She wasn't that trustful, the Healer thought ruefully, but bit by bit Leiren was forced to grant this oversized young man with his blue eyes and long blond dreads her reluctant respect. She had deemed it impossible but she realised they would reach a consensus, and as he knew what they wanted, he could make sure it was a popular one. Improbable as it had seemed at the start of the meeting she could see Michael would live to see another day, hopefully a better one.
Deep inside she admitted she was glad. No-one deserved to die like Quentin had, but in her opinion that man had been the dregs of humanity. He had even been known to bother some of her students, namely the girls. She had a few choice words for him on that occasion, and he had beat a quick retreat with his tail between his legs. Not that she had been foolish enough to assume he wouldn't do it again...people like that didn't change.
So, good riddance to bad rubbish.
Leaning back on the wall the wise-woman crossed her arms and settled herself to watch Sri wrap this unlikely assembly up. It was quick, it was effective, in fact, she couldn't have done it better herself.
She had thought she had come to witness a public lynching today.
Maybe she still had something to learn.
Sri saw the brown-haired youth making a bee-line in his direction, an unusually determined look on his bearded face. Once he deemed he was close enough his lips didn't move, but the message was clear.
WE NEED TO TALK. MEET US AT OUR HOUSE AFTER EIGHT.
The tall blond man winced and nearly dropped the basket of supplies. Obviously Resnan was ignorant of the mechanisms of mind-reading, he thought, glaring at his stiff retreating back...there was absolutely no need to blare the message out! He would probably have a headache now for the rest of the bloody evening.
Getting a firmer grip on his load, he sighed. The heat wasn't going to help, either. On top of yesterday's nightmarish events, the day had again been muggy and overcast. It seemed to him there was a storm on the way. He had no weather sense to speak of, not like Yeshra, but still…He was exhausted and he doubted anyone had gotten much sleep last night. He himself had to do some emergency rounds after the assembly last night, including calming poor Lee. The poor girl was now probably traumatised for life, thanks to him. That had been a grand idea of his, dragging her off to Michael's. Not that he could have known...but still, it was his responsibility. He grunted wearily. Of course, now the girl was crushing on him worse than ever.
And now this.
He had been wondering who would be the bright spark to realise his talent was a two-way street.
Whatever Resnan wanted to discuss wasn't meant for everybody, obviously, or he wouldn't have chosen such a way to communicate.
Sri massaged his temple ruefully. He hadn't been able to read anything else in Resnan's mind apart from that cryptic and loud message. The boy had quickly concentrated on something else with the obvious objective of keeping any further information to himself before hurrying off in the direction of the lake. He couldn't deny he was curious, and he was pretty sure it all had something to do with the growing unrest he had detected in the young people's thoughts.
He was on his way back from Leiren's workshop, rushing to grab a bite to eat, as he did almost every day of late. Having spent most of the morning with the Healer and her two apprentices the doctor had noticed Lillith making a pathetically obvious effort to keep her thoughts centred solely on what was in front of her, constantly shooting nervous glances from him to her teacher.
He had thought the young girl was nervous about what had happened the day before, and didn't want to show it. With hindsight, he realised Resnan must have warned his sister against letting stray thoughts betray their plans in his presence. The shadows under her eyes made him suspect she had had a sleepless night, too.
Sri wondered if Leiren was aware of what was going on. She had seemed totally unruffled, as usual, but a couple of times Sri had thought he detected a decidedly sardonic look in her pale eyes when her gaze met his. The Healer and her thought processes remained a mystery to him, he thought shaking his head despondently.
He had to admit that both Lillith and Lorenna had done a great job of producing efficient remedies combining his and Leiren's specifications. Due to Lillith's matter-altering powers, and to make sure the younger girl didn't simply manifest the remedy, thus rendering the experiment useless, Lorenna had become essential. This seemed to have made the tenor of the red-head's thoughts much more up-beat than they had been lately. Maybe she was finally finding a niche in their society. He sincerely hoped so...she struck him as a strong, beautiful woman who, although living through a difficult personal moment, was doing so without letting herself down.
Anyway....
A couple of minutes ago he had been looking forward to pouring over the samples of different potions and powders the two apprentices had been working on for them, before heading over to Dinain's to check on Michael who must surely be awake by now, but he knew now his mind wouldn't be fully on the job at hand. Since this meeting was going to be held there, too, he might as well start making his way there directly. He was sure Yeshra would be grateful for his presence after a whole night and morning looking after Michael.
He grimaced as he felt the beads of sweat running down between his shoulder-blades, driven by the clammy heat. Looking around he saw the day had darkened noticeably. It wouldn't be long now...he just hoped to be under cover when the storm broke.
The clap of thunder and the first fat drops caught Ren by surprise. They shouldn't have, since the suffocating clammy heat of the day had been a clear indicator a storm was on its way, but he had not been paying attention to the weather. His mind had been otherwise occupied.
As he ran for cover, heading for the house where he was staying with his father and Sri, he took in the metallic smell of the air around him rapidly mingling with the rich aroma of sodden earth. Resnan had probably smelt this coming a couple of hours ago. It was going to be a big one, from the sound of it, and would probably signal the end of this unseasonably hot late summer.
Now he thought of it, it hadn't rained since the morning they had set off from their settlement. It had been but four months, but seemed longer, much longer. So many things had changed...there was really nothing left of that kid who had set out on the trip. He had even grown taller, and was now taller than Garand, as tall as his uncle. As for his power, he was well on his way to controlling it. As long as he kept his emotions in hand it wasn't too difficult. He had to admit, albeit grudgingly, he owed most of that to Leiren.
Reaching the house he sought refuge under the wide porch just as another loud clap of thunder shook its timbers, and the rain really started pelting down. Although there was still plenty of light left he was able to see the lightning flashing to the east clearly.
It sucked, because though he was tired of the heat his clothes were nowhere near adequate for this downpour or the sudden change in temperature sure to follow. Leaning his weight on the porch swing he crossed his arms over his chest and gazed out at the breaking storm.
Well known for her lack of patience, the dark-skinned wise-woman had brought another, softer side to light when dealing with him. Not so with the other kids, including Lillith...but for some reason she seemed to have decided coaxing him along would be the best approach in his case. He wasn't about to complain, either, he thought apologetically, remembering her not so subtle methods to speed things up with some of the others. More than once he had had to hold a sobbing Lillith, lending a sympathetic ear to all the vindictive things the young brunette planned to do once her Talent was under control. His girl was definitely imaginative, though he doubted their teacher would have appreciated any of them.
Whichever strategy she used, it irked him to admit the wise-woman was effective. All of them had grown in strength and were learning to control their powers.
They owed her.
He personally owed her plenty.
Which didn't mean he had to like the woman, of course, he th
ought looking out at the violent lashing rain. It just made him feel uncomfortable about what was going on...as if they were plotting behind her back.
He knew Lillith had gone off to work extremely nervous this morning, and who could blame her? The last thing he would want to do would be spend time with either Leiren or Sri, let alone both of them together today. He wished he could have spared her that.
As for the meeting….
Everybody was hoping the doctor would at least listen, maybe even be on their side...he would be a powerful ally if things went awry.
Ren huddled in under the porch roof and thought he was probably going to be late. Hell, he honestly wasn't in that much of a hurry, and it was raining too hard for him to even think of sprinting the last couple of minutes to Resnan and Lillith's house. He had to admit he was nervous and though he understood Resnan's motivations, if it were up to him he would have left well enough alone.
Standing up to Leiren, well...a sudden shiver hit him and his shoulders slumped. He'd rather save his courage to play with fire.
The wind was picking up.
He was going to have to take his father up on his offer of a jacket, he thought despondently, that is if the old man had anything that fit him.
Securing the shutters in the kitchen window against the raging storm the Healer turned back to face a heavy-eyed Lorenna.
¨You've done a good job. You should be proud of yourself.¨
The young woman shrugged, but her expression lightened up a tad. ¨Nothing I do stands out now, of course, but I do try my best. That hasn't changed.¨ she hesitated, then said, ¨Do you need me for anything else? If not I think I'll just turn in for the night. This weather depresses me.¨
Leiren sighed heavily, looking at the red-head in front of her in such an uncharacteristically caring way the young woman was slightly unnerved.
¨No, I need nothing more for tonight.¨
As her apprentice turned to leave she said gently, ¨Remember, Lorenna, as crazy as things are turning out to be, we need some normal to balance things out. Don't underestimate your value around here, girl.¨ Lorenna nodded and the wise-woman thought she detected a flash of gratitude in those green eyes before she turned, a touch of sadness in her smile, and walked out.
Then she was alone.
Not that she needed anyone's help for what was to come.
Leiren was well aware of the discontent brewing among the young people, and her senses alerted her some sort of confrontation was close.
And that was fine with her, she thought grimly. She was getting tired of treading lightly, it just wasn't her style. Some might say she was being too hard on those children, but someone had to teach them to harness that power.
In light of the talents coming up recently her gift of sensing and foretelling paled in comparison, but one thing she did know a lot about was restraint. She shuddered thinking about the havoc they could wreak if left to their own devices. Some of those kids wielded powers that scared even her.
Which was why she knew what was coming would be delicate, tricky and possibly even dangerous.
She didn't know if the adults would back her up either. Gone were the days when hers was the ruling voice and where she went everybody followed. As for that blond mind-reading twit…Leiren huffed to herself indignantly, gripping the cloth of her long blue cotton skirt in a tight fist. Sri's mediating position was frustrating and quite a bit worrying. Even if he had desisted in his intent to read her mind, she had a feeling he was nearer to knowing what was behind her actions than anyone had ever been before.
And for some reason she couldn't fathom she actually cared about what he thought.
It baffled her, but there was a kind of intimacy in their interactions when they worked together lately and she couldn't help feeling a certain closeness to someone who could see into her so well. It also left her feeling defenceless, stripped of her trademark sphinx-like demeanour and the stony composure behind which she had always hidden all her weaknesses.
And yet...
She had surprised herself looking forward to these encounters with the doctor with a shiver of anticipation. She had put it down to the thrill of the unknown. No-one, man or woman, had ever got this close to her. The fact that she had let this boy do so, she told herself sternly, was not to be taken lightly. She must be growing soft. A luxury she was in no position to allow herself. And after yesterday he had won her respect.
Which took her back to the matter at hand, the new talents and their strength. If the kids were unable to control their power, would she be able to control them?
She was afraid. Terrified.
A sudden mental image of her true self, the one no-one, not even that blond dread-locked mind-reader could see, flashed across her mind.
An image of the wise woman everyone thought so dauntless, cowering behind her mantle of imperviousness, gibbering with fear.
¨Talk to her.¨
¨Are you nuts?¨ Resnan was looking at the tall blond man in exasperation. He ran his hand through his short dark hair, a childhood gesture betraying how unsettled he felt. ¨That's your advice? She will rip us to shreds if she finds out. We need your support, Sri, not this.¨
¨Did you expect me to back up some kind of opposition in the dark?¨ Sri raised a sarcastic eyebrow at the bearded youth, who now looked decidedly uncomfortable, and then shrugged, flicking a stray dread-lock back over his shoulder.
¨I don't do politics very well, nor do I wish to. I understand your point and also that you don't want to confront her, believe me, I do.¨ he exclaimed. He let his blue gaze travel over the four teenagers and two adults huddled together in Yeshra and Dinain's small living room. ¨I just don't believe this is the way to go about it.¨
His words were punctuated by the sound of thunder crashing outside as the storm progressed. In the end, he had been under cover when the storm broke, having spent the better part of the afternoon keeping Michael company, in the small but comfortable room which had been quickly set up for him last night in Dinain's little workshop.
The man was calmer now, having sobbed his heart out in Yeshra's arms several times through the night when confronted with the reality of his wife's death and the shambles his own life had become. Now would come facing and accepting his actions, learning to control his talent and the long process of healing, but when Sri had reluctantly left him with Benton and Serbell a while ago they had been involved in a deep introspective discussion which boded well for his future recovery.
He would just never be the same again, but then that could be said of many.
Looking around him now at the gathering he had left Michael for, it was obvious his words were not the ones they had hoped to hear. By the expressions he could see by the oil lamp's light the atmosphere was just as charged inside as it was outside. And a beat later, just as noisy, as everybody started talking at the same time.
¨Whatever we decide to do,¨ Leni said, voice cracking nervously, ¨I think Sri is right...... we need to clear the air with Leiren.¨ Terrell rolled his big round eyes at her and she grimaced as everyone started talking over her at once. That was the whole point of this meeting, of course. They knew what had to be done, but nobody really wanted to face the Healer.
The doctor sighed. Really, what had they thought he could do about it?
Closing his eyes Sri settled back against his chair and tried to zone out for a quick moment. They needed to voice their opinions, and he was truly exhausted by all the mental tension in the room.
A crash made them all jerk back toward the door, just in time to witness Ren's watery entrance. The boy had obviously tried to battle the downpour and lost. Judging by his colourful language and the way he stamped around in his squelching sandals like the proverbial bull in the china shop, he wasn't too happy about it, either. Shushing him quietly Lillith grabbed a towel from the rack next to the door and helped him to dry himself, while everybody tried to hide their amusement. Eventually the pair made their way back to the circle and settled
down side by side, the slim brunette whispering in the tall boy's ear bringing him up to date. The debate was quickly resumed, growing more and more heated as time went on. Sri went back to his silent meditating, giving them time to figure things out.
¨Tell you what…Maybe,¨ Dinain's calm voice cut in after a while, ¨just maybe, we need to listen to the doctor.¨
A buzz of dissent started around him, coming principally from Resnan's corner, Sri noticed. Shooting a quick look around him the grey-haired man continued nonetheless. ¨Think about it, he's probably the only one who has any inkling of her true motivations.¨
Sri hated to undermine their faith in him, especially in view of the sudden looks of hope he saw on the kids' faces, but he felt obliged to straighten them out.
¨Sorry to bust that bubble, but Leiren is not only a puzzle to you guys,¨ he interrupted with a touch of acidity at his own expense, ¨she is the only person I've ever met so far that I can't read....she is able to shield me at will. I'm as much in the dark about her motivations as you are.¨
Except for that quick initial incursion into her mind when he first saw her, of course, which he deliberately avoided mentioning. As impressed as he had been by the sheer force of her determination and tenacity he really didn't think it would help matters to bring it to the light in the present company.
Resnan's shoulders slumped, and the mood in the room echoed the boy's gesture. Sri frowned, disgruntled. It looked like they had really been depending on his wholehearted support for this. Or at least his insight.
Aftermath Page 17
