Amdirlain’s PoV - Yúla

  As the sunset approached, Einior started packing up the pieces of the platform. “I’m going for a swim before dinner.”

  “We should do the same, see if we can snag some fish,” Sarah replied.

  He glanced at their dry clothing and down at his sweat-stained attire. “You seem like you could do this work all day.”

  Amdirlain smiled. “It is more relaxing than dealing with monsters trying to kill us.”

  Einior twitched. “Why didn’t you run away?”

  “There are some things that running from is pointless, as they’ll just find you when you’re tired.”

  “Worse than the great cats?” Einior asked nervously.

  “Yes, but they’re far from here.” Sarah scooped out a coil of cord, and Amdirlain collected a leftover frame. “Where should we leave these?”

  “We’ll use the spare cord to secure them to the closest huts so they don’t get scattered by the wind.”

  Once they had all the items tied to the hut’s outer structure, they headed for the lake.

  When they reached ground level, Amdirlain slithered out of her clothing and, draping them over a shrub, raced for the deep water. This region of the shoreline had none of the floating plants, and beneath the water was a steep slope that became a cliff a few metres from shore. The nearest fish darted away when she dived into the depths. Chasing after them, she closed her eyes and turned off her Resonance, sensing the world around her through Primordial Will alone. Waves of colour and sound washed through her mind as the Power translated reality into patterns that felt like a mix of thermal imaging mixed with song. The Power was several steps behind the details provided by Phoenix’s Symphony, but its reach was enough to let her perceive the planet’s circumference.

  I won’t get stronger unless I push myself. Using True Song Genesis and Phoenix’s Symphony is currently more efficient; however, they depend on the rules of this realm.

  Einior shook his head at the speed of Amdirlain’s disappearance. “Your mate is beautiful. Have you been together long?”

  “It can never be long enough. Whenever we’re apart, I look forward to seeing her again.” Sarah replied.

  “You make it sound like it’s a frequent occurrence.”

  “Amdirlain sometimes craves solitude to think or consider problems. I work on my own things to keep myself distracted while she’s away.”

  Sarah walked carefully towards the drop-off until waist-deep in water and casually rinsed off. After a moment, Einior joined in scrubbing his sweat-stained clothing, and when done, put them back on to dry using body warmth.

  Einior scanned the surface as he stepped out of the water. “She’s been underwater a while. How long can she hold her breath?”

  The question prompted Amdirlain to snatch up the closest prey. With fingers hooked into the gills of two large fish, Amdirlain gave a dolphin kick and shot back along her trail. As Amdirlain surfaced with two metre-long fish clutched in each hand, Einior slowly shook his head.

  “How did you do that? You were underwater for so long and came back with fish.”

  “I know a few tricks,” Amdirlain replied. “Sind? isn’t averse to showing off for me, so occasionally I have to put in some work.”

  Sarah snorted. “I think you have that back to front.”

  As she made a show of struggling to get back onto the lip of the drop-off, Amdirlain pretended to throw a thrashing fish at Sarah. “I’d never.”

  “Nudist,” Sarah projected brightly.

  The warm amusement drew a pleased sigh from Amdirlain. “It’s just flesh. Going to cut up my catch and show off your copper blade?”

  “I wasn’t thinking about them beyond being tools, but copper knives aren’t a good idea for regular use with food. You can clean up the residue, but it’s not a good idea long term.”

  “Do a sleight of hand and create a rough iron knife that will match your proposed plans.” Amdirlain returned. She strode out of the water and handed over the fish. “I caught them, so that means you can clean them.”

  “That’s not how it works when I catch them,” Sarah grumbled playfully.

  “You deal with the fish and I’ll handle the red meat.” Amdirlain handed off the fish and retrieved her discarded clothing and gear.

  Amdirlain kept a straight face as Sarah mentally howled with laughter.

  Almost before Amdirlain had finished dressing, Sarah had the fish cleaned, and they headed towards the ladder with them strung on a piece of vine. When they reached the main level of the platforms, groups along the central concourse had similar stone plates and stand arrangements as used at lunch. People were delivering their catch, along with gathered fruits, mushrooms, and tubers, to those handling the cooking. Children took bowls of food to the sentries along the edge of the platforms or listened as adults chatted about gathering spots and animal tracks.

  A few groups exchanged bowls of cooked food and fruit for the fish Sarah brought along.

  Amid the lower murmur of conversation, the first questions came their way. “Milui said you came from the west. What’s beyond the lakes?”

  Sarah fielded the first question. “The forest runs all the way to a giant expanse of bitter water that is undrinkable. Directly west, it continues as far as the eye can see, but if you follow the coast far enough north, land juts up above the water. Once you reach the beaches beyond the northern mountains, it’s possible to raft between small patches of land to reach another landmass. As you go north through those lands, there is a lot more rain, and different plants and animals live there.”

  “Are there tribes in those lands?” Milui called out from her spot with her husband and daughters, a few groups away.

  “We didn’t encounter any traces of tribes across the waters,” Amdirlain replied.

  “Nor along the bitter water’s edge, this tribe seems to be the furthest west in the forest,” Sarah added.

  Torher waved a hand to draw their gaze. “Will you tell us about the places you’ve seen?”

  “What would you like to hear about first?” Amdirlain asked.

  “The wide waters, what lives near them, and what do you drink if the water is foul?” someone called.

  That evening, Amdirlain spun tales of creatures, places, and monsters to be found on the two continents she’d admitted to experiencing. She imitated animal calls, the rain, and wind in distant lands, adding ultrasonic harmonics that tingled across their senses and raised the hair on the back of their necks. As the hours went by, most of the crowd came closer to soak up every word, though Lanyaro and others in his family line drew further away.

  “You’re such a Bard,” Sarah sent.

  In a grand display of self-restraint, Amdirlain only blew a short mental raspberry across their link.

  When Amdirlain eventually halted and made a show of taking a long drink from a waterskin, Camen disbanded the evening gathering by issuing instructions to change the guards. Though some lingered, Milui moved closer to the pair. Her creation of a close circle signalled those lingering to give them space.

  “Thank you for sharing for so long, Amdirlain.” Milui crouched before them. “It seemed like I could feel the icy wind off the mountaintops.”

  “The best tales are evocative.”

  “Did you want to share space in our hut?” Milui asked.

  Sarah spread her hands slightly. “We’re fine with resting in the open. We’ll take a reverie near the outer edge to be ready to help until we arrange a hut.”

  After exchanging farewells, the pair withdrew to the outer paths around the settlement, staying clear of the watchers related to Lanyaro. They perched with their backs against a large trunk. Once settled, the two tended to the matters within their respective domains. When the tasks that had required her attention were handled, Amdirlain started on souls—after opening tiny gates, a steady stream of souls lifted from her hands. As they flitted through hidden gates to the Outlands, Amdirlain studied how Soul Seed combined Mana or essence with the wild energy from the Far Chaos. Throughout the process, insights emerged, inspired by a blend of the simple lives around her and the souls she formed.

  What would Maker think of me doing this? It would be nice to know what I agreed to, but I'm not strong enough to have another conversation with them. Phaedra’s ability translated their words, but it still felt like she barely endured some of their discussion and missed the implications. Especially with the way Maker repeated some points, it seems to imply that they’d noticed but only attempted to convey their message for so long.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  The next morning, Amdirlain spotted Echadriel trying out the spear Sarah had altered. The youngster whooped in delight as he held up the third fish he’d caught that morning. Calling to his father, he waded ashore with a bounce in his step as it thrashed about on the barbs. As soon as he’d handed it off, he headed back out into the shallows to try again.

  The pleasure that glinted in Sarah’s gaze warmed Amdirlain inside, and she leaned in for a kiss.

  “I bet his excitement endures,” Amdirlain murmured, as Sarah’s arms enfolded her.

  “I’ll see if Echadriel enjoys making tools as well, or just using them,” Sarah replied. “Shall we continue to help Einior with the platforms?”

  “If he doesn’t get sick of us.”

  Over the following days, they settled into a relaxed pattern of lessons, meditation, and working with Einior. Each evening, Amdirlain shared more tales of distant places, warning of the dangers that awaited. Earning the trust of the students turned out to be a slow process as, despite her reassurance that she’d happily answer questions outside the lessons, no one came forward. A few minor injuries that she promptly healed without making an issue, set the seeds of doubt against the poisonous attitude Lanyaro had spread. A gradual shift in the settlement and people’s progress in connecting to the Earth Affinity continued to nudge at Amdirlain’s own efforts in bringing her understanding forward. Yet it seemed the calm of their surroundings was the most significant help in solidifying insights into souls and transformation that had stayed out of reach.

  Through the insights into souls, she noticed an issue with what she’d been doing; those souls she created while upon Yúla were bound to this planet’s region of Judgement. Yet the use of Mana created white souls, while essence gave them the silvery sheen common to elven souls. Once she shared this observation with Sarah, she watched them move beneath the concealment, and her brows lifted.

  “I can just sense what you mean. Are you going to add another species to this planet?” Sarah projected.

  “I hadn’t planned to, but it might be a good idea as I’d hate for the local elves to grow xenophobic. Yet they’ll need a head start to establish themselves, as their birthrate is significantly lower than that of other species. Catfolk or Human?”

  Working at Einior’s pace, they’d assembled and strung the platforms for those already waiting for huts by the end of the fourth day. He provided them with a mat to use as a rough shelter while they awaited a hut. On the fifth evening, as some of the tribe settled into reverie, Maithor approached their makeshift lean-to on the settlement’s edge.

  “What can I help you with, Maithor?” Amdirlain asked as she tightened the bindings on some pieces for a new platform frame.

  “I don’t understand what I’m getting wrong,” Maithor said. “My brother said it feels within reach for him, but I don’t seem to get any closer. I don’t understand how I’m supposed to let the Earth’s energy drift to me. The ground is right beneath us.”

  “Letting the energy come to you was one suggestion, a mental trick to make a connection. Yet, just as each Affinity requires a unique mindset, many can use different approaches in reaching that connection. When you are travelling through the forest, is there only one way to reach a location?”

  Maithor pressed his palms together. “If they’re touching, how is there a different path to them?”

  “Though we can see examples of objects that are related to many affinities, the physical is a pale echo of the reality of the energy.” Amdirlain held out a hand, and a rock appeared in her palm. “While a rock relates to the Affinity Earth, the rock itself is not the energy but an expression of it. If you go to the lake and grab at the water, what happens?”

  “It slips through my fingers, but I still feel the water on my skin.”

  “The contact is fleeting, and the dampness left behind soon disappears. Whereas an Affinity is a permanent connection of understanding between you and the energy form.” The rock she’d held expanded into a cloud of dust. “Try to grab the rock now. All its parts are still present.”

  Maithor’s gaze flicked from the dust cloud to the framework Amdirlain had across her lap.

  “No, the connection isn’t like a binding,” Amdirlain advised. “To gain an Affinity, you need to accept and understand it, not just touch it or try to constrain it.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  The rock snapped back into a single piece again, and Amdirlain smiled patiently. “Then you need to consider the difference between understanding, accepting, and just touching something. What you consider touching Earth is only touching the skin of a massive fruit. Though your body shelters your Soul, the flesh cannot touch that fundamental essence of who you are, Maithor.”

  Her words stirred more grief from within her own memories, but no images came forth.

  Maithor blinked and murmured. “I need to reach within?”

  “Or allow it to reach you with no preconceptions.” Amdirlain patted a nearby offshoot from the main branch that stretched past their lean-to. Branches sprouted from it and arched upwards, growing metres faster than Maithor's sharp inhalation. “As for your brother’s progress against yours, it’s a bad idea to compare yourself to others, as it can bring frustration and unhappiness. Aim to improve on your own deeds, and always seek to be a better version of who you were yesterday.”

  Not that those examples directly help in the arcane, but I need him to work on considering abstract concepts.

  “I’ll try.”

  “Now I’ve talked a lot, so you should have enough to meditate on for now. Just remember, an Affinity is not an object. Consider the sensations within Reverie when you’re linked to your surroundings.”

  “Okay.” Maithor scratched at the side of his head as he walked away.

  As if Maithor’s approach had opened the gates, other children came to ask their own questions that night. The shortness of reverie and the elves’ ability to see in the dark meant that the tribe naturally staggered out their sleep cycles. Thus, throughout the night at least two-thirds of the tribe was always awake. The upside was that it allowed Amdirlain to provide individual tuition for most of the night. However, the downside was that the stream of visitors the next night had Sarah teasing Amdirlain about the complete lack of privacy and the associated benefits.

  When Echadriel left after discussing weapons with Sarah, Amdirlain mentally snickered and lay back next to the lounging Sarah.

  “You know, they say children are built-in contraceptives.” Sarah projected. “We should just ignore their proximity. I’m sure if they heard we were busy, they’d not drop by to talk during the night.”

  “Are you looking for an exhibitionist thrill or some intimate time? We could pretend to go on a gathering trip and Planar Shift to your Demi-Plane with the house.”

  “Me, an exhibitionist?!”

  Amdirlain caressed Sarah’s face. “No, you’re a Dragon and like to show off your mate.”

  “I’m going to show Milui how to get iron from sand today,” Sarah announced loudly enough for those approaching to hear.

  “Do you want to do any preparation work first?”

  “I’ll take her through making the tools as well.” Sarah planted a kiss on her forehead and stood. “There is a lot of labour before we can even start smelting iron. Would you be willing to shape flint tools? I might steal her daughter for the work as well.”

  “That’s fine. Enjoy.”

  With two students approaching along the walkways, Sarah headed off. While Amdirlain spoke with the children, Sarah took Milui along with her husband and daughters through the first steps in making a forge. They’d picked a spot near the closest inlet to the lake and started digging up clay for bricks.

  Before Amdirlain headed for the forest floor that morning, she turned the gathered flint at Milui’s hut into spearheads, knives and blades for other tools. While she worked, some older children were moving about the huts, taking care of chores, or engaged in low conversations with adults sharing their knowledge. Bright laughter came from the forest floor and the lakeshore, as the rest of the older children and some adults played games with the younger children while gathering. Spikes of Orhêthurin’s grief struck hard, but she rode the pain and let the surrounding joy soak in.

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  Rachel and Azadi’s steady approach had brought them close to the camp a few days after Maithor had sought her help in the evening. Their undulating course had connected with the western stream that led to the inlet where Sarah was establishing the forge. Each morning, Amdirlain had delivered a few older fish that were past egg-laying age and then worked with Einior. Once all the new platforms they needed were in place, they checked the existing platforms and undertook minor repairs.

  With the platforms for their hut established, they were waiting for the walls and roof to be woven, the job currently undertaken by her fan. Predictably enough, Lanyaro slowed considerably once he’d completed the other huts. When she finished her morning tasks, she joined the play for a time, helping the youngest pre-teen hide in the ‘safe’ plants. A collection of flowering shrubs whose sap made the great cats itch and shy away, but did nothing to the elves.

  Near noon, she took food to the five at the forge site and, prompted by her drawing closer, Rachel and Azadi picked up their pace to meet her away from the settlement. At the roughed-out forge, Sarah and Milui were stacking reddish clay and sand bricks into a kiln formed from mud bricks. The earthy aroma reminded her of the base being dug for her mother’s garden shed, and grief prickled again. They’d set up a frame for a small building and had a mould carved for roof tiles. Milui’s eldest daughter was the female Elf they’d met knapping flint with her on their first day. N?thang was using a curved clay tile with grooves cut into it to pan for the heaviest sand. Her husband and youngest were deeper in the forest, gathering more materials for the roof.

  After they exchanged greetings, Amdirlain perched on a nearby rock.

  “I thought I’d save you a trip back for food.” Amdirlain waggled the parcels of cooked fish and tubers wrapped in broad leaves. “Rinse your hands, and I’ll pass them over.”

  Crouched next to the plate and pouring water across the gathered sand, N?thang laughed. “My hands are already wet.”

  Amdirlain pretended to toss the bundle, only for N?thang to swish her hands through clean water.

  “Wise choice not to eat sand with your food.”

  Once they’d all managed to semi-clean themselves, she passed the bundles over and unwrapped her own food.

  “I’d meant to ask you how you shaped all that flint in a day,” Milui said. “Was it some of your patterns or are your hands that quick?”

  “Just a touch of magic,” Amdirlain said. “Let me know if you need extra items before the iron tools are ready. Rachel said that they expect to arrive today, as we’re in range of detection spells now.”

  “Do you have others looking for your trail signs?” N?thang asked.

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Amdirlain replied. “Did you want me to harden any bricks yet?”

  “I was going to take them through the hard way first. If you just set a flame Spell in the firebox.”

  “You’ve done that before since you’ve already dried out the kiln,” Amdirlain noted.

  Sarah got up to set broken tiles across the top of the kiln. “Yet you offered.”

  When she had the bricks covered, Amdirlain spread out fires through the two fire channels in the kiln base to heat it evenly.

  They’d just finished eating when Gondren came out of the woods, followed by their second daughter, Lithien; both were carrying coils of vines with their leaves stripped off. Gondren had liquid blue hair that shimmered in the slightest light, a trait inherited by both their daughters. Though his skin possessed a spearmint dusting, it was a trait that Lithien alone shared.

  “I see you, Gondren.”

  “I see you, Amdirlain. Lithien was wondering if she might join your other students.”

  Lithien blushed shyly even as she nodded.

  “Everyone is welcome. Should I run a second session later in the day to allow others to attend?”

  Milui kept a straight face, but her eyes gleamed with eagerness. “Camen hoped you might expand the lessons at some point. Those who keep watch in the afternoon are interested in what they might learn.”

  “I’ll work out the best portion of the day for lessons,” Amdirlain said, holding out food bundles to Gondren and Lithien. “Enjoy.”