Chapter Four

I Want Tomorrow

A Song By Enya

Italics – Song Lyrics

Black – Any Narrative

"Wind which blows across eternity, gather in my hands and become my strength! BRAM GUSH!" Amelia hollered into the prairie air, and more specifically at the target Zel had set up for her at the edge of the deep green grass.

She got it!

"Much better Amelia," Zel praised, standing safely away from her.

Amelia touched a hand to her forehead. This was hard work! But Zel had liked it! She turned around hoping to be rewarded by a smile on his face. "Are you sure it's okay to practice like this?" she questioned, looking over the broken prairie.

At that he smiled largely. "There is nothing to worry about Amelia. Besides, it won't start to get really ugly until I start teaching you the Vlave Howl. It will hardly be recognizable as the same stretch of land."

She nodded at him. She had been practicing with him for weeks now, and she liked him very much as a teacher. He was not hard on her, though he desired perfection. It was hard to say if that was what she liked about him the most. The lengths he went to in order to keep her fiancé away from her were brilliant. That was something she did not understand. Why should he go to such lengths for her? She couldn't understand it at all.

"That's all for today Amelia," he said picking up the remains of their boxed lunch. He didn't say good-bye, but simply walked away.

She guessed the reason he left her without inviting to escort her to the tower was solely so she could practice her magic some more without him looking at her. Amelia watched him go. She had been practicing after he had gone since their first lesson. She didn't know why she hadn't tried to leave again.

The wind was blowing in her face. There was nothing between her and the world surrounding her. And there was the sky far into the distance, right against the horizon and the last rocks that came to meet the heavens. That colour . . . aqua . . . like the sea.

She would definitely keep practicing today.

"Okay," she said gathering her power to her centre and bringing her hands together. "Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite, everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the infinite . . . RA TILT!"

Dawn breaks; there is blue in the sky

Your face before me though I don't know why

Thoughts disappearing like tears from the moon

Amelia woke up early in the morning. She had just had the strangest dream. Suddenly, a little girl again, she didn't know who she could talk about it to. It was a dark dream that made her feel like sunlight would never again belong to her. She sat up in bed.

"Life is wonderful," she said out loud, hoping that saying it would ward off any evil that happened to share the room with her.

Knock! Knock!

"Zel!" she answered brightly.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

She pulled the blankets closer around her body and declared that he was welcome to come in.

"How can you be so cheerful . . . in the morning?" Zelgadis asked her, not coming in, but simply standing at the door to talk to her.

She smiled – as big as she could. It was so good to know that she had him as a friend in this place.

"Will you be ready soon? I want to show you something special. I'll be out there waiting for you," he said with a wry grin as he moved away from the door, closing it.

Amelia went to the window and opened the glass panes. There really was nothing like the real world waking her on these mornings. The spirit of Shamanism is the world around them, encompassing all of nature. It seemed unusual that her guide into this aspect of magic was such an unnatural person. Zel was, to her, an extremely intelligent person, with a wonderful personality, as his jokes and humour went. It was obvious that Zel didn't see that about himself at all. What he saw exactly? Amelia didn't seem to know. She couldn't seem to understand why he undermined himself at all. Was his appearance really that important? He was so kind to her . . . he was a wonderful person.

Waiting here; as I sit by the stone

They came before me, those men from the sun

Signs from the heavens say I am the one

Zel stood in the middle of the prairie where they always met to have their lesson. "Amelia, watch carefully," he shouted over to where she was sitting. "This is a spell combining the power of fire and air."

He seemed to close his eyes and hold his breath before chanting the spell, but then, she realized that he had not started at all when she heard the real words of the spell.

"Ruler of the heavens," he started out saying, "son of all seas of gold, ignite the energy in my soul and bring forth radiance!" he seemed to pause just for a moment before he said the last words of the spell – the name of the spell. "RA-STRIKE!" he shouted and power streamed into him creating what seemed to be a column of fire that connected with the sun. He held it steady between his rock hands for a moment before he let it disappear into wisps of dark smoke.

"Let me try," Amelia called, running to meet him.

Zel patted her on the head with his hand. "I'm sorry, but you cannot cast that spell."

"Huh?"

He smiled. "I just thought you would be interested in watching me cast it. I'm sorry; I have to take the benefits of being a freak when they come. It was a spell I was just teaching myself. It would burn your hands, and I don't want you getting hurt."

She examined his hands. He was right. He wasn't hurt. The cuffs of his sleeves were indeed, very burnt, as well as much of the rest of his robes, but his flesh was unharmed.

"I really don't want you getting hurt Amelia," he said, turning away from her and pulling his hood up over his head. "Maybe that's all the lesson we'll have today."

He was walking away.

Amelia was just standing there.

Now I know; I can see your light,

This light that I must follow,

You -- you could take my life away

-- so far away

Now I know; I must leave your spell

-- I want tomorrow

There was something very different that suddenly happened. She had been watching Zel cast the spell. His teeth had been ground together. It had seemed as though the feelings in his heart had come up to surface in his face, and everything else was light.

How was it that her feelings had changed so much?

Now he was someone special to her.

Now you're here; I can see your light,

This light that I must follow,

You -- you may take my life away

-- so far away

Now I know; I must leave your spell

-- I want tomorrow