"Uncle Bleys!" I hurtled towards the man standing outside one of the stalls in the stable, his normally bright clothing muted by a layer of fine dust. He looked tired but when he turned at my cry and saw me, he laughed and crouched, holding his arms out to catch me. Holding me close he straightened and squeezed gently.
"Uncle Bleys, you're back!" My cry was filled with happiness and relief. It seemed forever since his abrupt departure from Amber, almost six months in reality, and though I quizzed Aunt Fiona every day at first, she refused to elaborate on the reason for his leaving. I never had the chance to wish him luck. I had no idea when he would be back. But the news of his return shot like wildfire through the staff and even as he approached the stables, I was on my way to meet him. Burying my head in his shoulder I breathed the smell of horse and sweat, but I didn't mind – I'd missed him.
"This is an unexpected welcome party." He chuckled and settled me on his hip and held me with one arm as he bent to pick up a travel sack from the floor. After giving instructions to the stable boy, he carried me out of the stables and into the grey light of dawn. "Why are you out of lessons?" He asked as he walked across the virtually deserted yard.
I lifted my head to look at him.
"I snuck out." My snicker made him smile and I grinned back. Then I couldn't contain myself any longer. "Tell me of your adventure, uncle, I want to know everything!" Though my demand was greeted with a shake of his head, his accompanying sigh was staged and with a surge of excited relief I knew he would eventually tell me something of the weeks he'd spent in Shadow. It might take just a bit of persuasion on my part and I gave him my best wide-eyed hopeful look, with a dash of pleading mixed in for good measure.
He ignored my efforts with practiced ease. "We must get you back before you're missed, young lady." At my artistically crafted crestfallen expression, he finally laughed. "Perhaps tonight, if you work hard in class this morning, I will tell you a tale to confound and excite even your wild imagination." And he nudged my cheek with his nose.
I squealed with delight and wrapped my little arms around his neck, content for the moment. As we approached the castle, a little pang of apprehension fluttered in my stomach and dampened my good mood as we drew closer to my Aunts certain wrath.
"There you are."
I squirmed and wriggled deeper in to Bleys' hold. My aunt's glare would cut through diamond and she directed it my way as we entered my chambers. But the fire in her eyes turned to Bleys as he moved across the room to her, an impish grin on his lips as he leaned down to kiss her proffered cheek.
"It is good to see you again, sister. I found this little one in the stables, making sure I got back here safely. If you will allow it, I'll take her lesson today and perhaps tomorrow."
Fiona held his gaze for a long moment and then pursed her lips. "You're late," she snapped. "I've been trying to contact you for the last three weeks. I was growing concerned." But he seemed unconcerned, his expression smug and her anger gradually faded, excitement taking its place. "Did you find it?" She breathed, as if fearing his answer.
When he nodded she gave him a strange smile, as though impressed by whatever he had done. "Good, good," she sounded distracted. "I'll leave you both to study. Come find me in the library when you are finished, there are some texts I need to read for the next stage and I could use your input." Her request was directed at my uncle and not me.
"Of course," he replied and his arm squeezed me imperceptibly. "I won't be long, she learns quickly."
I could hardly contain my curiosity. What were they talking about? I eyed the sack in my uncle's hand and wondered if it held the object Fiona had asked about. It was all I could do to keep quiet and not reach for it from my perch. I had to wait, but fortunately not for long.
With a slight nod of her head she swished past us and towards the door, giving me a sharp look to ensure I knew she had not forgotten. She teaches well, but insists on promptness and my lax behaviour would not be overlooked. I sighed with relief when she was safely out of the room.
"Oh ho!" Bleys' arm tightened around me and I wrinkled my nose as his grip began to hurt. "Don't think you're getting off lightly, my dear, the task I have for you is not a simple one, but it is one I think you will enjoy, after a fashion." His arm tightened further and he didn't let up until I gave him a worried look. "That's better, a little respect."
"I always respect you, sir."
"Yes," he grinned and lowered me to the carpeted floor. "I'm sure you do." Strains of amusement were laced through his words and I giggled again. "Sit." He waved to a chair by the window. The high back towered above me, silhouetted by the rising sun. My father liked to sit in it and read to me and those infrequent visits were a treasure to me, but so few and far between that I struggled to recall clearly the last story I heard. Scrambling quickly onto the hard cushioned seat I waited expectantly as Bleys scrutinised me.
"I have something I wish you to study." He placed the sack he'd carried from the stable onto the table beside my chair. Pulling the strings to loosen them he lifted out a small box then dropped the bag to the floor where it joined the clutter of toys I'd abandoned the night before. He handed me the box. The wood was rough, untreated, and the sides uneven, splinters pressing into my fingers. At my quizzical look he gestured for me to lift the lid.
Inside, laid upon blue felt was an egg shaped jewel. Mostly obsidian, the orb had wiry lines of white like fractures over its shiny surface. It was small, only an inch high. When I picked it up I raised my eyebrows in surprised – this was no ordinary jewel to be worn, it was far too heavy to hang from a chain around ones neck, much heavier than its small size suggested. Looking closer I could see the white lines laced through the jewel and not just over it's surface.
"What is it?" I asked.
He didn't reply.
I rolled it between thumb and forefinger and the orb started to warm. Curious, I kept it moving back and forth, feeling the energy emanating from it vibrating faster and faster. "What does it do?"
Again there was no reply.
When I looked up at him with wide eyes he chuckled before shaking his head and tousling my shoulder length hair. Then he turned to leave. I opened my mouth to ask him what I was supposed to do, but he didn't look at me again and was closing the door too quickly for me to form my question.
More than a little confused by this strange turn of events, I looked around my room searching for inspiration but not finding any. I held the jewel up to the window. It sucked light into it, the temperature on its surface rising further. Puzzled, I lowered my hand to the table, tapping the orb on the edge. Suddenly the jewel turned icy cold.
"Hey!" Hissing in pain I dropped it, shaking my hand, my fingers aching and burning. The orb landed on the carpet with a dull, heavy thud.
I slid off the chair and a little nervously I nudged it with the toe of my shoe. It rocked. When nothing else untoward happened, I picked it up, wincing in anticipation of more pain, but the orb had returned to room temperature. Cradling it in my palm I sat back on my chair. Resting my elbow on my knee, propping my chin in my hand, I took a pose very much like my uncle when he is studying something that truly intrigues him. I stared long and hard at my treasure.
Since Fiona took me from my mother to live in the castle, both she and Bleys had ensured I received a good education – castle tutors taught reading, writing, mathematics and basic science to me. Over the last year, however, my uncle and aunt had taken almost complete control of my learning and begun to incorporate metaphysical exercises into my routine. It was these exercises I drew upon as I began to study the orb in depth. Inexperience and lack of patience meant it took a frustratingly long time to reach the mental state required to properly focus. Every time I came close to the right level my concentration would break.
Hours passed. Outside, the sun fell and then rose unnoticed, daylight washing over me for a long time before I felt something within the jewel. It was strangely familiar, I had experienced it before when in physical contact with horses and animals in the gardens, but I had not paid it any heed because the sensation had been so faint, barely perceptible to me then. Suddenly the sensation was much, much clearer. I understood what it was, but couldn't fathom why I sensed it in the orb – intelligence, primitive and undisciplined.
"Akira." The voice broke my concentration and I growled in frustration. Looking up I blinked into candlelight and saw Bleys standing over me.
"Uncle?"
"Stop now," he said. "Tell me, what have you learned so far?"
"I... I think...it's alive." My incredulousness showed in the tone of my voice. During my experimentation, I had felt the orb's fear as I rolled it across my palm and was shocked several times by its sudden freezing when I tapped it with a hammer or hurt it in some other fashion. As I sat there trying to explain my findings as best I could, I realised I could still sense an emotion, but it was more akin to curiosity. "I don't understand how it can be alive...unless someone put a little animal's mind inside. How can anyone do that? It's just a rock!" Confused but intrigued I looked at Bleys questioningly, noticing for the first time my aunt standing behind him. She looked pleased, possibly even proud which left me dumbfounded but thrilled that I had done something right, whatever that might be.
"I can see how you would think so," Bleys agreed, "but sentience can be found in the strangest of place. This little creature, and it is a living thing and not a transferred consciousness, is only new born and you are experiencing its immature reaction to its environment, in this case, your hand, the table, the floor." He gestured around my room vaguely.
A tingle of heat came from the rock as if it knew we were discussing it and I giggled. "I think it's happy."
He smiled his amusement. "Explain how you can tell, what else have you felt."
"Um.... When it feels happy, warm waves spread fast over its surface, and when it's angry, the waves are really cold and move really slowly. I can tell what it's feeling by the temperature and how quick the waves move, like I can tell what people feel by the way they move the muscles in their faces and bodies. It's amazing." My first tutorials from castle staff had involved some psychology lessons. I found the subject fascinating as a child, even more so when I was much older and able to appreciate better the subtleties in human interaction with my own experiences to hand. This new experience was something else altogether. My mind was opened to possibilities I'd never considered until then.
"Can you feel it?" I offered the jewel to him and was surprised when he quickly held up a hand.
"No, you must be the only one to hold it." At my hurt expression he fell silent, considering what to tell me next. Eventually, he reached a decision. "This creature has a unique ability to bond with another," he explained. "But can only do this when it is young. What you have achieved is just the beginning of a series of exercises, Akira, and none of them will be easy, but the reward will be great at the end. For now, I want you to keep it with you at all times, to ensure the bond is strong before we move you on to the next stage. You'll feel the connection to it's psych strengthening and," he grinned, "physically it will grow in size, rather rapidly I might add. We have a week at most before I must take it back to the world where I found it. Do you understand?"
I nodded. "Yes sir. But, um," I hesitated; aware that many found it frustrating when I constantly asked questions. I couldn't help it. I just had to know as much as I could about any subject and the more answers people gave me, the more questions I needed to ask. My uncle and aunt never seemed to tire of my endless queries, but I didn't want to press the boundaries too hard with them – I might find my lessons ending abruptly.
"Go on." He said, encouraging me with a wave of his hand.
I looked at him with more than a little trepidation. "How big is it going to get?" I asked.
He laughed out loud. "We might have to reinforce you're floor if we keep it too long."
Swatting him with her hand, my aunt shooed Bleys out of her way. She held out her hand to me. "Come, Aki, you need rest. You've done extremely well."
My aunt's open and honest praise came as a surprise, and I beamed at her. Wriggling out of the chair to stand, I reached for her hand, only I didn't remain upright for long, my body sagging beyond my control and only Bleys' quick reactions as he scooped me into his arms stopped me hitting the floor. The room swam around me. A rushing sound filled my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut and clung to him so tight he had to prise my arms from around his neck. At first I panicked when he pulled away, then the disorientation receded. I felt something soft beneath me and realised I was in bed, Fiona was tucking the covers around me.
"Sleep for now," she said gently and smiled, her hand-brushing stray strands of hair from my face. She kissed me lightly on the forehead. "You've a busy week ahead of you." Then she too moved away.
Desperately I tried to fight the exhaustion, wanting to hear them conversing so close to me, but their words were faint and far away to my ears.
"... bonded so quickly," Bleys whispered. "I had expected it to take another day at least. This is good. Tomorrow we will test the link."
I tried as hard as I could to focus on them, but what they were saying didn't make any sense to me. Whether seen through my haze of semi consciousness or just imagined, I saw Fiona lightly chew her lip.
"I hope we're doing the right thing," she said and the concern in her voice was real. "I still wonder, if we left it alone, would the talent have remained dormant. Are we putting her through all this unnecessarily? It will not be an entirely pleasant experience and may take many years before she masters her ability now that we've opened her awareness to it."
"Hey, we've talked this through." His voice was soothing, but he sounded a little surprised. "Don't worry, sis, she's a tough little one. This way we can assess her potential and it will develop more rapidly. Besides," and he chuckled. "We'll never stop her now she has the taste for it."
The darkness finally descended, denying me the rest of their conversation. I slept for a long time, a dreamless sleep that refreshed me. This was a good thing for the myriad of emotions I was to experience the next day would rob me of all reserves of strength I possessed.
My body shook uncontrollably, my tears fell freely and I was too drained to care that my uncle sat beside me and saw them. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tucked me in against his side, rocking me gently
"That was a bit intense, eh?"
After several more gulps of air I managed to nod. I tilted my head to look up at him. "I'm.... sorry.... sir."
"Hey, shh, it's okay, " he said. "I've blocked the link for now so relax for a bit, I think we've done enough for today. And we've got time," he added when I started to protest, "you're doing better than I expected."
I sagged against him again in defeat, able to breath now that he'd stopped the exercise, the orbs agony no longer twisting in my mind and tearing at my sanity.
It was far beyond anything I had expected when I woke that morning, excited, with an air of tense anticipation. Impatient to begin, I had attempted to distract myself by humming a song to it while waiting for Bleys to arrive. I was amazed how it had grown during the night, reaching almost six inches in length, but its weight had not increased in proportion and I cradled it comfortably in my arms and enjoyed the warmth it emitted gently in response to my voice and proximity.
Just after dawn Bleys arrived. Unable to contain myself any longer I bounced to my feet and ran to greet him, eager to start. But he studied me intently, asked about the orb and what it was feeling, listened to my garbled and rushed recount of the time I had spent with it so far that morning before nodding in satisfaction. He waved me over to the fireplace and told me to place the orb on the heart, and only then did he explain what he was going to do.
I became reluctant to participate.
Patiently he explained that the creature wouldn't remember anything, its mind reactive to immediate stimuli only, its brain lacking the capacity to make the necessary neuron connections, and eventually I relented. He stoked the fire, gripped the orb with the fire tongs and lifted it into the flames.
I guess he hadn't realised the strength of the bond between the orb and my mind because the moment the fire lapped over its shiny surface, pain exploded in my head like shards of ice. The intensity of emotion overwhelmed me entirely. Screaming loud enough to startle virtually all the staff in the castle, I scrabbled back from the fire, falling and rolling on the floor holding my head with both hands.
"Make it stop! Make it stop!" I'd cried, but he'd already done so and was kneeling beside me, his hands grasping my arms to hold me still. As the pain faded I stopped struggling. My breathing was still erratic and my eyes wild, and for the first time I saw he was concerned. Picking me up, he carried me to the sofa where I still sat shaking uncontrollably.
Leaning against him I felt him move, twisting to look down at my face and was peripherally aware of him following my gaze to his sword where it lay upon my bed. When he'd arrived that morning I had thought it strange he would wear it, usually he didn't come armed to my room, but I quickly forgot the incident with the excitement of beginning a new study. Now, however, I couldn't take my eyes of it.
Getting to his feet, my uncle walked to the bed and picked up the sword. He held it almost reverently in both hands and came to sit next to me again. "Here," he said and gripped the hilt, drawing smoothly and holding the blade out before me, a faint ringing sound coming from it. "This is a special treat."
The light from the window shimmered along its surface, the intricate tracery engraved upon it shone and even without touching it I could feel a power emanating from the blade. Slowly I reached out and brushed my fingers over the back of the sword. Energy thrummed through my hand and up my arm and I jerked back reflexively. The unfamiliar sensation was not unpleasant, however, and I quickly replaced my fingers.
"What is it?" I asked awed by the sword and also my uncle's gesture letting me look at it this closely. The experience with the orb had opened my awareness to energy fluctuations I'd never been aware of before and seeing his sword like this for the first time I couldn't take my eyes off it, mesmerized by the power wrapping around and running through the blade.
"A part of the Pattern," he explained.
Once, when Fiona first took me to stay at the castle, she and Bleys led me down to the great Pattern and the power I felt was similar, but there was definitely something different, something I would not understand until I was older and my control over my psychic abilities was honed. At that tender age I couldn't possibly understand or even clearly observe the intricacies of the Pattern within the metal, but I did know it was something incredible to behold and voiced a squeak of protest when he sheathed it.
"Another time I will let you see it again, but for now, if you are willing, we must continue with the exercise."
This time my nod was enthusiastic and I stood quickly when he rose and hurried to keep up as he strode over to the fireplace where the orb lay on the rug, next to the discarded tongs. Already it had grown to almost nine inches in length. He wasn't kidding when he said it would expand rapidly.
Bleys laughed at my incredulous expression. "As I said, we don't have all that much time. I want you to touch the surface to restore the bond. I will be monitoring the link the whole time and will cut if off if your mind is overloaded again." He spoke matter-of-factly and I was reassured by his confidence. As we both sat down before the jewel he gave me a final warning. "Be ready," he said. "It still emanates pain and rather a lot of anger just now." He stretched out on the rug on his left side and propped himself up on one arm, watching me closely.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly I gave myself a moment to prepare. How had Bleys blocked the link initially? I crossed my legs and leaned my elbows on my knees. After a while I lifted a hand to my face and dropped my chin onto it. I didn't think I should rush this. Was there a way I could protect myself? Theorising perhaps the simplest of approaches would work, I tried to visualise a wall between my mind and the jewels, great big blocks of grey stone shielding me from it. Finally, I felt as ready as I would ever be and reached out to lightly rest my forefinger on the dark surface.
The blast of cold hit me, an avalanche of fury and pain. I cried out, snapped my hand away but it made no difference. My meagre defence had crumbled almost the instant the bond was restored and the emotions pouring from the orb were unrelenting – I was drowning beneath their onslaught. But I refused to give in again. From somewhere within me I drew upon hidden reserves of determination and strength. Stone by stone I tried to rebuild my wall, struggling against the tide of anger that whipped them away like leaves from a tree in winter storms. Gradually, the wall began to rise. More and more the stream of emotion was deflected around me rather than pounding through me.
Then I was safe, cocooned in my mental barrier. I kept the stale mate for a long time, breathing heavily and trying to decide what to do next. I had to do something to stop the uncontrolled fury. Not sure if I would succeed, I placed my hand upon the orb and stroked it slowly, opening my defences just enough to attempt to sooth it.
I had no concept of time passing. Whether it grew tired or my attempts to calm its rage had an effect, the surge of emotions eventually began to ebb and I continued until the surface warmed to room temperature. (Bleys would later explain it a mixture of both – the orb was exhausted and this allowed my young psyche to affect its emotional state.) With a sigh of relief I let go of my barrier, the wall fading from my mind.
My head hurt like hell. I rubbed one side, startled to discover a heavy layer of sweat dripping down my face and neck. Suddenly I felt very tired and sagged over my still crossed legs. I knew I wouldn't be able to stand – aside from exhaustion aching throughout my body, my legs felt numb from a substantial amount of time sitting in such an awkward position.
Bleys still lay beside me, though I suspect he moved away several times during the exercise. He nodded his head slowly. "Very good." His expression was unreadable.
It is the last thing I remember before I passed out.
"I've tried to get her to let go of it, but she's the most stubborn child I've ever known! You talk to her!" Fiona swept past Bleys and out the door, slamming it closed. I'd seen my aunt angry many times, but never quiet this frustrated. I was a little scared. Also a little perplexed and felt I'd let her down in some way. Wiping my eyes with my hands I pulled my legs up against my chest and wrapped my arms around them, desperately trying to swallow back more tears.
My uncle watched the door for a moment, then turned to me and raised his eyebrows. When I didn't say anything he walked over to the sofa and stood next to the large boulder in front of it. He stroked his beard, frowned down on the rock and flicked his gaze to me.
I gave him a determined look. I'd already spent a good hour arguing with my aunt, pleading with her, crying, screaming, sulking, doing everything I could so she would give in and let me keep my rock. But she'd not been swayed and even when the messenger came to call her away, my reprieve was short lived. She Trumped my uncle to get him to take over before she left. At least my chances of convincing Bleys were marginally better.
"It's got to go, Akira."
"Why?" I sniffed and gave him a big eyed doe look.
He shrugged. "It's going to get embarrassing when I can't lift it."
I giggled and quickly covered my mouth with both hands. Damn!
"I'm not even sure it'll fit through the door," he continued easily, looking over his shoulder and then back at the rock. It looked like a miniature mountain, nearly three feet wide and complete with jagged edges and cliff like faces. The colours on its surface had deepened with a hint of red and purple mixed in with the grey and it was still very shiny. Then he bent down and wrapped his arms around my boulder.
"Hey! No!" I threw myself off the sofa, grabbing his arm and tugging as hard as I could. But I couldn't stop him rocking the stone and getting his hands under it and heaving it off the ground. I took hold of his leg but he started walking to the door as if I wasn't there. "No! Please!" He was taking away my new friend. A wave of sorrow and panic poured from the rock, filling my mind. Sobbing uncontrollably, I let go of his leg and stood helpless in the middle of the room.
Bleys reached the door and stopped. "Come on then, open the door," he said to me.
"No!" I ran towards him and ducked around his legs to throw my back against the door in an attempt to bar his way. When I heard him chuckle and saw his amused smile as he turned sideways to look at me around the boulder, I glared up at him.
"You'll have to help me out here," he said, still smiling. "We're not going anywhere with this rock unless you open the door. Hurry now, it weighs a ton." He blew out for effect and hefted the awkward load in his arms.
My mouth fell open, but I had to be sure. "I can go with you?"
"Sure," he grinned, "Now let's go." He nodded at the door.
I gave a delighted laugh and placed a reassuring hand on my rock. "It's okay," I whispered against the hard surface. "I get to go with you. I'll keep you safe. We're going on a trip!" And I swung around and pulled open the door as quickly as I could. As Bleys stepped into the corridor I tugged on his sleeve. "She," I said to him.
"Hm?"
"She. It's a she. Shelly's her name."
"Shelly?"
I nodded and closed the door, locking it before returning to his side. "Shelly Stone," I explained, giving my rock a quick pat of reassurance, feeling a ripple of affection in response. Smiling, I took hold of my uncle's arm and waited patiently.
He looked down at me. "Really?" When I nodded again he gave me a look that said 'why not' and started walking down the corridor. "Nice name," he said after a moment. His next words were mumbled, but I'm pretty sure I caught them. "A rock with a name," he shook his head, "Bloody hell."