Eight
“Well met Lady Vera. I am am taking these gowns to our seamstress as the Queen asked. I will be out shortly. Prince Garrik, Toby said he will be free within the hour.”
I followed the sweet smell of coffee to the sitting room. There I found a coffee machine with fresh brewed coffee. I went over filling up my cup. On the table was a small dish of what appeared to be milk. Perfect. I sat in my chair and finished my cup. Garrik had gone into his room for a minute, not sure what he was doing. All I knew is I enjoyed the time alone with my coffee. The table had little finger sandwiches set out and a pasta salad of some kind. Life was good. I filled my plate of food and proceeded to scarf it down with ferocity. I only looked up to wash it down with the elf wine. Leaning against the wall was Garrik.
“You have to have some form of control at dinner tonight. You look rabid” he teased.
“I would have control if people would stop forgetting to feed me!” I snapped.
“I will have a snack left here after training, that way you can violently feed in the sitting room versus in public.” Garrik winked at me. I ignored his remark.
“Can I train in my dress or do I need pants like yours?”
“No, you should be fine in a dress. Today should be mental work only. I will stay with you the entire time, so no worries.”
I nodded. I am glad that Garrik is going to stay with me. I am terrified of running into more guys like Echo. I make a quick run to the bathroom and take another sip of coffee followed by a cool drink of elf wine. Garrik and I headed out the door and down the hall.
“The training facility is behind the castle across from the stables. It is easy enough to find. All you have to do is follow this hall from our stairs to the back of the palace and out the small door there. See?” He said pointing forward. “You will need to spend time there everyday and unfortunately I can not guarantee I will always be able to go with you.”
Outside the sun is shinning bright and warm. It feels a bit like indian summer. Fall is here, but the world is hanging on to every last bit of warmth it can squeeze from the sun before the cold arrives. I could see the stables now. The smell of horses and hay drifted to my nose. This feels like it could become home to me. I can't wait to see the horses and take one for a ride if they would allow. I might even be able to get a job in the stables. It would be work I am good at and could do well even if it has been years since I lived on the farm. Some things you do not forget.
“I already have the perfect horse for you.” Garrik replies to my thoughts again.
“I never doubted you wouldn't Garrik. Not even once. I knew you would know how getting to ride a horse again would make me feel. You know me better than I do.”
I hope my remark didn't come across as snide. It was true, I have a growing faith in him. He knows me deeper than I even know me. Yes, it is unsettling, but it is also refreshing. I have spent my entire life repressing parts of myself, hiding, escaping in books, booze, and running, I need a safe place and a safe person. I have recently found both. I spent over ten years alone before finding it. What a wasted life. Now I needed grow some she balls and bring down my well constructed barriers. I don't want to be haunted again. Never again. I trust Garrik, I may not be able to give in to the truth of it all, but I trust him and That is enough for now.
Before I began grounding my gifts I was actually visiting Elmora. I don't understand how, but Garrik seems to have the same ability to step from one realm to the next without a gate. A realm walker. All others need to go through the gates to move from one realm to the rest. I hadn't had time since arriving last night to give much thought to it. I know that there may be more to the dead that would haunt me before I went into hiding. If anyone is going to have answers it sounds like it will be this Toby guy.
I sure hope he isn't as handsome as Garrik or Echo. I am not sure if I could handle being around another gorgeous guy. Especially when my eyes should be for Garrik and Garrik alone. Lost in my thoughts as I followed Garrik down a narrow path paved with little black paving stones.
“The training center!” Garrik said with an elaborate wave and over dramatic bow.
I looked up to a giant tree. The tree was as wide as the throne room in the palace. Throughout the tree there were round buildings set on the limbs high above. They were identical, albeit a bit smaller, than the tree homes I saw the night before. There were rope bridges that laced from little building to little building. I wondered if at night it was full of the lanterns that seemed to be everywhere else. If so, Garrik had a giant Christmas tree behind his palace and I absolutely LOVED it! This is the kind of whimsy you expect to see in when you travel to a new realm. I must looked like how Echo looked when that spark shot through my arm. Damn it! Why does he keep infiltrating my thoughts?
“You had a spark with Echo?” Garrik’s eyes darkened with fury. To the point a dark blue swirled in his eyes.
“I am sure it was nothing.” I reassured him.
Garrik didn't reply instead all I heard was an animalistic grunt as he entered the door at the base of the giant tree. I followed him praying he will let this spark thing with Echo go. Now I know I needed to keep Echo out of my thoughts. My sparks are all for the handsome Garrik standing before me.
We walk into a giant room with polished walls. When I looked up the tree was hollow all the way to to where the main branches must have branched out. There were stairs that wound around the edges. Standing in the middle was a man dressed in all white linen clothing.
“Vera, this is Toby. Toby is the trainer specializing in our scouts and warriors gifts. Every elf has a little bit of power for something. Although most are minor magics.” all traces of anger from Garrik's voice and face was gone. I took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“It is a pleasure to meet you Toby, I am certain someone has already warned you that I am a big ball of messed up magic. I am not sure anyone can undo the damage I have done all on my own. I am told though that I am missing pieces and if anyone can help me find them it is you.”
“Well met Lady Vera. I have faith you couldn't have done much more than lock it all away. In truth the hardest part will be to go against your instincts to keep it locked up.” Toby had long white hair and striking bright green eyes. He was shorter than Garrik but still considerably taller than myself.
“I have requested that Prince Echo take his training outside as long as the weather holds. It will give us a bit of privacy. Now come here Vera, and let me look at you.”
Toby lifted his hand to touch me causing me to flinch. I was scared there would be a spark. He frowned at my reaction and then slowly brought his hands to the top of my head. No spark. Oh praise Jesus! There is no spark!
“Who is Jesus?” Toby asked.
I reeled. “Is everyone in this place able to read my thoughts?” Toby and Garrik both laughed.
“No, I am a seer with a bit of soul magic. I have my hands on your head and so I can hear your thoughts. It is impressive on my part considering we have no connection like Garrik and yourself. Also, because this first wall you have around your mind is a doozy.”
“Are you bragging about your abilities? I see the elven people are not afraid of expressing pride in themselves.”
“We know there is power in believing in ourselves. We face our fears head on and know we are capable of anything as long as we continue to believe in ourselves. We all like to have something to measure ourselves by, It is not only a human trait. We also know that our fears and lack of knowledge can hold us back. The elvish are not pompous or proud to a fault like you seem to think. We know that each of us is full of greatness no matter how little the role they have to play. We are all important.
Well, we have our work cut out and I can't lie and say I am not excited to meet this challenge. Who knows what we will discover through this process!” The grin across Toby's sharp face gave me the willies.
“First thing, in the beginning we need to make sure that Vera is firmly rooted into this world. Have you two consummated your bond yet?”
I look at Garrik and can see the heat rising in his face.
“Um no, no we haven't I didn't want to hit Vera with the whole flame spark thing yet. I wanted to give her time to make a choice.”
Toby looked at Garrik and I thoughtfully.
“Well, it is a choice that needs to be made. You either choose to bond with Garrik or not. This is not easy work we are doing and the strongest tie we can give Vera to Elmora is that of your bond. It would hold her here to you so she doesn't get lost in other realms throughout her training.”
I nodded. This is too much. He wants me to bed Garrik to fortify our bond in this realm? I mean, don't get me wrong I have spent this entire time hoping to bed Garrik, but I don't want to be a human toy.
“You are NOT a human toy. You are an elf!”
I looked up and saw that Garrik's eyes were boring into me and angry again. I know he isn't angry at me personally he is angry at my lack of confidence in myself. I have spent my entire life apologizing for my actions. I have never been anything but the lowest person on everyone’s totem pole. I have embarrassed my family, been an alcoholic, a nobody. My way of thinking doesn't change overnight.
“I am sorry,” I said under my breath. Toby could tell there was something going on beyond what he could see. He backed up to give us our space.
Garrik stepped closer, “No, I am sorry. I am sorry that you have had it so hard and I am sorry I get so angry when I hear you talk about yourself like that. We can talk about the bond later. I refuse to pressure you into anything you are not ready for. Even if it prolongs any training.”
How did I get so lucky? Guys like Garrik are not real right? I nod my head taking a deep breath reveling in the smell of fresh earth and rain that always permeates off of my Elf-man.
Toby must have sensed a calming as he stepped forward, “ Let us get started. We only have a couple hours before we all have to get ready for tonight's feast.”
Toby motioned to a round rug on the floor. “Please have a seat on the floor legs crossed. We don't want you to fall if you become light headed. I will be leading you through a guided meditation. Prince Garrik will you please situate yourself behind Lady Vera?”
Garrik sat himself behind me wrapping his long strong elf legs around each side of me. His hands set on my waist pulling me into him. I heard him smell my hair and could feel the bulge in his pants on my back. I flushed with red hot heat. How am I going to be able to meditate with Mr. Hotness holding me so intimately. Toby seems to think this is the safest way to do this is with optimal amount of touching.
“Lady Vera, please close your eyes take a deep breath,” his voice was the epitome of peace, “now release some energy into the ground and Garrik. Imagine that energy binding you to both place and person. If you happen to move to another realm Garrik will be pulled with you. This is important so he can help you return.”
I began breathing in my own energy. I can feel it entering my lungs and flowing through my body. I see a teal light behind me in my mind's eye. I instinctively know it is Garrik. I pushed my white and green tendrils of energy out towards his light. I can hear him gasp pleasantly as my energy pierces and caresses his. There was no fight binding mine to his. In fact his teal light welcomed it in a warm embrace. Swirling together creating a new color that reminds me of sea water reflecting the sun.
I leave some energy with him and then continue to push mine south through the base of my spine into the ground as deep as I could drill it, until I felt resistance. I have no idea how deep it went, all I know is that it felt secure. I am pretty sure that was the main goal. I was able to manipulate my own energy with ease. Securing my energy into roots in the ground is something I am well practiced at. Grounding. Keeping myself in the here and now allowing myself only to see what others see. I kept my eyes closed, focused and nodded my head towards Toby to acknowledge that I had completed the task.
“Now this is the hard part. I need you to start deconstructing your first barrier. It is a darkness over your mind like tar. You should be able to see it easily enough. Try to reach for it with your light absorb the darkness and push it down through your body and into the ground. Be sure not to send any to Garrik.”
I take another deep breath instead of allowing the energy to seep south I send it north to my mind. I am familiar with this barrier. It is not black because I wanted it to be dark. It is that color because when you layer barrier on top of barrier without replacing it the wall becomes dark like tar. This one had mirrors placed around the outside. I am amazed that Toby was even able to see beyond his own reflection. I decided to try dismantling the mirrors first. They are my first line of defense. I know that the spirits were always attracted to my light. The mirrors would reflect their own darkness back on them, allowing me to blend in.
I visualized my white inner light scraping up and under one of the mirrors right at the front of my mind. Sweat has appeared on my brow. I work to exert more force. Nothing. A sliver of teal energy rose in my body swirling with my green and adding itself to my white energy. Garrik, his energy felt as if it belonged there with me. He was, is a part of me. Instead of attempting to scrape the mirror again I used the new found strength and slammed it against the mirrors. Nothing. I reared it all back and slammed it in again. Nothing. I was beginning to give up. I felt my body melting into Garrik's.
“Almost my little Vera. Don't give up yet. One more hit”. Garrik's energy spoke to me. I heard the words wash over me in their melodic way that always makes me give in. I stop for a second to wonder if that is a magic I too possessed as his flame.
Gathering the energy back up into a ball. I could feel it in my stomach, I could see it. White, green, teal swirling together with sparks going crazy. It ignited a fire in my pit. A real fire, I could see my flame. It reflected Garrik’s, but something is wrong there are other colors there as well. Streaks of gold, Echo. No. No. Not Echo. I also saw a light streak of the deepest blue. No. I only want teal.
My anger fueled the energy ball that pushed up into my mind directly at the mirrors. Shattering the mirrors all at once. A pain that felt like thousands of knives stabbing me in the eyes at once seared through my head. I felt my body convulse and scream. It was the kind of scream I never knew could escape my lips, ear piercing and glass breaking. I had pushed myself and Garrik into the floor backwards. His arms grabbed me tightly. He had wrapped his legs around my legs holding my body in a safe position as I continued to convulse. Finally, my body gave way to little shutters. I was only aware of Garrik, myself, and the wetness from tears that had stained my cheeks.