Flashes
Even in a coma caused by
a skiing accident, the power of Shalyn's mind couldn't be disguised.
But her parents had never told her who she was, where she had come from.
Or the hope riding on her. Could she discover the truth within herself
before the Yannoneth Hunter found her?
"She's had a severe blow to
the head. A major concussion. I don't want to alarm you, but there's just
no way of telling how long she'll be in the coma, or even if she'll ever
regain consciousness. I'm sorry."
A doctor's voice obviously. I wondered who they were
talking about. Silly me, why not just open my eyes and find out? I did. At
least I thought I did. The angle was kind of funny. Like I was looking
down on the room they were in. A waiting room. I could see my dad and mom
talking with the doctor. Dad was holding Mom. She was sobbing. Dad was
trying not to cry.
A memory seemed to drop into place. Skiing with
friends. A fall. A rock. Oh...
The Yannoneth Hunter Segrineth stopped dead in the
corridor of the Center. His companion knew enough not to move or speak. No
distractions would be tolerated. Segrineth had sensed a new eddy in the
g'ru'tnok. An Awakening of course. But not like any he had encountered in
the past. There was little of Yannoneth in the feeling, but there was more
than just humanity. The feeling flickered out. Not long enough to locate.
But he was aware now. He would be ready next time...
Hmmm. Okay, so it's me they're talking about. And
I'm not dead. I wonder if this is one of those near death experiences they
talk about? But that didn't seem right either. And shouldn't I be
panicking right about now? There was a nagging little feeling in the back
of my head that I decided to follow ...
"Yes Shalyn?" I liked my Guide. She was always
willing to help sort out the challenges that I had mastering the g'ru'tnok
energy. Her patience was amazing. "And why shouldn't I be patient? We
have, after all, all the time we need or choose. And you are unique you
know. The first of Danaerea to be born in aeons without the d'na'tnek. We
are so dependent upon the inherited memories in our genes that it is hard
for us to understand your experience. Hard for you as well I think."
"Broadcasting my thoughts again, huh? Sorry. Yes, it
is hard Chensholah. I seem to have all of the other abilities people have,
but I have no memory. Well, no memory besides my own that is."
"And so you must learn each skill on your own,
without the knowledge of your ancestors. That's something no Danaerean,
even delving into the oldest of the d'na'tnek, can remember having done.
Which means that as you learn so too do we. This is a unique and wonderful
thing."
"You wouldn't think so if you were the one who just
crushed a delicate Ishnock vase by using too much g'ru'tnok to lift it."
The images faded. Was that a real memory? How could
it be? That wasn't me. What the heck was Danaerea? G'ru'tnok? ...
I was back in the waiting room with Mom and Dad. The
doctor had left. Dad was trying to reassure Mom. "Shalyn is strong Mary.
She always has been. You know that. She'll get through this. We'll get
through this. We'll set up round the clock bedside watches. You, me, my
brothers, our parents, her friends. She'll never be alone. She may not be
able to tell us, but I know she can hear us. I can feel her. She's going
to wake up."
Mom hugged Dad hard and smiled through the tears. "I
can feel her too. I didn't want to say it because I thought you'd think it
was just wishful thinking. But you're right. We have to make sure she's
never alone. It's so strange. I only half believed what he told us years
ago. And now, here we are. At least we know what to do."
Huh? What? He? He who? ...
I was lying back in the sweetest, deepest heather I
had ever known. High overhead the full moon glowed in the sky, so bright
that the stars were barely visible. Almost too bright to make out the
lights of the Project where g'ru'tnok was channeled from Danaerea to
Yannoneth. As it had been for tens of thousands of years. Yannoneth's
lifeline. A gift from the parent to the child.
The Flow was invisible of course. But I could sense
it. A great ribbon tying two worlds together across space.
"Will you stop paying quite so much attention to
that big ball in the sky and pay a little more to me?" I turned at the
teasing voice to look into the eyes of my companion, TorN'ree. He was
cute, and he was an accomplished lover. Which of course made sense when
you had an endless number of experiences to draw on. I leaned over and
kissed his nose, rolled back to stare upward again. "Why don't you see if
you can find some way to distract me", I laughed...
Segrineth was annoyed. He'd sensed the Awakening
several times now but each time he thought he had it located, he found
himself at a dead end. He now knew that it was a female, young, even by
human standards. And powerful. Very powerful. She would be a valuable
addition to the Yannoneth cause. If he could find her.
Someone was interfering...
Don't miss the next episode - come back soon!!
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