Isyd watched Naeht skimming past the waves of the River. Under the moonlight, she reminded Isyd of the water spirits that played important roles in tales and legends. Naeht managed to keep pace with the boat as it sailed downstream. The two triangular sails of the vessels had been released and they had caught a relatively strong wind as soon as they had left Vilriver. The boat was made out of bright timber under the decaying painting. It had two masts, a low keel and a single long cabin toward the stern. Isyd was familiar with this kind of vessel; it was the preferred ship of the Antim as it could sail near the coastlines and most rivers. Plus, only a limited crew was needed to man the boat, like a small family for instance.

Agna Sharma had just finished rushing around the boat and attending to her tasks. She had put down her oar as the ship had gained speed and she approached Isyd who sat against the mast, wrapped in his darkveil to protect himself from the cold wind of the night. She sat just in front of him, a glint in her dark eyes.

“ I was surprised to hear you speak our language, ” she said. “ You speak it very well! ”

“ I am still learning ,” Isyd said with a humble bow of his head.

“Let us speak in your language instead. It will serve me as practice.”

“As you wish.”

She narrowed her eyes at his simple response. “You are a mysterious man, Isyd Wybrany!”

To that, Isyd simply smirked. “I’m a man of few words, it is all.”

“Few words and many talents then. Did I truly see an Inlander use the Mātā-Narta ? Surely, my eyes played tricks on me…”

“There was no trick. In turn, I am surprised you recognized it so quickly.”

“It is because I am also learning the Dance of the Mother ! How does an Inlander such as you know those things?”

“The fact that I am an Inlander should not matter, I think. ‘ It is a truth that the Mother is One. So is the blood, so is the water. Thus, it is a truth that all are her Sons and all are her Daughters. ”

Agna turned to her brother who had approached in the meantime. “ He even knows the scripture! ”

“ I heard him, ” Prashan said, but he was also flabbergasted. He remained standing, as if still wary of Isyd.

“I have lived among your people for several years,” Isyd explained to them. “I have learned many things.”

“Have you ever gone to Shikhara, then?” Agna asked.

“I have, years ago. It is where I learned the Path of the Mother and your language.”

Isyd hesitated to say too much about it. Technically speaking, he would live with the Antims only years from now. And he wasn’t comfortable talking about his past, to begin with. He decided to move away from that subject.

“What about you? You are a long way away from Shikhara. Is it where you are going?”

“Ultimately, yes,” Agna said. “We’ve been gone for three years now. We sailed all the way around the Eastern Lands and traded in all the cities along the shores. Vilriver was the last city; now we sail back home.”

Isyd wasn’t surprised to hear that. The Antims were renowned sailors and traders.

“Are you an Artyst, Isyd Wybrany?” Prashan asked. “I saw Artysta wearing the same clothes as you.”

“I am a Pupil of the Academy. Not an Artyst yet but studying to become one.”

“It is the first time I meet an Artyst...” Agna said. “Our people do not have Artysta.”

“You do, but not in the same way as us,” Isyd said. “Those who follow the Path of the Mother would be called Artysta by Inlanders.”

Agna exchanged a confused look with her brother. “But… all the Antims follow the Mātā-Marga … Does that mean that all the Antims are Artysta?”

“Yes, in some ways. What the Antims call Āsis , the Blessing, is what we call the Holy Grace. Now, the Path of the Mother teaches you among other things to control your Āsis , does it not? In that way, it is not different from how the Holy Arts are used by Artysta to control the Holy Grace.”

“I see. I never thought about it that way before…” Prashan said. He turned a keen eye on Isyd. “You are wiser than you look, Isyd Wybrany.”

“ I am still learning ,” Isyd said with a bow of his head.

“My aunt said I would start to learn more seriously about the Mātā-Marga once we get back,” Agna said excitedly. “It means I will become an Artysta!”

“Not if you do not take it seriously,” her brother said. “You never wanted to study the scriptures back home.”

“Because the scriptures are boring! This is better! Once we get back home, you will see me make the wind sings and waves dance!”

“How so? The Path is so much more than praying and hoping something happens, Agna!”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“You speak like you know so much more than me! Just because Uncle taught you one thing or two doesn’t mean you have walked the Path , brother! Skim the arrogance from your words like you skim the scum from your water! ”

“I do know more than you! I have Danced with the Elders!”

“The Mātā-Narta has a little to do with the Mātā-Marga !”

Isyd was content with watching the two siblings bickering, but there he decided to intervene.

“The Dance of the Mother is a core principle of the Path of the Mother , as you will come to see, I am sure. It is by walking the Path that the first Antims have learned to Dance. ”

“See, I told you so!” Prashan said. “You better start studying rigorously once we’re home.”

“The Path can be explored in many ways,” Isyd said. “The scriptures are just one possibility. The understanding of the Path is the journey as well as it is the destination. Do not lose heart, Agna, you will find your own way to explore the Mātā-Marga as everything and everyone ultimately do . Look at me, I am an Inlander and still, I have found my own understanding.”

The young girl visibly brightened with renewed confidence at his words.

“Do you know what is the other name of the Mātā-Marga ?” Isyd asked.

“Of course! We call it the Samudra-Marga, the Path of the Sea !”

“Good. Then let me offer you something that may help you later on,” Isyd extended his left hand and with his right, pointed at the River. He gathered Grace and his fingers went through the quick motion of a [Hex]. “‘ The Sea is the Mother. From her we all came, to her we shall return. Her blood is the Water. ’”

From the River, a strand of water jumped out and flew into Isyd’s left palm. The water formed into a liquid sphere floating a few inches from his naked skin. Agna and Prashan both let out audible gasps; they were not used to seeing a display of the Arts so openly.

“‘ Water of the Sea, Water of the Earth, Water of the Air, Water of Sky, ’” Isyd continued. “‘ As it Dances between the Realms, I recognize it as One. ’”

Still with his right hand, he drew another [Spell] in the air, too quick for others to see. The [Spell] shone briefly as it activated; from the air, the moisture was sucked out and formed into another bubble that landed next to the previous one.

Isyd then pointed at Agna sitting in front of him.

“‘ Daughter of the Mother. Of flesh, bones and blood, you are born of the Water. ’”

At Isyd’s urging, the perspiration on Agna’s brow flew from her skin and formed into a final sphere next to the two others. Isyd closed his eyes, letting the Idpulse overwhelm his mind. With his gloved hand, he cast a [Hex] of great complexity and took several minutes to completely draw it. Then, Isyd closed his left hand and when he opened it again, the three spheres of water had been replaced by a singular ball of ice.

The sphere was crystal clear and shone with an inner light, like a defective Lightsphere. Three strange fluids — something with the consistency between a liquid and a vapour — were floating inside the ice. They were of three distinct hues of blue and swam around one another without mixing.

Isyd held the strange ice sphere between his thumb and forefinger to let the siblings see it clearly. They were both mesmerized to the point of mutism. Isyd couldn’t help but smile at their open wonder.

“There are many truths, but a single Path ,” Isyd finally declared. “Do you understand what I’m trying to teach you?”

“I do…” Agna let out in a whisper.

“Good. Here, take it and keep it with you. Use it as a reminder when you start your own journey on the Path of the Mother. ”

Isyd handed her the gem and she took it with reverence as if it was the most precious thing she’d ever touched.

“Thank you so much, Isyd Wybrany,” Agna said timidly. “I will remember this, I promise.”

Prashan finally sat next to his sister, portraying a humbled posture. “ I... I appreciate this new perspective on the Mātā-Marga. I thank you for it, Isyd Wybrany .”

As it was proper in those cases, Isyd clasped his hands together above his head and bowed succinctly.

“ We are all still learning… ”