Seer's Hope (Book 1 of The Seer Trilogy)

Seer's Hope (Chapter 21)

Seer's Hope

By Maree Anderson

Chapter Twenty-One

The swift onset of darkness only heightened the anxiety emanating from those assembled in the hall. Hope compartmentalized her own emotions and locked them away. She couldn't afford to be affected by them—not if she were to succeed.

She knew Dayamar believed she would cope admirably with task ahead. In his own words, she already surpassed him whenever immense mind-power was required. She felt no pride for that accomplishment, however, only relief that she could shoulder at least some of the burden he bore. Although he made light of it, his own task tonight was incredibly difficult. It would require remarkable skill to sift through the memories of each opened mind without causing lasting damage. Hope had brute force on her side, but not the fine control needed for a task such as this.

"Hush," Dayamar told the restless gathering of people. "I need to verify the other settlements are ready."

Hope lurked on the periphery of his mind, watching closely as he cast out his seer-senses and linked minds with each settlement's appointed spokesperson.

"We will begin now." Dayamar used each spokesperson as a mouthpiece to repeat his words. "I want you all to relax and think of something pleasant—your favorite dish, for example. Mine is hotcakes. Yes, hotcakes still warm from the grill. A mouthwatering stack, dripping with sweet syrup."

As he waffled on about food, his voice worked its magic and Hope sensed a noticeable release of tension from those around her. This was her cue to begin.

Earlier, while attempting to formulate a step-by-step plan to accomplish her task, she'd floundered. And finally she'd decided to do what she always did: rely on her instincts.

First she sought the aureyas of the people she knew well—Dayamar, Blayne, Varaya, and the rest of her Dayamari friends. Their minds were relaxed and open, exuding confidence she would not harm them in any way. Hope visualized her own mind as a golden thread, gossamer-thin but incredibly resilient. She threaded her mind through each individual aureya, linking them one-by-one.

That task complete, she sought more aureyas, weaving each individual Usehani mind into the intricately beautiful tapestry she had wrought. Her weaving affected the participants barely at all. As each mind was brought into the link, its owner felt a barely perceptible tugging sensation, quickly forgotten.

Finally the Usehani linkage was complete and it was time for Hope to move on.

Exhilarated by her success, she soared upward like a tiny a spider riding the breeze on a parachute of silken thread. Ah... there! She sensed the people of the First Settlement.

More confident now, she threaded them together and linked them to her weaving, creating a massive tapestry of minds before moving on to the next settlement. And the next.

Now to visualize the scene she had been shown before Geramar had shoved her to safety. At first it was blurred and lacking color or detail. And then, frame by frame, it sharpened and sprang into vivid relief. A valley. A cave. Lights. Shadows. Shrouded figures. A skeleton clad in tattered remnants of clothing....

Interesting. Hope hadn't remembered that particular detail. What other important details might she have missed? She set the scene in the forefront of her public mind and joined the linkage.

The Dayamari/Usehani mind-link besieged her. She weathered thousands of tiny pricks and prods as each mind accessed her memory before withdrawing to mull over the scene she had revealed. Some minds, unconsciously or perhaps intentionally, attempted to root about in her private thoughts. Hope threw up an impenetrable wall around her thoughts, and gently rebuked each errant mind before sending it on its way.