It was kind of like that, but even more clear… It was strange… Electrifying…”

I laughed in delight at the shine in her eyes. “Electrifying, so you wanted more? So, the past few hours you’ve just been trying to read my mind any chance you get?”

“Yes, but… It doesn’t work all the time. So, I have been trying to refine it, see the consistencies of when it does work.”

“And what have you read?”

She looked down at the blankets and smoothed them across her lap. “You seem really concerned about the storm and having enough firewood. You seem really concerned about keeping me safe… Which I don’t understand.”

I shrugged as she looked at me. “I made you a promise. I will keep you safe, as long as you help me, too. And I have to go north, first.”

“Yes, to speak with a man.”

“That’s right.”

“Which man?”

My eyes danced laughter at her. “Which man are you running from?”

Her eyes danced laughter right back. “Okay, okay. We will keep some secrets for now…”

My heart was racing, because, I found I was truly afraid that she would answer my flippant question and reveal that it was indeed Blatson that she was running from… But, that just couldn’t be true. That was too much of a coincidence. She had latched onto that name in my mind when we were mentally connected and it had blurred into her subconscious and come out in her delirium. That was the simplest explanation. That had to be the truth.

“Ok.” I clapped my hands together. “Now, when you are trying to reach out to someone telepathically, it is a mutual agreement. Which might be why you struggled some of the time. You have to also be giving of yourself. You have to be willing to be read by that person, if they so Will it. It’s why the telepaths who deal with espionage are so highly trained in blocks and walls and compartments.” I saw her confusion. “Typically, you wouldn’t have been able to read anything from me, I don’t think. But, I have been lax with my blocks and walls and compartments. There is a bit of Will, of mental and emotional energy, that is always expended by a telepath, to make sure their mind is protected. Sometimes, it needs to be more intensely guarded than others, like during an attack or subterfuge. But, I haven’t been worried about running into any telepaths here, so I have dropped my walls. I gave you access, without even realizing it.”

“But, people of Vailstor are not telepaths. Why have I been able to read it?”

“I think it’s because of the mental connection I created when I mind controlled you. So, I don’t honestly know if your skills will last, or if they will wane as the control I had on you completely disappears. I also don’t know if you will be able to read anyone but me.”

“Interesting…” She bit her lip and hugged herself. “Have you put up blocks now that you know I can read your mind?” I laughed.

“Yes, I have.”

“Trust is hard to earn.”

“Yes… And the fact that I forced trust into you during the mind control, makes me think it will be harder to earn your real trust, and harder for me to trust that it is genuine, and not just the fleeting whim remnants of my Will.”

“Hmm…” Her eyes lasered into me and I smiled.

“Welcome to my mind. It’s warm and cozy, except where it’s filled with monsters. Let me teach you.”

She looked at me with a smile. “How do I say something back?”

“Open up your mind to me. It’s like giving a bit of your emotion to me. You push it toward me, you Will it toward me. You will literally feel your brain stretching to allow it to happen.”

Zaya furrowed her brow and strained to mimic my words. She looked at me expectantly. “Did you hear anything?”

“No.” I held out my hands to her. “It it a dance of vulnerability and strength. Here, hold onto my hands. I will let you feel what it’s like in my mind.” She pulled back a little. “Don’t worry. I won’t compel you to do anything. I will just let you feel what I feel when I open myself to someone, so you can reflect it.”

The leather gloves were smooth and firm around her slender hands and I gripped them tightly. I squeezed her hands and winked at her reassuringly. Then I looked straight in her eyes and pushed some of my Will to her, so she could feel the echo of openness, of trust, of mutual respect that I felt for her.

Tears sprang to her eyes and her hands curled in mine.

“That’s so beautiful…” She whispered, eyes wide and hungry for more.

“Now you try.” She wiped her tears on her sleeve awkwardly and cleared her throat. She gripped my hands still, strongly, then pulsed her Will into me.

It nearly threw me back into the chair, it was so strong and sweet and swift. My head swam and I had to close my eyes, shaking my head. I pulled my hands out of hers to sever at least that intimate connection, lights exploding in my mind, the cabin’s dim red light swimming. I took a deep breath and steadied myself against the chair. Her Will swam in my head and I pushed it gently to the side, compartmentalizing it and trying to overcome its insistent curiosity. It was so filled with emotion… So many emotions… Hope that this would work, the quest for new knowledge, a warring Will to trust and fear me, hurt… So much hurt… From somewhere else. Pain that she hadn’t meant to let slip into her Will, but was so present in her mind that it couldn’t resist infiltrating her powerful surge of Will.

I blinked rapidly to look at her where she was waiting.

“Did it work?”

“Well…” I cleared my throat and tried to shake the feeling of nausea. The mental connection to her was strong… So strong… Was

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