Aliandra: nymph: Book 1 The Nymph chronicles (19 page)

Chapter 41

As the weather got colder and the snow grew deeper, Ali refocused on her lessons, working hard so she could complete her schedule of technologies and subjects on time. When Ali did finally complete her Norse studies Odin and Frigg held a large lengthy banquet to celebrate her stay, farewell her and invite her return. At the end of the meal a tipsy Odin approached her with box in his hands.

"Aliandra, this is for you to take for the next part of your training. It is a comprehensive collection of Asgardian knowledge. Gaia asks that you bring it with you and not commence downloading it yet. I assume she has her reasons why. The estimated download time is forty thousand years" concluded Odin. "We all wish you well. A toast to Aliandra!" called out Odin. Every Norse god and goddess stood and toasted her.

The next morning Ali received instructions from Gaia to prepare for her next year of training. Gaia included a set of clothes in with the instructions. Rom was to be 'ported to Amirael at the attic house. Ali called Rom over to give him a big cuddle before she 'ported him out to Amirael. Ali was to empty her healing power into the earth. Ali followed the instructions and sent a note back to say she was ready. Gaia sent her 'porting coordinates.

Ali arrived floating in dark space and rechecked the coordinates. They were correct. As she waited she worked out that Gaia's instructions of what and how to pack began to make more sense.

Gaia arrived "Peaceful, is it not?" she asked.

"Yes, can I ask why we are here?"

"We are out of sight of any potential spectators. Now reach out with your senses and tell me what you find" instructed Gaia.

Ali concentrated and did as she was asked. Ali described the planets and stars of the galaxy.

"Reach further" said Gaia.

"Dark mass. It is huge, dense, black and hungry" said Ali.

"There is no point getting any closer there is nothing to see but darkness. What do you think it is?" asked Gaia.

"If it is a black hole then it is massive" said Ali.

"Yes, nothing is comparable. We started that black hole at the beginning of this incarnation. It has traveled through the unknown universes since time began... again. It has consumed many universes and now it travels toward the known universes. It is time to contain it" said Gaia.

"How am I to contain it?" asked Ali.

"It is to be your power source. What I have not told you about your power source was that it is malleable, you absorb energy of all forms from your surroundings. I will verify your capacity is large enough to contain it before I collect the black hole for you to incorporate into your capacity storage. I am afraid that this is going to hurt. Once the mass is stored and installed, you will have to draw the mass up through your system. That is not going to be easy. It may take many months or even years of agonizing effort. Once you have drawn the mass through your system and you are effectively powered up then you can download the Norse knowledge. What takes tens of thousands of years will only take a matter of hours. There are no plane holidays for this one, Aliandra. You will have to dig deep until it is done. This is where your stubbornness will be sorely tested" said Gaia.

"Have I done this before in previous incarnations?" asked Ali.

"No, this is the first. We are throwing everything at the problem this time around" said Gaia. "If you do not survive it then I will have to begin the universes again. That is why I ensured you had so many health associated powers" explained Gaia. "Pass me your dimensional window. When I load the black hole into your capacity I will be severely weakened. I will be watching you carefully and I will only open your window if this fails" said Gaia.

"Now I feel like I have the lives of everyone in the universe as a burden on my shoulders" grumbled Ali.

"You do, but no pressure" she grinned. "It might help to activate your armor when I am ready to do the transfer."

Gaia spent hours thoroughly scanning and measuring Ali's capacity before she declared that the fit was good. Gaia then spent many more hours rehearsing the transfer procedure. They discussed things that Ali might do to speed up the drawing up process, including changing to her dragonfly form. Finally Gaia told Ali to activate her armor and prepare for the worst because the best wasn't going to happen any time soon. In a split second the pain hit and Ali screamed as her world went black.

"Ali, are you awake?"

"Grandma?" asked Ali weakly

"Gaia, but grandma is fine too. You survived the transfer."

"Yay" said Ali feebly.

"Can you feel the mass?" asked Gaia.

"Yes, it is so heavy and strong. I cannot grasp it with my mind to start the drawing down process" said Ali.

"Deactivate your armor and change to a dragonfly, then try again" instructed Gaia.

Ali complied and she could feel the slow seep of dark mass into her body. When it felt half way up her spine she returned to nymph form and the dense mass sprung back, but not as far as it originally started. Ali explained to Gaia what happened. Gaia said that Ali had an option of turning to dragonfly form until the mass was in her grips and holding on for dear life when she changed back. Gaia warned Ali that this would undoubtedly up the pain levels dramatically but it would speed up the process. It was Ali's choice.

"Let's get this thing done. Time's a wastin'" said Ali staunchly in her Eurekan accent. Just have the ambrosia ready for me. I crave it when I am a dragonfly."

Ali transformed into her dragonfly form and waited as hours blended into days. Gaia provided the dragonfly with ambrosia as they waited. Time seemed endless waiting in the darkness of space. When Ali was certain she had a good grip on the mass she held tight with both hands and everything in her then transformed back to nymph form. It was so painful Ali couldn't form a scream. She clenched her teeth and hung on tight. Gaia carefully and repeatedly trickled ambrosia into Ali's mouth. Over painstaking months Ali held tight and never gave an inch. Gaia stayed at her side and supported her every protracted minute of every excruciating day.

"When the mass is up to your shoulder level then the pain will ease off and the drawing process will be faster" encouraged Gaia.

Ali nodded because speaking was too painful. Eventually the pain slowly eased and the drawing process moved down her arms and spread evenly through her body. Gaia checked that the mass was thoroughly absorbed into Ali's system.

"How do you feel now, Ali?"

"I'm scared of letting go just in case I have to start all over again" she replied.

"The worst is over. sweetheart" said Gaia gently. The seeping process is nearly finished. You did good work. I will let you know when you can let go. Trust me?"

Ali nodded then put her head on Gaia's shoulder. Gaia held her gently and rubbed her back to soothe her as she had done so many times before.

Chapter 42

When Gaia told Ali to let go of the mass, Ali did so and waited. Nothing happened.

"That is good, right? Nothing happened?" asked Ali

"Yes, the drawing and seeping processes are complete and you will be able to draw on your power now. Your capacity is larger than Zeus' now and he is an air god. Combine that with your current energy source and you are more powerful than all the counsel combined. You still need to keep a low profile though and pretend weakness to draw out the rest of your enemies. They may find a way to strike at you, your husband or your children at any time in the future if they remain hidden. They cannot have that power over you if you are to be effective as a justice goddess. We will practise utilizing your new skills with your power so you get the balance right.

"How are you holding up, grandma?"

"I am still weak but holding up" replied Gaia.

"I want to heal you and see if I can power you up. I had power transference as one of my gifts but I haven't used it much yet" said Ali.

"Power transference is extremely useful because you can siphon a god's power as you battle them. As powerful as you are now, you would be able to avoid a battle altogether just by continuing to siphon a god's power. You activate your power transference and then you push power into me, like you do when you heal the earth" instruct Gaia.

Ali followed Gaia's instructions and as she poured her power into Gaia they lit up as brightly as a supernova. Power continued to overflow after Ali stopped the power transfer.

"What do I do to stop it?" asked Ali frantically.

"Aim it at that star" called out Gaia.

The star exploded in a blinding flash and the fallout lit up the galaxy.

"Oops" said Ali.

"That is why we are out here in the middle of nowhere" grinned Gaia. "So now you know to slow things down well before the end of the transfer, then just take your time and go slowly" said Gaia. "How much energy mass did that use up?"

"I think it was about a bucketful" replied Ali.

"Considering you have just powered up every corner of the known and unknown universes with a bucket's worth of your energy I would say we did a good job" announced Gaia.

"Why am I trusted with so much power?" asked Ali.

"Throughout every incarnation you have never been corrupted or abused your power. You have earned our trust" Gaia replied. "Time to download the Norse knowledge base. I will hand you the disks, you download them and I will file them back in place. Here is your window back too."

Ali replaced her window in her storage gem and proceeded to take the disks and hand them back. It took hours before it was complete. Gaia advised Ali that she was due to begin keening again. It would be better if they stayed where they were for that.

"After this power up, keening is going to seem like a breeze."

"Did you want the sphere?" asked Gaia.

"We might as well collect my scent for Poseidon. It will make no difference to me out here. What can I do while I am going through the keening? Got any more puzzles for me to work out?" asked Ali.

"Yes. I will 'port in the sphere when the keening begins in earnest. Until then we get back to work" insisted Gaia.

Ali's keening lasted a full five weeks followed by three months of the tailing off period. Gaia fed her ambrosia throughout and kept her company. Ali tried to work out how this keening had transformed her and came up empty. Ali asked Gaia if she had noticed the change expected from the keening.

"Yes, you no longer transform into a dragonfly. In the midst of the keening you kept transforming to a dragon" replied Gaia. "You were out of it, so you didn't notice much."

"What type of dragon? A big scary one or a little one?" asked Ali

"A big, scary metallic-green dragon with a lilac stomach. Very pretty!" said Gaia.

"What does that mean to my development and training?" asked Ali.

"Titans are often dragons. So you now have developed from a goddess into a titan. The difference between a god and a titan is that power expenditure can be dramatically faster for titans. The Olympian gods have kept us, titans, on short leashes and powered down since the war. Many of my children now exist on minimal energy and can barely function; so they cannot afford to expend a blast of power even to defend themselves" explained Gaia. "Any other questions?"

"Yes, when can I eat a big juicy steak instead of sipping ambrosia?" asked Ali.

"We have to get you used to your powers. I have another list of things I want you to practise. This universe is vacant so if you make a mistake then no-one gets hurt. We will start with super 'porting. From these coordinates to these, off you go."

Ali returned instantly. "Any trouble?" asked Gaia.

"Nope, all good. Next task. I want my steak; medium-rare with  baked potatoes, corn and a side salad. Let's get this thing done and go eat. I'm hungry!" said Ali. "I have been promising myself a big steak to get through all through the drawing and seeping processes and I was hanging on by a thread in the keening. What can I say, good food is a big motivator for me."

"Alright, if we go to an inhabitable planet nearby and I 'port to the attic house and get your food. Is that acceptable?" asked Gaia.

"I love you so much right now" said Ali with a big grin. "Show me the way!"

Gaia 'ported Ali to the planet and left immediately to get the food. Gaia returned loaded down with food and Ali nearly tackled her in her rush.

"I asked chef to keep cooking and to put all the food on a table from where I can 'port it directly here" said Gaia.

"You have no idea how much I appreciate this" said Ali with her mouth full of steak. Ali kept eating until she could barely move. Gaia then sent chef a note saying that he could stop cooking for now and just deposit food on the table at regular meal times.

Ali completed all the tasks and they kept practising until she was adept and confident at every skill she had learned so far. Ali could have wept with joy when Gaia finally said she could return with her to the cottage.