She closed her eyes and continued to practice with the power
shield. She wove the imaginary purple
nimbus around herself into a tight, impenetrable shield. The shield would be stronger than the most
durable steel and as unyielding as solid rock.
Flindra knew the reality of her vision and felt the tangible power when
she opened her eyes. A glance to the
ring showed that Rigga glowed in violet intensity. The tarnish on the silver had disappeared,
revealing the brightness of the metal.
Flindra relaxed her concentration and the protective shield
vanished. Rigga, however, remained
untarnished and the amethyst shone with greater clarity. The opaque shape at the center of the stone,
which she'd noticed the first time she'd looked at the gem, had changed. The shape had coalesced into the image of a
majestic eagle in flight. She smiled in
pleasure knowing this great gift had come from King Meldh and that he had
thought of her all those years ago. The
ring was a visual reminder that she was never alone.
The smile stayed on her lips while she closed her eyes to
exercise her concentration. Summoning
the purple nimbus in her mind repeatedly made Flindra feel confident that she
could call upon the protective shield when needed.
The confidence made her bold. She reached her hand into the flames to test
the adequacy of the shield. Flindra
laughed in joy as her hand was untouched by the searing kiss of the flames. She pulled her hand from the flame and was
content in the knowledge that Rigga really was a ring of power.
Since her dream had been correct about Rigga, it also meant
the rest was true as well. She wondered
about her ability to draw from her memories - the memories of all her
line. It would be helpful if she could
recall the stored information at will.
Even if the information came to her only in times of need it would be
extremely valuable.
Reaching into one of her saddlebags, Flindra took out a
piece of dried fruit and some jerky and began to eat. As she chewed, she reflected on the events of
the last day. The attack on her life had
left her afraid and she fully understood that she faced tremendous dangers and
would have to be careful as she traveled to Kewero. Even so, she felt a certain comfort in
finally hearing of the Ansu for an unknown terror is harder to deal with than
the known.
Flindra also didn't feel as alone now. Dreaming of King Meldh had helped, as did the
knowledge she had gained of Rigga and the crystal sphere. She would have help in fulfilling her destiny
and that gave her a large measure of comfort.
"Thank you, Beloved Spirit," she said in a
whisper. "Thank you for showing me
that I'm not alone. I know you are
always with me, but it is comforting to know more about who and why I am. Thank you."
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