"Thank you, but I do. I want to tell you all."
"Are you sure? We all know how you are. You’re a private person and we respect that."
"I know, I am. I've never been tested, so Joy's been the only other person who's known I'm the Eldest. But, you, Avena, Diana, Mach, and Borda? You're all my family now. I trust you all."
"Well, rest assured, we all love you. None of us would ever tell anyone you’re the Eldest.” Suddenly, Sean's calm expression washed away and his body stiffened. “You shouldn’t either. Don't tell Zin," he said, his eyes narrowing. "We've just met him. He's not trustworthy. And, just look at him. Being known as the Eldest is dangerous. Think carefully before you tell anyone else. Overall, keeping it a secret is the safest choice.” Sean's face hardened. “I’ll do anything to protect you. That includes keeping Zin from siphoning you.”
Jai had appreciated Sean's support, until Sean's mind began to race, back to jealous thoughts. She rolled her eyes away, frustrated. How can I reassure him, without saying more? She’d finally told Sean she was the Eldest; she wasn’t ready to tell Sean (or anyone else) that she could mind-sync or cloak her thoughts. At least, not yet. She gave it a shot: “Even if Zin siphons me, he’s not going to figure out I'm the Eldest.”
“How can you be so confident?” Sean asked, his head cocked to the side. Jai bit her lip. It wasn't enough. Sean was convinced Zin would figure it out anyway, as soon as she siphoned with him. He explained, “Even if Zin's not the Eldest, he's still second to you in age. His siphon could be more refined, could be able to sense more about you than I can. Even I've noticed your siphon's different. You may be new to siphoning up-close, but you have the most powerful siphon I’ve experienced, ever. Zin will notice that. He’ll see there’s something special about you. He’s already thinking it. He’ll know it and — ”
“Zin’s out of practice, and that’ll explain that," Jai said, cutting him off. Or, I’ll explain it away, using all of the mental tools at my disposal. Jai wanted the discussion to end. “Face it, Sean. It’s not up to you.”
“Come on, Jai! It’s not that simple, okay?” He looked at her, his face uncharacteristically distraught. “I’ve seen the way Zin stares at you. His eyes bore into you, like he wants to eat you.” Jai felt her body shiver; Sean’s emotions were coursing through her. “He’s a creep.”
Jai shook her head. “I know Zin’s stared at me.”
“You’ve noticed? And, you still agreed to siphon with him?” Sean’s chest was heaving.
“Yes. You know as well as I do that he needs to siphon. He needs energy. That’s all. It’s nothing more than that.”
“But, it is, Jai. You know it is. You know what siphoning can be, what it has been, between us. You and I don’t just siphon, Jai. We’re paired. Don’t deny it.”
“I’m not. I am paired with you. But, need I remind you what’s at stake here? We don’t have time to waste. We need Zin’s cooperation and, for the first time in years, he’s finally willing to siphon again.”
“God! Stop coddling him, Jai. He’s a grown man. He can choose to siphon whomever he wants. He needn’t siphon up-close. Why not go to the market, siphon silently, amidst the crowd. There’s no need to get personal, least of all with you.”
“I agree. He could. But, he needs a strong infusion that distant siphoning won’t supply. I’m not coddling him or making excuses for him, Sean. I understand his behavior’s unacceptable. He’s not going about this the right way. But, I also accept that we don’t have the luxury of a twelve-step program to change his personality. Accept it. He’s going to die if we don’t do everything we can to help him. What good would that do, for any of us?” She thought of Joy, asking her to not only feel, but to feel deeply. Turning Zin away would be easier for Jai, and safer. But, it wasn’t the right thing to do. “This isn’t just about him, or me, or you, Sean. All sentients’ lives may be at stake here. I’m not going to let your ego or mine get in the way.”
She turned to walk out, but Sean grabbed her by the hand. She turned and flung his hand away. “I’m not some meek and timid girl, Sean.”
“I’m not saying you are!” Sean touched her lightly on the arm. “I know you’re not.”
“Then don’t treat me like one.” Jai turned to face him. Sean didn’t know she could cloak her thoughts, that she could keep being the Eldest a secret, but Jai was confident she could, without question. “I’m helping Zin to recover his energy. That’s all. He won’t get anything I’m not willing to give.” And, with a deep breath, she softened her eyes and placed Sean’s hand over her heart. “That includes what matters most to me.”
Chapter 33
2121
At dawn, Jai slinked into the infinity pool. She exhaled, her breath a warm vapor dissipating into the early morning air. Extending her arms, she stretched her body, letting the heated water ease her awake. She looked out at the Long Island Sound, the water still a black-blue against the horizon. A deep orange was creeping in, seeping across the darkened sky. Sunrise still an hour away, Jai submerged herself. She listened, her ears mute to the world around her. Swimming laps, her breath became the only sound absent the sea.
“Jai, quickly! Come out!” Kevin was screaming at her. She stuck her face out of the water. Kevin was still in his pajamas, barefoot at the edge of the pool.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Get out! Zin needs to siphon. Now!”
“Now?” Jai jumped out and followed Kevin. He ran straight inside, through the study, and into the library.
“Look!” He pointed at Zin, asleep on a sofa, book against his chest. Zin’s face was haggard. His arctic blonde hair had lost its luster and was now a pale gray. “Zin! Zin!” Kevin yelled with no effect. He grabbed hold of Zin’s shoulders, trying to wake him. His eyes remained closed, sunken, his body heavy, unresponsive. His cheeks had hollowed, black shadows against the gray pallor of his face.
“What the hell’s going on?” Jai stared. “It’s like he’s aged ten years in one night.”
“He has. Look.” Kevin raised his computer cuffs. A video hovered in the air. “I’ve been taking photos since he first arrived. I spliced them together.” The video was clear. Each day Zin’s face and body had aged. There were more lines on his face, a slackening of skin by his mouth. The hoods on his eyes had drooped even further. Still, there was nothing to suggest the man dying before them. They looked at him, shocked. Kevin pressed. “You need to siphon with him, now.”
Jai sat, her body dripping with water against the couch. She lifted Great Expectations off of his chest, and set it aside. “Zin. Zin,” she called, with no response. “Help me prop him up,” she said, lifting his upper body. Kevin pulled Zin up and shoved a pillow behind his back. Jai placed another pillow behind his head, inclining his entire body at an angle. His arms drooped, slack alongside his body. She pushed his legs apart, creating a space for her own. She knelt, angling her forehead down until it touched his and closed her eyes.
Blackness, silence filling her. Moments passed. Where are you, Zin? She listened intently, then felt it. A nearly imperceptible flicker, a drop of energy in the distant, hollow ocean of his body. She grabbed hold of the tiny light, fishing it, slowly, closer, closer to her, her mind working like a gossamer net. She held the light in the palm of her mind, careful not to break the connection. It lengthened, thin and light, flickering, but barely a pulse. In the darkness, she tethered Zin’s energy to her own, all the while searching, calling to Zin with her mind. Zin? Zin? Silence. I have to reach him. But, how? Jai thought back, to her mental spars with Joy. Joy had found a way to reach Jai, to touch Jai with her pain. Joy had shared her visions, depositing them into Jai’s mind. Perhaps that would work now.
Darkness around her, Jai breathed life into Zin’s psyche, filling his mind with visions of the taiga forests. The tall cedars he so loved burst out of the cold, white snow. She painted a white-tailed eagle, flying above the trees, swooping down to the lake with its wings outstretched. S
he landed it on a branch overlooking the cabin, filled with his books. Still, silence.
On the couch, Jai adjusted her knees, uncurled her legs, and lay flat against Zin’s motionless body. Holding the vision taut in her mind, his pulse a soft flicker in her hand, she pressed her ear, gently against his chest. His heartbeat was subtle, slow, nearly non-existent, the second beat trailing, lagging far behind the first. In her mind, silence. No answer to her calls. His pulse was weakening in her grasp. More, he needs more.
Eyes closed, she strained, the full force of her energy bucking inside of her. She focused her mind, held her energy back and steadied it. Breathing in, she took careful, unwavering breaths, allowing her body to relax and echo his. Finally, when the pace of her pulse shadowed Zin’s, she loosened the smallest stream she could, letting her energy flow steadily, slowly into him. Jai waited, watching with the eagle above the cabin, still abandoned in the dark. Silence, but for the soft rustle of leaves; the sound of the eagle adjusting its wings; the whistle of the unforgiving wind. Jai sat, crouched in the snow, waiting.
A half-hour passed before a light flicked on, illuminating the snow at her feet. She looked up, a steady stream of smoke curling out of the chimney. Zin. She made her way to the front stoop, her footsteps packing into the snow. She touched the door, surprised to see it was already ajar. It creaked, swinging open. The warmth of the fire rushed across her face. “You made it,” Zin said, his face bright and smiling, as if he’d been expecting her. “I’m so glad you’ve come.” He rushed over and wrapped his long arms around her. “Please, come sit by the fire. Get warm.”
Jai leaned away, taken aback by the tenderness in his voice. He seemed not to notice, pulling her by the hand. Insisting that she sit down, he ushered her to a pillow on the floor by the fireplace. Jai sat. The fire hissed and popped. Heat warm against her skin, she looked out the window at the distant sun, just beginning to ascend along the horizon. “Here,” Zin said. He sat beside her, leaning in. He covered Jai in a blanket made of sheep’s wool. Firelight on his face, his eyes were a deep, rich blue; not the pale, sullen blue she was accustomed to seeing, hidden under heavy-lidded eyes. These eyes were bright, forceful in their beauty, like the Caribbean sea. He reached to the cast iron skillet of pelmeni dumplings he’d made. He handed her a plateful. “For you,” he said, his tone pleasant and inviting. Jai nodded her head, as he tucked his hair behind his ears. Now a healthy, nordic blonde, it was a shoulder-length bob. His hair was pinned back, his face fully visible. Jai gazed at him in silence. His eyes were clear with sweeping eyelashes. There was no trace of his gruesome encounter with the bear. Is this really the same guy, comatose on the couch? It appeared not. No, his 6’3” frame was toned and muscular. He was the picture of health, like a norseman ready to weather any storm, out alone in the woods.
“Please, eat,” he said, smiling at her. Jai cloaked her mind, then thought twice about it. Is cloaking even necessary? He has no clue, does he? No idea he’s at death’s door. Jai thought on it as she spooned a mouthful. She bit into the dumpling’s soft dough. It burst with the hearty flavor of pork, beef, and lamb, balanced with the sweetness of onion.
Tread carefully, she decided, and cloaked herself anyway. His pulse was a thin, loose thread in her hand. “How have you been, Zin?”
“Better, now that you’re here.” Zin smiled again, elbowing her lightly. Jai’s face flushed, rattled by this new persona, by the new Zin he was showing her for the very first time. She continued to siphon her energy into him, as she wondered where the rabid wolf had gone. Am I feeding the wolf, or this husky…so strong, yet tame? She looked at him with skeptical eyes. “What is it?” he asked, startling her. She squinted, eyes focused on him.
“How long have you been here, Zin?”
“All my life, Jai. You know that.” Now, that’s clearly wrong. Zin had said so, in Jai’s library. He’d only lived at Lake Baikal for the last five years. Jai looked down at the dumplings, shielding her gaze from his view. She thought back, to the couch where they actually were. There, she’d projected the cabin, hoping to lure Zin out of the coma. Now, she realized, she’d done more than that. She’d pacified him, lulled him to lower his defenses. He’s not at the cabin I know. No, this is the cabin in his mind. It surprised her, given their first meeting. What happened to his Winchester hello, his far from amiable greeting? She was the same intruder, the same person who’d absconded with his world, uprooting him from the home he knew and loved. Yet, here in his mind, he’d welcomed her. He’d found no need to set traps, or shore up any defenses. No, he looked at her with soft, caring eyes.
“Stay with me, Jai,” he whispered, barely audible over the sound of the crackling fire. Quickly, she glanced at him, unsure if he’d said it out loud or if he’d merely thought it.
“We’ll have to go soon,” Jai said matter-of-factly. Zin could not stay here. This was the most dangerous of places. Dangerous, precisely because it was warm and comforting. If he stays here, he’ll never come back, to the real world, where he lay, old and emaciated on the couch. She gripped the tether, the thin line of energy connecting them and wondered, How can I bring him back, with such a weak flow?
More energy, she thought. She stood, resolving to fortify his strength while shielding his fragile mind from the reality of the situation. He rushed to stand beside her, grabbing hold of her hand. “Please, stay with me,” he repeated. This time, Jai was sure; he’d said it out loud. There was no mistaking the smooth, rich timbre of his voice. It was unsettling to say the least. Not one guttural grunt? She watched as he circled his body around. He was looking up and down, at the piles of books he had hoarded, the untidy mess that Jai had projected into his mind. It was his home, just as disheveled as when she’d first met him. She followed his gaze when, suddenly, the books miraculously aligned, organized along the walls, like her library in the beach house. He’s showing me this, she realized. He’s changing his mind, adopting one token of the life she’d invited him to share these last few days. For the first time, Jai hoped. It was the first sign he might be open to his new life, to the real world, with them. Perhaps he might follow Jai back home.
But, her hopes were dashed as he asked again, “Stay with me, here?” He’d pulled a book off the shelf and handed it to her. Great Expectations, the only first edition I have, he thought. He put Jai’s hands on it. “It’s for you, for your collection. I noticed you don’t have a first edition.”
“I couldn’t, Zin. Thank you, but I can’t.” Jai returned the book, gently placing it back in his hands.
“No, I insist. If you must go, take it with you.” Jai looked at him, uncertain if he was aware they were in his mind. He’d mentioned her library collection, as if he understood her library was elsewhere, in the real world. But, he also looked at her, expectantly, as if she could return easily to this place, this hideaway in his soul.
Jai looked inward, wondering how long she’d been with him, maybe an hour or so? It was hard to say. As with all siphoning, time seemed to stand still. She looked into her mind’s eye, felt the tether in her hands. His pulse was still weak, but it had gained some strength, enough to permit her departure. For the second time, he placed the book in her hands, and she accepted it.
As Jai opened her eyes, she squinted. The sun was radiant, basking her library in an intense orange glow. By the look of it, much time had passed since she’d rushed to Zin’s side. She pushed herself up, off of Zin’s chest, and knelt, looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows. There was the Sound, the sun sparkling along each wave when, suddenly, her eyes were blinded, as if a thousand rainbows were shooting through her. Eyes shut, she turned away from the windows; no longer made of glass, they were prisms aiming the sun directly into her. “Ah!” she screamed, squeezing her eyes tighter.
“What? What is it, Jai?” Kevin grabbed hold of her elbow, steadying her before she tumbled to the floor. He pulled her up, back on to the couch, where Zin lay, just as expressionless as before.
“My eyes!�
� she screamed. There were no words to express the pain plowing into her brain. Streams of color flashed before her eyes, each an electric shock, blinding, piercing her like a jackknife. Jai screamed in agony.
Sean rushed through the doors. “Jai! What’s going on?” His voice was frantic. A moment later, he was holding her in his arms, tears streaming down her face. “Kevin!” Sean yelled, demanding a response.
“I don’t know!” There was desperation in Kevin’s voice. “Zin was slipping, like he was gonna die, so she siphoned with him. She just came to, and now this.” Sean whisked Jai to the study and lay her down on a chaise.
“Jai, try to hold still,” Kevin said, attaching a computer link to her arm. A second passed before he said, “That’s strange. Her vitals appear to be fine.”
“I’m not!” Jai yelled. The pain had traveled up, past her orbital sockets. She flung her eyes open, but she was blind, unable to see past the forceful throbs in her brain. She thrashed her head to the side and pushed her thumbs forcefully against her temples.
“Here, come here!” Sean called. Jai followed the sound of his voice, felt his presence behind her. Quickly, his hands massaged her temples at a steady tempo. Meanwhile, Kevin approached Jai with a light in hand. Hesitantly, he shined the light into Jai’s eyes.
Sean stared at Kevin’s shocked face. “What is it Kevin? What’s wrong?”
Kevin raised his voice to overcome Jai’s screaming. “Her pupils. They’re changing, rapidly! One’s larger than the other. No, wait, now the other’s larger.” He moved the light back and forth. “But, but….” He was fumbling his words. “Not only that….”
“What? What is it?” Sean screamed.
“Her eyes. They’re changing color!”
Sean jumped off the chaise, leaving Jai to rub her temples furiously on her own. Sean grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her steady. Sight unseen, she could sense Sean’s heart beating rapidly, faster and faster the longer he looked into her eyes. Her irises were shifting, from dark brown to hazel, a pale cyan, to deep blue, to amber, orange, green, even purple. Sean’s voice shook. She heard him say, “What the…,” before blacking out.
Obsidian: Birth to Venus (The Obsidian Chronicles Book 1) Page 21