Legon Ascension by Nicholas Taylor Page A

him from saying stupid things?  
    She smiled. “Good, so do I.” She started to lead him into the city “You don’t mind if I take the lead? I don’t think you know where you’re going.”
    “No, that’s fine, you know the town. So now that we’ve answered that question, what’s so different?”
    She took her time trying how to figure out something that to her was common knowledge, as it would have been for him if he grew up in the Pawdin Empire. “Let down your mental defenses, not the ones that tell me what you want to say, but rather the ones guarding your emotions. That will be new for you, I know.”
    “People know how I feel all the time, that shouldn’t be hard.”
    “No, people know what your conscious mind wants them to know, and even then only strong emotions are shared with all but Sasha. Try and sense what I’m feeling—not my words, don’t listen to those in my mind, not yet—just emotions.”
    “Ok.”
    It was harder than he thought it would have been. But as they walked he began to feel her emotions in her head. They were patient. They cared for him, which felt odd, somehow like he was prying. He pulled away from the contact; his own defenses were down. He felt her consciousness there hovering, reading them with seeming ease. He felt truly naked for the first time. This was so much more intimate then he thought it would be.  
    She squeezed his hand in response. “It is easier for me, but not by too much. We are like this with our families and close friends. You only have it with your sister, but the bond there is far deeper than even I have with my sisters.”
    “Why do you think that is?”  
    He felt her mind again and the emotions were running wild, which wasn’t bad. It was no different than with Sasha or even in his own head. There was confusion, concern and wonder all flashing rapidly.  
    Finally she spoke. “I don’t know, but I’m happy for you two. She needed your strength and you needed her light.” There was the slightest hint of agitation and once again concern in her thoughts, but he didn’t want to know more, not right now.
    “I noticed that you didn’t bring a Faloon. Are you that confident in me?” he said, smiling.
    She rolled her eyes. “Yes, it’s you that I’m confident in.”
    “I thought so, I mean, after I took out that dragon…”
    She bumped into him lightly, and their emotions for a moment were one. He reached down and took her slight hand as if it was the most natural thing to do, and in a way it was. She wanted him to do it, and he did too. Maybe this connection thing could be kind of nice , he thought. From her mind he could see what direction they were headed in, but other than that he wasn’t paying any attention to his surroundings. He was far more interested in how Ise felt about everything, from the architecture of the city to the smell and taste of the air. The sun was setting behind them, casting the city in a fiery light that painting the ornate buildings in various shades of orange. The shadows in the street lengthened and grew in power, putting everything into sharp contrast.  
    They came to restaurant with a green awning. This was the place that Ankle’s family owned. As they approached the door, Ise faded back just slightly so he could open it for her. He placed his hand on the small of her back and they entered. The inside was dim, giving it a romantic edge. Candles lit the tables and the smell of garlic met them. A small woman with shoulder length white hair bobbed up to them.
    “You must be master Legon and Iselin, my name is Marietta. You know my William, but I think you know him as Ankle.” Marietta’s voice was light and bouncy.
    Legon gave her a slightly skeptical look. “You’re Ankle’s mother?”
    “He gets his height from his father. Why the man became a chef is beyond me. With how often he hits his head indoors you would think he would be a farmer or something. Never mind about that, let me take to your seat.”