Elanar nods. “I’ve shown you the things I know. Can you sense the emotions within this tower?”
I stretch out my attention, and now it’s simple for me to feel the tension there, the excitement, the fear, in some cases. I nod.
“I can.”
“And can you influence them?” Elanar asks.
I reach out again, sending out soothing waves of emotion. I calm some of the anxiety, easing some of the tension.
Elanar smiles. “Of course you would influence things to make people a little happier and less ferocious.”
“You don’t think I should?” I say.
Elanar puts his hand on my arm. “Ultimately, each of us must choose what we do with the powers we possess. I’m sure Lady Elara would have wanted you to drive people to greater heights of ferocity. But one aspect of these skills is judging what’s right in the situation.”
“So you think there are times when Ishouldmake people behave like animals?” I say.
Elanar laughs. “You know better than to think beasts only behave one way. I’m sure you’ve felt them at peace and on the verge of violence, the gentle protectiveness of a large herbivore with its young and the focused deadliness of a predator on the prowl. For centuries, people have assumed that beast whisperers are all furious, deadly, halfway to being animals. Remember that we can be all kinds of things.”
It's a larger conception of those with our skills than most people in Aetheria imagine, or even than Lady Elara imagined.
“Do you think this skill will let me undo Selene’s psychomancy?” I ask him.
Elanar nods. “Remember, you can tap into something deeper than people’s conscious thoughts. That might well be enough to overwhelm her influence. And it might be useful in other situations. In a battle, you could make your foes feel fear, while your side unlock their aggression and power. In other situations, you could calm someone or make them feel excited, stir up lust or deflect their attention.”
I have one last question for him. “Is this right, though, Elanar? Should I really manipulate people’s emotions like this?”
The elderly beast whisperer spreads his hands. “Like all your skills, this is a tool. One you can use for good or ill. Would you use your other talents to tear good people to shreds?”
“No, of course not,” I say.
“But youwoulduse them to protect someone from harm?”
I see his point. The rights and wrongs of influencing emotions will come down to each situation.
“I hope I do the right thing with this,” I say.
Elanar smiles. “I have every confidence you will. There are those who say great power corrupts us. We can act as we wish, and so we think that it’s right to do so. I think great power just unveils more of who we truly are. And from what I hear, you have always tried to use your powers for good.”
“Not always,” I say. “I’ve done cruel things. Things I’ll have to live with.”
Elanar nods. “And do you think Selene Ravenscroft is haunted by any of her mistakes?”
I suspect she isn’t. She seems so filled with certainty about what she has planned. She’s decided how the world must be, and she will reshape it, no matter how many people get hurt.
“Thank you, Elanar,” I say.
“No, thank you,” Elanar replies. “I’ve gotten the chance to see at first hand a beast whisperer more powerful than I dreamed could exist. You need to trust in that power, Lyra, and in yourself. Now, I should go. Thalia will be waiting for me.”
He hurries off, ready to be smuggled from the city. I head up to the top floor of the tower, where Alaric and Marcus are poring over a map of Ironhold, the tension palpable between them. Almost without thinking about it, I soothe those emotions, stilling their rivalry for the moment. In this case, it feels like the right thing to do.
“Is everything arranged for tomorrow?” I ask them.
“Almost,” Alaric says. “My people will follow you as you approach, and try to enter Ironhold without being seen. Marcus tells me he can find us a way inside.”
“I’ve been moving guards I believe to be loyal into the fortress,” he says. “There won’t be many of them, but they’ll be able to open a side door.”
“I’ve also arranged to bring a couple of creatures close to the fortress,” Alaric says. “Someone dug the crocodile out of the depths, and we have cages of bats and birds. It should give you at leastsomechance to use your powers, Lyra.”
