Ardulum: Third Don by J.S. Fields

Author:J.S. Fields [Fields, J.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2018-08-14T22:00:00+00:00

WITH EMN’S HAND in hers and a surprisingly heavy toolbox in the other, Atalant took careful steps down the curving hallway that led from the throne room to the unroofed Talent Chamber. The ceiling above them was still a network of bare joists spanning roots, but the walls were sheathed in plywood covered in a satin finish.

“Where should we start?” Atalant asked, eyeing the bare walls with distaste. “I suppose this counts as spending time together, though really, this could have waited until we returned.” Atalant sighed and released Emn’s hand. Surely the Eld had time for personal lives, right? Maybe Asth’s social calendar could be unearthed, and Atalant could discover the secret to liaisons. Maybe she just needed to schedule a vacation. “You saw the old tapestries. How long are they?” She set the box down and pulled out a piece of charcoal from inside. “Think just a line will do?”

Atalant expected a similar wave of disappointment from Emn, but the younger woman had clamped down on her emotions and merely pointed down the hall. “Before we begin, did you want to take a look at the Talent Chamber? The andal just finished growing the framework. It’s lovely to look at.”

The door was just beyond Emn, a thick glue-up of black heartwood held to the frame by iron hinges. “Talent Chamber” was carved into the front in lettering Atalant recognized as High Uklam, the traditional language of the Ardulan people—she’d been kind of studying it in the free time she didn’t have. Atalant wanted to go in the chamber and potentially relive the moment of her metamorphosis about as much as she wanted to eat raw andal. Admitting that seemed silly, since a change in don, or whatever it was called when it happened to a subspecies, was supposed to be a time for celebration. So, Atalant made up an excuse.

“I’d rather not. The silence of the hallway is already trying. The andal is so loud that, without background noise, it can be really hard to ignore it. I have a feeling that the Talent Chamber, if the andal is all in place, would be absolutely overwhelming.” Which wasn’t entirely false. The andal was a really irritating distraction, but it was constant. Atalant’s location didn’t much matter.

“I could block it for a while, if you’d like.”

The words startled Atalant. “Block what? The andal? You can do that?”

Emn nodded. “It wouldn’t be like turning off your telepathy, like Corccinth did. The andal could work its way through that. This is more… I can erect a sort of mental barrier in your mind to keep the sensorial information to the periphery.”

Atalant considered. The last time an Ardulan had tinkered with her mind, she’d ended up dangerously off-balance, both mentally and physically. On the other hand, having her thoughts to herself again—well, to herself and Emn—would be near blissful.

I’ll be careful, Emn reassured her. It’s only if you want. Some time to relax might be nice, for both of us. Emn straightened and looked Atalant in the eyes.

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