Role

Chapter 15

The hawk circled, its sharp eyes searching below for its next meal. As it
soared over the treetops, it passed over a forest clearing. Instead of a mouse
or rabbit, it saw there a small wood-elf woman, sitting cross-legged on the
dewy grass. She was nothing to him, and he caught the next updraft, circling
higher. Hunting, searching, waiting.

From below, Mystrillania gazed up at the bird, her eyes upturned in a smile.
She felt good. She felt... present. Much of her time had been spent thinking
of the past, or worrying about the future. But for the past few days, since
letting go of Pvask's spirit, she felt none of that anxiety. She felt as she
had in the days of her youth in the swamp, just living and experiencing the
wonder around her.

Suddenly, her back stiffened with a jolt. She felt a consciousness creep into
her she had never felt before. Her eyes glowed with a faint orange light.

"Ah, so the time has come at last!" she said in a strangely high-pitched voice
that was not her own. "You are ready for your final teachings, I think. I am
Bramble Aspenswamp! Teacher! Leader! Healer! Uh... gnome!"

"Bramble?" Mystrillania said in her own voice.

"Well it's not my real name. I don't remember it! Nobody does! But it doesn't
matter, it's my name now. All that matters is now! That's the lesson you
needed to learn, you goofy elf! It only took you what? 300 years? You spend a
lot of time thinking about things that don't matter NOW! Trust me, you'll have
a lot of time to think when you're a spirit waiting for your turn to guide.
Wisdom is gained from experience, then thinking later. Much later! Just go
experience life! You have a lot of it left, trust me on that."