The bushel of wheat had snagged on Crisilla’s dress again.
Grunting lightly in frustration, she tugged at the stray stick that clung to her gown. When it finally ripped off, it took a couple of strands of thread along with it.
Jarred should be doing this, not me, she jokingly complained to herself. This is man’s work.
Trudging down the street with the bushel in tow, she took a moment to peer along the hills that lined one side of the town, towering over the wooden buildings that lined the dirt road. At the top of one hill, she thought she spied a familiar figure.
That hair… is that him? she wondered. Curiosity got the better of her, and she weaved through the river of people and buildings to reach the edge of town. She set her bushel down beneath an oak tree, hoping no one decided to steal it, and began to climb the hill. Halfway up she was certain it was who she thought it was. That’s Era! Smiling, she clambered up the rest of the grassy knoll.
Era’s eyes were shut and he sat perfectly still but for the breeze teasing the tips of his hair. She snuck up beside him, delighted that he hadn’t noticed her yet. She positioned her face right beside his ear.
“Meditating?”
Era yelped in surprise, scrambling sideways away from her and grabbing his chest in shock. “D-Don’t do that!! Good lord… Crisilla?”
“Hey, you remembered me!” she joked, grinning mischievously. “Sorry to scare the living daylights out of you and all.”
“It’s alright,” he said, “you just spooked me. And, ah, yes, I was meditating.”
“I see,” she said, sitting cross-legged beside him. “Kind of a weird place to pick, though.”
“How so?”
“Well, you’re overlooking the city and stuff. Normally meditation is to get away from all the hustle and bustle, not look directly at it.”
“I see what you mean,” he explained, “but I see it a little differently. Overlooking the city like this makes me realize how very calm I really am by seeing how very busy the rest of the world is.”
Crisilla looked briefly surprised, then nodded in acknowledgement. “I think I see what you mean,” she said. “Not many people isolate themselves like that, though. People like to feel like they belong.”
“That’s true, but… I suppose I’ve never felt a great need to do so.”
“More power to you.” Smiling at him, she stretched herself out into the grass, resting her head on crossed arms and gazing up to the sky. Era smiled back and followed suit.
“Tell me how you feel,” he said in the stoic way Death used to address him.
“I feel overjoyed,” she said quietly. “Elated. Happy. Loved.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I’m to be married to the most wonderful man in the world.” Her eyes were shut, her blissful expression mirroring her faraway tone.
Era found that he did not have to ask what “married” was. Another thing I know without knowing, he thought, like how I know how to tie laces or boil tea. “Tell me about him.”
She sighed sweetly. “Jarred is… he’s amazing. He can carry me in his arms like I weigh nothing and make me laugh when I’m sad. Every time I think about him, I feel like everything’s going to be okay if I can just be in his embrace.” Her subdued smile broke into a full grin. “And we’re to be wed!”
Era smiled as well, her joy contagious. “He sounds wonderful!” he said enthusiastically. “Congratulations.”
“It’ll be a while before the ceremony actually happens,” she said, “but it’ll be worth the wait a thousand fold. I’ll send you an invitation, if you want.”
Era blinked, caught slightly off-guard. “Really?” he asked, “But you barely know me.”
“I like you,” she said, “And besides, you seem harmless enough, and I trust my good judgment.” Her expression then turned to a fake pout. “Unless you just don’t want to go.”
“Oh, of course I’ll go!” he replied quickly. “I’d love to, in fact! I meant no offense.”
“Calm down, I was just joking,” she laughed. “Then I’ll send you an invitation when we’ve got everything set up. Probably won’t be for another year or so, though, so don’t feel pressured.”
“I see.” He smiled in relief. “But that sounds like it would be lovely.”
“It will be,” she said confidently, “It’ll be the best day of my life.”
They lay in silence a while, staring up at the few clouds drifting along in the brilliant blue sky. Era remembered at last what he had originally gone up there to do and shut his eyes to focus his thoughts.
If I learn to direct my thoughts first, he reasoned, then magic should be much easier. I’ll be able to visualize and draw energy at the same time if I don’t have cluttered thoughts. He began trying to visualize very simple things without drawing magic: marbles, teacups, apples, stars, the sun. He painted vivid pictures in his mind, capturing each little detail and commanding it to stay there instead of letting it wander off.
A while later, he became aware of his body buzzing with energy even though he hadn’t called on it. The magic was there, waiting for him, waiting for his order. He was surprised at how “eager” it felt – Magic communicates through emotion, Gabriel had said.
I wonder if I was married, he thought suddenly. If I really am from here, do I have a family? Friends? People who miss me? The magic within him began to buzz nervously, feeding off of his own emotion. He turned his attention back to the mana. Can you help me? he asked it, Can you tell me who I was?
The energy continued to swirl anxiously within him.
You are a means of creation, he told it. You can make dreams come true. But you cannot bring back the past.
He cracked open his eyes to find the sky had faded to twilight. The mana, the akasha, life force, connecting energy, realized his intention and began to swirl excitedly along his left arm. He held out his arm above him, and between his fingers, he formed the first stars of the evening. “His” stars were a shining gold in contrast to the cobalt sky and the other silver stars. He studied his own handiwork for a few moments in peace, finding himself drowsy as they began to fade away and the real stars became more numerous.
“Crisilla, I think I’d better head home,” he said, glancing over to her. Her eyes were shut and her breathing was deep; she had fallen asleep long ago.
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