The Eye of Elicion: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol 1 (5 page)

“You talk about it like it is a person,” said Lucy amused.

“It’s not, but it is always good to be polite and respectful when dealing with magic. Some items of magic will not work if they feel misused or abused. Moonstones have been known to give off faint light or stop giving off light all together if they are thought to harshly and always demanded of. Some people have had to have them replaced in their rooms. These people are always lectured severely. Similarly, people who treat their moonstones well have very well lit rooms.” Justin motioned to Lucy’s dark room, “Go ahead, give it a try.”

Lucy was pretty sure she would be unable to light her own room, but then again, considering all the unusual things that had happened to her today, why not? Lucy closed her eyes and concentrated. She tried to extend her mind into her dark room and find something that felt like a stone. To her surprise she found something almost immediately. In the darkness of the room, she could almost sense a small bit of light, calling to her. In fact, she could feel four individual points like that. She said hello in her head. It might seem silly to some, but Lucy figured if she was supposed to be polite, she might as well do the thing properly. Also, it couldn’t hurt. Lucy thought, ‘Hello, my name is Lucy; I will be staying in this room for a time. I would really appreciate some light if you would be so kind.’ Lucy continued to stand still with her eyes shut, barely breathing. At her side, Justin gave a low whistle and she opened her eyes.

Her entire room was brightly lit, all four moonstones. She mentally thanked the moonstones.

“Most students don’t even light one on the first try, much less all of them in their room,” said Justin impressed. Perhaps she would make a good fourth for their group.

Lucy blushed. She was pleased she had performed so well. She just hoped she did adequately on the rest of her lessons and tests. Justin handed Lucy her books and stepped back.

“I will see you at breakfast. 8:00 am. Now, I bid you, goodnight,” said Justin with a smile and mock bow, and he retreated down the hallway.

Lucy entered her room. To her left were a desk and a comfy looking chair. She set her books down on it. She opened her pack and put her quills, parchment, schedule, and map on the desk as well. Next to the desk, with the headboard on the far wall was a bed. It was larger than a single but not as big as a double bed. It had a beautiful blue quilt on it with another one folded at the foot of the bed. On the wooden floor next to the bed was a shaggy blue rug. Lucy set her pack on the bed. Directly across from the door was a window with blue curtains. Across the room from the bed was a wardrobe. Across from the desk was another door. Every available space was filled with bookcases and shelves. Lucy supposed she would collect books and other objects to put on these in time. She had a habit of running out of room on her bookcases.

She opened the other door in her room. It appeared to be a smaller room or a closet. It was dark so Lucy wasn’t sure. She concentrated, found a moonstone, asked it to light and discovered she was staring into her own private bathroom. Lucy could not have been happier with her living situation. There was a sink with blue soap in the soap dish that smelled like the ocean, a toilet, and a full tub with a shower. There was a towel rack with a fuzzy blue towel on it, a blue bath rug on the floor, and a shower curtain with an ocean scene. There were shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel in the shower, all smelling like rain, or fresh cut grass, or roses. Lucy left the door open and walked back into her room.

She reached into her pack on the bed and started to put her clothes away into her wardrobe. The wardrobe and the headboard were both maple. There was a single, delicately carved rose on her headboard and one on each door of her wardrobe. Lucy sighed. This was the most amazing day she had ever had.

Lucy pulled out her pajamas. She had chosen a pair of green silk pajamas with shorts and a tank top-like top. She pulled back her covers and slipped between the cozy blue sheets. She thanked the moonstones; wishing them goodnight and the room became dark. Lucy wondered if she would be able to fall asleep. Part of her did not want to go to sleep. She was afraid she would wake up and find this wonderful place had all been a dream. If you could walk through a doorway and find anything on the other side, could the same thing happen when you were asleep? Could you wake up anywhere? Is the only reason you wake up in the same place you went to bed because you expect to? Those were worrying things to think about considering she was getting the impression that anything could happen here. Lucy barely had time to wonder all this before she was fast asleep.

Lucy awoke the next morning with a start. First she was relieved to find herself in the same room she had fallen asleep in. It hadn’t all been a dream. Second, she wondered what time it was and if she was late for breakfast. Then she relaxed. Although there was not a clock in her room, nor had she seen one anywhere else for that matter, something inside her told her she was not late. Lucy decided to trust this newfound inner clock.

She got up, enjoyed a hot shower in her beautiful bathroom, and got dressed. She smiled as she put on the hose, tunic, and boots. This was a fabulous way to dress. She looked at her schedule and grabbed her books for her morning classes as well as some parchment, ink, and a quill. Then she studied her map, took a deep breath, and attempted to make her way to the Dining Hall for breakfast. She was relieved when she made it there with only one wrong turn. Lucy really liked these maps.

Lucy walked up to the breakfast buffet and chose two eggs over easy, two slices of toast, which she slathered with strawberry jam, a piece of bacon, and a glass of orange juice.

“Looks like you made it on time,” said a voice beside Lucy.

She jumped. She had not noticed anyone standing so close to her.

“Good morning, Justin,” said Lucy with a smile.

“Good morning,” replied Justin, with a smile of his own. “We are sitting over here,” and he led the way to a table where Maya and Gavin were sitting. They both nodded in greeting, their mouths full. Justin sat down and resumed attacking a massive stack of pancakes.

“Did you sleep well?” asked Maya politely, looking fabulous in her purple skirt and bare midriff top.

“Yes, extremely well, thank you. The bed was perfect.”

“Wonderful how they adjust to you, isn’t it?” commented Gavin. “It does kind of spoil you for the real world unless you master that spell yourself.”

“Any trouble with the moonstones?” asked Maya.

“No.”

“No kidding,” added Justin after swallowing a mouthful of pancake. “She lit all four at once on her first try.”

“All four?” asked Gavin looking impressed. “It took me two tries to get one. I had to do them one at a time for a month before I could light them all at once.”

“I wasn’t as bad at that, but it was a couple weeks before I could do all four; some students never can,” put in Maya.

“Then again, I’m only a passable wizard. I’m much better with weapons,” said Gavin, as though to reassure Lucy he was not totally incompetent.

“That’s where he works too. He sharpens daggers, fletches arrows, helps set up drills for the next day and that kind of stuff,” said Maya.

“Good to know,” said Lucy. “I’m sure I’ll turn out inept with weapons so I might need some help there.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” said Maya reassuringly.

Lucy was about to ask where Maya and Justin worked when she felt something odd, like a small warning bell.

“Did you guys feel that?” asked Lucy.

“Oh, that’s your inner warning bell or clock if you will,” said Justin. “Your sense of time is more acute while you are here. It is training you to help develop your habit of listening to your instincts. Well, I guess we had all better get to class. What do you have first?”

“Introduction to Other Worlds.”

“Oh, I think you’ll like that,” said Maya with a smile. “See you at lunch,” and she was off.

Lucy opened her map and followed it to her classroom. There were no desks. Instead there were cushions on the floor. Lucy chose a green cushion and sat down. A tall dark skinned girl with long black hair sat down next to Lucy and introduced herself as Chloe. They did not have time for much more than that before the teacher entered.

“Good morning class.”

“Good morning,” they responded.

“My name is Kara.”

Lucy was filled with a sense of amazement and happiness. Kara, as it happened was a larger than average fox. No wonder Maya said she would like the class. Her first class here and her teacher was a talking fox. Lucy was thrilled.

“Since I am at a disadvantage when it comes to writing, there is no written syllabus or schedule for this class. I expect you to listen and remember. Write things down if you cannot handle that. Although some of you will be here for a very short time and others much longer, I feel the need to learn your names so please introduce yourselves.”

The class did this as much for the teacher as for themselves. Lucy was glad she wasn’t the only new student here. Kara paced in front of the room, swishing her tail as they introduced themselves. From that day forward, although most of the students could not remember each other’s names, Kara never once got them mixed up. Kara found a comfortable spot on her cushion and began to lecture.

“Obviously, you are aware that there are other worlds. The point of this class is to introduce you to some of those worlds and find out which ones might suite you. Once you have narrowed things down to one or possibly two worlds, you leave this class and go on to more specific classes. Do not however, tune out any world that does not interest you, because I do give tests that you must pass. You stay here until you can pass basic tests on some of the other worlds.

“Today will be more of a focused meditation lecture than a fact learning one. It is good to have an idea of the kind of world you would like to go to before we start researching so you know it when you find it. To help you accomplish this, I will ask you a series of questions.

“Being who I am, I always feel the need to ask this one first. Does it bother you if animals talk? Do you like a variety of climates or a smaller land with just one? Do you like to travel? How about by water? Do you have strong viewpoints on Dwarves, Giants, Elves, Centaurs, or other ‘mythical’ races? Are you more comfortable with trade as a basis for living, or do you require monetary compensation? Are you interested in fighting wars? Do you prefer constant peace? How large a population would you like the major cities to be? Do you require indoor plumbing? Does the world you go to have to have castles? Could you live in a place that was symbiotic with the environment? That means trees are not cut down, and the like.”

Kara continued asking them questions for the remainder of the hour. Lucy found her mind spinning by the end of it, even though most of her answers to the questions left her options open. In her opinion, bring on the mythical races and anything else that could be dreamed up! Kara ended the course by also advising them to start to get out of the habit of swearing. Someone asked about this.

“Many worlds have swear words of their own though using them in polite society can range in reactions from laughter to a severe whipping. Learning to control your language skills is a good idea. It is advised that you not use swear words from your world in other worlds. It marks you as an outsider at once. Once you get familiar with common rules and vernacular you can speak as you wish. To start with though, it is best to try to fit in.”

That all made sense to Lucy. She got off her cushion and made her way to her Introduction to Healing course. This classroom also did not have desks. It had large tables and no chairs. Lucy took a place behind a table.

“Good morning,” a loud voice greeted them.

“Good morning”

“My name is Bree.”

Bree, it turned out, was a gentle giant from the world of Kinowenn. Lucy supposed other giants were not no so gentle, or Bree would not have specified such. She was the tallest woman Lucy had ever seen. She was at least eight feet tall with waist long brown hair, a kind face, and an overly large nose. She appeared middle aged, but Lucy had no concept of the longevity of giants. Something she would eventually learn no doubt.

“In this course I will teach you the basics of healing through salves, plants, teas, and a gentle touch. Once you pick your world, you will learn about the plants living there, and your medicines will become more specialized. Once you pass your Introduction to Magic course, you will have a better idea of what healing methods and options are available to you.”

Bree turned to her enormous desk, obviously made specifically for her, and pulled out a cardboard box. She took out small potted plants and handed one to each student.

“These are Aloe plants,” she said. “I like to give them as a gift to each student. You will keep it in your room and take care of it. I will let you know if you need to bring it to class. For next class I would like an essay on the uses of this plant. Also, please read the introduction and pages one through thirty of Hanna Cory’s book. You may use the rest of class time to start reading.”

One student raised her hand, “How long should the essay be?”

“Long enough to cover the basic uses, but not long enough to list every possible use throughout time and although I would like you to read about the history of the plant, you need not include that in your essay. I will rarely give you lengths for your assignments. Some people have larger handwriting; some people are more concise in their writing. Some people tend toward wordiness while others are more succinct. Every time I give you an assignment, I expect you to answer the question fully. I will grade you on your answer, not your ability to fill rolls of parchment with meaningless babble.”

Lucy agreed with that and she felt once more how much she was enjoying the teaching style here. Lucy opened her book and began to read. She had barely gotten half-way through the assigned reading when it was time for lunch. Lucy picked up her Aloe plant and ran to her room. She moved her desk chair under her window and put the plant on top of it so it would get enough light. She would look into getting a plant stand later. Then again, she was accustomed to doing her homework while lying on top of her bed so perhaps the chair could function as a plant stand until it became an issue. Lucy grabbed her afternoon books and ran to the Dining Hall.