Trelissa looked over to Kavala, but seemed to be satisfied that there was no need to say anything else at the moment.
Turning to Hatot, she said,
"Then we begin," and reached out to touch his hand. Kavala would see the other side of her previous experience, as Hatot seemed immediately to fall asleep, as if he had been that way for hours.
*****
"As I told Kavala, this is the Chavena."The reeling display that greeted Hatot's eyes was as unfamiliar as could possibly be. Though he was obviously standing on something, its nature was unclear.
Nothing, in fact, was clear -- there was only a dizzying array of shifting lights, which seemed to be specifically designed to induce a miserable case of vertigo.
"Each person who ever has lived has a Chavi...one of these strands. It holds every piece of information, every experience, every memory that any person has ever experienced, in all of their incarnations. I will show you."The young woman reached out as if to grasp a series of linked blue circles. Then everything began spinning even faster, and Hatot would experience a brief feeling of nausea...
*****
They were standing in what appeared to be a temple, on a polished granite floor. Moonlight flooded in through a series of high, circular windows; this was the only source of light. The architecture was spartan, and the building was empty.
Or rather, it was
almost empty. There was a woman seated crosslegged on the floor in the center of the room; although her back was to Hatot, she was recognizable as Trelissa -- though, as Trelissa herself still stood beside Hatot, it wasn't the "real" version of her.
"There's a task for you, Priestess."The voice seemed to come from everywhere, or nowhere. It wasn't loud, but it was...powerful. The hairs on the back of Hatot's neck would stand up automatically. The seated Trelissa, however, seemed not to be startled.
"How may I serve?"The voice came again.
"You are to visit a group of people in Riverfall. They are of interest to me. You will approach them, state your purpose, and invite them to visit the Chavena with you. You are capable of doing so?" It was phrased as a question, but it was the sort of question that admitted of only one answer.
"Yes, I am." Trelissa's answer came quickly, but her voice trembled audibly. When the disembodied speaker answered her again, it was more tenderly.
"You are afraid."Trelissa bit her lip.
"It's my first time. And I'm a Guardian, not a Speaker. There are no songs for me to sing or play, nothing for me to protect. It's different."The voice filled the room with warmth.
"Remember, this is your family. You will be watched and guided. You will not fall, priestess."Trelissa rose.
"All right then." She sounded more sure now.
"What should I know about these people?"*****
Everything shimmered again, and when Hatot could see clearly again, he was standing with Trelissa in a white room that was perfectly empty.
"It's not exactly what I showed Kavala, but it's perhaps more helpful to you," Trelissa said quietly.
"That's my chavi, right before I came to visit you."She seemed a bit uncertain what to say next, but she paused to give Hatot space to say or ask anything that he might wish.
