Northwind

 

The inn sat high on an open ledge overlooking the road. On the opposite side, the trees reached barely five feet above the traveled way, sweeping their dark ranks down the steep lower summit cone. Beyond there was only sky. The preceding evening was streaked with the barest of clouds, and the inhabitants of the Northwind Inn had been treated to a most spectacular sunset. Ayleah let her gaze stray to the north, where other mountain peaks raised shoulders in their own attempts to reach the heights. They stood in rank and file, arranged like standing waves approaching the western glow. Down to the west the valleys darkened as the sun's rays angled more and more away, but the other peaks shared in the special stance; they watched as all the rest of the world went to sleep. It was rarefied air, that of the mountaintop, and she felt privileged to partake in such a view.

The couple that had been sharing the porch with her, albeit in their own world the whole time, finally got up and went inside. Ayleah had barely enough time to wonder if she would be alone out here when Telon came through the door.

“How's the air out here tonight?” He asked, seeing her sitting in one of the chairs.

“Rarefied. Please join me, it's quite a lot to handle on one's own.” She indicated one of the chairs next to her.

Telon walked across and sat down. “This view is pretty extraordinary. I'm glad we ended up here for one of our nights. I'd heard of this inn, and always wanted to visit. It would have been reason enough to come up to the Lion's Seat.”

“I'm going to miss these mountain vistas.” Ayleah said, gazing out at the shimmer of water far away. “Are you sure you don't want to stay on this summit for a while? I know you've wanted to come here for a long time.”

Telon waved her concern away. “No no, you've made your decision and I think that it's wise we stick to the plan. This will not be the last time I ascend this peak.”

There was a period of silence while both of them watched the last glow of the sun turn from burnt orange into violet and then a dusky blue.

“Do you think Angelica would have really kept me there against my will?” Ayleah's question floated into the twilight air. “I know she was duplicitous, but I still feel poorly about how we had to leave...after her undeniable hospitality I mean.” she looked at Telon. “Is she really a bad person?”

“No, she is not.” he replied. “Angelica has a good heart, and no shadow of ill-intent about her. I know you have encountered those of real maliciousness and can feel the difference for yourself. No, what Angelica falls prey to is a trap that any human would fall for. Many do, in fact, and unfortunately do not have as good a heart as hers. The trap is that of discovering your own power and thinking then that it is the only solution to the world's problems. She is powerful, and her energy is necessary for the healing of this world, but she does not yet see that it is only one part of that process.”

Ayleah thought for a moment, then said. “How can I make sure I don't fall for that trap? I can feel the pull at my ego even now to grow in proportion to my strength. How can I make sure my heart is in the right place?”

Telon half-grinned. “The good news is that if you are asking that question, then you are probably already in a pretty good place. You don't have to worry too much about that Ayleah. I'm probably biased, but also I think you know your energy well-enough to know where and how it belongs. I think you have a true sense of wanting to use it to help others.”

“What if I should have stayed with Angelica though? Maybe she was right, and there was some great good we could have done, influencing the energy of the world behind the scenes.”

“Ayleah, you told me you felt there was someplace that needed your energy soon. When you told me you were needed in the river-lands, it was a sign to me that you knew your path. You are needed in the Winniaska Valley, I saw it too, and sense that something is occurring down there. You know that your energy is for a different path than Angelica's. Trust in that inner sense, trust in that path.”

“What do you think she'll do?” Ayleah asked, after a moment.

“We'll have to wait and see. Perhaps her workings will influence ours in some way. Angelica works directly with the essence of the world, and communes with its energies to shape reality from the inside. That way can become too potent, and too self-referential.” He yawned, and turned to Ayleah more directly. “Use your power to make changes closer to the surface. Diffuse your energy through a community where it can then have direct effects on others. Meditate on the difference in potency that technique might have.” He stood, and made to go back inside. “And now I think I must go to bed. The day was wonderful, but I have-” and he yawned again. “-Goodnight Ayleah.”

Ayleah watched him cross the porch again. “'Night Telon. And thank you for your guidance, I always appreciate it.” He gave her a small nod before opening the door.

The sky was almost completely dark now, and a few stars were starting to show. Ayleah smiled softly to herself, thinking of her path to the river-lands. For a few minutes before she also went inside there was no-one else on the porch to share the view, but she didn't feel alone.