Karigan made excellent progress with controlling the images in her eye and with her enthusiasm for nightly dancing thrown into the mix, Somial allowed her time to develop her skill to control the images and further tone her body. But all good things come to an end and one afternoon, they finished their practice and he took her hand in his. Karigan was becoming very fond of Somial and found many of his mannerisms endearing but this one unnerved her as it was generally followed by something she didn't enjoy.
"Mmmmmm?" she asked him, her grin fading. He chuckled.
"Truly Karigan your progress has been remarkable and I am so pleased at the healing you have permitted within your body. You are glowing with health." She ducked her head.
"However, with health comes the ability to test the edges of what you can do. We have done so very gently in the white world as this, I think, is the hardest place for you to traverse, but I believe it is time now for you to truly test your edge there. So I will ask of you this afternoon, are you willing to explore this world in a new way?"
Figures, Karigan thought, disgruntled. Just when everything is working out for me he lays that on. She considered and stretched her back, kneading the muscles and wincing. She sighed. He was right, she was ready.
"I know I can. I'm just afraid. I'm worried about who, or what, I'll meet there. I've just had so many experiences that I can't imagine not running into trouble." She chewed her bottom lip, worrying it. There was something else, a deeper concern she had not voiced. He waited patiently for her and she took a deep breath with her eyes averted.
"It feels like if I voluntarily enter, rather than being forced in, I could lose myself for eternity in there and I might never be able to find my way back. What would happen if my soul became lost?"
Tears unwittingly formed in her eyes and she dashed them away angrily. A hand rose to brush them away and caress her cheek.
"Karigan, we have spent months training and conditioning your body because you are disciplined. Weeks practicing the control of your eye because you have a deep connection to your core. With a thread to guide you and discipline to support you, how could you possibly lose yourself?"
She was taken aback. She had never considered these skills as being useful in a place like the white world and yet he was right. If she could figure out how to use her energetic core then she could anchor herself in the living realm. She looked at his serene countenance and felt a wave of comfort and certainty roll over her. Damn it, she could do this!
"If I used my thread as a weight or a guide, how would I do this?"
He instructed her to close her eyes and she felt the warding come over her. The feel of his magic was so soothing to her now, felt at home in her body. She found her thread easily and held it loosely within her mind's eye as he had taught her.
"Karigan, when you are sure of your hold I want you to touch your brooch and look for the energy of the white world. Then follow it as you would the path to Seastaria with the thread. When you reach the white patch, let it absorb you and you will be in the white world. Come out immediately by grasping your core firmly and retreating. If you lose your core then stop, and search the energy wave until you find it."
She did as she was told, opening her eyes wide. After settling with a few meditative breaths, she closed her eyes and began as instructed. She found her thread quickly and passed her hand over her Rider brooch. Pretty soon the grains of white appeared in her grey periphery and she 'followed' the energy until it was central to her vision. She waited to see what would happen next, and she must have been swallowed instead of absorbed, as the next thing she knew she was in a world of white light. She gulped; she had only ever come here under duress and this was the first time she had volunteered herself. It was an eerie place to be and she was about to hastily retreat as he had instructed when she saw a dot out of the corner of her eye.
"No no no," she whispered. She definitely did not want to meet someone here. Although…she squinted. Perception was different in this place and the object grew larger very quickly. Karigan felt her anxiety replaced by joy when she realised she was being visited by none other than Seastaria!
"Hey girl," she said, reaching to embrace her whilst trying to carefully hold on to her core thread. "Oh, but it is wonderful to see you."
The goddess nuzzled her in response. She was clearly very happy that Karigan had finally made it. Or smug. One could never tell with deities.
"If there is something you need from me, tell me now. I really want to go back to Somial. I know you wanted me to come here but this is my first time doing it myself on purpose, so I would really like to go back and practice a few more times before you get me to do whatever thing it is you have clearly been trying to force me into."
Was it Karigan's imagination or did the horse manage to look a little abashed? She neighed and threw her head back in assent. Frowning, Karigan gave her a final pat and a bow before she returned her attention to her thread and carefully retreated out. Her vision returned to grey and she realised she had made it back to her own body!
She opened her eyes and beamed at Somial. "I did it!"
"Of course you did," he chuckled. "Well done youngling. Did you meet anyone?" She nodded.
"Seastaria came to see me. I think she was just excited because she has been trying to force me in to the white world for ages and there I was. I did ask her for some time before she starts her meddling so that I can practice; we'll see if she listens."
He laughed easily. She liked the sound of his laughter, like chimes in a breeze.
"Excellent. Let us continue this training pattern for some time then and hopefully soon you can enter without my warding. The warding just assists you to find the thread however it seems you have a strong connection with it so I am confident we can forgo the protection soon."
She nodded and rose, taking her customary leave as he closed his eyes to rest. She bathed with exuberance and laughed with Somara who chose to join her this time. Karigan quite enjoyed being able to talk to her in the hot spring rather than craning her neck up towards the ledge. They finished with her healing before walking towards the dancers. Karigan flowed very easily into the pattern and like every night, was awed that they would allow her a space in their sacred flow. The music sang of the moon tonight and she felt the calm serenity of the lunar energy fill her entire being. It felt dreamy. As on other nights when the moon was bright and full in the sky the men circled the ring of women slowly, enclosing the circle of heavenly female devotion with earthly reverence. She found herself opposite Gal'iel, his eyes closed and expression soft. He looped around her with his hands caressing the edge of her outline and she swirled more gracefully. Her eyes closed and when she was next aware another male she had come to know, Taandrin, was preparing to uphold her energy. She accepted his presence before losing herself to the dance again. The next time she opened her eyes it was Somial who danced opposite her and he smiled his calm smile. He stepped around her easily and his hands slowly followed her outline as the others had done, lingering at the end. She felt a thrill move through her and the joy of the dance suffused her entire body. She felt so connected to him, to the care that passed through him each day. She owed him her life. The dance slowed and the men melted away to sit by the nearby trees to watch. Karigan felt dreamy as she spun and swayed and just when she thought she could not possibly ever want to leave the circle, the music sped up slightly and she felt jarred. It was time for her to stop. She bowed out as gracefully as she could manage and stopped to admire Somara before smiling to herself and beginning the search for her bed.
He growled in frustration. Where were these damn things coming from?! For too long their troops had been hammered on all fronts and they were exhausted. Their food supplies were running low and he was aware that the bulk of the spring harvest was going to be in dire need, and soon. At least it looked like the crops had had a good growing season, from all reports. The rain and blood mixed well. Thank goodness the first bounty had started to filter into the camps. It should boost morale somewhat. He ran fingers through his filthy hair, bone weary. Mornhaven would send any creature he could control at the Sacoridian-Rhovan army before he would show himself. He was waiting for something, a moment. Zachary was as certain of this as he was that the sun rose in the east. And each night he went to sleep dreading was that something might be…
Karigan spent the next month strengthening her grip on her core thread and found she could now both easily control her mirror vision and walk into the white world at will. Somial gradually reduced his warding's until she no longer needed them and she began experimenting with moving from her vision then into the white world and vice versa, hoping for a seamless transition. Seastaria did not visit her again and Karigan regarded this with equal parts relief and suspicion. She panicked a couple of times when she lost her thread in the white world but Somial's words were always in the back of her mind and she managed to find the thread before backing out immediately. She felt her confidence at navigating these passages grow. Her biggest success came on the day that she realised she went from her vision meditation straight into the white world without using her brooch. Maybe it was innate after all.
Karigan awoke to another sunny day and kept in her bed, feeling a bit lazy. The sun was so warm on her skin and she loved the feel of the soft sheets. An odd thought occurred to her. It had been sunny for an age; surely autumn would be starting soon?
Today was secretly her favourite day. Hair washing day. At just the right time that she was entering her tub and oiling her skin with the scents that had somehow been perfectly selected for her, Somara would glide in and begin oiling her hair with the magical tree sap. If Karigan could bottle that stuff, she was sure she would be the richest woman in Sacoridia. It was the most soothing process and though Karigan still found it disconcerting to be waited on after all this time, she couldn't help but love the feel of her long hair being turned into a silky mane. It reminded her of afternoon baths with her aunts in the kitchen on a winter's day.
They ate together and today Karigan wolfed down her warm, honey scented porridge that was dotted with fresh blueberries and her pine scented tea. Gods she was starving. She didn't often have a big breakfast before meditation, but when a girl had to eat, what could you do about it? She stood up with their bowls and stacked them on the table. Somara opened the door to walk downstairs and Karigan went to follow her, stopping for a moment to admire the healthy, plump, toned, glowing woman in the mirror, full of all the good things in life. She smiled happily and trotted down the steps to her usual spot by the pond. Even though her back was in great condition she was under no pretence that she could sit for any duration and thus her bedroll had remained by the reeds of the lake for her entire stay. The meadow was calm and peaceful today and Karigan just spent some time alone on her back, mulling over the cloud formations in the sky. It will be hard to return to normal life, she thought sadly. People won't understand that this is the way to truly live well. It can be done, even in Sacoridia, but it would require a lot of sacrifice. How sad. I wonder what sacrifice it will require from me.
That was an interesting thought, and she considered the nature of sacrifice in her life as she watched the clouds, picked at grass, got up and walked all the way back down the path and back into consciousness. Somara was sitting and tranquilly watching the water ripples although she seemed slightly more energised today, or so Karigan thought. Karigan grinned at her smiling friend and motioned for them to walk away from the other meditators and towards lunch. They were approaching the closest tree and Karigan was just about to ask Somara why she was so happy when Somara quickly walked forward and tapped someone on the shoulder. Karigan squinted, puzzled. He looked familiar but she couldn't quite…. she had one moment of dawning realisation before shock glued her to the ground as he turned around with a gentle smile.
Enver.