Chapter XIV, Reading 4

Dawn found Flindra creeping stealthily through the dense grass of the swamp south of Ladh. The grass was taller than she was so Flindra had a hard time seeing what was ahead. This swamp grass was like nothing she had ever encountered. It was as sharp as a knife along the edges, which made for difficult travel. The ground beneath the grass was soggy with stagnant water and the area reeked of rotting vegetation.

Flindra had examined the area with her crystal orb before she had left her cot this morning. She knew that before them, a mile into the swamp, was a higher area that was free of the swampy waters. Along this ridge, the swamp grass gave way to a dense growth of briar bushes and small trees. The higher area might provide a place to quarter troops. What she couldn't understand was why anyone would want to hide troops in this awful place.

Sergeant Leitho was following a few paces behind her. She could hear the sucking sound that came whenever he pulled a foot out of the muck. Lieutenant Kalmyk generally assigned him to accompany her whenever she was sent ahead to scout. She suspected it was his way of providing an element of protection for her.

Flindra saw several birds take to flight and instinctively dropped to the ground. She heard Leitho doing the same. As she lay in the mud, he slowly crawled up to her.

"See anything?" he whispered.

"Birds," Flindra replied in a whisper and pointed to the area where the birds had left.

They lay still for several more minutes and heard nothing more. Flindra was about to get up when she felt a warning pulse from the crystal orb, which was tucked beneath her tunic. This was a new occurrence for her. The only time she had experienced anything remotely similar was the time she had triggered the Ansu trap when she was seeking Kewero.

Chapter X, Reading 19

"No, Momma. I don't remember, but I'm glad I did so you wouldn't worry about me. I must thank you again."

"I'm happy that we were able to help you in your time of need. There is no need for any more thanks." Dakra looked intently at her daughter. "What did you do to your hand, Flindra?"

"I burned myself," she said as she looked down at her bandaged hand. She had forgotten that her mother could see her as if she were present.

"Does it hurt much?"

"No. Kewero has been taking good care of me so don't worry, Momma."

Dakra smiled. "I will always worry, Flindra. Don't you know that's the nature of mothers?"

Flindra laughed joyfully. "I guess it is."

"How is everything else? Are you happy? Are you safe?"

Tears touched Flindra's eyes as she noted the tone of concern in her mother's voice. "I'm safe here with Kewero. I have a terrible enemy who I must face at some point in the future, but that trial is hopefully a long time in coming. Now is the time for learning. I'm learning the things I will need in my conflict with the Evil Ones."

Dakra's eyes clouded with worry. "I see."

"To answer your other question, I must say that I haven't had much time to indulge in emotions. I suppose I'm content. I miss my family and my home too much to be truly happy."

"Give yourself time, Flindra. The happiness you have known with us will not be the only joy in your life. The duties of your life are great, but the rewards will be of like kind. Look forward to your life. Know this, where there is life there is hope. Let optimism grow in your heart." Dakra ended her advice with a smile not on her mouth but in her eyes.

"I love you, Momma."

"I love you, too."

"I'll project myself here again, now that I know its possible." She looked around the room. "Why did you move?"

"I didn't need the big house any more and Leudh's family did. The move made sense."

"I suppose so." She laughed. "I'm glad I filled my thoughts with you and not of the house. I would have ended up in the wrong place."

Dakra smiled happily. "You'll have to be careful when you visit for I don't think the twins could understand. Oh Flindra, it's so good to be able to actually speak with you. This is a great blessing of the Spirit."

"It is. I'll visit often so you don't worry about me. Give my love to Leudh and his family."

"I will."

"Good-bye Momma."

Chapter X, Reading 18

Dakra was asleep and looked at peace. There was a slight smile on her lips and Icy was curled up behind her knees. She must be having a pleasant dream.

Flindra said nothing but took the time to look around the tidy little room. Now she noticed that Dakra was living in Leudh's home. Her mother's things were all in place, but the house was different. Everything appeared so real as she looked about her and she knew this could be no memory. This was new and so intensely real. The sights and the sounds swept over her; she was pulled into this alternate reality. As far as her eyes were concerned, she was home.

Flindra concentrated on her mother, planting the message that she was all right. As she was thinking, Dakra's eyes opened. She looked at the foot of the bed with shocked surprise. "Flindra! What are you doing home?"

It unnerved Flindra to be hearing her mother's words outside the dream realm. "I'm not really here, Momma," she answered hesitantly. "I'm still with Kewero in the Northern Reaches. I'm just projecting my mind through the crystal sphere. I'm not sure you will be able to hear me now that you are awake."

"I can hear you quite well, dear Flindra," Dakra said with a happy smile. "I don't know how you are doing this, but you're here. You're here, Flindra."

"I'm awed, Momma. I don't know how I'm doing this. I don't quite understand how."

"Don't question things, Flindra," Dakra said with the wisdom of a mother. "Now, tell me why you are here."

"I wanted to tell you that you and Leudh saved me. I wanted to thank you. It was your love, which helped me focus my thoughts so I could escape the void. Without your help, I couldn't have made it. I also want to know how you knew I was in such trouble."

"Dearest Flindra, there is no need for thanks. The knowledge that we, in some small way, helped you is thanks enough. We knew you were in trouble when both Leudh and I had a nightmare about you and our hearts were filled with worry. The next night I dreamt of you again. In this dream, I experienced a horrible, endless and hopeless void. I could wake up from such a nightmare but I knew you weren't able to. I talked it over with Leudh and we decided that we had to try to reach you. We thought of our home as we went back to sleep. We know you love this place and hoped that love could aid you."

"How did you guess to do this?"

"It was Leudh's suggestion. Perhaps his love for you gave him the answer."

"Will you thank him for me?"

"You've already done that."

"I have?"

"After we sent the vision of this home, we both knew that we had succeeded. You reached out to thank us. Don't you remember?"

Chapter X, Reading 17

"Perhaps you should contact them. The orb cannot harm you - your power level has increased so much since your ordeal. You might be able to get more information on this mind link with your family from them."

"I would like to thank them for their help, but how can I ask them questions? I just visit their dreams - leave them messages."

"I used to think that was the limit of the connection. Your experience with your foster family suggests that I was wrong and I suspect you can do much more. The connection between you and your family is strong enough for them to know of your danger. Just as importantly, they were able to contact you with just their love to guide them. Don't limit your mind by accepting untested boundaries."

"All right."

"If you don't mind I would like to stay here to observe what happens, if you don't find it to be a violation of your privacy."

Flindra laughed and reached over to touch her mentor's hand. "It doesn't matter to me if you watch. I would tell you everything anyway, so it will just save us both time."

Kewero nodded in acceptance of Flindra's trust. "Thank you. Try to contact them and see if you can get any information."

Flindra looked into her crystal sphere and willed the contact with her mother. She paused for a moment and looked at the orb like it was a new and unfamiliar object. The feel had changed. Then she realized that the burn on her palm was reacting to the orb even through the bandage. It was an intense physical contact and she could distinguish her own essence permeating the crystal. Somehow, she had become joined to the power within the crystal and the burn was only a manifestation of that weld.

As she filled her mind with Dakra's essence and concentrated on the crystal, Flindra expected the familiar color vortex. There was none, nor any blinding white light. Her consciousness simply transported directly to her Momma's bedside.

Chapter X, Reading 16

"Is that how Momma and Leudh were able to reach me when I was in trouble? They don't have a crystal but their thoughts reached me."

Kewero's face registered surprise. "When were they in contact with you?"

Flindra took a deep breath before she began. "My memory of the time after I broke through to the place beyond the barrier is confused, but some things stand out clearly. I was numbed by the enormity of the knowledge of the Spirit, so numbed that I became hopelessly adrift in a place of nothingness. I sank into that nothingness and found myself unable to escape, in truth, to do anything. I was losing myself to the emptiness, when an image took root in my mind.

"The image became a clear awareness of the my home. I could see, feel, and smell the familiar things of my childhood. This vision provided an anchor, something concrete for me to grasp. Fused throughout the image was the presence of Momma and Leudh. I don't know how they knew I was in trouble or how they reached into my mind, but I do know that they saved me. It was their efforts that brought me back from oblivion."

Kewero sighed as she pondered Flindra's story. "Are you sure that Dakra and Leudh were the source of these thoughts?"

"I'm positive. The thoughts were alive with their essence. I could almost feel them."

"This is curious, my child. The love you share with your foster family must be great indeed."

"It is."

"I can only guess that the Spirit must have used your family and your mutual love to rescue you from your peril. Have you contacted them through the crystal since your experience?"

"No I haven't. I was respecting your advice to leave the orb alone until we determined what had happened to me."

Chapter X, Reading 15

Flindra laughed with joy when she witnessed the truth of Kewero's words. She'd succeeded in hiding Rigga. "I still feel the power shield about me. Making Rigga invisible hasn't changed its effectiveness."

"You need to practice this aspect of your control for it would be best if you keep knowledge of Rigga a secret. Try repeating this exercise daily until you have total control over this."

"I will."

"I think for the moment we are finished with Rigga. Now we need to work on disguising your newfound confidence and power. Right now, your true identity would be easy to discover. You exude a level of power, which marks you as being something more than a woodsman's daughter. Remember that the agents of the Ansu have not forgotten you. Their efforts to stop you will only intensify as events move toward the time when our world must face the Kwetwer," Kewero cautioned.

"Have I really changed that much?"

"You have been changing and growing everyday since you arrived - most dramatically since your journey beyond the barrier."

"How can I disguise who I am?"

"In your mind you must become the person you are supposed to be. If you are playing the part of a woodsman's daughter then you must think in your mind, know in your heart, that you are a simple rustic. You also might be able to use Rigga to enhance that impression."

The two women continued to discuss various possibilities of Rigga's power shield in covering Flindra's identity. Then the topic of discussion migrated to the nature of the crystal orb and how it could be used.

"I believe the ultimate power of the orb will only be revealed when it is needed," Kewero commented. "Until that time, you will find it useful for more mundane tasks. Your first encounter with the crystal sphere enabled you to contact me. You will always be able to communicate with me. You need only to look into the orb and think of me. I will feel your thoughts and will come to this chamber."

"What about contact through our dreams, like I'm doing with Momma and Leudh?"

"It is surer and more effective to communicate directly with the crystals. This is the most precise transfer of thought. We can also be in contact with each other through our dreams. However, this works best to transfer emotional thoughts. You love your family dearly and it is that love which has made your communications possible."

Chapter X, Reading 14

They started with Rigga. The ring was very important for Flindra's safety would depend on its power. Kewero had her practice invoking the power shield. She soon improved the talent until she could create the purple aura with just a thought. She no longer had to imagine the details - it just was. It also took little effort to maintain the shield.

Kewero's goal was for Flindra to be able to maintain the protective shield even when she was concentrating on other things or was sleeping. Assassins tended to wait until their victim was occupied with other things before they attacked. Flindra needed to practice with Rigga until the power shield was a reflex.

She told her to keep the purple aura at skin level. This would provide good protection against an attack and would prevent anyone from inadvertently sensing the power shield. It could be difficult to conceal her identity if someone felt Rigga's power.

Flindra's protection was Kewero's primary concern and the control aspects of the ring were of secondary importance. Actual practice with this aspect of the ring would have to wait until Flindra returned to the world. The power shield did not influence Kewero and there was little challenge in manipulating Deru. Kewero told her to practice with benign control first - just to learn how to do it. That way, she would be comfortable with the power when she needed it. What she could expect to accomplish with Rigga would be limited only by her imagination.

"Now little one, I want you to try something."

"Certainly."

"You have gone to great lengths to learn how to keep Rigga's power shield from becoming noticeable. We need to do something about the ring itself. It won't do any good if you try to be a simple rustic with a royal ring on your finger. I want you to imagine the ring becoming invisible on your finger. Create the picture in your mind and see if reality responds."

"How can I do that?"

"Just try. I think Rigga has possibilities we haven't even discovered."

Flindra closed her eyes and imagined the ring on her finger. Even with her eyes closed, she could still see the details of the ring. She imagined the ring enveloped in an intense purple light. Once this image was affixed in her mind, she started to darken the color, shifting it from purple to black. Black could be thought of as the absence of light. Where there is no light there is no sight. She held the image until a shield of flat black covered the ring.

"Hold the thought you have created and open your eyes," Kewero commanded. "Rigga is no longer visible."

Chapter X, Reading 13

"Small wonder you collapsed the way you did. Mortal minds aren't really equipped to deal with the Infinite. I think your foggy memory may be for the best, my child. It's just possible that your mind might have the tendency to become unhinged if everything you learned was packed into your conscious mind," Kewero returned with mirth.

"Just like a trunk that is overfilled. Leudh and I once broke the hinges on a trunk when we tried to put too much in it. Momma wasn't very pleased with us at the time," Flindra recalled with a grin on her lips. Then in a more sober tone she continued, "I think it's also possible that I need to gain some understanding to utilize the knowledge locked within my mind. This understanding can only be born through experience."

Kewero laughed outright. "My dear, my dear. It seems that we have traded places. You are now my teacher!"

A blush rushed to Flindra's cheeks at this praise from her mentor. "You exaggerate, dear mother, I still have much to learn from you!"

"You've never called me that before! Why dear mother?"

"Because you are a mother to me - one of the dear women who have shown me so much. My birth mother, who gave me the gift of life; my foster mother, whose love still fills my heart with comfort; my dear teacher, who has shown me the path to wisdom. I owe you much, dear Kewero; you have devoted your life to me and mine. My debt is great."

Kewero touched the younger woman on the shoulders. "I'm honored, more than you can possibly know. These words mean much to me, Flindra. I've learned to think of you as a daughter but I didn't feel I had the right to say anything for you are a princess of the line of King Meldh."

"Of course you had the right to say it!" Flindra pulled her into a hug. "You, of all people in the world, have earned that right. I love you, Kewero, and I'm glad I finally spoke my heart."

"Thank you, Flindra, and know that I love you, too." She smiled happily. "Are you ready to start today's lesson?"

"I am."

"Good."

The rest of the day was spent practicing some of the skills Flindra would need in the outside world. She needed this knowledge before she would be ready to begin her destiny.

Chapter II, Reading 12

Kewero repeated the words and then commented, "I believe the Spirit just spoke through you, child. I think it is time to discuss your experience. It appears you have gained more than I thought possible. What happened, my Princess?"

Thus prompted, Flindra began her tale. Kewero interrupted when she mentioned the barrier where she had encountered so much pain.

"You pushed through the barrier, didn't you?"

"Somehow I felt that I needed to go beyond the pain to reach the knowledge I need to fight the Ansu. I knew it was absolutely necessary for me to pass through." She paused for a moment and bit her lip in concentration. "I think even learning how to pass through the barrier was part of what I need to know."

"I'm most curious. How exactly did you manage this feat?"

Flindra told the mentor how she had seen the lives of all who had passed before her and had grown to love them in the intimate contact of the experience. The love was the power she needed to become one with her memories and to become one with the awareness of life.

"I felt the pain again," she related, "but this time my feelings of oneness with the all allowed me to become one with the pain. I was singed by the intense contact but I made it through."

Kewero shook her head in disbelief. "I have probed this barrier with my mind and have felt the unbelievable agony. I never did penetrate it, since my initial encounter left me with the understanding that I was not to proceed. It's obvious now that you were the only one meant to pass through. What was on the other side?"

"I don't remember much. I was overwhelmed by the intensity and my mind still feels numb. Even so, I'm comfortable with the situation for I know that when I need specific knowledge it will come to me." She shook her head with a mystified expression touching the features of her face. "The Spirit is beyond understanding and I know I came close to the Presence. By remembering only small pieces I can cope with the enormity of my experience."

Chapter X, Reading 11

The time finally came when the two women decided to delve into the mystery of Flindra's ordeal. As usual, they were going to have the discussion in the crystal cavern. As soon as they entered the cave, Flindra's orb began to pulsate with a soft white glow. The crystals in the cave immediately assumed the rhythm. A look of tremendous calm spread over Flindra's face as she looked into her orb.

A visual melody developed in the pulsating lights of the cave. The rhythm was simple and direct, but strangely compelling. The simplicity disguised the inherent strength of the theme.

Kewero recognized that the rhythm was an identification pattern, a signature, of Flindra's new power. Her presence was influencing the life force inhabiting the crystals. It was responding, reflecting, her own unique life song.

Kewero walked to the cave wall and placed her hands against the crystals. A second theme became distinguishable in the rhythmic pattern and was a counterpoint to the melody played in the lights. This was Kewero's power signature. It was a much more complex and intricate theme, exhibiting several elemental levels. It combined neatly with Flindra's theme while retaining its individuality.

Compelled by a thought that was not her own, Flindra walked over to the old woman and looked directly into her eyes. Her stare was returned; eyes were locked. There was a sharing of knowledge between the women - mind to mind, heart to heart. Thought bypassed the conscious and took up residence in the deep recesses of the subconscious. When the transfer was complete, the link was broken. Simultaneously, the crystal melody ended.

Kewero smiled at Flindra. "I don't know exactly what we have just done, child, but for the first time in years I feel real hope."

Flindra was looking at some distant horizon in her imagination. She answered in a reflective tone. "Our knowledge compliments each other's. Each of us could only see a piece of the whole. Together it is complete." After she said it, she shook her head quickly, like a dreamer started from her rest. "What did I just say?"

Chapter I, Reading 12

The second pouch contained a golden hair comb. The back of the comb was carved into the shape of the spread wings of a swan with the bird's head gracefully folded over the right wing. The fine teeth of the comb were closely spaced so it would stay securely in a woman's hair. The only part of the comb that would be visible in her hair would be the swan. It would make a pretty ornament.
There were fine strands of auburn hair in the comb, which she pulled free and fingered gently. Could these delicate strands possibly have belonged to her mother? She tried to imagine what her birth mother must have been like.
She couldn't help but wonder why she had been given away as a baby. It was hard enough to accept the fact that she wasn't the daughter of the kind and loving couple who had raised her, but why had her parents, her mother, given her to Kewero to be given away again?
She felt isolated and a little frightened. Things were too confused. She retreated from the confusion by closing her eyes and drawing forth a memory of pleasant times.
It was the summer before Leudh's marriage and things couldn't have been happier. As always, there had been much work to do, but work was pleasure when it assured the health and security of her family. It hadn't been all work, there had been plenty of time for play, too. Leudh took her on hunting trips and taught her even more about the ways of the animals and of the forest itself.
The pleasant memories touched her heart with love and hope. She knew her family would want her to face her fate with courage. She would try to be brave and face her future without hesitation to live up to that expectation. She knew it was going to be a challenging effort for she simply couldn't imagine living anywhere else and being someone else. This was the only home she knew. Eghero, Dakra, and Leudh the only family she could imagine. The idea of her being a princess seemed so unreal. She was a woodsman's daughter - at home in the trees and with the animals. How could she possibly feel at home in some palace? She would probably only embarrass herself with some clumsy comment or inappropriate action.

Chapter I, Reading 11

Dakra drew back from Flindra's embrace and reached within an inner pocket of her cloak. She took out a small bundle and handed it to her.
"Kewero left this for you. I think it’s time for you to see what is yours and perhaps it will help answer some of your questions. I'll go home. When you are through, return to me and we'll talk some more."
Dakra rose and started to walk away but something made her stop. She turned and said with a voice hoarse with emotion, to the child who had been hers, and yet not, "I love you, Flindra. I love you no matter what the future holds. Always remember that."
"I love you too, Momma."
Dakra then walked away, leaving her to search for any clues to be found within the package.
Flindra looked at the bundle through tear-fogged eyes. It was a crudely made leather bag. The seams were stitched with a heavy leather lace and the leather itself was stiff and cracked with age. She opened the bag and dropped its contents in her lap. There were three leather pouches of different sizes, all with drawstrings around the tops.
She opened the smaller of these bags and discovered an unusual silver ring. The silver had oxidized with age to such an extent that it was nearly black. The outstretched wings of a great bird, possibly an eagle, formed the circle of the ring. An oddly shaped amethyst was held in place by the beak and talons of the eagle. Flindra looked into the depths of the gem and saw that it wasn’t entirely clear. At the center of the stone, there was an opaque shape that suggested something to her deepest memories. She struggled to remember the meaning of the shape, but the thought faded before she could grasp it. Flindra placed the ring on her finger. It fit on her finger as if it had been made for her. It was odd for the band had appeared larger when she first looked at it. She shook her head in wonder.

Chapter I, Reading 10

"Eghero's uncle was injured as a child in an accident. Ayer was left lame for life. The man responsible for the accident felt badly about things and arranged for him to receive a clerk's training. Ayer eventually became a clerk for a merchant in Deodar. He shared his knowledge with the rest of the family when he would come visit."
"I see."
"It was a fortuitous accident which benefited the entire family. Once you were placed with us I began to believe that the Will of the Spirit was behind it."
The two women were now at the shore of Lake Eghero. There was a large flat boulder half buried in the sand of the shoreline where the two now seated themselves. The breeze they had felt earlier had died away and the surface of the lake was now still. The mirror surface of the lake was disrupted only by the activities of the numerous waterfowl.
Dakra looked across the still water as she resumed her tale. "Whatever Kewero's reason for leaving you with us, I do know one thing. Our lives have been fuller because of you. Thank you for being my daughter." Tears suddenly started to flow down her cheeks and her voice cracked with emotion. "I only hope we have given you what you’ll need to succeed in your new life. I don't even know if I will ever see you after you leave. Oh Flindra, promise me you won't forget us!"
"I promise, Momma." She threw her arms around her mother and buried her own tear-stained face against her shoulder. "I can't leave," Flindra finally said in a sob-choked voice. "This is my home."
"You must go. You’re a princess, Flindra. Your fate is not just yours – you have duties and responsibilities that go with your rank. You no longer have the luxury of living for just yourself. Take courage and do what you must. Don't try and escape your responsibilities to your people."
Flindra sobbed in answer.
"Little one, I don't want you to leave but I know in my heart that you must. Fighting your fate is only going to make things harder. We must also remember we are alive to carry out the Will of the Spirit."
"How will I know what to do, where to go?"

Chapter I, Reading 9

Dakra reached over and took her daughter's hand in her own. "We tried to teach you things that would help you fulfill your fate. We decided to teach you the wisdom of nature, so you could always survive within her bounty. You should always remember that nature provides not only subsistence, but is a vast source of wisdom and knowledge as well. Nature is one way to gaze upon the face of the Spirit. The Spirit is reflected in our mortal realm in the world around us."
"Papa always was pointing that out to me. He said that knowledge would always bring me peace and strength."
"It will, dear Flindra. Hold that wisdom close to your heart. Remember, too, as you search out your destiny, that there is always purpose behind the surface of things. Search for the hidden meanings in what you see and hear for they are the hidden and sturdy warp threads that support the weft, which fills out the tapestry of our lives. Listen and look for the rhythms and patterns of life in the world and know that you will be right if you are balanced within them. This wisdom will guide you if you let it. It's just following the warp of Spirit's weavings."
Flindra sighed sadly. "I will try my best."
"Kewero never really explained why you were destined to live with us. Maybe the closeness that a woodsman and his family have with nature is one of the reasons. Many people in our world have forgotten the old ways of honoring the Spirit, but we live too close to nature to forget." Dakra smiled to herself. "I think the wisdom of holding the Presence of the Spirit close to your heart will be the greatest gift we have bestowed upon you."
Flindra nodded in silence.
"We were also able to teach you something else that most simple folk are ignorant of."
"What’s that, Momma?"
"Your letters and numbers. Haven't you ever wondered how all of us can write and figure?"
"I guess I never really thought about it," Flindra admitted.