Conclave...Interlude-Part 1

In the intervening two weeks between the rescue of Alexa and and the convening of the Conclave, Ravyn’s wardrobe grew in an almost direct proportion to the dwindling of my bank account. The true shock to the ol’ account however, was when the bill for her three day stay at a rather exclusive spa resort on the western shore of Lake Michigan was delivered by special courier. One look at that evil document sent me packing for the Spirit World and a visit to the one place that was truly mine, Yggsdrasil’s clearing.

Even though I have now learned how to reach that clearing using the Shadow, I preferred to journey there in Spirit form. You see, when I travelled there in Spirit only, I was able to truly enjoy the experience of smelling, touching and tasting that I no longer can in my physical body. I was also able to project myself as my younger self, with a healthy, vibrant body.

I arrived at the clearing, immediately comforted by the sight and gently swaying sounds of the giant, black tree. A mild breeze pushed through the black and white leaves, creating soothing sighs that often led to the Tree speaking to me, when it chose to.

As I was making my way through a tangle of the roots however, I saw a small, slender figure sitting with its back to me. A female form, perhaps a teenager, judging by the size of her body. At first I thought it might be Herlinda, since she and Diego were often here, but the girl’s hair was darker and curlier than Herlina’s and her skin was darker.

I carefully circled around so that she would have some warning that I was coming, and we could both get a better look at each other before we spoke. I wasn’t exactly looking for company at the moment, but encounters with other people in this place in particular, usually proved to be very important.

As her face came into my view, I noticed that her eyes were closer, she was also swaying slowly in time with the Tree, like she was the one listening to it speak. I was beginning to get a little jealous!

The closer I got to her, the more familiar her face seemed. Finally, it dawned on me... “Naomi?”

Her eyes opened. She looked directly at me; I was transfixed by the intensity of her gaze. “It took you long enough to get here. I thought you’d never come. Luckily for you, this Tree thinks highly of you.”

“How did you find this place?”

She smiled. “When I saw you chasing after the brute that took my baby Alexa, a voice whispered in my ear, ‘Come to me, I will help you.’ So I followed where the voice told me to go, flowing up and out of my body. I saw you catch Alexa and disappear. It almost broke my heart when it looked like she was going to die, too! But after you were gone, the voice kept speaking to me in its whisper, ‘Come with me and I will show you where Alexa is.’ So I kept going. Before long, I passed above the storm and found myself in this...place. The Tree of yours was calling me. He said you would come.”

I sat down across from her, finding a comfortable spot in a large tangle of roots. “That’s amazing, I didn’t know it had the ability to do that.”

The sighing sounds of the Tree resolved themselves into discernible words for the first time at that, at least for me. “As you grow in strength, I, too, grow deeper roots.”

She shifted in her seat, looked briefly back up into the leaves as the Tree spoke, apparently to both of us, then looked back at me. “So you are my baby’s daddy.”