Tales of the Fifth Guardian; Book Ten: Otlangon

By C. M. Johnson

“Be careful what you wish for especially with the amount of Power we hold.”

It’s a lesson Kerrisha has tried to impart to Kerreth since she began teaching him about the Power when they were first reunited in Tales of the Fifth Guardian; Book One: The Beginning and they have both experienced the consequences of a misplaced wish more than once in the time since.

Recovering from the attack on herself and her home, the Resolution of Dreland Tower’s problems,
and a quickly planned wedding. All within little more than a month after their return from Tinotchan, Kerrisha is silently wishing things would slow down.

Then a Celebration at the secret complex, Otlangon Organization, culminates in an unexpected battle and her wish is granted:

“In the blink of an eye, less than a moon cycle from now but a lifetime away.”

Stranded.
Further from home and all that she knows than even Kerrisha could ever have imagined with only Edwere at her side for protection until they can make it back to Kerreth... Will Edwere make a choice that goes against all he believes about the honor of a Tesha to protect her?

Recommended for readers 18+ due to mature situations, violence, and possible trigger scenes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C. M. Johnson
• Release date: Sep 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370347537

C. M. Johnson

C. M. Johnson is a former teacher in Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband who was medically retired from the U.S. navy in 1995 and enjoys writing in her spare time.

Book preview

Tales of the Fifth Guardian;

Book Ten:

Otlangon

By: C. M. Johnson

Copyright 2017 by: Cassandra Johnson

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is strictly a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, languages, or any other portion is a creation of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is only mere coincidence.

Photo Credit:

The photo on the cover is a compilation of two pictures (image #’s 75525133 & 93540960) purchased from Adobe Stock under their standard license.

Part One:

Sunday May 21, - Monday, July 31,

Year 3 of the Era of the Fifth Guardian

Before the Centennial Celebration

Sunday, May 21 – Early Monday, May 22

Year 3 of the Era of the Fifth Guardian

Kerreth:

STOP! I raised my head to look across the gurney Keri was lying on to see that Edwere was sweaty, pale, and leaning heavily on a cart while gripping at his chest with one hand.

I’m sorry, I know you feel each one but you know it takes bursts of my Healing Power to restart her heart.

It’s not working. You’re hurting her.

I wanted to argue, but I knew he was right, my Karth Tesha ability would not let anyone lie about their health and when it came to Keri, included those sworn to protect her. What exactly are you feeling?

There isn’t room. It feels as if her heart has no room to beat and her lungs cannot expand. Something is squeezing her chest and every time you try to start her heart it hits whatever it is and stops. He pushed off the cart and pointed at the head of the bed, Every time Jonathan squeezes that bag it feels as if he is about to break her ribs. Something is keeping her body from moving even the slightest bit.

That doesn’t make any sense. Everyone in the Emergency Room had stopped working when he first yelled at me and they were still watching us.

Try it if you do not believe me! Use traditional CPR and see what happens. I centered my hands over her chest, pressed, and then stared at him. It did not move, did it? I shook my head as I moved to hers, tipped it back, pinched her nose, and blew into her mouth; it was like blowing into the open end of a test tube.

I moved back to her torso and opened my X-ray vision, I can’t see anything except her shield.

She is not in a Healing Sleep, though, is she?

I grabbed her hands to read her, No, but I can’t seem to get a full reading. We’ll have to figure that out later, it’s more important to keep her body alive for now. I turned to my team and began issuing orders, Get her on bypass. Set the machine to oxygenate and circulate her blood. Jonathan, call Riccan down. Then I turned to call across the room, Martin, I need the portable x-ray when you’re finished.

He did not wait, wheeling it over immediately and asking, Where do you want it?

I need a picture of her chest. I had been trained but very seldom used the machine because my Ability was usually more accurate and Martin was aware of that so he put it in position and began to set the dials. Something’s wrong, Edwere noticed it first, but everything looks normal to me.

How do you think this is going to help?

Because it feels like a power issue to me and I think I need to remove even my power from the equation to reach a diagnosis. I watched as he placed a plate from the protected compartment in position and pressed the button. A long buzz followed by a click and he was done. Keri was fully connected to the bypass machine by then and the readout showed that her blood was being oxygenated and circulated, but with her body so still, it was surreal and hard to believe she was still alive.

Martin checked the timer on the x-ray machine and removed the plate, Let’s see what we have. He held it up and blanched as he stared at the solid white sheet.

I did not hide my panic or confusion, What does that mean? There’s nothing on it! What does it mean?

He shook his head and began to prepare another plate as a voice spoke behind me, Let me see it.

I handed the x-ray to Riccan as he walked up and he only looked at it for a second, Don’t bother, Martin.

Martin argued, Something’s wrong with that one. We need to take another… Riccan was shaking his head. You’ve seen that happen before?

Yes, it’s a Power effect. I’ve seen it most often when trying to x-ray the head injury of someone who’s been… He looked around for a moment and I saw it in his face when he decided to speak of the forbidden subject although he still lowered his voice, I have seen it when someone’s been trapped in their mind.

What causes it then?

He frowned, I am not completely sure. I know how to help someone escape when they are trapped, but I do not know exactly how the trapping process works. He sighed in exasperation, As you know, it’s not something we’re allowed to discuss openly and I would call Kerrisha or Martin if I needed assistance. He turned slightly, Martin, have you learned anything more about how someone is trapped?

Nothing more than you; I can usually release the shields so they can escape but that’s still all I have in my Knowledge.

Riccan sighed loudly, Unfortunately, Kerrisha is the closest to an expert on trapping and being trapped that we have. He brightened slightly, Has she taught all of you anything about it? The three of us shared a look and he noticed we were hesitating so he implored, I’m not going to tell the Council she’s been discussing it, but it may be the difference between leaving her like this and helping her wake.

I nodded, We’ve discovered with her that there are four different types of ‘sleeps’ someone can be trapped in and they’re all a variation of shield manipulation. He was listening carefully and nodding with me. It just depends on how your shield and/or their shield is held in place over your mind, but none of us have ever seen anything like this. I can see her shield surrounding her, but it looks normal.

Have you tried to read it?

I can’t read anything in her.

No, I mean have you tried to read her shield using a Power Wash to see if you can feel anything else? Like someone else’s power or a cloaked shield?

Oh. No, I haven’t. I stepped to the head of the bed, held my hands flat, and sent my power across the bed and down her body. I felt my shoulders droop with my sigh, Nothing. I still can’t read anything in her. Edwere was gripping the bed rail so tightly his knuckles had whitened. Did you feel something?

He nodded his head and then took a deep breath, She reacted to that and it felt like she was being squeezed again.

None of us had seen anything and I was out of ideas, so were Martin and Riccan. At least the machines have bought us some time. I showed them my palms, I haven’t had any reaction in the Blood bond, so I know she’s still with us and not in the Power. I’m going to have her transferred to the ICU so they can monitor the machines while I meditate and research her condition, maybe I can figure out what to do next. Kellton reached the Emergency Room about the time I began to oversee her transfer. I left Edwere in the ICU with her, asked Kellton and Jonathan to follow me to the archives, and then the three of us went to my office to read the books and journals we had gathered; the answer had to be somewhere.

Kerrisha:

I took a deep breath as I opened my eyes and immediately remembered what had happened in the Training Room when I felt the pain of my lungs being forced against the broken bones of my rib cage as my shield tightened around my torso again. My eyes filled with the pain as I looked around and reached out with my power for Kerreth, Edwere, Kellton, or Jonathan, but I appeared to be alone. I recognized the room, though, and thought to myself, I’m in the Tower’s ICU. My head rolled to the side as I continued to look around until I saw the bypass machine next to the bed; I could easily see the settings and readout on the screen, Well, at least they know I can’t breathe or let my heart beat for now.

My gaze drifted to the button on the bedrail and I was just able to raise my hand enough to tap it; the nurse was at the door of the large room in seconds and staring at me with wide eyes, Your Highness?

I started to answer but the small breath I took reminded me I needed air to speak so I sent instead, I need Kerreth.

I’ll send for him immediately. As she spun to return to the desk where I knew the phone waited I heard her say, "Go find Tesha Edwere, now!" I thought I heard his steps in the hall, but they were too far away for me to be certain as I finally heard the nurse lift the receiver.

Hurry, I thought to myself. Please, hurry. I looked around again until my eyes fell on the camera in the corner and sent to it, "Chinto do Foon," as my power ran out.

Edwere:

I had felt it when she tried to breathe and it had hurt as badly as when Jonathan was using the air bag. It had hurt so much that I nearly dropped my cup of coffee on the floor of the waiting room for the ICU. Instead, I set it on a nearby table and began to walk as quickly as I could back to her room, because teleporting was not an option. I felt her power reach for me as I turned into the hall but just barely. The younger of the two nurses on duty, Amre Vondrew, met me at the end of the hall and was holding the door to the ICU open, She’s awake!

I started to run, and as I passed the desk, Corest Olland, the nurse in charge, called out, I’m sending for Lord Kerreth; she asked for him.

I was almost to her door when I called to her, Lady Keri? But I was too late and felt her power run out. I could tell she had moved, in fact, her head was tipped in the direction of the camera as if she had been attempting to control it, but she was unconscious again. I flopped into the chair next to the bed and stayed there, my coffee forgotten as I waited for her to wake again.

The ICU was as protected as the unnumbered floors in the Tower, shielded so strongly that it was nearly impossible to teleport into the wing; by the time Kerreth, Jonathan, and Kellton arrived, I felt as if I had let everyone down. My elbow was balanced on the chair arm, my head was resting on my hand, and I had no plans to leave her side again. They were still standing in the door and I had not even looked at them when I began to speak, I am so sorry if I had not left the room…If I had been here for her…

Where were you? Kerreth sounded more curious than angry, but I did not realize it until later.

I know I have only been sitting with her here for a little over two hours, but I went to use the men’s room and get some coffee. She gave no sign she was close to waking, but I should not have left her alone.

You’re entitled to take care of yourself.

But she may have been able to tell me something that would help!

I’m at fault as well, then; I should have left one of them with you, but I wanted them with me in the archives and my office so they could help me search for an answer. Did you get your coffee?

I left it there. I saw Kellton leave the room as I finally looked up at Kerreth, She took a breath and I felt her pain, so I put down my coffee and came back as fast as I could. She ran out her power as I reached the door and it looked as if she was trying to control the camera; she was staring at it.

Maybe she gave us a clue, then. I’ll see if Corest can tell me where the feed goes and see if it can be played. It did not seem as if he was gone long enough to find out anything before he and Kellton were both returning. Kellton pressed my coffee into my hands as Kerreth said, The feed goes straight to the nurse’s station and it’s on a three-hour loop so Corest was able to rewind it. All three of us looked relieved until Kerreth continued, "All she sent to the camera was, ‘Chinto Do Foon.’ Power to zero. That’s it and I have no idea why she would waste the little power she had left to tell us hers ran out."

"Pareshk, Kerreth, that may not be what she meant." All of us stared at Kellton, Kerreth’s ability was such that he was seldom incorrect.

"Wait. You said you heard her sending in Otlantesha, Kerreth?"

Kerreth’s eyes widened as he made the connection; he usually heard all Otlantesha in English, Yes, I did, Jonathan.

Then Lady Keri had to have done something to make you hear it in Otlantesha and that’s the clue! What else could she have meant, Kellton?

"Chinto Do Foon does mean ‘Power to zero,’ but it’s also Otlantesha for saying something is keeping one from using their power."

Corest said she sent to her though, and she was able to send to the camera, Kerreth argued.

And I felt her pain, so the links are working.

"Then the spell or whatever it is isn’t strong enough to block all her power just most of it and she probably did run out what she has access to. His eyes suddenly widened, That may also be why you can’t see what’s wrong!"

Why? If it’s blocking her from using power, then it shouldn’t be blocking my Healing Power.

But it might if the blocking spell includes a cloaking spell. Remember, Kerrisha can stack spells like that.

So, are we waiting for her to recharge to a point she can wake again or what?

Kerreth looked uncertain with Jonathan’s question and looked to Kellton questioningly who looked as puzzled as the rest of us as he said, I’m not sure, but I would say there is a good chance that we’re waiting for her to recharge at least some and no, I don’t know how long that will take.

"None of your family is Chorn, so how do you know so much about spells and such, Kellton?" Jonathan was nodding in agreement with my question.

"Because the past Guardians and their supporters wrote about the Spells and Chorn they encountered in their journals. She’s also not the only Guardian to be Chorn."

So, you really do think a spell is doing this? Because neither Riccan nor I can see anything but her own shield around her.

Kerreth, I can’t think of anything else it could be, but Edwere and I only saw the Thoran hit her, we couldn’t hear anything and Kerrisha knows more about spells than I do. Why don’t Jonathan and I go get some of the books we were studying from your office while you wait here with Edwere? That way you’ll be here if she wakes again and you can ask if she has more of an answer.

Kerreth:

Since I was her Karth Tesha, Jonathan was my assistant, and all of us were her guards, limits on the number of visitors in Keri’s room did not apply to us, so no one said anything when we moved chairs into the room so we could wait for her to wake again. There was no warning from her when she did either, just a sudden small gasp for air over an hour after the four of us had taken our seats. I looked up in time to see her eyes fly open. The book Edwere was reading fell to the floor as he jumped to his feet and clamped his hand over her mouth and nose as the pain from that short breath started to ripple through our links to her. He broadcast to us as he sent to her, I tried to stop it. You cannot breathe right now. He used his hand on her mouth to tip her head toward the bypass machine, And you do not need to worry about it, do you understand?

I was walking to the bed when she nodded and broadcast to us as she sent back to him, Give me a moment and then I’ll release it. The words of a spell floated through her mind and then she was sending again, Okay. He raised his hand enough to allow her to release the breath she was holding and then she was writhing as her spell took hold. There were tears in her eyes when the pain stopped. She looked at me but told all of us, Sending seems to be okay but any other use of my power causes pain and I have to reset my spell every time I wake; something about the Healing Sleep cancels it out.

I put my hand on her arm as I asked, Do you know what’s causing it?

"There’s a spell on my shield.

I could not help arguing, It looks normal, though.

Her brow furrowed as she frowned so that she looked almost more confused than I had ever seen her before. Then she began shaking her head and protesting, It can’t. He pushed it inside and wrapped it around me with a spell. It’s crushing my rib cage with every heartbeat, breath, and power use. Her spell was still in effect but as she began to sob with her confusion, she tried to take a breath and since I was touching her, I felt the wide band wrapping her chest and using that small bit of air to force her lungs against what I now understood to be her shield. Edwere tried to help by pouring Calming Power into her and she took what she could to get herself under control until the Thoran’s Spell took hold again. The pain from the spell forced her onto her side with her knees folding upward toward her chest as she writhed in agony. Edwere, stop! Take your power back. She relaxed as he did and sent, My power’s running out again.

I rushed to get my questions answered, It’s a spell, right? She nodded tiredly. What kind?

Locking. I felt my eyes widen with the shock, Locking Spells were the first ones she had taught me to counter. Her eyelids were drooping as the power drain began to win.

Where’s the focus? Her body was going limp as the sleep reached for her, I grabbed her shoulders desperately to shake her as I forced some Healing Power into her, and demanded, Keri! Where’s the focus?

She took the smallest breath possible and managed to whisper, My back, before the sleep and pain overwhelmed her.

Kerreth? Edwere’s voice brought me back to the room and I released her shoulders to let her fall onto the bed. Do you know what to do now?

I nodded without saying a word, woodenly, still in shock that the answer could be so simple. I slid my hands under her shoulder and hip so I could roll her onto her right side and then looked across the bed to Jonathan and Kellton, Hold her like this. They quickly gripped her left side to balance her so that her back was exposed to me as I opened my Viewing Ability as fully as possible. At first, I saw nothing except her normal shield and Power Signature. Then, as I carefully scanned her back again, my gaze drifted over Jonathan’s hand and I saw the problem: The Otlander part of her Signature was the wrong shade. "O de to Chinto! They were all staring at me and I could hear their questions, so I explained before they could ask, The Thoran Signature of the Spell blended into her Otlander Signature and it’s just the slightest bit too red. It’s not even noticeable without another of the same line to compare it to. Jonathan’s eyes drifted to his hand and back to my face, Yes, I saw the problem when I saw your hand. Now, both of you hold her still; the focus is going to be even more difficult to find. I leaned closer to her and let my power wash over her as I whispered, Voro to! I heard Edwere take a pain filled breath as even more power filled my Viewing Ability and the Thoran Signature of the spell seemed to float above Keri’s Otlander Signature. In the simplest terms, the focus was the center of a Locking Spell and was the point at which a Counter-Spell combined with a well-placed Power Burst had the best chance of disrupting the spell. Finding it was my only shot at restoring control of her shields to her. This was like looking at an optical illusion to find a hidden picture and my eyes were straining but I kept pushing, even overloading my Viewing. It seemed to take forever to find the faint swirled marker that signaled the focus of the Locking Spell and I was feeling the Power Use before I finally saw it. I reached for the focus with power in my hand and called it into my palm. Calling it forward took even more power, and as I drew my hand away from her back to stretch the focus, I filled my hand with Healing Power. From what and Kellton had said, the Thoran had set and locked the spell by hitting her in the chest, so to unlock it I needed to reverse that motion. When the focus had been stretched to its limit and I was holding as much Healing Power as I could, I thrust my hand forward. Did I hear a crack as my hand made contact? I thought I did but did not have time to wonder about it as I heard Keri take a loud deep breath and saw the spell disintegrate around her. Finally, the machine monitoring her vitals began beeping in time with her heartbeat. It was music to my ears as I suddenly found myself sinking to the floor. Edwere grabbed my arm and managed to ease me down as I desperately ordered, Call Riccan and Martin." I had underestimated the Power Use to break the spell and the pain of overloading my Viewing; I was regretting not calling them before trying to break the spell as I fell into a Healing and Recharge Sleep.

Jonathan:

I had felt Kerreth draining himself and the headache that came over him while he was searching for the spell but said nothing when I realized what was happening. I was so accustomed to feeling Lady Keri run out her power that it took me a moment to realize that their joint weakness was, in fact, weakening me. It was as if I was experiencing their lack of power rather than just feeling it through the links. I was so distracted by it that I was still staring at the spot where Kerreth had been standing even after Edwere had carried him across the room to the recliner and tipped it back and I was still standing distractedly at Lady Keri’s bedside when she grabbed my wrist. It was enough to pull my attention to her and her wide pain-filled eyes were staring up at me when I looked down. It was Edwere’s voice that finally penetrated the fog filling my mind, Lay her flat, Jonathan! Please, lay her flat, she needs to heal. Kellton was shaking my arm and saying the same thing so I loosened my grip and helped them lower her onto her back. Edwere frowned at me, Are you alright?

I… I think so. Both their links were flooded with their pain and weakness at the same time and it threw me off. Lady Keri let out a small moan. What’s wrong? I understand your shield was locked into place by his but why are you in pain now?

Because the way he locked their shields broke most of her ribs. Jonathan, Kerreth said to call Dr. Drellshire and Martin. Do you have their numbers? Or do I need to ask the nurse?

I have them. I took out my phone as I answered Edwere and tapped the screen to call the other Karth Tesha.

Kerrisha:

I looked around carefully as I woke again. Dayn de Chinto! I was in a regular room and unattached from the more specialized machines; I saw just the standard monitors and an IV next to my side of the bed. I still had some tenderness and I suspected some bruising as well, but at least, a quick scan of my Power Core told me that most of the ribs that had been broken when Vynlon’s henchman had slammed his palm into my chest had healed as had my back from Kerreth’s counter-spell. I felt my eyes flash red as Vynlon’s name crossed my mind again; that particular Thoran King had a lot to answer for and I, for one, wanted to know how Awful Orn had gotten through the shields on the building, my floor, and my Training Room. I also wanted to know how he had been able to block my protective shield; I had raised it as soon as I had bounced off him and realized he was not one of my men. I needed to check the computer and talk to Roger so I began to sit up, but Edwere appeared almost out of nowhere to hold me on the bed as Kerreth began chuckling next to me, "Just lay down until you finish recovering, Treyla, Roger and Riccan are both waiting because they need your help."

What? Why? My voice was weaker than I expected and that concerned me because I could tell I had been in the Healing Sleep for a few hours.

He propped himself up on one elbow to look down into my face and sighed heavily, as if he did not want to tell me what he knew I needed to know, You weren’t the only one attacked.

I felt the color drain from my face as I stared up at him and whispered, But he said I was the one that needed to pay for Brindon’s death.

And after he attacked you he went after Tindaun. No one needed to hold me on the bed then as I sank onto the mattress with the defeat I felt at hearing that the Thoran Prince I had promised to protect had been attacked. The same Thoran who attacked you was able to isolate Tindaun with a shield in his lab like he did with you, and like Edwere and Kellton, Mordyn was forced to watch as his charge was cut down.

Cut down!? I panicked with his choice of words, What do you mean, ‘cut down’? What did he do?

"I’m sorry, Treyla, I should have said, knocked out. The man who attacked you struck Tindaun with the hilt of his sword and then trapped him in his mind in such a way that Riccan cannot free him, even with Martin’s help. Riccan’s waiting for you to heal enough to help him free Tindaun."

Can you read the sleep?

I think it’s the Confounding Darkness.

It’ll take both of us then. How’s your head? I felt your pain right after you broke the spell. And what does Roger need me for?

My head’s fine; I just overloaded my Viewing. Roger needs you to interrogate the men they were able to capture and discuss the shield breach. I sighed in frustration and moved to get up but cried out instead when Kerreth caught my shoulder and held me on the bed. He frowned, That’s what I thought. How do you feel? I gave him a look of confusion until I realized he had put power in his hand but it had felt… diminished. He heard my thoughts, That’s why I’m asking instead of reading you. I wasn’t the one who made sure you were in the Healing Sleep or read your injuries and I haven’t been able to heal you; I drained myself breaking the Locking Spell and my power’s still rebuilding. So, how do you feel?

I’m still healing and I hurt because some of the ribs he broke are still mending, but I can try to help Riccan.

I tried to get up again when I felt a burst of his power and heard, "Kerrisha, Kait."

You don’t have enough left for that, it was just a whisper as his spell began to take hold.

And you don’t have enough to fight. I thought he sounded smug until I heard him say, She’s right, though, I’m going to enter the sleep again myself, as I was lost to the draw of the Power-filled spell and my eyes drifted shut once again.

When I woke again, Roger was in the room with Edwere and Kellton; Kerreth and Jonathan were nowhere in sight. Roger began speaking when I reached out with power to find my husband and second Tesha, They’re in Tindaun’s room with Riccan. Kerreth’s sharing your experience with the Confounding Darkness so they can start to develop a plan.

NO! All three men reached to hold me down when I tried to sit up, They can’t! I have to guide him!

I must have sounded nearly hysterical because Roger shouted, Kerrisha! Calm down! Edwere and I both froze in shock to stare at the Elder Head of Security. That’s better. Kerreth heard you say it would take both of you and he knows how hard it was for you to break the sleep’s hold on your mind. He went as soon as he woke so he could warn Riccan not to do anything more without you and that’s why he’s telling him about it. He also wrapped your ribs so you could go as soon as you woke even if they were still healing.

I quit fighting and sank fully into the mattress in relief, Good. But we need to pull him out before it’s too late. What about my floor and the shields? Do you know how he got in yet?

Crell’s team is on your floor and there is at least one man in each occupied room, the rest are running patrols, and they’re to call Benjamin and myself if anything happens. And yes, we figured out how they got in… He hesitated then and the look on his face chilled my blood. He stayed quiet for so long that I prompted him to continue. He finally took a deep breath that sounded more like a defeated sigh, It’s my fault. My mouth dropped open and all I could do was stare at him as he began explaining, Brindon’s ability was so rare, even you said it was extremely rare, and the power it took to keep the shields running… The modulation program you created to keep him out was causing a strain on the generators during busier times of the day… I had an idea of where this was going but sat quietly and waited for him to continue, When Brindon was killed and the danger of someone slipping through the shields seemed to be over, I ordered the building’s shields reduced to normal levels. He met my eyes, But I swear, Kerrisha, I left yours set at the highest level.

But without the modulation?

Right; it didn’t seem necessary with him in the Power. I could not help but agree with his assessment and that, if it was detrimental to the shield generators, he had made the right choice. We checked the sensors, and apparently, the one who attacked you and the Prince was able to shift through the shields like Brindon and then, somehow, disarm the shield on the roof hatch. That’s how they got in.

And that explains how he got through the shields on my Training Room and my personal shields.

He was already nodding, It would, yes, but I’ve already had the modulation program turned on again and have the generator team looking at the program you created to see if they can adapt it so it doesn’t use as much power. Tell me, you said it was your link to Kerreth that helped draw you from the Confounding Darkness so do you really think you can draw the Prince out?

I gave him a wry smile, I’d better be able to, Roger; if Kerreth’s right, I’m Tindaun’s only chance. Kerreth, Mordyn, and Riccan stared as we walked into Tindaun’s room. I smiled at the concern on their faces as I realized what the problem was, Some of the physical injuries are still healing so Edwere insisted on carrying me. I could not help shrugging, It doesn’t usually take so long for me to heal a few cracked ribs.

Check your Core again, Keri, it was more than that. Kerreth waited quietly while I followed his directions but I frowned at him when I could not find the answer.

That may be how it’s reading to her, Kerreth. The injury was caused by power and that can sometimes interfere with the Power Core’s interpretation of an injury.

Hmm…I’ve never seen hers misinterpret an injury before but this is a new one so you’re probably right, Riccan. Kerreth stepped over, stroked the top of my head, and explained, Do you remember how he struck you? I nodded; how could I forget how he had slammed the heel of his palm into the center of my chest? The blow he delivered was designed to cause the maximum amount of damage possible and it had the effect of separating almost all your ribs from the sternum and cracking them on the sides. He basically crushed your ribcage and then used the full force of his strength to slam your sternum against your heart with the second strike; that’s what stopped it and with his Locking Spell crushing your chest further every time there was any movement in your torso it caused even more damage so that’s why you’re still healing. Are you sure you’re up to this?

I have to be. If you’re right about his being trapped in the Confounding Darkness, we may already be out of time. Edwere, put me on the bed with Tindaun so I can read him. I pulled myself into a kneeling position over Tindaun, placed my hands on either side of his face, and sent my power into him. It took only a moment, You were right, Kerreth, and there’s only one way I can think of to draw him out… I have to go into his mind and find him. Riccan gasped and the color drained from Kerreth’s face, but I ignored them to begin giving directions, Mordyn, I’m going to need your link to find him in his mind; Kerreth, I’m going to need your link to keep me grounded; and, Riccan, I need you to stand by Kerreth. I smiled at the Power Specialist then, You’re my only hope if I get trapped inside Tindaun’s mind and you’ll need to boost Kerreth’s link to me if that happens.

What’s the Confounding Darkness like?

I looked at the older man and knew there was pain in my eyes, "You forget everything about who and what you are. I’m going to use Mordyn’s link to find him but he won’t recognize me and may not even know his own name so I’ll need to use my Manipulator Ability to command him to follow me, that’s why I need Kerreth and Mordyn to stay linked to me the full time; the safe feeling of the Tesha link should make it easier to convince him to follow me."

Kerreth’s voice was strained when he added, The one time it happened to her, she didn’t even recognize me when she first came back. Riccan’s head snapped to me with his eyes wider than I had ever seen.

The lingering effects of the sleep would have faded within a few hours and my memory would have returned but he was able to force it by sending his Healing Power through our links. I turned around to face the unconscious Thoran Prince again, But we don’t have time to keep discussing it; he’s being pulled further into the Darkness the longer we wait. I placed my hands on either side of his head again, Kerreth and Mordyn, touch me. Their hands settled onto my shoulders, Mordyn, open your link to Tindaun and your power to me. Kerreth, wait until I’ve entered his mind and then open your link to me. Once Mordyn opened his power to me, I threw my power and consciousness into his link to Tindaun and rode the Power-filled link into the Prince’s mind. It seemed even darker than when I had been trapped like this and my heart sank as I realized it was because he had been trapped longer than I was when it had happened to me. With that realization, I knew better than to call to him, too; he had been in the Darkness so long that there was no way he would recognize my voice or even his name. We might already be out of time and I struggled not to cry as my fear grew, so I poured even more of my power into Mordyn’s link to speed my journey. It had only been a few minutes but it felt as if I had been floating for hours when I finally saw the thin glowing line of the Tesha link end at a small red ball of light that I recognized as the Power’s representation of a person’s consciousness. I drew my own consciousness next to the other one and pushed power toward it, Tindaun, you need to come with me.

Who are you?

Someone who is here to help you.

What did you call me?

Tindaun and I know that means nothing to you; you’ve been trapped in your mind and I came to help you escape. His consciousness remained silent. I’ve been held like this myself and I know nothing I’m saying is making any sense to you right now… I felt a burst of Mordyn’s power along with Kerreth’s Healing Power in response to the request I sent out and Tindaun’s consciousness flared brighter for a moment. Can you feel that? Do you feel how warm and welcoming it is?

It feels vaguely familiar.

Because that is where you belong and more people who care about you are waiting for you. Please, let me help you return.

I don’t know. It is quiet here. I remember being in pain before…

You were attacked, so was I, but he’s gone now and it’s safe again. He sent you here after he attacked you and you don’t belong here. I pushed some of my Manipulator Ability at him, "Toro To. You need to come with me."

If he had known who and what he was, my ability would have had little effect on him, but in his current state he was easily swayed and thought about it for only a moment before he said, I think you are correct. I blended our power so I could carry him with me but I knew we were not out of danger yet. He could begin fighting me at any moment and I knew it would take even more of my Manipulator Ability and possibly more power than I was currently holding to carry him all the way out if he did. However, the chance that he might fight me was not the only danger, it was not even the greatest danger of trying to draw him out: The greatest danger of what I was attempting lay in the nature of the Confounding Darkness itself.

The Darkness was seductive, drawing you in deeper and in such a way that you remembered only the last thing you felt before being trapped within it – pain. There was always pain when you entered the Confounding Darkness, even entering it willingly like I had, had hurt and I knew that, even if I was able to escape with Tindaun and no other problems, I would have a headache that could force me to return to my own Healing Sleep. I had guided Tindaun about halfway out when I began to speak to myself as we glided to a stop so I could look around. I began speaking to myself and the light with me, It’s so quiet here. Peaceful almost, as I began to relax in the calming space.

Kerreth told me later that I had spoken aloud as I had talked to myself while in Tindaun’s mind so he had known I was in trouble and begun sending, "Keri? Keri, don’t give into it. Nary, come back to me, Treyla." I was wondering if the voice that filled my mind was really speaking to me when a familiar burst of power flowed into me followed by a less well-known but still familiar burst of Healing Power and everything came back; I was trying to save Tindaun from the Confounding Darkness and we needed to get out! Fast! I strengthened the link between my consciousness and Tindaun’s, poured more power into our movement, and sped us toward the edge of the Darkness with all the power I had left so we could take possession of our own minds again.

Edwere caught me and lowered me to the floor when my mind flew out of Tindaun’s and back into my body with so much force that I was thrown off the foot of the bed. Kerreth knelt next to me to take my hands. Did it work? Did Tindaun follow me out? The concern in my voice was evident even if it was too weak and barely above a whisper.

Riccan?

He’s back. Kerreth sighed in relief as he turned back to me and opened his mouth to say something but I was so tired.

Kerreth:

Tindaun had immediately fallen into a Recovery Sleep to rebuild the power the Confounding Darkness had stolen; drawing off the power of the one trapped was a side effect of the Confounding Darkness but had not been noticeable when Keri had been held in it because her time there was so much shorter. At least, that was what my Knowledge had shown me after Riccan had confirmed that Tindaun’s consciousness had returned to his mind. Keri had fallen into a deep sleep almost as quickly, the Healing Sleep to finish repairing her injuries from the Thoran’s attack and the Recovery Sleep to restore the power she had used helping Tindaun both claiming her simultaneously. Roger had followed her to Tindaun’s room and sighed as she entered the joint sleep, Can you tell how long she’ll sleep, Kerreth; I need to set up a time to discuss a security matter?

A couple more hours at least, probably longer…

He nodded, Oscar ordered our dinners earlier and he’s been holding mine on a powered plate; I told him I’d be up after she finished helping Tindaun, so I’ll go upstairs to eat and return later. Should I have something sent in for the four of you?

Jonathan answered before I could, "I made arrangements for