Chapter Eight, Reading 4

Kewero laughed at the shocked expression on Flindra's face. "I think you look more surprised than you did the first time through."
"The first time I felt a connection with life - with everything living. I didn't experience that now. Instead, my mind was filled with shifting colors. Why was it different?"
"What makes you think that it was different?"
Flindra only looked confused.
"You actually experienced different aspects of the same phenomenon," Kewero explained. "Life is energy; light is energy. They are the same. How you perceive this energy is controlled by what you are attuned to at the instant of contact. Effectively, your thoughts form the nature of the experience."
"I don't think I really understand."
"That's quite all right, Flindra. We can discuss this again in more detail. For the moment, you are to reacquaint yourself with the joys of life. Let Rigga cloak you now. Keep alert, for there may be enemies still searching for you. Come back to this yurt when you are through with your ride and I will return to guide you back to the caverns. Enjoy your ride, my Princess."
Kewero had unfastened the flap of the doorway while she had been giving her instructions. She inclined her head slightly by way of parting and disappeared back into the shimmering light.
Flindra invoked the power of Rigga and left the yurt. She checked the area for signs of danger and then galloped out into the valley. The sky was cloudless and the sun was low on the horizon. It was cold, but the cold added to Flindra's exhilaration. She felt as free as the wind.
She let Deru decide the direction to take. He was enjoying himself and quickly accelerated from a gallop to a run. Soon, Flindra ceased to be concerned with her responsibilities. She was cognizant only of the horse beneath her legs and his motion in space.