Eye of the Beholder

Chapter 3.2 Mind Meld

Tengri gave Sedna a sympathetic look. Then he said, "I think you put your finger on the key, when you said most scholars who translate old writing allow themselves to get lost between the covers of the book.

"As Q beings we have no fixed association with matter, only a history of links, a path, that is unique. Each of us is defined by a unique path.

"When we write something, that whole process becomes part of our Q path. When we read something, especially something that really draws us in, we retrace part of that Q path, and then have it in common with the writer."

Newt said, "Kind of like a mind meld." That drew a bunch of blank stares, so he said, "You know, channeling, dreaming together, whatever you call it. I'm still kind of new here, but we all do it."

Tengri said, "Newt means linking up in the Q. But he's right. It's so common among shamans that we can take it for granted."

Kore, sitting next to him as usual, said, "It was totally natural in our family. But once or twice it got really intense, like when we rescued Mom from the lake, and when we helped Cern out in the desert."

Sedna had picked up the thread. "That was before we called it the Q dream. But Newt's right." She gave him a special look, brief but adoring. "Channeling's not a bad word for it. Like everything else, people do it all the time. But now we have QAR and we can be more aware of it."

Tengri added, "We talk about paths crossing. There's a lot of that. But there's even more of paths aligning, if briefly. Sedna's right. We channel each other all the time."

He paused to let this sink in.

There were many faint nods, but the feeling in the room became intense. They were all in the Q together, sharing this path. Awareness of the room had almost vanished.

Tengri knew what was happening. As did Sedna, and Kore, and several others. Even Newt, although he was almost overwhelmed by the unexpected implications.

Tengri said, "Often it's just two people, or a family, but it can be larger groups, even whole nations at times. It used to take a special shaman skill to link up a village. Now with QAR we can link up groups of any size quite easily."

Now they all got it. They knew what he had done. The room almost exploded.

Sedna seized the moment. "So let's do this. Link up everyone who can help. Intensify our link to the stone. Maybe we can find the guy who wrote it. And find out where he meant, where the other cave is."