Marysvale (31 page)

“
Jane is the one to ask.
I’ve never had to block myself,” I replied.

Jane looked at me. “May I tell
her?”

I nodded.

“
When he just glances at
your soul, you can’t feel anything. It’s like someone overhearing
your conversation; there really isn’t any way for you to know. But,
if I remember right,” she said, while looking at me for
confirmation, “there isn’t anything too specific at that point that
he can see—just an impression of feelings and qualities, like if
you’re greedy, deceitful, mean, things like that. Oh, and he can
tell if you’re lying.”

She paused and waited for my
reply.

“
There is a little more to
it than that,” I said. “But that’s a good summary.”

My abilities had developed beyond that
since we were children, but I didn’t feel like getting into
explanations. Her general meaning was close enough. Besides, from
her description of my gift to Hannah, I had a sneaky suspicion that
she wasn’t divulging all she knew, in an effort to keep me in the
dark. She wasn’t lying, just holding a little something back for
herself (in fact, not so unlike what I was doing to her). The
problem for her was that I already knew what she was trying to
hide.

She could feel whenever I attempted to
read her soul, no matter how shallow. If Jane didn’t think I knew
that, then it could be used against me. For example, if she said
something, and I started to read her, she would know that I didn’t
believe her. It was probably her little way of keeping some power
over me….Oh, if she only knew the great power she already possessed
over me!

She continued, “When he starts pushing
deep beyond the surface, that’s when you can feel it. I suspect
that, unless you’re aware of what he can do, you still wouldn’t
know what it is…”

“
What does it feel like?”
interrupted Hannah.

“
I was about to tell you if
you will let me finish,” said Jane slightly irritated. She looked
up while she tried to think of a description.

“
Well?” prodded
Hannah.

“
You haven’t given me time
to reply!” complained Jane.

“
It’s just…he might be
reading my mind right now, and I can’t stop him!”

Mr. Wolfe laughed, and I grinned,
saying, “Got something to hide, do you?”

“
No, but it’s disconcerting
to think that someone else may be in here,” she said, tapping her
finger on her temple.

“
That is disconcerting,” I
said with a laugh.

“
Will you be serious? Do you
know what it’s like to be a young woman with all these thoughts
floating around?” she said, gesturing with her hands in some
cloud-like form about her head.

I had to admit I didn’t.

“
I don’t want things to get
out; you could tell someone.”

Then turning to her father, Hannah
asked, “Don’t you want to know how to block him,
Father?”

Mr. Wolfe replied, “It has been some
time, but I think I can remember how to do it.”

“
You mean I’m the only one
who doesn’t know how?” she asked exasperated.

Jane, now extremely annoyed, exclaimed,
“Will you calm down and stop interrupting? I’ve been trying to tell
you!”

“
Oh,” said a more docile
Hannah. “Sorry Jane, please continue.”

“
As I was saying, when he
digs down for specific or more meaningful information, you feel a
pressure inside your head. And when he tries for individual
thoughts, it’s painful, like a headache, except you can feel it
moving through your mind like a snake as he searches.”

I winced at the description. Jane
noticed and said, “I’m sorry, John; perhaps snake was too strong a
word.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “No matter, I
suppose you’d know better than I about what it feels
like.”

She smiled. “Yes, since you used to try
it on me all the time when we were children.”

“
How do you stop him?” asked
Hannah, still wearing an expression that showed she was somewhat
fascinated and mortified by Jane’s description.

“
It’s actually quite easy,”
Jane replied. “When you feel the pressure inside your head, you
push back.”

“
How do you push back with
your mind?” asked Hannah a little confused.

“
It’s easier to do than it
is to explain how it’s done. John, will you try reading Hannah, so
she can feel what it’s like and practice how to block
you?”

“
I’d rather not,” I said
dryly.

“
Oh please,” begged
Hannah.

There is something a little strange
about explaining to someone where you’re vulnerable. Hannah took my
silence as a concession and said, “Good, but you have to promise
that you won’t look at anything that you shouldn’t.”

“
Then don’t think of
anything you don’t want me to see,” I replied grumpily.

“
Don’t be angry. It’s
just…what if we become mortal enemies someday—like fire and water?
It would be useful to know.”

“
So you expect a knight to
explain the weakness in his armor?” I asked.

“
Well, it’s only in case you
go bad. I need to know how to defend myself.”

“
Are you sure you want
to?”

“
Yes, positive. Slither away
or whatever it is.”

I thoroughly disliked that
visualization, even if it were true.

“
In that case,” I said, and
without any further warning, I gazed through her eyes and leapt
into her soul.

I resisted the urge to rush in as
deeply as I could and teach her a lesson. Instead I floated at the
surface, trying to give her a chance to detect and get used to the
feeling. She was innocent and pure, and fascinated by what I could
do, if not a little jealous.

“
That doesn’t feel so bad,”
she said. “I don’t know what you were complaining about,
Jane.”

“
Just wait,” warned
Jane.

Then Jane beckoned me to press deeper,
and I did.

“
Oh,” she said.

“
Do you feel the pressure?”
asked Jane.

“
Yes, but it’s still not
very noticeable.”

“
Try getting him out by
pushing back against it.”

She did and things started to get a
little blurry and more difficult for me to see.

“
That was easy,” she
claimed.

I shoved back and descended
deeper.

“
Ouch,” yelped
Hannah.

“
Clear your mind and don’t
think of anything you don’t want me to know,” I reminded
her.

It bothered her to be thought of and
treated as the young one. She desired to be seen more as an adult;
thus the reason she was so insistent on being part of everything,
and to know what we know. She loved her sister, but felt a little
jealous of Jane, as she thought she was prettier. I disagreed.
Hannah was very pretty, just not as developed.

“
Hey, you tricked me! You
told me not to think of anything that I didn’t want you to see,
knowing that is exactly what I would think of!”

“
Then you learned a lesson,”
I said. “Even though I can’t dig around for whatever I want, it
doesn’t mean that I can’t trick you into thinking about what I want
to know. Sometimes it’s as easy as saying something like…Naehume,
who is he?”

Her mind floated and drew up the image
of Lord Wright, and then it flashed to a few other images of
different men.”

“
Interesting,” I mused. “Who
are they?”

Hannah’s jaw clenched, revealing the
stringy muscles underneath the skin.

Sensing Hannah’s aggravation, Jane
said, “Don’t get frustrated. Anger works in his favor; it makes it
difficult for you to control your thoughts. Try to think of
something innocent and remember, his tricks work both ways—you can
use them against him. Envision something that will throw him off or
upset him.”

“
Or,” I countered,
“something you did that was incredibly embarrassing.”

She rubbed her temples, trying to
alleviate the headache. I felt like doing the same—my head was
splitting; but I didn’t want them to know how difficult it was to
keep inside someone’s head. She was still gently pushing
back.

Another image floated to the surface.
Jane was sitting next to me. We were in the forest, in front of my
childhood home, and we were leaning towards each other, about to
kiss…

“
You watched!” I
blurted.

She giggled. Using the distraction, and
with a mental shove, she pushed me out and the images faded. I
pressed back, but she was ready for a fight.

With me out, she breathed a sigh of
relief. “You were right, Jane. Except it felt more like a snake
with its mouth open, waiting to strike at the next passing
thought.”

“
Will you two be so gracious
as to stop with the snake metaphor?”

“
Oh, sorry,” said Hannah.
“But it’s the closest thing I can think of to describe
it.”

Jane, noticing her father wearing an
amused look, asked him, “What are you smiling about?”

“
A memory from a long time
ago—when your mother was alive.”

“
What was her name?” I asked
curiously.

“
Abigail. But I just called
her Abby,” he said fondly. “When you were children, you two had an
exchange not so unlike this one. For a while, there was a
competition between you. You’d figure out a way to stop John, and
he would figure out some trick to get back in. You’d get so
frustrated that you’d cry.”

Coming to her sister’s defense now,
years later, Hannah scowled and spat, “How mean! You had such an
unfair advantage!”

“
Oh, it wasn’t too unfair,”
replied Mr. Wolfe moderately. “It was Abby who suggested that Jane
use John’s gifts against him—and she did, frequently. There were
times when John was so scared to walk back home that Abby or I
would have to accompany him, because Jane had conjured up some
sinister looking beast lurking out in the woods, waiting for him.
Or she would take something of his and, when he tried to find out
where she had hidden it, she would think of some far-off place, and
he would go looking there. On one occasion, she even thought of a
pile of manure…that only worked on him once.”

Hannah was laughing and beamed with
pride at her sister. Jane was blushing and staring at her
feet.

My jaw dropped. “You remember, don’t
you?”

“
I’m sorry,” she gushed. “We
were just kids.”

Mr. Wolfe chuckled, “Some things never
change.”

After the laughter had died down, Jane
turned sober and said solemnly, “Father, some things do
change.”

He looked at her quizzically, “What do
you mean, my darling?”

“
I mean, I believe it is
time for us to leave Marysvale. There is nothing for us
here.”

He grew serious and shook his head.
“There is nowhere to go.”

“
There is,” said Hannah
eagerly. “We can go to Sarah’s.”

“
No, no, I will not impose
on her any longer. Sarah has given more than enough, and I will not
go begging like a dog.”

“
You don’t have to,” replied
Jane. “Sarah wants you to come. She even ordered John to do
whatever is in his power to bring you there.” Then softly, she
added, “Father, do it for us.”

“
But it’s not safe living
out there in the open. We would be completely unprotected, and
there is no one to defend you, my daughters.”

“
I don’t care,” retorted
Jane. “I would rather live a short life out there and be free, than
slowly die here and be safe.”

He tugged at his beard, either in
contemplation of giving in, or trying to form another
argument.

Hannah, sensing weakness, kept up the
pressure. “Does it really matter? Either way we live in fear—fear
of the Brean, or fear of violence and starvation. I don’t think we
are really that safe here. Look around, people are afraid. Afraid
to talk to one another, afraid to do anything our leadership
doesn’t approve of.”

He looked at me. “Do you agree with
this, John?”

I thought for a moment, and then slowly
replied, “That’s something you three must decide. I promised Sarah
I’d do whatever I could to convince you to leave, short of force.
But it looks like your daughters have done a better job of it than
I ever could have. From what I’ve learned about Marysvale, I’m not
staying. As soon as I can figure a way to get out with our horses,
I’m leaving. I only need to know how many traveling companions to
plan for.

He got up from his chair and paced back
and forth. Finally, he turned to his daughters, “There is no truly
safe way out of Marysvale; it’s going to be a serious risk. You
really want this?”

They both silently nodded.

He turned to me. “Will you do whatever
you can to protect them?”

“
Yes,” I replied.