Rubies and Rumors

Chapter Fifty

     In-Yeon drifted in and out with fragmentary sensations. First being cold and very afraid, then floating above himself while waiting at the gate to the training yard. He came back to himself lying in bed while his injuries were being tended but then floated away. Sharp pains on his wrists brought him back and he felt the weight pressing down on his chest for the past week had lifted. If he had more energy he would have cried with relief. The next thing he felt was a gentle hug and the warmth of his pendant resting on his neck and power slowly coming back to his limbs.

He still felt fragile, like he had been completely hollowed out, but he wasn't hurting and he was definitely not alone. The boy sitting beside him on the edge of the bed was quietly chanting the common mantras for water, wood, fire, earth, and metal, in a repeating cycle for creation and renewal. In-Yeon silently joined in the answering chorus and leaned into its comforting warmth. When the chant finished, he opened his eyes and said, "Thank you, Hae-sung. I am so glad you are here."

"Welcome back. Here, let me get you a drink of water. You sound parched." Hae-sung quickly filled a cup then climbed in behind In-Yeon to help support him. In-Yeon's hand shook as he downed the first glass.

"Not so fast with this one." Hae-sung instructed as he refilled the cup from the pitcher he had left on the floor beside the bed. He pulled some of In-Yeon's hair back and twisted it into a loose knot to keep it out of the way.

"I guess I am a bit of mess," In-Yeon said as he looked down at his new scrapes and bruises.

"A little." Hae-sung agreed and helped In-Yeon settle back down before saying "You are already looking a bit better but maybe we should do a grounding if you are up to it."

In-Yeon looked down at the shimmering crystals on his wrist and grinned at Hae-sung. "Yeah. It is getting a bit bright in here but can you ask San Jin to come help with the anchors. The two of you balance so well."

"Ok. I will see if he is finished herding cats. Back in a flash." Hae-sung patted In-Yeon's leg and left the room.

Once he was on his own again In-Yeon took a closer inventory of how he was feeling. There was still a vague floaty feeling in his head, and sharp sounds still echoed painfully. His hands and feet were a bit of a mess but not too bad considering what he had gone through the night before. He carefully tried sensing each of his stones and could feel their harmonies building. Hae-sung was right to suggest a grounding.

As soon as San Jin came in the room and spotted the flashes coming from In-Yeon's pendant he agreed to help with the ritual. He had brought along the small jade pillars to mark each compass point. He lit a small lamp and placed it in the middle of the floor then pour a cup of water to place beside it, saying "A little Ying and Yan in case this gets hairy." He took out a small pouch of sand and ran a circle around them all then nodded to Hae-sung and they started the chant in unison and then took separate harmony lines.

In-Yeon threw his anchors down and felt energy building all around him. The water in the bowl rose and fell, the lamp flared, their robes flapped in a breeze and the sands swirled in complicated patterns. To push his anchors deeper In-Yeon repeated the mantra and the other boys reinforced his melody. The stones under the courtyard growled and the buildings shook before the pressure finally released. The boys performed a closing salutation and all drew a deep breath.

"Wow, when you do a grounding, you really go deep," Hae-sung said as he leaned over and mussed In-Yeon's hair.

"That was really something," San Jin agreed and pointed to where the sand had formed  symbols in front of each of the jade pillars, "Any guesses to what all that might mean?"

"Umm," In-Yeon blushed since it looked exactly like the confirmation the monks feared. "Maybe we should just do a quick sketch and clean it up. I am pretty sure we are about to have company."

"Got it." Hae-sung said with a wink. He pushed San Jin along to head off the group coming up the stairs. Once he had everything back in order and his quick sketches tucked up under the bedframe, he gestured for In-Yeon to climb onto his back. "You are not going to make it down the stairs on one foot. We are going to the facilities then we will get some food and medicine into before you tell us your story. But I am warning you the minute you look at all tired, I will bring you right back up here. So come on. It will be way to crowded with everyone up here."

In-Yeon was not at all sure he was ready to tell his whole story but he trusted Hae-sung to back him up on how much the Sun Temple had changed since the open competition. He wished Junseo was there to help him with the right words to explain what happened with his crystals and tapping into the energy around them. He was pretty sure San Jin understood so he told himself not to worry and tucked into the food with a good appetite.

The medicine tasted as dreadful as it had smelled and he had to fight to keep it down. Hae-sung gave him a glass of fruit juice as a chaser but it still didn't get the taste out of his mouth. "I guess you are all wondering why I am here looking like this," In-Yeon looked around at the group. "It's probably not the best way to try to start a training contact." He nodded to Knight-Master Lie who just smiled.

"Not to worry, lad. Your place is secure, no matter what." Manager Doak and Scout Jia nodded their agreement. The boys all tapped their chests and said "Truth."

"There, promised and witnessed. But speaking of witnesses you should just relax for a bit. We asked your family advocate to come. He has been very concerned this past week." Knight-Master Lie poured himself a cup of tea and made himself comfortable.