Tenashar looked with awe at Eirshiquanai, who was hovering above the ground. She told him he had to cultivate three abilities to develop his true self. First, he had to learn to read the sun and create sun maps to guide his moves whether through the deserts to the south or the northern forests. In stories, people talented and trained in this art could line up twigs or draw symbols on paper or bark with the proper ink, or use a special metal and glass tool, and just close their eyes and read the intensity of the light to see where they are, even in completely unfamiliar places. Tenashar, though, would be taught to use the sun’s energy to show him the way.
Second, Tenashar had to cultivate the way he sees things through his third eye, which the Rock had told him about. His third eye would allow him to see spheres of light—some of which circled his head, others in various parts of his body—that would show him things other people were unable to see. She said that with this other eye he would be able to see even when his physical eyes were closed.
The third capability Eirshiquanai said he must learn was a series of complicated movements and hand gestures that combined physical and mental strength. He raised his joined palms and concentrated on the unsolved questions of life. He contorted his body in many complex ways for hours as he moved and danced, after which he rested in a fetal position on the floor without moving and barely breathing.
“I’m aware that strenuous training and discipline would be needed to realize my full potential in all three of these endeavors,” said Tenashar.
Eirshiquanai spoke. “Remember that truth and beauty are found in the simplicity and purity of circles. Each arc of a circle brings the mind of the traveler or student back to its starting point—a circle shows that all things are connected, that nothing ever truly begins or ends. Understanding the circle, you will comprehend the past, present, and future.”
While Tenashar tried to take in everything she was teaching him, A-amar and Una-sei listened as well. They tried to form circles with their fingers, they were interested in the lessons, but they didn’t comprehend everything.
“It would take time for you to complete your understanding of the circle, but you aren’t required to learn this all at once—true mastery could come later. All that I required of you is patience. Time is needed for a rudimentary understanding of a circle,” said Eirshiquanai.
The Rock and the Mushroom taught him as well, for even when not glowing, they spoke with Tenashar through his mind. They showed him their own versions of the circle, for the circle is found in all things.
Mushroom said, “Each mushroom grows, lives, and finally dies. Its remains nourish other new sprouts as they come into this world, a full circle.”
Tenashar sat for a long time, considering what use the wisdom of the circle could be put to for the good of all people. It occurred to him that if there was some way to make the life force of plants distasteful to the Orbs, perhaps they would leave or even die off. He guessed they were eating for their own needs rather than simply stealing the life from the land. Finding a way to do this would be difficult, since every tribe would have to work together, and each tribe had its own idea of the right way to do things—whether science or spirits would work—and most thought the other tribes’ ways were false. They did not work together easily, and getting them to that point, Tenashar understood, could take years. He realized harmony between the tribes could possibly come later, perhaps through the wisdom of Sanashei, Heitac, and Eirshiquanai. For the present, Tenashar knew he had to focus on learning these new skills.
In one lesson that took several days, Tenashar contemplated centuries-old drawings in the sands and rocks. It was strange how these drawings remained for centuries in the sand; even if rubbed out, they would always redraw themselves. Tenashar took several hours to copy these drawings, seeing that some were maps to unknown destinations. Senetha legends said they had been made long before Cashmakil had been built.
As he studied intensely for four weeks, Tenashar began to see images form in the trees, rocks, and rivers. He sensed a movement in the land, and believed it would eventually talk to him. As he put out his hand, the soil would move up and down in a shape of a mound, driven by a strange power that emanated from his hand. Eirshiquanai and Sanashei had been right, he realized. He did have hidden talents he was unaware of.
With great delight, Tenashar formed the mounds into all kinds of shapes and wondered if someone with a power like his, long in the ancient days, could have been the one to draw the pictures in the sand. He found he could also make the mushrooms glow and turn the grass blue or red.
When he felt ready to speak to his father and tell him some of what he had been learning, Tenashar left A-amar and Una-sei behind, standing like stone sentinels on his meditation hill, and walked into the village.
Tenashar had been gone some time; he found the people much more organized than when he had left. Tenashar found Sanashei in his new workshop, building a model of a city. Sanashei pointed to it and asked, “Remember my tales of Cashmakil?”
Tenashar sat in silence, his mind whirling with images, staring at the model of Cashmakil. A vision struck him; he saw lands far to the east, west, and south and the remains of ancient Cashmakil. As the vision swelled within him, he saw nothing but barren waste and rock.
A messenger from the council came with a summons for Tenashar and Sanashei to come to the council chamber at once. Sanashei looked at Tenashar with sympathy and spoke. “Don’t waste any effort arguing with the council. Follow what you know to be right.” Tenashar took comfort in these wise words. Sanashei prepared his son to meet with the council members. Their eyes met, father to son and son to father, and in that moment, all eternity passed before Tenashar’s eyes. He knew he had to grow up early.
As they walked to the council, Tenashar saw A-amar and Una-sei hiding behind a tree, watching over him. He called out, “I told both of you to stay back on the hill. Why did you follow me?”
A-amar spoke quietly, though his voice carried. “We were created to protect you.”
Tenashar thought for a moment and nodded for them to follow. Sanashei smiled approvingly at his son’s decision.
As Tenashar entered the council chamber, all the councilors stared at him and his strange, frightening companions and began to whisper.
Sanashei sat beside Tenashar and addressed the gathering. “There may be a way to keep the Orbs from draining the life force from our lands. My son Tenashar must journey across time toward the sun to look for tribes that reside in other places.”
Some voices called out in protest. “Why your son? Isn’t it better that a warrior should go?”
Tenashar stood and spoke calmly, though he was trembling inside. “I seek only knowledge, knowledge to rid the land of the Orbs. A warrior wouldn’t know what to look for.”
Amid the protest, an elderly warrior’s voice rang out. “War will not make these Orbs cease what they are doing. Tenashar must find the peace that will end this.”
Everyone assembled gasped the moment A-amar spoke. “Wisdom is required to make something as powerful as the Orbs leave this land. It will take the courage, though not the skills, of a warrior to make this journey to a faraway land, and Tenashar has this. How many of you are willing to go?”
Silence reigned as everyone thought deeply. “We still believe Tenashar is not capable of fulfilling this journey,” said Soarta.
A-amar spoke. “We are his companions and friends, and we will keep him on his path.”
Much discussion ensued. The members of the council’s doubts ran like wildfire—they doubted Tenashar’s abilities, his strange friends, and even that there was any possible good outcome. Some council members went so far as to murmur that Tenashar might be in league with the Orbs, trying to aggrandize himself at the cost of everyone’s lives and comfort.
Tenashar, however, said nothing to those who opposed him. Their words did not bother him; he knew that to journey to those lands was his destiny.
Another councilor spoke. “I s
ee the wisdom of letting Tenashar go to distant places, for we know the gods desire this. We must be open to restore the lands that are now dying. Only darkness will come if we don’t find a way to return our lands to their natural state.”
The feeling of the council began to lean in Tenashar’s favor. More and more hearts turned toward helping Tenashar, but others still resisted. One of those still opposed was Etutsha’s father, who still believed someone like Tenashar could never make the journey. He was the biggest obstacle, but even he finally acknowledged Tenashar’s right to make the journey.
Tenashar slipped out of the council before they truly reached an accord. He felt in his heart that his journey had to start immediately because he would have to travel far for the answers he sought. He would have to leave his tribe and family behind but was glad the Rock, the Mushroom, A-amar, and Una-sei would be his companions.
A-amar said, “You will have to go to distant lands not yet traveled by your people. Some of these places are vast unreachable places, never traveled by human beings. Do you understand?”
Tenashar spoke softly, almost to himself, as he stared into the star-filled sky. “Vast distances not traveled …”
A-amar continued. “You will visit the sky tower people who live distances away across the ocean.”
“Cashmakil.” The word formed in Tenashar’s mind. He knew the time for his journey had come.
chapter 9
The Journey Begins
Tenashar stood in the wide plains, wishing only that he could be back at his own tree on top of the hill, watching the stars. However, he knew the Orbs would return regardless of his actions, and all he could do was prepare for their return.
He had left before hearing the verdict of the council—they were as far from him as the distant mountains, perhaps not in miles but in thought, in heart.
As he watched the stars, flanked by his strange friends, Tenashar noticed a light behind him in the trees. He waited for it to arrive, for it seemed to be coming closer. It was so distant it took nearly an hour before it came close enough that he could see who carried it. Tenashar’s eyes widened. It was Tansatei. He hadn’t seen much of her recently, as all his time had been spent in study. She smiled. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed her company; they had talked many times while Heitac trained them.
Tenashar talked to Tansatei about his long hours of study, about Eirshiquanai, and how she had taught him many things. She listened intently when he told her about the Rock and the Mushroom, A-amar and Una-sei, and all he had experienced and learned.
Oddly, Tansatei didn’t react to A-amar and Una-sei although they were watching her intently; she showed no fear. Finally she spoke. “Look up in the sky. The clouds too are going on journeys. Heitac says each shape can help guide a traveler.”
Tenashar observed the clouds and asked, “You know I am leaving?”
Tansatei nodded solemnly. “My wish was to go with you to see those strange places, but I must continue to learn from Heitac. Perhaps that’s the best way I can help you. But I wanted you to know I am always with you.” With that, she slipped a cord from around her own neck and held it out, showing Tenashar a diamond rock pendant she had made for his journey. “This is a charm to keep you safe. May the traveling light of understanding be with you.” She smiled and turned to go. He put her gift around his neck.
No one else turned out to say goodbye to Tenashar before he walked away into the first rays of the rising sun. Sanashei and the other councilors were still in their meeting. With few provisions and only four companions, Tenashar left the hill he had called a second home.
Food wasn’t too much of problem because the lands were full of forests where berries and other foods could be found as well as water from rivers, yet Tenashar still felt unprepared. He didn’t know where he was going, but he kept on walking out of faith. He often looked back to catch a glimpse of his hill and home. He already missed Tansatei but was certain he could see her in the distance, waving farewell.
Tenashar turned his eyes forward and smiled to his companions, remembering the vision he had had. “We are headed for a river between two mountains where we should find a large shell.”
“How do you know of such directions? And why would a shell be in the mountains?” A-amar asked.
“Something told me to go there, and it said also this shell was left when that part of the mountain was beneath an ocean.”
Tenashar could feel Tansatei’s presence in his thoughts—truly, not just in his memory, as they had both learned some of the basics of how to send thoughts, though only Heitac could keep in touch over any distance. Perhaps one or both of these talented women could help guide me on my long journey, he thought.
Tansatei watched Tenashar depart. She waved to him but knew he could only vaguely see her. She walked back into the forest and up into the mountains, to her home in an unpopulated area. She reached her lonely dwelling. It was not the home of her family, where she also stayed, but the home where she lived alone so Heitac could come and teach her. All around her were the tools of her practice, including the telescope her father taught her to build and sounding forks that could create any kind of sound desired.
Tansatei sat and thought sadly about Tenashar. She had always considered him a brother; he was her best friend, the only one who could understand her. She had friends among the youth of the village and was well liked, but she preferred solitude at times. Tenashar was the one person she could be open with about her feelings.
She gazed at the disorganized jumble of her things and regretted there wasn’t enough storage to put things away. She had planned to make the place larger, but it was used mainly for lessons and meditation, and she was too busy to build anything because her lessons were becoming more difficult. Heitac was growing more strict and harsh, preparing Tansatei to reach a higher level.
Tansatei fell into a deep sleep, letting herself be carried off into dreams. At first, she found herself in the clouds, following Tenashar’s journey far below on the ground. She found herself flying across the ocean, where great storms were churning up the waters. Some waves were a thousand feet high, big enough to swallow entire islands. She saw thousands of teardrop-shaped Orbs dark as night with bright centers descend on the oceans and churn the seas.
The images came quickly, in a big jumble. The sky darkened as elongated human figures came down from the sky. Fire destroyed cities and villages, leaving nothing alive.
Then everything was clear once again, and water lapped gently against a peaceful shore. Tansatei walked along the beach and came across a giant seashell, half-buried in the sand. She stepped into the shell and walked along the spiral. Deep in the shell’s depths, she found a new world waiting for her. It was calm, with waters clear as crystal, healthy forests, and a clear and beautiful ocean.
She awakened from the dream to find a stranger—a tall and beautiful woman—standing above her, floating just above the ground. It could only be Tenashar’s friend and teacher, she realized.
“You are Eirshiquanai.” Tansatei said, marveling, for she had not imagined how lovely this lady could be when Tenashar tried to describe her. “Tenashar said you came from the future. Why are you here? And why am I here?”
The floating woman smiled and gestured around her. “You are in a dream within a dream. I won’t tell you what the dream means. You’ll have to figure that out yourself.”
Tansatei realized it must still be the dream, for she was on a beach instead of in her home, where she had gone to sleep. Eirshiquanai pointed to the ocean and a beautiful green waterspout that shot up into the sky, leading to an immense sky city. The city strangely didn’t cast a shadow across the ocean and shore, as if it were there and simultaneously not. The city moved across the ocean. Ships sailed into and up the waterspout, reaching the city’s piers.
The dream of the waterspout gradually started to thin out, and the city faded away. The beach and sun faded as well, like pieces of paper being crumpled, and darkness surrounded Tansat
ei, but Eirshiquanai was still with her, and she knew it was safe.
It was almost midday when Tansatei woke. She heard noises in the distance and went out to see what was happening. She climbed a huge rock and looked back over the old village.
The Orbs had returned.
They were destroying everything left behind. She could only watch as some villagers who had ventured to the village to salvage something, anything, were swept up by the Orbs and turned to ashes. Tansatei wanted to cry out, but she heard Heitac’s voice in her mind cautioning silence, saying not to bring the Orbs’ attention to those in the mountains. Then the old woman was beside her on the rock. “There is nothing we can do. This is happening all over. The only lands untouched by the Orbs are the places that Tenashar is heading to.”
“Do you know about Eirshiquanai?” Tansatei asked her teacher.
The old woman spoke distantly, never taking her eyes from the forms ravaging the abandoned village. “I am slightly aware of Eirshiquanai, but I don’t know anything about her. She came into my dreams last night and told me Tenashar was safe.” Her eyes turned to Tansatei. “She came into your dream as well, Tansatei.”
“He will be well,” the girl said with no trace of uncertainty in her voice, though her mind was slightly less sure.
chapter 10
Strange Things Are Found
Tenashar was far away from the hill and the village, so he didn’t know about the devastation. A-amar looked back and sniffed the air but said nothing.
“What is it, A-amar? Is someone following us? Is it Tansatei?” Tenashar hoped it would be Tansatei; it would have been nice to have her on the journey. A-amar just shook his head; he said nothing.
Once the initial excitement of leaving began to wane, the uncertainty and fear made Tenashar feel sick. He still couldn’t understand why it would be best for him to go with only his unusual friends. Wouldn’t a whole group of Senetha—elders and warriors alike—be better able to handle this? So many questions. Why should he, barely a man, be sent to find a solution to the Orbs? He grumbled to himself as he walked. “This journey is so stupid. Why am I here? And why am I in the company of monsters?” Tenashar thought A-amar wasn’t listening, but he saw the wolf-man’s ears perk up.
A Journey of a Thousand Seasons Book 1 (Journey Series) Page 5