Finally, after two hours, or perhaps less than two minutes, Rindu averted his gaze. “No, you did not insult or disrespect her. I was confused about your reasoning. That is all.”
Exhaling, seemingly for the first time since he had answered Rindu, Sam's shoulders drooped and he slumped, deflated. “Oh, that's good. The last thing I would ever want to do was to show disrespect for my teachers and my friends. I think that maybe it's just that, well, you are a Zouy master. You look like a master, with the master monk kind of clothes and the weight of the years you carry because of your age, and just because of the way you are. Nalia, while obviously a master at combat, is closer to my age and it simply never occurred to me to call her master.”
Rindu considered Sam. “I see. Sit. I would tell you something. It is a story my master told me when I was a young monk in the Zouy temple at Kokitura. I was distressed because I wanted a friendship with another of the young disciples, but could not find a way to start the friendship.
“There was once a strange fish and an ugly flightless bird. As the bird was looking at its pathetic image in the surface of the pond, the strange fish came gliding to the surface.
“‘Ho there, ugly bird, what is the matter? You are looking depressed,’” said the fish.
“The bird regarded the strange fish. ‘I am sad. I am ugly and cannot fly. What good is a bird, an ugly bird, that cannot fly? There is not even anyone to whom to tell my sad tale.’
“The fish nodded his slick scaly head sadly. ‘I understand. I also have no one to complain to about my lot in life. I do not fit in with the other fish. I am too different.’
“Both of the lonely creatures shook their heads and lamented.
“‘I have an idea,’ said the fish. ‘Why do we not be each other's friends? Then we will not have to be sad and lonely. We can be sad together.’
“The bird thought that a fine idea and agreed.
“But it was not to be. The fish had to remain in the water and the bird on land, so their plan was flawed from the start. Though they would see each other and talk at a distance, they could not truly be friends and spend time together because they were trapped in different worlds.
“So it went for a time, each sad, lonely creature making its way and looking forward to the rare times when they could talk to each other, always at a distance.
“Then, one day, the fish found that he was changing. He was growing things on his body. He felt different. He wanted to talk to the bird, but he saw him from the surface of the water, out of reach and seemingly going through a problem of his own. He was losing his skin!
“After several days of frightening changes, the fish found that it could now crawl, and preferred to do so. He crawled from the water and lay in the mud. Turning his eyes about, he saw the bird, but his ugly friend looked different. In place of his ragged feathers, he now had colorful, shiny feathers. What's more, when he flapped them, he raised off the ground!
“So it was that the fish, who now realized he had grown into a frog, and the bird, who was not flightless at all and definitely no longer ugly, became good friends, now able to share the same world. And they remained happy friends for the rest of their lives.”
Sam nodded his head thoughtfully and looked at Rindu. “So, am I the tadpole who turns into a frog and Nalia is the ugly bird?”
Rindu shook his head in disgust. “No.” Glaring at Sam, he continued, “Why is it so difficult for you people to understand my parables and anecdotes? The point is that when people change, we never know how the change will affect us. It may be good, as with the fish and the bird, or it may not be so good. The point is, if you want to be Nalia's friend, be patient and see what changes occur. You are from different worlds, so give it some time and maybe you will find you are from the same world after all.”
“I see. Thank you, Master Rindu. I do want to be Nalia's friend. I want to be friends with all of you. I’ll try to remember what you said and try not to be so frustrated when it seems that I irritate her.”
“Good. Now, let us do some rohw sensitivity exercises. Tomorrow when we stop, I will start training you on projecting the rohw.”
Sam got into the familiar cross-legged position facing Rindu and began his deep breathing. He could hardly wait until tomorrow's lesson. From Rindu…and from Nalia.
23
All the next day as the party made their way through a section of foothills, Sam thought about the training he would receive when they stopped for the day. He had been working with Rindu to be able to identify and recognize the energy surrounding him, the rohw, but he had not learned much about actually using the energy. He was anxious to see to what use he could put the vibrational energy.
“You are naturally very sensitive to the rohw,” Rindu had told him. “You seem to have an affinity for it. This is good, because I do not have a decade to train you in the traditional manner of the Zouyim.”
All day, as he was riding Shonyb, he practiced his breathing and concentration. He focused on his breaths as he breathed in and out, trying to get himself into the proper frame of mind for the night's lessons.
He was happy with his progress in combat as well. Nalia was a tough taskmaster, but he was faster and more fluid than he ever thought he would be. He still couldn’t strike her when they were sparring and he didn’t block or parry most of her strikes, but he could tell that he was getting better, getting a feel for moving in the correct way. He saw it, too, in the slight nods of her head after he slithered out of a particularly difficult combination she threw at him. He had a long way to go, but he had already learned much.
As for using vibrational energy, well, he felt that he hadn't progressed very far from when he first starting training with Rindu. It wasn't that the Zouy wasn't teaching him. No, he could sense the energy and extract it from the surroundings. Ok, it was just that one time he had gathered it within himself, but that wasn’t the issue. The problem was that he didn't know what to do with it. Instead of doing something tangible, he just felt his limbs grow hot, felt the effects of the energy on his internal pathways.
But tonight would change that. Sam was sure Rindu would start with something very small, but at least it would be something he could practice and improve upon, showing the Zouy he was ready for more complex things. He would keep trying to transport himself back home as he learned more and more. H knew he could do it.
Being so focused on practicing and on anticipation, the day's riding was over before he knew it. As they were stopping for the evening, Sam became excited that he would finally start the part of training he had been waiting for.
Rindu sat in his customary position in front of Sam, knees almost touching Sam's knees. They were a mirror image of each other, both in the cross-legged relaxed pose they used for mediation and for rohw exercises.
“Now,” Rindu started, “you know what we have been doing so far. Up until now, I have been trying to make you accustomed to feeling the rohw. It is all around you, in everything. It is the driving force of the universe, that which allows us and all other things to live.”
He looked squarely into Sam's eyes. “Some would underplay the importance of the rohw, but to do so would be to limit oneself. To truly master the vibrational energy, one must give himself over to it heart and soul, believing with every part of himself that proper use of the rohw may allow a master to do anything. Do you believe that, Sam?”
“Yes, Master Rindu. I have seen and learned enough to know that use of the rohw makes one capable of wondrous things.”
“But yet you doubt still.” The Zouy held up a hand to forestall Sam's objection. “No, no, do not argue. I mean it, not as an insult, but as enlightenment. You believe many things are capable, but you do not believe you are capable of those many things.”
Bowing his head, Sam said softly: “I haven’t learned to do wondrous things. I haven’t learned to use the rohw to do anything at all, but only to sense it. I feel it, but I can’t use it.”
“Yes, that is true. And tha
t is precisely the problem we will begin to remedy this night. As l was saying, the rohw is all around us. You have worked to feel it, to channel it, to take it into yourself, but you are frustrated because once you have gathered it, you cannot do anything with it.”
With a sly look coming over his face, Rindu continued: “It is like the pregnant rat who is driven to eat and eat but does not know why it is gathering so much energy into itself. Only when the young ones come does it understand that all of the energy from the food it ate was going toward growing the young rat inside itself.”
“So I'm a pregnant rat now?” Sam asked with a wink. “What happened to being a strange fish or an ugly bird?”
“Ha!” Rindu chuckled. “You are whatever creature I desire, if it will teach you my lessons. But enough of this. Do you not want to learn to apply your energy, Mrs. Rat?” The monk’s eyes twinkled and the fine lines around them deepened.
“I do, illustrious Master!” said Sam flourishing his hands elaborately.
“Very well. We will start with something small. Do you recall our exercises in which you attempt to push rohw from your palms to mine? We will start with that. Please put your palms out toward me.” Sam did so.
“I will gently push toward your palms. Tell me when you feel the pressure, and then again when you feel it increase.”
Rindu raised his hands, palms facing Sam's but a foot away from them. He looked directly at Sam, his gaze never wavering. He sat there motionless, yet Sam could feel his palms being pushed away from the monk. “I feel the pressure,” Sam told him.
Suddenly, the pressure increased tenfold, forcing Sam's arms back as if someone had struck his hands. “Wow!” was all he said.
Rindu looked at him quizzically. “Does that mean you felt the pressure increase?”
“Definitely. If I was standing, I believe you would have pushed me down.”
“Good. The first pressure you felt, you felt because you have gained sensitivity to the rohw. Others would not have felt that. The second wave of energy was not so subtle. Anyone could have felt that, for it was physical. Now, I want to lead you in doing the same.”
Excited, Sam straightened his back and took a deep breath. “I'm ready,” he said.
Rindu had Sam breathe for a few moments, relaxing his entire body as they had been practicing. Then, he had Sam repeat the motions he had taught him to absorb energy from his surroundings. Sam moved his hands in the circular patterns he had been taught, flowing smoothly through the air as if scooping up something precious floating in the air around him. His palms and the soles of his feet began to warm noticeably. When Rindu was satisfied that Sam was ready, he continued.
“I want you to picture the channels in your body, the pathways of the rohw that we have discussed. Can you see in your mind how the energy circles around in your body, and how it brings in fresh energy and expends the old energy?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now, I want you to manipulate the energy. I want you to channel it so that it flows toward your palms. First, face your palms toward each other and focus on pushing the rohw out through the palms to push the other palm away. Can you do that?”
Sam closed his eyes. Rindu never closed his eyes when he used the rohw, but for Sam, it made it easier to picture in his mind what was happening. He pictured the energy flowing like water through a hose, circling around throughout his body and then pouring out of his palms. His palms sensed a pressure, as if someone was pushing each palm away from the other with a feather. He was unsure if it was actual pressure or some feeling concocted in his mind. He would assume the former. “I feel it.” he said.
“Good. Now I want you to turn your palms toward me and try to push my palms away from yours. Do not worry about the force of the push. Just try to expel the energy out of your palms and into mine.”
Sam nodded. He found that his face was scrunched up in concentration and he carefully relaxed the muscles in his face and neck to allow the rohw to flow. When he was once again like a placid lake, he pictured the energy flowing out of his palms like before, water coming out of a hose.
He kept this up for several minutes, waiting for Rindu to say something. But the Zouy said nothing. Sam cracked his eyelids to peak at the monk, but Rindu never shifted position, sitting across from Sam unmoving with his palms facing him. Sam found his face begin to flush. He was sitting here and doing nothing. Rindu was waiting for him to push, even a little, but nothing was happening. Sam had failed.
Finally, unable to stand it anymore, Sam opened his eyes and allowed his focus to shatter. “I'm sorry, Master Rindu. I just don't seem to be able to do it.”
Rindu tilted his head slightly to the left and looked into Sam's eyes. A ghost of a smile began to form on his mouth, but then was quickly smoothed away. “Wait here,” he said to Sam, and got up and went toward his tent. It was just now starting to get dark. It appeared that they had been at it longer than Sam recalled.
When Rindu came back, he held a candle. “Let me show you something.” he said as he held the candle up with his right hand. With his left, he snapped his fingers on the wick of the candle, and a flame jumped to life. Sam was astonished.
Rindu looked confused for a brief moment. “Oh. That is not what I wanted to show you. That will be a later lesson. No, this is what I want to show you. Breathe deeply for five breaths, and focus on your rohw. I want you to do the same as you did before, but instead of trying to push my palms away, try to push the candle's flame away.” Sam nodded, noticing that the evening air was so still, the candle’s flame was burning straight up, not flickering in the least.
Sam did as Rindu asked, closing his eyes and concentrating. After a moment, he heard the Zouy. “Now open your eyes.”
His heavy lids rose slowly. With night falling upon the clearing, everything outside the light of the candle was gray and silhouetted. Squinting at the candle's flame, brighter than it should be, he noticed something odd. It was horizontal, as if fleeing from Sam. He started, his concentration shattering once again. With his concentration broken, the flame leapt upward to its natural vertical position. Sam's mouth dropped open. “Wh...what was that?” he asked.
Rindu smiled. “That was the effect of your rohw on the candle's flame. Would you like to try it again?”
“Absolutely!” And he did. Three more times he made the flame flee from him before losing concentration and then trying again. After the third, he was exhausted.
Rindu patted him on the shoulder. “You see, Sam, I felt you projecting your rohw when you first tried, but telling you is a poor substitute for you seeing it yourself. I wanted you to see the effects of what you were trying to do.”
“It's amazing, but it's a candle flame. I could blow on it and it would be affected more strongly, even making it go out.” Sam dropped his tired head.
“Yes, but it is a start. Do you think you will recognize the feeling again if you encounter it, the feeling of the rohw circling within you and then being projected out of you?”
“I think so.”
“That is good. From now on, you will practice every chance you get. You have the beginning now. You have only to practice and make it grow stronger. Pushing is the simplest of things you can do with your rohw. Once you have practiced that, we will add other things. To help you practice, I have a gift for you.”
Producing a small wooden box, Rindu handed it over to Sam. He opened it to see five small balls made of a material he had never seen before. They were extremely light, weighing almost nothing, but each varying in weight from the others.
Rindu took one of the balls and put it in his palm. “They are seed pods. The particular plant from which each comes is not important. What is important is that they make good toys to train the rohw, as such.” With his hand held palm up with the seed in it, he looked at Sam, then back at the seed pod, drawing Sam's eyes to it. It jumped up as if pulled by an invisible string and hovered an inch above the monk's hand.
Raising one eyebrow, Rindu put his
other hand out with the palm up and Sam watched the ball jump onto that hand. Pausing for a moment to pull out two more of the balls, Rindu began juggling them in a simple circle pattern without moving his hands at all. “You see,” he said, “the lightness of the balls make them ideal to practice moving them with the rohw without making you frustrated. As your skill improves and you can juggle all five without difficulty, you will start using heavier pebbles. As with muscles, practicing using your rohw will make it stronger.”
Sam accepted the box and the five seed pod balls from Rindu, bowing. “Thank you Master Rindu. I will practice with them and try to get stronger.”
Patting Sam on the shoulder, the monk smiled. “I know you will. You are very conscientious that way. It will become easier as you practice. The beginning is always the most difficult part. It is said, ‘grabbing the udder, the cow is half milked.’”
“Who, exactly, says that?” Sam asked
The Zouy mage winked at Sam “I do. Did you not just hear me do so?”
Sam and Rindu ate quickly and Sam headed to his tent where he could start practicing what he had learned. Hours later, thoughts of creating fire from his fingertips dancing in his head, he nodded off to sleep.
24
Ix sat patiently in what passed for a tavern in Raihar. She had seen better looking rooms in abandoned, burned villages. The small room had only ten diminutive tables, spread out in no particular pattern. Nor were they the same design but appeared to be whatever the enterprising tavern owner could scare up from the other residents of the town. Or from the local midden heap.
The town itself was small, home to less than fifty people. Though there were tiny farms surrounding the town, the main source of income was through trade and services provided for those passing through. Thus it was that such a small village had a tavern at all.
Ix took another slow sip of her drink, a locally-made ale apparently, and looked out the window. She had an unobstructed view of the main street in the village, consisting of several squat, square wooden buildings. They were made of rough hewn wood, had slightly sloping roofs, and no glass in the windows. Curtains in the windows moved softly in the afternoon breeze.
Vibrations: Harmonic Magic Book 1 Page 17