The Seventh Direction

PART FOUR: Force and Form. Episode 113

                 ["D/A" narrates —A.A.]

Aces was staring right at us. You'd think she could see us up here, in the upper corner of her one room cabin. Bright (and likely full), Sister Moon, shining through the skylight, had set Aces' eyes on fire as—on the move—she'd cut full across Aces' line of sight. Eyes sparkling (boy, she sure looked like El),  Aces said, "And that my good friends, ends this time of No Time . . ."

                                   ........................

I found myself instantly back on the path, on the upgrade, headed toward The Sentinels. Back on the path, back in the present, nothing had changed but me. No Time at its best.

"True. No Time, as it was before we left here," El said, from somewhere nearby. I couldn't see her, "—save, two days have passed us by. And you are quite right, love, you have changed. Upgraded shall we say. Product of our little excursion. Our travel through time, you see, which has charged you with The Gift of Time." I felt a little tickle. "Not consciously reapt yet, of course, The Gift of Time, but within you nonetheless."

"Two days?"

"Two days." 

"—And The Gift of Time, not consciously reapt yet?" (Charged with The Gift of Time—I get that. I COULD feel something different. I could feel El, too. But two days?) "Where are you, Lady El?"

"Which means you will have to go back one day in time to get Wyl. —And I'm right here."

"Back a day? How?" I looked around. She wasn't around. "What do you mean right here? And—Lady El—how do I know you are you?"

"You'll figure it out when the time comes." 

"Of course I will." (Figure what out?) "A day passed us by at Aces' estate," I said. "I get that. But the other day?"

"It doesn't matter," she said. "And, love, if you recall, four seasons passed us by." 

"I noticed. A whole year in a day." 

"Well, sort of . . ." she said. I felt a pair of arms go round me. It was her. No doubt there. There's no way some lower, freakin' Astral entity could hug like Lady El. 

"—No, of course it doesn't matter, does it, El. It's all part of my schooling," I said, a bit too cynically. She likely raised a brow. "And The Gift of Time? I've never heard the term before. What's The Gift of Time?"

"It's like—" she hesitated. She was likely conferring. Likely with Master J'. How many times had she done that before, right in front of me? "—Like this, Alaya: The Gift of Time? Well, if I told you where the portal was, you would likely never find it."

(A portal. Wow.) 

Our hug slowly diminished—the feeling. Meantime, very bright in my mind's eye, Lady El appeared, held me at arms length, her eyes glowing. Man. I had to look away.

"And I need to find it, El. The portal. That's part of my schooling, too." She was leaving. I had to hurry. "And . . . well, you said 'well.' A clue?" 

"Not that well. Not that portal," her voice was getting weaker.

"Not the well near the Wild Wood?" 

"Yes, dear, not that well, not that portal. You'll recall, that was a dark portal."

I looked, cautiously. But Lady El was gone from mind's eye. And I still had questions.

Boy, did I have questions. But she was gone from The Wood, too—a rustling of leaves in the trees gave her away. 'We won't be seeing each other for a while . . .' a sudden breeze-whisper. (Nice one, El.) But then the breeze seemed to reconsider. 'But soon enough, love. You'd best be on your way.' The dreaded s-word. (Soon.) Even so, her "soon enough" wasn't very convincing. At all. It sounded more like not very soon. Dear me. Maybe things had changed? Maybe shaping Hawk later tonight was off the table?