Dance of the Dead by Christie Golden

Author:Christie Golden
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-04-28T15:20:29+00:00

164 CHRISTIE GOLDEN

And then she began to sink into the ground.

With a cry, she bolted upright, but the Maiden shook her head. "Trust me," she urged in her leaf-soft voice, gently pressing Larissa back down to the soil again.

This time, it took longer for Larissa to relax. As she did so, she realized that she was not literally sinking in-to the loam. Only her mind was making the Journey.

Trust me, came the Maiden's cool voice in her mind.

Trust yourself.

She was deep in the cool, fragrant soil now. Larissa felt the impalpable heartbeat of the earth, steady and perpetual. Unconsciously her hands dug into the brown soil, as if to bring her body to where her mind was.

There was not even the slightest breath of fear. Who could be afraid of earth?

Feel the life, Larissa. Feel it, grasp it, use its power for your own. shaping.

That was the force, the energy. Life. Growth. Yes . . .

Larissa could feel it now. She could hear the plants growing, their roots reaching for sustenance from the rich soil. She reached out with her mind and brushed against that force, finding that it welcomed her tentative probing. Then she directed her efforts to gently bending the energy.

"Larissa," came the Maiden's soft voice.

The dancer opened her eyes. Her body felt heavy, and for a moment it was extremely difficult to move. With a deliberate effort, she sat up, stretching.

"Look by your right hand," the Maiden continued, pleasure burning in her green eyes. Larissa did so.

There was a tiny patch of violets in the otherwise bare earth. "They were not there when you lay down."

A tremulous joy spread across Larissa's face, and she gently touched the tiny plants with a forefinger. "I made them?"

"No," the Maiden corrected her. "1 cannot teach you how to conjure something out of nothing. The seeds DANCE OF THE DEAD 165

were there, but not taking root. You did not create the violets, merely found their potential for growth and hastened it along. You worked with the force of life, not against it. Rise, my child."

Larissa got to her feet and waited expectantly.

"Remember the feeling of finding and directing the energy, and remember which part of your body corresponds with earth. Now, child, you may dance."

Tentatively at first, Larissa began to move her bare feet in a circle around the tiny flowers. Her toes traced patterns in the moist earth, then Larissa trod heavily, deeply planting footprints in the soil. She felt the power tingle up her legs and closed her eyes to concentrate better. The rest of her body began to move, swaying gently, and she danced to the rhythm of the earth's heartbeat, faster and faster, taking control, demanding response. .,.

She halted abruptly when she realized there was plant life under her feet instead of bare earth. Larissa opened her eyes to find the entire area now covered with rich purple violets. The fragrance "from the bruised flowers wafted up to her nostrils, and she glanced at the Maiden happily.

"Your gift is great, but you must learn to control it and use it wisely.

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