09-05-2013, 05:13 AM
Jon had hardly finished speaking when he felt -- something, almost intangible, like the weight of the shadow of a cloud upon calm waters, or the memory of an echo -- reverberate gently against his consciousness. Gentle, yes, but purposeful. Yes, Nimeda was feeling out his presence, or perhaps Jon had merely become self-aware of the distinctive feel of the presence she had been projecting the entire time. He found it oddly comforting and felt himself drawn to it - her - in fascination. It was like...gentle laughter in the distance.
Jon found himself so immersed in contemplation that he nearly missed what Nimeda said next. Fortunately Bear gave Jon a little nudge.
"One would think reading was all Jon did when I first saw him here,"
his friend said.
In a way, that was true. It was the first purpose for which Jon had found the Spirit World useful. Having the ability to research anything he needed, the extra time to do it, even the ability to spy into the private notes of professors and noted colleagues of the legal field -- not to mention opponents' work -- had proved an invaluable tool for one determined to propel himself as fast as he possibly could out of the academic circus and into stardom.
"It's amazing how fast someone can complete his studies when he has an extra six to eight hours each day during which to work," Jon added, feeling like he owed some sort of explanation to why he would go to sleep to read. "The body doesn't actually get any real rest while one is walking here, though. I learned that fairly quickly."
Bear chuckled and turned back to Nimeda. "Jon has seen wonders the world over, as I have as well, moving with but a thought, no people in our way, no guards to bar entrance to the most secretive of places. Stand atop of the world, or explore a forgotten tomb."
Yes, it had been within that forgotten Mayan temple, the pyramid so old it wasn't even recognizable as such, just a looming, pointed hill buried by forestation, where Jon had found one of the final keys to unlocking the puzzle of how to wield the power of the Great Spirit with purpose and control. Deep within the bowels of the place, a grand chamber stood completely sealed away from the external world -- only reachable because Jon was able to imagine a safe entrance. It had also taken a lot of useless probing of mounds that were just mounds, and that was after he'd found the approximate location from writings based on local rumor.
That was where he'd seen the fresco -- the oddly garbed man at the center of...threads of color, as they came into him they mingled and lost definition, and from his hands...strands of white, red, blue, yellow, intertwining with one another, forming...lightning. Fireballs. Whirlwinds. Wondrous things of awesome and terrible force. Yes. That had been the answer Jon had been looking for for how to do things when in command of the Great Spirit. The power was woven throughout all things, and the elements were the threads, and the medicine man in command of the power had to pull it through himself and weave the disparate forces together to alter the waking world.
Odd that Bear should mention exploring a tomb. Jon had never told Bear about that. Bear knew nothing about Jon's ability to wield the Great Spirit and Jon was not about to tell him anything that would give that away.
Bear was still speaking to Nimeda: " I hunt here only for sport and companionship with the wolves. It is a thing of the wolves to hunt to strengthen the bond of the pack. Here I can actually take their form. But we hunt only for the thrill of the chase. The wolves believe it is a terrible thing to kill an animal who runs in the Spirit World."
Some of that still puzzled Jon. Bear had told him that some of the wolves who ran here were spirits of wolves who had died in the waking world. So far, that made sense. This was the Spirit World, after all. Obviously it wasn't a manifestation of the afterlife for people here, else he would likely see a multitude of spirits. But how could a spirit in this place die again, with no body in the waking world to sever the spirit from? And where would that spirit go?
Jon cleared his throat. Not that he actually needed to, but only as a polite means of re-entering the conversation.
"It is a very useful thing for us to be able to meet with one another here, separated by great distances in the waking world. Myself, Bear and a few others from our peoples can share news and discuss things away from the prying eyes of any in the waking world."
And then there was the other way of communication. Bringing up dreams would skirt dangerously close to talk of prophecy he'd so far managed to avoid. But also knowledge of the existence of others' dreams here might help Nimeda steer clear of the dangers they could present.
"Here, you can also find the dreams of those who are asleep, and speak to them -- send them messages. If they have sufficient understanding, they will remember what you say to them when they wake up, or enter the Spirit World from their dreams to meet with you. This is another way you could find one of us -- if we are sleeping but not walking awake in this place."
Jon silently laughed at himself. He really did talk too much. It was fascinating how Nimeda managed to be so engaging and able to draw out such conversation from him, when she herself said so little.
Jon found himself so immersed in contemplation that he nearly missed what Nimeda said next. Fortunately Bear gave Jon a little nudge.
"One would think reading was all Jon did when I first saw him here,"
his friend said.
In a way, that was true. It was the first purpose for which Jon had found the Spirit World useful. Having the ability to research anything he needed, the extra time to do it, even the ability to spy into the private notes of professors and noted colleagues of the legal field -- not to mention opponents' work -- had proved an invaluable tool for one determined to propel himself as fast as he possibly could out of the academic circus and into stardom.
"It's amazing how fast someone can complete his studies when he has an extra six to eight hours each day during which to work," Jon added, feeling like he owed some sort of explanation to why he would go to sleep to read. "The body doesn't actually get any real rest while one is walking here, though. I learned that fairly quickly."
Bear chuckled and turned back to Nimeda. "Jon has seen wonders the world over, as I have as well, moving with but a thought, no people in our way, no guards to bar entrance to the most secretive of places. Stand atop of the world, or explore a forgotten tomb."
Yes, it had been within that forgotten Mayan temple, the pyramid so old it wasn't even recognizable as such, just a looming, pointed hill buried by forestation, where Jon had found one of the final keys to unlocking the puzzle of how to wield the power of the Great Spirit with purpose and control. Deep within the bowels of the place, a grand chamber stood completely sealed away from the external world -- only reachable because Jon was able to imagine a safe entrance. It had also taken a lot of useless probing of mounds that were just mounds, and that was after he'd found the approximate location from writings based on local rumor.
That was where he'd seen the fresco -- the oddly garbed man at the center of...threads of color, as they came into him they mingled and lost definition, and from his hands...strands of white, red, blue, yellow, intertwining with one another, forming...lightning. Fireballs. Whirlwinds. Wondrous things of awesome and terrible force. Yes. That had been the answer Jon had been looking for for how to do things when in command of the Great Spirit. The power was woven throughout all things, and the elements were the threads, and the medicine man in command of the power had to pull it through himself and weave the disparate forces together to alter the waking world.
Odd that Bear should mention exploring a tomb. Jon had never told Bear about that. Bear knew nothing about Jon's ability to wield the Great Spirit and Jon was not about to tell him anything that would give that away.
Bear was still speaking to Nimeda: " I hunt here only for sport and companionship with the wolves. It is a thing of the wolves to hunt to strengthen the bond of the pack. Here I can actually take their form. But we hunt only for the thrill of the chase. The wolves believe it is a terrible thing to kill an animal who runs in the Spirit World."
Some of that still puzzled Jon. Bear had told him that some of the wolves who ran here were spirits of wolves who had died in the waking world. So far, that made sense. This was the Spirit World, after all. Obviously it wasn't a manifestation of the afterlife for people here, else he would likely see a multitude of spirits. But how could a spirit in this place die again, with no body in the waking world to sever the spirit from? And where would that spirit go?
Jon cleared his throat. Not that he actually needed to, but only as a polite means of re-entering the conversation.
"It is a very useful thing for us to be able to meet with one another here, separated by great distances in the waking world. Myself, Bear and a few others from our peoples can share news and discuss things away from the prying eyes of any in the waking world."
And then there was the other way of communication. Bringing up dreams would skirt dangerously close to talk of prophecy he'd so far managed to avoid. But also knowledge of the existence of others' dreams here might help Nimeda steer clear of the dangers they could present.
"Here, you can also find the dreams of those who are asleep, and speak to them -- send them messages. If they have sufficient understanding, they will remember what you say to them when they wake up, or enter the Spirit World from their dreams to meet with you. This is another way you could find one of us -- if we are sleeping but not walking awake in this place."
Jon silently laughed at himself. He really did talk too much. It was fascinating how Nimeda managed to be so engaging and able to draw out such conversation from him, when she herself said so little.