distances.”
“What if I hold on tightly to keep all my BE within me?”
“That probably won’t work. I’m not taking it out of you but using it to change the way you feel. Remember, the BE is part of you. It runs through your body like blood. It’s the source of your spells as a mage once you learn to control it. We psychics, though, learn to control the BE of others. That’s why you can create light and heat from the energy, but I can control what you feel.”
“Then why don’t you constantly make yourself feel happy?” Effie wondered.
Reela had an uncomfortable grin. “I’ve used psyche to help myself sleep, but it’s too strange to use it for joy. It’s…awkward. It doesn’t feel right. Let’s get back to it, shall we?”
In order to train, Reela had to make Effie feel something foreign. The psychic chose pain. Her reasoning was that it was the only spell enemy psychics would use during battle. She was gentle with it.
Reela kept telling Effie to set up a wall, adding, “Don’t let me in.”
But no matter what Effie tried, it didn’t work.
“I don’t get how I’m supposed to stop you.”
“Have you ever been so lost in thought you actually felt like you were somewhere else?”
“Like during a dream?” Effie asked.
“Yes, only you’re awake.”
There certainly had been times Effie had relived something that had happened—more recently it had been conversations with Brady—where she’d actually felt that she was there again, falling for him, believing the traitor’s lies. The anger was overwhelming, remaining within her even when she fell back into reality.
“I have,” Effie replied.
“That’s one way to block me, by putting yourself somewhere else, somewhere deep I can’t reach you. It’s one of the reasons psyche doesn’t work on people who are insane. They’re too far from reality to be manipulated.”
“How am I supposed to put myself out of reality yet still be in a battle?”
“Our minds are powerful,” Reela said. “You can still be aware of your surroundings even when you’re somewhere else mentally.”
Effie grumbled. It sounded impossible.
Reela put her hand on Effie’s shoulder. “It’s not something you can learn in a day.” She turned to the door. “Steffen’s here. I think we should stop.”
The door opened and he came in.
“No,” Effie said. “We haven’t even done any real training. You’ve just pinned me motionless over and over.”
“Hi, Reela,” Steffen interrupted. “Where were you earlier? Vithos says you weren’t at Redfield during the announcement. Did you hear about Tenred?”
“Yes,” she said. “I was at Kyrro City.”
“Where’s Cleve?”
Reela sighed. “He—”
“Steffen, could you give us some time?” Effie asked. “She’s right in the middle of training me to fight against psychics.”
“Oh!” Steffen looked excited. He pulled over a chair and sat. “Go on.”
“Now Vithos and Zoke are here,” Reela said. She smiled apologetically at Effie. “Let’s do it when I come back. We won’t get far tonight anyway.”
“Just give me something to practice in the meantime,” Effie said.
“Figure out a place you can go in your mind that’s easy to get to but hard to get out from. It should be somewhere you could get lost if you wanted. Practice going there while you walk to the dining hall or prepare for bed. When you get better at it, go there while casting a fireball or running during battle training.”
The door opened before Effie could respond, not that she knew what she wanted to ask anyway.
“Reela!” Vithos exclaimed. “I happy see you. I want to meet Rek. Where he?”
“ I’m happy to see you,” Zoke corrected him. “Where is he?”
Vithos nodded. “I tell Zoke correct me when wrong. I’m happy to see you,” he repeated. “Where is he?”
Zoke mumbled something in Kreppen. Effie heard the words “told” and “I’m” in common tongue between the Kreppen words. Vithos
“What if I hold on tightly to keep all my BE within me?”
“That probably won’t work. I’m not taking it out of you but using it to change the way you feel. Remember, the BE is part of you. It runs through your body like blood. It’s the source of your spells as a mage once you learn to control it. We psychics, though, learn to control the BE of others. That’s why you can create light and heat from the energy, but I can control what you feel.”
“Then why don’t you constantly make yourself feel happy?” Effie wondered.
Reela had an uncomfortable grin. “I’ve used psyche to help myself sleep, but it’s too strange to use it for joy. It’s…awkward. It doesn’t feel right. Let’s get back to it, shall we?”
In order to train, Reela had to make Effie feel something foreign. The psychic chose pain. Her reasoning was that it was the only spell enemy psychics would use during battle. She was gentle with it.
Reela kept telling Effie to set up a wall, adding, “Don’t let me in.”
But no matter what Effie tried, it didn’t work.
“I don’t get how I’m supposed to stop you.”
“Have you ever been so lost in thought you actually felt like you were somewhere else?”
“Like during a dream?” Effie asked.
“Yes, only you’re awake.”
There certainly had been times Effie had relived something that had happened—more recently it had been conversations with Brady—where she’d actually felt that she was there again, falling for him, believing the traitor’s lies. The anger was overwhelming, remaining within her even when she fell back into reality.
“I have,” Effie replied.
“That’s one way to block me, by putting yourself somewhere else, somewhere deep I can’t reach you. It’s one of the reasons psyche doesn’t work on people who are insane. They’re too far from reality to be manipulated.”
“How am I supposed to put myself out of reality yet still be in a battle?”
“Our minds are powerful,” Reela said. “You can still be aware of your surroundings even when you’re somewhere else mentally.”
Effie grumbled. It sounded impossible.
Reela put her hand on Effie’s shoulder. “It’s not something you can learn in a day.” She turned to the door. “Steffen’s here. I think we should stop.”
The door opened and he came in.
“No,” Effie said. “We haven’t even done any real training. You’ve just pinned me motionless over and over.”
“Hi, Reela,” Steffen interrupted. “Where were you earlier? Vithos says you weren’t at Redfield during the announcement. Did you hear about Tenred?”
“Yes,” she said. “I was at Kyrro City.”
“Where’s Cleve?”
Reela sighed. “He—”
“Steffen, could you give us some time?” Effie asked. “She’s right in the middle of training me to fight against psychics.”
“Oh!” Steffen looked excited. He pulled over a chair and sat. “Go on.”
“Now Vithos and Zoke are here,” Reela said. She smiled apologetically at Effie. “Let’s do it when I come back. We won’t get far tonight anyway.”
“Just give me something to practice in the meantime,” Effie said.
“Figure out a place you can go in your mind that’s easy to get to but hard to get out from. It should be somewhere you could get lost if you wanted. Practice going there while you walk to the dining hall or prepare for bed. When you get better at it, go there while casting a fireball or running during battle training.”
The door opened before Effie could respond, not that she knew what she wanted to ask anyway.
“Reela!” Vithos exclaimed. “I happy see you. I want to meet Rek. Where he?”
“ I’m happy to see you,” Zoke corrected him. “Where is he?”
Vithos nodded. “I tell Zoke correct me when wrong. I’m happy to see you,” he repeated. “Where is he?”
Zoke mumbled something in Kreppen. Effie heard the words “told” and “I’m” in common tongue between the Kreppen words. Vithos
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