by Jon Chaisson
*
“Surely you’ll let them in, Nehalé,” Anando said. “The main floor is certainly large enough to hold them. Rain should be coming by this afternoon.”
Nehalé stood in the supervisor’s office overlooking the floor, arms crossed and grumbling. The crowds outside had amassed to nearly five thousand people, and more were going to come before day’s end. They were flocking to him for answers he did not have. He had expected their presence, even before the Awakening, when it had all been just a long-planned idea. But now that this moment was here, he unsuccessfully wished it away. He was a soulsenser and a soulhealer, not a savior or a prophet. Those were not his roles as a Mendaihu. He was not their leader or their teacher.
“I know I should,” he responded. “Though I’m still unsure if the floor can handle such a number.”
“Five thousand?” Anando laughed. “Trust me, this place is solid enough.”
Anando was blissfully optimistic for such a young Mendaihu, a fact Nehalé kept in mind when talking to him. It was a trait that had gotten Nehalé himself in trouble more than enough times when he was that age, when he’d confused optimism with plain ignorance. Anando, however, had traded ignorance with intelligence long ago on the hard streets of McCleever Sector, when he gave up the street life and followed his Mendaihu fate. His awakening four years ago had a profound effect on the both of them; Nehalé had found him alone, shivering in a forgotten alleyway not too far from this warehouse, completely lost physically and spiritually. He’d taken the kid in and taught him all he could, and before long, he’d come to see Anando as a younger brother, one he could be proud of. During the course of the next few years he saw the kid enroll at Bridgetown University and excel; he was now making plans to join the Mendaihu Division of the ARU. That was still down the road, but for now he was happy enough just to help Nehalé care for those less fortunate that dwelled in the Waterfront and McCleever Districts. He’d considered it an apprenticeship that was well worth it. They’d worked together ever since, up until about five months ago, when Anando had chosen to take a soulsearching break. He’d vanished from the city soon after, but he’d left a note with Nehalé, explaining that he’d return when the time was right.
To see him today was very much a mixed blessing. He was excited to see his good friend again, and he appreciated the help offered that he would no doubt need, but at the same time he couldn’t help but worry about Anando’s eternal optimism. There were just too many uncertainties at this time, and he could not afford ignorance, especially at this point in time.
“Very well,” he said and theatrically waved his hands in the air. He flashed him a quick smile and nodded. “Let them in.”
Anando stood there for a moment, looking at him. “Edha Usarai,” he said. “What’s really bothering you? If you think you’re playing the reluctant hero here, I’m afraid to inform you that there are more key players here than can fit on the marquee.” Nehalé frowned at him, not quite comprehending. “You’re just a part of a larger play,” Anando continued. “You may think you have an important role, but it’s actually just a bit part.”
Nehalé caught the Shakespearean reference but asked him to elaborate.
Anando smirked. “You’ve awakened the One of All Sacred, my dear friend. You were the Mendaihu that let the Spirit of the One stir out of its womb. Your part is done here. You’ve completed your quest. What I’m saying is that these people outside need you. They’re not looking for another deity to follow. They’re not looking for a…a priest or even a religious man at all. They’re looking for a sehndayen-ne. Someone who knows what the One of All Sacred means to them. They’re here because you know what the One can do, what she can bring to everyone here.”
He nodded, unnerved by how right the kid was. He knew this obstinate fear was little more than fear itself, his unwillingness to be in charge of such a large following. He understood that this fear was also little more than the lack of faith he had in himself, even when his faith in this Awakening reached far past it. He also understood that from this point on, the aftereffects of the awakening ritual were out of his hands. Anando was right, he was indeed just another player in this performance now. He let out a small laugh as he walked with Anando out of the office and headed towards the loading bay doors.
“What about the Mendaihu agents?” Anando asked as they descended the steps. “Surely they must know we’re here by now.”
Nehalé shrugged. “No doubt…they’ve already posted a security line a few blocks away, but they haven’t made any moves. I wouldn’t worry too much; in fact, I expect a few of them to pay us a visit very soon.” He thought, then added, “That is, if they’ve been told the whole story. Not everyone would be as understanding.”
“No…I suppose not,” Anando shrugged. “What do you expect of them? The agents, I mean. Surely they know this far from being an open-shut case.”
“Oh, of course,” he said. His voice echoed in the vast emptiness of the warehouse. All Nehalé had to do was open up the dock doors and everyone would file in. All his prospective students, all at once. “I’d do the same. But these two are different, aren’t they, Anando? The sister of the One…she’s important to this, somehow. She’s important to you, isn’t she?”
Anando blushed, finally revealing the truth. “She…her spirit, sehnadha. It’s her Shalei spirit. I remember it from Trisanda. From when I was there, lifetimes ago.”
Nehalé smiled as they approached the docks. “Yes, you hinted as much earlier. I suppose it was a bit of coincidence, then, that you were spying on her that night?”
“Spying?” he laughed nervously. “No, I was visiting. I was doing you a favor by finding out who had embodied the One. Once I recognized her spirit signature, it led me right to her. It was only by coincidence that I recognized Karinna Shalei. I ended up visiting her rather than the One that night.”
Nehalé stopped quick. “You made a spiritual connection with Karinna already?”
Anando waved his hand down to calm him. “In the Light. I didn’t drag her in there, mind you…she was already there, just floating around aimlessly. I wasn’t sure if she was in her lumisha dea or what. But I bet she didn’t even know where she was until I spoke with her. I just opened her eyes a little bit. Just enough for her to recognize a few things, but not enough to overwhelm her.”
“Anando…” Nehalé said, shaking his head. They stopped at a bank of switches and knobs, bolted to the wall between a dock door and an emergency exit. He studied their labels as his fingers moved past them. He found the switches he wanted and placed his fingers near them. “You know better than to invade other people’s privacy,” he continued. There was a hint of mischief in his voice.
“Of course,” he answered, smiling. “And I did no such thing. She sensed me first and recognized me.”
“Ha!” Nehalé pointed at him. “The proof! You two are definitely cho-shadhisi.”
Anando laughed at him. “Now you’re just making fun of me.”
Nehalé nodded. “Yes, that I am.” He pushed the master controls of the dock doors, all of them slowly rising at once, letting in the morning air and thousands of people. “But I’m also telling the truth.”
