The World Weavers (17 page)

 

CHAPTER 14

T
he Chosen met at the temple again a few days later to empty another deity statue. Sanuri chose Aryn's statue as the next focus. Ava communed with Clay, in the statue of Parasu, before starting her mandala, and what he told her made her eyes shine with pleasure.

“You were right,” Amon whispered to Sulis and Ashraf. “Having Clay still here stabilizes her, gives her confidence.”

Master Anchee and Lasha clasped hands while they watched Ava chalk this mandala. Sulis could feel the energy exchange between them. It had taken a ­couple of practice sessions after Sulis's rebuke for Master Anchee to start treating Lasha like an equal, but she could feel the energy link between the two. Lasha and Anchee working together was much better energy for the entire group.

Aryn's mandala had different energy than Parasu's. Sulis closed her eyes, feeling Aryn's higher chakra energy. Ava once again slashed her hand and created a blood line on the outside, linking Aryn, the One, and Sanuri.

Ava wasn't as exhausted this time, and Sulis hoped that would be true of all of them.

The dance was less physically taxing than Parasu's had been, focusing on intuition and creativity. The amount of energy raised was the same—­the air inside the mandala was thick and hard to breathe—­but Sulis was less exhausted at the end. As she watched Sanuri weave Aryn's energy and the One's energy together, she hoped Master Anchee felt the same.

Alannah spoke the words of power, and Sulis drew back from feeling the energy, not wanting to be drawn into the One along with Aryn, as she'd almost been last time.

A clap of energy, and everything was still. This time, as Sulis climbed to her feet, she saw the chalk lines were gone. Lasha was by Master Anchee's side in an instant, but he did not need her assistance to rise. They stayed far away from the now-­empty statue.

They stood around Aryn's statue, staring at it.

“I can feel it,” Grandmother said. “I can feel the trap inside, calling to me.”

“A seductive prison,” Amon said. “Hopefully it will call the deity it was built for even more strongly, so the call cannot be resisted. I will have Sari cordon the statue off, so we cannot accidentally be trapped. You must go rest. I would like to do both Ivanha's and Voras's ceremony together, if Sanuri is willing.”

She giggled, which Sulis took for a yes.

“We need to practice containing more than one energy source, and Sanuri needs to practice weaving three energies together,” Amon said. “We will need to weave all four at once to the One when we have the full essence of the deities trapped here. Shuttles—­practice drawing energy every day with your Guardian.”

He glanced around Sulis, grimaced, and turned away. Sulis looked back to see Ava standing with her hands against Parasu's statue, speaking with Clay.

“Convincing Ava to let Clay go may be our hardest task,” Alannah said.

“We can release Voras and Ivanha before it becomes urgent to send Clay on,” Sulis said grimly. “We should go eat.”

They practiced several days at the Obsidian Temple. Ava ate her meals with the Chosen, though she still insisted on staying with Clay overnight and most of her waking hours.

“He's closing off,” she told Sulis unhappily at midmeal.

“What do you mean?” Sulis asked.

“He says it's too hard stay in the present without a body. So his mind drifts away and he can't draw it back to talk with me.”

Alannah shook her head. “This is a half state for him, neither in a living body nor returned to the One. It is painful for him.”

Ava ducked her head and focused on her food, her face set. They finished eating and cleaned their plates. Alannah, Lasha, and Sulis turned to walk to the dorms, and Ava paused.

“He shouldn't have to die,” she said. “It isn't fair. We have lots of magic. We need to find a way to get him a new body.”

“Ava, it isn't possible,” Sulis said. “We can't bring the dead back.”

“You just won't try,” Ava cried, and she ran to the Obsidian Temple.

T
hat evening Sulis left Ashraf and her friends talking in the dormitories and crept into the Obsidian Temple. The orb in the Altar of the One softly illuminated the darkness. It had been glowing since they'd begun filtering energy through it. It illuminated Ava, hunched against Parasu's statue, head on her knees with her arms wrapped over her head. Sulis sighed, looking at the sad figure. She walked over and sat beside Ava, leaning against the statue. She put her arm around Ava, who didn't move.

“It isn't fair, is it?” Sulis said. “I lost my parents when I was a little younger than you and I remember how it felt.”

Ava raised her head. “Don't tell me everything will be fine and that I'll get over him. I won't. I've never forgotten my mother and father, my sister. I'll never forget them.”

“I've never forgotten my mother and father either,” Sulis said. “It simply hurts less with time. You think about it less.”

“I don't want to think about it less,” Ava sobbed. “I don't want to forget anything. That's like betraying them, to forget anything about them. Not feeling the pain of their death is like erasing them.”

“I've thought that, too,” Sulis said. “But we can't live with such grief every day. It destroys us. And I know the ones who left me loved me and wanted happiness for me, more than anything else. Do you think your parents, Farrah, and Clay want you to be happy? That they loved you?”

Ava nodded.

“And are you happy holding on like this, causing yourself pain by feeling them die over and over? Is that what they would want for you?”

Ava shook her head, gulping air. “Farrah would swat me upside the head and say, ‘Momma didn't raise an idiot—­stop moping about. Go live your life.' ”

Sulis smiled. “I can hear her saying that. She wanted to create a better life for all the ­people of the North. She would hate for you to have a worse life, because of her death.”

Ava nodded, her tears drying on her cheeks. She looked over and rested her shoulder against Sulis's.

“Do you think it hurts, dying?” she asked. “It scares me, thinking that it'll hurt and then nothingness will take over. That I'll be in darkness, forever.”

No,
Clay said in their minds. Sulis had felt him listening, but this was the first he'd spoken.
It isn't like that. It is a union.

Ava shook her head. “I don't understand what that means,” she said.

The warmth of Clay's love washed over them.
My dear girl, it is like the biggest, best family gathering ever,
he said.
Like rejoining someone you adore after a long absence. But even greater. We humans are always looking for something to complete us. We study, work, play—­always knowing that something is missing in our lives. It's only when we return to the One that we find true completion, true love.

“Then why don't humans kill themselves to get that completion?” Sulis asked.

We must be worthy of union,
Clay said.
We must create a better world for those around us and better ourselves. If we do not, the One then sends us back to another circle of life. Through life, we learn compassion, love, and generosity. There is much to be learned in this physical world.

“Are you worthy?” Ava wanted to know. “Will you go to the One or be sent back? How do you know if you are?”

Most don't know,
Clay said.
But I have communed with the One and I know. He waits for me. So close. I long so much for reunion with my beloved, the One, and he is so close.

“You want to leave me!” Ava cried, turning and placing her hands on the statue. “I can't do this without you!”

But I will be with the One,
Clay said.
And the One is always with you. The energy that is within me is the One's and it is the same energy that is in you.

“The One won't find me worthy,” Ava said. “She won't want me and I'll never join you.”

The One has already found you worthy—­he chose you to make him whole. What could be a greater task? The One has recognized that splitting himself into the deities was a mistake and created dissonance instead of harmony. The union of deities with the One is a monumental undertaking that will bring lasting wholeness to all. You, Ava, were judged worthy and were called to this task. The One will welcome you when your time on earth has passed.

Ava was silent for some time, her chin on her knees, which were drawn up to her chest. Sulis didn't blame her—­Clay had given them both much to think about. As the dusk deepened to night, she stirred.

“I'm keeping you from bliss, aren't I?” Ava said. Clay was silent. Ava looked over at Sulis. “It is selfish of me. But I'm afraid without him. Clay made me feel whole, undamaged. Who will do that if he goes away?”

Trust in the One as you always have me. I will be in the One's energy.

Ava nodded and stood, putting her hand on the statue. She was crying, but determined. Sulis stood as well. She sent out a mental call to the other Chosen, a summons for them to come to the temple.

“I don't know what to do,” Ava told Clay.

You must connect my energy to the One's,
Clay said.
The One will draw me out of this trap.

“So I should draw a line of energy from you to the Altar of the One?” Ava asked. “Why do we have to do all those crazy dances with the deities if it's that simple?”

They have forgotten they were once a part of the One,
Clay said.
They are afraid, and do not wish to be reunited. We hold them and weave their energy with the One until they realize that union is what they truly long for.

Ava startled and turned as the door to the temple opened and the crowd of Chosen and Guardians rushed in, most in night robes. Even Sari trailed in their wake, alarmed by their rush to the temple. Sulis thought in chagrin that maybe her sending shouldn't have been so urgent.

“They have the right to say goodbye,” Sulis told Ava. Sulis turned to the group. “Ava is ready to help Clay reunite with the One. I thought he might wish to say goodbye before leaving us, and each of you might want to speak with him.”

Relief and understanding shone on most faces. Sari stepped up.

“Thank you, yes,” she said. “I would like to speak once more with my old friend.”

The crowd was solemn as they waited their turn. Sari left after she'd spoken with Clay, a sad smile on her face, but most lingered. Grandmother and Palou both spoke to Clay at once, and Palou laughed and glanced over at Grandmother, eyes shining. Even Alannah spoke with him, stepping back to Sulis after, smiling.

“Oh, how I envy him,” Alannah whispered at Sulis's inquiring gaze. “The glory that he will know.” She shook her head and looked down.

Sulis went next to last. She had no words—­only sent a burst of emotion to Clay about how much he meant to her and how much she was going to miss him. He sent a burst of energy, of love and joy and celebration. She couldn't help but laugh at his giddiness.

Ava was last. She stood still for a long time, eyes closed, nodding or shaking her head to things Clay said. Then she turned away, her face dry of tears. Ava gathered her energy, and then pricked her finger with her dagger. She touched Clay, and connected a line to him. She did not drag her hand on the ground this time—­instead she drew an invisible line of energy to the Altar of the One. She touched her bloody palm to the orb, then walked to the group of Chosen and stood with them as Dani put his arms around her.

The line between Clay and the One flared, became visible as Clay reached for the One. The orb shone bright for only a moment, and then there was a flash of light. A burst of intense joy washed over them, and then all was silent again, the orb glowing faintly.

“Did you feel that?” Ava asked. “That was him, wasn't it? He was so happy.” She turned away and cried into Dani's chest.

“I think we can rest tomorrow,” Amon said heavily. His face had been drawn since he took his turn speaking with Clay. “It will be a day of mourning.”

“It will be a day of celebration,” Grandmother corrected. Ava raised her head and looked at Grandmother, who smiled and tapped her on the cheek. “Clay is with the One. We will celebrate that, even as we miss his physical presence among us. Thank you for giving him joy, dear one.”

Ava nodded, not smiling but seeming wearily content. “I will never forget him,” she said.

“But you will be happy,” Sulis reminded her. “It is what he wanted.”

“I will be happy again,” Ava promised.

W
hen they met again in two days to empty the final two statues, Amon had different orders for them.

“Ava will draw her mandala only with energy,” Amon said. “Sulis has been dancing with her eyes closed, so she does not need to physically chalk the lines. When we set the final mandala, the actual trap for the deities, we don't want the deities to see the lines connecting the statues together and realize it is a trap.”

“But they'll see the energy lines if we create the mandala before they are trapped in the statues, whether we chalk them or not,” Master Anchee protested. “They exist in the ether, where that energy is.”

Amon shook his head. “I have a masking spell. It will look like a misty fog inside the mandala to the deities.”

“Wait, so Ava has to create the mandala before the deities are trapped?” Sulis asked. “I thought they would get stuck in the statues, and then we would create the mandala and dance them to the One. For that matter, I don't understand why we have to do all of them at once. They'll be so much more powerful in person than the echo of them we emptied out of the statues—­we should do them singly to make sure we can.”