Apparently not.
Kallister gives the other man a reprimanding frown. “Let’s be kind now. She was never trained properly.”
I bristle, because…bullshit. Jim trained me well. So what if he didn’t know how to harness some stupid mysterious power most Mods don’t even possess?
Turning to me, Kallister speaks in a patient voice. “Modified abilities fall under a few categories. We call them the three families of powers—foundational, emotional, and manipulation. Thefoundationals are your basic gifts, like mind reading, telepathy, precognition, projection, and the like.”
“Emotional would be empath abilities?” I guess.
“Correct. And manipulation powers include incitement, corruption, persuasion—”
“Persuasion?”
He nods. “A persuader is able to plant ideas in someone’s mind. It’s similar to incitement, except that the target mind doesn’t usually realize a seed was planted. If a persuader is skilled enough, the other mind will believe the idea was completely organic.”
My eyebrows fly up. I had no idea that ability even existed.
“We used to have a Mod here who could do it. Siggie.” He sighs with regret. “We lost her in a ward ambush a few years back. But I digress. Manipulation powers tap into a rare frequency,” he continues. Hawkins stands silently at his side, arms crossed. “We call it gold, because every manipulator we know of says it manifests like the color gold in their mind.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, thinking of the gold dust that swirled behind my eyelids when I incited the firing squad at Uncle Jim’s execution.
“The gold frequency is undetectable in the receiving mind. If it’s used on another Mod, the target won’t receive an electric shock. The internal alarm system doesn’t go off, and most times the other mind is unaware it’s being targeted. A powerful inciter—President Severn, for example—could compel another person’s will, hijack their motor system, without them even knowing it’s happening.”
Whoa. No wonder Tack Severn was so feared. Whenever I’ve incited, the other mind resisted. Hard.
“But if they have a really strong shield—” I start.
“Won’t work,” Hawkins interrupts.
“What won’t work?”
“Shields.” His tone is curt. “Any ability that harnesses gold can’t be shielded against.”
Holy shit.
“Did you see gold when you incited?” Kallister asks me.
“Yes.”
“And when you drew it to you—”
“What do you mean, drew it to me?” I wrinkle my forehead. “I don’t draw anything to me. I just…repeat the command over and over again.”
Hawkins barks out a surly laugh. “And how does that fare for you?”
I frown at his sarcasm. “I—”
He cuts me off again, turning to Kallister. “She doesn’t know how to incite.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell everyone,” I mutter, my skin prickling with offense. “I don’t know how to do it. It happens spontaneously.”
Hawkins continues to focus only on Kallister. “She’s tapping into the gold, but she’s not harnessing it.”
“Then teach her to harness it,” Kallister replies, sounding irritated.
“What do I get in return?”
“What do you want?”
