"Beyond Dreaming - 06 Meetings" by Meike de Nooy

She lived close to the Agin River and very nearby the sorceress Eunie. He really hoped he would get a chance to talk to this Eunie. He had heard a lot about her and could hardly imagine she had a greater wield of power than the masters did. But it was said in whispers outside his training facilities that she was the strongest under the moon and that even the masters would have to abide by her whims and wishes if she chose so.

In Tanu only very few people knew her real identity, most just knew her as a wise woman, and she liked to keep it that way.

Phoebe, the given name for his Tyro, was his second. His first had been a boy that wasn’t marked and he had lived just outside the city walls, near to his training facilities. He could hardly call him gifted, but he knew that as he was still an apprentice himself, even though one with high potential, that he had to start at the bottom of the ladder and had to learn along with his Tyro.

Although he liked the South of Tumir he was eager to see Tanu where he had been begotten in the ritual, the moon ritual. The ritual was celebrated by all three provinces but which was held in Tanu. He knew he could get there the evening before the ritual and was eager to do so as he wanted to know more about this thing which was the reason he was walking the earth this morning.

He was quite enthusiastic and full of positive energy as this girl could at least wield some of the moons power as she had been marked. He was curious how she had gotten her mark as he had heard many different stories about them. Often, but not always, the mark could help to lead to the weakness of a sorceress. But as this Phoebe would not be very gifted the weakness would only be revealed in a year or two. He wondered what her real name was.

He tied his sack with clothes together and threw his black cape over his shoulders. He was ready.

Just as he was about to step out of the vicinity the deep voice of Zora called him back.

Zora was one of the few masters that he admired and respected. He had more humanness around him. He didn’t walk around as if he ruled the world and was all knowing.

He followed Zora to his room.

"Sit down" Zora pointed to the chair across his desk

"Are you ready?" He asked

"Of course I am!"

What is it he wants to say to me he thought. He can’t be simply making me sit here to wish me a good journey and a pleasant stay!?

"It’s about your Tyro" Zora began and was then silent as if thinking what to say.

"What about her?"

"She is…, she may well be above your league. Although if this is so it will not show until after a year or two but you still have to know. If she outgrows you it is important you react quickly and send word back to us. We will then send a more experienced apprentice to take over.

We are not sure, but it might be the case. She has an exceptional star setting and an impossible moon cycle as it seems to be going the opposite direction from any normal we have seen. But don’t worry about it. We’ll send word as soon as we know more.

That seemed to be it and Zora started messing through a pile of paper.

When he got up to leave Zora turned back to him.

"Wait!"

Joran stood still and looked at him. Zora folded up a letter and placed his seal on the patch of hot wax.

"Please give this to Eunie?"

"Sir?" It was the first time a master had asked him please. And he saw a sparkle of emotion in Zora’s eyes, just for a second, or maybe he just imagined that.

"Don’t stare boy. Now go!

Quickly he stepped out the office door and walked outside. He always felt so intimidated when he stood in front of one of them. He let his fingers slide over the letter. Why did Zora give this letter to him? There were messengers if a letter had to be brought and wasn’t any such letter supposed to be sealed by at least two masters? He supposed it was not for him to question the actions of a master and so he slipped the letter into his pocket and went for his horse. At least now he had a reason to go and pay Eunie a visit.

Joran saddled his horse and put his sack of clothes into the saddle bag. It was quite dark outside and he assumed it would rain. He wanted to be well on his way by then because he didn’t want to waist to much time. The wind was coming from the north so if he hurried he might be able to stay ahead of it.

He wondered how he was to meet Leila. It could take weeks, even months before she recognised him, but he was sure he would have enough to occupy his mind living near the queen, near Eunie near the Agin Springs. He wondered if he was allowed to visit the famous springs. He had been reading about them a lot but whatever the books said they never gave a description of any sort and he heard everybody who had been there experienced the place in his or her own way but because of the accumulation of the moon’s power there they couldn’t explain it to anyone. The secret was sealed.

He blew a blond curl out of his face. He looked young for his age, but then, he didn’t feel like he was twenty-six yet either. He supposed he was quite handsome but that was mainly because of his green eyes.

He didn’t care much about girls in general. He liked to have their company once every while but it still wasn’t the main concern in his life. Seniors and masters urged him to find a wife and settle down, but he didn’t think it so simple. How could he settle down with someone he wasn’t truly in love with? Yes, he could name quite a few girls he liked, but nothing more!

Anyway, he would be relieved from the lengthily discussions for quite a while now because once people knew who he was he was usually eyed suspiciously, and although everyone stayed friendly, they never got to close because they weren’t really accustomed to people around that could wield the power.

Ha! Wield! He thought. They hadn’t seen nothing yet. His powers were so small compared to those of others! But he’d learn! He had potential; he had heard them say that. And he was quite sure right now that this girl, Phoebe, was the way he was going to prove them that.

He cursed under his breath when he felt the first few raindrops fall on his hands and face. He hated rain with a passion. Why? He wasn’t very sure, but he hated the sound, the way it blurted the vision around you and he hated the wetness be it cold or warm and the mud left after a big rain. He knew a lonely shed out in the woods not very far from where he was now. He had done quite a distance and assumed it wouldn’t hurt too much to get a rest there out of the rain. It couldn’t take him much more than another six hours to get to the border of Tanu. He made his horse gallop and was warm and still nearly dry when he reached the shed about half an hour later. He left the door open as the hut was quite stuffy. When he walked to the back of the shed where there was a little store room where there was usually dry wood lying around to get a fire going he saw, as soon as his eyes got accustomed to the darkness, a little form lying in the corner on the floor all wrapped in blankets. He stared at it. It wasn’t dead as he could see the slight movement of breathing, the slow rise and fall of the breathing of one who was asleep. More softly that he had walked before he took a few steps closer. The thing stirred. Silently he reached out and took hold of the corner of the blanket which he softly pulled back.

He had expected many things except for the little black girl that was lying there and who stared back at him with eyes just as big as he supposed his would be right now.

"Well hello there!" he said not knowing what else he could say. "Do you usually sleep this far out into the woods on your own?"

She nodded her head.

"So how did you get here?"

"I walked"

"Walked? Yeah right… Tell me girl where are your parents?"

"Home"

"And where’s home?"

"Tanu"

"How long did you take to get here then?"

The little black girl shrugged. She couldn’t be much older than twelve he thought although he wasn’t really good at estimating children’s ages. The girl was still staring up at him with a pair of big brown eyes.

"You don’t talk much, do you? Are you afraid of me?" Probably, he thought.

She shook her head.

"Well, my name is Joran and I suppose there is no reason to be afraid of me so you’re right not to be. What’s your name?"

"Tara" she said and with a very confident voice went on:"As you’re now going to ask what it is that I’m doing here I can tell you that much. I came to find you; and I did. It was a whole lot easier then I thought it wood be."

Now it was Joran’s turn to look surprised. This little girl was out to look for him?! Yeah right he though, she’s definitely making a fool out of me.

She hadn’t said anything for a while but was still looking intensely at him. He’d almost feel uncomfortable if it wasn’t for the fact that she was still so young.

"You don’t believe me do you?"

He looked back at her and replied: "No you’re right I don’t" And then with slight panic he thought: this girl can read my mind and I have been taught to keep it shut to the outside world well before I was sixteen! Unconsciously he took a step back.

"You are afraid of me though aren’t you?"

"No!" He said but felt it didn’t sound convincingly enough. He wished he hadn’t touched that heap on the floor. He wished he had just waited for the rain to stop and then left. Why did he have to be so bloody curious?

"Yes you are afraid of me" The girl said with a sad smile, "but that doesn’t really matter. I know you’re here to find Leila."

"Leila?"

"Yes Lei… You know her don’t you? I was never wrong before!"

"I don’t know her by her name" he replied to the suddenly not so confident little girl "but describe her for me."

"She’s got really beautiful black hair and she is real nice and always listens to everyone."

He realised that for the first time she acted her age, at least acted the age he thought she was but even though she described Phoebe by character instead of by looks he could suddenly picture her in his head as clear as he had ever seen her since he had first dreamed his call. It was her! And the little brat obviously knew her.

"Well the rain has stopped so I suppose we should go." He said. "Did you ever sit on a horse before uh… what’s your name again?"

"Tara"

"Well have you Tara?"

"No"

"You think you can?"

"Of course!" She skidded outside in front of him and walked to the horse that he had stalled under the roof of the shed. She was already patting the big animal’s nose when he had collected his stuff and walked outside.

An awkward little girl he thought.

"You can sit in front of me" he said and while seating himself in the saddle. He helped her up by one hand and she smoothly ended in front of him.

She sat quite relaxed leaning softly against him. He thought it a quite interesting experience as he wasn’t used to having children around him. When he did, he usually found them quite annoying. But the soft and simple ness of the child in front of him mad him feel only tenderness.

When he asked her how she knew so surely it was him she was looking for she didn’t reply as she had fallen asleep again. He supposed it was a bit long to walk such a distance for a girl her age. An interesting child he thought again.

He had been riding for less than ten minutes when the rain started again. He looked up and saw the black sky. Shelter! He thought. The only shelter he knew was the one they had just come from. He shook Tara awake and told her: "Hold on" He turned the horse around and galloped back. Just when they had set foot inside the storm broke loose. The rain was endless and the lightning and thunder came only nearer. He sat by the fire thinking that if this kept on it might well rain for another whole day and that he would probably not make it back for the ritual.

Shasti sat on his bed wondering what he was going to do. They had gotten a holiday for the coming feast and ritual and so Rael had gone to see Muni and he felt quite alone. Also he was anxious for Leila. Tomorrow night was the night of the ritual and he hurt for her. Should he go by her place? And then what? He thought. He didn’t know what to say or how to offer her comfort. So he decided to stay home. What to do.? What was there really to his life if he wasn’t training? He didn’t really have anything else. How’d Leila be? Of coarse he had Rael and some other friends in and around the barracks but what was his goal in life? Was he the only one just trotting along waiting to see what it brought him? It surely felt like it. Everybody seemed to know what they were doing except for him. He wished there was something to distract him from al these depressive thoughts. He looked outside. The rain came down so hard that he wondered if it would stop before the moon ritual. Probably he thought. The past few years there had also been terrible rains before the ritual and they always seemed to stop in time as if they were only there to clean the earth and prepare them for the new moon year to come. How’d Leila be?

Staring at a piece of paper he didn’t really see Zora was wondering about the letter for Eunie. He knew he had promised not to ever meet her again in this life time but under these circumstances he didn’t have much of a choice did he? He knew he could trust Joran with the letter. He just wished he could know Eunies reply! He knew she’d let him know as soon as she got the letter but now the rain came down so hard it would take a bit longer before she received it, before Joran arrived in Tanu. It fare you well boy, he thought, this will be no easy task.

Leila was writing in her book. There had been so many things happening in her life lately that she felt it would be a good idea to get a hold on them. She had dreamed about sorceresses in a fight. She believed she had seen Eunie participating in it and it had been very real. The women had been hurling things at each other, fighting games in their minds and she had been standing right in the middle of them but nothing hit her. She couldn’t stop them and to the left and right of her she saw people trying to escape and sorceresses bereft of their power falling to the ground, panic in their eyes. It seemed like some sort of fantasy but somehow she knew that it was real. Not so much as she had seen it but the meaning behind it whatever that was.

Raga and Rancha were having an early dinner. Rancha was in one of his fatherly moods and wanted to talk to Rancha about all sorts of things. Rancha didn’t feel like talking. What was he supposed to tell his dad about his trip to the Agin springs? It went fine, yes, but what else? Raga was asking about the Gala as well, which was even a worse subject. Of course he didn’t know that it had been a disappointment to Rancha and that that was the reason he didn’t feel like talking about it. But nevertheless he asked and put Rancha in quite a fowl mood. Also he was worrying about the ritual which he was becoming more and more hesitant about. How could he go in there and take just any girl to him?! He didn’t even have experience with it! What if she was still a virgin, which she probably was given the fuss about the rituals this year? He didn’t want to hurt anybody! And wouldn’t he do just that if it was her first time? He didn’t know. It had been only from rumours that he knew that and the last thing he wanted to do was ask his dad. Then who? There was nobody he really wanted to inform about this. Maybe Gaera? That would only be possible after the ritual because he had gone of to Lianu, of course. Why was nothing ever easy?

She let the rain soak her thin cotton clothes. She had walked to an open space in the forest her bare feet covered with mud. Nothing but a good rain, she thought She pulled e few greying hairs from her face and wiped some raindrops from her eyelashes. She felt refreshed and shivered comfortably. She sat herself down against a tree at the edge of the open place and closed her eyes. Her mind wondered off to the past and she forced herself to stay with what was now. She tried to direct her mind to Xona’s. It had been a long time since they had contact. As always Eunie didn’t have to wait very long as she reacted already after a short period of time.

Silence. She knew Xona was thinking.

Thanks she managed and then let her concentration waver into nothingness. She was out of practice! This definitely tired her out. Maybe she was just getting old she thought.

Don’t go! Xona thought but all she hit was a hard wall. Too late! She would have to go over there. This was not a good way of communicating things being as they were now she thought and she felt that this was more important than it had seemed to her at first hand. She’d leave tomorrow morning.

Illya had caught on to the communication line between Eunie and someone else. She had the ability but had never been taught how to use it. It wasn’t considered appropriate for a priestess, she knew however that there were quite a few priestesses that knew how none however had much of a talent for it.

She was interested in this Eunie person but as she was a sorceress there was hardly any communication between her and the temple. She didn’t think Eunie could be that bad a person though. She simply had a different way of using the moons power and she was strong, very strong. Maybe, she thought, that is why the people in the Temple are so negative towards her, they are probably afraid. She was lying outside in the rain and was thinking about Eunie. Who are you she thought what are you?

I’m no different than you are!

Shocked by the knowledge in her head she lost focus. Then slowly pulling herself together again she thought: Was that you Eunie?

Yes. Come to my house tomorrow, we’ll talk.

Illya lost focus and even though she tried, she couldn’t regain any of it this time.

Go by Eunies house tomorrow?! She would never get leave. It was the day of the moon ritual, they’d have plenty tasks for her to keep her busy far into the night.

Eunie smiled at herself. You’re terrible she thought patting herself on the back. But she supposed it was best for the child to know as well. She had been misplaced. She had too much talent to be a priestess! And she was just sitting around wasting it. Eunie would show her what control of power was. This girl could become a danger to herself if they just let it come and go at its own whish. She should have control over it. Once again she decided that she didn’t understand these priestesses. They said that they were serving the moon goddess but in the meantime they refused to be taught how to correctly handle the power they were given. She walked home her dress stuck to her legs making walking a bit hard. She lifted them a bit so that they would stay clear of the mud as well. How nice these proper sky bursts were, they should occur more often. They would probably not be as nice though if that was the case.

On entering her little hut she walked straight on to the little tub of hot water she had left there for her return. The herbs that she had put in there spread a sweet aroma around the little place. This was rapture she thought as she stepped into the hot water. Momentarily she relaxed but not for very long though. She couldn’t lie still as she had too much on her mind and too much to do before she’d go to bed. She put on a night dress and went to her pile of books.

She paged through the book she had been reading earlier: Sorceresses, Sorcerers, Simple handling, Advanced handling, Handling of other Sorcerers power, Guides and Tyro’s, Controlling power, yes she thought, controlling power. That’s what I will teach her. I can be a tutor and I will be!

Tara eyed Joran curiously. He was in a seriously bad mood and she could figure that it wasn’t just because of the rain. He sat against the wall lost in thought and only after quite some time realized that Tara was staring at him.

"What are you looking at me like that for?"

"Because…" Tara said

"Because what?!" Joran said with a deep sigh trying to be patient with the child.

Because I was wondering what it is apart from the rain that makes you so grumpy?"

"You really want to know that?" Joran was again slightly amazed by the girl’s ability to sense his feelings.

"Well, yes?" Tara wasn’t so sure anymore about if he was going to answer that as this guy was quite unpredictable when it came to his mood.

"I wanted to be in Tanu before the moon ritual but as we have been held up for at least one and a half day we will not make it there until the morning after and so we will have to wait a bit longer because I don’t want to be riding into Tanu when the curfew is still on and so I’m wasting time, and I don’t like wasting time."

Tara nodded her head in understanding, she didn’t exactly like wasting time either but at least she felt she was doing something useful thinking of things she could and had to do when she came back which was better than get in a bad mood thinking of the things she couldn’t do. At least that is what Eunie always said to her and so she told Joran that.

Joran looked at her and smiled a little, "you are too wise for your years girl" he said and decided that when he reached Tanu he would definitely have to let the masters know about this little girl who definitely had a lot of talent and who would flower into a great sorceress with the right guide at her side.

He went back to staring outside wanting with all his will for the rain to stop. It wouldn’t happen he knew. Only the greatest of masters could handle the weather and even then, everything needed to be compensated. Don’t use any great powers if it wasn’t strictly necessary. So he sighed and looked at Tara again. Thetys he called her for himself, the little moonchild.

She was occupying herself with a few stones that she had collected outside. She was throwing a few of them on the floor and then would finish a certain pattern she saw with the rest of the stones. They were sometimes queer shapes other times recognisable as people, animals, plants or other things. He watched for a while with fascination and then asked her which rules she had for coming to a certain pattern.

"Oh simple Tara replied. I throw the stones and add on to the side to which the largest stone has fallen until I put down a stone that has a point to it and then I follow that. If I see something in it I finish it off and otherwise I keep putting them down in the way they tell me to."

He watched her for another while and then asked to his own surprise: "Can I try?"

Tara looked at him and said: "Of course! But you have to go outside and find some stones first. You have to pick only stones you like and then they’ll form patterns that you recognise. These are mine."

He looked at her stones again and indeed saw that they weren’t just taken randomly but carefully sought out, big and small, grey and white and pink and orange and green and silvery. This was getting more interesting by the minute. So even though he hated the rain he went outside and staying clear of the rain for as far as that was possible he collected stones he liked. A lot of them were dark brown from the rain. Some where orange like Tara’s and others see through like the ones he knew witches used to inscribe with runes. He couldn’t seem to get enough of it as he found more and more stones that he thought were worthwhile and only when he found a piece of wood that had almost turned into stone he realized that his handkerchief was bulging. He grinned at himself and saw how his little companion managed to keep herself busy like this. He went inside and Tara didn’t even look up. He sat opposite her and threw some stones on the floor. He kept picking stones from his handkerchief randomly and put them down as Tara had told him to. Even before he realized it himself Tara’s eyes went wide with surprise.

"That one is really beautiful" she said and "you have so many stones!" Then while he continued she suddenly told him stop and added: "She looks like Leila!"

Joran looked at the stones anew. He hadn’t been paying much attention to the shape yet as he had been trying to keep track of the rules for laying the stones. Full of surprise he murmured: "Yes it does!"

Tara looked at him thoroughly. "So you do know her then" she asked.

Joran sighed again. This girl paid attention very well and he knew he would have to explain some things to her or he would be continually harassed by all the questions she had. Still bewildered by his pattern of stones he sat himself in a more comfortable position and started to tell Tara in very basic forms why he knew what Leila looked like but didn’t know her by name. He also had to let her make a few promises and to make sure she would keep the one that was most important, which was not to tell Leila who he really was and why he had come he would put a spell on her that night. He felt bad sneaking up on her as he did but knew that this was important enough to use this kind of power.

Tonight was the moon’s ritual he thought and not to entirely miss it he told Tara about how they had celebrated it at his home last year and she listened eagerly.