Shangri-la
Chapter 26

“I’m surprised, Lotus. It looks like you had been the one to do the most crying,” Oran said.

“Shut up,” Lotus snapped, purposefully hitting Oran’s shoulder as she walked past him. “And leave me alone!” With a fleeting glare back, Lotus opened the door to her car and climbed inside, slamming and locking the door behind her.

Whistling, Oran asked, “What happened?”

Iris opened her mouth to explain about Alder, but she suddenly realized that Lotus had never once mentioned the mysterious man to Oran, and that Lotus probably didn’t want Oran to know. “I think you should ask Lotus about it later,” she said, feeling a bit guilty about dodging around the truth.

“Maybe I’ll just have to deal without knowing then,” Oran muttered, sitting back down and picking up his book again.

“Hey Oran,” Iris began, choosing her words carefully. “How much do you know about the animal spirit guides?”

“Not much, I’m afraid.” Oran looked at Iris and grinned. “All the meditation in the world couldn’t help me, because when you’re spiritually dense, you’re spiritually dense.”

“But what about research? Have you done much of that?”

“Of course! I read all sorts of New Age books, but after I met Lotus I threw them all away. She is the only person I know who can actually physically turn into an animal–other than you.” Oran shook his heads. “The books talked about animal familiars and protectors, but nothing like that.”

“Then how did Lotus find out about it?” Iris asked.

“I would assume through Shangri-la. I met her just after her eighteenth birthday, and I could tell right away that she had a deep connection to an ancient and forgotten magick. She wanted to desperately search for the paradisaical land of Shangri-la, and I wanted to know more about her and what she could do, so we made an arrangement to work together.”

“But . . .” Iris was unsure if she should say it. Even in her mind it sounded cruel. “. . . Lotus seems to be very ignorant.”

Oran’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean?”

“Turning into an animal is about all that she can do. She never mentioned anything about the astral plane, or about the other things that animal guides can do.”

“Please explain.”

Iris took a deep breath. “Well, for instance, it’s possible to see other animal spirit guides by looking through the eyes of your own.” She didn’t know if she was making any sense, but she closed her eyes with the hopes of demonstrating her point. Kara, she thought. Let me see what you see. When the tingly warmth had spread completely through her, she opened her eyes again and gasped. “A mouse!” she exclaimed. “Your animal spirit guide is a mouse!”

Oran blinked in surprise, then laughed. “You’re right!”

Watching the small shimmery shape on Oran’s shoulder, Iris found herself grinning widely. “This is what the animal spirits can do,” she crowed. “And Lotus never thought of it!”

“That may be,” Oran said, unexpectedly somber, “but don’t push her below you so easily. Lotus is still able to communicate with Shangri-la, and she was able to find you. Can you sense auras the way she can?”

Feeling chastised, Iris looked down. Even right outside of Shangri-la, she still couldn’t really feel it, much less hear it speak. To her, Shangri-la was still nothing more than the name of a concept she wasn’t sure she understood.

“Different people have different skills, and none of them are any better than the others. Respect the skills that other people have, and they’ll forgive your shortcomings more easily.” Oran looked out into the trees, frowning. “Sorry,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t preach.”

A car door slammed, and Lotus’s voice rang out sharply, “Come on, let’s go!”

 

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