Somial was true to his word and each day they had longer and longer training sessions in order to practice staff training, energy flow and the entry into the white world. Karigan found the last part of their practice the most uneasy. She hated that place.
Each afternoon Somial would construct his warding's around her energy and let her experience the imagery that formed in her eye. After a few weeks eventually there was no imagery at all, just a flow of energy that felt calm and peaceful. She would have been alarmed at how good it felt to stare out of her mirror eye if it didn't feel so darn peaceful! She actually enjoyed it, and for a while that irritated her to no end. Damn, meddling gods! Once she felt good enough to sit with her eye open for several days, Somial asked her to close them, stopped his warding and they waited to see what would happen. She tensed but after a few minutes, nothing had changed. She relaxed her grip on her pants and he instructed her to open her eyes.
"I would like you to enter your meditation state right now, if you please. However rather than speaking to Seastaria, I would like you to go directly to the meadow and tell me what you see."
Karigan was surprised at this request but murmured her acquiescence, dropping in easily. She walked the path to the meadow and was gobsmacked to find a beam of golden light located directly in the centre of the field. How was it possible she had never seen this before?! She walked over and found Seastaria prancing by, evidently very pleased at this new design feature of their space. Karigan was surprised to see her; after all, it had been weeks since the goddess has last been in the meadow and Karigan has secretly started to fear she would never see the beautiful horse again. She was equally relieved and wary. What did this have to do with the magical light?
Karigan approached it and hesitated, afraid of what it might do to her. Seastaria trotted up to her and slowed down, nipping at Karigan's hand before gently nudging her forward whilst staying at hand to provide support. Karigan reached out her hand and very softly touched the beam of light. Immediately she walked dead next to it and encircled the light in her arms. She knew what this was. This was her. She knew in her bones that this was her core, the thick thread of magic that wove through her being. She could clasp it, feel it, and would never be parted from the feel of her essence again. It was an extraordinary feeling and she spent hours there, feeling home in herself like she never had before. Tears streamed down her face as the joy of this unexpected experience streamed over her. Seastaria neighed and grazed next to her the entire time. After an eternity Karigan felt a gentle tug of teeth at her elbow and she reluctantly let go. She threw her arms around the horse's neck.
"How is this possible?" she whispered. "This is me, my being, my, my magic! How can this be? Why is it here?"
The goddess gave a very ungodly grunt, mostly likely at the idea of a human asking these types of questions and Karigan wiped her eyes with laughter. "I must return to Somial, I was only supposed to be gone for a minute." She was almost positive that Seastaria gave her a sly wink before Karigan gave her a final pat and returned back to her teacher.
Opening her eyes, Karigan drew them widely as she stared at Somial.
"You would never believe what just happened! Somial you're right! I have magic!" He laughed at her delight and smiled broadly.
"But of course, young one. Would you care to share your experience?"
Karigan explained the reappearance of her deity and the beam of golden light that she had enmeshed herself with. Somial nodded as she spoke.
"I am glad you were able to so quickly identify with your energetic core. Do you remember the feel of it in your body? That is the thread we will try to find within your energy flow so that we may control it."
Karigan cocked her head and thought about this as she tried to recall the feeling of her energy. "Huh," she said absent-mindently, "you know I swear I was gone for an age. A golden thread. I think that's what I'm searching for."
"Shall we try again youngling?"
She nodded, eager to try now that she knew what she was looking for. Somial set his wards and she entered, comfortable with the ease of the silvery mirror river that flowed through her consciousness. A voice came from far away.
"Now within the flow, search for the golden thread and once you see it, hold it lightly with your mind. You have walked our paths for some time. Feel for the light as you would feel for an Eletian path."
Karigan stopped concentrating on the flow and let it pass through her with ease, gazing at nothing with a very soft focus. There! Just in the upper left of her awareness was a hint of gold. She fished for it with her mind and after a few attempts, gently hinged the thread and "held" it in her mind. She felt the flow of energy re-shift itself around the golden thread and had the distinct impression that she now controlled the flow of visions.
"Good Karigan. Now I will release my wards slowly and as I do so, I want you to grasp the thread more firmly. Be gently, you don't want it to bunch in your hands, just hold it steadily and softly."
She felt Somial lift his protections and with difficulty managed to hold her magic. She wasn't fast enough however and the thread immediately started to knot. Images flashed in her mind quickly, arrows arcing overhead, and she cried in agony at the sudden, searing pain and fell on the ground, holding her eye and gasping. Cold hands immediately clasped her head and a few seconds later the pain had dulled to a faint ache.
"Well that didn't quite go to plan," she said weakly.
Somial smiled. "You did very well. It will take some time to master the art of holding that energy and I am impressed with what you managed to achieve this session. Whilst I do not wish pain on your person, it may be that it was useful to experience to give you more of a feel for how to manage the thread. Eventually, when you have enough control, we will practice allowing some rigidity on purpose so that you can generate visions at will, rather than being at their mercy."
Karigan grimaced. She never wanted to see visions again, let alone at will! But I suppose they might have some use, she grumbled to herself. She was tired.
"Can we skip the white world today Somial? That was, quite difficult," she asked hopefully.
He smiled. "Of course. Besides, I want you to finish early today as I have something else I wish you to engage in tonight."
With that mysterious sentence he closed his eyes to 'reboot' as she privately called it. She bathed quickly and quietly so that Somial could recover and finish her ministrations. Her back had improved so much since her time here had begun that she didn't even recognize herself. It was remarkable.
The companions returned to the Eletian grove, talking amiably about the forest and architectural inspiration as they went. This time Somial joined them at dinner and they ate with the other Eletians. Karigan said hello to the few who had taken the time to acknowledge her and even chatted to her travel companions for a few minutes. Music was an intergral part of Eletian culture but it tended to shift so subtly into her awareness that it always seemed to surprise her when the dancing at night began. She loved to watch it and often spent time doing so, watching Somara. It was a sight to behold, the exquisite ladies flowing besides their equally graceful partners. She noticed that unlike human dancing, they seemed to take turns and rarely danced together. She thought it better this way, more earnest.
Somial watched beside her silently for some time before turning towards her.
"The next part of your recovery involves dancing, if you will permit it. This movement of your body in a very unpatterned fashion will lubricate your muscles and accelerate the healing of your body, since micro patterns of stiffness will be broken. I cannot force you, but I would highly encourage several rounds per night."
Karigan swallowed. Dance with Eletians? This was too much. But she was an emissary; she had to keep reminding herself that technically she was here on business. If her hosts asked her to dance, she couldn't politely say no, could she? A bead of sweat developed on her brow and she tried to remind herself that whilst she was tone deaf, she had always been considered a good enough dancer back home and was unlikely to embarrass herself, or at least not more than a single human could in a sea of graceful Eletians at any rate.
"I would be most honoured," she replied in her most messenger of tones and with a short form merchants bow. He returned her gesture with a small smile.
"All you need to do is stand to the side when the women begin to move and close your eyes. Feel the music in your bones. And when the time is ready, join."
His simple statement filled her with unease. Their circle seemed intricate and she was going to make a bloody fool of herself. How could she possibly dance without tutelage of the pattern? But Somial had not strayed her afoot yet and so she obeyed his instructions, moving to stand next to Somara who smiled at her with encouragement. Karigan closed her eyes and listened, really listened to the music. The tones soothed her soul and flowed over her like a gentle wave and she found herself swaying her hips, relaxing with each note. Eventually she became so absorbed that she could feel the power of the music build inside her. How amazing! She had never had an experience like this at home. With curiosity, she tried to tap into the feeling at her core; not quite reaching for her magic – she was too afraid to do that without Somial – but to feel that pulse of golden light. As soon as she came within its boundaries the music shifted within her like she had never felt before and all of a sudden she moved her body into the circle, moving through the dance exactly as the music wanted her to. She felt elated, calm, and so joyful. She felt the music purr to her and danced on, with aliveness seeping into her every pore. And just when she thought she couldn't possibly experience any more pleasure, she felt the music begin to slow and the cadence change and she understood that this was the end of the female creation and the slower, building pulse of the masculine was beginning. She slowed and stopped, coming to stand beside Somial and beaming up at him. He seemed most please.
"Somial that was incredible. Can we just do this all day?!"
He laughed. "The music is always there youngling, to those who open their hearts to it. You have done very well. You may watch the dance brought into balance now or you may accompany Somara for refreshment before you sleep. I will see you on the morrow."
Unexpectedly, he gently lifted the back of her hand and kissed it before joining the male dancers. She watched admiringly as his muscles rippled over his arms and he flowed into the dance with steadiness, sureness and strength. It was entrancing. After some time watching she was all of a sudden very tired.
"Might I interest you to share honey tea with me before we retire?" came a voice to her left. She smiled at Somara.
"I would love to."
They walked to the tree closest to Karigan's apartment and sank onto the soft grass, sipping tea together. Fireflies lazily flew around their heads and Karigan couldn't remember when she had felt happier in her life. A question came to her suddenly.
"So what do you do at night when I go to sleep? Do you sleep as well?"
Somara considered this for a moment. "We rest but perhaps not as you would deem it so. Sometimes we would repose and sleep as a human does. Sometimes we take in the energy of the moon or the trees. We rest in meditation or in the beauty of the natural world around us. It would depend on what energy or quality within us is depleted and thus requires restoration. Does that answer your question?"
Not really, Karigan thought, interested at the idea that one didn't need to sleep at night. Think of the fun things she could do instead! Although that being said she liked a good, deep sleep. "What will you do tonight?" she asked curiously.
"The energy Somial and I used to assist in the clearing is meditative in nature so tonight, I will rest under the full moon and soak in her calm quiet."
Karigan smiled. How beautiful. She finished her tea and bade Somara good night before walking back to her warm, inviting bed.