“Just…that she is an Extraordinary Shaper. Surely that is not mysterious.”
“If that is all you know of the matter, then you need not fear.”
His matter-of-fact tone, against all reason, frightened her. “Is Amaya in danger?”
“No. Not her.” Mr. Rutledge sounded amused. “But if you are questioned by the government on that subject, I suggest you say only that it is a mystery. If you can sound as if you believe it is actually no mystery at all, so much the better.”
“Mr. Rutledge, you confuse me.”
“As I said, your safety hinges on them believing you know what you do not know, and upon you not actually knowing it.” He chuckled. “As I say that, I realize how ridiculous it sounds.”
“To my surprise, I understand you.”
“How fortunate.” He stood and offered her his arm. “May I escort you? I see Lord Ravenscroft looking about as if wondering where you have gone.”
“Thank you, sir,” Bess said, and let him return her to Philip’s side.
Bess stood at the window of the bedroom in Philip’s elegant townhouse and idly brushed her hair. She had set her spectacles aside, and the world much farther away than arm’s length was a soft, unfocused blue, spangled with hazy pale spots of light where lanterns hung along the street. Moonlight painted the window sill white and made her hands and nightdress glow.
Behind her, she heard Philip moving around, turning down the lamps until the room was quiet and dim. She lowered the brush as he came to join her, putting his arms around her. “I never knew your hair was so beautiful,” he murmured.
“There is rather a lot of it. I sympathize with the Inca women who simply braided it out of the way.”
He ran his hand down the length of it, pausing at the small of her back. The simple touch thrilled through her, exciting her in a way she had never imagined. “You will have to teach me to do that for you,” he said. “The idea intrigues me.”
“I would be happy to.” She set the hairbrush on the window sill and turned in his arms to face him. “Are you happy, dearest?”
“I am,” Philip said, brushing a kiss across her forehead. “And you?”
“Well,” Bess said mischievously, “I was expecting to wait four years for this night, so—”
Philip laughed and picked her up, swinging her around until she was breathless. “I was a fool to think that was an acceptable solution,” he said.
“No, just locked in a life you could not see past.”
“At any rate, I have a gift for you, in thanks for that and for so much more.”
Bess arched her eyebrows at him. “I thought that was a gift we give each other.”
He laughed. “Close your eyes.”
She obediently did so, and felt the quivering of an open connection. An image blossomed within her mind, so bright at first her natural eyes watered. Then she gasped as a crescent moon shimmered into view, the new moon cradling the old moon in its arms. It hung in the sky, white and perfect, its glow softening its sharp, clear edges, close enough to touch. “Oh,” she breathed, and reached up to wipe her eyes. “Oh, my.”
She felt his arms close around her, drawing her near until her head rested on his shoulder. “I will be your eyes, whenever you need me,” he said.
“Always,” she said, and tilted her head back for his kiss.
The Talents
THE CORPOREAL TALENTS: Mover, Shaper, Scorcher, Bounder
MOVER (Greek τελεκινεσις): Capable of moving things without physically touching them. While originally this talent was believed to be connected to one’s bodily strength, female Movers able to lift far more than their male counterparts have disproven this theory in recent years. Depending on skill, training, and practice, Movers may be able to lift and manipulate multiple objects at once, pick locks, and manipulate anything the human hand can manage. Movers can Move other people so long as they don’t resist, and some are capable of Moving an unwilling target if the Mover is strong enough.
An EXTRAORDINARY MOVER, in addition to all these things, is capable of flight. Aside from this, an Extraordinary Mover is not guaranteed to be better skilled or stronger than an ordinary Mover; Helen Garrity, England’s highest-rated Mover (at upwards of 12,000 pounds lifting capacity), was an ordinary Mover.
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SHAPER (Greek μπιοκινεσις): Capable of manipulating their own bodies. Shapers can alter their own flesh, including healing wounds. Most Shapers use their ability only to make themselves more attractive, though that sort of beauty is always obvious as Shaped. More subtle uses include disguising oneself, and many Shapers have also been spies. It usually takes time for a Shaper to alter herself because Shaping is painful, and the faster one does it, the more painful it is. Under extreme duress, Shapers can alter their bodies rapidly, but this results in great pain and longer-term muscle and joint pain.
Shapers can mend bone, heal cuts or abrasions, repair physical damage to organs as from a knife wound, etc., make hair and nails grow, improve their physical condition (for example, enhance lung efficiency), and change their skin color. They cannot restore lost limbs or organs, cure diseases (though they can repair the physical damage done by disease), change hair or eye color, or regenerate nerves.
An EXTRAORDINARY SHAPER is capable of turning a Shaper’s talent on another person with skin-to-skin contact. Extraordinary Shapers are sometimes called Healers as a result. While most Extraordinary Shapers use their talent to help others, there is nothing to stop them from causing injury or even death instead.
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SCORCHER (Greek πιροκινεσις): Capable of igniting fire by the power of thought. The fire is natural and will cause ordinary flammable objects to catch on fire. If there aren’t any such objects handy, the fire will burn briefly and then go out. A Scorcher must be able to see the place he or she is starting the fire. Scorcher talent has four dimensions: power, range, distance, and stamina. Power refers to how large and hot a fire the Scorcher can create; range is how far the Scorcher can fling a fire before it goes out; distance is how far away a Scorcher can ignite a fire; and stamina refers to how often the Scorcher can use his or her power before becoming exhausted. The hottest ordinary fire any Scorcher has ever created could melt brass (approximately 1700 degrees F). When she gave herself over to the fire, Elinor Pembroke was able to melt iron (over 2200 degrees F).
Scorchers are rare because they manifest by igniting fire unconsciously in their sleep. About 10-20% of Scorchers survive manifestation.
EXTRAORDINARY SCORCHERS are capable of controlling and mentally extinguishing fires. As their talent develops, Extraordinary Scorchers become immune to fire, and their control over it increases.
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BOUNDER (Greek τελεταχύς): Capable of moving from one point to another without passing through the intervening space. Bounders can move themselves anywhere they can see clearly within a certain range that varies according to the Bounder; this is called Skipping. They can also Bound to any location marked with a Bounder symbol, known as a signature. The location must be closed to the outdoors and empty of people and objects. Bounders refer to the “simplicity” of a space, meaning how free of “clutter” (objects, people, etc.) it is. Spaces that are too cluttered are impossible to Bound to, as are outdoor locations, which are full of constant movement. It is possible to keep a Bounder out of somewhere if you alter the place by defacing the Bounding chamber or putting some object or person into it.
An EXTRAORDINARY BOUNDER lacks most of the limitations an ordinary Bounder operates under. An Extraordinary Bounder’s range is line of sight, which can allow them to Skip many miles’ distance. Extraordinary Bounders do not require Bounding signatures, instead using what they refer to as “essence” to identify a space they Bound to. Essence comprises the essential nature of a space and is impossible to explain to non-Bounders; human beings have an essence which differs from that of a place and allows an Extraordinary Bounder to identify people wit
hout seeing them. While Extraordinary Bounders are still incapable of Bounding to an outdoor location, they can Bound to places too cluttered for an ordinary Bounder, as well as ones that contain people.
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THE ETHEREAL TALENTS: Seer, Speaker, Discerner, Coercer
SEER (Greek προφητεία): Capable of seeing a short distance into the future through Dreams. Seers experience lucid Dreams in which they see future events as if they were present as an invisible observer. In order to recognize the people or places involved, Seers tend to be very well informed about people and events and are socially active. Their Dreams are not inevitable and there is no problem with altering the timeline; they see things that are the natural consequence of the current situation/circumstances, and altering those things alters the foreseen event. Just their knowledge of the event is not sufficient to alter it.
No one knows how a Seer’s brain produces Dream, only that Dreams come in response to what the Seer meditates on. Seers therefore study current events in depth and read up on things they might be asked to Dream about. Seers have high social status and are very popular, with many of them making a living from Dream commissions.
An EXTRAORDINARY SEER, in addition to Dreaming, is capable of touching an object and perceiving events and people associated with it. These Visions allow them not only to see the past of the person most closely connected to the object, but occasionally to have glimpses of the future. They can also find a Vision linked to what the object’s owner is seeing at the moment and “see” through their eyes. Most recently, the Extraordinary Seer Sophia Westlake discovered how to use Visions attached to one object to perceive related objects, leading to the defeat of the Caribbean pirates led by Rhys Evans.
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SPEAKER (Greek τελεπάθεια): Capable of communicating by thought with any other Speaker. Speakers can mentally communicate with any Speaker within range of sight. They can also communicate with any Speaker they know well. The definition of “know well” has meaning only to a Speaker, but in general it means someone they have spoken verbally or mentally with on several occasions. A Speaker’s circle of Speaker friends is called a reticulum, and a reticulum might contain several hundred members depending on the Speaker. Speakers easily distinguish between the different “voices” of their Speaker friends, though Speaking is not auditory. A Speaker can send images as well as words if she is proficient enough. Speakers cannot Speak to non-Speakers, and they are incapable of reading minds.
An EXTRAORDINARY SPEAKER has all the abilities of an ordinary Speaker, but is also capable of sending thoughts and images into the minds of anyone, Speaker or not. Additionally, an Extraordinary Speaker can Speak to multiple people at a time, though all will receive the same message. Extraordinary Speakers can send a “burst” of noise that startles or wakes the recipient. Rumors that Extraordinary Speakers can read minds are universally denied by Speakers, but the rumors persist.
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DISCERNER (Greek ενσυναίσθηση): Able to experience other people’s feelings as if they were their own. Discerners require touch to be able to do this (though not skin-to-skin contact), and much of learning to control the skill involves learning to distinguish one’s own emotions from those of the other person. Discerners can detect lies, sense motives, read other people’s emotional states, and identify Coercers. Discerners are immune to the talent of a Coercer, though they can be overwhelmed by anyone capable of projecting strong emotions.
An EXTRAORDINARY DISCERNER can do all these things without the need for touch. Extraordinary Discerners are always aware of the emotions of those near them, though the range at which they are aware varies according to the Extraordinary Discerner. Nearly three-quarters of all Extraordinary Discerners go mad because of their talent.
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COERCER (Greek τελενσυναίσθηση): Capable of influencing the emotions of others with a touch. Coercers are viewed with great suspicion since their ability is a kind of mind control. Those altered are not aware that their mood has been artificially changed and are extremely suggestible while the Coercer is in direct contact with them. By altering someone’s emotions, a Coercer can influence their behavior or change his or her attitude toward the Coercer.
Coercers do not feel others’ emotions the way Discerners do, but can tell what they are and how they’re changing. Many Coercers have sociopathic tendencies as a result. Unlike Discerners, Coercers have to work hard at being able to use their talent, which in its untrained state is erratic. However, Coercers always know when they’ve altered someone’s mood. Coercers do not “broadcast” their emotions, appearing as a blank to Discerners. Because Coercion is viewed with suspicion (for good reason), Coercers keep their ability secret even if they don't use it maliciously.
An EXTRAORDINARY COERCER does not need a physical connection to influence someone’s emotions. Extraordinary Coercers are capable of turning their talent on several people at a time, and the most powerful Extraordinary Coercers can control mobs. The most powerful Extraordinary Coercer known to date is Napoleon Bonaparte.
Author’s Note
My fascination with the lost Inca Empire is relatively recent, dating from my reading Kim MacQuarrie’s book The Last Days of the Incas. Until then, I had known only the most basic facts about the Incas and their conquest by Pizarro, and many of those turned out to be wrong or incomplete. I also owe a debt to Matthew Restall’s book Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, which is a more generic overview of the period.
The beliefs about the Inca Conquest cited by my fictional character Mendoza are accurate for the 19th century, but do not represent the actual history of that period. For example, the Pizarro brothers were aided in much of their conquest by thousands of Incas who helped them for a variety of reasons, making Mendoza’s claim about how only one hundred and sixty-eight Europeans were able to defeat ten thousand Inca warriors incomplete (and in some ways creating a mythos that buttressed their reports back to Spain, but that’s another story entirely).
Writing about Native Americans and their interactions with their European conquerors is always problematic, especially when the main character of the story is English. As with my earlier book Abounding Might, I chose to focus on how an Englishwoman might encounter a culture not her own rather than attempt to depict that culture from the inside—something I felt inadequate to accomplish.
Depicting the Incas at all was a challenge. I had no desire to portray the Europeans as vindicated in their conquest (as Pizarro and his brothers behaved), and I also didn’t want to paint the Incas as noble savages (as other writers of the period did). There’s also the temptation to portray the Incas as smarter and more evolved than their European conquerors in order to redress some of the wrongs they suffered—something that in my opinion reduces them from the living, breathing, sometimes flawed humans they actually were. I hope I have struck a balance in creating a secret Inca Empire that represents the Incas as the powerful, creative force my research indicated they were, and showed respect for them in allowing my Inca characters to be villains as well as heroes.
Acknowledgments
As usual, this book benefited from the insightful input of early readers Jacob Proffitt and Jana Brown, who were willing to read this monster manuscript more than once. Sherwood Smith believed in this book when I did not, and it is with humble gratitude I acknowledge her careful reading and gracious commentary. I also owe thanks to my daughter Cordelia, who along with Sherwood gave me key insights to living with severe vision impairment. All remaining errors are my own mistakes.
About the Author
In addition to the Extraordinaries series, Melissa McShane is the author of more than twenty-five fantasy novels, including the novels of Tremontane, the first of which is Servant of the Crown; the Company of Strangers series, beginning with Company of Strangers; and The Book of Secrets, first book in The Last Oracle series.
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She lives in the shelter of the mountains out West
with her husband, four children and a niece, and four very needy cats. She wrote reviews and critical essays for many years before turning to fiction, which is much more fun than anyone ought to be allowed to have. You can visit her at her website www.melissamcshanewrites.com for more information on other books and upcoming releases.
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For news, new release announcements, and other fun stuff, sign up for Melissa’s newsletter here.
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If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review at your favorite online retailer or on Goodreads.
Also by Melissa McShane
THE CROWN OF TREMONTANE
Servant of the Crown
Exile of the Crown
Rider of the Crown
Agent of the Crown
Voyager of the Crown
Tales of the Crown
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THE SAGA OF WILLOW NORTH
Pretender to the Crown
Guardian of the Crown
Champion of the Crown
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THE HEIRS OF WILLOW NORTH
Ally of the Crown
Stranger to the Crown
Scholar of the Crown (forthcoming)
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Whispering Twilight Page 41