T Southwell - Prophecy

A strange itching made Rayne want to scratch behind the bone of her temple, and she rubbed her brow. Rawn looked puzzled. The sensation of a voice speaking inside her head was unpleasant, as if vibrations quivered her brain.

"Well, that's not a bad description," the telepathic voice said. "Don't worry, the itching goes away after a while."

"Where are you?" Rayne asked, and Rawn frowned at her.

"Over here."

She glanced around. A creature sat beside the pool, and Rayne wondered why she had not noticed it before.

"Because I did not wish to be seen before, my dear."

This time it spoke aloud, and Rawn spun around, his hand dropping to his belt, where his gun had once resided. He scowled. "Who are you?"

"I'm your teacher. My name is Callamindra-Falona, but you can call me Mindra for short."

The alien spoke clearly, even though it had the split lip and muzzle of a cat, which had always been thought to prevent animals like cats from being able to speak. It spoke Atlantean fluently, without any trace of an accent. It rose and walked towards them, looking like an overgrown cat with wide ears, sleek black fur and a bushy white tail. Its slanted golden eyes were set in a grey-furred face that was long and pointed, rather like a highly bred Siamese. A white ruff encircled its throat like a fluffy collar.

Mindra purred, "But you want to know what I am more than who I am, so sit down and I'll tell you."

They sat by the pool, a little stunned, and the cat-alien settled in front of them, curling its tail around its paws.

"First of all, I'm a she, not an it," she said. "I'm Shyanese. I come from the star system of Tryan. Many years ago, the Atlanteans came to our world looking for new planets to colonise. At first we stayed away, thinking they would leave, but when they started building houses we decided enough was enough, and made them leave. You see, we're the most powerful espers in the known universe, and that's what I've come to teach you. Tallyn asked me especially."

Rayne tilted her head. "How did you make the Atlanteans leave?"

Mindra's eyes twinkled. "We teleported them and all their equipment back aboard their ships, then teleported the ships about twenty light years away from our planet."

"But they came back."

"Oh yes, dearie, they did, but this time they came as friends, not colonists. They didn't try to invade us again." She gazed at them with wide, beguiling eyes.

Rawn leant forward. "So you've come to teach us ESP?"

"I'm going to teach you how to use more of your brains than you ever have before." Her ears twitched. "It's a shame to waste potential. So, let's not waste any time. I have a busy schedule. First, let's see what you can do now." She looked at Rayne. "You're already a little telepathic; an unformed talent. But you have more. Have you ever sensed people's moods in the past, and perhaps when they're lying?"

Rayne nodded.

"You have a slight empathic ability, most undesirable, although not too bad at such low levels." Mindra turned to Rawn. "You can't even hear me, which, considering how powerful I am, is amazing. I want you both to try to speak telepathically."

Rawn looked puzzled. "How?"

"Just think the words, dearie."

Rayne recited a poem to herself, and Mindra's luminous eyes rested upon her. "You I can hear faintly, but Rawn I can't. Let's try teleportation."

A rock near the pool floated over and landed in front of them. They gaped at it, and Mindra looked a little smug. "Lift it."

Rayne concentrated and Rawn scowled at it. Once more Mindra's eyes rested on Rayne. "I can feel power from you, but weak. Again, Rawn, you have nothing. Now I want you both to lie down and make your minds blank. I'm going to unblock the channels in your brains. You must relax and trust me. It may hurt a little, but don't try to resist, or it'll hurt more."

Rayne met Rawn's worried glance, sharing his obvious aversion to allowing an alien to do weird things to their brains.

Mindra purred, "I'm not going to hurt you, but it's your choice. If you choose not to do this, I'll understand. The crude operation the Atlantean doctors performed on you is also a harmless, perhaps even beneficial to you."

"What operation?" Rawn demanded.

"Ah." Mindra's ears flicked back. "Ask Tallyn.

"That's about as much good as asking a brick wall."

"Then I can't help you. Now, what have you decided to do?"

Rayne bit her lip, but Rawn shot her a wry smile and lay down. "Hey, I'll try anything once."

Mindra sat beside his head and gazed down at him. His trust surprised Rayne, for he was usually more suspicious of strangers than her, but the little cat-alien appeared to have inspired his confidence. In her, he seemed to sense an uncompromising integrity, and her gentle nature would not allow her to do him harm. Rayne sensed it too.

Mindra said, "You're correct, Rawn, and I'm flattered by your perception. Now, please empty your mind."

He smiled. "That's easy."

Rayne took his hand and cast him an encouraging smile when he glanced at her, then he closed his eyes and relaxed. Mindra sat like a statue, staring into the middle distance. Several moments passed before Rawn gasped and gripped Rayne's hand. She chewed her lip, her eyes darting from his impassive face to Mindra's. He grunted, twitching, and Rayne leant closer to put a hand on his arm. He winced four more times before Mindra's eyes regained their focus, and she relaxed.

"All right, it's over, you can think again."

He stared up at her. "What did you do?"

"I cleared a few blockages, but you'll never have any great ESP power. Now you have improved intelligence and memory. You might be able to hear telepathically, but that's about all I can do for you, I'm afraid. You just don't have the ability for more."

Rawn sat up. "Why not? I mean, what gives some people the ability and others not?"

"People with the ability have pathways in their brain through which the power flows, but you don't have them. That's the best way I can explain it."

Rawn looked disappointed, but shot Rayne an encouraging smile. "Go on, it's not too bad. You can handle it. Maybe you'll get more from it than I did."

Mindra nodded. "She will, but that also means it may be more painful."

Rayne looked from one to the other. "How painful?"

"It will be over quickly," Mindra said, "and you'll be glad you did it."

"This was Tallyn's idea? I wonder what I did to him."

"It's for your own good. Now relax and clear your mind."

With a sigh, Rayne lay down, closed her eyes and blanked her mind. A slight tingling sensation started inside her head, almost itchy. It moved from front to back and side to side, then stopped. There was a stab of pain, like a plucked nerve, and she yelped in surprise.

The tingling sensation continued to explore her brain for much longer before the next stab made her yelp again. Rawn took her hand and patted it. The pain faded, then another stab made her grimace and grit her teeth, squeezing Rawn's hand until he winced. Five more stabs of pain followed, then the tingle vanished, leaving her head throbbing.

"Rayne." The voice was in her head and much stronger now, clearer. "Sit up. It's over. You're now able to receive and speak telepathically. You'll be able to teleport objects over short distances, but nothing too heavy. Mostly your power is healing."

Rayne sat up and rubbed her brow, grimacing. "Healing?"

"Yes." Mindra rose and stretched, then settled herself again, her tail wrapped around her feet. "You'll be able to see sickness and heal it by projecting your consciousness into the patient's flesh and commanding it. I can't explain it, but when you meet a sick person you'll know what to do."

"Could it work the other way? In self-defence?" Rawn asked.