Eelaya dashed forward, floating fast towards the other trees she saw, zipping through the many wisps with determination. She reached inside again, feeling the shielding wrap her, making her invisible to the other Walkers around. Her speed was immense--unlike her first time in the Forth the movements now felt more natural to her. She had more grasp on the environment around her--everything made more sense to her now. Kaleem had been training her for the past week and already she had picked up the pace, moving more naturally at the Forth and being able to control herself. She didn't want to meet him today. Not today. He would be mad at her for not seeing the Doctor as soon she came back from the mines. He would...
"Child." Kaleem's voice breached through the shielding and she felt a slight pull on her--His power.
Shifting her view back, she saw his familiar wisp tracking her movements behind relentlessly.
How did...
"You are overdoing it." He said. "A Seeker is trained to find a rip in the fabric of the Forth. Only once your powers overcome mine, you will be able to mask yourself from me. But for now--"
The pull became much harder and almost impossible to resist. Eelaya stopped mid-air and faced Kaleem, not willing to use her entire strength on an attempt to escape.
Although he said he would be masking himself at all times for her to train her seeking abilities, she could still sense him. Of course, if she could sense him before he got her, that would be great.
"What were you after today, Child?"
"I..." she drifted.
She didn't know. She just wanted to be free. Fly like nothingness in an open space with no worries--like a foolish gust of wind whipping the sands of mars around without purpose.
"I understand." He said. "It is a great feeling of freedom to fly like we do. You have been advancing very swiftly. I myself am very surprised."
"Kaleem. How can someone use the tree to learn the future?"
"Ahh," he sighed. "That, child, is the work of a Reader. I'm afraid I have very few pointers to give you there."
"A Reader?"
"Yes. Imagine a Walker who dedicates his life for the interpretation of vines, veins, trunks and branches of everyone's tree. He taps into the different branches of the future and tries to learn as much he can of it."
"But. That's. A power everyone can benefit from."
"Every power is beneficial. But it takes a lot to learn it and none of them are able to read the interconnections between our trees. None for now."
"Interconnections?"
"The effect of one tree over another is elusive and almost unseen. It seems."
An intense energy emanated from Kaleem, hitting Eelaya like the warm water of a shower.
"Look behind you, child." He said. "Concentrate. Focus. Don't be distracted by the beauty of the Forth."
She turned her attention around, facing another infinite mess of trees--the lives of other Walkers.
"Breathe..." Kaleem said behind her.
She did. Slowly inhaling, watching the trees around, not concentrating her attention on any of them. They were all of the same color--some darker than others. The misty cloud below them shrouded them with care, tugging on every tree and wisp around.
She exhaled.
Some trees were much taller and their trunks were also wider than others. And some had more leafs sprayed on them like sparkles at the top branches, while others were dead. As if the Walker possessing the tree was...
YOU ARE READING
Awakening
Science FictionEelaya lived through calamities her entire life. Born in the cruel streets of Undertown, Origin--what was once known as Earth, before it lost all its green. Raised beneath the lethal blanket of pollution and radiation. Sent as a slave to repay her...
