stored. If you want anything in particular, you will be offered a chance to choose at intervals during your time underground.”
She stared out the window for ten minutes and winced as they entered a secure area around the base of the mountain. This was it; she was stuck.
With the men around her, she did something she never thought she would. She rapid-fired the messages to the endangered talents through oscillating holes in her mental structure. There was a strange look from one of the guards in the back of the transport with her, but aside from a probe on her outer shield, there was no additional press for information. The small twitch of his lips was all that proved she had been right about the contact and his inability to pry into her mind. He knew she had done something, but he didn’t know what. She was happy to leave it that way.
They drove into a deep-shadowed archway, into the mountain itself. Skiria pressed a hand to her forehead and fought the press of other minds. The pressure was strong and rhythmic, supressing outward contact and focussing down and into the heart of the planet itself.
As Skiria sat and they continued inward and downward, she felt her mind being urged to follow down into the centre, to follow the minds of the other telepaths down into the planet to hold the mind that wished to rise.
When the vehicle stopped, they eased her out as if they had known how distracted she would be. They guided her down halls, and the pressure increased in intensity until they had to carry her.
Limp and supported on the shoulders of six men, they carried her into a vaulted chamber surrounding a crevice so deep that the heat of the planet’s pulse could be felt.
Her collection crew handed her over to others who murmured softly and circled her. When they finished their initial routine, she was wearing loose trousers and a tunic and had inlets to her veins installed.
Her mind wanted to dive down into the crevice, but she held back. She fought the urge to simply give in, and she fought to surface as her keepers eased her into a chair and connected her to the taps and plugs that would keep her alive.
Once she was connected, fire flowed through her veins followed by a deep heaviness. She whispered, “I don’t want to go.”
A keeper looked at her with sad eyes. “Holders never do, but you will hold Resicor down. It is your destiny.”
Skiria looked at the woman and she knew her eyes were wild. “Help me.”
Another woman cleared her throat and jerked her head. “It isn’t our place to help you, and it isn’t your place to fight this. Join the other minds. It is why you are here.”
Skiria felt her feet on fire, and when the pain finished, there was lead in its wake. When her connection to her body had been removed, she had nothing else to do but follow the other minds into the crevice. She sought the soul of Resicor and held her in place.
* * * *
Atimmorn looked at the readouts and looked up at the keepers. “How is the new one settling in?”
The Sheewah sister with the blonde hair said, “She is fighting it, but she is very strong. She has allowed the holders one and three to take some time for medical repair and rest.”
The brunette scowled. “She is not as strong as I would like. Her mind has the initial burst, but many of the others have had the same initial success. I am not sure that she has the stamina to continue at this pace for much longer.”
Atimmorn nodded and continued the situation briefing with the information on the other holders. Five were needed at any time, and it was always pure chance that brought them to the attention of the government. The list of candidates was kept at hand for just such situations as they found themselves in right now. There were two deaths and immediate replacements had been needed. Plugging in number five had been a boon and they were able to keep the balance, but having one mind holding that of a planet was a dangerous situation, and as soon
She stared out the window for ten minutes and winced as they entered a secure area around the base of the mountain. This was it; she was stuck.
With the men around her, she did something she never thought she would. She rapid-fired the messages to the endangered talents through oscillating holes in her mental structure. There was a strange look from one of the guards in the back of the transport with her, but aside from a probe on her outer shield, there was no additional press for information. The small twitch of his lips was all that proved she had been right about the contact and his inability to pry into her mind. He knew she had done something, but he didn’t know what. She was happy to leave it that way.
They drove into a deep-shadowed archway, into the mountain itself. Skiria pressed a hand to her forehead and fought the press of other minds. The pressure was strong and rhythmic, supressing outward contact and focussing down and into the heart of the planet itself.
As Skiria sat and they continued inward and downward, she felt her mind being urged to follow down into the centre, to follow the minds of the other telepaths down into the planet to hold the mind that wished to rise.
When the vehicle stopped, they eased her out as if they had known how distracted she would be. They guided her down halls, and the pressure increased in intensity until they had to carry her.
Limp and supported on the shoulders of six men, they carried her into a vaulted chamber surrounding a crevice so deep that the heat of the planet’s pulse could be felt.
Her collection crew handed her over to others who murmured softly and circled her. When they finished their initial routine, she was wearing loose trousers and a tunic and had inlets to her veins installed.
Her mind wanted to dive down into the crevice, but she held back. She fought the urge to simply give in, and she fought to surface as her keepers eased her into a chair and connected her to the taps and plugs that would keep her alive.
Once she was connected, fire flowed through her veins followed by a deep heaviness. She whispered, “I don’t want to go.”
A keeper looked at her with sad eyes. “Holders never do, but you will hold Resicor down. It is your destiny.”
Skiria looked at the woman and she knew her eyes were wild. “Help me.”
Another woman cleared her throat and jerked her head. “It isn’t our place to help you, and it isn’t your place to fight this. Join the other minds. It is why you are here.”
Skiria felt her feet on fire, and when the pain finished, there was lead in its wake. When her connection to her body had been removed, she had nothing else to do but follow the other minds into the crevice. She sought the soul of Resicor and held her in place.
* * * *
Atimmorn looked at the readouts and looked up at the keepers. “How is the new one settling in?”
The Sheewah sister with the blonde hair said, “She is fighting it, but she is very strong. She has allowed the holders one and three to take some time for medical repair and rest.”
The brunette scowled. “She is not as strong as I would like. Her mind has the initial burst, but many of the others have had the same initial success. I am not sure that she has the stamina to continue at this pace for much longer.”
Atimmorn nodded and continued the situation briefing with the information on the other holders. Five were needed at any time, and it was always pure chance that brought them to the attention of the government. The list of candidates was kept at hand for just such situations as they found themselves in right now. There were two deaths and immediate replacements had been needed. Plugging in number five had been a boon and they were able to keep the balance, but having one mind holding that of a planet was a dangerous situation, and as soon
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