The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 18

Part 4

“Last night we found that it was more amazing than we knew. While we were asleep, Reggie and Helemia managed to project their consciousness beyond Talia, and they went exploring, I guess. We don’t know why, but Reggie contacted Kragorram. Kragorram was asleep at the time, so Reggie just bumped into his psionic shields, and that might have been the end of it. However, Helemia detected a Sylvan out in the mountains…”

He continued to relate the rest of what had occurred the night before.

“…so that’s where it stands right now. Between the adults and the kids, we’ve got about eleven thousand combat capable Sylvan out there, but their god told them to leave us alone. If we’d have found out about them any other way, I’d say we should just ignore them until the time-bubble comes down, and let our gods deal with their God of Stealth then, and he can deal with his people. On the other hand, he’s not here, and we know about them now, and since Helemia almost killed one of them last night and we’ve got him unconscious at Yazadril’s place, they know we know about them. And, they might not be very understanding about what Helemia did. Even if we tell them the truth of what happened, they might not believe it. I probably wouldn’t if I was them.

“So, we’ve got a few issues to deal with here. We’re pretty sure we can keep Reggie and Helemia from trying to get into anyone else’s mind, but if you feel anything strange that you think might be them, let us know right away. They’ve been affected by their experience rather profoundly. They now think in words and complete sentences. Unfortunately, Reggie thinks in Draconian, and Helemia thinks in a Sylvan language called Blezogeth. Luckily enough, Talia and I learned that language when we were training with Quewanak, but still, it’s been more than a little strange for all of us.

“To counter that, we’ve been staying deeply Linked with them at all times since they woke up this morning, and we’ll keep that up until the influence of our personalities has countered what they got last night.

“Kragorram, how are you doing?”

“My head no longer hurts, which is nice. Your son is still passively aware of me, psionicly speaking, much as Povon is. He is not in my mind anymore, but he is constantly aware of where I am, and my basic state of mind.

“After Povon cured my headache, I considered the experience quite carefully. I know that he meant me no distress; he was just curious. He chose me because he likes me. When I disregard the unpleasant aspects of the experience, I think it would have been a fine thing to share his Link if I had been aware of what was happening at the time. I think he will have a character of great nobility, and I suspect that he will have some talent with the crafting of items as well.”

“Ah. Well that’s good to know.” Mark nodded. “And now that you mention it, I can feel his awareness of you through the Link. That’s weird, and amazing.”

“Uh, about these Sylvan.” Mark’s uncle Wittan said as he stepped up. “You’re saying that their god makes them completely undetectable? So there could be one standing right here beside me, and I wouldn’t even know it? How do we know they won’t be sneaking into our homes at night, pilfering our possessions and causing who knows what trouble?”

“Damn, I’ve been so distracted with my kids that I didn’t even consider that.” Mark cursed.

“We’ll cast Wards around the settlement.” Yazadril announced. “And I will ensure that there are no Sylvan inside the Wards when they are cast. They may be invisible and silent, but they still have weight, their bodies still give off heat, and they can be detected by those with sufficient skill.

“The Wards will allow us to pass in and out, but not the Sylvan. Those going hunting, fishing, and gathering should work in groups, and not take anything valuable with them when they go. We should not allow any of our children beyond the Wards unaccompanied. Once the injured Sylvan is Healed he can return to his people, and with any luck we and they can continue to ignore each other.

“As Mark said, once the time-bubble is ended, I’m sure the other gods will have things to say to the Sylvan God of Stealth. Once they are aware of his existence, I doubt even he will be able to escape their notice.”

Theramin spoke up. “Just to be on the safe side, the next few times we do combat training, we should have Quewanak and Ria make up a few exercises to prepare us for an attack by a few thousand invisible Sylvan.”