“Fair enough. So… Did he drag you straight to the courthouse? Or are you planning a big thing?”
“He’s dead. So… I honestly don’t know what he was thinking when he asked. Or what I was thinking when I said yes. But it is nice to be able to tell someone.”
“Why can’t you tell anyone? He doesn’t look anything like the Avalanche people see on TV. You could totally bring him around your friends.”
“I can’t. They… I introduced Blacksmith to everyone. If they meet Av, it will get back to her, and he’s still not sure if she can be trusted. Plus, Hem would probably try to kill him and that would blow his cover and… I don’t really know what we’re going to do.”
“You introduced all your friends to The Blacksmith? And they were just like ‘Oh cool, hey’? And now you’re all friends?”
“No, stupid. I have this thing called discretion. I introduced her as the bartender at our new hangout spot. My friends are always dragging me out the Crossroads now. I think they like her more than me.”
“What’s her name?” Whisper’s brown eyes twinkled as he leaned forward. “I’ve always wanted to know, but her mental shields are crazy strong.”
“Good try.” I pointed my chopsticks at him. “You guys all trust me because I keep secrets. I’m not telling you shit.”
He sighed. “Fine. I bet you don’t keep secrets from Av.”
“I’ve never told him a name. He knows Hem and Weave’s because he’s a nosey busybody and overheard them telling me but that’s not my fault.”
“What? I don’t even know Hem’s name and he’s my best friend!”
I shrugged. “Clearly not, ’cause you don’t even know his name.”
“You’re an evil woman, no wonder Av’s obsessed with you.”
I grinned. “As much as I’m loving this conversation, can we get to the reason I’ve invited you over?”
“Right. Training. Let’s do it.”
Whisp spent an hour going over the basics of how his powers worked. He couldn’t exactly read minds, but he could invade them, then plant and remove thoughts. He had to be actively trying to slip into someone’s mind, so he didn’t just hear people’s thoughts. He looked relieved about that. I imagine I would betoo, hearing people’s inside thoughts sounded like a terrible time.
“Your mental shield is way too strong for someone who supposedly doesn’t have powers, so I’m definitely with Av on the ‘they’re dormant and waiting for you to need them’ theory. I’ve actually been dying to ask how you managed to get them so…secure.”
“Dunno.” I shrugged. “Even beforethe incidentI’d always had this nagging voice in my head likewhat if someone could you hear you thinking right now?So I just kind of pictured a wall around my mind. Once you started making headlines, I spent a lot of time staring at my ceiling building more walls, more layers. I really didn’t want anyone in my head.”
“Alright, let’s test if you can get into others’ heads. Close your eyes.”
I did.
“Picture your shield in your mind.”
I nodded, pulling up the mental imagine of my walls. When I’d first started building them, I’d pictured them as bricks. As time went on, I’d played around with it a bit more. Right now it was set up like a medieval castle with stone walls and a crocodile infested moat circling the whole thing.
“Damn, this is cooler than last time.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
“Okay, so now you’re going to focus outside the walls. Do you see any gaps or any bridges?”
I focused on the darkness, looking for anything that would let me travel outside my own mind.
“I don’t… Wait, I think I see something. It’s a bridge from inside the wall, though. Is that normal?”
“No. Where does it lead?”
I followed the bridge until I was met with a castle made of ice and snow.
“It leads to Av.”
