Curtain Fall Chapter 21

With her mind in a state of shock/outrage and relief Jill gazed around her. Her relief was from seeing that Carol hadn’t actually been seriously injured and shock and at the alien leader’s plea for mercy. Anarra still lay prostrate while Mridulae knelt a few feet away looking at her in confused awe. The remainder of the women had fled the immediate area.

Feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable with the woman groveling, Jill irritably barked, “Oh get up! I’m not going to turn you into a pillar of salt if you look at me!” With that Jill reached out and gently lifted Anarra into the air and set her down next to the other Brazilian. Ignoring the spike of fear in both women she continued after tightly shielding her unsteady emotions, “Alright, we got off to a bad start here so let’s try this again. Who are you people?”

With a quavering voice the woman replied, “I am called Anarra and she is Mridulae. I am the High Mother of this city and she is its first healer.”

The emotional flavor of ‘high mother’ led Jill to translate the titles as ‘leader’ and chief doctor. Jill replied, “Apparently I’m known by several names but you can call me Adrastiea. My companion is known as Carol. Now why on earth did you both attack me?”

“We. We originally thought you were one of our children; my niece called Asha. Children at her age would not be able to control abilities you seem to possess. She would be a danger to all around her. In order to save you, uh her from harming herself and others we would need to place limits on her ability to access those powers until she was emotionally stable.”

“Wait. Just how old is Asha?”, Adrasteia asked.

The two women leaned together and spoke quietly for a moment until Anarra turned back and answered, “I’m not certain our numbering of age would make much sense to you. It would be better to describe in terms of mental/physical development. Asha would be entering into a form of psychic puberty. A time when her abilities are first manifesting. It is also a time when her emotional stability is in a state of flux.”

Hearing this, Carol broke out in laughter. “You mean she is a hormone ridden teenager!?” She snorted and elbowed her lover, “That explains so much about you honey!” In her mind she pictured Jill as a pimpled teen, with all the highs and lows that they go through at that age.

Jill/Adrasteia looked at Carol, vexed, but turned back to Anarra, “I can assure you I am not a teenager. I’m almost 30 years old.” This brought shock to the face of Anarra.

“If that were true, in my people you would be a ‘pre-teen’ then. We have become aware that we Tarneerans live substantially longer than the humans. 4 to 5 times longer!”

This revelation shocked Jill to her core. If she had, as she thought, been thrust into the physical shell of a Tarneeran, Her new lifespan could be measured in hundreds of years! She asked how it was possible and after Anarra got feedback from the Chief healer, explained that females enjoyed an extended life due to their ability and need to draw life energy from others. Jill blanched when she heard this but was assured that this was a natural function. It was also why each adult woman was careful to have multiple paramours. In this way no individual would be taxed unduly.

Jill was not mollified by these assurances. ‘I’m a succubus now!?!?’ She already knew that she could feed on energy but she hadn’t realized it was necessary! She looked with fear and guilt at Carol. She couldn’t bear the thought she could ‘suck’ her beloved dry if she weren’t careful.

Carol saw the panic in Jill’s eyes and thinking quickly asked Anarra, “My lady, how many people are needed to keep you healthy? Two? Five? How many?”

A little puzzled at the question Anarra replied, “Usually four are bonded.”

Carol grabbed Jill by the shoulders and whispered fiercely, “Can we talk privately in your mind again?”

“I, I think so...”. Jill focused and they were in the white space again.

Carol grabbed her love in a great hug, “Honey, I know you are freaking out about this ‘energy siphoning thing’, but first, I’ll bet you it is a renewable resource on the donors part.”

“But..”, Jill gasped.

“And how many thousands are you drawing from now-a-days? Think of the pool!”

Reminded of that Jill began calming down.

Not done, Carol also reminded her of the clear links she knew her love had with a number of their friends.

Now chagrined Jill apologized for overreacting to which Carol joked that it was perfectly understandable as she was just a teenager after all. Jill broke out in giggles and brought them back from her mind space.

They immediately noticed that the two Tarneerans had become four who were clustered together talking to each other and watching the two of them. They stiffened when they realized that Jill’s full attention was now directed their way and they stopped talking amongst themselves.

It didn’t take an empath to tell that these women were terrified of what she might do and on reflection Adrasteia couldn’t entirely blame them so she vowed to herself to try to lower tensions a little. To start, she knelt down and gestured for Carol to do the same. She then looked at the leader. “Please would you sit and talk with me? I know almost nothing of you or your people.”

She could sense puzzlement from Anarra but she nodded and carefully sat across from them. She took a deep breath as Mridulae also sat and began, “Most know me as Adrasteia. I have other names, but that is what most know me as. I understand that I look very much like your niece, but that I suspect is a result of what we call the Curtain Fall.” Adrasteia paused for a bit and offered, “I fear that my mind and spirit were thrust into this form.”

Anarra could sense the regret that Adrasteia felt so asked, “Then what of Asha? Where is the spirit of my niece?”

Adrasteia shook her head, “I don’t know.” After saying that she could sense uncertain disbelief in Anarra and said, “If you wish I will let you examine me, but Mridulae’s experience seeing my mind did not go well for her.” The High Mother turned to her healer and asked a question. Immediately the healer placed an arm in front of the Mother as if to protect her and frantically replied shaking her head.

Adrasteia watched Mridulae try to dissuade the other woman wondered just how much her time the chaos that was Outside had changed her. She understood that in the time she’d frolicked in that chaos she’d changed but she still felt like herself. Didn’t she? She looked more closely at her hands and body. They looked as real and felt pretty much as normal as it had for over a year. But. But it almost seemed like a coat too. Like something she’d just slipped on. It felt like a favorite garment; not her. ‘What have I become?’, she wondered.

“My healer strongly advises against trying to touch your spirit deeply. She could not understand what she felt there.” Anarra paused and taking a breath herself continued, “But I must be certain. Will you let me look?”

Adrasteia’s eyes widened and she responded, “I admire your courage Anarra. I will allow it if you wish but will do my best to protect you from harm. I will warn you again, however, that Mridulae wasn’t comfortable in it.”

Anarra closed her eyes for a time and when she reopened them, she slowly reached her hands to gently touch Adrasteia‘s temples. At first she felt an impenetrable barrier, but then it faded and she pushed. She pushed into...

Light that was every color and yet not, sound that was deafening and yet paradoxically silent. She found herself in a place that had no direction, no up, down, forwards or back, just gentle and violent currents that pulled her spirit in all directions! She had no sense of physicality at all but could almost feel her identity being pulled and worn away. She could feel panic start to rise but before she could feel herself be extinguished she found herself in the white space Mridulae had mentioned.

As she grasped the body that had just come into being, she let out a small whimper and saw Adrasteia in the gown the healer had mentioned. “You are in a safe place now.” Adrasteia said softly. “Perhaps you should have listened to your advisor.”

With a hoarse voice Anarra asked, “What was that?!?”

“I believe that was my unshielded mind. A little much huh?” She looked down and scuffed her sandal. “I don’t think my mind works like your does anymore.” She looked at Anarra and asked, “Are you satisfied or do you want to try again?” At the blossoming of panic she felt coming from the Mother she quickly responded, “Right! Back home it is!” And with that both women opened their eyes in the real world as Anarra collapsed back into Mridulae’s arms.

Adrasteia remained quiet and leaned into Carol as Mridulae soothed and examined Anarra. At the same time the other two women, one that had stood by the ‘mother’, looked between the two who had been touching.

Charu, the woman who’d attended Turi at the nexus stared accusingly at Adrasteia asked, “What did you do!?” Before she could respond, however, Anarra raised her hand and answered, “Only what I asked, Charu. Only what I asked.” She pulled herself back to a sitting position and continued, “I offer my most sincere apologies, my Lady, for our offenses. We were gravely mistaken in our assumptions. You are clearly not my niece, what ever your form, and I ask your forgiveness again for what we tried to do.”

Sensing the sincerity of the woman Jill looked at the woman and responded, “I understand now why you acted as you did. We,” she glanced questioningly at Carol, “understand you were trying to do what you thought was right.” Adrasteia‘s eyes began tearing up then. “Now can you forgive me? I know that I killed some of your men. When, when I thought you killed Carol I lost control and lashed out.” She gulped and continued, “How, how many did I?”

Seeing the pain in Adrasteia‘s eyes once again confused and amazed Anarra. ‘This being is weeping for those she viewed as enemies?’ “Only 3 my Lady. While you injured many, only 3 have died.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she asked, “May I apologize to those I hurt? Is there anything I can do to help them?”

With confused wonder Anarra replied, “While there is little to do, I will take you to them.” Anarra stood and addressed those with her and explained Lady Adrasteia’s request. They were shocked but the fourth woman in the group spoke in response as they walked, explaining something and referring to Adrasteia repeatedly.

As the woman spoke, Adrasteia could feel the timber of the emotions of the women leading Carol and her change slowly from fear to amazement, to wary curiosity. She wondered what the woman was saying. As far as she knew, she’d never seen her before.

Shortly they were led into a makeshift infirmary. On dozens of beds lay men; many with what looked like intravenous feeds. Walking amongst them were several women. They carried themselves as doctors and were tending to these injured men. Two never strayed from what must be the most injured. At least that was what Adrasteia suspected as that group had the man who had been impaled by the spear. Seeing him provoked a strangled gasp from Adrasteia.

The sound attracted the attention of many in the room and they froze as they saw Jill. The strange woman who seemed to know her the turned to her and spoke in English, “Pease, my Lady, I am Itimori. I was one of those tasked to bring you here. I saw you at the ceremony in the human city. If you wish I will translate for you.” With Carol’s arm gently around her waist Adrasteia timidly nodded and she moved forward.

Slowly she moved from bed to bed, weeping gently and offering her guilt at how she’d hurt them. She continued until she reached those most severely wounded. There she stopped and watched the doctor hovering over one of the men and touching him with intense concentration. She looked and saw that she was pushing energy into the man. With shock Adrasteia realized that she was pushing the same energy that she had routinely given to Carol when they were Outside! She looked even more carefully and saw that she was doing this even without a bond connecting them. The transfer was possible without a bond?

Adrasteia turned to Itimori with amazement and asked her, “I see the energy flow from the doctor to the man. Your doctor, what is she doing?”

“She is encouraging the patient to heal. She is one of the few who can push as well as draw n’dmi me'a. Mind’s Light. You can see this?” The last was said with surprise.

“Yes!” Adrasteia responded, with a wild hope rising, “Almost since I was changed, I’ve been able to see it. More importantly, on more that one occasion I’ve fed this, ‘mind’s light’ to my lover! Doing so is easy with our bond. How does she do it without?”

After translating, Itimori and the healer both looked at Adrasteia stunned. The healer still skeptical asked whether she would demonstrate. She quickly nodded and looked at Carol who was standing by the entrance along with Anarra and Mridulae. With in a few seconds Carol frantically grabbed Anarra’s shoulder as she let out a moan of sensual pleasure and almost lost her footing. She brought herself under control and called out to Adrasteia, “Not that I’m going to complain much love, but what’s with the juicing?” Adrasteia gestured to Itimori and the healer standing open mouthed next to her while Anarra and Mridulae crowded around Carol.

The two next to Adrasteia stared in utter amazement. The healer spoke first, “She, she pushed n’dmi me'a to her bondmate. From a distance!!”

Itimori added, “I could see it! Enough power that the bond almost shone!”

The healer grabbed Adrasteia‘s arm with excitement and asked, “Can you do it to someone else? How about me?” Itimori continued translating.

Adrasteia was stunned by the eagerness she could feel coming from the healer and stuttered, “I, don’t know how. I’ve only ever pushed along my bond. Could you show me?”

The healer nodded excitedly and took Jill’s hand in hers. She paused looking at this being, “Ready?” When she nodded the healer closed her eyes and began to push.

Adrasteia suddenly felt something like the energy she got from the pool. It felt, tasted different though. As the healer pushed her trickle of energy she tried to understand and analyze the difference. They best she could describe was that it felt like it was a different voltage. It was as if humans used. 220 and the Tarneerans used 110. The act of 'pushing’ felt the same, only since there was physical contact she didn’t need a bond.

“Keep giving...”, Adrasteia asked as she watched how her body reacted to this unfamiliar energy. With only a little surprise she felt the energy absorb easily. It was as if her body was designed to accept it as much as human energy. ‘Maybe this body really was Asha’s...” she thought to herself with a pang. “Ok.”, she nodded. She looked at the two women standing by her. She frowned and said, “Your ‘Mind’s Light’ feels different from what I’ve used before. Until now I’ve only ever manipulated human energy. I don’t think your people can use it. If I try pushing, your body might not accept it. Do you still want me to try?”

The healer thought for a bit and called Mridulae over and quickly spoke with her. A conversation ensued with the healer growing more excited and Mridulae cautioning. The First Healer then called Anarra over and spoke to her as well.

Once agreement was reached Anarra told Adrasteia to try slowly, with just a trickle. With permission she lightly held the healers hand and began to very slowly push. At first the recipient expressed excitement but she quickly frowned and made less enthusiastic comments. From this Adrasteia concluded that human energy wasn’t tasty. ‘If only there was a transformer that could step the voltage up!’, she thought with frustration. She closed her eyes and focused on the how to change the frequency worrying and puzzling. ‘Damn it! If only I could mold this reality like I do outside... Wait, outside. Outside?’ She also turned to Itimori and asked for the healer to begin very gently pushing again and not stop. She then looked urgently over to Carol and called out, “Carol, I need you! I might need an anchor!”

“What are you talking about honey?” Carol asked with suspicion as she stepped next to her. “I’m not sure I like what you’re asking”.

“Trust me!”, Adrasteia replied earnestly imploring, “I have to see If I can help these people I’ve hurt. No more deaths...”

Feeling her love’s desperately aching entreaty, she scrunched her face and nodded, “You better be all right Addy. You hurt yourself and I’ll give you such a thrashing!”

Jill could feel the worry and fear mixed with grudging trust coming off Carol and her eyes glistened as she looked with love at her lover. She silently mouthed ‘Love you!’

Adrasteia moved a few feet to where she could have a little room and allowed herself to float into a lotus position. She then calmed herself and relaxed her hold on her body. Between one breath and the next she was free and once again floating Outside and floating in the glorious insanity of potential that surrounded reality. Once again without physicality she looked inside herself and focused on the flavors of the human and extra-human bonds. Without distractions here she could more clearly feel it coming from Carol and the flow from the healer. She compared how her being resonated a ‘sunny yellow’ with the human energy and how the Tarneeran light was a different color, an ‘orange shading to red’. Perhaps if she had an ‘optical’ filter that she could shine the human light through it the light coming through the energy could be shifted to the other. Mentally she created a prism that she fed the yellow in. Gently she changed the feel of the mental gem and watched the color of the shining slowly shift until it matched the Tarneeran feel!

‘I think this will work!’ She thought with triumph. ‘Now how do I bring it back?’ It wasn’t physical in the chaos. It was simply a mental construct. ‘If I hold tightly to it when I return hopefully I’ll keep the mental pattern required to translate the energy.’ Feeling ready she again put her body back on...

For the women surrounding Adrasteia it was about an hour and a half of again watching the body empty of spirit. The Tarneerans were quite unnerved by this. A small number of the more frightened of the women a suggested moving the body into a cell or even killing it. This was quickly shutdown, however, when Itimori related that Adrasteia had been seen by humans appearing as a disembodied spirit. In this spirit form she’d destroyed an actual building! Running the risk of becoming the target of her disembodied anger the suggestion found the idea firmly vetoed.

Then Adrasteia returned. Those around turned to her when they heard her make a small noise and then stared in amazement. There was now a small ruby gemstone embedded in her forehead! They watched her relax out of the floating lotus and move over to the stabbed protector. She paused and motioned for Mridulae to come and watch. When the healer approached with wide eyes, Adrasteia gently placed her hands on the man and closed her eyes. In a moment the gem started to gently glow an ochre red. The man moaned in seeming pleasure. She stopped and stepped back, gesturing at the bandage with ragged excitement.

Mridulae moved forward to carefully loosen the bandage. When she revealed the injury there was a collective gasp, The wound looked as if it had been healing for a couple of weeks!

Adrasteia smiled triumphantly and stepped to the next most injured. His trachea had been mostly crushed when she had attempted to subdue them all in her rage. Again she reached out and lightly touched his throat and pushed. He also reacted as if in great pleasure and his throat healed. This man actually awoke as she worked and when she was done uttered fervently, ‘A'mael fea!’ (Beloved Spirit!).

All told she healed the 6 most badly injured before she had to stop. By that time over a dozen more women were in the chamber watching in wonder. They had rushed to see when word of Asha, or the woman who looked like Asha, was with the injured had come out of the room. This woman, who had only a short time ago had fought the protectors and brutally defeated them was now healing those in most need!

Turi had also heard of this and had forced her way into the infirmary in time to see Asha heal the last patient. Turi still held onto the hope that her daughter lived and seeing the help Asha was giving gave strength to this hope. Surely an outlander wouldn’t waste the effort! She then watched what looked like her daughter reach out to the savagely beautiful human and using the woman’s help turned to the door. She watched her daughter look up, catch sight of her and freeze.

“Asha amin laito!” (Asha my baby!), Turi cried as she rushed past Anarra and the others, even as they tried to stop her. In but a moment she had crossed the distance and cupped her Asha’s face in her hands. With tears streaming from her eyes she let loose a tidal wave of her love. One that most in the room could feel even without trying. Jill stood frozen as Turi rushed to cup her face and then almost drowned in the love and joy she felt from this woman. Though she tried to shield herself she was unable to completely block this wave, giving more credence to the idea that Jill’s body had originally belonged to this woman’s daughter.

She just shut down as the totality of all the emotional upheavals of the last few minutes hit her: the exultation of her return to Earth; her burgeoning awareness that she was something totally unlike anything she’d known before; the attack and her fear that Carol, half her soul, had be killed; her rage and need for retribution and revenge; her guilt at killing and hurting the others through misunderstandings; her fatigue from the healings; and her guilt at knowing she really wasn’t this woman’s child proved too much and she simply fainted to escape.

Some time later Adrasteia slowly became aware of clawed fingers gently combing her hair and a wonderfully quiet swell of love and affection. She also realized she was laying in perhaps her favorite place: her head nestled in her lover’s lap.

“Welcome back my angel!”, Carol whispered. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve gone several rounds with Mike Tyson..” Adrasteia responded as the enormity of all that had just happened crept back into her consciousness. “Where are we?”

“After I convinced all those women to back away, with only a few cuts and bruises, they let me carry you to a quiet room. We’ve been here for several minutes by ourselves. It’s wonderfully peaceful and quiet here but I think they (and guards) are waiting outside...”

‘It is quiet here!’, she thought. She could hardly feel any of the psychic background she normally felt, and those outside weren’t making noise. She cast about and found some of those crystals embedded in the walls of the room. Apparently they acted as a sort of psychic insulation in the same way that sound proofing deadened noise. “By your calmness, I assume they didn’t try to do anything while I was out?”

Carol chuckled wryly, “Oh they backed off when I left that one lady bleeding when she tried to gather you up when you past out!” Seeing Jill’s eyes cloud with alarm she shushed her and continued, “Don’t worry! I accidentally grabbed the ‘mother’ a little to vigorously when I stopped her from taking you from me.” She clacked the claws on her fingers together. “She wasn’t really hurt, just a couple of minor cuts; but that convinced the others of what a bad idea it was to try to take you.” She leaned over and kissed her gently on the brow, “After talking amongst themselves they guided me here where they said you could ‘rest’.”

Jill’s face scrunched up as she thought of the ‘mother’, Turi. “Oh gods hun, how are we going to deal with Turi? How cruel it will be for her to accept that I’m not her daughter!”

Carol again kissed Jill’s forehead, “While they’re more quiet now, I overheard Anarra, Itimori and Mridulae all counseling Turi. Explaining things, I think. I don’t really know what was said cause they were using their own language, but they talked, loudly, for a long time. Eventually there was a lot of tears from a number of them and things quieted down.

A knock at the door. Jill sat up quickly as the door opened revealing another young woman she didn’t recognize. She entered looking down at the small basket she carried. “Excuse me, Lady Adrasteia”, the new woman offered quietly, “My name is De’elen. I was the second sent to bring you hear. The High Mother thought you might be hungry so they asked for me to bring you food and answer many of the questions you might have.”

Adrasteia guardedly motioned for her to come in. De’elen for all looking like a woman in her early 20’s carried herself like woman much younger. She timidly brought the food and prepared to present it when Jill noted a rumbling in Carol’s stomach. Grinning a bit at that Adrasteia called out, “Come, sit and share with us De..”

A little surprised at the familiarity Adrasteia assumed she started and sat. As Carol fairly lunged for the food the object of the palaces’ obsession began to talk.

“So you are the lamb sent to speak with me?”, she said with dark humor, “Why did you draw the short stick?”

De’elen’s face filled with confusion at the strange colloquialisms. “Lamb? Sh- short stick?”

Adrasteia chuckled, “I meant why were you chosen? Considering how afraid many of the others are of me, I wondered if you had earned someone’s displeasure.”

“Oh no my Lady! I think I was picked because I know the most about your people! I had to travel all the way to Al, beck, keurky.”, she stumbled over the name of the city. “You people’s ways are wonderously strange and it was thought that since I’ve been there and am closer to your, er, Asha’s age we might relate better?”

“How old are you and how old was Asha?” De’elen related that she was 120 years and that Asha was supposed to be 60. Adrasteia again expressed astonishment at the difference in aging between humans and Tarneerans. She learned that De’elen had only recently achieved her majority and had be thought she’d more easily be able to relate to the youthful mindset of the child they’d been sent to rescue.

And the mission had been thought in terms of a rescue as they’d expected Asha to be terrified and lost in an alien culture and world. As she spoke Jill was given a greater understanding of the people she was a guest of.

They were not militaristic and aggressive per se, but humans might interpret them that way. Because of their empathic nature they often had little understanding of privacy. They could easily understand the motivations of others, and they would act quickly on their understandings. She saw that this meant that individuals would often come into conflict and they would very often resolve it with battles of will, one empathic mind mind against another. Physical force was usually only employed if the minds were equal in strength. “Protectors” weren’t an army as such. Rather they were guards against the wild, and criminals. Their main weapon, the spear Jill had seen, was as much a badge of office as a weapon and was most often used as a taser against sentients. Only rarely would it be used to kill.

As for the powers possessed by sexes, De’elen explained that Females were blessed with their siren-like empathy. They could feel emotions and project. They also drew n’dmi me'a which strengthened their empathy as well as increased health and extended their life spans.

The males of their people had moderately powerful telekinetics albeit of very limited range. They were also quite passionate and possessed an an abundance of easily renewable n’dmi me'a. They also could use their telekinesis to project a personal shield that was quite impressive.

Jill nearly choked when De’elen casually offered her the use of one of the men standing guard for physical gratification and nourishment. She assured her she was fine and De’elen expressed bafflement both at her lack of need for Mind’s Light and her abhorrence of the prospect of sex with the man. In spite of this one issue Jill found she quite liked De’elen and could tell the feeling was reciprocated.

Eventually the topic of Turi was broached, and De’elen told the two that the High Mother and others had done all that they could to explain that despite appearances, the spirit that originally had resided in Asha’s body had gone and somehow been replaced by another. She wasn’t Asha. Apparently these efforts were only limitedly successful. It was obvious that Turi would have to see the truth for herself. With a heavy heart, Jill agreed that they’d have to meet.

After this, De’elen offered to give Adrasteia and her companion a tour of the palace. After assuring Adrasteia that her ‘healing’ of the Protectors had ensured that opinions had resulted in people no longer running away from her in blind fear, the three set out. They were escorted by the three Protectors who had been guarding (one was one of the men she’d healed much to her amazement).

“De’elen,” Adrasteia asked, “one of the men with us I healed. Should he be out of the infirmary?”

Their guide glanced back at the escort in question and smiling turned back and leaned towards her, “Oh he’s fine. You healed him completely!” She then giggled, “He asked for the duty. He really has.. How do you say has the ‘hots?’ For you.” Jill squeaked and glanced back in embarrassment. The man seeing her focus on him smiled very suggestively. Jill’s face turned bright red as she felt his interest and she quickly turned away. Watching the exchange Carol first snorted, then broke out laughing heartily. She leaned into her lover and chirped, “You Tramp! Femme fetale! Little Lolita!”, and then pealed out more laughter with De’elen sensing Carol’s humor and joining in as Jill gave a strangled sound and covered her face. Her blush grew if possible even more red.

They explored the palace and met many people in it. While extremely careful to not to offend, they were much more open and friendly than Jill or Carol expected. After some thought they realized it wasn’t surprising after all when the people they met could as often as not easily sense that neither Carol nor Adrasteia showed negative or aggressive emotions.

Jill and Carol were especially taken by the children. The ones who looked physically like children were refreshing in their honest curiosity. Their spirits were completely open and they made no effort to lie or lead one emotionally. ‘A real benefit of empathy allowing little duplicity!’, Jill concluded.

Also interesting if, to Carol and Jill bizarre, were the “children” approaching Asha’s age. With these their experience was more varied, however. Anarra and the others had not mislead them as these seeming adults had maturity levels more equivalent to human teens. On one painful encounter a ‘girl’ who had been a very close friend of the original Asha had some difficulty accepting that Adrasteia was not only a different person, but a true adult as well. They left the sorrowful and angry child in the hands of another woman who attempted to console her.

After a couple of hours they returned to the chamber Jill had awoken in. As they got to the door, a woman stepped up and pensively spoke quietly with De’elen. Her mood becoming more somber as well, she turned to Adrasteia and said, “Before we go further, I must warn you. Turi is here in the bedroom. She has been waiting to talk with you!”

Jill first paled and then reached out to Carol for strength. Carol enfolded her trembling lover in her arms and De’elen could easily feel the strength and love of the bond the two shared. ‘I don’t understand how, but no one can deny they share a true bond! No wonder she doesn’t need to partake of our men.’ As she watched silently, Adrasteia brought herself under such incredibly tight control that she could hardly sense any emotions coming off Adrasteia at all. Then after a meaningful look at her bondmate, she turned and slowly opened the door and entered.

Turi sat on the edge of the bed and jerked to her feet as she saw the woman who looked like her daughter step into the room. Anarra was also in the room and stepped over to her sister with a touch and a flood of love.

In rather broken English Turi spoke first. “They, they tell me that you not my Asha. But, but how can be?!?” Turi stepped forward to close with Adrasteia. “I can see little scar on your chin you got from accident. You were twelve!” Turi’s eyes had already filled and tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “Asha.. Lle caen il- kela amin ereb!” (Asha don’t leave me alone!) She almost fell into Jill’s arms and sobbed into her shoulder. Deep wrenching sobs that came from her deepest heart.

Jill slowly raised her arms to enfold the woman who had become an avatar of despair. She became blinded as her eyes joined Turi’s. As before she couldn’t effectively shield from the terrible pain flowing from this woman who had been this body’s mother; and it invoked a resonance in the same loss Gill had felt a lifetime ago. Jill knew and understood the feeling of loss and knowledge that something irreplaceably rare and wonderful was forever gone. Her rigid control broke as the older wounds of parents and Fiance´e ripped open and her own terrible pain joined Turi’s. Together their suffering freely flowed out to wash the room like a Tsunami.

Jill and Turi clung to one another, lost in a universe of grief. Jill was dimly aware of sudden gasps around them followed by shocked cries of sorrow and she almost felt angry that someone dared to feel even a pale imitation of what she and Turi felt. ‘No! This is ours!’, a small part of her mind cried as another part realized that their pain was hurting those around them. Jill moved her head to touch Turi’s and she pulled them both away from the others and into her mindspace.

The clung to each other and gave voice to the pain and loss they felt until exhausted they both wound down and found themselves laying against each other, their arms tangled. Turi eventually opened her eyes, sniffling, and realized she was laying on a featureless white plain. Her voice was still catching as she asked, “What is this place?”

Thanking all that was holy to be able to focus on something other than their pain, Jill fought soggy hiccups as she replied, “We were hurting others. My mate and your sister. I pulled us into a safe place in my mind.”

“We’re where?”, Turi asked, “We are in your mind?!? How?”

“A safe space. Mridulae taught me how to do this accidentally.”

“Why do you call it safe? And how are we speaking so easily?”, Turi asked.

Jill looked at Turi and then away. Over the last year, since the Curtain Fall, I’ve been changing. People can’t tolerate or survive seeing my mind and spirit anymore. I made this pocket they can understand. As for understanding, we are both speaking our own languages, but since we’re in my mind, our meanings transparently come through.”

“You really aren’t Asha are you?”

Jill sadly shook her head. “I’m sorry. I understand your pain. The loss of family.. A daughter. Parents. For me? A fiancée. All without warning. How can you cope?” She looked into the infinite and stared silently lost in thought a while. Jill softly continued, “I miss them you know? Everyday. I walk into a room, and see some Knicknack and I hear my mom laughing or my fiancée chiding in a joking tone. It’s really hard. You know?”

Turi touched Jill as she joined her in looking into the emptiness, “I have this little crystal that Asha had once. It was her first resonance stone. She was soo proud of it. She charged and shaped it so that I could feel her love when ever she left on a schooling trip so I wouldn’t get lonely...”. Turi then broke down weeping for a short while. When she quieted down again she said, “You loved them so much.”

Not trusting herself to speak, Jill simply nodded.

“I could feel it. They would be increadibly touched and proud of the love you hold for them.” Tentatively Turi reached out to brush her hand against Jill’s. “Thank you for understanding my pain. Know I understand yours as well.”

Jill made a choked attempt at a laugh, “I’m not your daughter. Nothing can ever truly fill that hollow space. But maybe, we can be friends who truly understand?”

In a weary but more firm tone Turi answered, “I think I’d like that.” She gave a very little smile and reached over and took Jill’s hand.

Jill turned to Turi and pulled her into an embrace as she asked, “Are we ready to go back?”

This time Turi simply nodded. “Ok, close your eyes.” Turi did and suddenly she felt a room full of people around them buzzing worriedly.

Turi, opened her eyes to see she was still surrounded by Adrasteia’s arms and she Quietly called out, “We’re alright folks. We’re back now.”
At her utterance the two women heard cries of joy and felt all those around them bathing them in tremendous relief. Anarra and Carol both crushed them in hugs with Carol swearing at them and demanding that they never ‘cut out like that again’.

The two both laughed rather soggily and promised. When they were able to look around they saw over a dozen men and women in the room. Amazed, they asked why everyone was there and they were informed that if they could there would have been even more. Apparently when the two first lost control they projected with such power that their grief was felt throughout the entire palace. Those closest had almost been rendered unconscious from the crushing despair. It had happened so quickly that they hadn’t even had time to close the door to activate the dampers! Then suddenly the waves stopped and when they recovered they found both Adrasteia and Turi had ‘checked out’. Their psyches were there but redirected somewhere. The two told them the decided to have a ‘talk’ so that they could begin working things out.

“I guess you did!”, Anarra exclaimed in a somewhat accusatory tone. Puzzled Both Adrasteia and Turi asked what the attitude was from when Carol lightly shoved her lover and demanded to know what she was saying. It was then that Adrasteia and Turi noticed that Adrasteia had been speaking in Tarneeran. Their eyes widened and when she looked at Turi she noticed a faint line connecting them.

Jill looked at the faint link and muttered, “eh amin aute! (Oh my God!) You’re shitting me!”