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||I blinked. My eyes were only open for a second. I was facing the woman I knew was Emer. My hand was on top of hers. Under hers was that of a tanned young man. To my left was a chair. No fourth; no Zero. I closed my eyes again.
Suddenly the four of us were no longer beside the old man and his horse. We were now standing in the field of grain on the path that led into the forest. Again. The scenery was almost the same. Almost, save that the clouds around the red mountain had grown darker. Lightning was cutting jagged marks through the sky illuminating it like a giant halo.
Suddenly my vision went dark and I opened my eyes. I closed them again. Dark still. I had broken the connection. I took my hand out of the circle and listened to the banter that came with such an exercise.
"What happened?" Rithnok asked in a careful monotone voice.
I apologized quietly, speaking to his subconscious. He then went on to explain to Emer what he had just heard. I had merely broken the link; they could continue.
I stood up and left the room to get something to drink. Was all this really necessary? The truth that I seek can't be found in rituals and meditations. I know because I was raised in a very religious and conservative Christian family that prayed at least twelve times a day. Though not inherently opposed to Christianity, the Earth Religions have much more to say on the matter of the Infinite. I accepted the idea of reincarnation and goddess-worship so immediately that it never truly really displaced my faith in Jesus Christ. But it was easy to ignore as I intellectually bathed myself in Pagan teachings, adding the teachings of the ancient Celts to my Bible-soaked spirit.
Through diversity, I discovered similarities, and with a few like-minded friends, founded an organization called the Independent Order of Contemporary Druids. Within our small circle of intellectuals could be found followers of not less than six religious faiths. Though we abandoned our small project only a few months later, the discourse that emerged from these meetings changed all of us. . .
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