The Crystal Telepath

by Evelyn Lederman

  Shirl collapsed onto Starc, totally spent. He wrapped her into his arms and rolled over on his side. “Do you have the energy to lift your arm?” he asked. Starc knew she had overdone it after having been ill.

  “No,” she muttered into his neck. “Don’t bother to chastise me. I would have done it the same all over again, given the opportunity.”

  “Really,” Starc communicated as he leered at her.

  “Yes, just not now.” She closed her eyes and drifted into a deep, cleansing sleep. Just on the edge of oblivion, she was not sure, but she thought she said one more thing to her soul mate. “You have my heart, Starc.”

  Chapter 18

  Starc sat across the table from his soul mate. He had wanted to get her out of the safe house and into the fresh air. She needed to restore her energy. Brunch beside the gathering place park seemed the perfect solution. Last night had been incredible, but totally drained her. It was careless after she just recovered from a high fever. He felt like an animal, preying on his weaker mate. There was no recrimination in her eyes this morning when she finally woke. That did not mean he did not let himself off so easily.

  He watched as she moved food from one side of the plate to the other. “Eat up, we have a full day ahead of us.” She had complained of hunger this morning, but had barely touched her meal. “Is there something wrong with the food?”

  Shirl gave him a reassuring smile. “The eggs are delicious. I guess I have so much on my mind I lost my appetite.” She took several bites and placed her fork on the plate. “I am worried sick about getting Chartail to the portal without being caught. They couldn’t possibly send her back to The Nightshade universe and follow through with her sentence, could they?” That was a frightening thought. No wonder she had lost her appetite. He wished he could reassure her that would not happen. Jeryl Jarlyn did not forgive or forget.

  “You need to relax and stop thinking about all the things you do not have control over,” Starc replied to her for the benefit of those around her. “We are very good at what we do, she will not get caught. Even if something unexpected happens, I cannot imagine they will send her back. There was so much outrage at what the government was doing. If word got out that he had sent her back there, the protests would start all over again. People would question why they had thought such a sentence was beneficial to society. The mind control telepathic government wants to be covert in their manipulation.”

  His soul mate must have considered what he said, she responded by nodding. She continued to pick at the omelet and home fries on her plate. He wished she had a healthy appetite, like her friend Alex. Starc had finished his lunch and sat back and basked at Shirl’s beauty. It was not the external beauty that made her glow, but the extraordinary woman she was on the inside.

  He was concentrating on Shirl to such an extent, he did not sense the woman who approached the table until she spoke. Shirl seemed as surprised as he was. “Starc?” the familiar voice said. He turned to see Elzbeth Southam standing next to him. Her presence momentarily had him out of sorts. She was just as exquisite, as always. Elzbeth was the exact opposite of Shirl. Where Shirl was blond and had a fair complexion, Elzbeth had black hair and a swarthy complexion.

  After an awkward silence, Starc introduced Shirl to his former girlfriend. “Shirl, this is Elzbeth Southam. Elzbeth, this is Shirl Thork.” Shirl took in a startled breath of air. He was not sure it was due to meeting Elzbeth or being referred to with the last name of Thork. She had been called Shirl Tomlinson on Earth.

  “That is a lovely amethyst you are wearing, Shirl. Are you a crystal telepath?” Elzbeth had not noticed Shirl’s reaction. She seemed genuinely interested in meeting his soul mate. Starc had not been quite sure how to introduce the two of them.

  “Thank you,” Shirl responded, “it was my mother’s. Yes, I am a crystal telepath. Starc is my CT Guard, although we have become quite close.” The next words out of her mouth surprised and humbled him. “Starc told me about your relationship. I am so sorry you were used in that way. From the conversations we have had, I know he is truly sorry for the way he reacted.”

  Elzbeth blushed in embarrassment. She moved the hair that was tucked behind her ear, hiding part of her face. Starc knew Elzbeth did that when she wanted to change the subject of a conversation. They had been together long enough for him to know her various mannerisms and the way she reacted when she was under stress.

  Shirl must have noticed Elzbeth’s reaction to what she said. “I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. When Starc told me what happened between the two of you, I was very angry with how he handled the situation. I had a similar experience and his reaction temporarily negatively impacted our relationship. Men are slow to apologize, if they do so at all. I suppose I inappropriately apologized on his behalf.”

  “I do not normally like to talk about what happened. After the incident, I could not cope with what Raine did and Starc’s rejection. Rather than trying to talk to Starc and work it out, I ran away. I moved to Starling Province and started over. My parents are still in Aster Province and I am visiting them for a couple of days.” Starc watched the tension drain from Elzbeth’s face. His soul mate had a gift that allowed her to make people feel at ease. Starc had originally been horrified that Shirl would mention such a personal topic in public. However, after her initial shock, Elzbeth took the opportunity to voice pent up feelings. He knew Chartail would have been a basket case had it not been for Shirl when she returned from the Nightshade universe.

  Starc stood and embraced his former girlfriend. “I am sorry I was not willing to talk to you. It was only recently that I realized there was nothing to forgive you for. If anyone should ask for forgiveness, it is me. We had the start of something beautiful and I did not have enough inner strength to help you through your ordeal.”

  Elzbeth held him tight, kissed him and then stepped out of his embrace. “Thank you for that. I had debated whether to come and talk with you. Now I am glad I did. You have someone special here, Starc. Do not screw it up!” She glanced at Shirl, nodded and then walked out of his life for the last time.

  “Wow, you do not take any prisoners, do you?” he said to Shirl. “I never would have had the mental fortitude to apologize to her. Thank you for forcing my hand.” He returned to his seat, took her hand and gazed into her eyes. “It means a tremendous amount to me that you have faith in me and our relationship to call me on what I did to Elzbeth. Your external beauty pales in comparison to the strong and incredible woman you are on the inside.”

  They had several hours before they were going to take Chartail to the portal. Starc wanted to take Shirl to his apartment and make love to her. He wanted to reinforce to her the deep respect and burgeoning love he had for her. That plan was abandoned as soon as Solfa communicated through the warrior link.

  “We have a critical situation. I have just been informed the CT Guard is on their way to the safe house to arrest Chartail. They had kept the operation out of my office, concerned we had a mole in the intelligence department. I am not sure if we have time to move her.”

  “I was just about to communicate through the warrior channel myself,” Tarsea replied. “Has anyone seen Alex? I have been trying to contact her and am not receiving a reply from her.”

  “No,” Shirl immediately responded to the news her best friend was missing. “We were going to meet up at the safe house before we moved Chartail. She was supposed to be with you in the meantime.”

  “She must have left the house while I was in the shower. Since she is not responding to me, I can only think that Raine Narmouth has her.”

  Solfa and Tarsea’s words pulled Shirl out of her euphoric mood caused by Starc’s sentiment about her inner beauty. Her whole life she had been judged and measured on her external beauty. To know her soul mate valued her inner qualities more than what nature provided meant so much to her.

  Now she was consumed by a sickening
fear for her friends. Shirl heard about both the physical and mental impacts Narmouth’s assaults had on Alex.

  “What can we do?” she asked Starc. Although she was able to listen to what was being said in the warrior link, she did not feel comfortable yet communicating within the channel. If she had something worthwhile to contribute she would not think twice about adding to the conversation. Currently she was just in a panic.

  She listened as Tarsea gave orders. “Starc and Shirl, head over to the safe house. Koel is already there. Do not enter unless it is safe.” Tarsea knew Chartail could hear what was being communicated. “Darden, myself and Tolfer will go after Alex. Solfa and Karlon, provide backup for Starc. Under no circumstances do you compromise your standing within the Intelligence Department. Tarah, standby in case we need a mind control telepath.”

  “There is nothing interesting being communicated in the communal pathways. Let us go back to the house and see what kind of trouble we can get into.” Once again, Starc was communicating verbally to give an allusion of normalcy. Shirl figured what he was really telling her was there was no chatter in the communal pathways about Chartail’s capture or military action around the house.

  Starc threw some money on the table and they exited the restaurant through the gathering place park entrance. They took a shortcut through the park and headed toward the safe house. Shirl was communicating to Chartail through the channel they shared with Alex. She also tried to contact Alex through that channel. Her focus needed to be on Chartail now, not obsessing that Alex did not respond.

  They slowed their pace, as they reached the street the safe house was located on. Shirl surveyed the people visible, nothing stood out as being out of place. She had seen most of these people in the neighborhood over the last day. Several had ventured up to her and asked about her health.

  As they approached the house, she lost contact with Chartail. “I cannot hear Chartail in any of the channels we have communicated before,” she informed Starc.

  Starc stopped in front of the house and started to pick dandelions. “I hate these damn weeds. If I pull one out, two seem to grow back in their place.” She could see he was taking in his surrounding area as he pulled out more weeds. Shirl remembered as a child with Alex blowing on the weeds when they went to seed. There was still no news about her friend. Raine Narmouth still had not been found.

  “I am two houses down from you,” Koel communicated through the warrior link. “Karlon gave me enough notice that the CT Guard was close. Chartail had a panic attack and I had to quiet her down. I left her unconscious on the bed before I climbed out the window. It would have been too conspicuous carrying her out of the house. The guards are inside right now. Back up and get out of there.”

  Starc threw down the weeds he had collected in his hands, as a number of the CT Guard approached. “Shirl, do not try and resist what the guards tell you to do. If we cooperate, we may be able to get out of this mess.”

  Shirl stood her ground as Raine Narmouth and a number of the CT Guard approached them. She did not know if it was a good or bad sign Narmouth was here. “Tarsea, Raine Narmouth is part of the operation to capture Chartail. I am not sure where Alex is, but she is currently not with him.”

  “Shirlyn Thork and Starc Lours,” Raine Narmouth said, “you are to accompany us and answer questions regarding your association with Chartail Adholm.”

  Chapter 19

  Shirl had expected to be locked in one of the cells located in the basement of The Palace. Chartail had told her all about the subterranean prison when they were in the Nightshade universe together. Chartail and Starc were led in that direction when they arrived, while she was taken to the fourth floor. She was led to the same room she had her interview with Jeryl Jarlyn. Fear consumed her as she entered and came face to face with the Prime Ruler.

  “Explain yourself,” was all Jeryl Jarlyn said to her. He was seated in the same location they had sat just days before. His exterior did not reflect a man who was angry with her. It was almost as if she was explaining cutting class to the school’s principal.

  “I could not leave her in that terrible place,” Shirl said. She was not going to bother to deny what she did. Shirl had not been caught with a smoking gun, but enough people had seen them coming and going from a house where Chartail was carried out of not thirty minutes ago. “She was sentenced to be executed for her involvement in the plot against your life. That did not mean she should be brutalized and raped by a blood lusting vampire.”

  “So you took it upon yourself to commute her sentence. Is that how things are done in the Ginkgo Terra universe?”

  Shirl worked to control her anger. “If a person is sentenced to death, in civilized countries, it is done as humanely as possible. A number of countries do not allow death sentences any longer. Our government does not physically abuse and rape our prisoners. I was horrified at what I saw in the Nightshade universe.” She was close to tears by the time she finished. Shirl knew her hands visibly shook.

  The ruler of the Troyk universe just looked at Shirl. He took a deep breath and took a drink from the beverage he had on the table. He raised the glass, “Do you want one?”

  “If it is alcoholic, yes I would.” She could use something to numb the outrage and frustration of the situation. The fact the man was willing to drink with her was a good sign.

  Jeryl Jarlyn stood and went to the small bar situated near where they sat. He put a couple of ice cubes in a glass and filled it with a caramel colored liquid from one of the bottles. He placed a swizzle stick in the drink and handed it to her. Shirl had been told that the Troyk universe took the best inventions they found in all the parallel worlds they visited and incorporated them in their everyday lives. She would never look at that little piece of plastic again in the same way. Shirl took a sip of the drink, coughing as it burned on the way down her throat.

  The Prime Ruler laughed, as Shirl tried to control her coughing. “I gather you did not drink a lot in the Ginkgo Terra universe either.” His smile vanished from his face, as a storm of dark emotion replaced it. “I did make the deal with Yorik, exchanging the prisoner blood for crystals and other commodities. It was supposed to be fast and painless. When your brother explained what he saw there, I was horrified. I know that in some factions within our world I am considered a monster. Had I known what was in store for Chartail, I would have sent her to the penal colony.”

  “I am almost afraid to ask what that world is like,” Shirl replied. She did not know if her brutal honesty was endearing her to him or getting her a one way ticket to that world. There were so many secrets she had to keep, but she also had to live in this world. She was a crystal telepath, she could leave anytime, once she found a better world.

  “We only have so much land mass in our universe. There was no place to house the criminals that seemed to increase as time went by. Once we started to deport them off world to the penal colony, crime almost disappeared. We send monthly supplies to that world, including medicines. They make the best of an inhabitable world as they can. It is their choice to live in harmony with each other or try to kill each other. Their fate is now in their hands, not mine.”

  “That actually makes sense, in a warped kind of way.” Shirl placed her hand over her mouth in horror. She probably went too far calling the Prime Ruler warped. She needed to recover from her lapse in judgment. If she continued with her thought, maybe he would let it pass. “I know where I come from, the jails are so overcrowded our sheriff had to set up a tent penal facility.” Shirl sat back and took another sip of her drink. It went down easier this time around.

  “Shirlyn, I know you have a lot of questions. Our world is so different from where you grew up, but you are one of us. This is the world of your birth. You also have a rare and special gift. A female crystal telepath has always been viewed as a blessing. I want you to feel free to talk to me. There will be policies you do not believe in, but give m
e the opportunity to explain my reasons behind what I do. The Supreme Being gave me my gifts in order to lead our people.”

  The Prime Ruler believed what he was doing was right. She knew she was not being manipulated. He was not attempting to use his mind control gifts on her. There was no pull on her brain. “What about Chartail and Starc?”

  “Chartail will be sent to the penal colony. There will be no discussion on that. She did plan my assassination and feels no remorse for her actions. Starc will be released. A CT Guard follows the orders of his crystal telepath. You are personally responsible for his actions when he is guarding you. He brought you back alive from both worlds as his job dictates. That is all I can judge him on.”

  Shirl was about to throw caution to the wind. She needed to bring Candy to this universe. Alex had to hide who and what she was, while Shirl could live in the open. She wanted that for Candy as well. “I wish I could have helped you in your quest for your son. Although she knows nothing more than what I already told you about Benko, I believe I know of another descendant from your son’s followers.”

  Jeryl’s eyes grew large and he shifted forward in his chair. “Tell me about this person.” She could almost see the Prime Ruler salivating.

  “As you know, I grew up in an orphanage. There was a girl there I connected with. Although she was two years younger than I was, it was almost as if we could read each other’s thoughts. Based on what I know now, I think it was a communal pathway. We had no idea about telepathy or how to navigate within pathways. I’m pretty sure she must be one of us.”

  “Tell me more.” She knew she had Jeryl hooked. Shirl just had to bring him in slowly and steadily. She baited the hook, now she needed to complete the catch.

  “Her name is Candace Phillips, but she goes by Candy. She is a little taller than I am, but more muscular. Candy is very good at sports. I have never met anyone who has more self-confidence.”