The Power of the Five (attn: Nyssa)

[Arette]

Life was good and Mina had to restrain her feet from doing a small merry jig that would have been really silly. Leon was back at home where he belonged to and he had forgiven her and he didn't want anyone to find out what she had done. She still very much wanted to confess but she was more relieved that now she wouldn't have to. Nyssa's opinion of her had become really important to her and her teacher would have loathed her and sent her away if she learned of what had happened to her son. And now Mina did have good news for her, her block had broken and she could really start learning how to become useful to Duram. The only but was that she might ask how it had come about and she couldn't tell her. But maybe Nyssa would be happy enough that it had happened in the first place and settle for that.

 

Knocking briskly at the door of Nyssa's office and entering at the call, Mina smiled at her teacher. That alone should tell her that something had happened because as much as Mina loved those rare moments when she was able to hold Saidar, she dreaded the procedures they had to go through to get her to the right state of mind that in her case was angry. The lessons hadn't been pleasent for Nyssa either as she had admitted because she had to taunt Mina with her past.

 

"I am ready for our lessons, Nyssa. And this time I am really ready to learn." Closing her eyes, she imagined a blood red rose bud with stem full of large and sharp thorns and felt the light of Saidar at the edge of her awareness like it always had been since her first manifestation. The light shone closer and bathed the bud in golden warmth and it begun to open its velvety petals. As Saidar winked to life in Mina, she opened her eyes and beamed at Nyssa. "What is on the schedule today?" Sadly her concentration broke almost immediately and the light was gone and the One Power with it but she knew that she could reach it any time she wanted to now.

 

Mina

Proud of her progress

[silhouette]

Shock and awe were the emotions that coursed through Nyssa when she watched Mina take hold of the one power without persuasion from her side. Great Lord, but she had come to dread the lessons with the girl, knowing that the torment she made Mina go through was necessary for her to even touch the source, but despising herself for it all the same. Michael had to remind her daily that it was the channeller that chose the block, not the one who was trying to break it. To see now that Mina’s block was finally broken brought tears to her eyes and a warm smile to her lips. “Dear child.” She muttered, taking Mina in a firm embrace.

 

Minutes later, when Nyssa felt she could speak again she took Mina down to the beach. The steady sounds of the ocean were a help when learning to channel, at least Nyssa had always thought they were. Whenever she had trouble as a novice, all she needed to do was think of the shores of Mayene, and channelling seemed to come to her with ease. “come, sit, and we’ll begin in earnest. One day you’ll have to tell me how you broke your block, but that’s not really important now. What’s important is that we can finally move forward with your training. Take hold of Saidar.”

 

She waited patiently for the telltale glow to appear around her apprentice. “Very well. Now I want you to push Saidar as far away as you can, while still holding it. Imagine a cloud passing before the sun. Though the cloud obscures the light of the sun, you know that the sun is still there, shining brightly. It will be the same with Saidar. Though you push it away, you know that it’s full strength is still there, pulsating within you. It is only a breath away.” She showed it to Mina, pushing Saidar away until she could barely feel it within her. Then she pulled it back in, allowing the sweet light if it to fill her to the brim. “This is called pushing and pulling. It’s mostly used for linking, but I find it an entertaining exercise even if you’re not going to link. It will teach you to moderate your use of the One Power. Go ahead, try it yourself. You don’t have to get it right in one try.”

 

~Nyssa Deameau

Dreadlady

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