Shamara (30 page)

Rayna had often talked about karma, so Eirene understood the concept. She nodded, accepting that there was a reaction for every action in the universe. "Why haven't the Controllers come after your people?" she asked. "Your race is also highly advanced, and you have impressive powers. Why aren't you hunted and persecuted?"

"We have many abilities in which the Controllers would be interested. But we were more powerful than the Enhancers. They had been in the physical existence longer than we had, and thus had grown more enmeshed in the flesh. Their souls had split into separate male and female entities, making them more vulnerable to carnal desires. They could not mask their presence or evade Controller agents."

Phylos finished his tea. The cup and saucer vanished, and he folded his arms across his chest. "We have the ability to change our appearance, and to block all evidence of our existence. No one can find Aldon unless we wish it so.

"When it appeared the end of the physical experience was near for the remaining Enhancers, we agreed to safeguard their artifacts and equipment here on Aldon, in the hopes there would be a re-emergence of the Enhancer race. Now here you are, Lady Eirene."

"My presence means very little," she said dejectedly. "I have no control over my abilities. I must be spiritually weak."

Phylos leaned forward and touched her for the first time, gently patting her knee. Odd sensations sizzled through her. Looking down, she saw that the skin on his hand was translucent, glowing with energy. Maybe his altered appearance was why he kept his face shielded.

"It is," he said, obviously reading her thoughts. "The brightness of our bodies would be disconcerting to you. It is easier to communicate with others if they are not constantly distracted by our appearance. We can make ourselves look humanoid, but choose to wear robes instead.

"Now, let us discuss your powers," he continued. "Although you doubt yourself, you are completely normal for an Enhancer."

"That can't be," she protested, the memory of Rayna heavy in her heart. The pain was as fresh as if it had just happened. She had a vivid vision of Rayna laying on her crude pallet, gray and unresponsive, her life force draining from her.

"I find it hard to believe that it's normal for Enhancers to kill someone they're trying to help." Tears filled her eyes, and she looked away, battling for control. "Even if it's accidental."

A whisper of a touch grazed her right temple, issuing a gentle flow of warmth and reassurance. She blinked, realizing Phylos' palm was pressed against her face. Feeling no alarm, only love and acceptance, she remained still.

After a moment, he drew back. "I have observed your troubling memory. I apologize for the intrusion, but I felt your distress and sensed it was holding you back from your heritage."

"I don't think I should be using my powers if they cause harm," Eirene told him.

"It would be impossible for energy that is channeled with love and the desire to heal to cause harm. However, even the strongest, most positive energy cannot hold a soul that is ready to leave the physical plane."

"I don't understand."

"Your memory showed me your great love for Rayna. You tried very hard to heal her. But her time was at an end. Her body was worn down and her soul ready to depart. It had already lingered much past the call to be united with the One, because she was unwilling to leave you."

He was right about Rayna lingering. She had held on for cycles, with a tenacity incongruous with her frail, diseased body. Eirene had been reluctant to use her powers at first, knowing she didn't have good control of them. But Rayna's suffering had spurred her to try. Then the unthinkable had happened. Moments after Eirene channeled energy into Rayna's body, her mentor drew her last breath.

"You did not kill Rayna," Phylos insisted gently. "Your energy gave her the strength she needed to accept the inevitable and release her soul from the body. You could not have halted her passing, no matter how skillfully you might have applied your powers."

Could he possibly be right? For the first time, a tentative hope bloomed inside Eirene. "How can I be sure?" she asked. "I know so little about energy and healing."

"All young Enhancers need time and practice to learn how to properly channel energy. But there is more to it than that. They need to be grounded by other Enhancers."

"Grounded?"

"Yes. Enhancers always worked energy in groups, preferably in numbers of three. They grounded each other and created a circle for the energy, thus giving them much greater control. You see, when you channel energy by yourself, it comes from the universe into you. Then it moves from you to the object of your channeling. As it leaves you, it can become dispersed, and thus much harder to focus.

"With two other Enhancers, the energy is drawn into one person, flows through a second person who can temper it if necessary, goes into the object of the channel, then back into the third Enhancer, who returns it to the universe. It can't become diffused, and should there be excess energy drawn in, it is harmlessly redirected by the three workers. There is always more strength in numbers."

His words made sense, and with startling clarity, Eirene could see how some of her attempts to use her powers had resulted in too little or too much energy. For the first time since Rayna's death, the huge burden of guilt eased from her soul, and she felt a sense of relief. Maybe she wasn't truly inept. Maybe she just needed more experience and grounding. But that could never be achieved, since her kind was virtually extinct.

"Then I still can't safely use my powers," she mused, "because I have no way to ground myself with other Enhancers."

"This is a valid concern," Phylos agreed. "But it still might be possible for you to help Captain san Ranul. You see, the spheres that will open the wormhole and navigate it are operated by Enhancer mind energy, which amplifies the internal power source already in the sphere. The sphere will act as a ground for the Enhancers using it, so that the energy can move in a continuous circle, thus creating the power the sphere needs for operation."

So you're saying the sphere will ground me?" Eirene asked, her excitement rising. "I can safely operate it and help the Shielders?"

Phylos hesitated. "Yes, the sphere will ground you. But it was designed to be operated by three Enhancers. I am not certain if a sole Enhancer can activate it."

"I could try, couldn't I?" she persisted. "I couldn't blow up anything or cause any serious damage, could I?"

"No, with the circular pattern of energy between you and the sphere, there could be no overflow."

"Then I have to try. I need to help the Shielders find that wormhole," she said, more to herself than to the Shen leader. "If Spirit gave me this ability, it would be wrong to turn my back on such need."

"You are very wise, Lady Eirene, that you recognize such an important truth. However, I fear you won't be able to fully utilize your powers on behalf of the Shielders until you resolve your feelings toward Commander san Ranul."

"I don't know if that's possible, Phylos."

"Because he killed your father?"

She was no longer surprised that the Shen knew so much. "Not completely. I truly don't believe Jarek is a cold-blooded murderer. But … my father…I feel so wounded inside. I'm not sure I can forgive Jarek, at least not yet. I need more time. Yet I can't blame an entire race of people for the actions of one man. Isn't it enough to want to help them, if the equipment will balance my powers and ground me?"

"Negative emotions require more energy than positive ones. I'm afraid your feelings toward Jarek will be a strain on your powers."

Eirene felt like she was navigating a mine field, trying to balance her need to retreat and find healing against the desperate plight of Jarek's people. Why did this have to be so complicated? "I can't make the pain I feel go away."

"You might be able to change your perceptions, Lady Eirene."

"How can I change my perceptions about the fact that Jarek killed my father?"

"Are you willing to face the truth?"

She hesitated, unsure she could handle any more emotional surprises. "I don't know."

Phylos rose. "I think you are stronger than you realize. Come with me to the temple. We will meditate together in the Chamber of Truth. Perhaps you will get your answers."

She almost refused. But that nagging inner voice chided her for her cowardice. She was tired of not being in control, of not moving ahead and creating her own destiny. It was time to take charge of her life. She'd already proven she could withstand emotional and physical pain. Facing the truth couldn't possibly be any worse. Could it?

*  *  *

The energy in the Chamber of Truth was even more intense and unsettling than it was in the rest of the community. Large granite half-spheres mounted along the walls of the chamber resonated with power.

"They are magnetic, and conduct the energy of the One," Phylos explained, again sensing her thoughts. "That is why we use this chamber to seek guidance, as all truth comes from the One."

Eirene's heart pounded, and her chest was tight. But she'd come this far, and she was determined to learn as much as she could. She settled on the crystal bench beside Phylos and followed his instructions to close her eyes and inhale deeply.

"Focus on your breathing," he said. "In your heart, hold the questions to which you seek answers. Think of nothing but your breathing, your questions, your breathing, your questions…"

Breathe in, breathe out…What answers did she seek? Breathe in, breathe out…
Spirit, I'm so confused, I don't even know what to ask. Please show me what I need to know.
Breathe in, breathe out. In, out…

Her surroundings blurred, and the bench and the chamber faded away. White wisps swirled in a gray mist. Energy tingled up her spine and spilled over onto her forehead. There was a burst of brilliant white light, then—

Screaming. Awful, horrible screaming. Utter terror, spurred on by the explosion of weapons, the stench of burning flesh, the blood, and the unceasing screams. People running everywhere, women scooping up small children and tiny babies, men brandishing small, ineffectual weapons against rocket launchers and laser rifles. Antek troops moving forward, blasting in a wide arc, killing everyone, everything
—
men, women, children, and animals
—
in their path. Except for the women they raped before they killed them. But eventually, every living thing was cut down like morini grass. Until the screams finally stopped…

She didn't want to see this, didn't want to know who these people were. Eirene struggled to block out the scene before her, then blessedly, it changed.

Turlock
—
it was Turlock, the same man who had attacked Jarek's ship outside Elysia. He strode down a corridor of what appeared to be a ship and entered an ornate council chamber. He tossed a large bag onto the table. Coins clinked inside the bag with the unmistakable sound of gold.

"Here it is, Kane," Turlock snorted, slobber drooling from his snout. "Part of the five thousand miterons the Controllers paid. The rest are in the corridor."

"So they verified it was indeed a Shielder settlement?" said a smooth, cultured voice.

The man's face came into view: unlined skin, almost youthful in appearance. But the neatly trimmed gray hair and beard betrayed his age. The cold, emotionless eyes hinted at the lack of a soul. He looked strikingly like Vaden, only more polished and sophisticated.

Galen Kane. Her father.

"Oh, yeah, they verified it, all right," Turlock chortled. "They've already destroyed the entire colony. Gave us an extra miteron for every Shielder they killed: two hundred and twenty more miterons."

Eirene tried to pull back, to cry out her denial. He father would never do anything like that! Never! She didn't believe it. She didn't want to see any more. But the scene moved forward, inexorable, unyielding to her denial and her attempts to withdraw.

Jarek was standing in a clearing, his gun trained on Turlock and another man, both lying wounded on the ground. It was as if Eirene were inside Jarek's mind, knew all that he was thinking. He could easily kill either man, but his objective was simply to keep an eye on them, while Sabin dealt with Kane.

A man faced Sabin, with his back to Jarek. Although she could only see the man from behind, Eirene knew, through Jarek’s thoughts, that it was her father standing there. Jarek waited watchfully, observing the conversation between Sabin and Galen.

"You sorry son of a bitch!" Sabin said furiously. "You didn't have to hurt these women. You enjoy killing, don't you?"

Eirene's father shrugged. "Self-defense."

Self- defense? Her father had shot women, and was claiming self-defense?

Just then, a shout came from the woods behind Jarek. "Hey, Travers! Thanks for holding my bounty for me."

Eirene didn't recognize the voice, but it didn't seem important. What mattered was that her father took advantage of Sabin's momentary distraction and swept up a laser rifle lying on the ground. He swung the weapon toward Sabin and fired. Sabin dropped and rolled, raising his weapon toward Kane. Jarek reacted instinctively, bringing his gun around and discharging it toward her father.

No, no! Father!

Sabin had gotten off a round as well. Her father lay face down on the ground, a wound from Jarek in the back of his head. Sabin rolled him over to reveal another wound to his heart. Either would have killed him.

Jarek felt no sense of triumph, no joy in what had just transpired, only the grim knowledge he'd done the only thing he could do, under the circumstances.

Her father was dead. Her father…

"Lady Eirene! Are you all right?" A hand on her shoulder shook her back to reality.

She found herself kneeling on the granite floor in the Chamber of Truth, tears on her face. Phylos knelt opposite her. "Are you all right?" he asked again.