The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 16

Part 4

“I can tell you this; they were far deeper into Kragorram and the Sylvan’s minds than they have ever been in ours, despite the many hours we’ve spent Linked with them. They gained access to our surface thoughts and emotions with no resistance from us, and so they were well contented with what we gave them. But they had to break into the minds they shared tonight, and were still pushing hard when they broke past the Shields. They probably now know a significant portion of everything Kragorram has experienced or learned in some nine thousand years of life. They certainly know everything that the Sylvan ever thought or experienced.

“Only in war have I ever encountered anyone who was so thoroughly mind-raped by another as that Sylvan was by Helemia. In the girl’s defense, the Sylvan did attack her when he detected her psionic probe. She counter-attacked, crushed his psionic Shields like egg shells, and took all that she found within.

“This episode brings back many memories for me. Not my own memories of course, but memories of what my mother told me of her experiences with me. I am the only person known to have cast the power before birth, in the form of primitive Force Bolts. I was just doing the magical equivalent of kicking in the womb for exercise, and venting my frustration at my confinement.

“Reggie and Helemia have found their own way to escape the confinement of the womb, and like my use of Force, their psionics are completely inherent and intuitive. And so far as I know, they are the only babies to have ever used psionics before birth, though I would not be surprised to find the phenomenon among the unicorns. Perhaps we should have expected that the babies would go exploring, psionicly speaking. If they had chosen to do so in the day, we would have been awake and would have dealt with it before it became a problem. It was quite a stroke of bad luck that even Povon and Kragorram were asleep, considering draconian sleeping habits.

“As it is, this will have many repercussions. As my mother had to do, we will need to make sure that one of us is awake and monitoring the children whenever Talia is asleep.

“Now, I don’t remember my adventures in my mother’s womb; my first memories are from when I was just less than two years old. But there is no doubt that those experiences had an effect on me, and helped shape my development.

“Similarly, I doubt that the twins will retain any conscious memory of their experiences tonight. But I am sure that they will be affected. They may retain some of the character and qualities of Kragorram’s mind, especially Reggie, which would probably not be a bad thing.

“The Sylvan that Helemia attacked is quite another matter. The Sylvan that are here on these islands lack even the minimum of restraint that Zarkog imposed on Serminak, let alone the civilizing influence of the vow of justice. They still believe that might makes right, and that they have the right to do whatever they have the power to do. They have no inhibitions against violence, torture, and killing, not from the day they’re born. And every individual among them still believes, with all of their evil little hearts, that it is their own personal eventual destiny to conquer the world and enslave the rest of us under the iron fist of their tyranny.

“This is not an influence that would be good for your children, to say the least. We’ll have to make certain that we counter that influence, particularly in Helemia, and shape it into something positive. I suggest you do that by giving both of your twins complete access to your minds, as they had complete access to Kragorram and the Sylvan’s, and that you do so as often as possible. This will have the side effect of further accelerating their mental development, which may create it’s own problems, but that’s a better choice than risking them ending up thinking like an unsworn Sylvan.

“I must admit to feeling a bit lucky that this happened. Talia, your family is known for strength in the power, as is mine, and yours is known for intellectual ability, mine for intuitive ability. But you and I and our families are not known for particularly noteworthy psionic abilities, among the elves at least. I think it’s safe to assume that your children have inherited their psionic ability from Mark, and so it’s likely that my daughter will also share those abilities.”

She paused and smiled and caressed her own tummy, which had not begun to swell yet, before she continued.

“Forewarned is forearmed, and I’ll certainly be monitoring her psionics constantly, even when I’m asleep, from now on.”

“Thanks Alilia, that’s good thinking.” Mark chuckled as he gave her a one-armed hug. “With the way you act around us lately, and the way you look, it’s easy to forget how incredibly capable and experienced you are, in every way. I’m glad you’re with us in this.