They continued in silence for seconds or ages before they finally emerged from the tunnel. It opened to a rounded chamber of black stone flecked with glimmering azure runes, or Glyphs. Each tiny character pulsed as though beckoning Nyori to understand their language and harness their power. The illusion of a clear night sky was so convincing that she had to focus to prevent a wave of dizziness.
A trio of Pools glittered in front of her; frosted liquid that lay undisturbed by even a single ripple. Each was encircled by a metallic ring engraved with Glyphs that pulsed in alternating patterns of golden light. She felt the current that emanated from their shimmering surfaces. Not Eler, the energy of life. It was Aether, the energy from the heavens. The Pools were all that illuminated the chamber, casting it in hues of shimmering blue. Her white bathing dress glowed in its radiance.
Each Pool had a separate purpose, but only one directly concerned her. She knew in advance her path led to the Pool on the left.
Where the Ternion waited.
They were spoken of reverently, almost apprehensively. Despite her best attempts to unearth answers, Nyori had learned nothing useful about them at all. No one had seen them outside the Chamber of Pools; it was almost as if they did not exist anywhere else.
The trio turned as she entered, their faces shrouded from the wide hoods of their tattered robes of faded black. For a moment she was paralyzed by their scrutiny, the hidden gazes that probed almost intrusively, penetrating as though she were naked and defenseless.
The vulnerable sensation dissipated when Ayna placed a comforting hand on Nyori's shoulder. Nyori almost gripped it gratefully, but instead clasped her hands and forced herself to meet the piercing stares of the Ternion. The silence stretched for moments of eternity.
A bead of sweat slid down her temple.
What are they waiting for?
As if reading her thoughts, one of Ternion shuffled forward three steps. Her voice dragged across the dry walls of her throat in more of a croak than a voice. "Whom do you bring with you, Daughter?"
Mistress Ayna stepped forward. She did not look at Nyori when she answered. "One who has learned. One who would learn more. One who is ready."
Another Ternion hobbled forward. Try as she could, Nyori could not penetrate the gloom of their hoods to see their faces. "Nyori Sharlin, apprentice of the Sha. Once the path is taken, there is no turning back. Do you know yourself to be ready?" Her voice was the same as her Sister, as though they shared the same mouth.
Nyori swallowed hard. It was almost a shock that her voice did not break when she answered. "I am ready, Mother Ternion."
The third Ternion took three creaking steps forward and extended her hand. The fingers were gnarled almost beyond recognition; skeletal sticks covered by leathery parchment. "Then come. I am called Norna. I will take you to the Eye."
Nyori did not know why she hesitated. She was acutely aware of Ayna's expectant gaze, of her own desire to step forward. Yet her feet would not respond. Not while looking into the endless shadows of the faceless hood in front of her.
"I…I want to see your face." Nyori sensed Ayna stiffen behind her, but kept her gaze steady. "If you don't mind."
Norna's knotted hands rose to clutch the frayed ends of her hood, where they hesitated. "Are you afraid, Daughter?"
With her heart trying to beat out of her chest, there was no need for denial.
"Yes."
"As you should be."
The hood snatched back, and Nyori gasped.
Crystalline blue eyes practically glowed from a face almost as young as Nyori's. The tattered robes were replaced by finely spun wool. Norna's hair was lustrous and raven-black, her skin smooth and flawless. Her voice was almost musical.
"But fear is not a bad thing, Nyori. Not when sagacity tempers it. You are right not to accept illusion without question. Your inquisitive nature will serve you well in your role as a Shama. If you choose to continue." She quirked a bemused eyebrow.
"I am ready, Mother Ternion," Nyori said quickly. She took the offered hand and followed Norna to the other Ternion.
"Paera, Moira. Please welcome Nyori Sharlin, our newest daughter," Norna said. They nodded gravely, looking so similar that Nyori could scarcely tell the difference.
Perhaps one illusion was just exchanged for another. It didn't matter. What mattered lay in front of her.
The waters of the Pool were warm and tingled slightly. It was almost the sensation of moisture without actually being touched, of immersing in liquid lighter than air. The Ternion held her gently by the shoulders and neck as they slowly tilted her backward.
Norna smiled encouragingly. "When you arise you will be shed of your old life and born into your new one. Look into the Eye, and do not fear what you discover."
Nyori clasped her arms across her chest. They lowered her until she completely submerged under the surface. Blue-tinged ripples distorted her view, transforming the Ternion into indistinct figures in glowing white.
She closed her eyes and Shifted.
The focus required to switch from the Outer to the Inner mind was one the majority of apprentices never achieved. Many spent years trying to learn to Shift, only to burn themselves out on equal portions of frustration and futility.
Nyori had learned in weeks.
When she opened her Inner eye, she viewed her own motionless body gelled in the glowing water as though frozen. Time moved differently in the Shift; seconds could turn to hours, minutes into days. She had all the time she needed to seek the Eye.
She turned and swam downward, where the light muted until it appeared nothing existed but shadows. She took a wary glance behind. Her body was still submerged, but so far away it appeared almost indistinct. For a moment she hesitated.
Once the path is taken, there is no turning back.
When she turned again, the Eye of Everfell stared into her face.
It was embedded in the carving of an enormous face that protruded from the murky bottom. Determining if an entire statue lay buried there was impossible, but it would tower high as the hills if it were so. Time and erosion had long obscured the statue's features, but the Eye remained, centered in the forehead of the statue. In place of the iris was a dimly glowing orb around the size of Nyori's face. As she drifted closer it appeared cloudy, as if to envelop the secrets it held within. The swirling haze dissipated at her touch, the orb effused with a warm glow.
It flashed, brilliant as sudden sunlight. The orb became translucent, reflective as glass. She had a startling sensation of being seen by the mirrored eye, watched by something grave and terrible. Nyori's reflected image was indistinct, washed out. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt a sensation like fading, disappearing into something lighter than air.
WHEN SHE REGAINED HER senses, she immediately knew something was wrong. Her hands scraped against cracked and pitted stones. It was something substantial. Something solid.
Nyori slowly lifted her head.
There were no trees, but autumn leaves floated regardless; dying butterflies swept along by an imperceptible wind. A ring of blue-tinged stone towers surrounded her. The view beyond the circle was a washed out painting; a hazy backdrop of drab hills seemingly placed to conceal the nothing that lay beyond. Only the towers of perfectly stacked stone appeared solid. Beyond their boundaries, everything distorted. She gasped when she stared upward. In place of the sky, an ebony ocean rippled above her head. Sapphire shimmers danced among the waves like mischievous jellyfish posing as stars.
She was no longer in the waters of the Pool, no longer anywhere familiar. Somehow the Eye had transported her into a completely different realm. Her heart pounded. She knew the dangers of Shifting minds, but they were always metaphysical, dangers of drifting too far from herself, losing the anchor of her physical body while in her Inner mind. Nothing was said of physically transporting from one place to another. Her hair swung slowly, floating across her face as she turned around to view her surroundings.