. Then, without pause, he passed through them and into the night.
His mind climbed upward above the trees and he looked down at the Cloister. The building is turtle-shaped. What a beautiful place to call home.
Home.
Home was...that way.
He streaked across the treetops, skimming them at an impossible speed. His view somehow came from two places. From his eyes the trees streamed by in a soft carpet of deep dark green below him. The second viewpoint was above and behind him. In that perspective, his body was a golden streak trailing light behind it. He could switch perspectives at will. Villages came and went at unfathomable speeds. Their lights appeared as twinkling pinpricks in the distant darkness then flashed by.
The terrain became familiar. He smelled the sea and the ocean appeared on his right. The waves glowed with phosphorescence, and the light of Lunos shimmered on the water. He was above the area just north of Lomendel. He skimmed over the water of an inlet and shot up the steep bank on the other side, coming instantly to a halt.
The adobe and wood structure home of his birth was strides away, exactly as it had been in his memories. The single-level home roamed along the edge of the inlet, its earth tone blocks clearly defined in the moonlight. He tentatively hovered toward an open window that spilled soft light into the night; looking through it, he saw his parents. His father had just put a log on the fire. Coleman noticed he had silver in his hair now. He must be in his late fifties. His mother sat near the fire, her feet on a stool, wiggling her toes at its warmth, reading. She was ageless, slim and vibrant; time seemed to have had little effect on her.
She looked up at that moment; a small smile played on her lips, perhaps remembering something, her gaze toward the window. It was happenstance, it had to be, but he felt like she looked directly at him. Her head tilted to the side and her chin dipped, as if she acknowledged his presence. Then the moment passed and she went back to her book. They were well. He turned from the window and opened his eyes.
He was back.
Back in the Cloister.
Back in his room.
Back in his body.
He felt rested, as if he’d slept an entire night. He rolled to his side and saw Jolie near the door and the Matriarch sitting in the chair.
‘You’re still here,’ he said to Jolie. Looking at the Elder, he asked, ‘When did you arrive?’
‘Just moments ago.’
Jolie said, ‘I told you I would watch over you. Are you having difficulty relaxing? Shall I talk you through the steps?’
‘She’s really very good at it,’ the Matriarch said.
Confused, he sat on the edge of the bed, his feet on the floor. ‘Haven’t I been here for a while? Maybe hours?’
Jolie frowned. ‘No, you laid down perhaps two minutes ago.’
‘This can be difficult your first time,’ the Matriarch said.
‘Well...I flew to my parents’ home.’
The two women looked at one another.
‘Are you sure?’ Jolie asked him.
‘That type of experience rarely comes without repeated practice and requires hours to complete. Perhaps you had a quick dream. It’s not that we disbelieve you, dear,’ the Elder assured him.
‘It didn’t feel like a dream. I relaxed, as you instructed, Jolie. Then I rose above myself. There was no dream-like randomness; everything was a decision.’
‘That sounds like a proper releasing of the Essence.’ The Matriarch nodded thoughtfully.
‘I’ve never been past that point,’ Jolie said.
The Matriarch smiled. ‘She’s very good at relaxation but not so handy at controlling herself.’ She grinned. ‘Then again, she’s like that most of the time.’
Jolie smiled and shrugged. ‘I can be impulsive, but that’s not always bad, is it?’
‘I’m enjoying it,’ he said.
The Matriarch shook her head and chuckled. ‘We need to get you two Bound. To the matter at hand, tell us what you saw.’
‘I thought about home, and that idea propelled me.’
‘Propelled?’ Jolie asked.
‘Well, not at first. I went through the wall then up above the Cloister. It looks like a turtle, you know.’
‘Pardon?’ Jolie asked.
The Matriarch became still.
‘A turtle; the
main part of the complex is shaped like a turtle when seen from above.’
Jolie smiled. ‘See? You must have been dreaming. Turtle-shaped buildings.’ She turned to the Matriarch, and her smile wilted. The Elder looked at him seriously.
‘That information isn’t common knowledge — we use it as part of our testing. One can only see the shape from a great height.’ She inclined her head to him. ‘Please go on.’
‘I thought of home, and suddenly I was streaking across the sky, like...like a shooting star. I could see myself from behind and from my eyes as I chose.’
The Matriarch’s eyebrows rose. ‘Indeed?’
He nodded. ‘The land streamed below me then I was...home. I looked through an unshuttered window. My mother was sitting in her chair as clearly as you are now. More clearly, actually; the room was bright from the hearth and lamp light.’
‘You saw with that amount of detail?’ Jolie asked.
‘Yes, she was reading and looked up. It was like she looked at me... Then she went back to her book.’
The Elder leaned forward, intrigued. ‘You think she saw you somehow?’
‘No. Or. No...she couldn’t have. Could she?’
‘I’m not sure,’ the Matriarch said. ‘Your natural talent for this might be inherited.’
They sat quietly for a long moment before the Matriarch rose. ‘I must consider this further,’ she said before exiting.
‘I’m with her,’ Coleman said standing. ‘Care to chat about it on a moonlight stroll?’
‘I’d love to,’ Jolie said. They walked, arms intertwined, down the hall and into the gardens.
Chapter 19
Preparations
The following days were a dizzying blend of preparation, training, and waiting. The last was the most difficult. Coleman was occasionally nervous, but more than that, he was ready for the whole thing to happen. The Matriarch had been correct; Coleman had a natural affinity for controlling his Essence. He could cast it forth, almost at will, though there was one circumstance where it didn’t work well: when he was standing. The Matriarch requested a demonstration of his growing ability and he’d decided to flaunt it a bit. Everything went awry when he collapsed. The lump on the back of his head still hurt. Some lessons were painful.
His body had fully recovered and sparring with Warrior Maidens had put him in peak condition. Sari became a regular partner in his exercises, soaking up his techniques like a sponge. He and Jolie saw each other when time permitted. However, Jolie’s duties as Senior Healer and his preparations made those times less frequent than they preferred.
In a Cloister buzzing with activity, the moments where he had nothing to do were the hardest. That’s when the enormity of what he faced threatened to overwhelm him. To prevent it, he’d even tried archery — an exercise that proved to be embarrassingly difficult. He could pull the bow well enough, but where his eyes thought he aimed in no way connected with where the arrow went. He expended arrows into trees far beyond the target, buried them in the dirt near his feet, and slapped himself in the face releasing them. Once, while Sari instructed him, he managed to hit a bull’s-eye, three targets left of where he aimed. She’d patted him on the shoulder and said, ‘Perhaps we should stick to blades.’
In the end the event came too quickly, and not soon enough.
Preparations were complete. His room contained a fresh goose down mattress and an attendant would be at his side every moment. Jolie would check on his health twice daily. Coleman figured it more likely they would have to make her leave the room twice daily. They would shift his position regularly to prevent bedsores and open the shutters to the outside air during the day.
The Matriarch decided the event should take place in the Chapel of the Divine, considering that being on sacred ground might assist somehow. It also allowed her, the Acolytes, Sari and Jolie all to be there. They discussed various ideas regarding the proceedings: a cot for him to lie on, a chair to sit in, a mat on the floor, should there be chanting or not, who should attend — on and on it went. In another endless meeting earlier today, he finally stood up.
‘Light some candles but nothing too bright. I’ll sit on some cushions with Jolie by my side, Sari will support her. You Acolytes sing something simple and soft. When the Matriarch is ready she’ll open the Shroud and I’ll make the attempt.’ He sat down to a silent room of women. They looked at one another until the Matriarch cleared her throat.
‘It seems that we have a plan.’ She nodded. ‘Ladies, make yourselves ready.’
With that the room cleared, leaving the Matriarch, Sari, Jolie, and Coleman.
‘Thank you,’ the Matriarch said. ‘At times, our rule of all voices having a say can make progress difficult.’ They all smiled.
‘I really don’t care how it happens; I just want to get to it. That plan seemed like the most comfortable.’
‘Excellent,’ she said. ‘That alone makes it a good one. There is something else...’
‘Yes?’
‘You three find a place to speak privately to discuss the situation.’
They glanced at one another. ‘Situation?’ Sari asked.
She looked at them and finally shook her head. ‘Fine. Since you don’t see it, I’ll make things plain. Come, gather close.’ They pulled their chairs to her, forming a small circle. ‘Being a Seer, and a woman who’s lived a long and full life, I see things that others don’t. Not just things to do with the Divine.’ She offered her hands to Sari and Jolie. They, in turn took his, completing the circle. She looked intently at them.
‘I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.’
He looked at her then the other two women. ‘What? Have I — ?’
The Matriarch shook her head. ‘You’ve done nothing wrong. You all simply have a blind spot in this matter. These women love each other. This one would Bind you now.’ She nodded at Jolie, who smiled happily. ‘Sari is less overt with her emotions than Jolie, but I’ve known her since she was a child and see the signs. Her relationship with Jolie could cause resentment between them...and you.’ Sari’s cheeks glowed a brilliant red. She gave them a moment to absorb things.
‘There are times we find family, and times when family finds us. In either case, the core of any family is love.’ Her eyes lost focus and her voice grew quiet. Though she talked to them, she appeared to be remembering something dear to her. ‘Only love. Remember that. Love isn’t really love until it’s shared. It doesn’t matter who with, and when you share it with more people, love is compounded.’
She came to herself and looked into their eyes again. ‘Coleman, we have faith that you will succeed. We don’t talk about failure, hoping it will be otherwise, but you may not return.’
He nodded; it was a fact he’d faced.
‘If he doesn’t survive, you ladies will need your love for each other, not petty jealousies and the ruination of a lifelong relationship. In the end, only your love for one another will see you through, whatever may happen. As always, the choice is yours.’ She paused. ‘So, what will you choose?’
The silence was thick as Jolie and Sari locked eyes for a long moment, one still smiling and the other still rosy cheeked. Slowly, a smile joined Sari’s blush and they nodded. They turned to Coleman and with one voice said, ‘We choose love.’
The three of them walked into the Chapel together and joined hands, Jolie to Coleman’s left and Sari on his right. The Acolytes started singing softly, a song about the Realm — its rolling hills, running streams, and abundance of life, all provided by the Divine. They approached a small pile of pillows near the center of the room and arranged themselves comfortably. The Matriarch entered from the same door, as if she was out for a stroll and happened upon friends.
Coleman smiled at her, shaking his head. ‘What, no pomp and ceremony?’
She grinned. ‘The Divine knows why we’re here. Walking in formation won’t make us more noticeable. Admittedly there are those who would argue that idea.’ She winked at him, chose a cu
shion and sat down. She spoke loudly. ‘Though we have prepared, this has not been done in our known history and I’m unsure how it will work. If the portal opens, make ready and go through. If I happen to be in a vision, well, I trust I’ll see you again, Coleman. So we begin.’
The Acolytes’ voices rose in beautiful harmonies and she closed her eyes.
Chapter 20
A Stroll with Emily
October twelfth was just four days away and all was not right with the world. Vincent’s thoughts constantly gravitated to Friday night like iron to a lodestone. Thankfully he was ahead on his classwork, because studying wasn’t happening. He meandered down Caf Lane toward the library to meet Flea. They thought maybe finding a place in its lower levels would help with the whole non-study thing. Vincent didn’t have high hopes for success. As he passed the path to the student store someone called out, ‘Vincent.’
He paused and saw Emily come up the last step from the gym.
‘Oh, hi, Emily.’
‘Hey, how’re you today?’
She had stayed true to her end of the bet, smiling at him.
‘Pretty good, I’m just going to the library.’
‘Cool, me too, but I need to grab some paper from the store; want to come with me?’
He started to say no, but she looked at him so cheerfully that he didn’t want to shortcut her efforts at being pleasant. ‘Sure, why not.’
‘So, that tumbling thing you did was incredible. Did you ever compete?’
‘No. I learned it to augment my martial arts. It’s good to know what your body is going to do in the air.’
‘Really, why?’
He shrugged. ‘It helps with kicks, flying punches and if you get thrown or knocked down.’
‘Ah, I don’t know anything about that kinda stuff.’ She paused in front of the small building. ‘You coming in?’
He shook his head. ‘I’ll wait here for you.’
‘Okay, be right back.’