I was woken up by Lanaea gently pushing against my shoulder a few hours later. I looked over at her, blinking and squinting, then noticed Edorin standing beside her. Startled, my arm shot up to my chest in salute with a jolt of pain from my ribs and bicep.
“Captain.” I squeaked out. He exhaled with a slight smile.
“At ease Croí.” A wave of fear gripped me suddenly, I glanced around the room looking for something, some danger to explain this feeling. I felt confused by my actions.
“Edorin would like to talk to you Croí. I’ll leave you two alone for a moment.” Lanaea said, taking her hand off my shoulder and nodding to Edorin before she left the room. I was more nervous now. Alone with Edorin. What did he want? Was he going to scold me for being weak? Tell me I was to switch with William? Did someone else want to kill me? Did he? He looked around, then grabbed a stool and pulled it over next to the bed and sat down on it, relaxing his shoulders, and taking a deep breath before speaking.
“Croí, we need to talk about some things that are fairly serious, but to make real progress here we need to be honest with each other. I’m sure that you’ve noticed the change in the color of my eyes when I was dealing with William and Sacae. No doubt you have questions about it.” I had noticed it. Leola thought it was something called Reave. I was curious, he was right about that. But where was he going with this? Why tell me now?
“Yes Captain.” I said cautiously. He nodded and continued.
“It’s a type of magic called Tellis (Tell-iss). There are many facets to this power, but the one I most often utilize allows me to peer into the mind of another individual. Generally, to tell whether they’re telling the truth, to me and to themselves. I also gain an understanding of their intentions and plans regarding the issue at hand. Like for instance, when I talked to William, I invoked what he said to get him thinking about it, then used my ability to know that he truly was just trying to upset Leola, that he didn’t intend any real harm.”
He paused a moment, seeming to wait for a response. I nodded to let him know I understood. He continued. “Whereas with Sacae, I understood that he had intent to kill you, not just harm you, and that he believes your sister killed his, all of this, combined with his dislike for your brother Ríger, festered and turned to resentment, hatred, and delusion.” He took a small breath to let what he’d said sink in.
It took a second or two because I’d just woken up, but I was able to grasp it, and the conversation was forcing me to wake up quickly. “I’m telling you this so that you’ll understand my intent. I would like to use this power on you, to make sure that you’re being honest with me and that you understand what we need to talk about, as well as pull things from you that you might not yet fully understand. I would like your permission to do this.” I was confused and intrigued. Why was he asking me permission and not the others? And what did we need to talk about that was so serious? What’s his intent here?
“Will it hurt?” I asked. He shook his head.
“No. You’ll feel it and know it’s happening, but it won’t hurt at the level I’ll be using it.”
“At the level? So, it could hurt?”
“If pushed too far, it turns into Mind Reave. Mind Reave forcibly pulls information from one person’s mind and pushes it into the other. It’s a potentially dangerous and definitely painful process, but that’s not what I will be doing to you, so you don’t need to worry. If you would like we can try it once, and if it’s too uncomfortable we can stop. Would that work for you?” Mind Reave sounded scary, but he said we weren’t doing that. Still, Sacae said he was helping too, but he was trying to kill me. But he’s not Sacae. He’s Edorin. He wouldn’t try that...Right? Or would he? He’s the Captain, nobody could tell him no.
I was nervous about it. I didn’t want to risk being hurt. I’d already had my body beaten by Sacae. What if Edorin’s job was to beat my mind? “I’m not Sacae, Croí.” I looked at his eyes. Did he just do it? Did he read my mind? “I don’t intend to harm, only to help. What do you think Croí?” I couldn’t see any purple in his eyes. He probably hadn’t used it, but the flash doesn’t last more than a second, so he could’ve done it. I shook my head.
“I don’t want to.” I said. He nodded.
“I understand. Then I’ll move on to the matter at hand. I’m here because Lanaea and I believe that what Sacae did to you caused you more damage than we originally thought. Mental damage specifically, and I must admit that it’s partially my fault that things got so bad.”
Then he is intent on finishing me off. But he’s aiming for my mind. “I don’t mean that I ordered Sacae to do what he did. I mean that I had suspicions that he was being too rough with you. Though I didn’t know why, or just how rough. I thought that it would provide a good challenge for you, and maybe your group. That you would learn to speak up, or they would notice and do something, or, if nothing else, that it would provide you with an experience to learn from.”
“You didn’t order him? But you didn’t stop him? Is that what you’re saying?” I asked. He shook his head.
“I knew there was something wrong, that he wasn’t treating you kindly. I didn’t suspect it was so severe, and that’s my mistake. That’s where I’m responsible. After I’d learned the extent of the damage, I realized, with Lanaea’s help, that I was wrong on another count, foolish even. I thought that this would teach you to be less naive, to speak up when things are hard for you and ask for help, or to learn the difference between someone meaning you harm, and someone trying to help you, but we fear that instead it led you to distrust everyone around you.”
Trust. That’s what the feeling is. That nervousness. I couldn’t put my finger on it but he’s right. I don’t trust him. Or anyone. But I remember overhearing Lanaea telling Edorin that a lack of trust on the Island could lead to death. I don’t want to let my group down. Not if I can help it. Maybe… I looked up at him, studying him, trying to find some way to know if I could trust him. Maybe I could allow his Tellis, just to see how it works. Maybe he was trustworthy. Maybe I could give him a chance, or maybe he’s just like Sacae. I couldn’t know. I could only take a leap and hope I chose right.
“Ok. Let’s try it. Tellis” I said. He gave a small smile.
“Very good. Then we’ll start with this. Do you trust me?” His eyes flashed purple as he looked at me. I could feel something, like getting the chills but more intense and only inside my head, making it go foggy for a second. It was strange, but not uncomfortable or debilitating. “I suspected as much, but at least there is more than a sliver of trust there. That’s good. How are you feeling?” He asked. I nodded.
“Fine. It wasn’t that bad. What did you pull out?”
“That you don’t trust me. You debate with yourself on whether I was in league with Sacae. You worry that I’m going to Reave you or hurt you.” Wow. So his ability works then.
“But… how do I know you’re not lying?” I asked.
“I’m sorry Croí, that’s a part of trusting others that I hope you’ll be able to learn from this experience, but unless you spend the time and energy I did to develop Tellis, there isn’t really a way to be absolutely sure. The best I can do is point out things that show me to be trustworthy, and then you decide whether you believe them.”
“But what about Tellis? You can pull thoughts out, why not put them in?”
“The best I could do is to convey my honest thoughts to you, but then it would still be up to you as to whether or not you think those thoughts were honest, or lies I put in your mind to convince or confuse you.” In the end, it’s all up to me. If I trust him, and I’m right, things will go back to normal. If I’m wrong this time, I might not be so lucky. Maybe I should hear him out. But after trusting Sacae didn’t work out, can I even trust that I will make the right choice?
“Ok. I’ll hear you out then.” I decided. He nodded.
“First, I have a question. What would I have to gain from killing you?”
“One less mouth to feed. Maybe one of my other siblings went on the Aging with one of your siblings or friends that died, and you want revenge too. I don’t know.”Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“Food isn’t really a problem for us. I have one adopted sibling, and an older sister that is alive and well. Not to mention, if I come back from my voyage and word gets out that one of the Agers under my care was killed, I would be relieved of duty and jailed, or executed immediately following a trial. I’ll still likely be in trouble for what Sacae did and not catching it sooner.”
He makes a lot of sense. Hard to argue with that. “Another question. If I were so determined to see you dead, why wouldn’t I just throw you overboard when nobody’s looking?” That’s true. If he wanted it done, he’d be able to just toss me over, he wouldn’t even need to touch me if he used the same power he used on William. That’s a scary thought. But it does prove that he’s on my side, in a way.
“So… why didn’t you ask William or Sacae for permission to use Tellis on them?” I asked.
“They were both under suspicion of threatening or perpetrating unacceptable acts of violence, and I needed to get to the bottom of whether or not they were guilty quickly. Trust me, if you threaten the life of an Ager or any crew member, I won’t be asking permission, but for you, you need to learn the difference between people like Sacae, who pretended to be your friend, but truly intended to do you harm, and people like Lanaea, Zanataz, Cairen, and your group, who only want to help you succeed and see you come back alive.”
I leaned forward, putting my face in my hands. He was making a lot of sense. I couldn’t see where he was wrong, and, deep down, I didn’t feel like he was really intending to do me harm, but something in my mind kept throwing in small, doubting thoughts. What is the difference between them? Sacae acted kind, and told me that when he was harsh, he was making me stronger. Just like him, they have reasons for what they do. How do I know that what they say is the truth?
Again, I felt the feeling of chills in my head and a slight fuzz. I looked up to see the last bits of purple, replaced with the original bright blue. “A fair point. What do you think the answer is Croí? Think back. Think about all the things you can remember from what Sacae said and did and try to compare them to the rest of us.” My head fell back into my hands as I thought.
My first encounter with Sacae. He was mean right off the bat, but it wasn’t until he learned my last name that he focused on me specifically. Until that moment he treated us all equally. Edorin’s never treated me differently, aside from now, and if he did, it was to be nice to me, probably because of his relationship with Kixas. He let me keep the necklace Ríger gave me, let me say goodbye to Kixas too. I thought back to the most recent weeks with Sacae, looking for differences, or anything that stood out. I felt the Tellis in my head again and looked up. “I see. Well, there is that. I don’t think you’ve pinpointed that quite yet though.”
“Pinpointed what?”
“His behavior with you. Think about it. Focus on how he treated you when he wasn’t hitting you, when I came around, or when other people walked in.” As I thought about it, one word came to mind over and over. Sneaky. I hadn’t realized it at the time, I don’t know how I missed it, but he was sneaky.
Every time Jael or Klintock would get nervous and ask questions, he would answer for me, saying that I was fine. When Edorin would walk in, he would straighten up and his face would get cheerier, but he wasn’t genuine, he was wearing a mask. Edorin used Tellis again. “There you go. See the difference? He was sneaking around trying to make sure nobody noticed. Even made sure to try and only bruise or break you where people wouldn’t see it. His actions didn’t match his words.”
He was right. When I looked back on it like that, it seemed more obvious. There were warning signs that I couldn’t see before. Armed with this new information, the differences between Sacae and the rest of the crew and my group were becoming more and more noticeable. That and recognizing when and where people wore masks could help me figure out their motives. If I could figure that out, maybe I wouldn’t be so naive, weak, and useless.
I felt Edorin’s Tellis again. “An unfortunate way to think, but it will push you forward. I think that’s a lesson for another time, but for now, it looks like you’re getting a handle on things. It will take some time for you to learn the necessary lessons from this, but as you watch everyone around you, and measure them against the example Sacae has left behind, you’ll come around.” I think he’s right. He’s pretty much proven himself and everyone else to be trustworthy. I guess that means the problem lies with me. My naivety. My weakness. Thank Fomhár for him. If Edorin hadn’t talked to me, I don’t know if I would’ve figured that out. “That’s it then.” He stood, put the stool back and headed for the door. I shifted to get out of bed, pushing and groaning through the pain.
“Captain.” I said. He turned with a slight look of surprise.
“You shouldn’t be out of bed yet Croí. Lanaea won’t let me hear the end of it.” I walked over and put my arms around him. I was grateful. Thanks to him I felt like things might return to some form of normal, and I knew what to work on to make sure this didn’t happen again.
“Thank you, Captain.” I said simply. I felt his arms fall slowly to my back.
“Don’t worry about it kid. Just do your best to learn from this. Take the good and leave the bad; that’s what all of this is for.” I nodded and stepped away from him.
“I’m glad you’re not trying to kill me.” I said, smiling. He smiled and chuckled as he nodded.
“Me too, kid. Me too.” He ruffled my hair and opened the door. “Now get back in bed before I get in trouble.” He started walking out of the room.
“Back in bed?” Came Lanaea’s voice from just outside. Edorin’s eyes squinted closed then he shot a slight glancing smile towards me and walked away. Lanaea came in to see me sitting back in the bed. “You’re just a little troublemaker aren’t you Croí?” She said, smiling. I nodded.
“Whenever I can be, you know me.” I jested. She snickered, smiling for a moment at me. She came inside and closed the door.
“Well get ready. The girls are probably almost done with those pants and then they’ll be in here to show them off. I think it’ll be a perfect time to test out some breathing techniques, if you know what I mean.”
My mouth dropped. No. Not again. You’re saying that…’it’ is going to come back? I groaned and laid down on the bed. “Oh, come now. It’s not so bad. I’m sure one day you’ll be overjoyed about it.”
“Overjoyed? How could I be overjoyed? It’s awkward and it feels weird. I don’t want it to come back.”
“Aw quit your whining. It’ll be fine. You just need to learn how to control it, and how to hide it for when you can’t.” She said smiling as she pulled the blanket over me and winked. I sighed.
“Fine. But I still don’t like it.”
Lanaea went about her work and I laid there, dozing off for about the next hour or so until I could hear excited giggling, followed by a knock at the door. Instantly I felt nervous. Lanaea turned to me, saying in a small whisper.
“Remember, control your breathing.” Then louder. “Come in.” The door opened and Leola, Lánn and Sable came in first standing on either side of the doorway and holding their hands out towards Céírde as she entered.
Her pants were like Sable’s, with her original pants sewn into certain areas for added breathability and mobility, but the seams went down the front of her legs, instead of the sides. The shape of her legs was different from Sable’s, who had more visibly defined muscle, while Céírde’s were smooth.
It’s coming back. I can feel it starting. Ok, ok, focus on breathing. I started taking long slow breaths as Leola was talking to Lanaea.
“So, what do you think?” Lanaea came over and Céírde lifted her shirt, turning so she could look at them while I stared wide eyed in amazement, noticing the small portion of skin that was revealed on her stomach.
“I love them. You did this by yourself?” Lanaea asked, grinning.
“No. Lánn and Sable helped.” Leola replied.
“They’re so cute, and the seam work is very impressive. Have you thought about selling these when you get home? I would certainly buy some, the men will love it. Some women too.” She smiled. “Right Croí?” I snapped back to Lanaea, surprised.
“Uh… resist what?” I noticed my breathing had increased, as well as the size of my ‘problem’. The girls laughed.
“Well, they resist wear better because of the leather…” Sable said with a confused look on her face, to the amusement of the others. I did my best to chuckle.
“Sorry, brain was somewhere else. They’re lovely. You’ve all outdone yourselves.” I said, smiling. They thanked me for the compliment and Lanaea started chatting with them again. I noticed I was shaking from nerves. What if they see it? I know it’s hidden, but it keeps growing. How big does it get? I think it’s stopped. Ok. Focus on breathing. I kept my breathing under control as I looked. Eventually, as they stood there talking, my nerves started to leave me.
I became distracted by them, admiring the differences of their bodies and the way they stood or sat, then I looked to the rest of them, admiring their faces, and hair. They’re really pretty. I love it when they smile. I noticed movement in ‘the area’ again. It’s going back to normal! What did I do to make it go away? Was it the breathing? No, I wasn’t focused on breathing. I was focused on them and admiring how pretty they are. Maybe that’s it? Geez, this is confusing.
“Well then, I think we know what we have to do.” Sable said.
“I don’t.” Lánn said.
“Get more leather! We need to make a pair for all of us!” They laughed. “I’m serious, this is fun.”
“We should make more leather sure, but I think we should talk as a group about what to do with it next.” Leola said, giggling.
“I agree.” Céírde said. “These are lovely, and comfortable, though somewhat immodest compared with what I’m used to, and I will need some time to adjust, but I believe there may be other uses for the next batch of leather. Maybe we could make something for Croí as he was such a great help with the door or begin working on shoes or boots of some kind as we will need them on the Island.” They looked over at me for a moment, considering what Céírde had said.
“Yeah, I think...Yeah that sounds great.” Lánn said as she stood and opened the door. All of them but Lanaea filtered out, saying goodbye. When they were all out Lanaea closed the door and turned to me.
“So. How’d it go?” She asked.
“Terrifying at first, but after a while it went away. I stopped being so nervous and was kind of… dumbstruck I guess, by them, and then before I knew it, it was gone.”
“Congratulations. You’re conquering puberty.” She sat on a chair next to the bed with a long exhale and a smile. I leaned back as well, ready for more sleep. “I’m glad we made some headway.” She put her feet up on a small stool and leaned back in the chair, folding her arms and closing her eyes. “It’s nice to sit down for a moment.” I nodded agreement as I drifted off to sleep.