Kristie Cook - Devotion

Rina inclined her head in appreciation and Mom gave my shoulder another squeeze, then Rina asked me to tell the men we were ready. Either more practice or another test–one I wasn't sure I could pass. I had never reached out to multiple people at once or someone so far away before. Not on purpose, anyway. In fact, the other person had always been only a few feet away. I concentrated on the image of a black cloud in my head and pushed it outward. I extended it beyond the confines of my skull, while keeping it from enshrouding Mom or Rina–I would hear the thoughts of whoever came "within" the cloud. I continued pushing it out, beyond the room to search for Tristan, but the force was too much. My wall fell and I heard a jumble of everyone's thoughts. I sucked the cloud right back into my head and raised the wall.

"Sorry," I mumbled, shaking my head.

Rina's brows furrowed for an instant, reminding me of the look she'd given me at breakfast, then calm returned to her face.

"Do not worry, dear," she said, "you will learn. Right now, however, we do not have time."

She fell silent while she "called" for Tristan, Solomon and Owen.

"How far out can you go?" I asked her while we waited for them.

"If it is to pick up any random thoughts from anyone, a few kilometers, though without proper control, it can be quite painful if it is a crowded area. If it is to communicate directly with someone in particular, much farther, especially if I am very familiar with them. You can identify your mother, Dorian or Tristan across a large, crowded room simply from a laugh or a single spoken word, yes? It is easier because you are attuned to their voices."

I nodded with understanding. Then I thought I must have been using my gift all wrong, with the visual of the cloud–it wasn't a good enough analogy. I sighed with frustration. This was the worst time to be confounded.

"Rina, I don't think I can do this yet. I have too much to learn."

"You can do this, Alexis," she said. "You were able to save Tristan, even with all the Daemoni and Amadis soldiers there. You blocked them out and focused only on him, no?"

Only a few days ago, I'd protected Tristan from a Daemoni attack on his soul, partially by talking him through it telepathically. I had no clue how I pulled it off so well, though, how I was able to keep out everyone else and only talk to him, without anyone but Rina, Mom and Owen aware of what I was doing.

"That is all you need to do during the meeting," Rina said. "Hold your wall and focus on one mind at a time. Just listen. That is all."

There was no more time to argue. Mom opened the door right as the men reached it. Tristan took my hand and "led" me for the flash–all I had to concentrate on was going where he was, since I'd never been to the destination before. There were other ways to flash somewhere new, but I hadn't learned them yet.

I was starting to feel like an alien, learning the ways of a whole new world.

We appeared next to Rina and Solomon in a small area that must have been a holding chamber and had been empty until we arrived. The room reminded me a little of the green rooms when I did television interviews, though the stone walls indicated the building pre-dated television by millennia. The chilly air–no fire in these grates–might have caused a mage or a Norman to shiver, but no one here noticed. Mom sent Owen out to see if all the council members had arrived.

I stepped over to the single window and was surprised to see a whole village outside below us. We were at the top of a hill, at one end of a main road that ended with a pier jutting out over the sea. Between here and the beach, people bustled in and out of an eclectic collection of shops and other buildings lining each side of the road, many with brightly colored awnings, others blank and austere. The rooftops of houses–some steep and pointed, some flat and others rounded, all in various shades from white to blue to fuchsia–spread out beyond them.

"Where are we?" I wondered aloud. We had to still be on the Amadis Island since it was shielded–we could only flash within shields, but not through them.

"The Council Hall in the island village," Tristan said from right behind me. "All those people out there are Amadis."

"You mean … witches and wizards and vampires and everything?" I asked with awe.

"Yes, your very characters."

Of course, they weren't the exact characters in the books I'd written about witches, werewolves, vampires and various other supernaturals. I thought I'd been writing all fiction, not knowing these creatures actually existed, but my fiction came somewhat close to reality, which I'd learned just last week. Seeing the people out there–my people, the Amadis–was like seeing my characters come to life.

"I want to go meet them!" I said, momentarily forgetting the whole reason we stood at this particular window in the first place.

Tristan chuckled. "You'll meet some today, don't worry."

Oh! The council members themselves aren't exactly human. The cold-water effect of this realization doused my elation. How can I possibly concentrate on my task now? I'd be too distracted, overcome with excitement of meeting real-life creatures I'd been so fascinated with since I was a kid. My stomach fluttered with anxiety–I was doomed for failure.

"Tristan," Rina said from the other side of the room and we both turned toward her. "I have just learned some of our members have been delayed with … a situation. You may take Alexis into the village to orient her."

"Alexis!" Why did she seem to be yelling my name all morning? I tilted my head, acknowledging her. "Please practice listening while in the village. It will give you the confidence you need before going into the meeting."

I nodded as Tristan took my hand. He led me out of the large, stone building and down a path to the main road through town. As we meandered through the business district, I gaped with amazement at everything, keeping Tristan quite amused. The many shops sold a wide variety of goods. In one window, dried herbs hung from the ceiling and shelves contained jars of other reagents, some unidentifiable and others I wished I hadn't been able to identify (lizard eyeballs!), for the mages. Others displayed bottles of thick, red liquid with pretty labels similar to wine bottles, but instead of "pinot noir," "cabernet" or "merlot," they advertised "O+" and "B-"–donated blood for the vamps. Live animals roamed one window display, imitating a pet shop, but these weren't pets. Rather, chickens, rats and hogs waited to be selected for were-creatures' meals. One shop sold wands and another enchanted armor for the warriors. People, dressed in a variety of fashions, present-day and not, frequently appeared and disappeared, flashing around the village.

I couldn't help but wonder what my fellow fantasy authors would think if they ever saw this place. Many had described similar villages in their works, but what would they do if they actually saw it in person? Probably be like me … ambling about with their mouths hanging open.

"Are they scared of you?" I whispered to Tristan at one point, as we walked down a residential street by ourselves. "Everybody bows their heads and no one looks us in the eye."

"Maybe," he said with a chuckle, "but that's not why they do it. You're royalty, my love. We both are. They do it out of respect."

"Oh, right. I wish they wouldn't. It makes me feel … weird. I thought this would be the last place I'd feel unusual, surrounded by all these mythical creatures that aren't really mythical."

He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. "Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks."

"Easy for you to say. You've been beautiful and you forever. You're used to it."