Seekers of Nazar

Twenty-Two

Amira's purr woke Jena from a strange dream. The steady vibration felt as natural as her own heartbeat. She blinked to get her bearings. A deep cold was burning her cheeks. Shivering, she saw nothing but bright white.

Memories of the volcano and the ashen landscape flooded Jena's mind. She sat up. It wasn't ash but a thick blanket of snow, more than she had ever seen.

Leilandri and Elleric were standing at the opening of their make-shift shelter. The roof was weighed down and sagging in the middle. It looked as if the snow might pull the spikes from the rock or tear the tent open from the weight.

Jena could faintly make out their conversation as they stood over the fire.

"Are you sure?" Elleric said

"Yes," Leilandri answered without sounding confident.

"Is she dangerous?" he asked, rubbing his chin in a kind of disbelief.

"I don't think she's doing it on purpose, so not dangerous in the way you mean."

"So, not a Dark Weaver?"

Leilandri shook her head vigorously. "No, nothing like that. But, in a sense, she is extremely dangerous because her power is unfathomable. If she can't learn to control it, she could pull the world apart."

"So, an untrained Weaver?" he asked.

"Perhaps. But it doesn't even feel like weaving. It is an instant manifestation without intention. That may not make sense, but it is quite different from weaving, which is almost all intention."

"So, basically, you don't know what it is," he concluded.

She didn't answer.

"Well, what are we going to do about the blizzard? The tent is about to collapse from the weight of the snow. I don't have enough firewood to keep the fire going for more than a day. I'd have to venture out to find more. We can't travel. Amira and the horses would freeze an hour into it. The snow's too deep."

"Can you remove the snow from the roof?" she asked. "I just need a chance to plan."

"I can try, but everything I do is going to be useless unless you can stop the snow from falling. It will just build back up again."

She let out a weak, defeated laugh. "Oh, is that all? Just stop the snow from falling." A thought dawned on her. She whipped around and stared directly at Jena.

"What?" the girl asked. "What did I do?" She was confused and scared.

Leilandri gave Elleric a long and meaningful look. "There might be a way." She walked over, ducking under the low ceiling.

"Jena, do you remember when I told you we were from Nazar?"

"I remember." She actually hadn't until just that moment. The night's events were hazy, but a memory of their exchange in Grady's cottage came back to her.

"I'm not just from Nazar. I am also a Weaver. I think I can weave some magic to make the blizzard stop. But I need your help to do it. If it works, the snow will stop falling."

"Oh," Jena said hesitantly. "What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to take my hands and concentrate really hard. You have to imagine in your mind everything I describe to you."

They sat facing each other, holding hands. "Close your eyes and concentrate on my words," Leilandri instructed gently. "Imagine a sunny day. The sky is very blue, and the air is warm. I want you to feel it on your skin. Imagine the sounds of birds and other insects in the air."