JoAnna stepped around Candy, but Chartail grabbed her hand before she got any further. “You do not have to do this.”
The woman who Chartail knew would one day become her friend smiled and said, “Yes, I do.”
Koel could not believe his eyes as JoAnna approached. The last time he glanced in her direction, she was safely behind Candy. Whatever his soul mate had planned, Koel knew he was not going to like it.
“The man endangered my life, as well as Chartail’s,” JoAnna announced. “I can assist in the interrogation of the suspect.” Koel wished he could disagree with what she had stated, but to his utter horror, he could not. JoAnna was the right choice to cross-examine the man. They did not want to scare the populace of this village with the powers either Benko or Cassie possessed. Even Koel was unsure of the extent of their gifts.
Clarke, the head of Benko’s guard, came forward to meet JoAnna. “We caught him returning a couple of the spears he had borrowed to dispose of the two of you. The idiot could have abandoned them in the woods, but I imagined he feared we would need them if the village was attacked.” The man’s regard for JoAnna surprised Koel. He imagined being identified as Prime Adholm’s niece gave them an idea of her power, as well as the fact her parents were dissidents.
His soul mate approached the prisoner. Koel took his place behind her, placing his hands on her bare neck. If she was going to enter the man’s mind, Koel would accompany her. Starc was able to navigate the portals through Shirl’s telepathic powers, Koel was going to see if he could do the same.
Koel knew the instant JoAnna entered the man’s mind. He saw flashes of memories belonging to the prisoner, first in the Troyk universe and then in the penal colony. JoAnna navigated thru thoughts to find what she was looking for. As a parasite, Koel continued along the threads of her mind control talents.
“The thought is right there, JoAnna,” he communicated through the soul mate link. Connected in this way, he had naturally transmitted the thought, as if he was thinking to himself. The sensation was incredible. They were truly one in this regard. “He had fought the mind control telepaths in the Troyk universe, had to endure living with the portal guardians, only to have his mind manipulated by a pregnant woman. When he saw Prime Adholm and his niece enter his world, this man knew he had to take action.” Koel said the last part aloud, so the rest of the group would know why the prisoner did what he did.
“You see how they can steal from your mind,” the prisoner yelled. “I tried to save us all from them manipulating us.”
“What would you have done, Abbout?” Benko Jarlyn asked, “Would Cassie and I be your next victims? There may be others in the village who hide their true talents because of what they fought.”
“Chartail first used her latent talent against me,” Clarke shared with the group, “but she has worked hard to control her abilities. Our hopes are dependent on Benko Jarlyn overtaking his father, but Benko is a mind control telepath as well. The powers are among us, as is the crystal telepathic gift. It is a blessing that can be used in a productive manner.”
Koel knew Clarke held a lot of respect within the community. Murmurs of agreement were shared among the people gathered around. The man ceased his struggles, realizing he had lost his battle to sway the crowd.
“What do we do with him?” Darden asked. “He may attempt to hurt you, Cassie, or Chartail again. We cannot run the risk of him harming anyone and we cannot trust his word not to attack again.”
“Take him back to the Troyk universe,” someone from the crowd yelled.
“He knows too much about this world and Benko Jarlyn.” Koel knew they could not take Abbout back with them. His crimes were grave, but sending him to the Nightshade universe was too extreme. Since he was not a mind control telepath, taking him to Ginkgo Terra would be a death sentence. “In the past we have sent dissidents to the Standish universe. The world has recovered from an ice age, once again inhabitable for humans. It is a tough existence, but Abbout existed here, so I imagine he would be able to live there with few issues.”
Benko Jarlyn approached the prisoner. “Would that be acceptable to you? You present a threat to my family, I cannot afford to give you leniency.”
“Yes,” the man said. “I should have trusted in you in the flesh, as I had when you were a dream to our cause. My apologies to your mate and her cousin. I regret my actions and accept my fate.”
Darden stood near the natural portal and partially entered it, setting the frequencies within to open a wormhole to the Standish universe. “A settlement is not far from the portal. Share with them as much as you like.” After Darden’s instructions, Abbout entered the portal.
Shirl would return shortly to take them back to the Troyk universe. Koel could still feel fragments of what it had been like to be of one mind with his soul mate. It had been an incredible experience, one he hoped they would share again.
JoAnna and his abilities continued to evolve, which made her more of a target. They had foiled one attempt, but more seemed to be mounting. There was still someone in the Troyk universe who had attempted to kill her. Koel doubted dealing with him would be as easy as it had been with Abbout.
Chapter 22
The Troyk Universe
The smidgens of the euphoria JoAnna felt from joining minds with Koel was lost as soon as they exited the portal. A squadron of palace guards were waiting for them. JoAnna doubted they were there strictly present for her safety.
“We have orders to bring Miss Carlson to see Jeryl Jarlyn,” one of the guards informed them. “The audience is to be private. No one else is to accompany us. There is another contingent of guards at the trail head. They will arrest anyone who interferes with our delivering Miss Carlson to Jeryl Jarlyn.”
JoAnna believed she was finally going to discover what the Prime Ruler had planned. Why else would he require they meet alone? The uncertainty of her situation caused her sleepless nights. Only physical or mental exhaustion guaranteed her any rest.
Broken communication related to Koel’s rage at Jarlyn’s demand distracted her thoughts. Some fragment of their earlier mental connection must still exist. She and Koel had to choose their battles, this was not the time.
“Don’t fight this, Koel,” JoAnna shared through the warrior link. “Candy, do you sense anything related to me or Koel?” She didn’t have Candy’s abilities, but JoAnna did not feel at ease where Koel and Jeryl Jarlyn were concerned. Until she made The Prime Ruler realize Koel enhanced her powers, she feared he would look at her soul mate as being dispensable. JoAnna could not share these impressions with Koel, his pride would not allow him to back down in his role of protecting her.
“Frankly, there are so many abstract impressions I am getting, I cannot decipher a particular threat.”
They were so far up the mountain, the chance of the others having heard Candy was slight, but at least the guards were not privy to their discussion. JoAnna had hoped for a more specific warning, in order for her to better manage Koel. He had an arrogance about him that would only agitate the one man they needed to be careful around.
JoAnna needed to better understand the legends of soul mates to reinforce the need to have Koel near her constantly. Candy would not be able to help in this manner, but perhaps Tarah would, since she was a mind control telepath. Who would be more likely to dive into stories of legends, than someone who carried the trait? Once they got closer to town, JoAnna would be able to contact Tarah and get the information she desperately needed.
Because of Candy’s role in the CT Guard, she was allowed to walk beside JoAnna. Shirl, Starc, and Koel were forced to make their way down the mountain several yards behind them. JoAnna felt as if she was walking to her own execution.
They were half way down the mountain when the communal pathways started to invade her mind. Since the warrior link was stronger than any of the other pathways,
with the exception of the soul mate channel, JoAnna knew she could now contact Tarah. She was anxious to see how close fables came to the truth.
“Tarah, I am being escorted to The Palace to meet with Jeryl Jarlyn. Can you tell me any of the legends related to mind control telepathic soul mates?” JoAnna could only hope Tarah would have been as inquisitive as she would have been to learn these stories. Their lives might end up being dependent on it.
“There are not many that are in the books we read as children,” Tarah admitted. “When I was in college, I found an ancient text in the archives which told about a fifth-generation mated female mind control telepath. She was able to join as one with her soul mate and dive deep into another’s mind. So deep, she could not only read the person’s past and present, but his future intent as well. It was really quite fascinating.”
Koel and JoAnna had already accomplished the joining as one, but had not delved deeper into Abbout’s mind, other than to determine his guilt for the current crime he had committed. “Was there anything else?”
“If legends are correct, a fifth-generation mind control telepath who has mated will be able to get past the half-truth defense. Her soul mate is not required for that to occur, according to what I read.”
The last part JoAnna could work around. After all, they were only stories and JoAnna and Koel were the real thing.
“Thanks, Tarah. I will let you know if I need anything else. If you remember any other stories, I would be interested in hearing them.”
“I know where to find the book. Tomorrow I will head to the Starling Province and see if I can check out the manuscript and bring it back for you to read.”
When they reached the outskirts of the city, Tarsea was there to meet them. He called Koel over to talk with him and her soul mate reluctantly agreed. JoAnna continued to walk toward The Palace, thankful Tarsea had interfered. She was not sure if Alex had asked him or if Tarsea realized he needed to rescue his friend before he did something they would all regret.
As usual, they entered The Palace without going through security checkpoints. Candy continued to walk beside her, no one had separated them yet. When they stood before Jeryl Jarlyn’s study, they were instructed only JoAnna could enter. Nothing good ever was communicated when they met in his private lair.
JoAnna took a deep breath and entered the room, expecting the worst. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Jeryl Jarlyn behind his desk with a blood soaked handkerchief in one of his hands. His left hand was closed in a fist, but yellow light was visible.
She got a hold of her senses and ran to see if she could help Jeryl Jarlyn. His fist was hot to the touch, no doubt from the energy emitted from the stone. “Jeryl, you need to release the crystal before you do any more harm to yourself.”
“I could not enter that little brat’s mind, but you were able to,” Jarlyn admitted. “The crystal will give me more power, which will enable me to be as powerful as you.”
If Jeryl Jarlyn wanted to win a pissing contest, why did he force Koel and her to have sex? Their mating would only make her that much stronger. JoAnna continued to have issues reading Jarlyn and his motives.
“If Benko has a child, she would be a fifth-generation telepath, like you are. The power my grandchild would possess would be obscene.” JoAnna was not sure if the Prime Ruler talked to her or himself. It was irrelevant, she needed Jeryl Jarlyn to release the crystal before he started to hemorrhage or worse have a stroke.
“Show me the beautiful crystal you are holding,” JoAnna said. “I love when you tell me the properties of the crystals in your collection. When I see Shirl, I can almost match her knowledge of these magnificent stones.”
“This one is so pretty, but powerful.” The Prime Ruler opened his hand and showed her the glowing crystal. She had only seen crystals behave that way when they opened a portal.
“May I?” JoAnna asked. After the Prime Ruler nodded, JoAnna gingerly touched the crystal with the tip of one of her fingers, to make sure she would not burn herself. Although the rock was hot, it was not scalding. As soon as JoAnna picked up the yellow stone, it no longer beamed out light. “How do you make it glow?”
“Only the most powerful among us can do that. It is how the Prime Ruler can establish dominance in his realm.” JoAnna had heard Shirl and Candy question what the Prime Ruler did with all the crystals, now she knew. It was also a dangerous topic to continue discussing. The Prime Ruler was truly losing his mind and until Benko took control from him, the man was extremely dangerous. No one in this world would dare stand up to Jeryl Jarlyn. His control was absolute and deadly.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” JoAnna did not want to do anything to threaten him.
The Prime Ruler looked at JoAnna for several moments with a blank expression on his face. It was as if he had turned off. She was about to touch him, when his head jerked and he had his faculties once again.
“While you were visiting Chartail in the penal world, several dissidents were returned. I would like you to interview them. They are locked in the basement cells, you can interrogate them in the morning. We can all use some sleep.”
The Prime Ruler rose and left the room, not saying another word to JoAnna. She did not have the opportunity to tell the Prime Ruler Koel should help her interview the prisoners. Hopefully, Solfa would also be present. Considering how much she feared the head of intelligence when she first arrived, JoAnna liked having her around when they were at The Palace. Solfa did an excellent job of running interference.
When JoAnna exited the Prime Ruler’s study, two guards were there to meet her. She attempted to walk around them, but they detained her. “The Prime Ruler has set up rooms for you to occupy. He does not want you endangered walking the streets of Aster Province.”
“Candy is capable of protecting me,” JoAnna countered. “We reside in the same residence.”
“Miss Phillips has been escorted from The Palace and ordered to return to her home. As I already stated, rooms have been prepared for you.”
JoAnna considered using mind control telepathy on the guards to convince them they did not properly understand their orders. However, the compulsion would not last long. Once they returned to their regular duties or dealt with a commanding officer, both would realize she had manipulated their brains. She doubted she would even make it out of The Palace. She was a prisoner and there was nothing she could do about it.
JoAnna did not get any sleep the night before. Koel continued to argue with her through their shared link about having given in too easily to the Prime Ruler and then dealing with his failed attempts at joining her. It got to the point she wanted to ring his neck.
A change of clothing was provided to her from the most expensive store in Aster Province. The toiletries in the washroom were of the highest quality. She was in a gilded cage, but a cage, regardless how nice it was.
When she exited her quarters, she was guided to the Prime Ruler’s greeting rooms to share breakfast with him. JoAnna was tired, angry, and had a caffeine headache by the time she joined him. She quickly poured herself a cup of coffee and had several sips before she addressed her jailer.
“Jeryl, I cannot stay here,” JoAnna said. “Once the mating link opened, if I do not have regular contact with my soul mate, it feels like I have regressed in power. Koel seems to be able to balance and enhance my telepathic abilities.” She was not totally lying, her lack of sleep and their arguments had tapped her physically and mentally.
The Prime Ruler’s eyes roamed her face, down her body, and then made eye contact with her once again. “You do look a bit fatigued. Your mental barrier feels weaker this morning, although still impenetrable. I had merely your safety in mind when I requested you stay the night.”
JoAnna choked on the coffee she had just swallowed. If what she experienced last night was a suggestion, she feared what an order
would feel like. She continued to cough, trying to deal with the liquid that went down the wrong way. It did not surprise her the Prime Ruler sat like a statue, as she continued to get control of herself. Finally, after taking several sips of water, JoAnna had stopped hacking.
“If I am going to be of any use today, I will need Koel by my side.” JoAnna took a bite of the danish she had placed on her plate. There were other items available, but JoAnna always chose what she was familiar with. Since the Troyk people took the best from the worlds they explored, she figured the unidentifiable items were delicious. One day she should request a doggy bag and try the other items with Alex. That girl could sure eat!
“He has been sent for, even before you requested it. My apologies for last night. I was eager to have you interview the men we have captured and did not want to delay.”
It was well known the Prime Ruler was paranoid of the dissidents who had left their world. There had been numerous attacks made on his life, although they had all occurred from within the Troyk universe. Every entry through the portal into this world was investigated by CT Guards. Gatherers traveled between worlds looking for people who escaped and could present a future threat. Plots to unseat him had been constant since he took control, even by his own son. JoAnna could not imagine living that way.
“Three prisoners were brought back from the Standish universe. We believe they originated from this world and present a danger to the order we have established here.” It took all her control to swallow what was in her mouth, without spitting it out or having it go down the wrong way.
“Three people have been brought back from the Standish universe to be questioned. If Abbout is among them, we are so screwed.” JoAnna finished her communication through the warrior link and took another bite of her pastry as if her world was not being ripped apart at the seams.
The Mind Control Telepath Page 19