“You’re back,” he said in his own light-hearted way.
Gwaynn smiled at him. It was the first true smile Nev had ever seen on the boy’s face. It looked good there.
“How’s your sister?” Nev asked and was not surprised when Gwaynn broke out laughing. Nev smiled back.
“You knew!” Gwaynn said. “She’s good. I…I spent years with her. She’s good.”
Nev smiled. “She would be the one to show you the way back,” he said. “And just in time too. We will be leaving in the morning.”
“Leaving?”
“Yes, we will be heading to Herra for the year end Competitions.”
“The Competitions,” Gwaynn answered and then nodded as if he already knew this.
ǂ
The trip to Herra was filled with conversation as Gwaynn told of his experiences over the last few days. Time had slowed for his body, but not his mind and while his body was near death, his mind was learning to control itself on the very lowest and highest levels. In his mind, his teacher was Gwynn, with her bright smile and ever-present confidence. But her presence did not surprise him, for in his youth she was the only person to whom he ever truly listened. He adored her; hung on her every word and watched her every move. In his mind, she showed him many, many things. Her teachings spanned many mental years and he absorbed it all, needed it all. In two days he had reclaimed the lifetime with her that he had thought lost on that fateful day during the fall of Solarii. He woke knowing it was not truly so, that Gwynn was an illusion of the mind, but he was happier, more at ease with his true past than at any time in his young life.
“You have taken step one…a very important step,” Nev said as they rode. “The others will come much more easily. It came faster than I expected.”
Gwaynn said nothing to that and they rode in silence for a time.
“It truly felt like I experienced a lifetime in those few days,” Gwaynn said and then almost shyly, like he was afraid of making a mistake and looked over at Nev.
“Is…is Gwynn still alive…somewhere?”
Nev nodded his head. “Your question is imprecise; but I will say that she does not live in this world, not in this reality. Make no mistake, as an individual in this universe, she is gone. For you, in this lifetime, she is dead. But in others…”
“In others?”
Nev nodded again. “There are countless worlds marching in stride with our own, countless Gwynn’s surviving…and dying, but that is for another time.”
Gwaynn sobered and was thankful when the trail narrowed and they had to ride single file for a spell. It gave him time to think and consider. Even if Gwynn was dead to him, he was still glad of his experience. It left him with the feeling that he was close to his twin once more. As the trail widened again, his spirits rose.
He spurred Prolly alongside then had to veer away sharply as Ardent tried to take a bite out his leg. Gwaynn scowled at the beast.
“What is the next step for me?”
“Next step?” Nev asked playfully. “You can already control time. Did you not just experience nearly a lifetime in a few days?”
Gwaynn fell silent, considering this question. “Yes, but I cannot hold a feather in mid air?”
Nev laughed and pulled his horse to a stop. “Can you not?” he asked and leaped from Ardent’s back. Gwaynn pulled Prolly up and dismounted, tying her reins to a nearby tree.
“And just what is so important about that?” Nev asked searching his pockets. “Do you have a feather?” he asked and Gwaynn searched his own pockets. He didn’t find one and shook his head.
“Never mind,” Nev added then pulled Gwaynn to the center of the trail and they sat down, as always cross-legged in front of each other.
“Control yourself…” Nev ordered. “Stay completely conscious.” Gwaynn did as he asked, slowed his breathing, slowed his heart.
“Can you feel your body? Can you feel your individual fingertips, the place behind your knees and the center of your back?”
Gwaynn opened his eyes. His Master sat there before him, then suddenly he was gone, and then a moment later he was back.
Gwaynn’s heartbeat increased. “You…you disappeared,” Gwaynn said astonished.
Nev shook his head. “No, from my vantage point I moved normally. I stood, tied off Ardent and returned. But I did so in a different time frame than you inhabit. It is no different from what you did. You moved to a slower level of time and experienced many years in only a matter of days, at least in your mind. I did the same thing, but brought my body along. Once I make the jump, relative to me, I seem to be moving normally, but all else is nearly standing still. The feather falls at the same speed…that’s a law. I’m not changing that, instead I’m changing the rate I move through time.”
Nev took a bite from an apple that seemed to just appear in his hand. “It is not something anyone can do for very long. It drains energy at an awful rate. Traveling through space is much, much easier.”
Gwaynn was silent for a time considering, he opened his mouth to speak, but Nev held up a hand.
“Start with your fingers…the tips first, feel them each individually, down past the blood flowing through them and down past the cells themselves. It time you will feel the beat…the vibration of your body and the universe, when that occurs, you will be able to stretch the fabric of time.” Nev said and got to his feet. “It should be easy,” he added with a smile. “Your mind controls time on a subconscious level already, you are just knowingly taking over.”
They rode the rest of the way to Herra without talking. Nev enjoying his surroundings and Gwaynn lost in thought. It was near mid-day when they topped a slight rise and the trees suddenly thinned. Directly below them lay Herra. Even from this distance, Gwaynn could tell it was bustling with activity. Many ships lay anchored along the Parm.
“You practice…I will wait,” Nev said and led them down to the city. “But do not be tempted to use this power in a fight; to do so and not succeed would be disastrous. Plus it may take years for you to master the concentration needed to become coherent. In a fight, manipulating time would take too much of your concentration away from the actual here and now. This is not to be used lightly, and for now, no one else is to know of it.”
This was the first time Nev had ever forbade him anything, but Gwaynn had no inclination to rebel. What the Tar demanded made sense, and Gwaynn knew he would have kept such knowledge close, even without the warning.
Herra was alive with activity, not only were nearly all the inhabitants of Noble Island descending upon the small city, but there were people of means from many lands arriving to watch the upcoming Competitions. Gwaynn saw banners from all the major Families, including the Palmerrio, from the northwest, the family Toranado from the west, as well as some minor families like the Cassinni and the Rhodono’s. There were likely others, but in the swell of the crowds, Gwaynn was not aware of them upon arriving. He also saw a host of others from the many islands, including several Travelers and they even bumped into Putal, the High Scholar.
“Your training is going well?” the old man asked, with a look that clearly revealed his disapproval of Gwaynn’s chosen path.
“Very,” Gwaynn and Tar Nev said as one, and Putal could only nod and continue on his way.
They passed by countless booths selling all manner of foodstuff, drinks, crafts and wares. Many a crier attempted to catch Gwaynn’s attention and perhaps any coin he might have on him, though some instantly grew somber as they caught sight of Tar Nev. Whispers tumbled about in their wake. It took Gwaynn nearly an hour before he became accustomed to the looks of awe he was getting from those who recognized his Master. Many a merchant quickly offered free drinks and sweetmeats when their eyes landed on the famous Tar. Gwaynn took his cue from Nev however, and politely declined all offers, at least until they came to a large tent set up on the northern outskirts of Herra directly off the main road. Nev guided Gwaynn into the tent and they quickly found a table, though moments before all had been taken.