A Path of Branches by Joe Luegers

Author:Joe Luegers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: epic fantasy series, fantasy book for teens, science fiction for teens, book series for teens, book trilogy, joe luegers, the mindbridge trilogy
Publisher: Joe Luegers

Chapter Twenty

The Idea of Water

Monhegan Island, Gaia

Waves crashed endlessly against the rocks of the shore, the sound helping Kaija calm her noisy mind and hone in on the mental realm. Not helping her focus, however, was Maeryn’s arrival a second later.

“It’s not going to work!”

Kaija climbed onto a rock and squeezed her eyes shut. “Not if you keep interrupting me.”

“Do I really need to remind you about how the mental realm works? It’s a malleable plane of reality where the thoughts and ideas of seven billion people take shape. With you tethered here to your body, the mental realm conforms to these same physical dimensions. Since we don’t know where Jasper is, you’ll be navigating a shifting labyrinth the size of the planet. You’ll drain yourself in less than a minute, and then we’ll be stuck here for another day while you recharge.”

Kaija scrunched up her face in concentration. “You always assume that I’m dumb. I’ve thought this through. I’m going to detach my consciousness and fully immerse myself in the mental realm. The physical dimension will dissolve, and I’ll be able to find my dad just by thinking about him.”

“That’s, um…” Maeryn hesitated. “That’s worse. That idea is so much worse than what I thought you were doing. You do realize that—”

“—that my mind can get lost and never make it back to my body?” asked Kaija. “I’ll become a dislodged consciousness, drifting through people’s memories, dreams, and ideas for all eternity until I forget who and what I am? Trust me, this wasn’t my first choice.”

“But—”

Kaija shot her a fiery look. “Do you have a better option? Going to the mainland doesn’t seem like such a good idea anymore, does it? Or, maybe we can just wait here and do nothing while Fain gets tortured, Kai suffocates, and the Western Blaze kills a few thousand more people with your dad’s machines. Which would you prefer?”

Maeryn blinked away the tears in her eyes and just shook her head.

“Exactly,” said Kaija. “So are you going to keep making this harder, or are you going to give me what I need the most right now? I need your trust, Maeryn, because I’m about to trust you with my life. If something happens while I’m gone, you’ll need to defend my body. And if I get lost in there, you’ll have to use our mindbridge to pull me out.”

Maeryn climbed up onto the rock and wrapped her arms around Kaija.

“I don’t want you to throw me into the ocean,” she said, “so I won’t apologize. But I will say that you’re crazy to trust me so much.”

“I know. But hey, look on the bright side. If I don’t make it back, then you can just have two bodies. Heck, ditch yours and use mine from now on! Your brain, my muscles? You’d have it all. I mean, you’re a genius, but I’m taller, in much better shape, way more attractive, and that’s not even mentioning—”

“Okay, don’t make me hope.”

They forced a smile at each other, both wishing they could laugh, but both not quite finding it in them.

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