A Thousand and One Leagues

Chapter V – Of Empty Vessels August 20, 2009

“If you cannot avoid misfortune, make best of it: learn where there is a lesson; grow where there is fertile soil; bend where there is pressure. Never underestimate the capacity of the mind to persevere.”

-Old Lanean teaching, originating from the Opal Isles in the third century before the War of the Living Flame. Specific author unknown, widely suspected to be one of the theocrat Jumoras.

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When Exa finally woke up, immediately fighting back tears, Takhris was there to hold her and to calm her down. Whispering age-old words of comfort and solace, the girl’s crying soon subsided to sobbing and then to gentle breathing as she fell asleep to more restful dreams. A little over an hour later she opened her eyes again, now without seeming distraught like she had been.

“I had a nightmare,” she said quietly as she stared at the ceiling of the bed. “I was all alone and nothing seemed to be like it should have been and things just didn’t work.” She turned to look at Takhris who was still sitting next to her, not having moved as he guarded her slumber. “You were there, though, but I couldn’t find you. I’d never felt so lost. I hope I never will.” Stretching on the bed, she smiled. “Luckily it was nothing more than a dream.”

Smiling back and commenting nothing so as not having to lie to this precious candidate, Takhris instead decided to divert the topic. “I’m glad to see that you’re alright, you weren’t sleeping very well. Would you like some breakfast?” Without waiting for the positive response, he stood up and walked to the control panel with its plastic buttons. Pushing in a combination that would prepare a healthy and refreshing meal, he listened as Exa rolled off the bed onto her feet and, after a brief visit to her bag, approached him. “How did the last trial go?” he asked once she reached his side and was curiously looking over his shoulder.

“Oh, it was a breeze,” she replied and he noticed that she was brushing her long hair which had up until now been braided down her back. “Pretty much all I had to do was gardening and helping some small critters. It took me a while to understand what was going on but once I got it, there was no problem.”

“That’s good. If this goes on, maybe it won’t take as long as I feared to get you through these tests.” Nothing in his jovial expression gave away his shock nor the fact that he instantly connected himself to Errata receiving answers he did not like to questions he had feared he would have to ask. With a consoling mental pat from the deity, he returned his focus to the elevator where scantly a thousandth of a second had passed.

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