Chapter VI, Reading 6

They returned to the main part of the cave and then walked down another of the many outlets radiating from this chamber. They passed several small openings before Kewero halted before one. "This will be your room while you are here. You will need the crystal sphere, leave everything else."

Flindra hurriedly left her belongings just beyond the entrance to her room. They continued down the path and entered a series of switchbacks and so they dropped rapidly in elevation. They followed the track until it widened to the entrance of a large cavern. Kewero pulled her to a stop just within the entrance.

Flindra drew a surprised and awed breath at the astounding view. She was standing in a large cave that was covered with crystals. The gems glowed with an internal light, which pulsated in a slow, regular rhythm. Looking closer, she realized her first assessment was wrong - the cave was not covered with crystals. It was made of the crystalline material! Even the floor of the cavern consisted of the translucent and glowing crystals.

Kewero spoke in a soft and reverent voice. "This is the womb of the cavern and of our world. This is where the Spirit envisioned our world and created its reality. Here, we are surrounded by the Spirit. We are in the seed around which Spirit began to order the primordial chaos. Our world is the reality He lent to this portion of the chaos.

"I don't really understand."

Kewero released a spontaneous laugh. "Don't worry about that too much, little one. The Spirit is far beyond our level of understanding. One can only really understand the Spirit with the faith of the heart. It is a wisdom of faith and not a knowing or comprehension."

"Oh."

"The power we see and feel here lingers from the Presence. Your crystal orb is a small piece of this place and is attuned to the lingering power of the Spirit. It is safe to speak of all things here for the Ansu cannot see or hear into this sacred place. We will hold our discussions here.

"But back to our task of contacting Dakra. This chamber is the nexus of life in our world. It is a simple matter for life to contact life here. Dakra will receive your message when her mind has relaxed and is sleeping. In time, you will be able to use your crystal orb to accomplish this task. For now, the crystals around you will amplify the directions of your mind.

"Concentrate on the sphere. Concentrate and think through the orb to your home. Try to remember the details of the cottage, the smells, and the sounds. The crystal will accommodate your desire - your life force will touch with that of Dakra's. Give her knowledge of your safe arrival here. That should give her solace. You need not mention the attack on your life. That would cause her to worry overmuch."

"You're right about that."

Flindra held the orb and noticed it was glowing with the same pulsating light as the rest of the cave. She stared into its depths and recognized the familiar pull on her mind. There was tremendous power here and she guessed this must be the addition of the power from the cave. Once again, she passed through the dizzying vortex of color and through the flash of white light.

She found herself standing at the foot of Dakra's bed and saw her mother resting soundly. Flindra greeted her knowing that her words could only be heard in the context of a dream.

Chapter VI, Reading 2

Beyond a turn in the valley, they came to a small, circular, tent-like dwelling. It was made of heavy hides supported by an interior frame. Flindra knew a moment of disappointment. She had hoped that Kewero would reside in a more substantial dwelling - one the wind couldn't blow through.

"This is a yurt," Kewero explained. "It is a typical dwelling of the nomads in these parts."

"I never realized people lived here in the Northern Reaches."

"The Ainaz have existed here since before the time of the Ancient Ones. They are hunters. They subsist on the herds of reindeer and the bounty of the sea. Most of the time they are concentrated along the coast or in sheltered valleys."

Flindra shook her head. "I've never heard of them."

"The Ainaz are a withdrawn people and have little contact with outsiders except for the few traders who venture this far north. One generally doesn't see them unless they want to be seen. They have finally come to accept me. I trade with them sometimes. Most recently, I acquired food for your horse from them."

They had reached the yurt and Flindra started to dismount.

"Stay in your saddle, Flindra," Kewero ordered softly. "We aren't through with our journey yet."

Her brow wrinkled with a question but she kept quiet.

Kewero tossed back the flap to the yurt and pulled the little, black horse inside. She closed the entrance and laced the hide in place. Finished, she once more took hold of the reins. "Drop your shield Flindra. You don't need it now and it makes it harder for me to open the door."

She immediately complied and willed Rigga's power nimbus to fade. She asked in a puzzled voice, "what door?"

"Metaphorically speaking, my dear. Now hush."

Kewero closed her eyes and became perfectly still. Her face lost all expression as she concentrated. Suddenly, a shimmering zone appeared before them in the center of the tent. She led Deru through the tremulous light.

Flindra experienced a momentary jolt as they passed through the shimmer. It was as if she had briefly touched the consciousness of life - everything that was alive, had lived, or would live. Then they were through and the sensation was only a memory.

They were in a vast chamber of an immense cave. There were numerous openings radiating out from this central chamber. A sourceless light radiating about them lent a hue of soft gold to the cave. Colors were warm and inviting.

Flindra dismounted and turned around to see where they had come from but saw nothing except the continuation of the cave. "How? Where are we?" she stammered as she looked back at Kewero.

The old woman laughed. "The short answer is that we passed through a gap in the fabric of life to arrive here. We are now in one of the places inhabited by the Spirit when He created our world. Words cannot accurately portray this place, but an analogy might help you understand. This is the seed pod where our world began within the consciousness of the Spirit."

Flindra looked terribly confused.

Chapter III, Reading 8

The days passed with everyday a repetition of the last.  Under different circumstances she would have relished seeing the beauty of the great forest as she traveled north.  Instead, Flindra was concentrating on avoiding people and leaving as little evidence of her passage as possible in case there was an enemy following.

There weren't many travelers abroad in this part of the land.  Flindra was north of the great trade routes between the two Kingdoms.  However, she had seen several troops of the King's Rangers patrolling the roads.  They were riding in the distance and she had been able to avoid them easily.  All the same, she wondered why the Rangers were out patrolling this far north.  She hoped there weren't bandit gangs hiding in the area.  She could have trouble avoiding large groups of Rangers or those they were hunting.

Worry visited Flindra nightly as she sat gazing into her fire.  She had been increasingly disturbed by bad dreams.  Most of the time she couldn't even recall her dreams - they just left her uneasy.  Flindra desperately wanted someone to talk to, someone to confide in.  She longed for her mother and Leudh for the two had the ability to always give her comfort when she was worried.

Her only comfort came from her nightly prayers for she remembered the familiar words her parents used when they had prayed together as a family.  The routine made her feel deeply loved and she cherished her memories.  Praying regularly also brought its own comforts so she never skipped the practice.

Chapter XII, Reading 4

"I'm afraid so, child."  Kewero reached over and took Flindra's hand.

"I suppose it had to happen sometime," Flindra remarked sadly.  "I've learned to feel at home with you, Kewero.  It's going to be hard leaving you."

"Thank you for saying so, Flindra.  I will miss you, too, but it's time for you to follow your destiny.  It was hard for me to leave my beloved King and Queen to search out these caves, but I did what I had to."

Flindra nodded her head slowly.  "I know what must be done, Kewero, and will do what is required.  I will miss you, dear mother."

Kewero smiled.  "We have a few more days together, my child, so let's not get too sentimental quite yet.  There are a few more things I need to show you."

"What?"

"Look.  I'll show you."  Kewero pointed to the old leather satchel.  "These are the tokens of your heritage.  They will serve as the proof of your birth and as a dowry."  She removed the relics of King Meldh from the bag and spread them out for Flindra's inspection.  "I've kept these safe from harm since the time His Majesty entrusted them to my care.  They are yours."

Flindra picked up the crown and looked at it carefully.  "It's beautiful," she murmured.  "What shall I do with it?"

"You need to give these treasures to the king who has properly discovered your identity, but only after the choice is made.  Your King must determine your nature on his own - without this proof.  Never forget, my Princess, that you are the Heir of King Meldh!  Don't cheapen yourself by helping the wrong man win your hand.  Keep your identity a secret."

"The memories of my forebears are with me, Kewero.  I will respect my heritage and I will remember your words," stated Flindra in the tone of an oath.

Kewero then displayed the crystals.  Flindra picked them up and probed each with her mind.  She felt their individual essences and their combined power.  Then she placed her own orb next to them and felt the synergistic response.  There was far more power here than expected.  She withdrew her white orb and the energy level dropped to the combined power of the three crystals.  She advanced her sphere.  The power surge was again greater than the added powers of the four gems.  True synergism.  Moreover, the white crystal was the catalyst.

"Did you feel that?" she asked.

Chapter XI, Reading 8

"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?"

"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."

Chapter XI, Reading 2

Flindra became more active during the next few days but Kewero didn't want to return to their studies just yet.  She had cautioned Flindra to avoid thinking deeply of her experiences in the crystal cave.  The old woman was concerned that she was not entirely in control of her memory and she didn't want to drive her into another collapse by forcing her to remember things before she was ready to face them.  Kewero was perhaps overly cautious in this matter, but she suspected that Flindra had received knowledge that somehow was beyond her capability of coping with.  It was this mental overload, which had deprived her of consciousness.

Kewero watched Flindra closely to gauge her recovery and noticed certain changes in her.  There was now subtle strength about her and she sported an aura of confidence and power never before exhibited.  The simple, rustic, woodsman's daughter had been replaced by a royal champion, exuding raw power.  She knew that Flindra had finally passed into her heritage.  She was the true Heir of King Meldh.

* * *

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.