Beneath the Sunless Sky

Chapter Nineteen

—Khae Falairas, Velara—

Her mind was beginning to wander away from her body, drifting out into the aetherial sea without anything to anchor her, nothing to pull her away. She was free. Pulled along by the magical currents in the air, she allowed her body and mind to relax, allowed herself to be swept up in the moment before she slowly turned her attention to the matter at hand. She could not wander aimlessly. She had somewhere to reach. So, she turned her mind toward the Grave, to that place where few could ever reach, and gently reached for the shadowy tendrils of that void-filled world, pulling herself closer and closer and—

"Dell?"

A hand touched her shoulder, and Idelle jumped at the contact, violet eyes snapping open to find Lulu sitting in front of her, a smile on her face, and a sandwich in her hand. She held it out to her. Idelle sighed, frustrated.

"It's your favorite," Lulu announced in a singsong voice, gently waving the sandwich beneath her nose. "I doubt you can concentrate on an empty stomach."

Idelle took the sandwich, but merely held it in her hands. "Actually, I was getting somewhere before you interrupted me."

"Oh," Lulu actually appeared apologetic. "I didn't think...I mean, you've been trying for two days. I thought maybe the sandwich would...You know, what? I'll just leave you alone..."

"No," Idelle shook her head, blushing when her stomach rumbled loudly. "I'm actually really hungry. And, the company would be nice. I'm a little tired of meditating."

Lulu took a large bite of her sandwich, leaning her head back against the dirty wall behind her, eyes straying to the rest of their group resting on the other side of the room they were in, most dozing by the fire. They fell into a comfortable silence, both eating as the sound of the fizzling rain on the shield above their heads accompanied their quiet chewing.

"Why is it so difficult?" Lulu asked after a long while, her eyes trained on the floor between them. "It's just magic right? Can't you just pop in whenever?"

Idelle shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. It's difficult to explain..."

The noise her friend made forced her to look in her direction. Lulu's brow was pinched, an angry look on her face as she kept her gaze trained on the floor.

"What?"

Lulu made the noise a second time. "That's what you'd always tell me when you were busy talking magic with Ori. Every time I'd ask you'd tell me I wouldn't understand."

"I didn't mean..."

"I know I'm magically...hindered, but I might be able to help."

Idelle let out a long sigh, scooting closer so that she could reach for Lulu's hand. When her friend finally looked up, Idelle smiled softly. "I didn't mean you couldn't understand. Talking with Ori was always easier because...sometimes the magic is so involved it's difficult for me to find the words to explain it. Ori just...knows what I'm talking about. I didn't mean to make you feel dumb."

Lulu made another noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. "So, what makes this so complicated then?"

Idelle thought for a moment, gathering her knowledge of the subject before she began to speak. It was a difficult endeavor to attempt, let alone explain why it was difficult to someone who didn't have even the faintest understanding of magic.