Courtyard-Presentation

Brunch was over and the lizard man, who I should now refer to as minister Lared, escorted us to a minor courtyard. We were accompanied by two guards, an elderly woman dressed in a simple blue dress and Seja, who carried three waterskins. Our escort wanted to witness what we were capable of, before leaving us to a morning of training. The maid was supposed to stay with us. Her superior, head of the maids, wanted to see to what sort of people she had assigned her protégé. Seja had served Sarran and Elana for some days already, but as Sarran was a man, she didn’t fully trust him yet. Let alone me, who had just dropped in and was a total enigma.

Elana was the first who was urged to show her control over the spiritual flora. Through her eyes, this place was not simply a barren field with a ground made of sand that was encased by a couple of buildings. The column-supported projections of their roofs formed a walkway protected from rain, which lined the place in a rectangular fashion. What Elana saw was a place that teamed with undergrowth and the giant leaves of towering ferns. She took a few steps forward and to us, it seemed like she grasped into empty air. She went invisible in an instant.

The group applauded.

What she had done was, that she took one of the ferns and wrapped it around herself, taking cover behind the giant leaf. She reappeared and told us, that she could interact with the greenery, based on the species present in the spirit vegetation.

I considered asking her if it was possible to collect a sample that I could interact with. Silently, I muttered: “Insane.”

“Can you see the spirits of animals, or persons perhaps?”, asked minister Lared, but she denied.

“No, sadly not.” She looked down, pretending to be sad about it. In fact, she was wise enough to not long for ghosts haunting her through every waking hour. She would either go mad, or… She snapped her head back up and in my direction. Her eyes narrowed. When Seja asked if something is on her mind, she turned to her. “Indeed, one of the trees dropped a fruit, that’s it.”

I turned around but couldn’t see one. Of course not… I was not the only one who felt like a fool for trying to see it. Even minister Lared snatched a glance in this direction.

He moved on in his tight schedule by giving Sarran a polite node. “Your turn, mister Sarran.”

The oracle stepped forward, unsure what to do. He could predict the future, but only vaguely. The space of possible interpretations was huge for every omen he received. So, he said that he had no ability fit for presentation. I knew this wasn’t true. He simply hated being presented like that. There were several things Elana and I could except him to think: I am not your servant. Who do you think you are? Leave me! This power isn’t yours. Among various others. But what he really thought was: I serve only one.

Still, after some hesitation, he decided to at least appease the minister, without pleasing him. He turned around to face him and opened his mouth: “Bow.” At least this was what he wanted to say. On the last moment he decided against, instead uttering: “If I am our lords subordinate, shouldn’t you follow my command?”

The lizard’s eyes narrowed. His voice was booming. “I am way above you in the hierarchy and you are nearly at the bottom. Only the maid is one step lower than you. You are comparable to snails. It’s just that you got a shell.”

Hurt by these words, Seja’s hand twitched behind her back.

Something glinted in Sarran’s eyes. “Tell me, why than do you look to the ground, head lowered?”

“I do not…” His mouth clasped open. “Oh, a splendid presentation. Scary you are, little slug.” He raised his head again. He straightened his posture in a way that said: Do not do this again.

Then, I was next.

Elana said I simply had to do it. So, I visualized how light emitted from my hand. And it did. Clad in a soft yellow glow, I turned my hand around. I was totally dumbstruck, in awe of what was to be seen there. The tiny flame danced around my fingers and ignored the strong gust of wind that delivered a shiver down everyone’s spine; to all of us, but lizardman Lared. It seemed like nothing could shake the walls of this man. Almost nothing.

Stretching my hand outward, I imagined how it spread fort. As a result, it formed a cone and tinted the ground in its radiant shine.

“Ok, don’t overdo it”, said Lared who had averted his gaze, “My eyes are more sensitive than yours, so I beg your pardon for interrupting this impressive presentation of yours.”

The head of maids agreed: “The minister comes from a line of a nocturnal tribe, noble and pride folks.”

The one she was speaking of suppressed a sneer halfway her sentence. “Thank you…”

The woman smiled warmly.

An idea crossed my mind. “Elana, would you lend me your arm?”

She hesitated before stepping closer. Anticipating my intent, she removed the bandages from her injured limb.

I held my hand above it and once again imagined it to be covered in light. “It’s not supposed to harm humans, but if it starts to feel slightly hot, don’t be afraid to push me away.”

She turned slightly red. Biting her lips, she nodded.

As the light enclosed her arm, the cuts began to mend one by one. When the flames were extinguished, she turned her arm around, inspecting it. Her pupils were widened. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. How is that possible from mere fire?”

I shook my head. A couple of pictures from my biology studies appeared in my mind. I couldn’t find a single candidate for explanation.

Seja smiled and said: “Lucky we are to witness a miracle.”