Metal and Flesh (The Rohvim, Book 1)

17.3 Crackle

   The company awoke early, but was slow to break camp. For days the pace had quickened and all wearied of it, and so they lingered on the beautiful hilltop. The leaves on the trees were now solidly orange and red and brown, intermingled with the evergreens in their verdant coats. The weather was particularly fine that morning, with the early mist dispersing and the air warming to a refreshing level. Darla and Frederick bantered and joked. Stuart munched on his ever-present stock of provisions. Aeden and Rupert chatted, still on their beddings. Betha and Diana entered the mind of Gregory to assist him in healing his aging knees and ankles. Edwin, Arturo, Ellen, and the master healer exchanged stories and anecdotes of life in the capital city. An hour passed like this, all content and not desiring to immediately continue the journey.

   The master healer walked over to where Aeden lay. "Aeden. I promised to teach you how to perform a mind shock, or a soul shock or whatever the kids are calling it these days. Come."

   Aeden got to his feet and followed the old man. "First, go into your mind somewhat, and find the controls for shocking that you have learned from master Arturo,"

   Aeden's eyes defocused a bit and he said, "Got it."

   The master continued, "Now, look a bit to the right, and you'll find more controls. These are directly associated with the shock controls. The first one you see will store energy that you deposit there-which I will show you how to do in a moment. The second is how to release it, the third is how fast you release it-generally the faster you do the more powerful the effect will be. The fourth controls what I can only call the repetition rate, though it repeats far too quickly for us to consciously discern. Just keep it near the middle of its range and that will suffice. Now, direct your attention to me."

   Aeden concentrated as he looked at the master healer, struggling to remain aware of the controls at the hands of his mind's eye. The master healer held out his hands, roughly in the shape of a cup, the fingers of each hand pointing to the corresponding finger of the other hand. "Do this." The master directed. Aeden complied, still struggling to maintain his mind's concentration. "Now, with the shock controls, initiate a shock as if you were holding your sword, but instead of a quick burst, maintain it. This is how you pump energy into the storage control I spoke of before."

   The old man's hands suddenly arced with energy, lines of crackling lightning shooting between his fingers. Aeden tried. Sparks shot out from his fingers, but they flickered. He tried again and they flickered more. "Increase the energy you are supplying." Suggested the master healer.

    He tried again, and this time, weak tendrils of energy shot out and converged on the other fingers. "Now, when the indicator above the controls suggests you have stored sufficient energy, release it, while simultaneously bringing your fingers together like this."

   He demonstrated. The lines of energy converged into one as the fingers approached one another, and Aeden felt a pulse in his mind that made him momentarily dizzy.

   "Hey!" yelled Darla. "Cut it out!"

   The master healer turned to her and bowed slightly, "My apologies, madam. Just a few more small shocks and we will be finished."

   Darla mumbled under her breath, "I'll show you finished ..." and continued her flirtatious banter with Frederick.

   Aeden, still maintaining the energy between his hands, put his mind's hands on the appropriate controls, and, struggling to coordinate four different hands at once, snapped his fingers together as the master healer had done while releasing the stored energy on his wall. He released the energy before the lines of crackling light had converged. His fingers seared and he yelled in pain. The other youth erupted in laughter, and Aeden glared at them as he gingerly rubbed his finger tips.

   "Try again. Let us walk a distance from the others so you don't accidentally knock them all out..."

   They removed themselves fifty yards or so from the rest of the group and Aeden brought his hands together again. Energy leapt out, and after a few seconds of holding it steady, he brought his fingers together, releasing the energy a fraction of a second later than he had before. The master healer wobbled a bit.

   "Good! Good! You did it. When your life is in danger, you will have to put far more energy into it, and greatly shorten the time of the energy dump. Practice here awhile. If you don't mind," he said, rubbing his head, "I will wait with the others since being here next to you would likely make me quite ill."

   "Master healer?"

   "Yes?"

   "Before we left Ramath, my mother seemed to be going a little crazy. She ranted on and on about finding Cassandra. She saw her killed, and held her dead body, seeing no breath escape. But she is convinced that she was mistaken, that she survived and was healed and taken somewhere. I thought she was insane, broken up by grief. But now, with all I've seen, the healing, the stone-faced warriors carrying Priam off, maybe, just maybe, might she be correct?

   The healer looked out at the forest and considered. He answered, "Your sister is in all likelihood dead, as is your father. I could have possibly healed a wound such as hers, but as you and your mother said, there were none but the defenders and stone-faced soldiers about when she fell. So no, I don't believe your mother is correct, and that she is speaking from grief."

   "Is there even a chance?"

   "There is always a chance, Aeden Rossam. In fact, with the events of the past few weeks and months, very little would surprise me." He touched his arm. "Practice now."

   The old man returned to the camp and Aeden resumed his practice. He reached back into his mind and held up his hands. The energy sparkled. He brought his fingers together and released. Snap. Again-Crackle. Sparkle. Snap. He spent ten minutes practicing the same motions, still frustrated by his apparent lack of proficiency at being aware both of his body and his mind. After a few more burnt finger tips he returned to the camp.