Tanyuin Academy Stories by Carly Stevens

Author:Carly Stevens [Stevens, Carly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carly Stevens

Chetana remained in Belik’s mind, buzzing there like a painless Sentry. She was with him when he ate, when he talked to other Masters, when he jogged, when he slept. Though he wasn’t a katah Master himself—more suited to strategy—he could mull on a problem long after many gave up on it. So he kept up his guard, deflecting all of her questions, and there were many of them.

After the first few meetings, they didn’t talk much, but she would confide in him and then ask about him. What did he fear? Who did he love? What was he proud of?

He answered nothing.

She offered nothing else.

The first woman who had declared katah on him had come in sheer dresses. He hadn’t needed to imagine what was beneath. Though he would physically respond, mentally she had no hold on him. Lust was pleasurable but not distracting.

Chetana was different. She never kissed or touched him. Maybe that was why he thought about her more insistently. She aggravated him, always holding back her ability in the Unreal. Clearly, she had Talent, but he wanted to see the full scope of what she could do. Instead, she asked about his family, his work, his home. It would be easier if she didn’t play coy but gave him something he wanted. This feeling that she and her Talent were always just out of reach niggled at his mind, despite the constant sense of her presence.

Three weeks had passed since their first meeting. Belik slipped into a light sleep, searching for Chetana. Their time would soon run out, but until then, he could uncover secrets about Original Plan, learn more about Talent users outside the Academy, and gain information about Gerand, who was a rising star among the Tanyu, though relatively unpopular. Always a good idea to gather intelligence on allies and enemies just in case.

Ribbons of bright, translucent color flowed like streams of water through the blackness of his dream, intertwining and flying apart. Red and green and blue and gold. Watching the patterns snake through the air mesmerized him into rest, even when his mind roiled with problems he had to solve for Sias. He floated with the streams, suspended among them. The air smelled rich and sweet.

Constant vigilance had been a feature of Belik’s life for as long as he could remember, but here, he was nothing, a mote in eternity.

“What is this place?”

Belik turned, slow and thick as water, to face Chetana, who floated too. All this time and she hadn’t shown him she could do that. His defenses snapped back up, natural as breathing.

“Nothing.”

The abstract dreamscape dissolved. In its place rose a series of red and gold platforms, arranged at intervals with walls strewn at random like a maze. The levels rose on tiny spindles so high that their bases disappeared into mist. Some platforms could barely accommodate two feet. Others stretched as large as a manor house. Above them, the sky glowed dark blue and mauve.

Belik and Chetana stood in

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