Page 58 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure
"War. Displacement. The usual tragedies." He kept his tone light, but as he turned to look at Tamira, her expression suggested that she heard the old pain behind his words. "Then again, getting displaced meant that I traveled all over and learned a lot along the way, so it wasn't all bad."
It was terrible, horrific, and he couldn't even think about the fate that befell his people without his heart breaking into a million shards that shredded his insides and made him wish for death to stop the pain. They had been annihilated, and he'd barely managed to escape with the precious cache he'd been entrusted to save, the treasure that was now buried under tons of rock. He had to find a way to dig it out, not only to save it but also to honor the sacrifice of those who had made his escape possible.
"Well, whoever taught you along the way did an excellent job," Rolenna said. "Tony claims that your remedies cured his migraines when nothing else would."
Tony nodded. "That's true. And I didn't feel like throwing up after drinking the concoction either. Elias sweetened it with honey. Thank you."
"It was my pleasure," Eluheed said. "My garden may be small, but each plant there was chosen carefully and cultivated with intention."
"Speaking of intention," Liliat said with a mischievous glint, "Tamira claims she manifested you seeking her out in the garden earlier."
She'd told him that, but he wasn't sure how to respond without embarrassing her. "I guess she did because I felt compelled to check out the garden."
"I was practicing what the book suggested," Tamira said. "Focusing on my desire for interesting conversation. And then he appeared."
"After this, therefore, because of this," Tony said. "Classic logical fallacy."
"Or classic manifestation." Raviki turned to face the guy. "How would we tell the difference?"
"You'd need a control group." Tony seemed to warm to the topic. "Double blind studies, multiple trials, statistical analysis?—"
"How romantic," Tula interrupted his flow dryly. "Darling, I manifested you, and I have the data to prove it."
Everyone around the table laughed, and more of the pain in Eluheed's chest eased. Laughter was therapeutic.
"What I find interesting is how often ancient spiritual practices align with cutting-edge science," Sarah said, looking pointedly at Tony. "Studies show that meditation changes brain structure. Prayer affects recovery rates. Shamanic drumming induces theta brainwaves associated with deep healing. You can't poke holes in that because it was proven."
"Bad science," Tony muttered as dessert was served, delicate pastries that looked too beautiful to eat. "Don't forget remote viewing," he added in a mocking tone. "The CIA spent millions researching it. Turns out shamans have been doing it for millennia."
"You're remarkably open-minded for a scientist," Eluheed said, ignoring the guy's sarcasm.
Tony shrugged. "Given my experience, I guess more is possible than I can conceive of. I could have never imagined that I would find myself trapped on an island full of immortals." He grinned at Tula. "If someone had told me that I would be surrounded by beautiful women and chosen by the most beautiful of them all, I wouldn't have believed it, but I would have surely hoped it was true."
"Flatterer." Tula leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"I like to imagine that I'm free in some other, parallel universe," Beulah said. "Supposedly, every quantum event splits reality into multiple timelines, and since there are an infinity of events, there are also an infinity of realities. In one of them, I'm not a concubine locked in a harem."
"Or you might be suffering a worse fate," Sarah said. "If multiple universes exist, then I bet that in half of them you suffer and in half of them you enjoy life, so balance is maintained. It's all about balance in the universe."
19
TAMIRA
"The multiple universes idea is too confusing," Tamira said. "I have enough trouble understanding what's going on in this one."
Rolenna nodded. "Like collective consciousness. It doesn't make sense to me. If we're all connected on some level, why does communication require such effort? Even the six of us, who have lived together for thousands of years, still have disagreements over silly misunderstandings and imagined slights. Why don't we simply know each other's hearts?" She turned to Elias. "Any thoughts on the subject?"
Tamira watched Elias as he considered Rolenna's question. He was so smart and so careful, neither rushing to answer nor deflecting with empty mysticism.
"Our brains function like sieves. They limit the amounts of information they allow into our conscious minds, and blocking the pain, fear, and longing of others is critically important. If you were exposed to all that, the weight would crush you."
That was such a good answer, and Tamira was proud of her shaman.
Well, he wasn't hers. Not yet anyway. But soon.
It was almost funny how her attraction to him was growing with every clever thing he said.
"We carry that weight just from reading about it," Beulah said quietly. "All the wars, the natural disasters, the endless suffering. And through it all, we are here, in perfect isolation."
