She undid the clasps, then looked to Cormac who took my free hand in his.
“Are you ready?” Min asked him.
“Yes, go ahead.”
I held my breath as Min removed the Sciath from my arm, and the moment it was gone I felt a warm fuzziness come over me. It seemed to generate from somewhere deep inside me, continually flowing in lazy patterns throughout my entire body. I released the breath I’d been holding, happy to find the sensation pleasant and soothing, as opposed to overwhelming and violent like the experience yesterday had been to the others.
As I began to analyze this new sensation, I found that I could sense other fuzzy energy sources, just like mine, coming from other parts of the room. Some stronger than others, some closer or further away, but all made up of the same blurry flowing force. Stranger yet, was that they weren’t anything that I could actually see or hear. It was more of a feel – like soft brushes against my mind.
“What do you feel?” Cormac whispered, excited curiosity in his sparkling eyes.
“I don’t know,” I told him honestly.
“But you do feel them?”
“Them? You… you feel it too?”
“I can feel everything that you are.”
“What are they?”
His eyebrows creased in amused confusion. “I’m not sure. I’ve never encountered anything like this. Min,” he asked without looking away from me, “can you remove the Block?”
“Yes, of course,” she answered, surprised.
She held the cuff between her hands and bowed her head over it mumbling something under her breath. When she looked up again, Cormac nodded downward indicating she should place it back on my arm.
“Let us see if we can clear things up,” he said softly, though I could hear his anticipation underneath.
The moment the cool metal touched my skin everything rushed into focus, and I sucked in a breath so sharp it made everyone in the room jump. The vague haziness was gone, as though a gust of wind had blown through, clearing away the fog. What was left were seven bright, distinct energy fields, each one located in a different spot around the room. Each one coursing steadily yet powerfully within itself, and each one leaving its own unique feel against my mind.
Then, like the crack of a whip, it came to me.
Seven.
Seven energy sources – seven people!
My eyes darted around frantically from face to face, trying desperately to see what I could so clearly feel.
“It’s all right,” Cormac said, giving my hand a squeeze, his eyes dancing with delight. “Close your eyes and try to relax. It is nothing you can see. Just… feel.”
I took a deep breath and did as he said, closing my eyes and concentrating on each distinctive brush against my mind.
“What are they?” I whispered, hoping this time he would know.
“Abilities,” he said.
“What?” I opened my eyes to find him smiling.
“Each one is the corresponding person’s ability. Their power.”
So, I could sense other Holder’s abilities; that was pretty cool. Could have been worse, anyway.
I closed my eyes again, picking out the nearest ability – Cormac’s as it turned out, since he was the one sitting closest me – and focusing on it. As I concentrated on the unique footprint the delicate swirls and waves of power created, I felt an odd sensation within myself. As though my own ability was trying to reach out and connect somehow with his.
“Go on,” Cormac said, seeming to know what I was considering.
I allowed the flow of my ability to extend outwards until it melted into Cormac’s, creating one long continuous flow between the two of us.
This time it was his turn to make everyone jump, huffing out a breathy, “Oh my!”, as though he’d been punched in the stomach.
“I’m sorry,” I said, quickly breaking the connection between us, pulling my own energy back inward.
The whole room was silent for a few seconds before Cormac began to quietly laugh, shaking his head. “No,” he said, his stunned amusement growing, “don’t apologize.”
“Well, Cormac?” Jocelyn asked, after a few more moments of silence. “Is she…?” He didn’t finish, but everyone knew what he was asking.
18
“For God’s sake, man!” Taron growled with his usual charm. “What can she do? Tell us what you saw!”
Cormac was still sitting silently, looking at me with something between wonder and humor. I wished he’d stop, as it was getting embarrassing, not to mention that I was just as anxious as everyone else to hear what he had to say.
“I don’t know what to call it,” Cormac said finally,