“Can I see memories?”
Lallielle opened her hands, palms out. “If the person allows you full access.” She shrugged. “And maybe even if they don’t. We’re not sure of your powers. They won’t enlighten until your eighteenth birthday.”
It was all useful and interesting information, although my tired brain was starting to ache. Despite this I wanted to try something. Taking a deep breath, feeling a tad stupid, I squinted and pictured entering Lallielle’s skull.
The strain must have shown on my face.
She laughed. “Are you trying to read my mind?”
I shook my head, but I was fooling no one.
“I’ll help you,” she said, “but you have to relax. Close your eyes.”
Sighing, I obeyed, allowing a small trust and letting her voice guide me.
“Now you need to find the energy inside. It will be a deep place that you know and feel but have never examined too closely.”
As her words washed over me, I started an internal exploration. It wasn’t difficult. I knew the spot she referred to. Even on Earth I had felt the warm, pulsing depth. It was familiar to me so I had never questioned its existence.
“Have you found it?” At my nod, she continued. “Now draw on the energy, take a small strand and pull.”
I attempted to mentally follow her directions. The substance felt like sticky taffy as a coil started to remove from the center.
“Now direct the energy toward my mind. Create an entrance. I’ll stay blocked. See if you can disable my wall.”
The strand continued to unravel. Taking a deep breath, I gathered as much as I could and threw it toward Lallielle. I pictured it slamming into her mind and creating a huge hole.
My eyes flew open at her loud wheeze. She was clutching her head.
“Are you okay?” I grasped her arm. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She shook her head. “No ... no, it’s fine. Just a slight shock.” Looking up, she smiled in a reassuring manner. “You don’t need to blast quite so hard. Try for subtle.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes. I was nervous to try again, but my determination to learn outweighed this. I repeated the process, but this time understated, allowing the energy to seep through small cracks in her wall.
And just like that I was inside.
I don’t know how to explain the sensation of being in another person’s mind. Probably how a schizophrenic feels: your own thoughts and then a completely separate entity’s as well. Images ... random words, like watching snippets from lots of different movies.
There was something else. Lallielle had been hiding it well, but she was in agony. Every time I treated her indifferently I was killing her. The strength added to my guilt. Brace hadn’t been kidding when he said they felt emotions intensely.
I waded through the pain. Pushing it aside for a moment, I tried not to be overwhelmed by the plethora of memories.
Suddenly a scene appeared before me – Lallielle was outside – in the street. A young baby was safely tucked into a pram behind her. I squinted. No one was touching the little cart, but it drove along unassisted behind Lallielle. Some of this world was wicked advanced.
Lallielle smiled as the baby girl waved fat little hands in the air. I knew immediately that the chubby child with rosy cheeks, short red curls and huge green eyes was me. I noticed Quarn, a few steps behind, looking much younger and carefree. Lallielle paused in front of a small store with dark-blue walls. She hesitated a moment before opening the faded and patched door-hanging and stepping through. The carriage and Quarn followed.
The room was small, dark and smoky. I couldn’t interact with the scene, but I imagined a musky smell.
Without hesitation, Lallielle moved toward the back right corner. Cushions formed a semicircle, and sitting against a wall was a woman. She had long white hair, not gray or silver, pure white. But she was not old, her face young and unlined. Her eyes were closed and she made no movement. She didn’t speak as Lallielle sank down onto one of the large colorful cushions.
But then her eyes flew open.
I gasped, before trying to stifle it. Stupid, of course. This was a memory and no one could hear me.
Her eyes were the same white as her hair, no iris, no pupil. Was she blind?
“Daughter of emperors and empresses. Why have you called on me today?”
She twirled an odd round glass object in her hands, but her scary eyes never wavered from Lallielle.
Lallielle spoke, her voice tinged with desperation and what sounded like familiarity. “I need a reading, Frannie. I need to know the future for Aribella.”
Leaving the glass on the table, the woman turned. Extending her hand, tipped with long talon nails, she reached into my carriage. Quarn made a movement toward me, but Lallielle waved him away.
She touched her index finger to my forehead. Her eyes closed.
Lallielle froze, her desperation apparent, perspiration beading her forehead.