The Rossem Project

Departure - Part 6

     Half an hour later, the time finally came for them to leave and they made their way back out into the street. Kennara paused to have a word with Lomar and Perrin, and Thomas took the opportunity to take Lirenna by the elbow and steer her a short distance away, out of earshot. "Lenny, will you do something for me?" he asked in a low, conspiratorial voice.

     "Of course," replied the demi shae with a puzzled frown. "What?"

     "Those two men over there." He indicated Lomar and Perrin. "Read their minds."

     "What!" exclaimed Lirenna in outrage. "Tom! They know the location of Haven! It's forbidden to try to steal that information!"

     "I'm not asking you to," replied Thomas, cursing himself for not having thought of that. "I just want to know what they think of us."

     "Why?"

     "I just don't like the idea of being so totally at their mercy. I want to know what kind of people we're putting our trust in."

     Lirenna was shocked all over again. "Why? What in the name of the Gods do you think they're going to do to us?"

     "That's what I'm trying not to think about."

     "Tom, we went through all this twenty years ago. They can be trusted, take it from me. Do you think I'd put Derry in their hands if I didn't trust them completely?"

     "You know them? You've met them before?"

     "Well, no, but they're Havenites. That means they're sure to be completely trustworthy."

     "But you can't be absolutely sure of that..."

     "Tom! You've lived here for twenty years now. You should know the kind of people we are. You've been perfectly happy to let Derry go off with people we hardly knew..."

     "That's not the same and you know it. Someone who abducts Derry by force runs the risk of being found out and caught, but with all three of us in a trance... I just want to be absolutely sure. All you've got to do is read their minds. Just a quick glance..."

     "And what if one of them is thinking about the route we'll be taking? I might discover the location of Haven, putting the whole valley in danger." She looked around to see that the Waykeepers had finished talking and were walking towards them. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Now stop being so silly! I trust them and you trust me. Right?"

     "Right," agreed Thomas reluctantly.

     "Good. Let's get on with it then, and no more of these silly worries."

     "A problem?" asked Kennara as he drew level with them.

     "Not at all," replied the demi shae, smiling brightly.

     "Good. If you're ready then, I'm ready to put you under. So, who wants to be first?"

     "I will," said Derrin, stepping forward. “The sooner we’re under, the sooner we wake up right?”

     “That's how it will appear to you,” the wizard replied. “I just need you to clear your mind, then. Don't try to fight it. Okay?”

     “What happens if he tries to fight it?” asked Thomas.

     “If his willpower is strong enough, the spell might fail and I'll have to try again. No harm will come to him, though, or to any of you, no matter how many times the spell fails.” He turned back to the boy. “Ready?”