Page 105 of Tides of Shadows

“And if I fail?”

“Then we pause, and try again.”

I closed my eyes.

I heard the roar of waves. I stood upon the cliffs near Thalrock in the heart of a storm. I raised my hands toward the heavens, and Minerva stood beside me like a shadow. The sea was me, and I was the sea. Upon the waves the last ship struggled to reach the harbor.

“Please, stop,” I said, opening my eyes.

“Once more,” she replied gently. “You cannot be such an open book. When you feel another presence, you have to shut it out. Stop it. During your nightmares, were you able to flee?”

“At times. Toward the end, less and less.”

“How did you do it?”

“I sank into the water. I drowned.”

“Good. Perfect. Then let us drown,” Mina smiled madly.

I closed my eyes again.

A cliff in a storm. The rain was falling harder. I was already on my knees. There was no ship. Just me in the rain. I hesitated. I stood up and jumped off the cliff, falling into the foam of waves. But beneath the water, it was quiet and peaceful. I floated in the darkness that enveloped me. I was alone. Minerva was no longer with me.

I opened my eyes.

“Good,” Minerva said. “Very good. A new memory.”

I closed my eyes once more.

This time I saw my chambers in Thalrock. I wanted to forget that day. I was not ready. I did not want this. Rickson’s hands on me. Then his cruelty.

“Please, can we not…” I whispered, lowering my head.

“I take no pleasure in this,” she answered softly. “But you must learn to stop it. This remains between us. There is no other way to train it. But we may end here for today. We will just prepare you more for the night.”

She rose, walked around the chair, and stood behind me. I felt her hands upon my face. I knew what was coming. I gripped the arms of the chair, my nails biting into the wood.

The dark haired man in my mind screamed with all his strength, however his voice was distant. Farther and farther away. I heard the laughter of his sister. I felt as if someone were tearing out my hair by the roots.

Then the pain broke. I sat in the chair, swaying. I touched my nose and saw blood on my fingers.

“It happens,” Minerva said calmly. “It has been a long time since I last worked so deep. Hot tea will mend it. You may go.”

I could not rise. I felt bruised and hollow.

“How shall I defeat them,” I asked in a low voice, “if I cannot even defend myself here.”

“Oh, my dear,” she smiled under her breath. “You may not realize it, but there are very few people in the entire Dominium who could turn your mind to scrambled eggs. And lucky for you, I’m one of them. You’re doing well, better than Aidenar.”

“Aidenar went through this as well.”

“Of a sort. I didn’t have to cleanse him of the Plague. But before I sent him to White City, I taught him how to guard his thoughts. Sofia went through the same.”

“What is the nature of your power? Is it still air?”

“Not all things are simply black and white. Your gifts are strong and obvious” She smiled faintly. “Does your mother possess a gift?”

“It is hard to say. She has visions, she senses things.”