Unrolling the map, Dr. Walt laid it on the ground and placed small stones at the corners to keep it open. The material from which the map was made appeared to be thin, scraped leather of some kind rather than paper.
“As you can see, Sam,” the doctor continued, “the geography is the same, though you will find that some of the rivers will be changed. The hills and valleys remain, but the presence or absence of trees may be different, as you may have noticed with the area surrounding your house. The major forests are marked on the map. It is clear to me how we should proceed, but I want everyone’s comments. We all have a stake in this journey.”
He continued, pointing to a location on the map, “I propose that we stay away from as many of the cities as possible, only stopping at towns or villages to resupply when necessary. With the rakkeben, we can travel perhaps thirty miles per day, depending upon the difficulty of the terrain. At that rate, we should be able to get to Raihar in another ten days.”
Looking around, he acknowledged the nods from the others. He continued: “Because of the mountains, the only logical path is straight north within the bowl created by those mountains. At times, the forest will be thick, but that will be easier to traverse than trying to find mountain passes. Besides, there are some roads going up through the center of the valley bowl.”
“When we get up past Kokitura mountain, we should stay nearer the coast, or at least West of the large mountain ranges. Unfortunately, we will have to traverse mountains to the far north, but that is unavoidable. There are possibly four or five stops along the way at which we can reprovision, finally arriving at the Gray Fortress in perhaps forty to fifty days. I have drawn a line here indicating my proposed path. Are there any objections?”
Sam looked at each of the others as Dr. Walt was looking for their approval. Nalia and Rindu both shook their heads and Sam said a soft “No.” Skitter sent to Sam: That is a long trip. I will have traveled further than any hapaki in history, I’m sure. I'm going to be famous!
Are you committed to going with us? Sam sent back to Skitter. It will be very dangerous.
Humor filtered through into Sam’s mind, and affection. There’s no talking me out of it. You're my friend and I will be beside you in this.
The next several days, Sam settled into a comfortable routine. Well, at least it was a familiar routine. The sore muscles, bruises, and fatigue were in no way comfortable.
The party would get up early each day, at sunrise or before. They would break camp, call the rakkeben from afield where they were allowed to hunt and do whatever it was that they desired, mount up, and head out. Normally they were on the move before the sun had finished its appearance above the horizon.
Each of the humans rode the rakkeben, but Skitter could never have kept up on his own. Sam and Rindu had fashioned a rack for him that mounted securely on Shonyb so that Skitter could ride behind Sam. Sam had jokingly called it his “Skitter litter” as he lifted the nervous hapaki to try out the fit. Skitter was still very on edge around the rakkeben, instinct and history warring with assurances from the humans that the rakkeben would not take him as a snack.
They would stop occasionally to allow the rakkeben to rest and eat. The party members did not stop long for their own eating; they simply would take the opportunity as the rakkeben rested or they would snack on dried fruit and meat while they rode. In this way, they were able to keep up with thirty mile per day average Dr. Walt had proposed.
Still, they pushed hard so they could stop early each day so that Sam could have his training and practice. The schedule was brutal for him. Travel all day, train for several hours, even into dark, and then get up early and repeat it all. They had to get to the Gray Fortress as quickly as they could, but Sam needed to learn so much more before he could confront the Gray Man.
When being honest with himself, Sam admitted that he didn't really believe that it would come to that. He was sure that with the training Rindu was giving him, and with the information he was extracting from Dr. Walt's references, he would be able to figure out how to get back home without going to the Gray Man. After all, he got here, didn't he? Yes. Twice. So, he should be able to get back without confronting the man who had the power to rule this entire world. He would keep trying.
He did enjoy the training with Nalia, though, even if he didn't think he would need it for facing the Gray Man. It was useful to be able to stand on his own in combat and he was truly enjoying all he was learning. He wouldn't give it up even if he had a choice.
Nalia nudged Sam with her boot. They had stopped for their last break of the day before putting in a few more miles to get to the area in which they would camp for the night. They were still two days from the town of Raihar.
“The rakkeben ran off into the forest, probably to find food.” she said to him. “They will not be back for a time. Do you want to work on your weak points?”
“I have no weak points, Nalia,” he said with a straight face. He almost lost his composure and laughed when she tilted her masked head in evident surprise. “You just have too many strong points.” Then he did laugh. “In fact, I don't think you have any weak points at all.”
She stood motionless for a moment, head still tilted at the quizzical angle. Then she nudged him again with her boot. “Your flattery will not save you from bruises. I am not susceptible to such things.” Putting her hand out to him, she helped him to his feet.
With a crooked half-smile, Sam pulled himself up, and kept hold of her hand for maybe just a moment too long, causing her to swivel her head toward him. He immediately let go and felt his face grow hot. “Uh, let me get Ahimiro. I'll be right there.” As he ran to his packs to get the staff, he saw Rindu cover his slight smile with his hand, just a bit too late to keep Sam from seeing it.
In the days since Rindu made the weapon for him, Sam had been practicing with it every time he could. His practice not only include using it as a weapon, but also practicing his bonding with it, feeling its essence, and using it as a conduit for vibrational energy. He found that he could use it as a focus point to direct energy more easily than he could with only his hands. It was even better as a focal point than his little statue he had carried with him from his meditation room. Though he still had much to learn, he felt better about being able to utilize the weapon.
They sparred for almost half an hour, both with weapons and unarmed. Sam was breathing hard and sweating profusely by the time the rakkeben returned. Nalia was standing stone still, like a statue, neither breathing hard nor perspiring.
She beat you to a pulp. Again, Skitter sent. Without trying.
Mind your own business, snack, Sam sent back with strong feelings of humor. The hapaki sent back the sense of laughing.
Another two hours of riding and the party arrived at the area Rindu had suggested for a camp site. It was a large clearing in a particularly heavy section of forest, with a small stream burbling softly past. Camp was set up in short order and when Sam saw Rindu heading toward him, he knew it was the Zouy's turn to teach him.
“Master Rindu,” Sam said as he bowed to the monk in greeting.
Rindu bowed in return. “Good evening Sam. I have a question for you. Do you also call Nalia ‘master?’”
“I...ahhh...no. I don't.” It felt like a trap closing around him.
“Why not? Does she not also train you, as I train you? Why call me ‘Master Rindu’ and not call her ‘Master Nalia?’”
Sam felt the blood rushing to his face again. “I don't know. I just didn't...that is, I don't...I mean...oh! Have I disrespected her? Have I insulted her? I didn’t mean to. It just never occurred to me to call her ‘master.’ I'm so sorry.”
Rindu stared at Sam for a moment. His piercing hazel eyes gave Sam the impression once again of boring through his soul, of passing through him completely to see what was going on behind him. The seconds ticked away and Sam felt himself sickening up. How could he have been so rude? What would Rindu do? What would Nalia do?
Finally,
after two hours, or perhaps less than two minutes, Rindu averted his gaze. “No, you did not insult or disrespect her. I was confused about your reasoning. That is all.”
Exhaling, seemingly for the first time since he had answered Rindu, Sam's shoulders drooped and he slumped, deflated. “Oh, that's good. The last thing I would ever want to do was to show disrespect for my teachers and my friends. I think that maybe it's just that, well, you are a Zouy master. You look like a master, with the master monk kind of clothes and the weight of the years you carry because of your age, and just because of the way you are. Nalia, while obviously a master at combat, is closer to my age and it simply never occurred to me to call her master.”
Rindu considered Sam. “I see. Sit. I would tell you something. It is a story my master told me when I was a young monk in the Zouyim temple at Kokitura. I was distressed because I wanted a friendship with another of the young disciples, but could not find a way to start the friendship.
“There was once a strange fish and an ugly flightless bird. As the bird was looking at its pathetic image in the surface of the pond, the strange fish came gliding to the surface.
“‘Ho there, ugly bird, what is the matter? You are looking depressed,’” said the fish.
“The bird regarded the strange fish. ‘I am sad. I am ugly and cannot fly. What good is a bird, an ugly bird, that cannot fly? There is not even anyone to whom to tell my sad tale.’
“The fish nodded his slick scaly head sadly. ‘I understand. I also have no one to complain to about my lot in life. I do not fit in with the other fish. I am too different.’
“Both of the lonely creatures shook their heads and lamented.
“‘I have an idea,’ said the fish. ‘Why do we not be each other's friends? Then we will not have to be sad and lonely. We can be sad together.’
“The bird thought that a fine idea and agreed.
“But it was not to be. The fish had to remain in the water and the bird on land, so their plan was flawed from the start. Though they would see each other and talk at a distance, they could not truly be friends and spend time together because they were trapped in different worlds.
“So it went for a time, each sad, lonely creature making its way and looking forward to the rare times when they could talk to each other, always at a distance.
“Then, one day, the fish found that he was changing. He was growing things on his body. He felt different. He wanted to talk to the bird, but he saw him from the surface of the water, out of reach and seemingly going through a problem of his own. He was losing his skin!
“After several days of frightening changes, the fish found that it could now crawl, and preferred to do so. He crawled from the water and lay in the mud. Turning his eyes about, he saw the bird, but his ugly friend looked different. In place of his ragged feathers, he now had colorful, shiny feathers. What's more, when he flapped them, he raised off the ground!
“So it was that the fish, who now realized he had grown into a frog, and the bird, who was not flightless at all and definitely no longer ugly, became good friends, now able to share the same world. And they remained happy friends for the rest of their lives.”
Sam nodded his head thoughtfully and looked at Rindu. “So, am I the tadpole who turns into a frog and Nalia is the ugly bird?”
Rindu shook his head in disgust. “No.” Glaring at Sam, he continued, “Why is it so difficult for you people to understand my parables and anecdotes? The point is that when people change, we never know how the change will affect us. It may be good, as with the fish and the bird, or it may not be so good. The point is, if you want to be Nalia's friend, be patient and see what changes occur. You are from different worlds, so give it some time and maybe you will find you are from the same world after all.”
“I see. Thank you, Master Rindu. I do want to be Nalia's friend. I want to be friends with all of you. I’ll try to remember what you said and try not to be so frustrated when it seems that I irritate her.”
“Good. Now, let us do some rohw sensitivity exercises. Tomorrow when we stop, I will start training you on projecting the rohw.”
Sam got into the familiar cross-legged position facing Rindu and began his deep breathing. He could hardly wait until tomorrow's lesson. From Rindu…and from Nalia.
Chapter 23
All the next day as the party made their way through a section of foothills, Sam thought about the training he would receive when they stopped for the day. He had been working with Rindu to be able to identify and recognize the energy surrounding him, the rohw, but he had not learned much about actually using the energy. He was anxious to see to what use he could put the vibrational energy.
“You are naturally very sensitive to the rohw,” Rindu had told him. “You seem to have an affinity for it. This is good, because I do not have a decade to train you in the traditional manner of the Zouyim.”
All day, as he was riding Shonyb, he practiced his breathing and concentration. He focused on his breaths as he breathed in and out, trying to get himself into the proper frame of mind for the night's lessons.
He was happy with his progress in combat as well. Nalia was a tough taskmaster, but he was faster and more fluid than he ever thought he would be. He still couldn't strike her when they were sparring and he didn't block or parry most of her strikes, but he could tell that he was getting better, getting a feel for moving in the correct way. He saw it, too, in the slight nods of her head after he slithered out of a particularly difficult combination she threw at him. He had a long way to go, but he had already learned much.
As for using vibrational energy, well, he felt that he hadn't progressed very far from when he first starting training with Rindu. It wasn't that the Zouy wasn't teaching him. No, he could sense the energy and extract it from the surroundings. Ok, it was just that one time he had gathered it within himself, but that wasn’t the issue. The problem was that he didn't know what to do with it. Instead of doing something tangible, he just felt his limbs grow hot, felt the effects of the energy on his internal pathways.
But tonight would change that. Sam was sure Rindu would start with something very small, but at least it would be something he could practice and improve upon, showing the Zouy he was ready for more complex things. He would keep trying to transport himself back home as he learned more and more. He knew he could do it.
Being so focused on practicing and on anticipation, the day's riding was over before he knew it. As they were stopping for the evening, Sam became excited that he would finally start the part of training he had been waiting for.
Rindu sat in his customary position in front of Sam, knees almost touching Sam's knees. They were a mirror image of each other, both in the cross-legged relaxed pose they used for mediation and for rohw exercises.
“Now,” Rindu started, “you know what we have been doing so far. Up until now, I have been trying to make you accustomed to feeling the rohw. It is all around you, in everything. It is the driving force of the universe, that which allows us and all other things to live.”
He looked squarely into Sam's eyes. “Some would underplay the importance of the rohw, but to do so would be to limit oneself. To truly master the vibrational energy, one must give himself over to it heart and soul, believing with every part of himself that proper use of the rohw may allow a master to do anything. Do you believe that, Sam?”
“Yes, Master Rindu. I have seen and learned enough to know that use of the rohw makes one capable of wondrous things.”
“But yet you doubt still.” The Zouy held up a hand to forestall Sam's objection. “No, no, do not argue. I mean it, not as an insult, but as enlightenment. You believe many things are capable, but you do not believe you are capable of those many things.”
Bowing his head, Sam said softly: “I haven’t learned to do wondrous things. I haven’t learned to use the rohw to do anything at all, but only to sense it. I feel it, but I can’t use it.”
“Yes, that is true. And that is precisely the pro
blem we will begin to remedy this night. As l was saying, the rohw is all around us. You have worked to feel it, to channel it, to take it into yourself, but you are frustrated because once you have gathered it, you cannot do anything with it.”
With a sly look coming over his face, Rindu continued: “It is like the pregnant rat who is driven to eat and eat but does not know why it is gathering so much energy into itself. Only when the young ones come does it understand that all of the energy from the food it ate was going toward growing the young rat inside itself.”
“So I'm a pregnant rat now?” Sam asked with a wink. “What happened to being a strange fish or an ugly bird?”
“Ha!” Rindu chuckled. “You are whatever creature I desire, if it will teach you my lessons. But enough of this. Do you not want to learn to apply your energy, Mrs. Rat?” The monk’s eyes twinkled and the fine lines around them deepened.
“I do, illustrious Master!” said Sam flourishing his hands elaborately.
“Very well. We will start with something small. Do you recall our exercises in which you attempt to push rohw from your palms to mine? We will start with that. Please put your palms out toward me.” Sam did so.
“I will gently push toward your palms. Tell me when you feel the pressure, and then again when you feel it increase.”
Rindu raised his hands, palms facing Sam's but a foot away from them. He looked directly at Sam, his gaze never wavering. He sat there motionless, yet Sam could feel his palms being pushed away from the monk. “I feel the pressure,” Sam told him.
Suddenly, the pressure increased tenfold, forcing Sam's arms back as if someone had struck his hands. “Wow!” was all he said.
Rindu looked at him quizzically. “Does that mean you felt the pressure increase?”
“Definitely. If I was standing, I believe you would have pushed me down.”
“Good. The first pressure you felt, you felt because you have gained sensitivity to the rohw. Others would not have felt that. The second wave of energy was not so subtle. Anyone could have felt that, for it was physical. Now, I want to lead you in doing the same.”
Harmonic Magic Series Boxed Set Page 17
