up. And
though training right then, in his room, would certainly not take
my thoughts from him, it would at least keep them focused on
something positive.
So I yawned and stretched
to relax my muscles and focus my breathing. And then I ordered the
drilium to flood my veins. Warmth tingled down my back all the way
to my toes and then back to the top of my head. I knew that if I
kept the drilium pouring in without satisfying its need, the
tingling would turn to burning and eventually scorch me from the
inside out. I didn't let it get that far.
Green, blue, and red dots
of light popped into my vision. I ignored the red ones—Fire—and
focused on the green. We’d been practicing solely on air since that
was Cailen’s particular specialty, but since the instances in the
market and the cafeteria, I got the crazy notion it might be a good
idea to figure out how to make it rain.
I tried to send the
molecules into little groups, focusing on millions of different
areas at once.
One drop of water fell from the air
and splashed onto my cheek.
Fail. So much for the torrential
downpour I'd been hoping for.
I tried again, pushing the
thought forward. It was a bit like trying to rub my stomach and pat
my head at the same time, only times a million. I imagined each of
the blue molecules going in different directions, joining
together.
Two drops fell to the
floor. Closer, but still nowhere near what I wanted. Telling all
the molecules to form one big wall was so much easier. But not
helpful. Soltak needed rain, not a flood.
I focused again, clenching
my fists. The walls dinged through the room and the green, blue,
and red points of light vanished from my vision.
Muttering curses
underneath my breath, I got up and looked at the time streaming
across the wall just above Cailen's bed. Time for the evening meal.
But that was impossible. I'd just started. There was no way I'd
spent six hours at this already. That's when I noticed the way my
dress clung to my back and my hair to my neck, wet and dripping. I
brushed my hand across my forehead and pulled away a cool sheen of
sweat.
Six hours and I'd managed
two drops of water. Apparently my accomplishments and talents were
not as great as I'd thought. At least not as long as subtlety was
my aim.
I wiped my wet hand across
the front of my dress and got up. My stomach growled, but a pile of
vitamins was not enough to coax me out of this room to sit by
myself with thousands of people who hated me.
Instead of practicing my rain making
abilities, I rested for a bit. If I wasn't going to eat, I needed
to slow down on the heavy duty stuff.
But waiting would drive me
out of my mind if I didn't do something . I pulled Cailen's bag
over to me and rummaged through it, thinking maybe he had some way
to communicate with someone on the ship. All I found were a few
pants and shirts and his little flat disk he'd showed me the other
day—the dark blue one with the light in the center.
I took it out and pressed my finger
against the light like Cailen had done. A list of words
materialized just above the disk.
Touch-Sensitive
Holographic Viewer (TSHV)
Below that was a list of
options:
Planetary Data
History
Auru
Languages
But no way to
communicate.
Feeling inquisitive, I touched History
and the words dissolved to form a new list. It was hundreds of
lines long with many words I didn't recognize and only a very few I
did.
Mosandar, Talia,
Kolhandthar, and Soltak.
I guessed the rest of the
words were the names of planets, too. But since those didn't
interest me right now, I decided to learn a little more about the
planet that had been my saving grace. So I placed my finger on the
planet where I'd escaped Sho'ful and met Meir.
Talia (Cradle of
Life)
According to legend, the
birth place of humankind and the battlefield of the first war. As
evidenced by the presence of the gemstone, Luminarium, Talia was
once a fertile planet, rich with life. Some 10,000 years ago, the
first civilization rebelled
though training right then, in his room, would certainly not take
my thoughts from him, it would at least keep them focused on
something positive.
So I yawned and stretched
to relax my muscles and focus my breathing. And then I ordered the
drilium to flood my veins. Warmth tingled down my back all the way
to my toes and then back to the top of my head. I knew that if I
kept the drilium pouring in without satisfying its need, the
tingling would turn to burning and eventually scorch me from the
inside out. I didn't let it get that far.
Green, blue, and red dots
of light popped into my vision. I ignored the red ones—Fire—and
focused on the green. We’d been practicing solely on air since that
was Cailen’s particular specialty, but since the instances in the
market and the cafeteria, I got the crazy notion it might be a good
idea to figure out how to make it rain.
I tried to send the
molecules into little groups, focusing on millions of different
areas at once.
One drop of water fell from the air
and splashed onto my cheek.
Fail. So much for the torrential
downpour I'd been hoping for.
I tried again, pushing the
thought forward. It was a bit like trying to rub my stomach and pat
my head at the same time, only times a million. I imagined each of
the blue molecules going in different directions, joining
together.
Two drops fell to the
floor. Closer, but still nowhere near what I wanted. Telling all
the molecules to form one big wall was so much easier. But not
helpful. Soltak needed rain, not a flood.
I focused again, clenching
my fists. The walls dinged through the room and the green, blue,
and red points of light vanished from my vision.
Muttering curses
underneath my breath, I got up and looked at the time streaming
across the wall just above Cailen's bed. Time for the evening meal.
But that was impossible. I'd just started. There was no way I'd
spent six hours at this already. That's when I noticed the way my
dress clung to my back and my hair to my neck, wet and dripping. I
brushed my hand across my forehead and pulled away a cool sheen of
sweat.
Six hours and I'd managed
two drops of water. Apparently my accomplishments and talents were
not as great as I'd thought. At least not as long as subtlety was
my aim.
I wiped my wet hand across
the front of my dress and got up. My stomach growled, but a pile of
vitamins was not enough to coax me out of this room to sit by
myself with thousands of people who hated me.
Instead of practicing my rain making
abilities, I rested for a bit. If I wasn't going to eat, I needed
to slow down on the heavy duty stuff.
But waiting would drive me
out of my mind if I didn't do something . I pulled Cailen's bag
over to me and rummaged through it, thinking maybe he had some way
to communicate with someone on the ship. All I found were a few
pants and shirts and his little flat disk he'd showed me the other
day—the dark blue one with the light in the center.
I took it out and pressed my finger
against the light like Cailen had done. A list of words
materialized just above the disk.
Touch-Sensitive
Holographic Viewer (TSHV)
Below that was a list of
options:
Planetary Data
History
Auru
Languages
But no way to
communicate.
Feeling inquisitive, I touched History
and the words dissolved to form a new list. It was hundreds of
lines long with many words I didn't recognize and only a very few I
did.
Mosandar, Talia,
Kolhandthar, and Soltak.
I guessed the rest of the
words were the names of planets, too. But since those didn't
interest me right now, I decided to learn a little more about the
planet that had been my saving grace. So I placed my finger on the
planet where I'd escaped Sho'ful and met Meir.
Talia (Cradle of
Life)
According to legend, the
birth place of humankind and the battlefield of the first war. As
evidenced by the presence of the gemstone, Luminarium, Talia was
once a fertile planet, rich with life. Some 10,000 years ago, the
first civilization rebelled
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