Miranda shouted toAquitain through their mindlink, ‘Tain I have power for you, mylove.’
Aquitain looked atMiranda’s sprit aura and saw that it was brilliant and gettingbrighter.
‘By the Powers, you’llkill yourself, Mandy. Let me into your mind.’
‘Take me. I’m yours mylove,’ she replied.
He created a thickillusory fog around his Tower of Will and escaped out the sideopposite the Cat Lord. He gently thrust into Miranda’s mind andfound it open and yielding to his ingression. It was an inferno ofgusting power looking for an explosive escape. He searched for thecore of her mind and found, it hot like a pebble that lay in thesun on a brilliant summers day. He enveloped it like a cool hand,drawing heat from the pebble and shielding it in a cool shade.
Miranda’s mind felt asher body would after laying too long on a hot, sandy beach. She wasdrowsy and couldn’t find the energy to move into the shade. It wasjust too hot. When Aquitain slid into her mind it was like a lovercoming into her body. She welcomed him openly and completely. Hismind felt like a cool breeze blowing over her on a hot summer day,and when he enveloped the core of her mind it was like her body hadbeen immersed in a cool, frothy wave.
She imagined herselffloating in the warm shallow water off the beach where they hadfirst met, and he lay with her with his arms tightly wrapped aroundher protecting her from any danger. It was a beautiful, blissfuldream that she didn’t want to end.
Aquitain created anenergy channel from her mind to his and began drawing power torelieve the maelstrom from her mind. He imagined himself as a bearjust outside his Tower of Will. A green beam of energy shone on himand he soaked it up, like a dry sponge soaking up water. Soon hisimaginary bear figure was throbbing with power, and he heard theimaginary Cat Lord closing on him in the fog.
‘I have you now,’ itsaid gleefully, but stopped dead in its tracks when it saw him.
‘Be gone,’ he yelled.‘You have no power over me now. Your people are protecting me.Leave me and don’t come back.’
‘I’ll go,’ it said. ‘Itseems you’ve won this round, but we will meet again and perhaps youwill do my bidding then. You can no longer use my body.’ And itvanished.
Aquitain cleared thefog around his Tower of Will and imagined he saw an old man dressedas a wizard. It was undecided about whether to attack or run. So hecharged at it and bowled it over, then instantly turned into aLogicon-like slime and flowed over the wizard image, completelyenveloping it. Erastius capitulated.
‘You have me again,bear. I see that you’ve discovered the power of the little people.Are you going to enslave me again? I think I would prefer death tothe nothingness of forever waiting to be called to do some trivial,magic stunt.’
‘Release the gnome! Anydecision about your future belongs to the Jeti; however, I willadvise them to have you removed,’ replied Aquitain.
The external illusionof the Cat Lord disappeared, leaving the gnome standing in itsplace wearing the mask. Jaz ripped it off her face and threw itonto the ground, and screamed.
‘Kill him! Kill thatbastard. I’ll never live down what he’s made me do,’ and she burstout crying.
Aquitain quicklycommanded Rori to stop the power song. Moments later the verseschanged and the connections to Miranda began to disappear. Here andthere little people fell over, exhausted. Rori ran over to Miranda,who lay asleep with a beautiful smile as if in a wonderfuldream.
Aquitain looked intoher mind and saw there was still much too much power there, sobegan to draw it into his own mind. It filled his source tocapacity, but still he drew more. Better him than Miranda. Suddenlythere was a popping sensation like the bursting of a bubble, and hewas afraid something drastic might have happened. He looked at hissource and saw to his surprise that its capacity had increased toat least five times its previous limit.
‘This is more like it!’he thought. ‘This is what my source should have been like allalong.’ It felt good, and he felt much more powerful than he everhad in his life before, but he was worried about Miranda.
She felt his mind enterhers again. ‘Oh I love you,’ she said.
‘Miranda, you’resuffering from power narcosis. It’s like a powerful drug. It’saffecting your mind. I’ve nearly removed all the power, then I’mgoing to release your mind. You might have a headache and feelterrible for a while.’
‘No. I want to stayhere in your arms forever,’ she said.
‘Miranda, wake up! It’sa dream.’
‘No. It’s the mostwonderful feeling. I don’t want to wake up,’ she said, and cut offtheir mindlink.
‘Damn, she won’t listento me,’ he thought.
‘I must go. I’moverdue,’ said Jaztrix. ‘Thank you, Aquitain, for releasing me fromthat nightmare. We will meet again, hopefully under bettercircumstances. You do your father proud. Go to the temple, thereare many Barra children held prisoner there. Bye.’ And sheteleported away.
‘Zephira. Thanks foryour help. We have won the day, but Miranda has been damaged. Getsomething to cover the mask. I have it dominated but I need to helpMiranda.
‘Rori. Thank you foryour power song. It helped me defeat the mask; but now I have agreat task for you. You must hold Jacintra’s Claw to cover themouth of Jacintra’s Image so that it will not harm anyone, thenlater take it to Kami so that he may store it safely.’
‘Yes, Spirit Lord,’said Rori. ‘I knew you would win.’
‘I won with your help,Rori. You are a hero today and I will tell your people that youwill be a great shaman when your time comes.’
‘Thank you, SpiritLord,’ said Rori. ‘I will work hard to prove you right.’
Zephira returned with asack and placed the mask within it, then handed it to Rori who hadtaken Jacintra’s Claw
