Candor gave the matter a great deal of thought, as he wondered exactly what he should say. He didn’t want to alarm them, yet he felt as if he were missing a piece of the puzzle. Some key element to unlock the answer to a question he hadn’t even asked.
“As you know, Thalia and I are to be bonded in a month.”
“Yes indeed,” replied Zyphon. “And no, I’ll not tell you what my gift is.”
Candor smiled, but he didn’t laugh, and Zyphon understood that something important was troubling his friend. “What is it, my old friend?” he asked him. “Please, tell us so that we can help you.”
“Indeed, my son,” added Sador.
“Well,” began Candor. “I don’t want to bond with her, and still have unresolved issues.”
“What are you implying?” asked Sador. “Is there some issue between the two of you?”
“I can assure you it’s nothing like that. I love her with all of my heart, and would never do anything to hurt her.”
“I know, my son. Both your mother and I are the proudest parents in all Penticore Prime. You have demonstrated both wisdom and temperance since your rejuvenation. You stand at my side, and are the heir to the House of Shuveen. So as Zyphon said, tell us what troubles you.”
The floodgates opened, and Candor did just that. He didn’t know how long it took him, but Candor told them all about his human memories, including Jeremiah Strange. The only details he left out involved Jinx, and how the simulacrum helped him to acclimatize to the customs of Penticorian society. It was an ultimately harmless omission, but one that could land Jinx in hot water if his parents ever found out.
They were focused on him as he disclosed everything that he could recall. One or the other would stop him every now and then, to explain the meaning or context of some event, or a word or phrase that they didn’t understand. He told them about his human parents, the escape from Italy at the end of World War Two, and how they were murdered. Candor also told them about the experiments that led to the formation of his split personality. Yet as to how he got here, sitting across from them as a Penticorian, he had no recollection. All he could say was that he remembered touching something smooth and powerful, and when he opened his eyes, he was lying on Zyphon’s table.
“Of course, it must be a nightmare,” said Candor. “It must be something that my mind generated at the time of my death. Or perhaps the Goddess did it to me on purpose? Maybe she wanted me to appreciate the value of life, and humility.”
Sador massaged his temple, while carefully memorizing every word that Candor said. With each new revelation a growing sense of dread overtook him, since he knew that there was a distinct possibility that his darkest suspicions were correct.
“You say that when you opened the door after the death of this, Jeremiah Strange, that you thought your Penticorian memories would be waiting for you.”
“That’s right, Father.”
“But they were not.”
“No, and I wish they were, because now I’m even more confused.”
“Candor,” said Zyphon. “You need to relax, my old friend. And you as well, Seiss Sador.”
“You’re not troubled?” Sador asked Zyphon.
Zyphon did not know about the continuum. In fact, there wasn’t a scientist on the planet that possessed the expertise to decipher and interpret the data Sador collected. Yet with Candor’s open and honest communication, he longed to say something. He wanted to tell his son what he suspected. Perhaps we can discover the answers together? he thought.
Just as Sador felt the words forming, and the sounds beginning to vibrate deep inside his chest, he stopped. I can’t, he thought in despair. I can’t risk that this is all a ruse. I can’t take the chance that I will miss the moment to fix the damage that has been done. The only way I can do that is to keep silent, and let things progress as they have, did, and will.
“Are you well, Seiss Sador? You appear flushed,” said Zyphon.
“Yes,” Sador replied. “You were saying?”
“I’m saying that I have presided over countless rejuvenation procedures. Nearly one-third of them were recovered after death. When something that drastic takes place, there are residual side effects. I have seen everything from permanent memory loss, to those who claim that the Goddess spoke to them personally. So although Candor’s memories are vivid, and may I say, slightly disturbing, they are not unusual. I’m certain that being a tale-smith magnified these symptoms.
Yes, but you don’t know what I know, thought Sador.
Just as with Jinx earlier, this line of conversation allowed the great scientist to turn this event into something useful. Sador hated himself for thinking in such a manner. He considered it beneath a Penticorian to engage in conduct that was analogous to their warrior ancestors. But even though he was repulsed by the thought of it, he moved ahead, and ignored his better judgement.
“I understand, Sir Zyphon, and I sincerely hope that you are correct. Candor, if I may. Do you believe that this, Jeremiah Strange, has been permanently dispatched?”
Candor looked directly into his father’s eyes, so that there would be no misunderstanding. “Yes, I do, Father. It was an odd sensation, but I could feel his personality being cleansed from my mind. With him gone, I don’t think the nightmares will return. That’s why I asked you both here, because I feel as if something is missing. I’m not whole. How in good conscience, and the true love of a husband, can I be bonded to Thalia in such a case?”
“Candor,” said Zyphon, taking him by the shoulder to comfort him. “I assure you, what you are feeling now is your mind recognizing that a portion of your memory is missing.”
“If that’s true, then how do I remember the language of the humans?”
“Both the language and memory portions of your brain reside in separate areas,” Zyphon said. “The damage you suffered that the Healers failed to repair would not be distributed evenly.”
“All right then,” Candor replied. “If I have brain damage, then how am I able to do this?” With that, Candor stretched out his hand, and the cup of sok-ta next to his father slid across the table. Both Sador and Zyphon were in a state of shock as it moved, stopping gently between Zyphon’s thumb and index finger.
“How did you do that?” Zyphon asked, his eyes refusing to believe what he had just witnessed.
“I have no clue. You’re the physician, you tell me,” replied Candor. “Here, Father, I didn’t mean to take your sok-ta.” Then with no effort at all, the cup moved to the other side of the table, coming to rest beneath Sador’s awestricken expression. He picked up the cup and took a sip, and both Candor and Zyphon noticed that his hands were shaking as he set it down.
“I’m sorry, Father,” said Candor. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Sador observed his son for a moment, before asking in a voice that cracked with nervous tension. “How long have you been capable of this?”
“Since this morning, at least I think so. I first noticed it when I went into the cleansing unit. I reached for a drying cloth that was too far away, and it just came to me.”
“You mean your gift goes beyond moving objects across surfaces?” Zyphon said, barely able to keep his excitement in check. “You can levitate objects?”
Candor shook his head yes, even though that wasn’t the whole story. “It’s a strange feeling, but I can sense the electromagnetic fields around me, and I can manipulate them. At least to some extent.”
“Here,” said Zyphon, taking a cup of sok-ta from its saucer and handing it to Candor. “Can you levitate this?”
Candor frowned. The last thing he wanted was to become a sideshow attraction. Zyphon was his friend, however. Shrugging, he took the saucer from him and placed it flat on the palm of his hand. Candor discovered that large objects required more concentration, as in addition to feeling the magnetic fields around him, he had to visualize them as well. After a moment, the saucer lifted from the palm of his hand. It raised about six inches, then a foot, un
til finally at about five feet, it began to wobble.
“I think that’s as far as I can go,” said Candor.
“That is amazing!” Zyphon exclaimed. “Being touch telepaths I knew this was the next logical step. There are cases of citizens moving objects for short distances, but this…”
“This,” interrupted Sador, “demonstrates advanced control of some formidable abilities.”
“Hey,” said Zyphon, “can you do that again?”
Candor didn’t know what Zyphon was up to, but decided to humor him. The saucer lifted from his palm, and when it reached about a foot Zyphon said. “Hold it right there.”
“Is there a point to this?” asked Candor. “You know this does take a good deal of concentration.”
“Yes, I’m sure it does,” his friend replied. “You say that you can only influence objects within the range of your electromagnetic field, right?”
“Yes…and?”
“But can you exert force? Since you can feel the magnetic field around you, can you cause it to build any pressure, or kinetic energy?”
Now Candor understood what he was after. “You want to see if I can throw something, and if I can, how far.”
“Exactly,” replied Zyphon, and his enthusiasm was infectious.
“Okay,” said Candor. The saucer flew from just a few inches above his palm, to the other side of the room, nearly three-hundred feet away. Both Zyphon and Sador were astounded, watching as it reached the wall and then smashed into it, shattering into hundreds of fragments.
“By the Goddess!” exclaimed Zyphon, rising to his feet to get a better look. “That was remarkable!”
Candor could understand Zyphon’s reaction. He’d had the same one this morning when he discovered his new abilities. Although he wasn’t sure what to call it, because he thought that calling it a gift was a bit of a stretch. In his mind, there was nothing special about it. He wasn’t conjuring the electromagnetic fields around his body, they were already there. All he developed was the ability to recognize and control them. This got him thinking as he asked Zyphon. “Hey, I’d like to try something.”
Of course, Zyphon was only too happy to comply as he took his seat.
“Father,” said Candor, noticing that the preeminent scientist was doing what a scientist did, study him.
“Yes, my son,” he replied easily enough. Although, Candor could tell that the wheels were turning.
“If you would hold Zyphon’s hand, I’d like to try something.”
“Oh, an experiment,” said the stately Penticorian. “Now this is something that I can appreciate. Let me guess. You want to see if your control spreads in tandem with another living organism.”
“I’m a tale-smith by trade,” replied Candor with a grin. “But in my heart, I’m your son.”
Sador thought about that for a moment, and something inside of him relented. For reasons that he could not quantify, he believed Candor. The simple fact was that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Candor loved and adored him. Candor looked up to him, and sought him out whenever he needed guidance. Above all this you are still, and shall always be, my son. He thought as he winked at Candor, and took Zyphon’s hand.
Candor began to concentrate, feeling the delicate waves that surrounded him. It was a strange sensation, but one that he was becoming accustomed to.
“I feel something,” said Zyphon. “It feels like my skin is tingling.”
“I feel it as well,” agreed Sador. “Candor, are you causing that?”
“I think so,” Candor replied as he identified the thin membrane of Zyphon’s electromagnetic field. While beyond that, his father’s aura lit up like a beacon in the night. Moving in tandem, Candor felt a rush of strength as he told them. “We don’t want these to spill.”
The cups of sok-ta lifted, and floated gently to the adjacent table. Then, as Candor focused the energy of all three of them, the table began to vibrate. Candor had never tried anything so massive, but he knew deep in his bones that with the three of them together, it could be done. As the shaking subsided the table began to rise, an oval nearly four feet in length, and weighing at least two-hundred pounds. Candor felt the weight, and it was hard to explain how his concentration increased so that he could bear it. Up it went, further and further as the three of them watched in amazement. Candor stretched out further, and the table began to turn in midair, flipping silently end over end.
A voice from the other side of the room exclaimed. “By the Goddess, what is this?”
Jinx was standing in the doorway between the dining hall and the kitchen, and he looked terribly concerned. That was all it took. Such a little thing, really, but it was just enough to break Candor’s concentration, and immediately the table began to fall.
“Candor!” shouted Sador. The table had risen to a substantial height, and he had no desire to be crushed underneath it.
“Sorry,” Candor replied.
The table descended on a path that placed it some distance away from them, but Candor didn’t see the need to let it fall. After all, this was an experiment in control, not chaos. After shattering the saucer, he’d proven that he could do chaos quite well. He reached out again and refocused his effort, and learned that once an object was in freefall, it became more difficult to stop. Sweat beaded on his brow, and his muscles tightened, but slowly, with the legs of the table roughly even with the tops of their heads, it came to a halt. After which, Candor gently lowered it to the floor.
“Candor,” said a perplexed and terrified Jinx. Even for a simulacrum, he looked as though he was going to faint. “Did you do that?”
Candor nodded, and wiped the sweat from his face with the sleeve of his tunic. Almost in unison both Sador and Zyphon asked him if he was okay.
“You look pale,” added Zyphon.
“I’m fine, really,” Candor told them. “I feel tired, drained. Stopping the table from falling was extremely difficult.”
Sador reached for a cup of sok-ta and handed it to Candor. “Here,” he implored him, “drink this. It should help get some of your color back.”
Candor did as his father asked. As the liquid warmed him, he had to admit that he did feel better. Although, all things considered, he would have rather had a cup of jenjiss.
“Well,” continued Sador, “at least we know that it is possible for you to access the electromagnetic fields that surround others. And may I add, to startling effect.”
“Come here, Jinx,” said Zyphon.
Jinx stood in the doorway, his face a mask of shock. “I heard something shatter and came to investigate. I had no idea! I mean, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“Relax,” said Candor. “It’s okay, just come over here and sit down. Zyphon is right, we need to talk. You have become an unwitting observer, Jinxy old boy.”
“Indeed,” agreed Sador. “And I have one other question for you, my son. Can you hear the thoughts of others from a distance?”
Candor hadn’t tried, but he figured that if he could, then it should have been apparent before now. “No, I don’t think so.”
Sador took comfort in that knowledge. Jinx sat down with them, and it was a cautious gesture. Candor noticed that Jinx was uncertain, as if he was waiting for Sador to say something. Still, he was exhausted after moving the table, and he dismissed his observation. He surmised that Jinx was nervous for acting in a, less than formal capacity, in the presence of his father.
“Candor, Zyphon, Jinx,” began Sador. “Hear me now, I beg you.”
Everyone was silent, their eyes on the brilliant scientist who had found a way to save the citizens of Penticore Prime.
“We must not disclose this to anyone, ever. And Candor, you must not use this ability in the presence of others. Under no circumstances should this become public knowledge.”
“Father, I concede that you are wiser than I am in such matters, but I don’t understand. Why is it necessary to keep this a secret? Couldn’t our race learn a great deal from it.”
/> “Because,” said Zyphon. “The Senedos Seiss have enough going on with the discovery of the singularity, and the preparations to move through time. Not to mention the Out-World Faction. The council has its hands full, and could hardly be expected to deal with another issue of this magnitude.”
“That is correct,” agreed Sador. “And what we have witnessed here today is nothing short of an evolutionary step forward. It is likely that we shall not achieve what you have mastered for thousands of years. As a species, we are not ready to deal with the ramifications of this ability. And as Zyphon pointed out, there are many other issues. Those issues could provide the impetus for some harsh decision making. So even though I dislike such things, we must keep this between us. Agreed?”
“What about Thalia?” Candor asked.
“Tell her nothing,” Sador replied.
“I can’t do that, I won’t do that. First, what I did this morning with the towel was by accident, a reflex. It’s conceivable that such a thing will happen again. Second, very shortly, Thalia will be a permanent part of our family, so long as I can come to terms with my initial reason for asking you both here. Father, I fully expect you to tell my mother about this. So, I cannot and will not keep secrets from my own wife. It would be dishonorable to do otherwise.”
Sador was impressed at the articulate nature of Candor’s argument. He could find no flaw in his logic whatsoever. “My son,” he said with a nod. “Your wisdom is impeccable. I’m certain that if you ask Thalia to keep your confidence that she will, without hesitation.”
“And as to your bonding,” added Zyphon. “You simply must continue. Obviously, you gained exceptional insight into the inner workings of your mind. This allowed you access to abilities that lie dormant within us all.
“But I tell you truthfully, you mustn’t be troubled over your lack of memory. It is a well-known side effect of the rejuvenation process. And even if those memories are lost forever, I implore you to consider the life that you have, and the new memories upon which you build that life. You have much to look forward too. And besides,” he said with a smile, “I’ve grown to like the new you. Before the accident you were brash, and forgive my honesty, arrogant.”
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