Spirit Love

Jolan continued to shoot side eye glances at the man suddenly added to their group.

To begin Amethyst and the "gentleman" were thrown out of the cage so abruptly both he and Eveline almost attacked them. Then Amethyst begins and ends the conversation by saying 'He's going with us' with a thumb to the "he" and by walking off briskly with him following.

Jolan had already asked several times what had happened in the cave, while casting more sidelong glances. To say he was stonewalled would have been an understatement. Now he was playing with the idea of asking the mister briskly walking next to his sister for details about the cave excursion.

Amethyst knew she was marching instead of walking. She wasn't even being very observant of their surroundings as they went.

Now that she was outside of the cave she was questioning her intuition. She knew that this man was important to her but she felt she really didn't have time for this. She did not want to be like her parents: long lived. In love for hundreds of years and hating for another hundred or two.

She exhaled deeply to try to calm herself but still quickened her pace a bit more.

"Why are you so upset? If my presence is a disturbance…" Solnm stopped talking and walking at the same time without any external motivation.

He didn't stop abruptly but Jolan almost ran into him. He stared at his back for a short moment then walked around him.

"I suppose you two need some alone time. I can handle Drousan on my own. Amethyst handle Crims."

Eveline kept up with him. Amethyst stood rooted to the spot looking at Solnm thinking this was all his fault. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to yell. She wanted to go after her brother but her body did not care what she wanted and she just stood in place as her bother walked towards a potential time occurrence that no one had ever seen before.

On a beach on Pillar Island facing Drousan Island:

Jolan stood on the shore. His eyes closed and his mind sharp. He had several of his mother's spirit beings with him, including Eveline. They surrounded him in a semi circle watching him and the area around them all.

He sent his perception out over the water towards the whirlpool. It spread forth in a wide band moving over the waves.

He wanted to see if he could determine what effects the whirlpool may have and he wanted his perception spread out a bit to cover the complete top surface of the whirlpool to narrow and fall down through the length of the whirlpool. He felt gaining an understanding of it in this manner would be more complete and he would not need to piece things together.

His perception hit the outer edge of the whirlpool. Time stuttered and triggered his ability. He felt his mother reach out and strengthen him. He also could sense that she was utilizing his senses to understand the whirlpool as well.

For a brief moment he felt he should have brought his mother with him.

His time spell work moved along the water on top of his perception but all he could sense was a rhythmic stutter over the top of the whirlpool. As his perception encompassed the entire surface he sensed the stutter was in the pattern of three long bursts, two short, and one long.

His perceptions and a time spell began flowing down the whirlpool to encompass the entire thing. Mid way down he understood that there were six different time spells guiding the whirlpool and this was causing the six different stutters.

His perception encompassed the entire outside of the whirlpool but it had not delved down into the center. His consciousness turned to his mother, she answered immediately.

"I think the six spells are culminating inside the whirlpool to affect what happens on the island. Let me lead and see what we can discover."

He felt a soothing fluffiness seemingly scoop up his perception. His perception rode the back of his mother's perception and she led them both down into the center of the whirlpool.

They still felt the stuttering but it was like a song here in the center. Through his mother's perception Jolan could sense the smooth flow of time and that it looped around to repeat a month. He heard his mother tisk in his mind.

His mind focused and he tried to perceive what she had noticed but he saw nothing. Puzzled he asked" What did you sense mother? Do you feel this is chaotic in some way?"

Theresa's brief pause. "No but it seems two of the spells constrain the amount of times a person or group can enter the loop."

Jolan perked up. "Which two?" He remained tethered to his mother's perception and reached out his own trying to understand the spell work.

"It is in the weave. You will have three tries. If you do not complete the loop or leave the island successful in three tries you will become lost in time."

"In the weave?" Jolan didn't want to seem nervous but his heart began to thump harder. He focused on the spell weave trying to distract himself.

"Look where the different spells have been woven together. There are six intricate weaves that determine the specifics of the loop. Two of these are constricting how often one can go through the loop."

He knew she was speaking slowly but it seemed like she was speaking too fast or his brain was processing too slowly.

Anabel sighed in his mind. "You can wait for Amethyst or you can go in with the spirit beings. Once you are in the loop and I understand the time spin inside I should be able to keep up with you." She paused a few moments. "Do you want me or your father to come?"

Jolan was lost in thought for a long time. Not really sure what he currently wanted to do. He was confident in his ability but he could not stop thinking about his accident and how his mother had to pull him forcefully from that time stream.

He knew he had lost a part of himself that he would never be able to get back. Would he lose another part of himself and would it be too big of a part this time?

"Why are you thinking so hard? I thought you could do this on your own?"

He looked up to see his sister pursing her lips and looking at him condescendingly. He turned his gaze back to Drousan Island.

"Eveline did mother inform you about the spell work within the whirlpool?"

Eveline nodded curtly. "She did."

Jolan nodded in return. "I am going to tether myself to you. If I feel I can not complete the loop I time I will bring myself back through the tether."

Eveline nodded again and the spirit beings that were time warlocks or mages stepped forward to go to Drousan with Jolan.

"Jolan. Solnm and I will go with you. We can…"

"No. I have mother's spirit beings and two of them are apparitions. They can easily move through time. If there is an issue they can find me quickly or come back here and tell you." He paused and looked at Solnm. "Besides it seems like you need to talk some things out or figure them out. I am not sure. I am sure that you were drawn to him and you can't ignore him."

Amethyst did not respond and she did not look at Solnm.

Jolan completed his tether with Eveline. He stood on the beach and reached his arms forward. A wide bridge of starlight and cosmic dust arced across the water and down into the whirlpool.

He and the spirit beings phased in and out across the bridge and down into whirlpool soundlessly.

Eveline turned and walked up the bank to a grassy area, and began setting camp. "You two go find food."

"We are all spirit beings we do not food."

"You are both divine spirit beings. You can eat. If you don't want to eat I have some of your father's favorite wine." She paused and looked at Amethyst who watched her with wide eyes. "You don't drink as well?" Eveline shrugged. "More for me."

Solnm pulled Amethyst down the beach. "I have not eaten in a millennia and I love seafood." He smiled broadly at her. "You can watch me fish. Maybe we can find some nice fruit or interesting vegetables."

He was so excited that it made Amethyst smile. "Okay. I am coming!"

Jolan phased onto Drousan's Beach. He looked in every direction pausing as he saw the wall of the whirlpool not four meters from the shore.

The sands were a deep blue and the beach seemed to go on for miles with the whirlpool closer at some points and at others it was father away. He could see deep grey cliffs topped with vibrant green grass.

He stepped forward, followed by the spirit beings. Their time shields flickered as they connected with the time anomalies of the island.