The Aura

The atlantic ocean was more peaceful than usual today. The sun was shining, and the magician watched dolphins streaming in toward the stern of the ship from the wider ocean. He then stepped back from the railing, walked to a small bench on the deck, lay down, drifted off to sleep, and dreamed.

He awoke minutes or hours later, with the warm sun shining on his face. He was groggy after the dream, and wobbled a little as he walked around the outer decks. The other passengers thought he must be one of those who could not find their "sea legs." 

The grogginess did not seem to clear for a long time. He couldn't think clearly, and was out of balance. Has the enchantress cast some kind of joke-spell, to befuddle him again? He tried to cast a small spell to call to her, but his co-ordination was bad and the forces of magic avoided his control. He sighed, and walked to their cabin like an ordinary mortal.

He knocked gently and poked his head through the cabin door. "Beautiful enchantress, are you up to something?" He was grinning, expecting her to confess to some kind of trickery or another.
She looked up from her book. "Reading about Orpheus. A wonderful singer, and storyteller. Listen." She cast a spell, and a haunting, melodious voice, singing poetic ancient greek verses, drifted into the room.
The magician assumed she was playing innocent to allow her tomfoolery to linger a little longer. But he was growing tired of the fogginess in his mind. He asked her directly. "Enchantress, have you cast another trick, to cloud my mind again? I don't mind, very funny, but I had to walk her like a regular person! Can I have my powers back now?"
The expression on the face of the enchantress did not move. She waited several moments and considered his words. Then she questioned him. "Your mind is clouded? How long?"
The magician was a little confused by her reaction. Should he be concerned, or was he misreading the signs? He stepped into their cabin, and closed the door behind him. "I woke up like this perhaps an hour ago."
She listen carefully. "You woke up? What happened?"
"I fell asleep on the deck in the sun. I was watching the dolphins and…"
The enchantress spoke over him. "I want to speak to the Goddess."
He looked at her with a quizzical expression. Summoning the Goddess seemed a bit extreme. Getting rid of a bad spell was a little annoying, but not so difficult… "Why do we need the Goddess? We reverse spells every day…"
She took his hand and pulled him toward her. "Your are a magician. Your mind is sacred ground. Someone has invaded your mind, they are desecrating sacred ground. I want to know and understand who it is!"
The enchantress sounded so distressed, the magician guessed his unusual state had panicked her somehow. "Beautiful Lady, we are safe. Why do you think someone has invaded my mind?"
She stood up, and pointed toward the mirror. "Look!"

The magician saw his reflection. His aura was churning and pulsing like a powerful storm, the color of deep blue and orange. He recognized immediately the cause of his grogginess. "The colors are moving with the clouds in my mind." He smiled a little, it was really quite a pleasurable state of mind. "It's almost like they are dancing."
The enchantress was ashen faced. "Look where I look. Look in your heart…"
The magician peered at his reflection, and let his emotions guide him to the reality of his heart. At first he saw nothing, all he noticed was the haunting voice of Orpheus that lamented in the room. But the closer he looked, the more his heart began to pound. His nostrils flared, and his mind began to clear. Unfamiliar emotions were filling his soul. "Enchantress, I…"
She desperately tightened her grip on his hand. "Do you see? Can you see what I see?"
His emotions were like an ocean, and he was drowning. But he saw. "Call the Goddess, please, do it quickly!"

To anyone else in the room, there would have been no sound, and nothing to see. But they sensed everything so clearly with their magical eyes and ears and their enlightened souls. The aura around his heart was the figure of a woman, with deep blue skin and long flowing orange hair. She was dancing, and caressing his soul.

Part 2: The Goddess