The soft swish of glossamer wings, accompanied by a soft hum alerted Jensarie to the fact that the sprites had arrived. The leader of the group yrag, landed softly on Jensarie outstretched hand. One by one as each messager departed, another landed in her place, until all the messages had been sent. As each sprite departed to bring her message to the healers, Jensarie recalled when she had last seen each of them.

Each year the Mother Healer, Refinnej, summoned all the healers to the Lake of Longing on the first, full moon of Spring. Spring, the season of birth and renewal was also the time of rejuventaion for the healers. As she sat there, Jensarie remembered each chakra healer and assessed the power each one held. There were many healers throughout the kingdom, but her father had requested the most powerful. Those who had practised their art for many years.

Two moons ago Jensarie had seen Haras heal a farmer from the village, whose strength seemed to have disappeared for no apparent reason. After the healing it was discovered he had eaten some of the fruit that grew at the end of the valley. The man had forgotten that the fruit was to be consumed only by the water spits who lived outside the boundries of the Valley and was a slow poision to valley dwellers. Haras, whose firey red hair reflected the color of her necklace of ruby, had seen this illness before and the farmer had survived his brush with death. In her hands the ruby necklace held the power to heal the root chakra. Located at the base of each persons spine, it was the source of energy and physical strength of all living things.

The Sacral chakra is the seat of emotion for all living things. It is in the lower abdomen and is linked to reproduction and desire. Atez, with her eyes the color of carnelian, was a great friend of Adnil's, and Jensarie's namer. When Jensarie was a child and Atez visited, she would watch entralled as the sunlight picked up the orange flecks in Atez's eyes reflecting it off her orange agate necklace. Jensarie's last visit with her had been eight moons ago, when she was visiting the Tree people. There had been a young couple who had been trying to conceive for many moons and Atez's healing power had helped produce a beautiful baby girl. The joy and gratitude of the Tree people had been overpowering.

Laneana, the gentle one, whose quiet manner, hid her wonderful power, until it was called upon, was one of Jensarie's favorites. Laneana's chakra, located just below the rib cage, held the sensitive center that responds emotionally to impressions and how our energies are exchanged with other people. Just standing in her presence and gazing at her amber necklace made Jensarie feel rested and at peace.

Two years before in the spring, Mirr was called to help a mountain dweller, whose wife had died giving birth to a son. The man had hardened his heart against the child who had taken the life of his beloved. Mirr's ability lay with the chakra located on the spine in the area of the heart. This chakra controls our ability to give and receive love, to feel compassion and to reach out to others. It is the center of all the chakras and can balance the seven energy centers. Mirr's eyes as green as a cat's, shone as brightly as, the jade stones in her necklace when the father was finally able to show love to the beautiful baby. The man was heard to say that when Mirr's healing touch penetrated his spine, it felt like his heart was going to explode in his chest. Mirr placed his infant son in his arms and he wept with joy. She had made him see that his wife would always live in the life they had created and his heart again felt love.

Aldona was the oldest living healer in the valley. Her chakra located at the top of the throat and is the center of creativity, speech, and hearing.Her turquoise necklace had helped many whose hearing and speech began to suffer as they aged. Aldona herself at the last spring gathering was heard to say that perhaps she was reaching her final years as a healer. Those who heard her were saddened because they knew her words were very near the truth.

Jensarie's earliest memories of the healing necklaces and the power they held, were of Sapphire, named for the brilliant blue stones in her necklace. Her chakra was the area of the brow at the forehead just above the eyes which is the energy center of sight, spirituality and the location of the subconscious mind. Jensarie had spent many wonderful days with Sapphire because she also wore a sapphire necklace, and received much help and encouragment from her as she learned to use her healing power. Last winter Sapphire had laughed and teased as Jensarie prasticed reading the auras of the castle cats and finally mastered the great strength of mind and consentration needed to work with humans.

The last chakra, the crown, located at the top of the head, is associated with the feeling of oneness with the universe. It controls our alignment with our true inner spirit. Its' stone amethyst, was Adnil's own and the loss of her amethyst necklace was now the reason of Jensarie's saddness. Jensarie had wished many times that she had been called to the crown chakra, but her mother had reminded her of how blessed she was to be able to heal the inner afflictions of ill people. These healings were the most difficult but also the most rewarding.

Jensarie was twice gifted because she was born on the eve of a full blue moon and was learning to use her moonstones to see the past and foretell the future from Maressa, who was also a keeper of the moonstone. Adnil's cousin Maressa, was a crown chakra healer of great reputation with the Mountain Dwellers, and she had spent many hours helping Jensarie gain the power to control her ability. At first it had terrified her that she could often read people's thoughts, not because she was trying to, but because she didn't know how to keep it from happening.

It caused many sleepless nights for Adnil and Maressa, as Jensarie's lack of control usually caused her to pick up the physical and spiritual illnesses of people whose minds she accidently read. Jensarie had thankfully learned the technique of blocking before any serious illnesses had befallen her.

As darkness began to fall Jensarie realized she must still go the end of The Lake of Longing to the keep of Diana, the Guardian of Innocence. She was needed to connect the healers to their inner innocence. When a powerful healing of a complete body was called for, the healers needed their powers to come from a time before their first healing, a time of innocence. Diana's special power enabled them to move backwards in their memories to this time of purity, when their minds, bodies, and spirits were fresh and untouched by the ills of the world.



Chapter 3