Read The Crystals of Tlalli: Awakened Affinities Page 6
clothing. The ceiling was reinforced with huge metal beams and columns, which were also decorated with some pictures and what looked like writing. But the writing was like none Rica had ever seen. It was like a mix of Chinese and wavy lines interspersed with curly cues. All she saw awed Rica. This cave was not like a cave at all but more like a palace. There were many rooms with carved wooden doors. The designs on the doors were of plants and animals, though they were strange to Rica. There were pictures of animals that were fantastic; none were like the animals of Earth. One of the carving depicted a huge cat with a spiny collar around its neck, people were riding giant lizards walking next to the big cat. Rica’s stomach made a loud gurgling sound and Nottia glanced at her.
“Let’s go get something to eat. This cave is huge and it would take all day to show it all to you.” Nottia led Rica outside and they walked down the steps that were carved into the cliff side to a campsite. Nottia ladled broth into a cup and handed it to Rica, then served herself. Rica looked around and then back at Nottia. Nottia was pretty with small features. Her coloring was a soft tan with light brown stripes. Her ears were alert and twitched back under Rica’s scrutiny.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to stare. I have never seen anyone like you and Zafira.”
“It’s ok. You don’t have people like me where you are from?” Nottia touched her chest a look of curiosity on her face.
“No. Just people like me. Human I mean.” Rica felt a little strange setting here talking to a cat person on a strange world. She looked up at the sky and saw the two moons there. One was bigger then the other and looked like it had an atmosphere with water or some kind of liquid and continents. There was a faint blue glow around the big moon. She shivered. Nottia looked at what Rica had just been staring at.
“They are beautiful don’t you think?”
“The moons? Yes, It looks like one has water and land like you could go there and walk around.” It sounded funny when she said it out loud.
“People have gone there. There are city’s there. The more adventurous people have gone up there to mine the tiplump and corista ores. They used to ship the ore down to manufacturers to process but it’s been a long time since there has been a shipment.” Nottia was silent for a moment. Her eyes focused on the moons. Then she turned and looked at Rica. “Most of the portals have stopped working and the magi are trying to fix them. My father wanted to go there and set up a trade house in the main settlement there on that big continent. See the one with the little hook.” Nottia turned and pointed. Rica looked and saw it.
“So he decided not to go then?”
“The portals stopped working when the violet affinity failed. Only the powerful violet affinity magi can still activate the portals. They got everyone who wanted to leave Pellant off and then they closed the portal.”
“Pellant?” Tenseness grew in Rica’s shoulders her hands unconsciously clinched. What would all this mean for her?
“The larger moon is called Pellant the smaller one is Beauty.”
Rica shivered in the growing dusk. A light wind had started and it was getting chilly. Nottia stood and collected the cups. She washed them and put them back in the bag she had gotten them from.
“The wind is starting up lets go back inside.”
Rica yawned. ”Yeah I’m getting a little tired.”
“Yes it will take a while for you to get your strength back. Zafira was worried about you. We are all glad you made it.”
Nottia led Rica back to the room they had set her up in. Rica was exhausted. A feeling of safety wrapped around her here in the cave though she could not have said why, she lay down and wondered if this was real or if she would wake up at home
3 – The Ritual
The strange girl puzzled Zafira, but she could not put off this ritual any longer. This was the main purpose of traveling here, for Zafira to perform the crystal affinity ritual and start her training as shaman and healer. This ritual could only be held once every five years when the moons were right and the season favorable. She straightened her robes and walked back to the sacred cavern of revelation. She had practiced for two years and had received her mother’s blessing.
Last night Nottia had prepared the circle. This was it. Zosimo, her brother and protector would stand guard at the mouth of the chamber in case something went wrong. Zafira did not want to think about that possibility. The drummer was Melnone, Nottia’s brother, and Nottia was going to pipe the sacred song. They were all in place. The music would go on all night while Zafira performed the ten rituals and the meditations for each crystal center.
Zafira cleansed her body in the small pool in the chamber. Then dressed in the ritual raiment her mother had made for her, it had taken six months to finish the beading. It was an elegant white silk dress. Zafira slipped the heavy garment over her head; it was floor length with intricate beading all over. Each of the ten crystal centers was beaded around the hem of her dress with a gem cut crystal setting in the middle. Clear crystals were beaded the length of the dress from the bodice to the hemline, around the cuffs and neckline white crystals were beaded to appear as bracelets and necklace. She put on her matching beaded white silk slippers and left her hair unbound. The golden blond locks fell to her waist. There could be no restrictions.
Melnone started the beat in the anti-chamber as she walked into the ritual room Nottia picked up the melody. The two rooms were open to each other so the sound filled them both. The music seemed to move her soul. The vibrations could be felt within the body as though coming from everywhere. The room was circular with ten columns supporting the domed roof. The columns, walls, and roof were intricately carved with runes and designs depicting the ten different magic affinities. The roof had ten circular holes that held clear thick crystal disks that allowed light to shine through. Zafira looked up and could see the night sky through them. Zosimo had cleaned them the day before, sweeping the sand off the outside. Zafira had chanted the Protection spell over them as her mother had thought her. The magic would hold the desert back until they returned again. The disks were positioned to illuminate each of the individual crystal centers. The floor was engraved with pathways leading from each of the ten columns to the central circle.
She walked to the middle of the engraved floor. Zafira stopped and knelt on a thin padded rug in front of a small circular table. On the table she lit a white candle and then picked up a clay bowl with a soaring bird painted on it and mixed the ground root with the liquid in the bowl. Soon it was a milky green color. Nottia started piping a trilling lilt to the deep drumming. Zafira put the bowl to her lips and drank. The taste of the mix almost made her choke, she swallowed, the drum beat quickened and the song of the pipe seemed to be tearing her heart out of her chest. She was so nervous it was hard to breath. The journey had begun.
She meditated until the moons where caught in the sky disks in the domed roof. Each crystal represented the different magic’s; because of this she would have to do a small ritual at each of the ten alcoves to determine which ones she was attuned with. On the table in front of her were ten herbal smudges laid out in order. The smudges had a base of white feather plant and then an individual herb that was supposed to help enhance a person’s natural affinity for the type of magic the crystals held.
Zafira picked up the first smudge, white feather plant and fire tail. She lit the end of the smudge with the candle. It burned hot and had an acrid smell that stirred “hot” emotions in her. She stood and followed the red path to the first alcove, placing the smudge into the stone holder on the left side of the large crystals. She looked at the red candle on the small rock shelf in front of the crystal alcove, Zafira took a deep breath allowing the smoke from the smudge to fill her lungs, feeling the anger in her stir she tried to hold onto that emotion and picturing in her head the candle lighting and burning she recited the incantation
“Red of creation, hot and vibrant, I will this candle to light by my internal fire.”
Nothing happene
d. Zafira had expected this. Most people didn’t have an affinity to magic; People who did usually only had one affinity and occasionally had a secondary skill. Although nothing happened, Zafira continued reciting the incantation and visualize the candlewick bursting into flame until the smudge stopped burning. Turning she followed the red inlayed crystal path on the floor back to the center circle.
The music continued to weave sound through the room; however, the beat changed when she had returned to the table. Instead of the angry/hot tempo, it swelled to something more steady and calming.
Zafira lit the second smudge for the orange crystal magic. This smudge was the white feather plant and dried kloda leafs. These smelled welcoming and friendly when burned. Following the orange path this time, she placed the burning smudge into the holder on the left. Looking at the shelf there was a small cage with a skittish rako in it. These small animals tended to be afraid of everyone. Zafira was thinking soothing thoughts to the rako and opened a small door in the cage. She was imagining the rako sitting in her out stretched hands and recited the incantation.
“Orange of attraction, Let this rako see me as one with him, bring him to sit on my hand”