Thunder Struck by Viola Grace Page A

him to the shouting threshold and then make him hold it.
    The storage healer came out of the ship with her hands hidden together in her wide sleeves. Pahla had huge, dark eyes that had seen much and felt every moment of her active talent.
    “Welcome to Iskan, Pahla. I am Kedna, this is Tend. Consider this your home for as long as you wish.”
    Pahla bowed and her pale grey face was nervous. “Are you from Lekinor?”
    “Yes, Pahla of Jul. I am. I have been to your world, is the weather better?” As she spoke, she pulled storm clouds around her. “The last time I was there, the sky burned. I didn’t stick around to see how it turned out, but I have heard things are fine.”
    Tend sighed. “What she is saying is that your people know her as Thunder Struck. She is no danger to you or any of your kind.”
    Pahla’s tension faded. She bowed again. “If any of my people knew your identity, they would have aimed the canisters at you.”
    Kedna grinned. “I know. Now, come inside. The other novices arrived yesterday. More will be coming in a week. There will be twenty of you by the end of the month.”
    Pahla blinked. “Only twenty?”
    Kedna laughed and placed her hand on Pahla’s shoulder. “With the power we are packing in here, we don’t want to overload anyone. As you master your talent, you can choose to move to the city or join the Sector Guard. It is a unique opportunity to help others. This is the first step in a greater direction if you want to walk that path, but you will be able to learn in safety and security. We know what you are and what you can do. No surprises, no fear.”
    Tears began in Pahla’s eyes. She wiped them away with her sleeve, never exposing her hands. “Thank you.”
    The other three greeted Pahla happily. Each introduced themselves and explained how they had come to be on the Citadel roster, waiting for one to have the specialization needed to handle their particular talent.
    Kedna and Haedock sat and socialized with them; Ked explained the use of the null harness.
    Pahla asked, “Why can’t we just wear them all the time and go home?”
    The others murmured agreement.
    Kedna got to her feet and addressed them. “If you have a wild animal around you, do you cage it? No. It will claw at its cage and try to get out. The null harnesses are so you can get a good night’s sleep and feel normal occasionally . You can and will tear through its protection if your body has time to get used to it.”
    They looked like they doubted her. “Pahla, did I summon weather outside?”
    She frowned and nodded.
    With complete calm, Kedna opened her suit and released the harness, pulling it out from under the fabric. “I was able to use my talent around the null harness without any problem because my body has solved it. It keeps the mood surges down, but I can consciously get past the mechanism now without any problem.”
    Her novices looked at her with wide eyes.
    Recadd asked, “What use are they then?”
    Kedna sat down at the table again. “When I was little, my sister was a pusher. I don’t mean she knocked me over, I mean she goaded me into using my talent over and over for her entertainment. Her mind pushed at mine and my mind had no natural defenses. I had to be fitted with a bio-monitor because using my talent nearly killed me. My father is a healer, and time and again, he brought me back from the edge of death. If I had had this harness, or my sister would have had one, I might have been able to live my life with my family instead of going into fostering.”
    The rest of them looked at each other, no doubt remembering similar incidences.
    “I am not saying that the null harness would have ended my problems, but it might have bought me more time with my loved ones and some nights after I was separated from them, that was all I wanted.”
    “What happened to your sister?” Pahla asked her.
    “You picked up on that, did you? She was sent to Thoola Education Centre for girls. It is a