Then I felt him there, slipping into me. Rath's presence inside me. It was as beautiful as it had been the last time he'd entered me in this way. Calming. Bright but not in a way to make me cringe. Uplifting. The man simply shone.
Rath made a pensive sound, then said, “All right, Ember. Go into your mind. Turn your attention inward even more. Find the place inside your body that houses your soul.”
As Rath paused, a cool breeze wafted over my skin. But it felt far away. I wasn't out there. I was inside. With myself.
“This is you, Ember,” Rath went on. “The you that can be invaded if you're not careful. This place is yours. You must defend it. I want you to imagine great, stone walls around this you. Walls like those of the Wraith Lord citadel. Impenetrable walls.”
I imagined the walls. They surged up, and I instantly felt safer. Wow, that was easy.
“Take them up and over,” Rath said. “Surround yourself in the walls until they become a solid case. Take it up and down. Over and under you. Seal yourself in it. And then, meld the stones together. See the seams disappear.”
I encased myself in solid stone and smiled.
“I will now try to invade your mind,” Rath said. “I will use Spirit Magic as I did once to train you. But do not let me in.”
I nodded.
“Hold the image fast in your mind of that stone,” he said.
Then I felt him. A presence beyond the stone. He prodded. Then he pounded. The wall held.
“Very good,” Rath said. “Now you must set the wall. Command it to stay, whether you focus on it or not. Tell it only to let in those you allow.”
I commanded. Nothing happened.
“Focus,” Rath said. “This is you. You can command yourself more easily than anything else. Easier than controlling magic.”
I focused. Commanded. Nothing.
As if sensing my continued trouble, or perhaps he saw it on my face, Rath said, “Do not see the wall as separate from you. It's a part of you. It is your will hardened.”
That was exactly what I needed to hear. With the epiphany that it was all in my head and therefore, all me, I tried once more. This time, the wall shimmered, and I felt the endurance of it. It would stand.
“Now, open your eyes and release the image of the wall.”
I opened my eyes.
“I'm going to try again,” Rath said. “Do not think about the wall or what I'm doing. Focus on your surroundings.”
“All right.” I looked away from Rath and tried to ignore him. There was a colorful bird in a tree several yards away. I— “Damn it! I feel you. You slipped past.”
Rath chuckled. “I have a bond with you. It makes it harder for you to keep me out. I'm not surprised you couldn't do it on your first try.”
“Well, it's not as important to keep you out.”
“No, but it makes me the perfect person to train you. If you can keep me out, you can keep out anyone. Now, let's try again, this time, focus on protecting your mind, but keep your eyes open.”
“All right.” I focused.
Chapter Forty-One
Several hours later, Rath and I left the beach secure in the knowledge that my mind was sealed. Death wouldn't be able to slip past my defenses. What we weren't sure about was whether there had been a ward in place to begin with.
“How did it go?” Xae and Kel were at our usual table in the dining hall with Finn and Jakel.
Nex and Taroc weren't there, and many of the others were absent as well. It must have been past the normal time for us to eat. Finn was one of the Lords who usually dined with us, but Jakel wasn't. He was a Falcon Ladrin—one of the few bird clans. I thought they were lucky to be able to shift into a winged form. They got to fly and not have to deal with wings constantly like the Makhon did. Finn, taking up several feet of bench across from Jakel was a perfect example.
I looked from Finn to Jakel. I hadn't noticed before, but there were hints of the falcon in Jakel's body. He was leaner than other Ladrin, and his facial features were sharper. Even his eyes looked a little avian, their color a bright amber. He nodded at me as I sat down.
