The Brightest Shadow, page 56
"Okay, now forget about them. What matters to us is what those skills require, at the core. They are thirst, and sein is the water that quenches that thirst. If your body is a forest, you have ventured into that forest. Smelled or tasted or touched sein and used that sensation to dig a deep hole in which water can pool. When you act, you drink from that pool.
"But you see, not all thirsts are quenched by the same water. Sometimes water isn't enough." Balunel scratched his head and frowned. "That doesn't really make any sense. This is a bad metaphor. Let me start over."
"No, what you have said is very helpful!" Tani poured positive emotion into her words. "We understand your meaning, please keep teaching us."
"Different kinds of water doesn't make any sense, though. Perhaps some waters are different than others, but different kinds of thirst?"
"Perhaps you could use more than water? I have heard it said that the thirst for water is different than the thirst for alcohol."
"A well filled with alcohol? That seems rather foolish, doesn't it? Besides, I shouldn't be encouraging fine young people to drink. What kind of uncle would that make me?" Balunel seemed honestly troubled by this possibility, eyes shifting at random though they saw nothing. When he started to reach for his harp again, Laeri stamped a foot on the ground.
"We already know this! Obviously sein is more than one type of energy, even if it flows together. Even the dumbest of mudmen knows that!"
Balunel chuckled and shook his head. "My apologies, young lady, my apologies. There was a time when young warriors learned everything they needed to know of inner strength before they ventured out into the world. But I think your group has already lived through many battles of life or death, yes?"
Melal growled. "Of course we have!"
"Forget the foolish forest or talk of water and wine. Think only of sein as pools. The untrained have only a single, shallow pool. It moves with them as they go about their lives, with only a slight ripple. You young warriors have created much deeper pools based on your knowledge of sein. For example, those who taste sein usually use it to move more quickly, yes?"
Slaten blinked as he realized that it was true for him. The elders had always said that the sensations were random and only a path toward sein, yet the pattern held as far as he knew. And though he hadn't grasped the full form of it, Balunel's words rang true to him.
"When you act, most likely you draw strength from the shallow pool. It is fed by the deep wells you have trained within yourselves, but the shallow pool is weak and muddied. Draw from the wells themselves, and you will be far more powerful. Most likely you already do this when you use established techniques, polished by years of teaching. But now I will teach you to do so intentionally and without technique."
"Master Balunel, I have a question." Tani caught herself half-way through an automatic bow. "My master said that sein flows from different sources, but that I should not concern myself with this for now and draw from all of them. Is this the same principle?"
"Indeed it is." Balunel's face lit up in a smile. "And that is indeed a good teaching for a young warrior. But now it is time for you to understand on a deeper level. And as our young knightly friend said, you must learn to tap into the wells you have been building unconsciously. When you gain that power, and more importantly gain the knowledge to use it properly, then your arts will be greatly elevated."
Balunel reached down to his side and touched the stone there. Then began patting his hand around in a larger area. A moment later he picked up his harp and tapped around himself.
"Isn't there a bowl of water here?"
"I'm afraid not, Master," Tani said.
"Well, then this lesson won't work at all. How foolish of me to forget the water. You'll have to come back tomorrow." Balunel slumped and began muttering to himself while plucking at his harp again.
They all glanced at one another, not sure if this was another test. When the out-of-tune music continued for long enough, Tani got up and ran out. She came back soon with a wooden bowl of water and set it down beside him.
"Here is some water, Master."
"Oh, thank you." He picked up the bowl without the slightest hesitation, drank all of it, then sighed in satisfaction. "That has helped quench this old man's thirst, you have my thanks. Which is why I said 'thank you,' I suppose."
Tani looked at him for a moment, then sighed and went to get another bowl of water.
When the second bowl was set in his hands, Balunel seemed to rouse himself and the focus from the early part of his lesson returned. "This is a simple exercise that will allow this old man to evaluate you. It is not some trick or a chance to show off, so there is no need for technique. What I need is for each of you to place your hand in the water and let your strength flow through you, as intensely as you can. Then I can give you my guidance. We can start with the kind girl who gave me the water earlier."
"Then I will begin, Master."
Balunel lifted the bowl toward her in one hand, fully extended from his body and yet not wavering in the slightest. Tani slipped her palm beneath the surface and closed her eyes, sein flowing through her. Was anything in the water changing? Based on their experience so far, Slaten didn't want to be skeptical, but he failed to see how anything could change.
After a time, Balunel pulled the bowl back and fumbled in his robe. He eventually pulled a small cup out, dipped it into the water, and took a drink. Then he gave another sigh, just as he had before. As the silence stretched, Tani drying off her hand, Slaten began to wonder i-
"Your inner strength has developed in a truly balanced way, girl. I would guess that you can smell and taste sein, but the other senses escape you?"
Tani looked surprised for a moment, then smiled broadly. "That's exactly right, Master."
"Though your development has been balanced, you would be best served by attempting to feel sein next. Unless I am much mistaken, I caught a taste of a rather profound mental technique? That has taken you closer to your destination than you know, so simply focus and you will deepen your comprehension of sein in no time."
"Thank you for your guidance." Tani backed away, leaving the rest of them wondering who would go next. Before they could, Laeri spoke.
"Are you really going to drink the water after we all put our hands in it? Won't it become dirty?"
"What?" Balunel 's bushy eyebrows shot up. "Are you getting dirt in my water? Wash your hands, you filthy children!"
"Ah, no... I didn't mean..." Laeri seemed rather startled by his reaction, but Balunel forgot about it the next moment.
"You can be next, girl. Step forward."
After self-consciously wiping off her hand, Laeri moved forward and dipped it into the water. It took no time at all for Balunel to pull the bowl back and take a drink, though he sipped the water more slowly, face shifting through several expressions.
"Difficult, difficult. I could give you guidance, but I believe you follow another path that I have never walked. The inner strength you should pursue next... I believe you would call it starlight?"
Laeri's eyes went wide. "Yes, that's just what I'm struggling to master now! How did you know? Have you studied Estronese techniques?"
"Just a guess, just a guess. I've gotten a little taste for it from that Estronese fellow who comes by sometimes. He no doubt uses the same words you do, but I think he does not enjoy teaching. And your sein feels like that of a healer to me. Perhaps you should be assigned to work with Auntie Elima - she is our little group's head healer and she can no doubt do better for you."
That struck Slaten as an obvious decision, but Laeri nodded gratefully and pulled back. No one approached after she moved away, and Balunel started to reach for his harp again, so Slaten stepped forward.
Was he really supposed to do nothing but let his sein flow through his hand? Though he did not know the art, manipulating water was common enough. Without it, he didn't see how sein that stayed within the hand could possibly affect the water at all, much less enough that the old man could taste it. For now, Slaten simply followed instructions.
It took longer for Balunel to react and Slaten grew nervous, but eventually the old man pulled the bowl back and took a cup. After draining it, he shook his head.
"You have some strength, but your training has been scattered and flawed. It could take you a decade or more to right these imbalances, and many warriors never do."
"Then... what does that mean for me?"
"Oh, you can do the same as the others. You should seek to smell sein next. The difficulty is that accessing this new pool... it will not blend so well with what you have learned to this point. You will need to stretch yourself in a new direction. But perhaps it will be worth it in the end." Balunel turned away from him, cocking his head toward the remaining two. "Next, next!"
Slaten moved back, thinking about what had been said. He disliked the insult to all his effort so far, but despite the old man's oddities, Slaten believed that Balunel was a true master. All he could do was accept the truth of it and try to move on from there.
Meanwhile, Celivia had moved to place her hand in the water. When Balunel drank it, he frowned and took another cup. After drinking that one more slowly, he shook his head.
"Your inner strength is odd, but the balance is excellent. You have also passed the point that most of your friends seek to reach, so you have no easy gains ahead of you. Though you will still benefit from learning to see and then taste sein, simply not as dramatically." Balunel frowned and looked almost directly toward her. "But that is not what troubles me. Are you ill, child? Or perhaps poisoned?"
"It's not exactly poison," Celivia said reluctantly. "But yes, it's something I seek to overcome."
"Well, I cannot advise you in that. But though your body can resist it for now, it is no doubt hindering you. If you wish to increase your strength, the first thing you must do is expel this poison."
"I'm working on it." With that, Celivia turned away and moved to sit with the others, eyes dark. Slaten shifted beside her and gave her a concerned look.
"Is everything okay?"
She waved a hand and responded without looking at him. "He's exaggerating the severity. It's personal. I'll deal with it myself."
"Is there anything we can do to help?"
Celivia shot him a sharp glance and Slaten realized that he'd been foolish. She'd all but told him that she didn't want to talk about it, but he had blundered past the hints. Fortunately, she didn't seem to hate him, simply retreating into herself. Whatever the issue was, it must be more personal than it appeared. He wanted to help, but would have to keep his distance.
Meanwhile, Melal finally got to his feet. His sulk seemed to have ended, instead he moved with focused determination. When he reached Balunel he drew himself up, not arrogantly but with a greater purpose. When he reached down to touch the water, Balunel gave a surprised murmur and pulled it back almost immediately.
The old man's hand shook as he dipped a cup into the water. He had only taken a single sip before he released a slow sigh. "My late master told me of this, but I had never seen it for myself."
Melal folded his arms. "What?"
"Your understanding of inner strength is not so deep, and your foundation has almost as many flaws as the previous young man. But your path..." Balunel set down the bowl and cup heavily. "You do not need to practice feeling sein with any of the normal senses. Instead... you can advance directly to feeling it with your soul. This is an unusual ability, seen only extremely rarely. But if you can perceive your inner strength with your soul, you will understand it more truly than with all the normal senses combined."
"Of course." Melal stepped back, his eyes shimmering white. "I am the Hero, after all."
"Perhaps you are." The old man fumbled his hand over the stones before picking up his harp and beginning to pluck at the strings again. "That is all for today, young warriors. You have all been shown your path onward, the only question now is how you will walk it."
It was a clear dismissal, so they began to leave. Slaten wanted to thank the old master, but speaking would be rude and he would not see a movement. In the end Slaten settled for bowing regardless and then followed the others into the tunnel.
Given how much they had been taught, he had more than enough to think about. Yet all that Slaten could focus on was how bright Melal's eyes had been at the end.
Chapter 42
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"You may think that I am like your foolish nieces, asking what dress the Legend has foretold them to wear to a given ball. Such foolishness has become common, and though it may sometimes reflect faith in the Legend, it is a distraction from the truth."
- excerpt from a letter written by Lady Karerela of East Corah
-
Just in case, Kolanin shifted the flow of his sein to resist poison. But in truth, he doubted that he was being served anything other than good food.
All the Rhen around him leaned in to watch, with looks ranging from eager to suspicious. He pretended to ignore all of them, simply picking up his spoon and taking a bite of the mashed grain he'd been given. It had a rich flavor, mixed with beans and spices, but he kept his face completely neutral. After a pause, he took another bite, dragging it out.
Finally Kolanin set down his spoon and clasped his hands together. "It's delicious!" he said in Lanhao.
That received a chorus of approval, mostly in Lanhao. Other than a few phrases he had learned for the sake of politeness, he didn't know the language at all. But it seemed clear that everyone knew that; they simply appreciated the effort. Kolanin remained in his seat as everyone at the table began to eat as well and continued eating so that his appreciation wouldn't seem like a lie.
It did taste good, but Kolanin couldn't really enjoy it at the moment. He was too focused on his task. His eyes slid toward the next table, filled with warriors instead of local merchants. Soon he would move there, but not too quickly.
The Telnaa building, if it could be called that, was laid out in a straight line. It had no walls, only the pillars that supported the roof, but everyone entered only from the marked doorway at the far end. The pillars were stone but the roof was wood, an exorbitant luxury in this arid part of the Chorhan Expanse.
Since the Telnaa tribe traded less than others, they had limited resources, but he was impressed with how many different ways they found to serve what they had. At every table since the first, he'd been served something new. Most were rather spicy, but they were diverse dishes using the ingredients in creative ways. Fortunately, since he'd run here under his own power, his body was ready for all the food.
Moving up the tables had been a risky choice, but based on the reactions it seemed to have been the right decision. There had been a chance that it would be viewed as false humility, since he could have simply walked straight to the head table as the representative of the mansthein. Fortunately, the Telnaa seemed to appreciate his efforts.
Just as he was finishing his food, the woman across from him leaned forward and spoke in Coran. "It isn't too spicy for you?" Though he hadn't learned the details of their clothing, he knew she wasn't dressed as a warrior. Perhaps a cook? Best to answer carefully.
"It is certainly more spicy than the previous tables, but I enjoy it." Kolanin took another bite and smiled at her. She gave an odd smile back.
"The Corans always say our food is much too spicy."
"And you thought mansthein would be the same way?"
She shrugged. "I wasn't sure. I am Eteleli of the Telnaa, by the way. So you've eaten food like this before?"
"I am Kolanin. I have not eaten food exactly like this, but spicy food doesn't bother me."
"Hmm, so Deathspawn food is spicy? I don't think I've eaten any."
Kolanin just smiled past the term. "We have tribes of our own, you know. In my home, food was not nearly so spicy as this. But I've traveled in multiple parts of Orphos - food in Fein Karnak is very spicy, for example."
"As spicy as this?" The woman picked up one of the bowls in the center of the table and sprinkled more of its contents over his remaining food. "We were taking it easy on you, you know. You haven't seen how spicy Telnaa food can be."
He clasped his hands in thanks and gave her an ironic smile. "I thank you for your mercy."
While he finished his food Kolanin pretended to be overwhelmed and took additional drinks of water. Untruthful, but a mild untruth that the woman seemed to appreciate. By the time Kolanin had finished the mash, there were fewer looks of distrust from the table. Several of the Rhen at the table said farewells to him as they sent him on to the next.
Unlike the previous tables, when Kolanin approached the warriors, they ignored him. This hadn't been mentioned in any of his research about the Telnaa. He stood nearby, putting his arms in his sleeves and simply waiting. Going past them to the leaders' table would be a definite insult, especially since his primary concern here was getting the tribe's warriors on his side.
After a time, one of the warriors stood up from his stool and gave him a broad smile. "Come, Deathspawn! I will make space for you, since you had so little trouble against our scouts."
"I apologize for any trouble I caused." Kolanin resisted the urge to lower his head, since they didn't respect the gesture, and instead clasped his hands again.
"No, no, we're thankful that you showed us your skills. Please, sit! I am sure you are hungry, after eating the simple food of past tables. Here, you can eat your fill!"
The warrior spoke too heartily and Kolanin didn't see any real warmth in his eyes. Everyone else watched a little too closely. Still, he smiled back and moved to sit in the stool that he was offered. After he had been offered this much hospitality, they wouldn't attack him directly unless they intended to violate all of their customs. If he didn't need to fight all of them, Kolanin didn't feel threatened.
