03-17-2019, 02:21 PM
Happiness burst from Asha like sunshine breaking storm clouds. Elias waited for the warmth spilling from her. People – his own family including – called him cold and distant, but he wasn’t inhuman. Making her happy splashed color into a gray world. He released the power from his grasp, knowing the effect it would have on her. For that moment, he focused on the anchor of her eyes and net of her skin. Anger slipped away like the tide, slow at first, but noticeable.
The stranger’s rough voice broke the spell, but when he glanced, all he did was nod the affirmative. His questions might have been innocent, but they dredged painful memories, clouding tentatively clear waters with fresh silt. He first channeled in New Zealand. Empty beaches, cold waves, soaring footballs, flashes of gold hair. Then again in the Chancellor’s office, when he was told to abandon the search for his uncle. Elias nodded without fear. To acknowledge channeling was like acknowledging that he had hands. The rest was private.
As the silt settled, shapes formed on the horizon, and curiosity pulled him forward. “You work at the docks?”
The stranger’s rough voice broke the spell, but when he glanced, all he did was nod the affirmative. His questions might have been innocent, but they dredged painful memories, clouding tentatively clear waters with fresh silt. He first channeled in New Zealand. Empty beaches, cold waves, soaring footballs, flashes of gold hair. Then again in the Chancellor’s office, when he was told to abandon the search for his uncle. Elias nodded without fear. To acknowledge channeling was like acknowledging that he had hands. The rest was private.
As the silt settled, shapes formed on the horizon, and curiosity pulled him forward. “You work at the docks?”