He rises from his position on the benches slowly and carefully, as if his body won't let him do much more these days. I imagine he could take more strength from some of the creatures nearby, but he doesn't seem inclined to.
“Let's start with your connection to the beasts around here,” Elanar says. “Reach out for them, as wide as you can and in all the detail you can. Don't miss any of them.”
He says it like a teacher instructing a pupil in some problem in mathematics or philosophy, setting them a task and then seeing how they do it. I decide this is my opportunity to impress him, because I have no doubt he will be following along, feeling the connections I make.
So I reach out with my powers, feeling every insect that scuttles in the dark, every snake that slithers through the cracks. I take in a nest of bats roosting, waiting for the night. I reach out beyond our underground space, feeling the animals of the city and the birds above. I can feel a presence with me that I know must be Elanar’s, along for the ride, monitoring what I do. I stretch out and out, my powers taking in the beasts of the menagerie, the creatures waiting in the depths of the colosseum.
Eventually I pull back to myself, looking over at the older beast whisperer expectantly. Will he be impressed by what I've done? Lady Elara always told me I had more power than anyone she'd ever met.
Elanar nods. “It's a start.”
“A start?” Alaric says, sounding surprised. “Lyra’s the most powerful beast whisperer for a generation or more.”
“Like I said, a start,” Elanar says. He looks me in the eye with those strange cat eyes of his. “You have power, but from what I hear from Alaric, you wanted to learn from another beast whisperer because you've been experiencing new things. The start of a connection to people?”
I nod. “I felt people's emotions. I was wondering… does it give me a way to counter psychomancy?”
Elanar smiles. “It may. Our kind have always been more resistant. Remember, though, you're not tapping into people's minds the same way a psychomancer would. You're tappinginto their primal instincts. Now, reach out again. This time, focus on the presence of people. Their emotions. Their needs. Remember that humans are still animals even if we have language and magic and more. One of the reasons people hate beast whisperers so much is that we remind them that the gap between us and other creatures isn’t so great.”
I reach out with my powers again, this time not focusing on distance but on feeling for the presence of other people. I try to remember what it was like, in the palace gardens, and that memory lets me start to feel the presence of Alaric and Elanar near me. Alaric is like a sharp edged arrow, filled with purpose, deadly in his commitment and his arrogance. I grasp the sense of confusion, but also the need that comes whenever he looks at me. Elanar is different, filled with the pulsing power of animals, stronger than he looks, his emotions…
“I can't feel your emotions,” I say.
“It's possible to shield against such things if you know what you're doing,” Elanar says. “You can forge protections from the animal power within you. Here, let me show you.”
He lets his protections fall then carefully weaves them back into place again, so that I can see how he's doing it. I start to try to copy him, but I can feel my efforts are clumsy, too slow, and fragile.
“We’ll need to keep working,” Elanar says. “There are a lot of things still to teach you, and you’ll want to perfect this before you try to actually take on a psychomancer.”
That's frustrating, even as I know it's true. I'll need far more work before I'm able to stop Selene and her plans.
“We'll find spots for you to train,” Alaric says. “We'll need to shift it around so no one follows you, but there will be somewhere every day until you're ready.”
It's obvious he sees the importance of this. Or maybe he just wants the opportunity to spend more time with me. I can still feel the echoes of his need when he looks at me.
“Thank you,” I say. “Both of you.”
“I'm just doing this to stay safe,” Elanar says. “And maybe to see what you're actually capable of.”
“Selene needs to be stopped,” Alaric says. “This gives us a chance.”
I hope it does, and I hope I'm ready to use these powers quickly. Because every day I delay, Selene is gaining more power in the city.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: SELENE
“Thevote went the way you expected, Arch Magistrate,” Olivia says, looking pleased with herself that it’s turned out that way.
I reward her with a benevolent smile. “That's good, although you mustn't call me that, my dear. I'm not the arch magistrate any longer. I'm just a prisoner here in Ironhold.”
Even after the vote, that's true. I have the freedom now to come and go as I please, able to head down into the city without having to take the elaborate precautions I've been employing so far to make sure I'm not spotted. But ultimately, I'm still a prisoner, still little better than one of the slave gladiators from the old days, bound to serve and fight until I have those five neat stripes across the circular brand on my left shoulder.
I'm wearing the training gear of a gladiator, because Idotrain hard here. Retaking Aetheria will involve plenty of skillful magic and careful political manipulation, but at some point, I will be forced to fight for what I want.
And of course, I need to be ready for my fights in the arena.
“What about the rest of it?” I ask Olivia. “Have you arranged for people to come with everything I need?”
I focus my magic on her as I ask it, pulling on the threads of power I've used to ensnare her mind. Although one of the tricks of psychomancy I’ve learned is that it's not about the total domination of each individual. Instead it's about small suggestions, woven into the things they already want. Olivia is a shallow, vain thing, who seems to want little more from life than enough power to ensure she gets endless pleasure and chances to show off her wealth. Honestly, I could probably have brought her to my side without using magic if she hadn't been so afraid of what I might do to her and others around her. Psychomancy haseased the way in that respect, taking away her fears and nudging her towards the things I want.
