The Chameleon Soul Mate

by Evelyn Lederman

  “Solfalynn?” Alexandra’s aunt cried out the question. Norri embraced the woman before she even responded. Tarsea heard his soul mate’s cry as the two women came together.

  “It is just plain Solfa now. I never thought I would see you again. We feared you entered the portal after your sister. You just disappeared, Norri!”

  “I could no longer stay here after Starta left. There was so much chatter in the communal pathways about Benko and his followers. Every time Jarlyn addressed us, I thought I would go mad. I needed to get away and make a clean break of things. Is your mother still living?” Norri took her palm and wiped away the tears from her face.

  “Tarsea, I finally have a family.” His soul mate joined the two women, tears still falling from her eyes. Alexandra was not the only one discovering her lost family. Norri seemed as impacted emotionally as his soul mate was.

  It was at this point he made the decision he had to believe that people who joined the closed link had to be trustworthy. If Solfa proved to be a traitor, he was not sure Alexandra would be able to handle it. He had to have faith that the legends associated with the warrior channel were true, if indeed they were dealing with the legendary link. No one was more honorable and reliable than the individuals that guarded the true leader of the Troyk Universe, according to the stories he grew up hearing.

  “Darden, Starc, Koel, please come to my parents’ home. We need to discuss our next steps. I also have someone to introduce you to.” Tarsea needed to get everyone back on track after the uncertainty of the last several days and the new information that came forward with Alexandra’s unexpected entry into the Troyk Universe. It was also time to finally talk about Benko Jarlyn.

  Norri sat next to Solfa, with Alexandra on the other side of her newly found cousin. As always, his mother was handing out beverages. She made sure that his soul mate had the herbs she needed to help manage the pathways. Tarsea’s heart was warmed when he saw his mother brush away some of the leftover tears on his little pixie’s cheek and kiss her.

  His thoughts were interrupted by Solfa’s question. “Should I have Karlon join us? He is the intelligence officer, I told you that had linked with me via the closed channel.”

  Tarsea considered her question for a moment and then responded. “Invite him via the closed link and we will see what happens. The others should be here any minute.”

  “While we are waiting,” Alex said, “how did the house hunting go?” Her aunt seemed a little off, she could not figure out why.

  “There was this adorable cottage that Tolfer and I first saw that would have been perfect. I ended up signing a lease for a garden home further down the street.”

  Alex frowned, “Norri, why didn’t you get the cottage?”

  “Alex,” Tolfer answered, “a mind control telepath was at the cottage and told her she would be happier at the other residence.”

  Solfa took Alex’s hand. “That is how mind control telepathic power works, it is very subtle. You think you want one thing, but when they are done with you, you want something else.”

  “That’s terrible! Are the results permanent?” After what happened yesterday with Jeryl Jarlyn, she was concerned about her aunt.

  “Yes, but for that decision only,” Tarsea answered. “It is just like when you change your mind naturally. Unless there is new information or some kind of stimulus to restart your decision making process, it is like any other decision you make. There is no lasting damage to the brain. They only impact you when you are making a decision.”

  “How did they come to power? Why didn’t more people fight against it?” Alex had heard of mind control telepathic influences, but now that it impacted her aunt, it became very real.

  “Benko and his followers tried,” Solfa answered. “Mind control telepathic abilities exist in a small percentage of the population, but grew to power by their ability to manipulate. Benko tried to reason with his father about mind control and other governmental practices. Jarlyn and others like him feel they are superior because of their abilities. Their belief is the Supreme Being gave them this additional talent to oversee those of weaker telepathic capacity. In the end, he escaped with your mother and other followers with their lives.”

  “What other practices were Benko and my parents fighting, Solfa?”

  “Alexia, how about we fight one battle at a time,” Solfa answered wearily. It would appear that her cousin was beginning to show the stress of the day.

  Alex could see her cousin give Tarsea a look. She knew she was being given bits and pieces about what was wrong with the Troyk Universe. Honestly, she was a little relieved. Alex had enough to deal with at the present time. Any more would be too much for her brain to handle until she could manage all the telepathic channels.

  “All right, I can live with that for now. But I do have to function in this world, as if I cannot resist mind control.” She turned to Leenea and Zane. “How have you managed all these years? You must have had mind control telepathic individuals telling you what to do.”

  Zane ran his hands down his face before he answered Alex’s question. “Many times we did exactly what the mind control telepath wanted. If it was something we felt strongly about we purposely brought about that stimulus that Tarsea had mentioned. When we did something contrary to what we were told, it was clear something external allowed us to change our mind.”

  Leenea laughed, “You would be surprised how often I left my wallet at home.”

  Alex was satisfied for now, she knew she would be able to live in this world with the guidance of those around her. She could not imagine living here, not knowing if decisions she made were hers or those of a mind control telepath.

  The aroma coming out of the kitchen was starting to overwhelm her senses. “How does lunch sound? I am starving again.”

  Tarsea smiled at his little pixie. For such a small creature, she could certainly pile away the food. He was actually hungry and ready to eat as well. He got up and patted his brother on the back.

  “I will pull lunch out of the oven and we can all eat as we talk,” Tolfer announced as he left the common room for the kitchen. Tarsea was still amazed that Tolfer had been able to link into the closed channel. He was always so concerned about the comfort of others. Tolfer never got involved in any of the covert missions Tarsea was involved in. The others arrived as Tarsea finished his thought.

  Darden entered the common room, while Koel and Starc went to assist Tolfer. It was not long before everyone had a plate of food on their laps. They were ready to start discussing the current status and the next steps they were going to take. He noted Alexandra was digging into her lunch. Good, she was going to need all the energy she could get for what he had planned for this evening. With those thoughts pushed to the back of his mind, he needed to get the discussion started.

  “Prime Hosp is dead and according to Solfa,” Tarsea said, “there are no clues regarding who was part of the assassination plot.” He thought it best to start with the most urgent item first, since it was still going to plague them until the guilty parties were identified.

  Solfa nodded, agreeing with his assessment. “I have helped interview over two dozen individuals. We had at least one mind control telepath with us at all times. Through all the interviews, we know no more than when we started.” There was a knock on the door. “That must be Karlon.” Solfa took a sip of her tea, waiting for her associate to enter before she continued.

  His father answered the door. When he returned, he was followed by a nondescript young man. Solfa was not exaggerating when she had mentioned the benefits of having agents who could blend in and not be recognizable later. Tarsea looked at his soul mate through new eyes.

  “This is intelligence officer Karlon Flonder. He has supported my efforts to assist covert rescues to the best of our abilities.” Solfa turned to Darden and Starc with a gleam in her e
yes. “He witnessed your mission from two weeks ago, when you escorted Stellas Harstrong through the portal.”

  Tarsea chuckled when he saw the stunned expressions on both men’s faces. “It appears we had assistance we did not know about. Both Solfa and Karlon have linked into our closed channel. They are now part of the team. We also have access directly into Troyk Intelligence.”

  Fortunately, there were no challenges to what Tarsea just communicated. There was no question they had fallen into a windfall.

  “What are the next steps in tracking down the people who were involved in the attempt on Jarlyn’s life?” His father knew they were not out of the woods yet and as usual wanted as much information as possible.

  Solfa took a deep breath and looked at his soul mate. “Formal interviews are not getting us anywhere. It is time we hit the streets and listen to what is not being communicated through communal channels. I need as many of my intelligence people out in public listening to conversations that are not meant to be overheard.”

  “I want to help.” That was all Alexandra said. The look on her face broke Tarsea’s heart. He had no idea how he was going to talk her into backing down from her plans.

  “Alexandra and I are soul mates. The stories are true that soul mates are able to listen in on the thoughts of others. Unlike mind control telepathic abilities, we cannot influence what someone does with their thoughts.” Tarsea thought it was important to draw that distinction between what they could do versus the practice they were all fighting against.

  “We need to start referring to Alexandra as either Alexia or Alex, even in private. It will be too easy to slip up and call her the wrong name in public or through the communal pathways.” Solfa was right, Tarsea nodded in agreement.

  Solfa gave him a look whether she could continue. It was reassuring that she respected he was in charge of this group. There may be power struggles down the road, but for now it seemed she was willing to take a follower role.

  She continued after receiving Tarsea’s approval to continue with her debrief. “I would like Alexia and Tarsea to start being seen in public together. They can listen to what people are thinking, as well as Alexia can over hear verbal conversations.” Solfa took her cousin’s hand. “Are you ready for this, Alexia?”

  His soul mate got a big smile on her face. “I was born ready!” She came over to Tarsea and sat on his lap. “Can we start tonight?” There was no question in his mind that she was going to leverage everything in her soul mate arsenal to get her way. He would make sure he was there when she went out on her missions, if he could not stop them ahead of time. He would also reap the benefits at night in their bed as she continued to convince him she needed to be an intelligence officer.

  “Darden,” Tarsea addressed his best friend, “I believe you have some information to shed about our closed link that as of now has two new members linking in.”

  “It is not a closed communal pathway,” Darden informed the group, “it is the warrior link.”

  “That is impossible,” Norri commented, “you have to be mistaken. I know I said your closed pathway was odd the other day, but you are leaping into make believe.”

  Darden shook his head, “Norri, it is the warrior pathway, there is no mistake. I originally thought it was the start of a new communal pathway as well, but it did not expand as public pathways do. It takes priority over both familial pathways and communal channels. The last time I was on Ginkgo Terra, I used it to link with Benko Jarlyn. The reception was as clear as oral communication, I had never experienced anything like it.”

  “Benko Jarlyn,” Solfa cried, “you are in contact with him? Our nightmare may soon be over?” He was not surprised by her reaction. Benko’s name was a rally call in all underground movements for over two decades. Most groups were fueled with just the thought the man was alive and would one day return.

  “Let us not get ahead of ourselves yet,” Tarsea reasoned. “We still have a lot of ground work to do before it is safe for Benko to come home. Our first priority has to be catching who masterminded the failed assassination of his father. Until we do that and security is relaxed, there is no way to advance our cause.”

  He could tell Solfa was considering his words. She finally nodded her consent. “Can you and Alexia start tonight by going out in public? See what you can hear. Jarlyn is limiting portal access and is having every single incoming event horizon investigated. Even when there is a planned return of a crystal telepath.”

  That information reinforced the criticality of finding who planned an attempt on Jarlyn’s life. There would be no rescue missions or bringing back any of Alex’s friends until that person was in custody and dealt with.

  “All time off has been canceled for the CT Guards,” Starc shared with the group. “I made two trips to the portal today before meeting up with everyone to cover Alex’s return from The Palace.”

  He could feel Alexandra getting restless. “Take me out to dinner tonight, Tarsea. I want to see more of the city. We need to find out who was behind the assassination attempt, so the security around the portal will be relaxed.”

  Tarsea reluctantly agreed. He would have given anything to keep Alexandra shut in a little longer. However, she did need to start assimilating into her new world. The more he gave in to her where he had control, the easier it would be to manage her activity as an intelligence officer. He imagined Solfa would be willing to negotiate greater involvement of Tarsea and a much lesser involvement where his soul mate was concerned.

  “We will go out for the first sitting of dinner,” Tarsea finally responded to Alexandra’s request and Solfa’s order. He could see Alex’s confusion regarding his comment. “The first seating of dinner is casual, like how you would dress for lunch. Women dress up for the second seating. It is a time to be seen and stand out. Your clothing currently is appropriate for the first seating of dinner.”

  “First seating it is then,” Alexandra said, as she almost bounced on his lap with excitement.

  Tonight would be their first date and her first intelligence assignment. He had every intention of overwhelming her senses with all things sensual, giving her no time or desire to be a spy.

  Chapter 18

  Alex held Tarsea’s hand as they made their way to the meeting place, nearest to his parents’ house. He made sure she wore the most nondescript outfit his mother had purchased for her. In addition, the tunic hung, rather than hugging her curves. She actually felt more comfortable in these nondescript outfits. When she wore the form fitting outfits, she did not like the way men looked at her. For the first time in her life, she could understand how Shirl felt. The evening attire that had been described to her, would make what she is wearing now seem like a potato sack.

  She loved walking through the streets of Aster Province. Phoenix was lovely in the spring, but the rest of the year it was brown and hot. These streets abound with color. True, it was shades of purple, but it was still beautiful. There were various types of lavender, lilacs, asters, orchids, iris and petunias.

  “It is beautiful here. I was wondering why there were no cars. Everyone walks and that’s great, but I thought you brought back technology from other worlds.” Alexandra voiced the question that was plaguing her mind since she walked to and from The Palace. She actually liked the quiet associated with having no cars driving along the streets.

  Tarsea seemed to be considering Alex’s question. He always took great care in what he told her about this new world. “We take what scientific advancements we feel would enhance the Troyk universe. For distances we leverage clean energy burning trams. We do not burn fossil fuels here. I would not be surprised if one of the agents burning those fuels produced what attacks our telepathic brains.”

  Alex pondered what Tarsea said and it made sense. She loved her car and could not imagine the people in her old world would give up their cars so easily. Sure, t
hey created pollution, but she had never considered that it killed her parents and would have ultimately killed her. She knew she could never go back to her former world. This made her even more determined to make the Troyk Universe a better and safer place.

  They reached the meeting place and Tarsea bent over to kiss her cheek. “Do you want to take a walk on one of the trails before we grab a bite?”

  Alex looked at the park with wonder. Wow, she was definitely not in Kansas anymore! The park was blooming with color, it was a purple wonderland. The sign in front of her showed there were six paths to choose from. She thought walking a little longer would reduce the stress she was feeling.

  This was really her first venture into Troyk society. Although Tarsea was next to her, she could not control her nerves. Maybe she was just having first date jitters, which was ridiculous because they had already made love. The bottom line was she was nervous about managing the communal pathways in public, trying her new mind reading ability, and being around people in general.

  Taking a quick look at the park, she saw a trail full of heather. “Let us take the ‘Lover’s Path.’” From the park directory, that was the path with the heather that caught her eye. She was also conscious that she said ‘let us’, rather than ‘let’s’ when she spoke out loud. It still sounded weird to her ear.

  “Great choice,” Tarsea said, “and very appropriate.” He took her hand and led her to the path she had chosen. There were a number of couples who walked along the trail.

  “What are the odds that any of these couples are soul mates?” Alex asked Tarsea as she eyed other couples. She tried to see if there were little nuances in their behaviors that could have marked them as soul mates.

  “Having lived whole my life with soul mates and not having known my parents were ones, I would not venture to guess. If there are any, they are keeping it a secret.”