Green Eyes

The stillness of the morning was broken by the sharp rapping of horse hooves on stone pavement. It was an unearthly hour even by the sun’s standard’s, having only just now risen to light the world. No one else but the two black clad figures making their way to the gate of the Temple was awake.

“You two aren’t thinking of escaping without saying good-bye, are you?” inquired Johann as he leaned against the gate. Well, almost no one. “That would make Selene very upset.”

“Tell her to deal with it,” Jared coldly retorted. “We got her safely to you; the rest is up to you.”

“Good luck with that, too. She can be quite a handful,” Mara added.

“I don’t doubt that,” chuckled the elder Navi. “But it would be wrong of you to leave without even saying good-bye. You two mean more to her than anyone else ever could in this world.”

“Hardly,” Jared scoffed. “We’re just her bodyguards and poorly compensated ones at that. You’re Navi, like her. She belongs here with you.”

“She does,” agreed Johann. “But because of your adventures together, you have a bond with her that none of us can share. You have been father, mother, brother, sister, and above all, friend and that is something we can never replace. If you are going to leave, then at least have the decency to say good-bye. Besides, isn’t it a bit earlier for the little one to be riding?” He gestured to a bundle on Mara’s lap that occasionally stirred

“We have a long ways to go and she’s gotten adept at sleeping in the saddle,” Mara replied.

“A long way to go?” Johann raised an eyebrow. “And just where are you going?”

Jared and Mara blanched, looking awkwardly at each other.

Johann caught the gesture and shook his head. “You don’t know, do you?”

“We’ll figure it out as we go,” Mara shrugged.

“Like a leaf figures out its path in the wind,” Johann shook his head. “You think you are finding your path, but you are lost.”

“What would you rather us do?” Jared snapped at the Navi. “Stick around here with you and the rest of the freak show? We got Selene here safe and sound; we did our job and now it’s time to move on. We don’t belong here.”

“Don’t belong here?” Johann almost laughed. “You belong here more than anyone else, even us Navi. Remember your ancestors ruled the world from here.”

“Yeah, 1000 years ago,” Mara sardonically remarked. “We’re a long way from there.”

“Perhaps not as far as you think,” Johann mused. “Want my advice?”

“Not particularly,” Jared rolled his eyes.

“Stick around, poke around, learn about your past,” Johann ignored him. “Maybe you’ll find you path along the way.”

Mara and Jared looked at each other with a shrug. “Why not?” she said. “I suppose we don’t have anything better to do.”

“Good,” Johann smiled at the twins. “Now, how about some breakfast?”

*******

“Mornin’ gorgeous,” Andrew greeted with a mercilessly cheerful smile. It was a couple hours after Johann had convinced Jared and Mara, which was still way too early for Selene’s taste, especially since she found her bed to be wonderfully comfortable. Her blond hair was messy and her normally bright green eyes were bleary.

“What is going on?” Selene grumbled as she tried to straighten her bed head, unsuccessfully. The two of them were in one of the many rooms in the lower level of the Temple, this one being a large empty room that looked like a riding arena: roughly rectangular with a dirt floor, plus a moat running around the border, which Selene found strange. “And more importantly, why so early?” the blond Navi added.

“Morning is the best time for training,” Andrew answered, bright white teeth still shining through. “Morning is when your mind and body are the freshest.”

“Do I look fresh to you?” Selene growled, pointing to her disheveled hair.

“Not a morning person, eh?” Andrew’s mouth twitched mischievously. “Then maybe this’ll wake you up.”

“Huh?” Selene started as she heard a sudden whistling sound.

Instinctively she ducked, barely dropping her head before a rock shot past her head, impacting on the wall behind her.

“What are you doing?” she shouted as adrenaline began to flood her veins. Selene was suddenly very alert.

“Welcome to your first day of training,” Andrew informed her. “We’re starting with elemental training, so fire, water, air, and of course, earth.”

“So you threw a rock at me?” Selene snapped.

“You looked like you needed a jolt of adrenaline, sleeping beauty,” Andrew shrugged. “And it made an effective demonstration.”

“Fine,” Selene crossed her arms and glared, which didn’t have nearly the same effect that Jared or Mara’s did. “So master, what do you have for me to learn today?” she challenged.

“Clearly you know your way around fire, although there are definitely some improvements that could be made there,” Andrew elucidated. “And I’m guessing you’ve learned how to freeze stuff, so you have some water ability. So we’ll start with the two elements you’re weakest on: earth and air.”

“Fair enough,” Selene crossed her arms. “What do you want me to do?”

“It’s very simple,” Andrew answered. He extended hand over the earth, flexed his muscles, and with a shudder drew a large rock out of the arena floor. “Move this rock from here,” he ordered, “over there.” Andrew pointed across the arena to the far wall.

“Okay,” Selene shrugged, reaching out with her arm and tapping into her power.

“Without using your telekinesis,” Andrew added.

Selene rolled her eyes. “Take all the fun out of it,” she groused as she re-extended her arm and focused on the rock. As usual when she first tried to use a new power, nothing happened. Shaking her head, Selene refocused on moving the rock, straining to push the rock to no avail.

“Okay, I give,” she sighed. “What’s the trick?”

“Trick?” Andrew raised an eyebrow. “What trick?”

“There’s always a trick to these things,” Selene replied. “My fire is fueled by anger, ice by fear, telepathy by curiosity, telekinesis by will, self-healing by physical pain, healing by compassion, and so on. So what do I tap into to move a rock?”

Andrew kneeled down and ran his fingers through the sand. “When the Creator made this world, he made people out of the earth itself. Our substance and fiber comes from the earth itself and thus we are connected to it. Us Malchians feel that connection stronger than others, but we all have it.

“Not all powers simply come from emotions,” Andrew went on. “After all, there are only so many to go around. Some powers come from our natural connections with the world. For example, our connection with the earth itself. To use these powers, you must learn to tap into that connection.”

“How?” Selene questioned.

“Stretch out with your power,” Andrew advised. “Feel the earth beneath you, sense it and once you do, exert your will over it.”

“Like what I do with telekinesis,” Selene analogized.

“Similar, I suppose,” Andrew allowed. “Although I’m not telekinetic so I don’t know for certain. But unlike with telekinesis, you can do so much more than just move rocks around. You can mold and shape the earth into whatever you wish or need. Like this.”

Andrew drew another small rock from the arena floor. Without word, he suspended it between his hands and concentrated. To Selene’s amazement, the stone became almost liquid as it bent and molded it into a new shape. After a few moments, he eased the rock into Selene’s hand. It was a rose.

“I can’t do anything about the color,” Andrew admitted sheepishly.

“No, no, it’s cool,” Selene blushed as she looked at the small stone figure in her hands. “I can do that?”

“Eventually,” Andrew nodded. “I must admit, I’m not very good myself.”

“Not good?” Selene examined the rose. “It’s amazing!”

“You think so?” Andrew asked, a blush coloring his dark cheeks.

“Yeah,” Selene smiled at him as they settled into an awkward silence.

“Well, uh, anyway,” Andrew cleared his throat. “Back to the lesson.”

“Right, moving rocks,” Selene nodded. “Tap into the earth, right?”

“That’s the key,” Andrew confirmed.

Selene knelt down and closed her eyes. Absently she ran her hands through the sand of the floor. She stretched out with her power, trying to sense the presence of the ground and the stone. At first, Selene felt nothing but her own body and the sand between her fingers. And then it felt as if her body were expanding through the earth, as if it were an extension of herself or she of it. Her feet felt rooted to the floor, like that of a statue carved into the side of a cliff. She felt heavy but strong, like the bones of the earth. All she now had to do was exert her will to move mountains, literally.

Feeling out, she found the boulder. Unconsciously, Selene reached out her hand, eyes still closed, and pushed. The rock resisted for a moment before starting to roll forward. Encouraged by that success, Selene dumped more of her power into the action and drove the rock across the arena until it touched the far wall. Exhaling, Selene looked up into Andrew’s proud grin.

“Good job,” he complimented. “You got the hang of it pretty quick.”

“Thanks,” Selene smiled tiredly as she wiped the perspiration from her forehead. “That’s harder than it looks.”

“Just takes some getting used to,” Andrew told her. “And for that, we have practice. Now move it back.”

Selene just groaned.

*******

“So my turn to get a crack at you?” Maria, the youthful and bubbly Navi, greeted Selene as she came into the garden.

“I guess so,” Selene shrugged. “They told me to come here and so here I am.”

“Well Andrew’s had his fun and now it’s my turn,” Maria said as she guided Selene further into the garden. “How did it go?”

“Training with Andrew?” Selene clarified as she reflected on the last week of her life. “It was…intense,” she summed up, rubbing her tired muscles.

“I can see that,” Maria observed. “You look tired.”

“I am,” Selene nodded with a sigh. “It’s always something I found strange: my muscles get tired from using my powers even though I don’t actually use them.”

“It’s partially a psychosomatic response from the fatigue brought on by using our powers,” Maria explained suddenly clinical. “And partially that when we’re tired, our muscles don’t respond as easily. Tell me, what has Andrew been doing to you?”

“Pushing me hard,” Selene told the Anorian. “He can be a rather demanding teacher but a good one. I’ve learned more about my powers in the last week than in the previous three months combined and that was just one area.”

“Let’s see what you’ve got,” Maria challenged.

“Well, I can now do this,” Selene reached out with her hand to where a woman was watering a plant. The water suddenly bent and flew towards Selene where it coalesced into a watery rope that Selene wound around her almost like a scarf. She manipulated it for another minute or so, throwing it around like a ball or snaking it around Maria before eventually tossing it above the plant it had been intended for where Selene dispelled it in a mini-rainstorm.

“Impressive,” Maria acknowledged. “Andrew is surprisingly a good teacher.”

Selene instantly flushed a deep red. “I, uh, well, I, er, uh, I wouldn’t know about that,” she stammered out.

“Oh don’t give me that,” Maria smirked. “I’ve seen how you look at each other. It’s okay to admit that he is a very attractive young man.”

“Well, he is handsome,” Selene admitted, her face still burning. “And kind. And pretty wise for someone so young.”

“He’s been through a lot,” Maria commented. “And that has a way of growing you up in a hurry; something I think you’re familiar with.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Selene nodded as she looked back on the last half year. She also realized that even though she had spent the vast majority of the last week with Andrew, she didn’t know much about him. Suddenly, Selene was very curious about her Malchian teacher. “It doesn’t matter though,” she shrugged off those thoughts. “He wouldn’t give me a second look anyway.”

“What on earth makes you think that?” Maria looked shocked that Selene would say that. “You’re kind and witty, not to mention drop dead gorgeous.”

“Me? Beautiful?” Selene laughed aloud.

“Girl, have you looked in a mirror recently?” demanded Maria. “I know more than one woman who would kill to have your body.”

““Please, don’t mock me,” Selene replied more seriously. “Men have never been attracted to me.”

“Why?” Maria questioned with a cocked head. “Who wouldn’t want you?”

“It’s because of my eyes,” Selene answered. “People have found my green eyes repulsive.”

“Your green eyes?” Maria looked at Selene with raised eyebrows. “You mean like everyone else here?”

Selene blinked. “Oh,” she said, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Clearly,” chuckled Maria. “Eyes aren’t the big deal here that they are in Kalashon because everyone’s are the same. And, might I add, your blond hair makes your eyes sparkle like emeralds so anyone who doesn’t think your eyes are gorgeous is a moron. Now, shall we get started?”

“Yeah,” Selene nodded, refocusing on why she was here, “what have you got for me?”

“Glad you asked,” Maria’s smile grew. “You’ve done your elemental training; now it’s time for you to learn about your life powers.”

“Life powers?” Selene cocked her head.

“Yes,” Maria nodded as she led Selene to a pen in one corner of the garden. Inside were a bunch of rabbits. “As you must have noticed with Spike, you have the ability to exert your will over life itself. That’s how you’ve been able to keep that unicorn from killing anything or everything but I think you already know that you can do this. The question, of course, is how.”

“How indeed,” Selene nodded as she looked at the bunnies. “What’s up with the rabbits?”

“Ah, them,” the Anorian replied, glancing at the rabbits. “They will be our teaching tool for today. I want you to make them dance.”

“Say what now?” Selene looked first at Maria and then at the rabbits.

“Something like this,” Maria extended her hand over the pen. Immediately the fifteen fluffy creatures moved into a five by three box and started rhythmically hopping in unison back and forth.

“I’m not sure whether to be impressed or revolted,” Selene crossed her arms as she watched the strange dance below. “This seems kind of barbaric, to force creatures to do something against their will.”

“These are animals and therefore have no ‘will’, at least not in the terms we think of it as,” Maria explained. “They only act on instinct and impulse, instead of rational thought like us. In addition, what I am doing doesn’t cause them any physical harm or pain.”

“Couldn’t this be used to torture them or do worse to themselves and others?” Selene wondered.

“Yes, I suppose it could,” Maria acknowledged slowly. “But I can’t think of any Navi that would ever do so. We’re trained not to do so, only using this power to help. Besides, it’s not in our nature to torture and torment other beings. That’s what sorcerers do.”

“Good to know,” Selene commented dryly. “So what do I do?”

“How did you connect with Spike?” Maria asked.

“I don’t know,” Selene shrugged as she tried to remember the unicorn attack over a month previous. “I kind of panicked and reached out and stopped the unicorns from attacking.”

“Reached out is a good term,” Maria observed. “If I remember from my studies on Malchian powers, you control rocks and earth by tapping into our natural connection with the earth, right?”

“Something like that, yeah,” Selene nodded.

“When communicating with animals, it’s the same thing, more or less,” Maria explained. “Anorian and by extension Kalashonian Navi are blessed by the Creator with a special connection to all life, plants, animals, and of course people. After all, we are caretakers of life and therefore must be able to connect to them.”

“So all I have to do is reach out like I did with Andrew?” Selene queried.

“I’m not a Malchian so I wouldn’t know,” Maria shrugged. “But yeah, that’s the general idea. Stretch out with your mind and see if you can touch the presence of the rabbits.”

“Okay,” Selene acknowledged.

She closed her eyes and stretched out her mind. Initially Selene gravitated towards the earth, touching the rocks and stones about her feet, a side-effect of the week of intensive training Andrew had put her through. Refocusing her thoughts, Selene tried to find the rabbits, attempting to replicate what she had done with the unicorns.

Suddenly she felt a rush of energy and life infused into her. It was such a shock to her system that Selene’s knees started to buckle and her knuckles went white around the bar she was bracing herself on. When Selene had stretched out her mind before, she was merely touching the earth which was inert.

But this was completely different. It was such a flood of feeling and energy and diversity that it was overwhelming to Selene. Everything blended together in a rainbow that mentally blinded Selene.

“Focus,” she heard Maria’s voice, which at the moment sounded distant. “Isolate the different life forms and block them out. Find the rabbits.”

“How?” Selene asked through gritted teeth.

“Think of it like a puzzle, except you are pulling pieces out instead of putting them in,” Maria advised. “First, try to identify the individual pieces and then pull them out. Focus.”

“Right, focus,” Selene squeezed her eyes tighter.

The rainbow of life continued to swirl around her as Selene tried to gain control over the flow. Slowly Selene was able to recognize the colors with life forms: a plant here, a vole there, even Maria. One by one, Selene blocked out the colors until only the rabbits remained.

“Okay,” she panted out. “I’ve got them. What now?”

“Touch their minds,” Maria instructed.

Selene did as instructed, probing the small “minds” of the fifteen or so creatures below her. There was even less going on there than with the unicorns, basically just eating and breeding.

“Why did you have to choose rabbits?” Selene demanded.

“Why not?” shrugged Maria. “Oh, right. I guess they can be a bit explicit for those not used to animal instincts.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Selene retorted as sweat began to drip off her face. “Now what do you want me to do?”

“Let’s start small,” Maria decided. “Find one rabbit and make it do a lap around the edge of the pen.”

Selene still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of controlling another creature, even a rabbit, but did as she was instructed. She isolated a single bunny, a large brown and white one that was munching on a carrot. Mentally she commanded that it drop the carrot and begin hopping around the edge of the pen. Immediately the rabbit relinquished its food and hopped a lap.

“Excellent,” Maria praised. “Release it and relax.”

Gladly Selene did so, slumping to the ground next the enclosure and breathing hard. Maria sat down beside her.

“Not bad,” Maria told her student. “As you’ve had some experience, I was hoping to jump right in but we’ll have to work up to controlling multiple creatures at once.”

“I’m still not sure how I feel about the morality of it,” Selene commented as she wiped her brow. “Toying with animals like that just seems wrong.”

“If used incorrectly, it is,” Maria concurred. “With this power, one can do great harm. Or do great good. As long as you keep in mind that these creatures are not here for your amusement but here for your care, you should be fine.”

“How is this power even useful?” Selene asked next. “I mean, how would I use this in a fight?”

“In a fight? You wouldn’t, unless you’re fighting a cavalry unit,” the Anorian looked confused before shaking her head. “You do a good job of masking it, but you are still a typical Kalashonian.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Selene snapped getting the distinct impression she’d just been insulted.

“It means that you think of everything in terms of combat and conquest,” Maria answered. “You still think in terms of how your different powers give advantages over others in battle which is how Kalashonians naturally think. Which is a good thing, for the most part. It is your function in the world.

“But being a Navi is about so much more than just fighting,” Maria continued. “In fact, very little of what we do has anything to do with combat. We are here to provide balance and care for the earth and all of its inhabitants, and not just the people. These powers are meant to maintain that balance.

“For example, an Esthorian can foresee a disaster, like a fire or flood. A Malchian can then save those people by preventing that disaster. Or an Anorian can disperse a locust horde. Esthorians can mediate disputes through their telepathy, cutting through all the nonsense people put up,” Maria went on illuminating. “Working together, we can sculpt and create living works of art. Much of this city, the walls, the gardens, and especially the Temple,” she waved her hand around, “were built by Navi, working together. Same goes for the Harosheth Hagoyim, or at least the start of it. We create harmony and beauty, not chaos and destruction. That is what being a Navi is all about.”

“Hasn’t been my experience,” Selene sourly noted. “It seems all I’ve done is fight since discovering who and what I am.”

“You’ve had a hard road,” Maria acknowledged. “And yes, part of being a Navi is sometimes fighting. But we don’t fight for power or wealth like others do but to preserve and create the beauty the Creator intended.”

“That sounds nice,” Selene observed. “Peaceful.”

“It is,” Maria nodded. “Being a Navi has its challenges, no question. But,” Maria gave Selene a bright smile, “it can be a lot of fun too. Shall we try the rabbits again?”

Selene gave her new friend a tired smile as she stood up. “Yeah, let’s give it a go.”

She liked being here.

*******