The Magic Wakes

by Charity Bradford

  What are the Signum up to? Does she work for them? Over and over.

  She wondered how it was possible to feel his emotions and hear his thoughts. Then she focused on his face. Intense blue eyes stared at her with the same look that must have been on her face—surprise, curiosity, determination.

  Can he hear my thoughts?

  “Stop!” Talia backed away, retreating as the voice and emotions drained away. Turning to the wall, she leaned her forehead against the cool concrete. “Who are the Signum? Is that the group that’s been raiding our supplies?”

  When she turned back to face him, he was composed once more. If she expected him to look surprised or shocked at the question, she was disappointed.

  “Miss Zaryn, would you care to tell me how you came to be associated with them?”

  “I have never heard of the Signum until now, and you know that. What just happened? You know something. I can see it in your eyes. I need to know what you heard from my mind.”

  “Why, because you might have to kill me?” He followed the joke with laughter.

  Talia might have enjoyed the sound of it falling from his lips if she’d not been so scared.

  “What interests me is you’re more worried about what I heard from your mind than the fact we could hear each other. Why is that?” He walked to her, stopping just inches away.

  Talia’s face flushed and her insides went weak at his nearness. Her body drifted toward his as if he had his own gravitational pull. Yet her mind recoiled from the thought of him invading her thoughts again.

  The cement wall cooled Talia’s back while heat from Sutton’s body warmed the air in front of her.

  “What if I told you I caused this?” She hoped her honesty would move him a step or two back.

  Instead, he stretched out his arms, placed his hands on the wall to either side of her head, and leaned closer. Pinned to the wall, she turned her face away in an effort to put more space between them.

  “Is that the secret you’re so desperate to keep?” His breath was warm on her cheek, his voice low.

  Talia turned back to him, their faces so close she could see every fleck of deep blue in his electric eyes. She exhaled. “It appears you have secrets of your own worth hiding.”

  He stepped back, but his eyes never left Talia. He stepped forward in one quick motion and grabbed both of her hands.

  At the touch, raw electricity surged between them. It was almost as strong as the rise of the suns, but it contained a unique visceral quality. In milliseconds, the energy flowed throughout Talia’s body, renewing her from the draining effect of days without absorbing the sunsrise.

  Talia tried to wipe all thoughts from her mind, as the wave of emotions and thoughts bombarded her privacy. The feelings were jumbled and confusing, as if Sutton made a conscious effort to mislead her while trying to discern her thoughts.

  Well, two could play at that game. If he wanted emotion, Talia would give him the strongest emotion she could.

  She forced herself to remember the day her brother Roan died. The despair, fear, and loneliness washed over her. As she visualized the video clip of the crash, Talia fought back tears and focused on the whisperings coming from Landry’s mind. She wanted to know what he was looking for.

  Closing her eyes, she focused her energy outward, up through his arms and into his skull. In her mind’s eye, she ran through hallways full of closed doors searching for him. As she closed in on his mental image, Sutton turned away from her.

  Fear washed over her and she didn’t know if it was hers or his. And then he stopped running.

  Did you really underestimate my intelligence? Talia hurled the thought at him, and he turned back to her in his mind.

  No. I’ve never underestimated your focus. His voice sounded clear and surprisingly calm.

  How many times have you had a conversation with someone inside their head?

  Sutton tried to dodge the question, but Talia heard the whispered never before bouncing around in their shared space.

  Never before? Then why doesn’t this scare you?

  He let go of her hands and stepped away. The connection slipped away and Talia panicked for a moment at the emptiness he left behind.

  “It doesn’t scare me because it doesn’t scare you. At least not in the way it should.” He stumbled past the rows of worktables and out the door.

  After a moment, Talia followed but he had already made it through the second door by the time she walked through the air filter.

  She watched from the doorway as he entered the elevator. His face, pale and strained, disappeared behind the metal doors.

  What should I do now? Run or wait it out?

  The Major was too close to her secret, but he might keep it in order to protect his own.

  Talia walked back through the filter and into the lab. When she reached the satellite, she noticed it was still recording. She turned it off and shut the systems down one by one before reviewing the stored data stream.

  She watched the first accidental touch, with a momentary flair of heat at the contact points and in their cerebral cortexes, but it quickly faded. She watched herself cross to the back wall. When Sutton followed, she could see how both bodies warmed with the proximity to each other.

  It made her blush again to see her own body betray her. He stepped back and then . . . the second contact.

  Both outlines heated up, turned completely red within seconds and pulsed. What did it mean? Watching the time stamp, she could see that the connection only lasted a few minutes, and when he let go of her hands their outlines returned to normal.

  Talia played it again, but this time she slowed it down enough to see that their hands turned darker before they touched. A tiny spark of energy formed—no, four tiny sparks—one on each hand. The energy jumped and connected in the air just milliseconds before skin touched.

  She replayed it repeatedly, unable to make sense of it.

  When the elevator doors closed, Landry sagged against the back wall. He had never experienced anything like the connection with Miss Zaryn and it left him weak and drained. If she had the same ability to read other people’s emotions as he did, she would be an invaluable tool for the Signum.

  He had questions that needed answers, and yet all he could think about were the words her subconscious sent him during that first contact.

  Save me. Why can’t you save me? There was such desperation associated with that thought.

  It was all he could do to continue playing the game, but his training had prevailed. Never give in, finish what you start.

  But he had given in. The second contact wasn’t to learn about the Signum, but what she needed saving from. He couldn’t help it, something deep within him needed to play hero.

  As he traveled back to the palace, he thought of the images in her mind. She had tried to misdirect him with the memories of her brother’s death and unknowingly opened a door to her subconscious. Every image came clearly to him as if he watched the news nets.

  Before she turned the tables on him, he saw his beloved city in flames. Creatures from the sky destroying and murdering in the city he had sworn to protect. What was the word he heard in connection with them?

  Dragumon.

  The word sent a chill through him. With the palace in sight, he thought of the King’s legend of dragon-like humanoids. As absurd as it had sounded, he now wondered if it were possible. What if he had just seen them in Miss Zaryn’s memories? What would that mean? How would she know about them if she were not privy to the Signum’s secret legends?

  Everything that he had seen and learned over the last few days pointed to Miss Zaryn being a member of the Signum, but he didn’t find any trace of a connection to them inside her mind.

  Something about her words “Save me” haunted him. If she was being used by the Signum, it was not by choice. But if they were, Miss Zaryn might lead him to Werner.

  He needed to figure out how to control the flow of information between them. There should
be a way for him to listen while blocking her out of his mind.

  Chapter 16

  Landry bent over his desk and rested his head in his hands—

  his fingers massaged his forehead. Another tram had been hit and raided. This time the Signum stole a shipment of CCE2 prototypes. Designed as a crowd control weapon, it sent out a twenty-foot wide pulse wave that knocked everyone unconscious. A private lab had refined the wave for a deadlier result.

  His men called it the Annihilator. One case loose on the streets would be devastating.

  Lieutenant Terrell walked in and waited for permission to speak.

  “Did you find anything?” Landry asked.

  Terrell tossed a folder onto Landry’s desk. “Nothing that connects her to the Signum, or to the latest raid. As far as I can tell she’s clean.”

  “Damn. You can go.” Landry waved him away with one hand and opened the file with the other.

  It had been a week since he saw Talia last. He had not contacted her, nor she him, but he monitored her every move. He had logs to every computer she touched. Nothing linked her to the Signum.

  But if she wasn’t the leak, who was? He growled and shoved the file into the desk drawer. Talia Zaryn and her strange power complicated things, but Landry needed to focus and get back to protecting the Royal family. He had wasted too much time on the mystery of Miss Zaryn.

  The Signum now had top of the line spy equipment and weapons that would make it hard to get near them. He’d get out on the streets, use his talent of emotional eavesdropping, and find their recruits to follow. He pushed away from the desk. Wandering the streets might not be the most effective plan, but it was better than sitting in an office.

  Walking through a crowded commercial district, Landry mentally reached outward to the emotions around him. As he scanned the street, he sensed something odd. Something dark and oppressive on the edges of his mind.

  Someone carried deep regret as well as a sadistic hopefulness while riding a wave of self-loathing, like two personalities warring in one mind. Curious, he veered toward the direction of the emotions, hoping to find the owner.

  The day had finally arrived. After performing this task for the Signum, Jaron would be within reach of his goal. The Dragumon were coming and Werner had the information needed to destroy them.

  Jaron would claim his reward for centuries of searching and waiting—he would avenge Dailya’s death.

  He sensed someone following him. Jaron stretched out with his thoughts and touched on a well-ordered mind—military. A soldier—but something else, too. An untapped power lay hidden deep within the stranger.

  As Jaron pondered the possibilities, the demon roared to life and pushed away all thoughts that did not apply to the current mission.

  Talia barely made it to the tram station on time. The streets were crowded and she had to wade through a sea of people to get through the station. She could scarcely wait to get away from the commotion.

  For the last week, she had worked on finalizing the little details of the moon colonization. The bright spot had been the successful launch of her satellite.

  It reached Daedalus and moved into its planned orbit without any complications. Now it gathered solar energy in preparation to start work. The first week would be spent scanning Sendek and her moons so the SEF could compare data and fix any glitches in the sensory equipment. Then Talia could look outward.

  The thought of the peace and serenity waiting in the mountains made her sigh with contentment. She got in the queue for the Acaran Express—last in line.

  “Miss, I’m afraid the coach class cars are full. You can wait until tomorrow’s tram,” A rumpled porter informed her when she stepped to the door.

  “What about that one?” Talia pointed to the last car which was clearly empty.

  “That’s the military car. I’d wait if I were you. It isn’t very comfortable.”

  Talia considered her options. Could she stand to wait another day to leave the city? She had never felt so tired in her life. The dreams kept her awake nightly since her move. She needed to get away.

  Without the daily dose of sunsrise to heal her, the dreams left their mark on her body. Keeta’s care helped with the pain, but her skin was splotchy from burns and cuts. Her face pale with ugly bruising under the eyes, and she had lost weight.

  “I’ll take my chances with the military car.”

  The porter scanned her ticket and led Talia to the last car on the tram. She sat down and opened the flap on Keeta’s carrier to let him get some air. He lay curled with his tail wrapped around his body. It would be wonderful to see him leaping from limb to limb again. The poor treeb had been stuck indoors far too long. He was getting fat. Talia reached in, and he flipped onto his back.

  “Okay, I’ll rub your tummy. Then you have to go to sleep.”

  She scratched the cream-colored fur on his belly before sliding the carrier into the space above the seats. Talia leaned back and took in the surroundings.

  This tram was sparsely furnished with gray metal walls, simple recessed lighting, and seats lined against the sidewalls, leaving the center open. The seats were padded with thin black cushions.

  Five minutes before the tram was scheduled to depart, the porter returned with a tattooed, shabby-looking man with unruly hair. He had a large, pale pink scar in the shape of a dragon on one arm.

  The porter glanced at Talia as if to say, I told you so, and left.

  The man took a seat at the far side of the tram and never glanced in her direction.

  The info screen on the front bulkhead flashed the all go sign, but the door opened once again and Major Sutton stepped inside. Ignoring Talia, he honed in on the man at the back of the tram.

  Talia’s heart raced at the sight of him. He must have heard the pounding because he turned to study her.

  “What are you doing here?” Sutton managed to sound concerned and suspicious at the same time.

  He ran a hand through his hair, glanced once more at the man, and sat down beside Talia.

  A now familiar warmth and tension welled up inside her as he sat close. She hated the effect he had on her, and yet enjoyed it, too.

  “Cahal ordered a vacation. What are you doing here?”

  I guess we’re going to play the ‘nothing at all happened the last time I saw you’ game.

  “Business.”

  He glanced down the car before leaning close and whispering, “It’s not safe, not today. Maybe you should take another tram?”

  Talia stopped breathing when his face came close. With the warmth of his breath by her ear, she couldn’t concentrate on his words. They finally sunk in along with his repeated glances at the other man in the car.

  “I . . . I guess I could wait until tomorrow.” The doors clicked as they locked and the tram lurched forward. “Or not. I’m sorry, what do you want me to do?”

  In one instant, Talia went from anxious about the Major to wanting to cling to him for protection. Her earlier apprehension returned, stronger than before.

  “Nothing. Just stay calm and act normally. I’m not sure what’s going on. It’s just a hunch I’m following.” He moved back into his own space and resumed a normal conversational tone. “Are you feeling all right?”

  Trying not to groan at the question, Talia wondered how bad she looked to other people.

  “No, I’ve been working too hard for too long. Probably why Cahal forced me to go on this excursion. I just need some time to relax and rest.” Well, it was a half-truth anyway.

  They didn’t talk as the tram left the crowded city. What could they talk about? Have you read anyone’s mind lately? No, me either.

  The conversation in Talia’s head sounded so absurd she almost laughed aloud, but a low thrumming grew deep in her belly and spread through her body. The one thing she had missed the most during her two week stay in Joharadin seeped into her soul. Its pulse was erratic at first until it matched itself to the rhythm of her heart.

  Trees!

/>   She could feel them reaching out to her, wrapping their energy around her. Homesickness overwhelmed her as she turned to gaze out the window.

  Unconsciously, her soul cried out to them for help, and like always, they reached back. The trees’ strength slipped into Talia more slowly than if she had been standing among them, but it healed her as she sped past.

  After one more renewing breath, she turned to see both men staring at her.

  What have I done?

  For years, she had been careful, protecting her secret closely, never letting anyone get a glimpse of what was possible for her. Now, with a Royalist officer sitting beside her, she had let down her guard the first moment she was among trees.

  Talia tensed and looked from one man to the other. Her mind raced for something to diffuse her blunder. Major Sutton might not be a problem; after all, he hadn’t turned her over to a medical team yet.

  But what of the other? This stranger looked at her peculiarly, as if he knew more about her than she knew herself.

  Talia glanced at her reflection in the window across the tram. The transformation was complete. The cuts, bruises, and bags under the eyes were gone. There was nothing to say, no way to hide this, but she had to try.

  “I’m sorry, did you say something?” Talia turned to Sutton and pleaded with her eyes for help.

  Sutton leaned his knee into Talia’s. The electricity flowed and she heard his voice clearly in her head. It came immediately this time without the jumbled chaos of the whispers. That was careless. He thinks you can help him now.

  Help him with what?

  I don’t know, but don’t acknowledge anything. The Major moved his knee away.

  Sutton had controlled the exchange much easier than a week ago. For a moment, Talia questioned if he could read her mind without her knowing it.

  “No. Don’t worry about it.” He sounded so calm that Talia envied him. She wondered if he could see the panic in her eyes.

  The tattooed man stood and walked past them to the door that connected the tramcar to the one in front of it. He paused for a moment and looked back at Talia before walking out.