Nothing had preparedhim for such heartbreak. He wanted to scream and cry and smashthings. He had waited all his life for the right woman to comealong, and here she was in the physical sense, but her mind wastrapped elsewhere. He was a mind wizard but didn’t know how to fixher mind. It was the ultimate frustration. He felt guilty andunworthy of her. He could imagine the gods laughing at hisineptitude. Look at that stupid incompetent mind wizard. He desiresthe most beautiful sleeping princess in the world but can’t wakeher up.
About an hour beforedawn he couldn’t wait any longer. He teleported to the Barra campand found that everyone except a few of the women and the childrenhad gone on the trek to the temple. Alpha was waiting patientlynear the fireplace containing the urn of the dead and the Omen.
‘Hello Alpha, what do Iknow about repairing minds?’ asked Aquitain.
‘You have someknowledge but it would be dangerous for you to remember it at thisstage,’ replied Alpha.
‘I’m not worried aboutthe danger. Give me the knowledge.’
‘No,’ said Alpha, ‘Ican’t do that. It’s too dangerous for you.’
Aquitain’s tolerancesnapped.
‘What! How dare youdeny me my own knowledge! Release it immediately,’ Aquitainordered, finding it unbelievable that his own memory crystal coulddeny him anything.
‘So, the extra power Ican see in your source has gone to your head like your grandfatherthought it would,’ Alpha observed.
‘No it hasn’t. All themanipulation, the Rob do this and Rob don’t do that. The continualsuggestions that I do something different from what I want to do,that’s what’s gone to my head. I’ve had it. All my life I’ve hadpeople telling me what’s best for me. That’s over. I know what’sbest for me, and from now on what I say is what’s going tohappen.
‘You are a part of meand you’re supposed to serve me. Lately you’ve developed a mind ofyour own. You’re telling me what I should do and refusing mycommands. From this moment onwards you will do what I askimmediately without comment, or I shall unmake you and make anothermemcrystal that will obey me. This is not debatable, it is a fact.Give me the information now or I will destroy you!’
‘All right,’ saidAlpha, and it unlocked a treasure trove of information on how themind stored information and how power narcosis could affect memoryand perceptions of reality. Aquitain immediately returned to theJeti village with Alpha embedded in the chaos matter collar aroundhis neck, and sat down by Miranda’s side to digest the longforgotten knowledge.
It seemed that powernarcosis induced a condition called a microcosmic state in thepatient’s mind. What this meant was that the sufferer created anindependent reality within their own mind and lived in it. Withoutvery serious help they would remain in that state indefinitelyuntil they died. The usual treatment was to seek the services of apsychic surgeon who had experience with this type of problem.
Aquitain felt likegoing into a murderous rage. He had never heard of psychicsurgeons, and even if they did exist how often did people sufferfrom power narcosis? The new knowledge only made him morefrustrated, so he sang a calming mantra to himself and decided tomeditate on the problem.
If he were Miranda whatwould he do? What sort of microcosm would he create? He thoughtback on what had happened when he had dominated her mind. What hadshe said? How had she felt? He remembered how effortlessly he hadentered her mind. How open and receptive it had been. How sensuousher voice had been. She had said how much she loved him and wantedto stay in his arms forever.
‘By the Powers, it’s asexual fantasy she’s created,’ he thought. ‘She’s wanted to get ridof that cursed tattoo for so long she’s created her own realitywhere the tattoo is gone and she’s living it up!’ He dropped out ofhis meditation and examined her closely. Her respiration was alittle fast and her muscles were tense and apprehensive. She waswaiting for something to happen and he could guess what that was.‘No, she’s not living it up yet!’ he thought, ‘but what can I do toget her attention?’
He sat thinking whensuddenly a female Jeti villager came and laid a flower besideMiranda’s head. He looked around and saw Rori, terrified.
‘I’m sorry Spirit Lord,she slipped past me. She said she has given the Druidess flowersbefore and she always loved them.’
‘What is your name?’asked Aquitain.
‘My name isShastritara, Spirit Lord. I want the Druidess to be well, because Iwish to ask her to take me on as her assistant.’
‘Why don’t you becomean assistant to Kami?’ he asked.
‘Kami says that onlymales can be shaman, even though I can sing all the songs.’
‘You have a beautifulname Shastritara, and you have given me an idea. Thank you for theflower,’ and the little female ran off smiling.
He closed his eyes andcreated in his mind an image of a unique flower. On the top of agolden stalk with several golden leaves was a flower that grew inthe image of two entwined butterflies, with bodies joined at theabdomen in the act of copulation. The wings were spread out andgently pulsing with each sensuous movement, which began in timewith the recipient’s heartbeat, and would increase steadily as theywatched. The wings radiated a glorious rainbow of deep, richvibrant colour that changed in harmony with the movement of thebodies.
The perfume was of anincredibly expensive exotic type, with aphrodisiac qualities thatonly the wildly wealthy could afford. He had smelt it once when hewas a young lad, and it had given him erotic dreams for weeks. Tothis he added the feeling of a warm embracing hug, and ananticipation of something wildly exciting about to happen.
He memorized hiscreation so that he could send it exactly as he felt at thismoment, and created a mindlink between them.
‘Miranda I have abeautiful and precious present for you. It’s the only flower of itstype in existence. It’s my flower of passion. I want you to haveit, but you’ll have to come to me to collect it.’
‘No, I want you tobring it into our cottage so that you can see
