Synopsis: Culleen Callawe’en left north where all but she possessed personal magic, to quest for her own. With companions Vesta, wolf-dog, and Kuth, raven, she traversed the abandoned lands of the middle. Eastern gate, guised as escarpment, provided passable through fissure to cave above great easterlies sea. There, Culleen spied her pale doppelgänger; wraith-woman with whom she would clash. Culleen won the round – possessing wraith-woman’s bow and single launched arrow.

With arrow came Culleen’s first taste of magic – she now understood, as all her people did, raven speak. Following a dream message, she found wraith-woman – Maaginen – at an encampment in the heath lands of bending sea grass and copses of twisted yews on the sea cliff undulating landscape. In a trance, she rode with Maaginen to a stone crossing where outward sea meet inward stream. Walking across the high tide waters, Culleen was lead through the forest to a spring that flowed still, yet moving – refreshing cool water, then soothing hot spring. She still knows little of why the wraith watched, attacked, then welcomed her. Why they were almost mirrors of themselves – one light and airy, one dark and solid. Sea foam green eyes meeting midnight blue ones. Raven hair to flaxen hair. Sword and staff to bow and arrow.

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