Prophecy

appeared, dewy fresh.

'Try some, if you like. It's perfectly real, not the images some charlatans project.'

Rawn plucked an orange, lumpy fruit from the pile and bit into it. Juice ran down his chin. Mindra's tail stopped twitching. Evidently she enjoyed showing off.

'Next, shape changing.'

Her form contorted and her features melted, then expanded into a scaly, seven-foot tall dragon-like creature. It gazed down at them, lifting its lips to reveal rows of shark-like teeth in a parody of a smile. Then the dragon melted into a dark-eyed gypsy woman.

'Like it?' She giggled.

Rawn gaped at her, the fruit forgotten. 'Is that… was that… Which is your true form?'

The gypsy woman sat next to him, the little bells on her clothes jingling. 'My true form is the one you met me in, dear boy.' She laughed again.

'So you could become anything you want?' Rayne asked.

'Anything.'

'That was why we didn't see you when we came in?'

'Yes, I was a rockery plant.'

'And you could stay like that as long as you like?'

'Yes.'

'Do I…?”

'No, my dear, you don't have that pathway.'

The gypsy woman became Mindra again. 'Then there's telekinesis.' She looked at one of the rocks around the pool, and it split in two with a sharp crack, then the water bubbled, steam rising from it.

'I also heal, but that's difficult to demonstrate.' She looked from one to the other. 'Any questions?'

Rawn wiped fruit juice from his chin. 'Can you do more than one at a time?'

'Yes. I could hold my shape as a gypsy woman and do one of the others, or I could teleport and do one of the others, but some combinations don't work, for instance, I couldn't create and do telekinesis at the same time, or creation and healing, or telekinesis and healing. Some things require more concentration, you see.'

Rayne smiled. 'No wonder the Atlanteans didn't bother you. No one could match your people. '

'Yes, that's true. We're respected amongst the alien races, although we don't travel much.'

'So do you just create a spaceship when you want to travel?' Rawn bit into another alien fruit, this one bright green and hairy.

'No, we just teleport. There are two ways of teleporting, this one, which is really levitation,' She drifted into the air, 'Or this one.' She vanished and reappeared several feet away.

'So you just… vanish here and reappear at home?'

'That's right.'

Rayne leant forward. 'You said I would be able to teleport. Will I be able to do that too?'

'I don't think so, dear. Your powers are limited, though Tallyn was right about your being talented. That's not your strongest talent. You're best at telepathy and healing, concentrate on improving those things. Now that you can communicate with your brother, practise that, and visit a hospital.'

'Why don't you heal the sick?' Rawn munched the apple.

'I do, when I'm asked to, but I have other things to do at home. These are not my people. Besides, they have healers of their own.'

'You said I had a talent for empathy. Did you strengthen that too?' Rayne asked.

'No.' Mindra's ears flicked back. 'That's one talent you're better off without. The ability to sense other people's emotions is fraught with disadvantages. You're better off without it. If I could, I would even remove that talent, but unfortunately pathways are far more difficult to close than they are to open. Your channel for empathy is large, but you appear to be unable to use it, for some reason. Rather leave it that way.'

Rayne pondered this, no new questions springing to mind. The rock drifted over to her again.

'Lift it,' Mindra commanded.

Rayne concentrating on it, and it wobbled. She tried harder, her head pounding. The stone rolled, then rose a few inches.

'I did it!' she crowed, and the rock cracked down on the floor.

'Very good.' Mindra's eyes twinkled.

'But it hurts my head.' She rubbed her forehead, where a steel band tightened.

'It will at first. You're using areas of your brain that you've never used before. The pathway is weak. You must exercise it, then it will get stronger and the pain will stop.'

Mindra stood and stretched, arching her spine like a cat. 'Now, if you have no more questions, I think my job's finished.'

Rayne glanced at Rawn, unwilling to let this fascinating alien go, but not knowing how to delay her. His gaze was blank, and she turned to Mindra with a sigh. 'We're very grateful for your help. Is there any way we can repay you?'

Mindra's ears flicked back, and her tail twitched again. 'I have no use for money, if that's what you mean. I did it for Tallyn as a favour. If you wish, you can both owe me a favour. How's that?'

'Agreed.' Rawn rose and helped Rayne to her feet.

Mindra looked up at them with mischievous eyes. 'Well, good luck, and farewell.' She vanished.

After staring at the place where she had been for several seconds, they turned to leave. Before they reached the door, Mindra's voice spoke in Rayne's mind. 'Oh, I almost forgot, I slowed down your ageing to the same as the Atlanteans'. For some reason, you evolved into a far shorter-lived race than them, or maybe they did it to you. Anyway, you'll live a lot longer now.'

They spun around, scanning the empty room.

'Mindra?' Rayne said.

'Yes, dear?'

'Are you at home?'

'Yes.'

'How long will we live?'

'Several hundred years. Same as everyone else.'

Outside, dusk spread cold fingers through the forest. Soon after they emerged, Tallyn arrived to take them back to his dwelling. Rayne found that her experience with Mindra was too personal to share, even with Tallyn.

The following day, Rayne studied ESP. Tallyn gave them access to the data web through the web line screens in his house, where they found a treasure trove of information. Rayne was a little surprised when Tallyn revealed that he was a telepath, and that most Atlanteans were, to varying degrees, but none had the awesome power of the Shyanese. Rayne added the Shyanese to her list of interests, and Rawn shared her curiosity. A vast amount of information was available from the technical library. Rayne knew that even if she lived to be three hundred she would never learn all it contained, even with their enhanced abilities.

They learnt how to operate the gravcar, and Talon brought one for them to use. With this, they visited the local library, where they found extra facilities for studying the store of knowledge. They often spent the whole day with the flocks of students that attended the various lectures and demonstrations.

Time seemed irrelevant, and Rayne was surprised when six months passed without her noticing. The council seemed content to let them live with Tallyn, and he appeared to enjoy their company. Rayne asked him if he had ever had a wife, and he told her he had made contracts with four women, two of whom had borne his children. He explained that Atlanteans made temporary contracts of a few years, during which time they might have children.

When the couple terminated the contract, the children stayed with their mother and the father supported them. To Rayne, it sounded a lot like a human marriage, only all parties knew from the outset that the end would come. Tallyn saw his children once a week, spending a day with each of them.

Tallyn explained the semi-defunct cast system, which was a casual ranking based on hair colour. In the past, it had been an important part of Atlantean culture, and only those of high cast were allowed to hold high office.