by Frank Morin
“Why? Did you remember another secret command the queen implanted in here?” He tapped the side of his head uneasily. Fighting the queen had taxed him to the limits, then he’d spent most of a day living inside of a giant elemental monster. He didn’t believe the queen could have tampered with his mind while he was distracted, but the idea unsettled him anyway. He really didn’t want to deal with another mind bomb.
She shook her head. “No. Nothing like that.”
Kilian added, “Raising an elfonnel is an extremely taxing event. Returning to full humanity can be even harder sometimes.”
“You’re worried he’s broken inside, like your mother, aren’t you?” Verena asked. She did not sound nearly as surprised by the idea as Connor felt. Had she considered it already? Had she already begun preparing herself for the possibility of needing to put Connor down if he became a danger to the rest of them? Was that why she’d sought him out that morning, to feel him out and try to sense if he was still himself?
He’d hoped they’d gotten past that phase of their relationship. That sculpted scone breakfast should have convinced her.
“It’s a possibility we cannot ignore, although from what I saw today I consider this step more a formality than anything. Connor managed the elfonnel better than anyone I’ve ever seen, but we’ll deal with the questions that fact raises after,” Kilian told Verena.
His confidence helped ease Connor’s concerns. Student Eighteen had walked in his mind before, so he felt no hesitation in saying, “You’re welcome to visit any time. Maybe we’ll have another party in Alasdair. Or I can show you that time Hamish accidentally coated Cinaed’s front door with tar.” He chuckled at the memory. What a mess. Keith had been forced to smash down the door to get it open.
Verena raised one fine eyebrow. “Oh, Hamish accidentally did something, did he? Where were you at the time?”
“I was the voice of reason.”
She laughed, and he savored the sound of it. Student Eighteen grinned as well but said, “Meet us in whatever memory you want.” After cocking her head slightly, probably listening to input from other ladies in there, she added, “As long as it won’t emotionally damage any of us.”
“Us?” Connor asked.
“I’ll be bringing some of the ladies in with me. We’ll just poke around a bit and make sure everything’s intact. We know your mind, Connor.”
“This time I promise not to try killing any of you.” The memory of how he’d attacked those women when they risked their lives to save him from the queen’s mind bomb still pained him. Even though he’d been insane at the moment, he still felt ashamed.
“We appreciate that.”
Connor tapped chert and focused on her brown eyes as they began to glow with an inner brilliance that drew his gaze in deeper. The chert connection snapped into place, and his vision faded to the mindscape he was getting to know so well. Since he wasn’t sure what Student Eighteen was looking for, he imagined the billowing gray emptiness where he so often met the elementals.
Student Eighteen appeared in his mind, her hair braided, wearing Mhortair black. Aifric appeared a moment later, her thick brown hair hanging loose around her shoulders, dressed in her usual Healer whites. Rith popped into the space nearby and immediately began jogging around the others. Her hair was also braided, and she wore baggy Strider pants and a fitted leather jacket. Mariora appeared beside her, dressed in her courier uniform and immediately joined Rith, but accelerated to pull slightly ahead.
Of course, Rith sped up too, and they both grinned, clearly planning to launch into a race. Aifric interrupted. “Enough, you two, or we’re sending you back. We’re here for Connor.”
They looked so dejected that Connor added, “When we’re done, maybe we’ll switch to a giant spherical track and test your ultimate speed.”
“Done!” they said in unison.
Other women joined them. Tresta managed to look blocky despite having the exact same physique as the rest of them. She grunted, “Not a bad performance the other day, Connor, although you let her get away again.”
Hemma appeared beside her, also dressed in battle leathers. “We still haven’t gotten our bash fight, Connor.”
“As soon as I can schedule it,” he promised. He didn’t want those women angry, or they might be tempted to start breaking things in his head.
Eystri appeared slightly behind Aifric and waved at Connor with a shy smile. “By my calculations, you should having failed much worse as an elfonnel, Connor. I’m glad you didn’t die.”
“Me too,” he said with a grin.
Cacilia appeared in a gorgeous red silk gown with a slit up one side that showed off way too much shapely leg. Her hair was done up in a complex pile atop her head, held in place by a glittering tiara. She gave Connor a dazzling smile and spun to show off her attire. “A girl needs a chance to dress up sometimes, doesn’t she?”
Student Eighteen rolled her eyes. “Don’t get distracted, Cacilia.”
“I’m sure I can find some delicious memories to study. Connor’s lived in some nice places, after all. Some of those students at the Carraig are simply too tasty not to admire again.”
Connor felt himself redden, and Cacilia laughed wickedly.
Isabell appeared near Cacilia and said, “I plan to study your infiltration of Hector’s quarters. Capturing that porphyry was a coup, but you got sloppy.”
Nuzha stepped into the memory, hand on her curved dagger. Instead of scowling like she usually did she actually gave Connor a little bow. “You fought bravely against the matron of everlasting evil. You honored your family. Maybe there’s hope for you.”
“Thanks,” he said dryly, just happy she hadn’t threatened him yet. She had strong negative feelings against most Obrioners, although she’d managed to get along with him in the past. Usually.
Ennlin slid into his mind, wearing a loose-fitting, gray skirt with a pattern that reminded Connor of rock striations. Her blouse was blue and form-fitting, and she was eating fried potato wedges out of a bowl. They were drenched in a thick layer of yellow cheese.
Connor had never thought of trying cheesy potatoes and stepped closer. “Will you let me try it?”
She smiled and extended the bowl. “Friends share bonds of friendship, but the love of food eclipses all boundaries.”
“That sounds like something Hamish would say,” Connor chuckled, plucking a hot sliver of fried potato, smothered in cheese, and popped it into his mouth. He savored the blend of smooth, tangy cheese mixed with the crunch of the potato. Such a simple treat, but so good. He decided to share the idea with Hamish, or maybe try filling a sweetbread with melted cheese.
The rest of the women appeared a little farther back, most dressed in variations of battle leathers or dark clothing. Connor glanced at Student Eighteen, one eyebrow raised. “I thought you said a few.”
She shrugged. “Don’t worry, Connor. We’re not invading.”
Aifric added, “It’s just, we so rarely get to go out all together. No one wanted to stay behind.”
He could understand that, and he was actually looking forward to speaking with some of the ladies he didn’t really know well yet. Student Eighteen noted his gaze and said, “Later, Connor.”
“I can’t think of a better time.” Every one of her personalities was unique and interesting, but now that he thought about it, why hadn’t he gotten to meet the other seven women. He’d interacted with the others enough, Aifric should have offered to make introductions weeks ago.
“A girl needs to keep a few secrets, even from friends,” Student Eighteen said cryptically.
“What secrets?”
Aifric laughed. “They wouldn’t be secrets if I told you, would they?”
Too many of his friends kept too many secrets, but he decided not to pry. They had enough going on for one day. “So what are we doing?”
“We’re making sure you’re still you,” Student Eighteen said. “Just try to relax. We’ll do the work.”
&n
bsp; “What work? I still don’t understand,” he said uneasily.
“It’s simple, Connor. We’re going to make sure the integrity of your memories is still intact and that you haven’t fallen to a foreign influence.”
“How do you do that?” The concept made sense, but even though he’d helped resurrect Aifric, he didn’t really understand how the mind worked.
“Some of the concepts are rather complex. I studied for years under the best mind killers in Jagdish before I grasped all of them. You’ll see us reviewing several types of memories. What you won’t see is that I can gather a greater pattern from the seemingly random work of my sisters. From that I can sense if your mind has been tampered with or corrupted.”
“Wow. Okay, I guess,” Connor said. He didn’t exactly like them digging through all of his memories, but he trusted her completely so couldn’t think of how to protest without making her suspect he had something to hide. Besides, he welcomed the chance to prove Queen Dreokt hadn’t planted another mind bomb when she’d invaded his mind during their fight and that he had indeed returned from his elfonnel immersion fully intact.
Student Eighteen raised her voice and said, “All right, ladies. Just like we planned. Get to work.”
3
Too Many Not-so-imaginary Friends
Connor turned slowly, watching as the nineteen women scattered.
Each girl marched into the billowing gray in a different direction. After several strides, Connor felt them seeping into his mind, sliding into his past, searching memories. The mindscape around each of them wavered, then shifted into different scenes.
Aifric focused on memories of the Carraig, and seemed far too interested in the many times he had crawled or limped into the hospital wing seeking her help after a hugging match with Catriona or getting pummeled by Jok. Painful memories for him, but she smiled as she flicked through them. She looked genuinely moved by the memories of the Carraig. She had really loved her time there.
Cacilia was indeed hunting through his memories for men she considered handsome. She also seemed immensely interested in every one of Connor’s memories of kissing Verena. She lingered over each of them, making Connor flush again.
“Um, are you getting distracted?” he couldn’t help asking.
“It’s all for research,” she assured him, but then winked, making him flush even more. Still, she did switch to less intimate memories after that.
Student Eighteen had lingered beside him. She placed a comforting hand on his arm and said softly, “We actually do need to review those memories. Precious memories like those define you. If any are missing or blurred, it’s a sign we might need to get worried.”
“What happened to keeping secrets?”
“You can’t keep secrets from me. Besides, you’re not a girl,” she said with a wink.
Tresta and Hemma studied his bash fighting memories, especially his training sessions with Tomas and Cameron. He overheard Hemma saying, “Fine men, those. Pity they’re gone. Nearly as good at wrestling as Rory.”
“How would you know how good Tomas and Cameron were at wrestling?” Connor asked, filled again with sorrow at their loss.
“Simple deduction,” Student Eighteen said just a bit too quickly.
Nuzha called from where she was reviewing his memorable student battles at the Carraig, “I love watching you beat on these pampered Petralist students. Good creativity.”
Wow. Two compliments in one day. Either he was finally winning her over, or she’d found a chance to slip away and murder a few Obrioners lately and was still riding the high from that. Connor glanced at Student Eighteen and she only shrugged. He decided not to ask.
After a few more minutes while the women worked through an astonishing number of his memories, Student Eighteen smiled and said, “Things are looking good, Connor. We just need to—”
“Look at this!” Eystri cried.
Connor turned along with all the other women. The memory that Eystri was studying expanded and Connor tensed. It was the memory of his third ascension when the elementals first stepped into his mind.
“I’d rather you not delve into those,” he cautioned.
Student Eighteen gave him a serious look. “Connor, recent memories, particularly of your development since your ascension, are critical.”
He wasn’t surprised, but he’d already told his friends more than the elementals had wanted him to. He felt like they were finally accepting him, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that progress. The memory of his ascension was powerful and too important. He felt a flash of annoyance that she’d pried into that one, but he tried to play it casual.
“There are things relating to my ascension that have to remain confidential.”
She hesitated. “I respect that, Connor, but you realize that having visions of elementals taking human form and speaking in your head is a big deal. You’ve seen firsthand the dangers of opening your mind to other humans. We don’t comprehend all the dangers that might go along with opening your mind to elemental beings”
That was actually a good point, but he felt confident the elementals weren’t dangerous. “I’ve spoken with Kilian about them, and he said he trusts my judgment. Some of what they shared with me was only because I promised to keep it private.”
“That makes our job a lot harder,” she said.
Connor paced away as the other ladies all gathered around, forming a circle of identical siblings. He turned back to Student Eighteen and said, “I think I have to ask you to stop reviewing memories with the elementals.”
She gestured toward one view, still visible behind Eystri. It had changed to the memory of Water teaching Connor about magnis. “This is so important, Connor.”
Isabell added in a tone of wonder, “It’s amazing. You’re right. Water is beautiful. She’s so much more than I imagined.”
Connor sat onto a chair that appeared behind him and rubbed a hand through his hair. He was glad he had shared at least a little about the elementals with his friends, and he was secretly glad Aifric and her mind sisters got to see Water, but did he dare share more?
Water appeared behind Aifric and said, “Connor’s training was meant for his ears alone.”
The women spun in unison, some dropping into fighting stances, but most just gaping at Water. She was dressed in a regal gown of blue and white that shimmered, as if made up of constantly crashing waves. Her long hair was unbound, flowing into view to either side as if pulled by an invisible tide. Her eyes were as deep a blue as the Sea of Olcan.
Connor rose, startled beyond measure. He hadn’t been tapping soapstone.
The girls parted as Water approached. Connor asked, “How can you manifest to them too?”
“We are in the halls of your mind, are we not?” Water asked, her voice like a distant crashing wave.
But he hadn’t initiated the contact. Now that he had united so deeply with the elements by raising the elfonnel and returning, had more barriers broken between them? He wasn’t sure if he felt pleased or concerned by that.
Fire appeared beside Water, dressed like he had earlier. Earth rise up from the ground, wearing a great, black coat. Air flitted down from the gray expanse above, wearing a white dress with gossamer frills that drifted on invisible air currents. The women all stared in mute astonishment.
Connor felt deeply conflicted. Part of him was glad they got to witness the manifestations of the elementals, but couldn’t help a flicker of unease at the clear displeasure on the elementals’ faces. He couldn’t afford to let Aifric dig any deeper and potentially derail his alliance with them.
“They’re just determining I’m okay,” he explained.
“Of course you’re okay,” Water said, as if that was obvious. “We took you by the hand and shielded you. We will see no harm come to our champion.”
Porphyry appeared in Connor’s mind next, a great rampager that padded toward the circle of startled women. Cacilia screamed, Eystri actually fainted, but the warriors moved to inte
rcept. They looked frightened and surprised, but ready for battle.
“It’s okay,” Connor said quickly. He wasn’t sure what would happen if they attacked his affinity in his mind. How was it even possible?
The world sure got twisted in unexpected ways around his friends.
Student Eighteen glanced back at him, looking unsure, but he gave her a reassuring smile. “Let him through.”
“Porphyry has nearly killed you more than once,” she remarked as they nevertheless parted, but kept their guards up.
“The pack hunts as one and we save the pack leader,” Porphyry growled, eliciting a round of startled exclamations. It padded up to Connor, sniffed his hand, then moved to flank him, settling onto its powerful haunches. Even then its head towered over Connor’s.
“You have a lot of explaining to do.” Student Eighteen looked flustered. Not a good sign. Very little shook the indomitable assassin.
“Some things are not meant for common ears,” Air said.
When Aifric started to protest, Air raised an eyebrow and said, “Some secrets must be kept, no?”
Connor told the elementals, “I’ll be careful. Please, trust me.”
“Trust goes both ways, and you have already bruised our trust once. Do not do so again,” Water warned. Then she faded from his mind. Earth and Air followed. Fire paused to wink at Cacilia, then he too disappeared. Only then did Porphyry follow.
Connor stared. “What was that about?”
Cacilia whistled softly. “Reminds me of someone we know. That’s one fine figure of a man.”
Even more amazing, Aifric started to blush. She said quickly, “We need to go.”
The women started fading from his mind. Student Eighteen stayed until last. She stepped closer and said, “Connor there’s great danger in this.”
“There’s greater danger in not learning everything I can. We almost defeated Queen Dreokt, and a lot of that was thanks to what they’ve taught me.”
“Nevertheless, tread carefully.”
Then she was gone.
Connor blew out a breath. Anywhere he trod, he had to be careful. One mistake could spell disaster for everyone.