Jeanne G'Fellers - Sisters Flight (10 page)

I
still don't see
—

It's
called loyalty.
A sudden ire crossed
Evangeline's face and she turned toward her apprentice.
Laszlo Targus, will
you ever learn?

Laszlo's
blanket fell from her as she sat bolt upright.
Me, Master?

Innocence
is lost on such a blatant cerebral invasion.
Evangeline's eyes narrowed to match her thinned mouth.

I'm
sorry,
said Laszlo.
Its just that,
well, they're just so interesting.

It
is
not
their custom.
I could
feel Evangeline lunge out with her energy to thump her apprentice on the ear.
It wasn't a hard blow, more to get attention than punish, but the effect
clearly rattled Laszlo.

But
—
ow!
Laszlo slowly rose and approached us,
dragging her feet as if pulled by some unseen force.
Pity, Master, please
have pity.
She broadcast over the link Evangeline and I shared.
I'm
simply finding it hard to occupy myself.

Two
hours meditation in a squat position should duly occupy you.

But.
Laszlo squirmed with discomfort. I
knew that Evangeline was inflicting the distress, that she had forced Laszlo's
reluctant approach, but I couldn't understand just how Evangeline had
accomplished the feat.

Please,
Master Evangeline.
Laszlo sniffled
and stared at her feet.
I have watch in two hours.

So
now you have something to occupy your time until then. To be Kimshee is to be
disciplined. You know this, but increasingly lack self-control. Do the
exercise.
With those words,
Evangeline released her hold on her apprentice and waved her away.

Yes,
Master.
Laszlo fell silent and
returned to her blanket, which she picked up and slowly began to fold.

"I
apologize to all those who endured her prodding," said Evangeline to those
of us who were now awake. "And I apologize for any distracting dreams she
may have created. Unfortunately, Laszlo's conversational phase still holds most
of its pleasurable edge. She will meditate to better occupy her mind."

"My
phase has the same edge." I sipped from one of the mugs the duty cook had
distributed. The herbal tea was far from my favorite, but it was warming, and I
wrapped my hands around the mug so they could suck in every bit of heat.

"Your
phase edge is actually better refined than any other Tekkroon I have tested. In
fact..." Evangeline paused to watch her apprentice assume a crouched
meditation stance. "I'd dare say most Tekkroon minds suffer from a lack of
development."

"The
mind can accomplish only so much," said another of the Old Tongue-speaking
Barrier troopers in a sleepy voice.

"The
mind is without limits." Evangeline seemed pleased to find her audience
expanding. "I am aware the Tekkroon value their technology, but they seem
to have forgotten something in its use."

"We've
lost nothing," said the same trooper, somewhat louder as she stabbed at
the small, smokeless fire.

"No?"
Evangeline raised a brow.

Watch
and learn,
she said through our
shared link then turned to the fire and blinked hard. The fire died as if
doused, producing a billow of white smoke that was visible in the daylight. The
alert troopers scrambled over each other to dissipate the cloud before it could
rise. "Relight it." I could feel Evangeline flick out with her mind
again, knocking the flint from the hand of the trooper who rose. "Use your
mind."

"Impossible,"
said the trooper as she searched the ground for her flint.

"Is
it?" Evangeline now had everyone's attention. "Norlynn, light the
fire."

"Yes,
Master Evangeline." A sneer crossed Norlynn's lips as she stared at the
fire until it began to smolder.

"Center,
Norlynn, center your energy," encouraged one of the Yauld in Old Tongue as
she drew to her knees to watch.

"Yes,
Norlynn, concentrate, but do not make it appear harder than it is."
Evangeline knelt beside Laszlo, who quivered with the effort of not losing her
balance.
Do not be drawn into the temptation of the happenings around you.
She
looked at me again, drawing me in with her gaze.

Hear
and learn, Trooper Rankil,
she mind
whispered then turned back to Laszlo.
Do not block the sound. Let your mind
acknowledge and interpret it. Then, if it does not present you peril, let it
pass.
I felt Laszlo respond by tightening her thought focus into a thin
band, rejecting outside stimulation altogether.

lean
do this. I know lean do this.
Laszlo
panted in her thoughts. I could tell she was speaking to Evangeline, but she
wasn't broadcasting the thoughts to her master. Rather, Evangeline could only
hear if she placed her presence in Laszlo's mind. She had chosen to share that
presence with me.
Why can't I do this? Master, please help me to understand
why I can't do this anymore.

I
am afraid that I cannot guide you further, Laszlo Targus. You must remember for
yourself.
Evangeline removed her
mental presence but not her physical, hovering nearby while Laszlo strained to
remain upright.

Master,
I can’t
hear you! I can't feel
you!

"I
know." Evangeline looked up at her subordinates who shook their heads.
"Sensory incorporation during meditation was the hardest and last Kimshee
training lessons," she explained in a low voice to the rest of us.
"It is necessary when fully manipulating the Autlach mind. Laszlo was once
able to accomplish the task, but she is having increasing problems with her
focus technique. Her thoughts wander until her conscious mind cannot hold the
unconscious at a distance. She loses the ability to properly interpret what is
going on outside her and then over-compensates, which throws her meditation,
her senses, and many times her very self off balance.

Master!

I
reached out to aid Laszlo but stopped when Evangeline's presence became strong
in me.
Do not help.

"She's
losing it—again." Norlynn had relit the fire and was watching Laszlo's
struggle along with the rest of the camp.

"Is
she in pain?" Stiles whispered to the trooper nearest her.

"She
is." Evangeline stepped back from her student. "But she must learn. I
cannot teach her control."

Laszlo's
face had gone from white to azure beneath her paints.

"But
I thought she was to meditate on her indiscretions," said Stiles.

"That
is what she is doing," said Evangeline. "However, she is also
required to subconsciously interpret the happenings around her without reacting
unless the environment becomes life-threatening."

"Has
she stopped breathing?" Stiles withdrew her concerned reach when
Evangeline shook her head.

"Yes,
but just for the moment. Watch."
And learn
she added in my head.

"Master!"
Laszlo gasped, bowed backward and then fell forward, smashing to the ground,
sobbing as her splinted arm cracked against a stone. "Master, I'm
sorry."

"You
have slighted no one but yourself." Evangeline motioned for Norlynn and
one other to help Laszlo to her feet. "Come here, Laszlo, when you are
able. It is time we reviewed the basics."

"Yes,
Master Evangeline." Humiliated by her failure, Laszlo blinked away the
tears then, with a rub to her throbbing arm, dropped to her knees before
Evangeline, her hands extended for discipline. To my surprise, Evangeline
dropped to her knees as well and drew Laszlo to her, rotating her and pulling
the younger woman into her lap.

"Master,"
sobbed Laszlo in frustration as Evangeline swaddled her inside her oversized
cloak.

"Shush,
dear. You do no wrong when you try your hardest." Evangeline mumbled low
and rhythmic into Laszlo's ear, coaxing her apprentice into what appeared to be
sleep but I eventually would come to know as a teaching meditation. I watched
their stillness, considering them long after the others had lost interest.
Do
you wish to hear the basics?
Evangeline's mind touch leeched through my
body, seducing me with the offer of knowledge.

I've
no wish to invade Laszlo’s privacy,
I
lied.

Even
after she invaded half the camp s?
Evangeline's
mental laughter bubbled through our link.
I promise she will never be the
wiser.

Then,
yes, I would like to hear.

Basics
are the beginning, middle and ending of any phase. You unconsciously use most
of them already.
Laszlo quaked
beneath her master's cloak. Evangeline responded, deepening her phase as she threw
back her head to peer at me through pale eyes.
State the basics, Laszlo
Targus. Show me your understanding.

In
Old Tongue, Master?

Yes,
in Old Tongue. It is good practice.

From
the beginning?

That
is the best place to begin.

Laszlo
let out an internal sigh, then after collecting her thoughts (or so I gathered
by her rapid mental whispering) began her recitation.

Initiation
—
the burst of energy that alerts another to your
presence.

And
the essence of the initiation?
Evangeline
prompted.

Subtlety.
The burst must parallel the familiarity with your subject.

And
why did you fail in such a basic technique?

Lack
of control and too much curiosity are a bad combination.

Proceed.

Communication
—
projecting your thoughts in a flowing, conjoined
manner. No emotional dumping.

Dumping?
Evangeline frowned at me when I
chuckled at Laszlo's informality.

J
mean
that emotional control is crucial. Personal inflections are to remain free of
the communication phase unless it is critical to the message.

I
puzzled over that part of the lesson, wondering how I could ever withhold my
emotions from Myrla.

Laszlo
has not experienced phasing in that context,
explained Evangeline over top of her apprentice's recitation.
For
her, emotions have no place in the conversational phase.

But
by my understanding there are only two types of phase
—
pleasure and pain.

True
enough.
Evangeline paused to coax
Laszlo along.
The communication phase is actually a form of pleasure phase
so subtle in its initiation that one only senses the thought and not the
pleasure that precedes it.

And
Laszlo can h do that?

You
have been the recipient of her phase. You know she cannot.
Evangeline closed her eyes and extended her arms to
rest her hands on Laszlo's inner thighs.

Even
I understand that concept.

It
is complicated.

But
Laszlo is an attractive enough girl.
I
tried to rein in my thoughts concerning the whereabouts of Evangeline's hands.

Again,
Evangeline expressed amusement.
That is not the problem.
She shifted
beneath Laszlo and opened her eyes, which dilated as they fixed on me.
And,
yes, I find you attractive too.

I
looked away.
I
didn't mean for you to hear.

It
is quite all right, Trooper Rankil. I know you are primarily curious about me
and my position inside the Yauld.
Evangeline
reached out to touch my leg, sending a trickling pleasure through my body.
I
am flattered.

I
pulled my leg back before the sensation became too good.
Attraction doesn't
mean
—

I
am not trying to test your loyalties,
said
Evangeline.
Your heart, mind and body unequivocally belong to Myrla. I was
merely thanking you for reminding me that I am still able to entice others.

You
seem to entice Laszlo well enough.
I
moved closer again despite myself, and Evangeline touched me again, this time
sharing an appreciative though less pleasurable tingling sensation down my
thighs.
Tm sure she'd do anything to please you.

Never
confuse want of pleasure with drive for knowledge.
She pulled back her hand then reached again, this time
deepening my presence within Laszlo.
Sense for yourself. She feels nothing
for me except desire to learn. We are intimate in order to feed that desire.