As you know from being raised at an abbey, that which we conceive in thought and marry to desire becomes real. Unfortunately, most lack the will to persist. They quit too soon. But for those who do not, the Medium provides the harvest. Even if it isn’t good for us. The lesson is there for us to learn, but if the point must be made again and again and the subject is particularly stubborn, the Medium might cut them off, like it did with your Aldermaston.”

Men, especially men, who feign righteousness to others, yet are driven to reckless behavior by their own ambition.

“Ambition is not evil. Fire can bake a loaf of bread or destroy a mound of hay. The difference is in how it is tended. Let me train you, Eilean. Let me train you in the Medium.”

Walk away. Go into the Bearden Muir and see the wild beauty that exists so close to us. Watch the butterflies and swarms of starlings. Listen to the wind and the drone of the bees. Remove yourself from the presence of mankind. Then fall on your knees and feel the wetness seep into your skirts. Empty your mind of everything. Do this, little sister, and you will know what it means to listen to the Medium. Then you will know whose words you can trust. Then you will know, as I do, that you are precious to the Medium.”

Fleetingly, it reminded her of their days at Tintern, back when things were less complex. But she didn’t long for those times—she’d learned too much, come too far.