Brian Anderson - Shadow of the Gods

Gewey stiffened. “I am a man.” he insisted. “Even before I came of age, I was my own master.”

She giggled, amused at his reaction. “A man need not assert that he is a man. Only a child would do so.” She struggled to her feet, aided by Gewey, and smoothed her dress.

Gewey gave no reply. Embarrassed by the truth in her words, he turned and retrieved his elf clothing from the chest. Aaliyah left the room to allow him to wash, returning just as he was climbing into his bed.

Aaliyah dimmed all the lights and climbed into her bed. “I am sorry if I upset you,” she said, pulling the blanket close. “But compared to me, your years in this world are few. There are lessons for you still to learn.”

“I know,” said Gewey. “I just feel…I don't know. I suppose I don't like being reminded that I'm so much younger and inexperienced than everyone around me.”

“You are young.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “But you are not without experience. And you are mature for your age. You should think no more on it. I will try to be more delicate with the matter.”

Gewey let the ship rock him to sleep. His dreams were fraught with images of battle, blood, and mayhem. They were so vivid that, at first, he feared the Dark Knight had found him again, but to his relief, he didn't appear.

Over the next several nights Gewey and Aaliyah continued their lessons, but Aaliyah thought it better to do so on deck rather than risk damage to the ship. Though there were no further accidents, Gewey struggled for the first few days to control the flow. The more he failed the more frustrated he became. But then on the fourth night it happened.

One of the navigators was on her way to her quarters. Her face was tense, her eyes narrow, and she appeared to be upset. Gewey stopped her.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“I am fine, Shivis Mol,” she replied.

Her name was Drasalisia. Gewey had seen her nearly every evening on his way up to the deck. Usually, he was already involved in his lesson, but this evening Aaliyah allowed him a little bit of extra sleep. “It's just that you look upset,” he remarked.

Drasalisia's face relaxed a bit and she managed a polite smile. “No, Shivis Mol. I am not upset. When you channel power from the air and water it can leave you…emotional. It takes effort to calm myself.”

“Emotional?” Gewey rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head. There were three navigators on board. All women, and all seemed to him to be as stoic as priests of Dantenos, God of the Dead. “How do you mean?”

“The water is power and mystery.” she replied. “Difficult to understand, but easy to manipulate. The air is another matter. It is passion and fire. It burns and flows with a will of its own. When you control air, it demands that you use your own passion, or it will defy you.”

“You speak as if it were alive,” he remarked.

“Did you ever think it was not?” She huffed a laugh and walked away.

Gewey thought on this for a time, then sat next to the waiting bowl of water. He closed his eyes and felt the flow of the air around him, drawing it near. He could feel it raging and bursting with power. Then he felt it. The passion. Love, hate, joy, sorrow, all pressing in together, trying to force its way out. It was alive. He drew it inside and let his own feelings surge into the storm. It was in that moment he understood why he couldn't control it before. In his attempt to control, he had withheld the part of himself needed for the air to join with him as one. His heart. In moments all the lessons came together and he knew exactly what to do, and heated the air around the bowl.

“Perfect.” Aaliyah knelt beside him. “Soon it will become effortless. You will be able to create wonders.”

Gewey sighed with satisfaction. “It's alive. I can feel it.”

“Of course, it is,” she replied. “The world is a living thing formed by the Creator. The pulse of the earth is its heart and body. The air its breath. The water its blood.” She took his hand and pulled him to his feet. “And when you are ready, you will see its soul.”

“Its soul?” Gewey imagined the world as an immense creature atop which all people resided. “I'll be able to see it?”

“Oh, yes,” said Aaliyah. “When you have control enough to master the physical powers of the earth, then you shall be ready to join with its spirit. For an elf, there is no greater power. Only a few of us have touched it.”

“Have you?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “I am one who has achieved such power. Though I admit, only to a small degree. To journey through the unseen world, touching the minds of others wrapped within your own spirit is a gift we all possess. But to join with the true spirit of creation…it is unlike anything you can imagine. Once you can do that, you will be invincible.”

Gewey realized she still held his hand, and felt his heart race. He quickly withdrew. Aaliyah smiled and let out a soft, contented laugh. She looked at him for a long moment then stood over him.

“I know what you're trying to do,” said Gewey, in a half-whisper. “It won't work. I love Kaylia.”

“I have made no secret of my intent,” she replied. “But I am no trickster. Do not sully our time together with accusations.” She motioned for him to resume his lesson.

The rest of the evening, Gewey practiced channeling the flow. By the end of the night, Aaliyah had taught him to create a tiny ball of flame above his hand and send it flying through the air.

From then on, time aboard ship passed quickly. By the beginning of the second week, Gewey began rising early to study the ship and its workings. The crew was happy to teach him, and he found himself looking forward to it as much he did his lessons with Aaliyah. The crew relished telling him stories from their homeland, and were eager to learn of his life as well. Their cheer and good nature reminded him of Linis and his seekers. It was comforting to know that he did not need to convince them to be his allies. Though they did not say it, he felt as if they would do anything he asked of them.

But even though he had immersed himself in his lessons, Kaylia was never far from his mind. The absence of her thoughts and emotions was an open wound that felt as if it would never heal. Several times per day he would try to reach her, but without success. Each time he did, Aaliyah appeared shortly after to give him further instruction. Somehow she knew what he was doing. But worse, she knew what he was feeling, and could say just the right thing to send his heart pounding and cheeks blushing. Most of the time this was followed by heart-wrenching guilt. But she would occasionally catch him off guard, and he would respond more in the manner of a suitor than a student. This, naturally, caused him even more guilt and torment.

Then, by midway through the second week, the cool evenings had become warm and muggy. Aaliyah told him that they were about a hundred miles from the shores of a large delta city. Gewey assumed it was Baltria. She explained that they would remain far from shore to avoid other ships, until they neared their destination in four days. Gewey marveled that they had traveled so far in such a short time.

Aaliyah had told him that he would begin lessons with water on their return journey. Gewey had all but forgotten why they had come. He had heard stories of the desert nomads. Fierce and dangerous, they wandered aimlessly, preying on anyone foolish enough to stray too far from the oasis towns. Ravenous beasts supposedly, roamed the sands as well. Wolves the size of a pony, hunting at night, devouring entire caravans, leaving only the bones to bleach in the scorching sun. He even had heard stories of great flying lizards that breathed fire, though these were the things told to children at night. His father would occasionally delight him with desert tales, and the giant lizard stories had been his favorite.