Venom's Taste - Lisa Smedman [38]
“Concentrate on the pose,” Zelia hissed. “Keep your mind in the present.”
Obediently, Arvin tore his mind away from fantasy.
Zelia stood, arms folded, staring down at him in silence.
As the evening continued to lengthen, Arvin began to wonder if Zelia was toying with him. Was she ever going to tell him what to do next, or just leave him frozen in this pose until he collapsed? The muscles in Arvin’s lower back were starting to bunch with strain and his stiffly extended arms had begun to tremble. The human body wasn’t built to hold a pose like this for so long. But at least it took his mind off the throbbing in his head that had been pestering him most of the day. Compared to this new pain, the headache was inconsequential.
“Hold the asana,” Zelia droned. “Feel the energy in your lower back-in your muladhara. That’s where the energy lies, coiled tight like a serpent.”
Arvin concentrated on his lower back but could feel only the tension in his muscles, which were starting to burn. It wasn’t working. Already it must be halfway between Sunset and Middark-surely this had gone on long enough. He let his arms bend, just a little, to ease the strain.
“Maintain the pose!” Zelia snapped, her voice like a whip.
Arvin straightened his arms at once. He could do this, he told himself. It was just like climbing a wall-a very high wall. You climbed so far, until your muscles were burning and you thought you couldn’t support yourself a moment longer; then you looked down and realized how far you’d fall if you let go. And you kept going.
He refused to give up. He could do this. He had to. He was physically stronger than Zelia and determined to succeed. He wasn’t about to fail at something she’d made look so easy.
More time passed. His arms began to tremble. His muscles had gone beyond burning, to the point where they felt like water.
“Move through the pain-send your mind to a place beyond it,” Zelia instructed. “Send it deep, to the base of your spine. Search there for your muladhara. Find it.”
Gritting his teeth, Arvin did as he was told. Rallying his flagging will, he blotted out the agony of his muscles and turned his mind inward. He sent his awareness sliding down his spine, to a place in the small of his back and concentrated on it, refusing to acknowledge anything else. He pushed himself through the pain… and suddenly was beyond it.
There. Was that it? He felt, in the small of his back, a hot, tight sensation that reminded him of the prickling he felt in his scalp when he manifested his charm. It was coiled around the base of his spine, a focused energy waiting to be unleashed.
“You’ve found your muladhara?” Zelia asked. “Good. Now let the energy uncoil.”
Arvin continued to stare up at the sky, which blurred as his vision became unfocused. Then suddenly, the knot of energy that was coiled at the base of his spine sprang open. A wave of energy surged through his body like a flash of wildfire. It was a feeling that came close to sexual release-except that the energy stayed within his body, tingling deep within every pore and hair.
Arvin laughed out loud, delighted. “I’ve done it!”
Zelia let out a slow, surprised hiss as Arvin sat up. “With a single asana,” she said softly. “Incredible.”
“Teach me more,” Arvin said, flush with the energy that was coursing through his body.
“Very well,” Zelia said, sounding edgy. It was as if Arvin’s success had irritated