With a nod, I inhaled and closed my eyes.“What do I do?”
“Simply envision the sigil. There is an energetic link to everyone’s mind. They’re attached to our Third Eye, which is situated in the space between our eyes. Once you conjure up the image in your mind, gently push it down the energetic link that leads to my mind’s eye.”
“Is the energetic link visible?”
“It is. Before you conjure the sigil, focus on the link. Clear your mind and let it present itself to you.”
I straightened my spine and tried to empty my mind. I’d never meditated before—at least, if that was what I was supposed to be doing. Meditation wasn’t a concept back at the King’s Palace. It was such a cutthroat environment that the practice never crossed our minds. But I’d try.
“If it helps,” Nell said, speaking out loud, “imagine catching every thought that appears in your head and placing them in a bucket. And once you’re done, set it on fire.”
I peeked an eye open. “That sounds a little too violent to be relaxing.”
Nell’s laughter was soft and soothing. “Fire is destructive, yes, but it’s also cleansing, purifying. Your thoughts are energy, and you can never truly destroy energy. You’re basically breaking the thoughts down to return them to their original energetic state while freeing your mind.”
That went a lot deeper than I had been anticipating, but I nodded and closed my eyes again, doing the exercise that Nell had instructed. We sat there in silence for much longer than I’d liked. It grew awkward, which only heightened my frustration.
My thoughts were too much. Thoughts that I didn’t even know I possessed still lingered. Every time I believed I had succeeded, a sentiment from years ago would crop up out of nowhere. It was as if my thoughts had built up over time, with nowhere to go until now. Like a family of cockroaches when they were finally exposed to light. All the thoughts from over the years, positive and negative, fought their way to the surface. It was too much.
“Your frustration is only going to make it harder for you. Take a break,” Nell cut in. “Relax. It happens. No one ever gets this on their first try. I’d have been extremely shocked if you had.”
Leaning forward, I propped my head in my hands.
“Have you ever journaled before?” Nell asked, rising from her seat to stand by the waterfall in her office. She waved a hand in front of it, and a glass appeared in her palm. Holding the cup underneath the running water, she filled it before turning around to return to her seat. She placed the glass in front of me. “Drink.”
I took the glass from her, tilting it back to rest between my lips. The freshest, cleanest water I’d ever savored set my taste buds in my throat alive. I hadn’t realized how dry my throat had been, but the water soothed it like a healing balm.
“Better?” she asked, one side of her smile quirked in amusement.
I nodded.“Much. Thank you.”Raising a brow, I cocked my head to the side.“How am I able to speak to you so easily?”
Nell comfortably leaned back in her seat, casually linking her fingers together in her lap. “Because of my link to you. If I were to close it, then you wouldn’t be able to speak to my mind without opening the link on your end.”
Oh. Well, that made sense.“So, once I learn to open the link to other people’s minds, then I’ll be able to speak to them like this, too?”
“Yes. The beautiful thing about not being a natural-born telepath is that you never have to deal with the onslaught of everyone’s thoughts around you. You get to pick and choose who you communicate with. And if you decide you no longer wish to share the link with someone, you can close it at any time. Because, at the end of the day, it’s considered a privilege to be granted a link to a telepath’s mind.”
“But I’m not a telepath.”
“Very true. But outside of your Kinetic abilities, you have power that originates from this world. I believe you may contain Druid blood somewhere down your familial line,” Nell stated. “Their magic is similar to ours, but also vastly different at the same time.Their power is natural; they work with nature and the elements. They use enchantments and especially sigils. But their power is strong. So even if the Druid blood within you is diluted, it still feels potent enough to make a difference.”
I sat up, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I considered her theory.“Well, let’s say that’s true. I don’t know how it would be, but if it is, how have I never experienced this magic before?”
“Druid magic needs Arcadian aether to function. You’ve never been exposed to Arcadian aether, I presume, until now. Am I correct?” Nell’s gaze saw through me. It was most unnerving.
I shook my head.“No, I haven’t.”
“That’s okay,” Nell assured me. “You’ll learn how to tap into that power soon. And because of that, you’ll be able to communicate telepathically with others around you. But only in Arcadia.”
The rest of our meeting consisted of me attempting to clear my mind to see the link that connected what she kept calling our “third eye.” After two hours, I’d made no progress. I couldn’t silence my mind for longer than five seconds.
“It’s normal. Especially for someone your age who’s lived in a tense environment for his entire life,” Nell explained. “But I sense something blocking you.”
I rubbed my palms down my face, my frustration getting to me. There was nothing for me to say. I had no way of knowing if something was blocking me or not. If there were a block, it needed to be removed.
“When we decide to share our thoughts with someone, it is a very intimate experience. You’re allowing someone into your energy. You’re being vulnerable. If there’s something within you that is hesitant, whether subconscious or not, it doesn’t matter what you do, you won’t be able to create the link.” Nell continued to patiently sit behind her desk, not one ounce of judgment or frustration in her voice. That never would’ve happened at the King’s Palace with instructors. “What is it that’s holding you back?”
I shrugged, standing to pace around and stretch my legs.“If I knew, I’d get rid of the block already.”
