Soul Fires

Author’s Note: First off, I sincerely apologize for the delay in getting this chapter done. I looked at my last update date and couldn’t believe how long it’s taken me to write this. ^_^>;;; Secondly, I’ve finished inking the first page of the illustrated version, and will be uploading it to my dA account by this evening. (http://miaren.deviantart.com). All characters in this story are my own creation even if they sometimes don’t seem to recognize that.

Perry floated in a deep blue haze. The edges of his awareness were touched by the sensations around him, but the Spirit energy was slowly flowing through him. It wasn’t as strong a current as he was used to, but it was more than he expected under the circumstances. As his reserves were replenished, he became more aware of the outside world. The edge of the chair was digging into his leg, and there was a tingle in his foot from lack of motion. His classmates were stirring more – if any of them had really stopped. Someone sneezed.

“All right, class, that’s a good start. I want you all to make a conscious effort to try to replenish under adverse circumstances. It’s something that gets easier with practice, and it will also improve your ability to replenish under more ideal circumstances. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

Perry uncurled from the chair, wincing as circulation flooded back into his foot. He was still limping slightly as he came out of the building. He rechecked the location of the next class, and groaned as he realized it was on the other side of the campus. Setting his jaw, he started off across the sheep-trimmed green.

The tingling in his leg had completely worn off by the time Perry reached the smooth stone building used for Intro to Tandem. The building had been constructed by a team of Earth-paths and Fire-paths when the Collegium was first built, and to the uninformed, looked as though it have been carved and polished from one massive block of granite. In reality, the individual stone blocks had been fused together as they were fitted into place. In addition to this class, the building was used for any research projects with any potential for hazardous results.

“Perry, wait up!”

Perry turned and saw Taan sauntering in from a different direction.

“This place is really out there, huh?”

Perry nodded. “It says something about the risk factors for this class.”

“Sounds like fun,” Taan grinned. “No sense being late for it.”

The two young men walked into the imposing structure. The classroom was just as intimidating, with thick interior walls and no windows. Even the older students in the class looked a little nervous.

The instructor looked up as they entered, marking down their presence. “We’re still waiting for two more students. Go ahead and take a seat.”

Despite the delay, there was none of the usual light conversation among the students. Perry shifted in his seat, occasionally glancing over at Taan. The Fire-path showed no signs of impatience or discomfort, but was looking around the sparsely furnished room with apparent interest.

I wonder what he’s looking at.

Before Perry could ask him, the last stragglers came in, nervously apologizing to the instructor. She glared at them, following them to their seats with her eyes.

“Now that everyone is here, we can get started. This is the Introduction to Tandem Working, and I am called Sativa. No titles. If you address me as something other than Sativa, I’ll know you weren’t listening. Just so that everyone understands, you will be learning to work with another person in combination on the same energy manipulation. This allows for more possibilities, but also for more potential danger if a working fails. That is why we are using this room in this building.” She looked around the room, weighing each student’s comprehension of her words.

“Now that we all understand, I’m going to give you some ground rules. Number one, I will not start class until everyone is here. This is for safety reasons, so that a Tandem exercise does not get interrupted by people entering. Number two, if you are sick enough to need to skip class, let the infirmary know that you have this class. Number three, if you decide to drop this class, I will not be offended, but please let me know, so that I don’t. Keep. Waiting. For you.”

Sativa looked around the room again, giving her words time to sink in. Just as the silence was beginning to get uncomfortable again, she smiled. “Now – everyone needs to choose a partner for this. We call this Tandem for a reason after all.”

Perry felt a hand on his arm before he had a chance to look away from Sativa. He looked over into sapphire-blue eyes.

“I’m game if you are, Perry.”

Sativa didn’t give Perry a chance to respond. “Right. Perry, Taan, you get the south quarter.” She indicated a corner of the classroom where, like the other three corners, a low wall formed a partial enclosure. After settling the other pairs, she moved to the center of the classroom.

“Our first lesson is going to be in synchrony. It’s important when working with another to have your energy flow smoothly. As you have all learned in your Basic Energy work, it should move as easily as your breathing. The new challenge is that there are two energy flows to deal with, and they must support each other at all times. As one ebbs, the other should flow, giving you a constant level of energy.”

Perry listened to the words, seeing them form into images in his mind. Images that were the reason for his rapid advancement. He could see the paired flows moving in perfect counterpoint to each other, could see the possible expansion of the technique to three or even more participants.

“Now, the first step is to learn your partner’s energetic cycle.”

A grey field replaced the intricate tracery of energy. For the first time in his studies, there was no reference, no parallel, no image. Green eyes suddenly focussed on the physical reality of the classroom.

“Perry?” The fingertip on the back of his wrist spoke of concern.

Sativa continued in a gentle drone. “Focus on your partner. Notice their breathing. Their pulse rate. Feel the way their energy reacts to yours.”

Focus on my partner?

Perry’s attention was rivetted on the single point of contact.

Notice his breathing? I can barely control my own. Pulse rate? Am I sensing two rhythms, or is that galloping just mine? Energy...

Perry allowed his vision to unfocus again, shifting to the half-seen, half-sensed life-energy spectrum. The rich violet of his own Spirit energy seemed to fade into a glowing magenta as it flowed through the vivid crimson that surrounded Taan’s fingers. There was an odd pulsing in the overlap.

Intellectual curiosity overcame emotional chaos. Perry felt his breathing and his heart rate approach normal levels. The energy pulses slowed as well, smoothing into a steady state, something more than a mere sum of vibrations.

A soft exhalation of surprise tipped the fragile balance. The pulsations returned, quickening as both students tried to regain the tenuous link that they had just experienced. Perry felt a wash of heat, like walking in front of Maeth’s ovens, and he was back in the reality of the classroom.

Taan had released his wrist and was rubbing the tips of his own fingers. A mix of shock and concern creased his forehead. Perry became aware of a throbbing in his wrist, and was surprised to see a dark smudge where Taan’s fingers had rested.

Sativa walked over and inspected the mark clinically before wiping the area with a vaguely aromatic liquid. The smudge disappeared and the throbbing eased, but her disapproving look inflicted a different sting.

“Now this is an excellent example of the hazards involved in tandem workings. It’s also an example of why it is necessary to take tandem working one step at a time. Now. Once again, I want you to pay attention to the person you’re working with. Don’t try to synchronize yet. Especially don’t try to meld your energies yet.”

Meld energies? Was that what that we were doing?

Taan still looked a little wary. “Perry? Are you okay with this?” he whispered.

“Let’s try it without the contact this time,” Perry replied. “I – I think that’s what threw me.”

“All right.” The two students sat in front of each other. Green eyes met blue briefly, and both sets unfocussed almost simultaneously. Fingers drifted closer to each other, hovering a mere breath away from touching. Perry could feel the slight vibration as their energies met, and concentrated on not trying to adjust to match it.

Sativa’s voice drifted over the classroom. “Start trying to match your breathing to your partner’s. Watch how the energy fields fluctuate as you do this. Do not force the rhythm, though.”

Perry tried to normalize his breathing. Slowly, he was able to relax enough to see a difference in the fluctuations. He was aware of Taan’s contained excitement as the pulsing slowed. There was a slight feeling of pressure where the energies overlapped, and he curled his fingers slightly to explore the new sensation.

Taan pulled back slightly at first, avoiding the contact, but soon began to test the interactions himself. Perry felt a tingle as Taan’s hand skimmed around his own. He watched in fascination as violet flowed through magenta into crimson.

“Now – go ahead and try to ease out the fluctuations. If you feel it slipping out of synch, disengage. Just back off until the fields no longer overlap, settle your individual rhythms, and start over.”

Perry focussed on the physical realm long enough to echo Taan’s nod. Again, the pulsing energies began to stabilize. Hands approached and flitted back as the two attempted to even out the last slow waves. Nearby sounds of near-success and near-catastrophe provided a steady accompaniment to their own silent dance.

By the time class was over, frustrations were rampant. None of the pairs had managed to synchronize, and there had been one catastrophic failure near the end that resulted in an impromptu demonstration of Spirit Healing by Sativa. Despite the frustrations, there had been progress. Even the injured student had come out of the experience with an air of determination rather than defeat.

“Tonight, I want you to take some time to practice the exercises I taught you today,” Sativa instructed. “If you can, get together with your partner, but any person will do. I do not expect you to attempt synchrony outside of this classroom. I expect you to work at observing another person’s rhythms and attempting to match them without melding your energies. This is a critical talent to master for Tandem work,” she glared around the room. “Dismissed.”

Taan waited as Perry gathered his belongings. “Dinner, then? I don’t know about you, but I think that had to be my most strenuous class so far.”

Perry nodded. “I was expecting it to be bad, but that one had some new surprises even for me.” He suddenly flushed as he realized where most of the surprises had come from.

Taan laughed. “Guess that means you’ll need help with your homework. We can hit ‘study hall’ after we’ve rested up a bit.”

Perry smiled back at him. “And eaten. Maethe’ll have something ready to recharge a fully-drained army.” He led the way out of the classroom, and they headed for the kitchens.

* * * * * * *

As Perry had predicted, the serving board was guaranteed to replenish a ravening horde of growing students. A carved roast graced the center of the main table, with a variety of local vegetables steaming on nearby platters. The aroma of subtle spicing beckoned everyone closer. Perry and Taan filled their plates and retreated to a corner table. They ate hungrily, replacing the energy they had burned through.

“So,” Taan’s voice caught Perry with his fork poised over the remnants of some mashed tubers. “We’re not supposed to try melding our energies, right?”

Perry nodded, setting his fork down. “You saw what happened in class. I haven’t gotten far enough in Spirit Healing to deal with something like that.

Taan shrugged. “Assuming that something like that even happened. We came closer than any other pair, though. The trick is watching where the edge is.” A reckless smile played across the Fire-path’s face.

Perry felt a strange rush. “You’re really serious, aren’t you?”

Taan leaned across the table. “We’ll take it one step at a time, just like she said. We’ll just take a couple more steps. Are you up for it?”

Perry eyed his plate. Suddenly the elusive delicacy of synchrony seemed far more appetizing than the hearty cuisine. “Let’s go.” He dropped his plate off at the wash station and headed for the door.

The two raced out of the building, reaching the clearing flushed with exertion and excitement.

“Just a minute, Taan. We need to at least get close to center.”

Taan nodded, sitting on the central stump. “I need a minute, too.” Dark lashes closed over sapphire blue as Taan shifted his concentration to smoothing his breathing and heartrate to a calmer rhythm.

Perry found his attention drawn to Taan’s tranquil features. His own rhythms were beginning to approach normal. Unbidden, his sight shifted to observe the crimson aura that surrounded the Fire-path. Hesitantly, he reached out, allowing his aura to interact with Taan’s. As the two fields overlapped, Taan opened his eyes, still in a half-trance.

Once again, two hands danced around each other. Fingers skimmed over palms, hovering above pulse points before falling away again as the interference patterns spiked. Hours passed without notice as the goal remained just out of reach. Finally, the drain on their resources forced a halt.

Taan sat back against the stump, his hands resting limply on his knees. “Maybe we’re going about this wrong.”

Perry nodded wearily. “Any thoughts?”

Taan sat up a bit, leaning towards Perry. “Maybe. Let’s try focussing on one thing at a time.” His fingers curled around Perry’s wrist, resting lightly over his pulse. “Now, you take mine.”

Perry placed hesitant fingers across Taan’s wrist. “Like this?”

Taan nodded. “Can you feel the pulse under your fingers?”

Perry concentrated. Whether because of his position or his exhausted state, he wasn’t able to locate it. “No... I’m not feeling it.”

“Let’s try this, then.” Taan raised his hand from Perry’s wrist, reaching out to trace the line of the red-head’s jaw back to the side of his throat. “There – this one’s easier to feel.”

Perry raised his hand, slowly imitating Taan’s gesture. The Fire-path’s pulse throbbed under his fingers. “I – I feel it now,” he whispered. His own heartbeat was pounding in his ears.

“Can you feel your own?” Taan asked softly. “Feel how the rhythms mesh with each other.”

The Collegium, the clearing, even the stump was rapidly fading from Perry’s awareness. Sapphire eyes trapped him as his fingers read the strong beat at Taan’s throat. Mere inches separated them. Even as he tried slowing his heartrate to match the pulse he felt, there was a quickening beneath his touch.

Taan’s fingers slid back to sift through copper strands. Perry felt them curl against the nape of his neck. Despite his efforts, his own pulse was quickening as well. Taan pulled Perry closer, drawing a gasp of surprise from him.

Perry felt Taan’s lips near his. The warmth of his breath provided a new rhythm, and he found himself trying to match that as well. Suddenly, his attempt was interrupted by something warm sliding between his lips as Taan’s mouth pressed against his own. A questioning sound surfaced and failed in his throat.

Taan’s tongue traced lightly over the contours of Perry’s mouth. A coppery haze blurred Perry’s vision as the anticipation of each contact claimed his attention. Hesitantly, he touched his own tongue to Taan’s and felt the gentle caress become more insistent.

Perry felt Taan’s other hand brush lightly across his back sending a shiver along the length of his spine. Another half-formed sound rose in one voice to be echoed in the other. Taan’s tongue retreated, teasing Perry’s to follow it.

Perry moved gingerly, exploring the new territory with cautious curiosity. Taan guided him farther with encouraging licks. So new, yet – so familiar. Unnerved by his own boldness, he pulled back.

Perry tasted cool air as Taan’s lips left his. He drew in a shuddering breath, his pulse racing. Cloudy sapphire met shadowed jade as the two students became aware of their surroundings again. Fingertips again rested on trembling throats.

For a moment, a single set of rhythms pulsed in the clearing.