When they returned to their quarters, he found that a basin of wash water had been left. The prospect of joining with Aaliyah excited him. He had not been alone inside himself since he first joined with Kaylia, and the loneliness was unbearable at times. Had he not been so utterly engrossed in his training, he was certain it would bother him considerably.
“You shall wash with cold water until you can learn to heat it yourself,” Aaliyah said.
Gewey's heart sank, but he tried once again. This time he felt it. Unlike the throbbing pulse of the earth, he felt an irregular current of energy.
“Yes,” said Aaliyah softly. “The air is not a brute like the earth. It is like a whimsical child. Let it dance through you.”
Gewey drew in the flow of the air for the first time. His fatigue washed away at once, and like when he used the earth, his senses erupted with awareness. But unlike the earth, it was difficult to control. It scattered and twirled throughout his body as a tempest. It resisted him, threatening to tear him apart.
“Do not use force,” Aaliyah instructed. “Use your heart…your soul, to have it obey your commands.”
“I don't understand.” The flow continued to build, rushing through him. Finally, he could no longer contain it. Gewey let out a horrifying scream and the air exploded, tossing both he and Aaliyah back, slamming them hard against the wall.
Gewey slid down, the breath forced from his lungs, gasping. After a moment, he regained his senses and caught his breath. Aaliyah was slumped down against the door. He sprang to his feet and rushed to her side.
“Are you all right?” he asked desperately. “Gods, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” He took her limp hand in his and reached out to her spirit. The moment he touched it, he felt the keen sense of loneliness vanish. Her spirit seemed to embrace him, pulling him to her.
Slowly her eyes fluttered open. “I am unhurt.” She managed a smile. “You are far stronger than I could have imagined.” She sat up straight. “But I should have known Shivis Mol would be.”
“I am sorry,” he repeated.
“Do not be sorry,” she said, soothingly. “The fault was mine. I must be aware that I am not training an elf child, but a young godling.” She placed her hand gently on his cheek. “And in this world you have only just come of age. I must remember that as well.”
Gewey stiffened. “I am a man.” he insisted. “Even before I came of age, I was my own master.”
She giggled, amused at his reaction. “A man need not assert that he is a man. Only a child would do so.” She struggled to her feet, aided by Gewey, and smoothed her dress.
Gewey gave no reply. Embarrassed by the truth in her words, he turned and retrieved his elf clothing from the chest. Aaliyah left the room to allow him to wash, returning just as he was climbing into his bed.
Aaliyah dimmed all the lights and climbed into her bed. “I am sorry if I upset you,” she said, pulling the blanket close. “But compared to me, your years in this world are few. There are lessons for you still to learn.”
“I know,” said Gewey. “I just feel…I don't know. I suppose I don't like being reminded that I'm so much younger and inexperienced than everyone around me.”
“You are young.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “But you are not without experience. And you are mature for your age. You should think no more on it. I will try to be more delicate with the matter.”
Gewey let the ship rock him to sleep. His dreams were fraught with images of battle, blood, and mayhem. They were so vivid that, at first, he feared the Dark Knight had found him again, but to his relief, he didn't appear.
Over the next several nights Gewey and Aaliyah continued their lessons, but Aaliyah thought it better to do so on deck rather than risk damage to the ship. Though there were no further accidents, Gewey struggled for the first few days to control the flow. The more he failed the more frustrated he became. But then on the fourth night it happened.
One of the navigators was on her way to her quarters. Her face was tense, her eyes narrow, and she appeared to be upset. Gewey stopped her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I am fine, Shivis Mol,” she replied.
Her name was Drasalisia. Gewey had seen her nearly every evening on his way up to the deck. Usually, he was already involved in his lesson, but this evening Aaliyah allowed him a little bit of extra sleep. “It's just that you look upset,” he remarked.
Drasalisia's face relaxed a bit and she managed a polite smile. “No, Shivis Mol. I am not upset. When you channel power from the air and water it can leave you…emotional. It takes effort to calm myself.”
“Emotional?” Gewey rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head. There were three navigators on board. All women, and all seemed to him to be as stoic as priests of Dantenos, God of the Dead. “How do you mean?”
“The water is power and mystery.” she replied. “Difficult to understand, but easy to manipulate. The air is another matter. It is passion and fire. It burns and flows with a will of its own. When you control air, it demands that you use your own passion, or it will defy you.”
“You speak as if it were alive,” he remarked.
“Did you ever think it was not?” She huffed a laugh and walked away.
Gewey thought on this for a time, then sat next to the waiting bowl of water. He closed his eyes and felt the flow of the air around him, drawing it near. He could feel it raging and bursting with power. Then he felt it. The passion. Love, hate, joy, sorrow, all pressing in together, trying to force its way out. It was alive. He drew it inside and let his own feelings surge into the storm. It was in that moment he understood why he couldn't control it before. In his attempt to control, he had withheld the part of himself needed for the air to join with him as one. His heart. In moments all the lessons came together and he knew exactly what to do, and heated the air around the bowl.
“Perfect.” Aaliyah knelt beside him. “Soon it will become effortless. You will be able to create wonders.”
Gewey sighed with satisfaction. “It's alive. I can feel it.”
“Of course, it is,” she replied. “The world is a living thing formed by the Creator. The pulse of the earth is its heart and body. The air its breath. The water its blood.” She took his hand and pulled him to his feet. “And when you are ready, you will see its soul.”
“Its soul?” Gewey imagined the world as an immense creature atop which all people resided. “I'll be able to see it?”
“Oh, yes,” said Aaliyah. “When you have control enough to master the physical powers of the earth, then you shall be ready to join with its spirit. For an elf, there is no greater power. Only a few of us have touched it.”
“Have you?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “I am one who has achieved such power. Though I admit, only to a small degree. To journey through the unseen world, touching the minds of others wrapped within your own spirit is a gift we all possess. But to join with the true spirit of creation…it is unlike anything you can imagine. Once you can do that, you will be invincible.”
Gewey realized she still held his hand, and felt his heart race. He quickly withdrew. Aaliyah smiled and let out a soft, contented laugh. She looked at him for a long moment then stood over him.
“I know what you're trying to do,” said Gewey, in a half-whisper. “It won't work. I love Kaylia.”
“I have made no secret of my intent,” she replied. “But I am no trickster. Do not sully our time together with accusations.” She motioned for him to resume his lesson.
The rest of the evening, Gewey practiced channeling the flow. By the end of the night, Aaliyah had taught him to create a tiny ball of flame above his hand and send it flying through the air.