“Maybe so, but I’m still curious.”
“When has that ever helped you?”
She thought for a moment, disappointed when she realized that it never had. Sanctuary didn’t reward the curious, at least not in her case. “It hasn’t yet, but only because I’m the only one that has a brain around here. Nobody else respects that.”
“Uh-huh. Now can we get going? You may be curious about what sort of lecture we’ll get from Tomias for being late, but I’m not.”
With a hearty sigh, Kirheen let her gaze drift back to the path ahead of them. “Fine. Let’s go.”
They traveled for a time in silence, the only sound the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds in the trees around them. The beauty of the world around her had been but a temporary reprieve from her thoughts and she soon drifted back to them.
It had been a long time since the Darkness had crept into the world. Could it really have been so bad? Could they really be the only ones left, the only people capable of holding back the madness that lurked outside the confines of their village? A large part of her would have given anything to know. The desire to simply leave it all behind, to step into that forest and never return, was strong. But there was a part of her too that feared what she would find. What if it was like they said; nothing but a dark and dreary world full of horrors she couldn’t possibly face. What would she do then? She couldn’t bear the thought of going so far only to come back. Part of her knew that even if she did come back, they wouldn’t just welcome her back with open arms.
A thought, and one that she found all the more terrifying, was if they were wrong. Suppose she ventured out into the world only to find that everything she’d been told was only half truths. What if she found others, survivors living life on their own terms. If she found such people, she wondered if she’d be accepted among them, and how it would feel to have a life that she could call her own. Maybe they’d just be ordinary people, and they wouldn’t have any stupid powers. Her thoughts would be safe, her heart protected. She could simply be who she wanted to be and there would be no one to hurt her or tell her otherwise.
She couldn’t imagine the disappointment she’d feel if she ventured out and didn’t find such a wonderful reality. It was the fear of disappointment that kept her from bounding off into the forest at that very moment, to leave Garild behind in the bubble he seemed to enjoy so much.
She glanced over at him as he walked along, lost in thoughts of his own, though she doubted they were quite so daring. A sudden curiosity sprung within her and without knowing how or why she felt compelled to, she pushed out with her mind, seeking purchase in his thoughts. There was resistance, like hitting a wall and a tingling sensation spread across her forehead. She frowned, disappointed.
She hadn't exactly been honest in her first meeting with Herzin. She had done a lot more than just sense her powers; she'd used them. Her fear of having her mind read had been a part of her childhood and she had taken the earliest of precautions to strengthen her mind against such intrusions. It had been a matter of trial and error, tugging at the edges of her powers until she began to grasp the concept. It was simple really, a matter of focus. Focus she could use now.
Trying again, she tried focusing more intently, honing in on Garild and that wall she’d felt. Perhaps there was a way to break through it, not in the way that Herzin had, but gently. She just needed to create a small hole that she could peer through, just enough to see what he was thinking about. Again, she felt the wall but this time she sensed a weakness, a spot that with enough force she was sure she could break through.
Garild raised his hand quickly, scratching the side of his face. It startled her and she gasped, snapping her focus away from him. She tried hard to keep a straight face,
“When has that ever helped you?”
She thought for a moment, disappointed when she realized that it never had. Sanctuary didn’t reward the curious, at least not in her case. “It hasn’t yet, but only because I’m the only one that has a brain around here. Nobody else respects that.”
“Uh-huh. Now can we get going? You may be curious about what sort of lecture we’ll get from Tomias for being late, but I’m not.”
With a hearty sigh, Kirheen let her gaze drift back to the path ahead of them. “Fine. Let’s go.”
They traveled for a time in silence, the only sound the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds in the trees around them. The beauty of the world around her had been but a temporary reprieve from her thoughts and she soon drifted back to them.
It had been a long time since the Darkness had crept into the world. Could it really have been so bad? Could they really be the only ones left, the only people capable of holding back the madness that lurked outside the confines of their village? A large part of her would have given anything to know. The desire to simply leave it all behind, to step into that forest and never return, was strong. But there was a part of her too that feared what she would find. What if it was like they said; nothing but a dark and dreary world full of horrors she couldn’t possibly face. What would she do then? She couldn’t bear the thought of going so far only to come back. Part of her knew that even if she did come back, they wouldn’t just welcome her back with open arms.
A thought, and one that she found all the more terrifying, was if they were wrong. Suppose she ventured out into the world only to find that everything she’d been told was only half truths. What if she found others, survivors living life on their own terms. If she found such people, she wondered if she’d be accepted among them, and how it would feel to have a life that she could call her own. Maybe they’d just be ordinary people, and they wouldn’t have any stupid powers. Her thoughts would be safe, her heart protected. She could simply be who she wanted to be and there would be no one to hurt her or tell her otherwise.
She couldn’t imagine the disappointment she’d feel if she ventured out and didn’t find such a wonderful reality. It was the fear of disappointment that kept her from bounding off into the forest at that very moment, to leave Garild behind in the bubble he seemed to enjoy so much.
She glanced over at him as he walked along, lost in thoughts of his own, though she doubted they were quite so daring. A sudden curiosity sprung within her and without knowing how or why she felt compelled to, she pushed out with her mind, seeking purchase in his thoughts. There was resistance, like hitting a wall and a tingling sensation spread across her forehead. She frowned, disappointed.
She hadn't exactly been honest in her first meeting with Herzin. She had done a lot more than just sense her powers; she'd used them. Her fear of having her mind read had been a part of her childhood and she had taken the earliest of precautions to strengthen her mind against such intrusions. It had been a matter of trial and error, tugging at the edges of her powers until she began to grasp the concept. It was simple really, a matter of focus. Focus she could use now.
Trying again, she tried focusing more intently, honing in on Garild and that wall she’d felt. Perhaps there was a way to break through it, not in the way that Herzin had, but gently. She just needed to create a small hole that she could peer through, just enough to see what he was thinking about. Again, she felt the wall but this time she sensed a weakness, a spot that with enough force she was sure she could break through.
Garild raised his hand quickly, scratching the side of his face. It startled her and she gasped, snapping her focus away from him. She tried hard to keep a straight face,
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