Chapter 9

Here is something dear readers I have failed you in as my duty as a writer of this tale. What are the Wood Elven like.

The Elven of the Greater Faydark as an average stand around four to four and a half feet in height.

While their build is slim, don't underestimate their true strength.

Their skin runs from a faint greenish pale white, to a dusky brown.

The hair runs the spectrum really. From the, oh my god a ghost white, to black so deep it stands out in a coal mine.

Their eyes are generally sharply pointed up and back.

Most have round pupils, but a small percentage are born with cats eyes. Those born with that trait tend to see better in the dark and make the best hunters.

Their ears are sharply pointed up and back and are extremely sensitive. They can pick out the sound of a mouse trying to sneak by them if they pay attention.

Their speed and strength are more than a match for any human. So don't pick a fight unless you are really good, or totally drunk.

Elven women come into fertility in what humans call mid thirties.

They only become fertile twice a year. The gestation period for an Elven baby is eighteen months as the child develops much more slowly and completely than most other races.

At eight years, Tama is still considered an infant, thus the worry of her coming into her abilities so young.

Another part of the differences is life span.

Elven can live as long as four hundred human years.

They maintain their youth and vigor for the first two hundred and fifty or so, then they start slowing down as a human would in their forties.

The magic of the Elven tends to run more in the natural lines. They are attuned to the woods and living things around them. Thus they make the best druids and rangers.

Now, to our little Tama. She is coming up on her eighth year now.

She stands at two feet eleven inch's in human scale.

She weighs in at a solid 55 pounds do to her naturally denser bones and muscles.

Her hair is that bright copper that is so rare, with faint golden highlights.

Her eyes are an almost luminescent green.

Her flat out sprint at her age can top out at nearly 20mph without any speed buffs. Though she can only hold it for a few seconds.

She lifts between 15 to 20 pounds per bag of stone in her weight lifting.

If you plan to pick on a wood Elven at a bar, be ready to get your slow, weak human butt kicked.

Now back to the story fair and faithful readers.

After a long and restless night, Elder rode out of the village in hopes of intercepting Eaglesclaw before he could arrive. When he finally came upon Eaglesclaw just after midmorning on the main road, he was relieved to find out that Eaglesclaw had already been informed on the situation by his flying spies and messengers.

"Elder, I am aware of what happened to Axemen when he was a child. I was one of the surviving guards that had to stop Tamalain from wiping out the entire senior council. She was a powerhouse when enraged at the peak of her strength. Once she learned how bad they had actually hurt her son though, something broke inside of her. She no longer served Kelethin out of love, only a sense of owed duty. That was why they sent her on that final fatal mission. I was there Elder, I saw it all and I was as outraged as the rest of the Rangers at what old man Thornbreak had done to her son."

"My suggesting the mana lock out was the worst thing I could have done Eaglesclaw. I saw the rage in his eyes, heard it in his voice. Had he been able to focus his power, I would not be here now. Little Tama though, by the gods, I felt the inherent power in her try to come out. If she were even three years older, the entire town would have been a smoldering ruin in minutes."

"Then I need to go and start the control lessons now. Her life and every one around her could be in mortal danger."

"I am not so sure of that. When I rode out of the village this morning to meet with you, I saw Axemen and Tama sitting in the park, in a style I have seen monks use. He was teaching her how to meditate and breathe. If he can do that, he may be able to teach her how to manage her power in the way he keeps his buried."

"Now that Elder is the best news I have heard so far since this all came up. If he can teach her his method, then my somewhat cruder ways will not be needed as much," said Eaglesclaw.

"I just had a thought, doesn't the Casters guild sometimes use amulets to suppress their mana when they have a situation that mana can cause them problems?" asked Elder.

"Yes they do and that would be no better than the lockdown. It is the same effect except that it can be turned on and off at will. If the person fights it though, they can be damaged in much the same way Axemen was damaged by the forced spell. It was a thought, not a good one, but a thought. Now, could they fix what was done to Axemen today, Yes he could be healed of what had had been done to him. A group of Rodcet Nife clerics had worked out a way to repair that kind of damage. The real question should be, would he want it now."

"Ok, those options are closed to us. I would suggest working with her on being able to start and stop her abilities at will. A second form of control should she lose her focus and her mana starts flowing freely."

"Now that I can do, if she is willing to accept my training now that is," said Eaglesclaw.

"Then let us ride on, we will be there by midday if we don't dally."

Sitting on small meditation rugs that Axemen had acquired over the years, he quietly started the lessons on meditative control. "A friend of my mother who happened to be a Warrior Monk knew of the control problems I was having. He sat me down and said he would teach me the method of control and focus that Monks use to control and focus their power. It was for a favor to be ask at later date, one that I am sorry to say I can never repay. He died in the Dreadlands on Kunark a few years later when the Dragon Gornare went on a rampage across the entire region."

"Maybe you can do this for me as a favor to him by passing on his teachings," said Tama.

Axemen stopped and looked at his daughter with eyes that were not exactly sure he was seeing what was actually there. "Tama, how is it at seven years old you are wiser in thought and spirit than most of the adults in this village. Ok now, the first lesson is simply to learn to breathe in a way that will in time help you find your center of being."

"Sit on your knees like this," he helped arrange her to the position, "now straighten your back up, you can't slouch or the exercise is pointless. There are two ways to breathe, the way you normally do, with just the upper part of your lungs being used the most. The second way is to breathe from down here, using the muscles of the stomach to pull in more air, like when you run. In fact, learning this may improve your exercises and running a bit."

He sat down and assumed the same sitting posture as he had Tama in. "Now take a slow deep breathe, drawing it deep into you body, hold for just a second, now slowly let it out. Wait a few seconds and inhale again. Breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold."

They sat and just practiced the breathing for half an hour.

"Papa, my teeth are buzzing and I feel dizzy."

"Then we need to stop and let you cool down a bit, you have hyperventilated. Slowly breathe in shallow sips of air."

Tama did as instructed and after a few minutes the odd sensations faded away, but now she felt energized and ready to run the hill. "Papa, is this the way it is for you, you breathe and then you feel ready to tackle anything?"

"Not really. I just do this to find my center of being, my place of inner peace and self control."

"What is the center, I don't understand that part."

"The center is your point of balance in between your mind, spirit and body. Once you have found that point you can relax and focus on one thing and do it as well or batter than normal. It allows for strength and endurance as well."

"Now, as I said last night, we will just focus on your controlled breathing. Sit back and relax and focus on the taking in of each breathe, feel where it goes as you take it in, slow and deep. As you hold it, feel your heart as it beats, the resistance of your lungs as they push you to release the air in them. Then slowly, very slowly release it. Feel it as the air comes out. Sense how your lungs feel, as the stomach muscles relax, as you chest falls. Push all the air out until totally empty."

Tama started out slowly as he took her step by step through the learning to breathe in a full and proper manner. The first several minutes were hard on her though. As she would push out all the air, she would start to cough up the phylum that accumulates in the lungs and just sits there unnoticed. Once she had most of it expelled, the real breathe training began.

For a full hour Tama and Axemen sat and slowly practiced breathing. Axemen felt for and found his center of self. Something he had not seriously done in several months. He was finally able to relax, when he started to become aware that he was being observed from nearby. He opened his eyes and looked around for a minute before he spotted Elder and Eaglesclaw sitting on a nearby bench.

He slowly rose to his feet and approached the pair looking less happy as he went towards them.

"Be at peace Axemen," said Eaglesclaw. "Nobody is going to harm your daughter. That was decided before I ever came close to Upper Pass village. I will only assist in what you are trying to accomplish now. Tell me, is this the meditation training Monks use to center themselves?"

"Yes it is. An old friend of my mothers heard of the trouble I was in with my mana control and taught me the ways of inner peace and calm. The way also gives one the ability to focus ones power for the greatest impact, or as in my case, reducing it to the absolute lowest level it is possible to obtain and still be alive. I will admit though, chopping trees does push my control to its limits at times."

"I can see were that could be an issue," said Eaglesclaw. "Swinging an axe is a great way to get your mad out at times as well."

"If we can teach basic control at first, then the skill to actually use her abilities will be easy for her to master," said Elder.

Eaglesclaw stopped and started looking thoughtful and Elder edged away from him a bit. "Oh boy Eagle, I always get worried when you get this look. Tavern crawls always turned into disasters when he started looking sort of blank like that. Yes we are both that old, so don't ask."

"The analogy of a woodworking shop to hang her tools up in, would that work with Tama?"

"Yes, I believe it might, but what..." Axemen started to ask.

"Good, what I am thinking of might just work. It would give her a familiar place to work in as she learns to manage her abilities rather than the mana itself."

Elder perked up at that, a rare smile splitting his otherwise dour expression. "Oh Eaglesclaw, that is a wonderful idea, she would not fight that at all I should think."

Tama had been continuing her breathing as was expected of her, at the same time she was keeping her ears open and listened to what the others were saying. She perked up when Eaglesclaw mentioned her using the woodshop in her head as a place to hang up her abilities when she did not need them.

Eaglesclaw quietly walked over to Tama and sat down across from her. "That idea just might work Master Eaglesclaw. I already have the shop area I work in envisioned, what would I need to do next."

"I want you add about a dozen is so hooks to the wall above the table, the kind that you could use to put a loop of rope over to keep it up and out of the way."

"Ok, I have the hooks in place, now what," Tama whispered as she concentrated on keeping the hooks in place in the revised image she was holding in her mind.

"Now I want to place a small black cauldron on the bench in front of you. In it is a slowly bubbling blue fluid. If you need to, lower the table down so you can see everything and reach it."

Tama was starting to lose the image she wanted, so she stopped and opened her eyes. "There are to many things happening at once, I keep losing parts of the image when I focus on another part of the picture Eaglesclaw, how will I be able to learn what you are teaching if I can't keep the image fixed in my mind."

"That is a common problem with this technique. Most folks allow the unused areas to fade, bringing them back as needed. It is a matter of building the entire image first, then being able to remember it in full as well as in bits and pieces."

"I keep losing the image of the wall with the hooks since the hooks are new and not part of the actual wall, I am seeing the wall as it is. Could we use a real wall so I can actually see it and hold it in my mind?" asked Tama.

"A good question, and the solution will be at the workshop." said Eaglesclaw. "Come on, get up you need to move around a little bit so you don't stiffen up. I have an idea that may help build image we want and help you keep it in your mind. But to do that we need to go to shop and see if old Greenheart will let us do what we need to do."

"As long as we don't make a big mess or get in the way of the others work, he should be willing to help us," replied Tama.

"Yes, it is just as I suspected it would be, he hasn't changed in fifty years. That happens a lot as you get older, you don't like to change things."

Tama looked Eaglesclaw and asked, "You have known Master Greenheart for that long?"

"Longer than that even. I am coming up on my third century child. I have known many people, Elven and otherwise. That is what makes living so long hard Tama, I see so many I called friends grow old and die. Our long lives are a gift and a curse in the mortal world we now live in."

They continued the walk across village in silence after that sad admission. It only took them another ten minutes to reach the wood shop. Eaglesclaw opened the front entrance without knocking which rather shocked Tama.

Eaglesclaw walked in and yelled, "Hey Greenie, you hiding back in the wood piles again?"

Back at his personal work area, Master Greenheart looked up and smiled, much to the surprise of everybody that could see him. He just shook his head and yelled back, "You still pretending to be eagle bait on the playground?" He shouted back, he turned and headed out to the front of the shop opening his arms and gave Eaglesclaw a big bear hug.

He looked around and saw Tama standing nearby looking rather at a loss for words. "Hey there Tama, are you hanging out with this drunken reprobate now? Next time you get a chance, ask him how he got the name Eaglesclaw. Now Slim, what brings you to my humble shop."

"Actually we are here to see if Tama can build a solid mental image of her workbench and the wall behind it," explained Eaglesclaw after he was able get his breathe back.

"What will you need besides her workbench to make this work," asked Master Greenheart turning all business in a single breathe. "Going for the old analogy trick again I see, good idea in this ones case. She will master it quickly I should think."

Tama blushed and smiled at the praise from her Trade skill master and mentor.

"How about a dozen tool hanger wall hooks, a small black steamer pot, and a dozen longbow strings with the loops already woven in."

Before anything else was said, Whittles and another apprentice were scrambling to gather the items mentioned. In just over a minute the hooks, pot and strings were at Tama's workbench and ready to use. A mallet was also set out to drive the hooks into the wall.

"A well trained group you have here." Everybody just smiled at Tama and went back to their respective benches. Eaglesclaw went to work driving each hook into the wall just above the back of the table in a straight line across the wall. Once he had the hooks in, he placed the small black steamer pot in the center of the table a bit towards the back. Gathering the strings, he lowered one end of the bunch in the empty steamer pot. He stopped and looked around for a second, "Tama, grab that block in the corner there please and bring it here."

Tama spotted what he wanted and picked up the round block of wood and handed to Eaglesclaw. He set it down inside the steamer pot to hold the strings in place. He then spread the strings out around the steamer pot on the table.

Tama took a moment and retrieved the step stool she used to work on her projects. She placed it centered and close to the bench, stepping up and looking over at the two old Elven. "Ok, I have this set up, what do I need to do now."

"First Tama, I want you to just look at it, look at each section, then step back and take it all in at once, gain a complete picture of the work bench in your mind. Once you have that set in your mind eye, then we can move on to the next step."

Tama started by looking at the nearest corner to her right and slowly started to look further to the left, pausing periodically to take in small details that somehow seemed important. It took close to half an hour for her to cover each section of the work bench, then she closed her eyes a started over, trying to picture each section of the bench and wall as it is in front of her. If she had doubts about a spot, she would open her eyes and look at that section again.

Tama continued this for another twenty minutes then stepped off her stool, pulled it back about five feet then stepped back up. She just looked at the scene in front of her, trying to take it all in at once. She looked for a moment, closed her eyes, then opened them and slowly scanned back and forth across the scene before her. Once she felt she had the image set in her mind, she stepped down and moved the stool back to the bench. She looked at Eaglesclaw and said, "What do I need to do now."

"I want you to pick up one of the strings, close your eyes and envision the journeyman's ability. You should have all the strings on the table as part of the vision now."

"I see them, they are moving around, squiggling kind of like worms."

"That is what you need to be able to see, the abilities as living things. The first one I want you to find the journeyman's. Touch each string until you find the correct one then hold onto it at the loop."

Tama carefully moved her hand in her inner vision and started to touch each string. One of the strings caused her to pause. This one was new to her senses. "Eaglesclaw, I have found one that I don't recognize. It feels sort of weird."