Jeanne G'Fellers - Sisters Flight by Jeanne G'Fellers Page B
Authors: Jeanne G'Fellers
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congratulations. Now, follow my lead and do not
stray. Of all the places to lose oneself, an Aut's mind is not one of them. A
ripple of humor accompanied her comment.
I
chuckled as we set about waking the prisoners. Evangeline took me through a
brief exploration of the Autlach mind, warning me not to delve into the body
systems. Not at present, anyway, she explained. You mustn't
manipulate the heartbeat or breathing unless you are knowledgeable on how to
reverse the effect.
But
doesn't phasing one to sleep delve into the body's systems? The Autlach's breaths contracted and relaxed around me
until I found my breathing matching his.
It
is an amazing sensation. Evangeline
pulled my thoughts alongside hers. And, yes, on a certain level sleep does
include the body systems, but to rouse an Aut, one only needs to stimulate his
mind. Watch my example. She tuned her senses on the sleeper's dream,
manipulating the content until it became a sweat-rendering nightmare. The man
woke with a shudder, which he repeated when he saw two Taelach standing over
him.
"Mmm."
He nudged his still unconscious partner.
Ignore
him and rouse the other one. Evangeline
parted the second Autlach's mind then held back, letting me enter, twist his
dream, then exit. The effect was similar, leaving two horrified souls cowering
at our feet. I liked this newfound power, but Evangeline was correct, it must
be used wisely.
"Tell
me where you were going." She removed the first man's gag as I translated
into Autlach.
"I'll
tell you nothing!" He kicked at us. "Nothing!"
"He
resists." Evangeline sounded surprised, if not puzzled. "Tell him he
has no choice. Explain I will pick his mind if he does not."
When
I did, the man remained indifferent.
"Tell
him it will be painful."
Again,
indifference.
"Tell
him I can see he never recovers." With those words, Evangeline's
expression hardened, bringing a mumble from the second man. I lowered his gag
and he spewed the information, begging at every breath for his life to be
spared.
"Please.
We're due at the mine tomorrow, mid-morn." Sweat beaded on his brow
despite the cold. "We got here early so we camped topside, away from the
slave stink." His nose twitched, but I can't say whether it was from the
thought or the still prominent grease paint stench.
"Why
were you going to the mine?" I asked.
The
man hesitated when his partner knocked him with his shoulder. Evangeline
immediately took action, pushing a pain phase enough for both Autlachs to cry
out.
"Mercy!"
whimpered the second man. "We came to buy!" Another knock brought him
squirming about to face his companion. "I don't care what you think of me,
Reenvarl. Dammit, man, I've a family to think of."
"Traitor!
Coward!" Reenvarl pressed against his restraints, swearing and promising
our deaths until Evangeline reached out and gagged him again.
"Tell
me what you are to purchase," I said to the other Autlach. "You might
not survive if you don't do it." I nodded toward Evangeline as she dropped
the man's name into my mind. "You want to cooperate, don't
you—Frest?"
"How'd
you—oh, stars! Help! Yes. Yes!" Frest shook his head. "I'll tell you
the truth."
"You
sound like a man familiar with mind phases." Commander Stiles stepped up,
one hand wrapping her sword hilt, the other fingering a spent pilta. A brooding
look clouded her slim face.
"I've
run across you people more than once." Frest glanced up at the smoke and
sniffed. "Been sweet cured. Got any more of those?"
"Now,
what would your gagged friend say about your sharing smoke with a
Taelach?" Stiles opened her belt pouch.
"I
expect he'd see me dead." Frest grimaced. "Listen. I'm nothing to
you, just a poor farmer with too many kids. I took this job escorting slaves
for the money. I don't actually own any of you people. As I see it, a slave
would be just another body to feed and clothe. I've even traded with Taelachs
on occasion."
"I
thought I knew you from somewhere." Stiles lit a smoke from her
stray. Of all the places to lose oneself, an Aut's mind is not one of them. A
ripple of humor accompanied her comment.
I
chuckled as we set about waking the prisoners. Evangeline took me through a
brief exploration of the Autlach mind, warning me not to delve into the body
systems. Not at present, anyway, she explained. You mustn't
manipulate the heartbeat or breathing unless you are knowledgeable on how to
reverse the effect.
But
doesn't phasing one to sleep delve into the body's systems? The Autlach's breaths contracted and relaxed around me
until I found my breathing matching his.
It
is an amazing sensation. Evangeline
pulled my thoughts alongside hers. And, yes, on a certain level sleep does
include the body systems, but to rouse an Aut, one only needs to stimulate his
mind. Watch my example. She tuned her senses on the sleeper's dream,
manipulating the content until it became a sweat-rendering nightmare. The man
woke with a shudder, which he repeated when he saw two Taelach standing over
him.
"Mmm."
He nudged his still unconscious partner.
Ignore
him and rouse the other one. Evangeline
parted the second Autlach's mind then held back, letting me enter, twist his
dream, then exit. The effect was similar, leaving two horrified souls cowering
at our feet. I liked this newfound power, but Evangeline was correct, it must
be used wisely.
"Tell
me where you were going." She removed the first man's gag as I translated
into Autlach.
"I'll
tell you nothing!" He kicked at us. "Nothing!"
"He
resists." Evangeline sounded surprised, if not puzzled. "Tell him he
has no choice. Explain I will pick his mind if he does not."
When
I did, the man remained indifferent.
"Tell
him it will be painful."
Again,
indifference.
"Tell
him I can see he never recovers." With those words, Evangeline's
expression hardened, bringing a mumble from the second man. I lowered his gag
and he spewed the information, begging at every breath for his life to be
spared.
"Please.
We're due at the mine tomorrow, mid-morn." Sweat beaded on his brow
despite the cold. "We got here early so we camped topside, away from the
slave stink." His nose twitched, but I can't say whether it was from the
thought or the still prominent grease paint stench.
"Why
were you going to the mine?" I asked.
The
man hesitated when his partner knocked him with his shoulder. Evangeline
immediately took action, pushing a pain phase enough for both Autlachs to cry
out.
"Mercy!"
whimpered the second man. "We came to buy!" Another knock brought him
squirming about to face his companion. "I don't care what you think of me,
Reenvarl. Dammit, man, I've a family to think of."
"Traitor!
Coward!" Reenvarl pressed against his restraints, swearing and promising
our deaths until Evangeline reached out and gagged him again.
"Tell
me what you are to purchase," I said to the other Autlach. "You might
not survive if you don't do it." I nodded toward Evangeline as she dropped
the man's name into my mind. "You want to cooperate, don't
you—Frest?"
"How'd
you—oh, stars! Help! Yes. Yes!" Frest shook his head. "I'll tell you
the truth."
"You
sound like a man familiar with mind phases." Commander Stiles stepped up,
one hand wrapping her sword hilt, the other fingering a spent pilta. A brooding
look clouded her slim face.
"I've
run across you people more than once." Frest glanced up at the smoke and
sniffed. "Been sweet cured. Got any more of those?"
"Now,
what would your gagged friend say about your sharing smoke with a
Taelach?" Stiles opened her belt pouch.
"I
expect he'd see me dead." Frest grimaced. "Listen. I'm nothing to
you, just a poor farmer with too many kids. I took this job escorting slaves
for the money. I don't actually own any of you people. As I see it, a slave
would be just another body to feed and clothe. I've even traded with Taelachs
on occasion."
"I
thought I knew you from somewhere." Stiles lit a smoke from her
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