Mind Over Psyche (23 page)

Everything happened at once. Children screamed. Adults were knocked to the ground, one just missing the fire. Joshua heard a screech and Cochise came flying at him, claws extended. As he rolled to get out of his way, he heard a loud CRACK! A tree as large around as he was fell just where he'd been laying. He gaped at it a minute, then rolled back and huddled against it. There was no way to get up; the ground trembled—
like a hurt, living thing
, came the snatch of verse. He s
hook, too.

Then came a sound like out of his nightmare, a huge groaning, ripping noise, and he saw the ground tear into two. The rip snaked its way into the camp—right toward the young unbonded girl he'd me
t earlier.

“No!” Joshua yelled. He tried to crawl t
oward her.

The crack grew two, three feet wide. Steam rose from it. It sped right beside her. Under her. She tipped
and fell.

Her mother
screamed.

An animal cry joined her scream, and a large everyn dove into the rift. He rose, wings laboring, the girl in his claws. He skimmed the ground to a safe spot, lowered her, and curled protectively a
round her.

The shakin
g stopped.

The noise
silenced.

Everyone remained still, but when the ground showed no sign of resuming its wild dance, people rose. Some ran to others, embracing and reassuring those who were all right. The Bondfriend healer and Terry hurried to those who were injured, directing some of the men to carefully move them to a safer part of the camp. Others cleaned up the damage and rekindled the fires. To one side, the entranced girl was awake and aware and hugging her new everyn Bondfriend, while her family surrounded them,
rejoicing.

Shakily, Joshua got to his feet. Cochise landed on his shoulder. “Thanks, buddy. You can be my jailer anytime,” he said and rubbed
his neck.

Ocapo came running up to him. “Are you a
ll right?”

He still felt himself quaking inside. “Uh, yeah, thanks to Cochise. But down the trail—in one of the clearings—the so
ul-mates—”

Ocapo nodded. His eyes unfocused for a moment, then he grinned. “They're all right. Their everyn checked on them—they didn't eve
n notice!”

Despite himself, Joshu
a laughed.

Deryl woke up weary
and achy and not quite sure what he was doing in the middle of a strange glen. He sat up and started to run his fingers through his hair, but pulled them back with a grimace. His hair felt greasy and gross.

And you smell pretty bad, even for a human
, the uni
corn said.

Deryl blinked at him.
You
can telep?

He shook its skin in an equine expression of annoyance.
We already establi
shed that.

Deryl rubbed his temples. He didn't
remember.

It will come to you. Bathe and clean your clothes whil
e it does.

Obediently, but without much energy, he waded into the pool until he was knee-deep, then knelt until the water reached his shoulders. The cool water woke him up some. He pulled off his shirt and swished it around in the water. An everyn dove from a tree and took the wet garment
from him.

Thanks,
he teleped. He started to untie his pants but realized he still had on his socks and shoes. He backed up to where it was shallow enough to sit, removed them and his pants. Again, the everyn relieved him of his garments and draped them over a sto
ut branch.

As he ducked and rinsed and rubbed the dirt and sweat off his body, snatches of the past few days came back, sluggish and distant. The Remembrance.
Gardianju.

She loved me
, he thought, his heart clutched with grief and guilt.
She loved me and tried to help me. She even joined minds with me. And I didn't remember her! I didn't even know she
was there!

Are you certain?
The unicorn asked.
Think carefully.
See the past with
new eyes.

Then again, maybe he did. As he sorted through the chaos of memories from that first year at SK-Mental, he recognized times when he'd felt cared for, watched over, even loved.
Like I had a guardian angel.
He'd never said anything to anyone about it; sometimes, he'd thought it was the spirit of his dead mother, and there was no
way
he was going to say something so, well, crazy, to any of the psychiatric staff there. Neither had he admitted, even to himself, the feelings of loneliness when he didn't sense her
presence.

Was that when Kanaan was taking all her concentration?
he wondered. It hardly mattered; more important was that after her, his relationship with the Miscrias changed, so that when they Called him, they felt distant and impersonal. They demanded and he supplied, and none gave him the nurturing he'd gotten from her. Maybe he'd forced himself to forget becaus
e of that?

He walked onto the shore and found an everyn waiting for him, a bag of food at its feet. He unwrapped the contents: a gourd with juice, several of the fruits and vegetables he'd become familiar with—and a t
urkey leg?

From the Bondfriend feast
, it explained.
Joshua enjoyed them. We thought you w
ould, too.

Joshua!

Is Joshua all right?
He asked as he bit into the meat. Even cold, it tasted
wonderful.

He is with the Bondfriends. H
e is safe.

Why would he be in danger?
Deryl asked, then a rush of memory returned: Tasmae, wild-eyed and out of control, trying to choke Joshua while Leinad looked on, approving. Falling to her knees, begging for him to stop the voices in her head. Caught in the Remembrance. Fighting the death throes of
Gardianju—

It was his fault, all
his fault.

The drumstick fell from hi
s fingers.

He felt the unicorn bump him with his horn, and looked up to meet his large green eyes.
Tasmae will be all right
, he
told him.

How can you know?
Deryl teleped back. He didn't want blind reassurance. Too many times in his life, he'd been told things would be all right. Nothing
ever was.

This will be
, the unicorn affirmed.
We Beasts understand more than the Kanaan—or you humans. We know the Prophesies of Gardianju, and we know what is to come, far better than a
ny of you.

Then tell me!
He urged, but he felt a gentle refusal.
Fine! Tell me w
hat to do.

Tasmae is strong, and you, together, are part of what is to transpire. Trust in her strength, Deryl, and turn your thoughts to protecting o
ur future.

He couldn't think about the future. He had to protect Tasmae—and there was only one way to do that. Deryl stood and with his mind, called to him his still-damp clothes.
Take me to Joshua,
he demanded as h
e dressed.

The unicorn cocked his head back.
That is not a good idea. You are weak, vulnerable; you need to listen
to Tasmae.

He didn't care. He had to find Joshua, get as far away from Tasmae as he could. He'd contact her in the Netherworld, where she was saf
e.
Please?

The unicorn looked at him, then with a huff of resignation, allowed him to clamber onto his back. As they rode, Deryl fought back his fear as more of the Remembrance sorted itself out in
his mind.

No Miscria after Gardianju had ever dared communicate with him, just asked their specific questions and accepted his specific answers. They couldn't, lest they risk losing their sanity. None even tried—unt
il Tasmae.

I made her communicate with me. I made her go deeper into the Remembrance than she probably ever could have otherwise. And I, I let her touc
h my mind.

She was going to die, just like
Gardianju.

And that would be his f
ault, too.

*

Tasmae returned t
o herself.

For a moment, she simply lay still, letting herself grow aware of the pressure of the mat against her side, the dampness of her hair, the bittersweet sadness that lingered in her soul. She opened her eyes and glanced up at the Remembrance. It had closed its buds tightly and its fronds drooped as if exhausted by the experience, too. Exhausted, yet satisfied. At last, it had completed it
s purpose.

She understood. She had shared the life of Gardianju, and she understood it as no other Misc
ria could.

She smiled.
I am the Queen of Riddles—and Ydrel, the biggest riddle of them all. Of course, he was a mystery to the others. They knew him as Gardianju did, even less than she did. All knew Ydrel—but
not Deryl.

“Deryl?” She leaned up on her elbows and looked around. Where was he? She'd felt him there, at the end, holding Gardianju, holding her, reassuring them. Loving th
em.
Deryl?

Leinad knelt beside her.
Do you understand now? Have you learned the dan
ger he is?

She reached up, touched his cheek, felt his fear. Poor Leinad, dear Leinad. Like the Miscria before her, he didn't have all the information. He could not know
the truth.

I will explain all later
, she promised him.
First, I must find Deryl.
She stood, pleased to find she could do so without a
ssistance.

The healer moved to block her way.
First, you will do the
cleansing.

Yes. It would reassure Leinad and the others that she had recovered well. Besides, she should not be with Deryl like this. She nodded and meekly followed the healer to the baths where she could purify her body a
nd psyche.

Then, she would find Deryl and complete he
r purpose.

She shivered in ant
icipation.

*

Deryl looked at the unicorn field, frowning in doubt. Off to the far side, he saw a few unicorns grazing, but no people; the stable looked empty, though shadows hid some of it.
Are you sure Joshua is here? I don'
t see him.

Joshua will arrive soon. We will
wait here.

The unicorn walked to the stables, but stopped outside them. Deryl dismounted, his muscles grateful for the rest, but his mind racing to remember how he had teleported without actually teleporting now. He leaned for a moment against his ride. One thing was certain; he needed some food or he'd never have the energy to make th
e journey.

Where would you go
, Beloved?

“Tasmae!” Deryl spun and for a moment, stared at her in disbelief. It was her: a little tired, a little wan perhaps, but otherwise healthy and whole, and looking a bit smug. She was
all right?

Her expression vanished as she sensed his desperation.
Deryl
,
w
hat is it?

“You lied to me!” He turned to snarl at the unicorn, but he had moved off to join the others. Deryl twisted back to Tasmae. Every muscle in his body ached with the need to run to her, to pull her close, to press his lips against her hair. His mind yearned to t
ouch hers.

He stepped back. “Please! You have to stay away from me. We have to go back to the way it was, meeting in the Netherworld. You asking me questions. I can give you better answers now, and it's safer.” He stopped, and his misery morphed into surprise then anger when she tossed her head and rolled her eyes. “Don't you understand? I don't have a choice! I love you, and I won't do to you what I di
d to her!”

So, you do not understan
d, either?

He shook his head. He moaned. “Please. I can't hurt you. I
promised.”

Tasmae spoke slowly, stepping forward with each word: “I am not just any
Miscria.”

“G
ardianju…”

“She l
oved you.”

“I know.”

You
loved her.

His mind filled with remembered warmth, the pockets of hope in the mids
t of hell.

“She was my angel.” He felt a tear trace its path down his cheek. “And I
hurt her.”

“I am not Gardianju.” She removed the punch dagger from her hair and let it drop to the ground. She pulled out the pins that held the sheath in place, and her hair tumbled about her shoulders. Deryl shivered and his gaze flickered over her, marveling how it caught and held the light, drinking it in, rather than reflecting it. Despite himself, he breathed in deeply, and he felt his blood coursing hot through
his body.

“I am stronger than Gardianju,” She whispered, movi
ng closer.

“I know,” he whispered back. He swayed slightly. He felt himself falling into her eyes. She was so close, but he couldn't
back away.

“And you are stronger.” She murmured int
o his ear.

He could hear her slow intake of breath as she caught his scent, feel her gentle exhale warm against
his neck.

“You have conquered the demons,” She
whispered.

“Yes. No. Maybe,” he sputtered. He was having a hard time thinking. He wasn't sure what he was protesting. “Taz, there are things Gardianju didn't know.” Nonetheless, he murmured his warning against her ear. He reached up and caressed
her hair.

I know you, Deryl Stephens. I know you as Gardianju knew you and I know you as you are now.
She teleped the thoughts in sensuous waves as she teased his lips with her kisses. He felt his mental shields buckling even as his lips responded to hers and his hands hovered over
her hips.

She was so close. Too close. Not close enough. He could feel her mind flowing over his shields, making them pulse in time with his blood. He felt his desire growing into need.
Taz
, he pleaded, though he wasn't sure
what for.

She moved her hands over his chest, played her will over his shields.
I have solved the riddle of her life,
she offered.
Together you were strong enough to defeat death and madness. Together, we will be strong enough bring joy
and life.

“Yes!” He whispered and pulled her closer to him: body, mind,
and soul.

*

“You're sure this is safe?” Joshua asked as they emerged from the woods to the unicorn fields. “I mean, I know the beasts are on our side and all, but i
f Leinad—”

“Joshua, after what you did for the child, no one can consider you anything less than a friend. You are a mind healer!” Ocapo
insisted.

Terry nodded distractedly. He had focused toward the stables, where two figures stood
embracing.

“Let's not get carried away! That was probably a one-in-a-million…” Joshua's voice faded as he followed Terry's gaze and saw the two. “What? Is this the season?” He started to joke, then that mirth, too, faded as he recognized the guy's shoulder-length blond hair and the long black hair of the woman. “Oh, no. No, no
, nonono—”

“Joshua, stay calm,” Te
rry urged.

“This is
not
happening!” Joshua exclaimed and without even having to dig his heels into Glory's flanks, set her off at a fu
ll gallop.

He was not alone. Spot called out from above, and Ocapo pointed to a unicorn thundering in from the other directio
n. Leinad.

“This will not be good!” Terry moaned as he, too, took off at a gallop toward the obliv
ious pair.