The Inner Circle: The Knowing (7 page)

‘
You’re crazy,’
Seteal hissed, but was interrupted when the elf owl spoke
again.

‘
El-i-miish,’ the
bird rasped. Standing on one foot, it lifted the other, unfurled a
clawed toe and pointed at El-i-miir. ‘Seteal.’ The bird repeated
the process in her direction. It lowered its foot and stood
squarely on the floor, nuzzled its beak into its chest and uttered,
‘Seeol.’

‘
It thinks its name
is Seeol?’ El-i-miir cringed.

‘
Well, it makes
sense, really,’ Seteal said. ‘We’ve been calling him
that.’

‘
How do you know it’s
male?’

‘
Not all things need
to be learnt through the Elglair eye,’ Seteal said smugly. ‘It’s
the colouration on his wings and the golden eyes. The females have
yellow ones.’

‘
So it’s not a
complete abomination,’ El-i-miir mused. ‘These birds actually
exist?’

‘
They’re all around
Elmsville,’ Seteal said, having remembered occasionally seeing them
hiding in cacti. ‘They’re desert birds. But I must confess to never
having heard one talk before.’

‘
We mustn’t be
complacent.’ El-i-miir became very serious. ‘Just because it talks
and seems harmless right now doesn’t mean we should forget what it
did yesterday.’

‘
Well,’ Seteal began,
‘what if he doesn’t know that what he did was wrong? He’s just a
little bird after all. If we could teach him more, he might
understand that it’s not all right to attack people.’

‘
I think that’s a
little naïve of you, Seteal,’ El-i-miir replied
apologetically.

‘
Maybe you’re right.’
Seteal looked away. ‘But we have to try something, don’t
we?’

‘
What do you mean?’
El-i-miir replied.

‘
We can’t just let
him go,’ Seteal continued. ‘If we do, he’ll only hunt down
others.’

‘
I suppose it
wouldn’t hurt to give it a go,’ El-i-miir contemplated. ‘But
Gil’rei Far-a-mael mustn’t find out.’

‘
Why?’

‘
I assure you he’ll
have quite a different solution in dealing with a problem animal,’
El-i-miir warned. ‘He’ll find a way to kill it.’

‘
We mustn’t let him
do that,’ Seteal gasped, her eyes locked on Seeol’s fragile body.
‘He’s adorable.’ She reached out tentatively and patted the bird’s
head. ‘But how will we get away with it? Surely it’s only a matter
of time before Far-a-mael senses Seeol’s presence.’

‘
I wish you wouldn’t
keep calling it that.’ El-i-miir scrunched up her nose at the sound
of the bird’s name.

‘
Seeol.’ The elf owl
once again gestured toward himself.

El-i-miir shuddered and turned
back to Seteal. ‘Don’t worry about Far-a-mael. There is a certain
ability shared by very few Elglair known as affiliation. Far-a-mael
is among those few, but so am I.’ El-i-miir half-smiled. ‘I just so
happen to be much better at it.’

‘
What does it
mean?’

‘
I’m able to
affiliate people’s minds,’ the woman said with obvious pride. ‘I
can control, or even possess them. That’s why my horse rides
without physical guidance. That’s what I did to your father when we
entered your home. He wouldn’t let us in, so Far-a-mael asked me to
affiliate and move him out of the way.’

‘
Yes,’ Seteal
grumbled, still dissatisfied with the excuses she’d been given for
her abduction. ‘Go on.’

‘
Well, affiliation
needn’t always be so blatant.’ El-i-miir clapped her hands together
excitedly. ‘We can influence people more subtly than
that.’

‘
You’re not going
risk it on Far-a-mael are you?’ Seteal asked in surprise. Having
heard El-i-miir preach all about obedience earlier that night, it
seemed a little hard to understand why she’d suddenly choose to
ignore her own advice.

‘
Just a little,’
El-i-miir replied. ‘I’ll put a block on his thoughts whenever they
might wander toward the seeol. He’ll probably feel like he’s
forgotten something, but he won’t be able to work out
what.’

‘
All right let’s do
it,’ Seteal shuffled forward excitedly, forgetting the fear she’d
once had for the adorable bit of fluff staring up at her. ‘If
you’re so confident in your abilities that you’re willing to take
the risk, then so am I.’ She leaned toward Seeol. ‘I’m Seteal,
you’re Seeol,’ she said to the animal.

‘
I’m Seteal, you’re
Seeol,’ the bird replied, pointing first at Seteal and then to
himself.

‘
No, no.’ Seteal
shook her finger then placed both hands to her chest. ‘I’m Seteal.’
She paused for a moment and then pointed at Seeol. ‘I’m
Seeol.’

‘
I’m Seeol,’ the bird
replied. ‘You’re Seteal.’ He bobbed his head excitedly.

‘
Fast learner.’
El-i-miir swallowed nervously.

*

‘
That will do for
today,’ Far-a-mael called back, snapping Seteal free of her
thoughts. A look at the sky informed her of the time, with the sun
sitting fat and orange on the horizon. Another day was on the verge
of completion. Seteal had never spent so much time on horseback and
was thoroughly tired of doing so.

‘
That will do for
today,’ Seteal’s bag croaked--or rather its inhabitant did--from
its place on her lap.

‘
Be quiet,’ Seteal
cautioned the owl, momentarily opening her bag to reveal his
feathery face in disarray. ‘You’ll get us in trouble,’ she
whispered sternly before closing the bag and sliding off her
horse.

‘
Sorry,’ the bird
replied dejectedly.

Since the previous night, not only had
Seeol picked up more words and their proper usage than Seteal had
anticipated, but he’d also learnt to manipulate intonation.

‘
I’ll help set up the
tents,’ Seteal volunteered as she passed by Far-a-mael and made her
way over to El-i-miir. ‘He keeps talking,’ she hissed. ‘I’ve been
struggling all day to keep him quiet, but nothing seems to
work.’

‘
This was your idea,’
El-i-miir replied irritably as she tied the horses to a
tree.

‘
No way,’ Seteal
growled. ‘You’re not weaselling out of this now. You promised you’d
help.’

‘
Listen.’ El-i-miir
turned aggressively. ‘I was more than just a little bit
drunk!’

‘
That’s not my
problem,’ Seteal said beneath her breath as Far-a-mael passed by.
‘Can’t you do something to make him shut up?’

‘
No,’ El-i-miir said
firmly. ‘He has no aura. I’m powerless over him.’

‘
Well, what about
Far-a-mael?’ Seteal looked over at the old man, who was glancing
about the clearing, scratching his head as though he’d lost
something.

‘
Don’t worry about
him,’ El-i-miir reassured her. ‘Just keep the bird quiet and leave
Gil’rei Far-a-mael to me.’

As the sun disappeared from the
world, Seteal assisted El-i-miir in setting up the tents while
Far-a-mael trekked into the woods alone to return later with a
couple of rabbits. By now, Seteal had come to the conclusion that
he was likely affiliating them into hopping right over. Suddenly
his hunting skills seemed less impressive. All he had to do was
bend over and pick them up.

‘
Come with me,’
Far-a-mael said after they’d finished dinner. He stood up and
tossed his scraps into the fire.

‘
Where are we going?’
Seteal asked fearfully, having dropped some rabbit into her bag for
Seeol just moments earlier.

‘
If you care to go on
living . . .’ Far-a-mael crossed his arms, clearly irritated by her
having questioned him, ‘. . . you’ll accompany me to my tent where
we can begin your lessons.’

Seteal slid her bag across the earth
toward El-i-miir before warily following after Far-a-mael.

‘
Sit,’ the old man
said as he sat cross-legged on the floor. Seteal attempted to
replicate his position, but it hurt her knees and proved to be too
difficult.

‘
Is it really
necessary to sit like that?’ she complained, eyeing the way
Far-a-mael sat with his hands face-up on his knees, thumbs and
index fingers touching at the tips.

‘
In the beginning,
yes. You must be completely comfortable my young rei,’ he replied
without opening his eyes.

‘
Well I’m certainly
not,’ Seteal muttered once she’d folded herself into a position
that bore some resemblance to Far-a-mael’s.

‘
Certainly not what?’
Far-a-mael asked, opening one eye.

‘
Comfortable,’ Seteal
muttered. ‘You just said . . . oh, never mind.’

The old man was making fun of her. He
chuckled and opened his other eye.

‘
Eventually you’ll
get used to it and then you’ll find it helps in concentration.’ He
frowned. ‘If you really don’t like it, though, fear not! Very soon
you’ll be able to touch the Ways in whatever position you like, but
for now we’ll do it like this. Now, close your eyes and open your
mind.’

‘
What’s that supposed
to mean?’ Seteal asked abrasively.

‘
If you find that too
difficult, you might at least close your mouth and open your mind,’
Far-a-mael said with disdain.

‘
Fine, I get it.’
Seteal shut her eyes and waited.

‘
Concentrate on your
breathing. Nothing else matters,’ Far-a-mael began. ‘If a thought
occurs to you, accept it and let it pass without dwelling on it too
much. If you deny the thought, you’ll only find it more difficult
to let it go. Accept and release until nothing remains but your
breathing. Feel it rush in, and out. In. Out.’

What a waste of
time,
Seteal moaned inwardly. Still, she
had to try, didn’t she? She accepted that the training was indeed
ridiculous and then released the thought. No more than a second had
passed, however, before she began to worry about her father and her
friends. It was no sooner than she’d dismissed these thoughts that
she began to worry about leaving El-i-miir alone with Seeol. It
just didn’t seem to be working.

‘
You’re not having
very much luck, are you, girl?’

‘
How’d you know?’
Seteal opened her eyes.

‘
You’re frowning,’
Far-a-mael sighed. ‘You’re unable to relax, eh?’

‘
I don’t think I
can,’ Seteal replied honestly. ‘I can’t stop worrying.’

‘
Hmm.’ Far-a-mael
tapped his chin. ‘Can you make any connections or think of any
habits or thoughts that may have preceded one of your knowings in
the past?’

‘
Not really,’ Seteal
answered impatiently. ‘It just happens.’

‘
Very well. Let’s go
back to relaxation.’ Far-a-mael paused, looking Seteal in the eye.
‘I could help you this time.’

Seteal knew what that meant, but again
she realized there wasn’t much of a choice. She nodded and closed
her eyes. A kind of calmness overwhelmed her. The feeling was
somehow and yet not entirely, disconnected from herself.

As her senses dulled and her mind
glazed over, Seteal soon found herself focusing on nothing more
than her steady breathing. In and out. In and out.

‘
Now you’re getting
it,’ said the voice of an elderly man somewhere far away. ‘I want
you to forget you’re breathing now. Acknowledge nothing aside from
my voice.’

Seteal did as she was told. The
experience was one that couldn’t be properly explained, for it in
itself was the lack of information or explanation. Floating in the
void of her own mind, Seteal felt disconnected from reality. The
darkness behind her eyelids was tranquil and calm. There was not a
bitter thought, nor a worry or concern to bother her.

A night bird shrieked somewhere
outside. Having momentarily feared it was Seeol, Seteal’s control
wavered. Far-a-mael steadied her and began to withdraw his support.
His comforting power drifted away, leaving Seteal alone in the
tranquillity of her aura. She faltered and almost lost control, but
quickly drove all thought from her mind and was free once more
within the empty space.

‘
Excellent! Come back
now,’ Far-a-mael spoke, his voice insignificant and distant. ‘I
know it’s exciting the first time, but you really must return so
that we can talk about your progress before taking the next
step.’

Seteal felt a rush of giddying
curiosity shake her bubble of control and she fell away. ‘What’d
you do that for?’ she complained, opening her eyes. The curiosity
had not belonged to her.

‘
New reis are always
so reluctant to start thinking again,’ Far-a-mael said
dismissively. ‘But as enjoyable as it is not to do so, at times we
all must take time to think. So, how was it?’

‘
Amazing.’ Seteal
couldn’t help but show her excitement. ‘Everything was so clear and
yet there was nothing there to be clear. I just felt . . . free.
Can Elglair do that whenever they want?’

‘
Actually, anybody
can.’ Far-a-mael tapped his finger thoughtfully. ‘Probably not to
the same depth as us, but all the same it’s simple meditation, a
practice that’s existed for thousands of years. The good news is, I
only helped you at the beginning. After that, you stabilised
yourself.’

‘
Can I learn more?’
Seteal asked eagerly.