Chapter 6: Tower of the Wind

"How familiar are you with meditation?" I asked Cor.

"Well, I've done it in Yoga class, and our drama teacher liked to have us do it now and then during class in high school, but I wouldn't say I do it often, or even at all recently." Cor answered.

"Well, we do it at the drop of a hat, and not just us kids, but all our parents too. Its a basic tool in the arsenal of the Legion and the Guardians." Ren said.

"At least you're familiar with the basics then?" I asked. "Controlling your breathing, finding your center, reaching a sense of calm focus?"

"Yes. It was the controlled breathing part that the teacher was after. Breath control, and an awareness of your diaphragm are important to stage actors, its a big part of projecting your voice to the farthest rows of the audience during a performance."

"We're more interested in the centering and calm focus aspects, but the breathing is the foundation. Without it, the rest is difficult to achieve and even more difficult to maintain." Ren said.

We sat, eyes closed, bringing our breathing into measured focus, but once we were there we seemed for some reason to get nowhere. I broke my focus and opened my eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Something is keeping us collectively from getting anywhere with this."

"Two things, I think." Cor said. "First — We are sitting in the middle of the wilderness. Who is watching over us and keeping us safe from wild animals or who-knows-what? I'm sure Slider at least would alert us to anything approaching, but would we even hear it if we are in deep meditation?"

Cor surprised me with her answer, and embarrassed me a bit for not thinking of protection in this situation.

"Second — and this is much more a weird feeling than anything else, but I think we should have brought Thistle with us. I think he needs to be here as well."

"Ren?" I asked.

"I think The Wind has it." She said, using Cor's new name in its semi-formal version. "I feel it too. Perhaps because we are so fresh from our Naming, but it feels like Thistle is bound up in all our lives, and should be a part of this. I'm probably less concerned about the protection thing, but it is a good idea."

"Okay, protection first. Cor, be The Wind for a while, and stay calm, because our protector usually causes a pretty panicky reaction in folks when they first see him, okay?"

"Okay."

I walked away from the rug a few strides and turned back to face them.

<Titan, I need you. Are you in the middle of anything?>

<No Andy, just laying in the sun watching the young ones play. It feels good.>

<Okay. I hate to tear you away from that, but be prepared, I'm going to jump you to me. Corycia is with me, try not to look scary.>

I could still feel the echo of his rumbling mental laugh when I jumped him to the rise beside me.

I kept my eyes locked on Cor as I brought Titan through, and I saw her eyes go wide, but her face did remain cool and impassive.

"Cor, this is Titan. He is Yaru, the ancient companions of the Guardians, a War Hound. Titan, this is my love Corycia Caldwell."

"A pleasure to meet you Titan, please call me Cor."

"A very large pleasure to meet you Cor. I can hardly get Andy to shut up about you lately, so I feel I know you well already."

I saw the corner of Cor's mouth twitch as she suppressed a laugh, so I figured the next step was warranted.

"Be nice now Titan, I'm going to ask Cor to come over and give you a hug."

Cor jumped up and came over, reaching up for Titan's neck. Titan lowered his head, and a hug commenced.

"He's so soft!" Cor said as she released her grip on his neck, and unable to resist, patted the huge Yaru on the top of his head.

"Armor up!" I said to Titan. He instantly transformed his coat into its defensive mode.

"Give that a rap with you knuckles, but gently!" I suggested.

"Ow!" Cor said, followed by a rare giggle. "That's hard!"

"The height of luxury for the modern Yaru is a ten minute session in a commercial sandblaster. Hard doesn't exactly do it justice."

With Titan's introduction, and more questions from Cor, I decided it was time to come completely clean, and Ren and I, with Titan throwing in a bit of remembered events here and there, slowly told the entire story of the Preci War, and the defeat of the Sh'kxu. At the end, as she sat absorbing it, I decided it was time to make the unspoken part of the stories she had absorbed today more real for her.

<Arbor aside, there are things you need to come to accept about us.> I sent into her mind.

With her eyes wide over that, I sent her the mental image of Dust, and the Children of the Light as we worked with the Wood Furies during the war.

<We are telling tales of our own past, and if we had wanted, we could have just dumped it all into your mind, like I did that scene, but above all else, we respect the privacy of a person's mind. We could read every thought you had, and do many things that would be horrible violations of your person and your privacy, but who we are and what we are means you never have to fear that from us. At some point, I hope we will reach the point in our relationship where we are able to share our minds and our memories completely.>

Once the invariable long list of questions were asked and answered, and we were once again taking note of our surroundings, it occurred to me that we had been at it a while. It was now mid-afternoon, and if we were going to do anything today, I would have to fetch Thistle immediately, and minus the usual trappings. Well, almost all the usual trappings. I raised NeedleThorn into the air, it was almost second nature to me now, and with a thought, I jumped straight into the courtyard at the Red Flag.

The courtyard was not empty this time of day. The spring rains were over, and the trade road was very busy with travelers taking advantage of the improved conditions. I startled several people, but I ignored them and headed for the inn. Behind me I heard Speck explaining my very existence in a matter-of-fact manner to one of the started wagon drivers who had been assembling their passengers in the courtyard.

"Oh that's Weaver, he's a Wizard. He's a regular here. A good tipper too!"

I was laughing when I walked through the doors of the inn. They had been propped open to give the guests who were loading out front easy access.

"Weaver?" Rose Farelly asked from the bar. "What are you doing back so soon, and alone?"

"I came to fetch Thistle, we have need of him." I told her.

"Here, have a glass of Red Mist and watch the bar for me. I'll have to fetch him myself, as all the runners are busy helping the departing guests with their loading and packing.

I sipped my wine, enjoying the light, tart freshness of the Red Mist. I saw guests and runners speeding here and there, in and out of the inn, up and down the stairs. I had barely finished half the glass when Thistle came bustling down the stairs, a small bag in one hand and his Cuesta slung over one shoulder. Rose followed him down the stairs at a more sedate pace, shaking her head and grinning.

I stood and made my way towards them both.

"You look prepared for anything Thistle, but I do hope to have you back in time for dinner and your performance tonight."

"Well there is no rush Weaver." Sunrise said. "We are going to have very few paying customers tonight, all the caravans are leaving today and no more are expected until midday tomorrow. Trough has given Thistle the night off, and we are going to let Speck's sister Starlight sing for her supper tonight, with Trough accompanying her on his Cuesta."

"I have been giving her voice and instrument lessons for a while now," Thistle said. "she has a very sweet voice, with a nice range. With more confidence and the right training, she will do well as a performer. She will do fine in front of tonight's small, familiar audience."

"Thank you for the wine Rose, we may be back for dinner and the performance, but do not hold anything for us, it is not a sure thing."

With that I raised NeedleThorn into the air and jumped Thistle and I back to the rise where everyone was waiting for us. Thistle had not met Titan, so those introductions were made. Strangely, Thistle seemed to have no fear of Titan at all, even from his initial glimpse of him.

"This is the place you hope to raise your tower?" Thistle asked.

"Yes." All three of us answered simultaneously.

Thistle sat cross-legged on the meditation rug and pulled his Cuesta off his back, unwrapping the soft doeskin cover, and slipping it into his lap and gently began to strum his fingers across the strings, and stroke his knuckles against the wooden face. The strumming soon solidified into a haunting melody, and without thinking about why, we all joined him on the mat. Cor sat between Ren and I, and reached out to take a hand from each of us, closing her eyes. I closed mine, and sought my center, slowing my breathing and looking for that place of calm. All the frustration of the earlier effort was gone, and I almost felt the three of us snap into place it happened so quickly. Somehow, through the music, I felt Thistle there as well.

Now for the tricky part. I pumped a rush of Light into all four of us, and with Ren and I joined in full Light fusion, I tapped the Magic as well, and pulled Cor into the fusion with us. As soon as I did I felt Thistle join us on his own, following the Magic as he played. We pumped it up even higher into the Light, and from here I let Ren pull the Dream Stuff in, as I pulled the Light. <Let your Magic loose!> I thought to Thistle and The Wind. <Give it free rein!>

I pulled it all together into our fusion, the Light, the Dream Stuff, the Magic and the gifts, and I wove! I drew on our own strength at first, and then I reached out and tied in a thread from the stone and the tunnel at the mouth of the valley. Then I wove in the deep strength of the river, cold and strong. Then I added the deep, deep strength of the valley itself, the trees, the mountains, the fertile soil and finally, the spark of every living thing within it. I wove without conscious aim or purpose, letting the Magic and the Light and my Gift run free. Letting the Spirits who had chosen me have their say in our endeavor.

I wove, and wove, until the strength was gone, and the Spirits and Power left me, and I stopped. Our fusion held just a moment longer, with one last chord echoing from Thistle's fingers, and then we collapsed!

The sun was considerably lower in the western sky when my eyes opened again. Thistle was sitting nearby, strumming that haunting tune again on the Cuesta. I saw Cor and Ren sitting together, arm in arm. I smiled and spoke as I rose.

"How did we do?"

I was immediately swamped with female hugs and kisses, though Ren's were of the sisterly-cheek variety.

"Weaver we have been waiting over an hour for you to wake up, and that is only after sleeping a couple hours ourselves." Thistle said. "As for how we did, I suggest you turn and look behind you."

I stood, and with Cor on one side and Ren the other, I turned. Six feet before me was a wall of the deepest, darkest gray stone. My eyes began to travel up, and up, and as I did I saw the stone growing lighter and lighter, until far above me I saw a brilliant pure white.

"Wow!" was all I could say.

"Your attendance please!" Thistle said. And with some urgency to his voice. "I have been holding this off until you were awake to hear it, but now I feel compelled, and cannot wait."

That same haunting tune that Thistle had played during the entire process swelled until it seemed it filled the valley, and then he sang the words for the first time of what became known as 'The Weaver and the Wind'

Beneath Midnight's sheltering embrace we sing.
In The Valley of the Wind made Magic play

Midnight Magic, says the Weaver and The Wind.
Midnight Magic, says the Weaver and The Wind.

Beneath Wind's sheltering embrace we sing,
Stands the Mystery born within an hour of a day.

Wind's Magic, sings the Weaver and The Wind.
Wind's Magic, sings the Weaver and The Wind.

Beneath Thistle's sheltering embrace we sing.
Is born The Tower of the Wind, by Wizard's Spell.

Bard's Magic, sings the Weaver and The Wind.
Bard's Magic, sings the Weaver and The Wind.

Beneath Weaver's sheltering embrace we sing.
Where evermore the Weaver and the Wind shall dwell.

Wizard's Magic Weaving. Tower of the Wind.
Wizards Magic Woven. Tower of the Wind.

And so was Thistle once again called upon to be Namer. Not by us, but by the Spirits. Thus was born the Tower of the Wind.

Although we all seemed somewhat restored, now that the Naming was done and the tower complete, we had expended a lot of energy, and my stomach was rumbling.

"We will come back tomorrow and let the exploration and discovery happened in the light of day." I said. "Let's get the horses together and go get dinner. I feel like I could eat an Ordavian Elkaphant!"

Yes, that's how the Arborian word translates. You should see one, you would think the name fits.

We found the horses with Titan, a few hundred yards down the road, well off the rise.

"You folks put on quite a show! Is there an encore?" He said as we approached.

We looked back at the tower from this more distant vantage point, and from here it was even more impressive. The rise we had done our weaving on was almost 400 feet across, and the tower covered 300 of that, with a narrow, ten foot apron in the front edge, and a larger more welcoming area to the western side of the rise, where it met the road. The tower itself rose 500 feet into the air, and the very top was not the classic crenelated feature, like the rook in a standard chess set, but was instead smooth and featureless. The entire thing went from dark gray to bright white, just like Cor's leathers.

With four of us and three horses, I put Thistle on Ranger, behind Ren, which he did not mind at all, and which surprisingly, did not cause Ren to pretend annoyance with me.

"Did they get a good run while they were with you?" I asked Titan.

"Yes, they did. Quite an enjoyable saunter, down to the tunnel and back, and along the river's edge a bit. You are going to have to revisit the mouth of the valley some time soon, I think. At some time during your weaving, the mouth of the valley closed up. It has become close to impassable, except on foot. Your tunnel is now the only practical way in and out of the valley from the south, unless one has your ability to just jump in and out."

"We're going to the Red Flag for dinner. I don't think I'd better take you with me, so shall I send you home, or do you want to hang our here in the valley?"

"Leave me here. I want to spend some time exploring the nooks and crannies, and getting used to the lay of the land. That is assuming I'll see you all tomorrow?"

"Definitely. We'll be back after morning meal."

With the sun definitely getting lower in the west now, I didn't waste anymore time. I jumped us, on the three horses, straight to the courtyard in front of the stables. Stronghand, the stable master himself came out to greet us.

"Good evening Stronghand. No Speck this evening?" I asked.

"Greetings Weaver. No, Speck is eating dinner at the inn tonight so he can hear his sister sing for her supper."

I slid off of Slider, and turned to help Thistle, but Ren had already lifted him off and lowered him gently to the ground. She followed that by hopping easily to the ground herself from Ranger's back. Cor didn't wait either, and was already off Grendel by the time I turned to her.

"I can handle things here." Stronghand said. "Slider knows what to do, and the other two seem content to follow his lead. You all get in there and get some dinner before the show starts."

We headed for the door, and found the crowd very light, and very local indeed. Sunrise was still working the door, though it looked like they would be serving dinner soon, as all the fixings and accoutrement were staged near the kitchen door.

"We need two rooms." I said to Sunrise.

"No, we only need one room." Ren said.

"Yes, it appears that Midnight will be sharing my room tonight." Thistle said with pride and awe in his voice.

I raised an eyebrow at Ren, but she just smiled, and her eyes crinkled up at the corners when she did. Interesting.

Sunrise had a couple of runners take the few things we had with us up to our rooms.

"I'll give you the big royal suite on the corner for tonight Weaver. We might as well have someone in it." Sunrise offered. I was no fool and didn't refuse it. I had been in it, and it was almost opulent. Certainly compared to the rest of the lodging here it was.

We got a decent table of course, with the small crowd. Thistle went looking for Starlight when he didn't see her with her brothers and parents at their table.

I looked over at the Hellerin's and once again compared the slight, wiry Speck to his brother and father. Brick Hellerin and His son Ember were cut from the same mold. They were both big, beefy men with broad shoulders and huge arms. Brick had an incredible gut on him as well, and Ember, though he was only in his mid-twenties was not far behind him. Brick's wife Comet was short, and plump, but with obvious evidence of the beauty she had been in her youth. She reminded me of Cor's mother in some ways.

Rose came by the table shortly after we sat down, told us that tonights meal was Parnossian Mud Crab. I saw the image in Rose's surface thoughts of what the Mud Crab was, and I told Ren and Cor.

"These are a little like crayfish or freshwater shrimp, only much larger." I said in English. "We are all starving Rose, so we want as large a meal as we can manage. Thistle needs to eat as well, wherever he is, so give him the same as what you give us."

"Yes, I heard he was going to need all the extra energy he could find tonight." Rose said, giving Ren a look and a quirky smile. "What can I bring you all to drink? The Korellian Blue Sail is considered particularly suited as accompaniment to the Mud Crab."