Born Of Fire And Darkness by Drummond India

Author:Drummond, India [Drummond, India]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Epic Fantasy
Published: 2015-04-27T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Octavia felt both grateful and embarrassed at the loss of three days. The outcome could have been catastrophic. Without Sen Betram’s help, they might have been gone for months. Without intervention, they might have starved to death.

She muttered under her breath, and Betram chuckled in response. “I understand how you feel,” he said. “Once I cut too deeply in a seeking ritual and I fainted in front of one of my community members.”

When she tried to stand again, he motioned for her to stop. “You should sit for a while. Lying down would be even better.”

“I’ve been lying down for days,” she snapped, then quickly added, “I’m sorry. I’m frustrated with myself.”

“Your anchor didn’t hold,” Betram said, not looking at Octavia.

“We went too far,” she said, feeling defensive. Any trainee knew the principles of how to separate mind and body, though not all of them could attain it. When the skill was taught, students were drilled incessantly not to go too far and to use a stable anchor. Korbin had served as such an anchor before with good success, so she’d never dreamed they would have a problem if they tried again.

Something had been different this time. She cast him a sideways glance, noting his worried expression. She wondered if he knew or suspected what had gone wrong.

“How far?” Betram asked.

Octavia was grateful for his help, but wary of the pointed question. She didn’t want him to assert himself as her superior, even though he was technically within his rights to do so, nor did she want to deal with a power struggle should she resist his claim.

Korbin sat in reflective silence. Seeing his mother must have been a shock. To avoid Betram’s question, she asked, “Are you all right?”

He nodded. “Cold.”

Betram went to the bed and pulled off a thick blanket. “That’s to be expected when travelling. The return can be jarring and it takes a while to adjust to the physical body.” He put the blanket around Korbin’s shoulders. Meeting her eyes, Betram added, “The further the journey, the more difficult the transition.”

“My mother…” Korbin’s voice trailed off. “It seemed so real.”

“You viewed your mother?” Betram asked, his eyes sharp.

“I spoke with her, yes.”

“The anchor mustn’t seek,” he said. “Senne Octavia should have taught you this.”

“I didn’t seek her. She was just there.” Korbin looked muddled and confused.

“Where was she?”

“I don’t know that place. It was strange. Everything kept changing.”

Not wanting Betram to know what they’d been doing, Octavia interjected, “We should get word to your father. He will have been worried.”

“Is that what the afterlife is like?” Korbin asked in a dazed tone.

Betram’s mouth snapped closed. “Your mother is dead?”

“Yes. For a long time.”

Octavia pressed her eyelids shut. Why did he have to be so chatty, now of all times?

“You know better,” Betram hissed at Octavia. “To seek the dead is an abomination. What is your purpose in these unorthodox methods?”

Octavia bristled. Her instinct was to tell him it was none of his concern, but hadn’t

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.