The Power and the Glory

Book 4 Chapter IV: Abi and Ilaran

Author's Note: The chronology is a mess and chapter one should really be part of this chapter. Hopefully it's not too confusing!

Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? -- Job 38:17, KJV

Abi woke up feeling simultaneously better and worse than when she'd gone to sleep. On the one hand Ilaran had confirmed that he believed Lian's story. On the other, she now had to deal with the fact that she and Ilaran were somehow telepathically linked. Then of course -- she almost thought "on the other hand" again, but then she remembered she'd run out of hands -- there was the possibility that Lian was possessed and might become a monster like the parasite -- or that he had been possessed at some point in the past, and in that case who had exorcised the parasite? Unless they were a phoenix immortal too, Abi sincerely doubted they'd destroyed it as thoroughly as she had.

For several minutes she lay still, trying to wrap her mind around the chaos of recent events. A sliver of doubt wormed its way to the front of her thoughts. Had she actually met and spoken to Ilaran telepathically or had that been another dream? Had everything, Lian included, been a dream?

At the back of her mind she could feel a faint telepathic presence. It was so distant that it took her a while to notice it. At first she mistook it for her aunt somewhere else in the palace. Then she realised that it was something different. Curiously she reached out to it. Her telepathy brushed against someone else's. She felt someone's surprise, then alarm, then mingled horror and dismay.

Abihira? Is that you? Ilaran's voice asked.

Abi's eyes snapped open and she sat up abruptly. In her room in Saoridhlém there was a map on the wall. She instinctively looked for it and felt initial confusion to find a painting of birds flying over a mountain instead. Then she remembered she was in Gengxin. Oh well. Even without checking on a map, she was absolutely certain that Tananerl was miles and miles away. Across the ocean, in fact. It should be impossible--

Yes, she said, finally remembering that Ilaran was waiting for an answer. Are you in Tananerl?

Of course. Where else would I be?

...I'm in Gengxin.

There was a brief and utterly horrified silence. Abi got a nasty shock when she realised Ilaran's emotions were bleeding through the telepathic connection. That was only supposed to happen between two people who were very close and had known each other for years -- usually twins or husband and wife.

All immortals were capable of telepathy. But usually they were only able to communicate reliably with close relatives who were in the same building. She'd never heard of anyone being able to talk to someone in another country and on another continent. It was impossible.

Everything today was impossible. Abi felt the beginnings of a terrible headache. Then she realised it wasn't entirely her headache.

Er, Ilaran? Can you feel what I'm feeling?

Unfortunately yes. I take it the same is true for you.

Just to be absolutely sure, since today was already so insane that she was no longer certain of things she'd once thought undeniable, Abi asked, This isn't normal, is it?

She felt Ilaran's incredulity as strongly as if it was her own. Are you an imbecile? Of course this isn't normal!

Then how do we stop it?

Another uncomfortable silence. Abi couldn't hear Ilaran's thoughts, but she could follow their general direction based on how he felt. First he was annoyed, then alarmed, then came a feeling of grim resignation.