Chap. 10

The Next Step

"Have I got it yet?" Raven asked, as the smoke billowed around her. "Almost." Rorek replied. The two of them sat Indian-style in Rorek's room devoid of cloak and armor, a small bowl between them. Inside the bowl, magical herbs burned, filling the room with a green smoke, smelling of ancient spices. As the smoke twisted and turned around the room, they breathed it in, feeling it's magic permeate their beings. Slowly, Raven began to feel the smoke take effect, as their magic worked their way into her.

"I can feel it." She said aloud, in a voice distant to her ears.

"So can I." Rorek said, in a voice that came from across the universe.

He said something else, but it was lost to Raven. The smell of the smoke was overpowering, not only to her nose, but to all her senses. She could feel the airy weight of the smoke on her body. It filled her ears with its slithery coils. Her tongue was coated with spicy ash. Her eyes saw only green waves within her closed eyelids. Green. Good color. Raven thought dreamily, as her thoughts began to feel weighed down as well. Raven felt herself being pulled away, from her body, her thoughts, everything. It's really happening. She thought. I need to look at it and see. Slowly, Raven pulled her head up, against the pull of the smoke. Her eyes opened, not knowing what to expect around her. The room was gone; in its place, there was a shifting landscape made of color and light, covered in delicate mist. Raven stared in awe at what was before her. Welcome Raven. Rorek's voice said behind her. Welcome to the astral plane.

"This is really it." Raven said, her voice echoing across the open space. "This is the dreamworld." "The space between fantasy and reality." Rorek said. "The smoke did its job." "It's beautiful." Raven said, as she looked around. "It is." Rorek agreed, as he looked at her. "Look." He said, pointing to the landscape. Raven turned, and what she saw caused a gasp to escape her. The landscape had changed; it was now a grassy plain. Draped in the center was a tablecloth, on which several plates of food were placed. It was the typical family picnic scene with one exception- there was no one around. But as Raven watched, something began to form from the mist. A young woman, her hair long and swept back in a ponytail, sat down and began to pass out food. As the mists continued to clear, two small figures reached out for the food. Raven could see them more and more as the mists pulled back.

The figure on the left, laughing as it took its food, was a young boy, about four or five. His hair a tangled mess, he grinned as he dove into his plate like a pig. The figure on the right, a seven-year-old girl who could have only been his sister, all but shrieked in horror at this display. Raven smiled as she saw the girl complain to the first figure. Raven had already figured the last identity out; she'd seen it too many times in her dreams. Still, a part of her rejoiced to see their mother, a lithe, happy woman, come into full focus. Leaning forward, Rorek whispered, "They are fortunate to have such a loving mother." "What about their father?" Raven asked. As if answering, another figure began to come into focus. But Rorek pulled her aside. "Not yet Raven." The wizard said. "You must keep this dream alive." "But I know…" "True, but do you not always forget this dream, this happiness? And is it not that makes you return to your children, your husband?" Rorek asked. "Come, our time here is almost up." Raven protested, but she could already feel the astral plane begin to slip away from her.

"I'm proud of you." Rorek said with a smile, after they had awakened. "I've never seen anyone able to get to the astral plane on their first try." "Well I had a good teacher." Raven replied. Rorek simply shrugged. "Thank you for that." Raven said, as serious as she had ever been. "To see that other me…." "It isn't another you." Rorek said. "It is you, the person that you could have been, without your father's evil. It still can be you." Raven gave no answer, and Rorek continued. "The plane is a mirror, showing people the people that they can become. I know, because there was another me in there once. I saw it when I reached the astral plane for the first time. When I did, I knew that I wanted to be that person more then anything else in the world. Nothing else mattered, even thought people didn't understand. And I spent the rest of my life getting there. But Raven, I want to help you find your person now. I care about you more then anyone I have ever known." "I know." Raven said, as she ran her hand across the wizard's face. "No you don't.' Rorek said. "I have…. I have to…. In my people, we spoke of love with great passion. But there was something that we did not speak of, that meant even more to us. When we truly cared about each other, when we loved each other so…" "What?" Raven asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"We showed our love." Rorek said. "Raven, I know that you are afraid of it. But I want to share my love with you so badly. It's like a creature within me, waiting to get out." "I know Rorek. But we need to keep it chained for a bit longer." Raven said. "Why?" the wizard asked. "What is so wrong about it? It is not your father, waiting to destroy. It is ready to show you a beauty that nothing else in the world can duplicate. It is a thing of love Raven. You have wanted to know of that for so long."

Raven was silent, drinking in Rorek's words. Part of her was still frightened, but another part…. Oh it wanted to believe so badly. To experience this part of love, perhaps the greatest part of love, so very much. But Raven had been ruled by intellect for most of her life, and it still held much sway over her. It was that part that hesitated, that halted in giving so much of herself to this man that she really knew so little of. "I-I…. Rorek, we haven't known each other that long…. I just think we should wait, make it sweeter for us." Rorek was silent this time. "Do you understand?" she asked gently. Rorek did not speak. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Raven and pulled her down to the floor. Before she could do anything, Raven found the wizard on top of her. "I have had enough waiting." Rorek said, as his hands began to move around her body. "Let me show you how much I love you."

His touch was smooth, moving across Raven's body like water flowing across a stone. His hands drank in every crevice of her body, soaking up the contact like a sponge. When he did, Raven felt a sensation spring from deep inside her, spreading across her entire body. As it grew, all her intellect deserted her; instinct became her guiding force. It was that instinct that drove her fingers to trace across the muscles of Rorek's chest, hidden underneath his shirt. It was instinct that made those same hands follow that pathway to Rorek's face, and drew him to her. This is love. She though for a split second, before their lips met.

She could feel him press into her, feel the strength of his body. But as he kissed her, she could feel his hands come to rest on her chest. Suddenly, the pressure increased. Raven's eyes widened, as his lips push into her, seeming to devour her whole. Below, his hands suddenly tensed and became claws. Raven heard tearing of cloth, felt something slide across her breasts, into the flesh. There was pain, small but sharp. Her mind began to whirl, as passionate emotion and fear mixed into something that brought out the lone gift of Trigon. A black spike of energy shot from Raven's body, slamming into Rorek, and breaking the contact between them. The young wizard was hurled to the side, hitting the wall with force. Groaning, he pulled himself up. He looked at Raven, his eyes empty of the kindness he had once shown, but filled with a hunger. Raven began to move away, knowing that only one thing could sate that hunger. But Rorek was not detained, and began to move closer. "Rorek.." Raven pleaded. "I will show you my love." Rorek hissed as he closed in on her.