Leslie Moore - Griffin's Daughter

Sen grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “You, as usual, are right,” he replied.

“ Thank you both,” Ashinji breathed, sinking to his knees before his parents and bowing his head.

“ Yes, yes,” Jelena added, kneeling beside him, her voice breaking. “I thank you, also!” Unable to stop herself, she began to cry.

“ No, no…No tears, girl,” Sen grumbled. “I’ll start blubbering m’self, and believe me, you don’t want to see that!” Jelena couldn’t help but smile as she dabbed at her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve. Sen stood up from the couch and added, “Looks like you’ve got another wedding to plan, Wife. Now, I must be off. I promised Sadaiyo I’d help him inventory supplies for the trip to Sendai.”

“ Father, Jelena and I must marry before we leave,” Ashinji said.

“ Hmm, yes, of course. Looks like your mother has her work cut out for her, then. I’m gone!” he called over his shoulder as he stumped out.

Ashinji shook his head. “Father is not happy about this,” he stated. He rose to his feet in a single fluid motion and reached out a hand to steady Jelena as she climbed, considerably less gracefully in her opinion, to hers.

“ Give him a little time, Son. He’ll come around.” Amara turned her cool green gaze on Jelena. “Societal tradition is hard to go against, even for a man who believes wholeheartedly that some traditions are wrong. My husband really does hold you in the highest regard, child. You proved to him when you shot that boar and saved his life that your heart is courageous.” She paused for a heartbeat, then said, “Jelena, you are going to need all of your courage from this day on.”

Jelena nodded, but she felt puzzled; she sensed some hidden meaning behind Amara’s words.

“ Jelena and I should go, now, Mother,” Ashinji said, grabbing Jelena’s hand and starting toward the door.

“ Ashi, wait,” Amara said. “I need to speak with Jelena alone.”

Ashinji looked questioningly at his mother but Amara’s expression gave nothing away. “Yes, Mother,” was all he said. He kissed Jelena lightly on the lips and whispered in her ear that he would see her at dinner, then strode from the room.

Amara waited until the door had shut behind her son before she spoke again. “Come and sit beside me, Jelena.” Her voice was gentle, yet still infused with an undertone of quiet authority. Jelena obeyed without question.

“ Some weeks ago, you came to me asking for help in understanding the energy you harbor within you,” Amara began. “I agreed to teach you all that I could about it. Back then, I wasn’t certain what it was that we’d be dealing with, but I’ve had time to do some research…”

“ And you know now what the blue fire is!” Jelena interrupted, excitement riding roughshod over her manners. “Oh! Apologies, my lady,” she quickly added, dipping her head in contrition.

“ As I’ve said, I did some research, and, yes, I know what it is now.” Amara paused to look intently into Jelena’s eyes.

Ashi and his mother have the same eyes, Jelena thought. So green…like emeralds.

“ I’m going to try something with you, something that my son may have already attempted,” Amara continued. “Relax now, and clear your mind of all thought.”

“ I…I am not certain I can,” Jelena said. “Relax, I mean.” She still felt a little intimidated by Amara, despite the other’s kindness.

“ Yes, you can. You have nothing to fear from me…Let your…mind…go…blank…”

Jelena felt herself begin to drift. Her eyelids grew heavy.

Look at me child.

Jelena’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Yes, you are hearing me in your mind. This is what we call mindspeech. Every elf is capable of it, but the ability to send and receive mindspeech with any power and clarity is directly proportional to the level of Talent of the individual. The strength of the bond between two people also facilitates its use. I can see by the look on your face that you know about mindspeech already.

“ Yes, my lady, I do,” Jelena replied aloud. “But I did not think I would be able to hear it…I mean, I know so little about Talent in myself.”

There is much about you that awaits discovery, child. I will help you, but you must trust me completely. There is no room for doubt.

“ I…I do trust you, my lady,” Jelena stammered, unsure of whether she should be excited or afraid.

Try not to use your voice, Jelena. Mindspeech is like thought. Just form the words in your mind and imagine them flowing from your consciousness into mine.

I’ll try, my lady…Oh!

Very good! You’re learning quickly. Now, continue to do exactly what you just did.

I…I can…feel what you mean now…but my head is beginning to ache!

Jelena rubbed her temples in an attempt to massage away the pain she could feel building behind her eyes.

Unfortunately, some people do experience pain when they mindspeak, sometimes so much that they are totally unable to communicate mind to mind. My dear husband is such a person. However, I believe that with practice, you will be able to mindspeak with ease.

Tell me about the blue fire, my lady.

Patience, my girl! There are many lessons you must learn first. Now…Your trust will be tested by this first one. I am going to perform a scan of your most recent memories. I must do so in order to show you what a scan feels like so that you can learn to recognize, and most importantly, guard against an unwanted one.

You have nothing to fear, Jelena. I know all about what happened between you and my eldest son.

My lady, I…I am sorry. Ashi and I agreed not to say anything. He…he did not wish to upset you and Lord Sen.

You have nothing to be sorry about, Jelena. I hold Sadaiyo to blame. None of my children can lie to me, and when he told that tale about stabbing himself, I knew immediately that he was withholding the truth. I am truly sorry for what you suffered at my son’s hands, child. Sadaiyo has a cruel nature that I have been unable to change, despite all of my best efforts; still, he is my son, and I always try to coax as much good from him as I can. Rest assured that he will make restitution to you in some form.

Thank you, my lady.

Now, relax, just like you did before we began the mindspeech.

Jelena let her mind drift.

The scan, when it first took hold, felt like an itch she couldn’t scratch- uncomfortable, but bearable. Gradually, however, the itch grew and changed until, to Jelena’s dismay, it morphed into a throbbing pain.

My lady, it hurts! she cried in her mind.

Relax, child. Do not fight me. If you resist, the pain will grow worse.

It feels like the skin is ripping off the top of my head!

Jelena could feel a moan vibrating in her throat, but her ears captured none of the sound.

Just as she thought she could no longer endure the pain, Amara withdrew, ending the scan, and Jelena collapsed. The bitter taste of bile burned her mouth as her stomach churned and her vision swam alarmingly. She felt something cool and hard force itself between her lips-the rim of a goblet, filled with watered wine. She swallowed twice, then pushed the cup away and sagged backward onto the couch, breathing in great gulps.

Somewhere out on the frontier of Jelena’s distressed awareness, she felt Amara waiting, strong as a rock, lending her support. Gradually, the nausea subsided, the dizziness abated, and Jelena dared to open her watering eyes.

“ Gods,” she muttered weakly, in Soldaran.

Amara gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Believe it or not, Jelena, you did well. A scan is not an easy thing to endure, even a surface one, especially if it’s the first one experienced. Your mind is naturally strong, and you have much more Talent than even I’d guessed. You were actually throwing up a rudimentary shield against me, without knowing what it was you were doing, which is why it hurt so much. I’m quite impressed. As you gain experience, you’ll be able to tolerate even a deep scan without too much discomfort. ”