EA#13:
Read From the Beginning or the start of Trial Two or Three
The Mountain in the Clouds, Part Sixteen
“
I was in a reverie. I was lost in the past.
A series of memories unfurled before my inner eye. Scenes of days gone by, people I used to know, place I used to frequent with joy.
Maniea. My love.
So long ago. It had been so long since I saw her last… Gods, was it how many years?
And I never thought I would see her face, hear her voice again.
I was dripping with spa water as I stood by the bath, aromatic steam encircling my crown.
It was in that condition that my friend found me again.
“Troy!” said Jaran. “What happened? You’re pale as a baby archebeast.”
“I saw her,” I stammered in response.
“Saw who?” he asked.
“Maniea, the love of my life. Only it couldn’t have been. How could she be here…” I sat down in a heap on the marble floor.
“My friend,” Jaran soothed me. “It is ok. You have seen a vision. This happens sometimes. Especially when you are relaxed. The bath house is known to have that effect.”
“But what does it mean?” I begged of my winged friend. “Is it real or just a trick of the eyes?”
“Visions are not to be taken lightly,” he explained. “You have been given a gift. To see interdimensionally.”
I had heard him talk like this before, but to be honest it often lost me. I typically loved his advice, but sometimes I struggled to follow him. There were some concepts I didn’t quite grasp.
“Jaran, my good friend for these many years…” I shook my head. “I really wish I could understand what you are saying. What do you mean, about this gift?”
“There are many gifts, Troy,” Jaran continued. “To see, to hear, to know things that cannot be accessed through your five senses. These are not extraordinary powers. All have the abilities to understand their experience of life in these ways. What you have seen is simply an energetic connection to the one you love. Perhaps you were thinking of her, or she of you, and you tuned into each other to share this experience.”
“Are you saying,” I almost could not contain my excitement then, “that she still lives? That she thinks of me? Did she truly send this message to me?”
“My dear, dear friend,” he answered. “You are more powerful than you know. And she is, too. Do not doubt what you have just witnessed.” He paused a moment, then inquired, “You say she sent a message? What did she say?”
“She told me she would see me soon,” I breathed as if I didn’t believe it myself.
“Ah,” Jaran smiled. “Then there is nothing to worry about. It shall be so.” He laughed then most heartily and it put me at ease. “Now, shall we enjoy some downtime in the hot springs?”
“Thank you, but no,” I said to him. “I think I have had enough of this place for the moment. You go ahead and enjoy yourself for a bit.”
“Not a problem at all,” the winged man said. Without pause he removed all his clothes until he was stark naked before me. I was a little shy about it and turned my gaze away as he entered the waters, laid back into his comfort and let out a sigh of ease. His eyes closed, his hands clasped behind his back, and his legs crossed in the water.
“Well, dear friend,” he sputtered, mouth at the edge of the water, “do what you need to for now. I am sure Angie will find you soon if you are ready for your next trial.”
I left him there and found my clothes where I’d left them in the hanging basket in the drapery room. My flesh was still a bit damp and it took a bit of effort to slip the fabrics over my limbs.
As I was dressing I noticed a form behind a sheer curtain of silk. She was naked but I could not see much detail. No, I could make out the curves of her body. She was beautiful, and I caught myself staring. My sense of propriety got the best of me and I averted my gaze.
A moment later Angie emerged in a loose gown that looked as though it might well slip off her body in a light breeze. She sauntered towards me without pause or hesitation, only confidence radiating from her being.
“Troy,” she smiled at me. “Have you enjoyed your time at the baths?”
“Uh, yes and no,” I stuttered slightly.
“Why so shy?” she queried.
“It’s nothing,” I offered, trying to divert the conversation. “I didn’t know you had come here as well. I didn’t see anyone for some time…”
“I come here often,” Angie replied as she walked past me, hips swaying under the thin, sensual fabric that caressed her body. “I find it very relaxing,” she continued. “It helps me tune in to my source.”
When she said that I had this overwhelming feeling strike me right in the solar plexus. It seemed to suggest that what she had said was true and that what Jaran had just spoke of was accurate and that my vision and experience of my love visiting me was not only possible but real. I couldn’t deny this inner knowing that crept over me, putting me at ease like a warm blanket of love.
“What was that?” I found myself asking aloud.
To my surprise Angie knew just what I meant, like she had read my mind. “That is your connection to your source telling you that all is well. Isn’t it a lovely feeling?”
She left the drapery room through the curtain and I followed. As she walked through the bath house she appeared to glide, as if her feet were not even touching the ground. And though her stride was short she had already managed to cross halfway down the length of the pool. Jaran was still there, basking in the hot waters, eyes closed and completely still.
“You may return to your room and sleep until the morning,” Angie said. Her voice sounded near though she was a ways ahead of me. “You will begin your next trial then.”
By the time I left the bathhouses Angie was so far ahead of me that I could not see her amidst the rows of gardens and hills of Starhome. My skin had since dried and my clothes felt more comfortable. The thick odors of the essential oils still clung to me. My body did feel more rested and my muscles were no longer so achy.
I made my way down the long causeway back to the room they had provided for me. Rows of white columns guided me on, tendrils of wisteria showering down their sides. Their purple flowers reminded me of a summer long ago that I was particularly fond of.
Maniea and I used to spend many hours in the gardens of Ham where they grew on the highest hills in town overlooking the Elgan Sea. That was our escape from the crowds of the bustling city. And it was the one of the only places that our forbidden love affair could develop unbeknownst to those who would know us and tell our secret. So we reveled in those days amidst the flowers and butterflies. We often lay under the shade of the shele trees, ancient giants from the days when the elven empire commanded most of southern Taltane.
The gardens had been the perfect place for us to hide and to get to know one another. And the wisteria had been our favorite to gaze upon as we fell in love.
She was perfect for me, Maniea. She had all the qualities I had ever sought in a mate. And she loved me well. And I her.
As I reminisced I began to feel sadness upon me again. It seemed there was a lie being touted about that my trial of joy would begin in the morrow. To my mind I was already being tested.
Ok, I told myself. They are just memories. Things of the past. They cannot touch me now. I am where I am now. And I actually have a newfound hope that I may one day see my love again.
I tried to focus on that thought to lift my spirits. But it was hard not to feel that depth of sorrow at the loss of my love.
Then I thought of others whom I loved dearly, have lost also and felt disconnected from. My children, gods be with them. It had been as long since I had seen them.
Alas, I was falling into despair in that moment.
I was not enjoying this trial. Whether it was upon me or soon beginning. I was not enjoying it at all.
I found my room, pulled the drapes shut, removed my clothes and lay under the covers, trying desperately to turn off my mind…
“
Thanks so much for reading.
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Blessings to you,
Matthew