to the other minds he was connected to as well. Sasha was an excellent shot with a bow, so if a fight ensued she would stay back with Sara and Keither firing arrows into the fray. With all their minds “networked,” as Arkin put it, she knew where everyone was going to step and they knew where she was shooting. Her accuracy was scary. In a small farming co-op, Arkin bought Sasha a hundred-pound bow that she could shoot when Legon used magic. It was an odd sensation having an arrow streak past your ear and not be worried about it at all. Also, with all their perspectives being taken into account, the group became hyper-aware of their surroundings. In a way, they gained the experience and perspective of those in the network. It made everyone a better fighter when they would practice three on three. Knowing each other’s fighting styles in detail helped as well.
Legon, Sasha and Arkin could use pure logic, too. Sometimes, when Legon would use magic, he would tap into Sasha’s mind to figure out wind speed and trajectory, and she in turn would do that to others when shooting. When this happened, it didn’t have that much of an effect on him. It was like background noise. But at any rate, it was changing his view of the world drastically.
Arkin appeared to be done with teaching for the time being, and Sasha went to work with Keither on the horse. Legon went to talk to Sara. Arkin came up to Kovos and smiled.
“What’s on your mind?”
Kovos ran a checklist in his head. “Oh crap, do I have my mind open?”
Arkin smiled again. “No, but your body is, and I can see that you are thinking. I won’t cross into your mind without permission unless necessary. Besides, you would be able to feel it now.”
“That’s good to know.”
Kovos was happy that he was to the point where he could feel another mind and, if necessary, reach out to someone. It was also a comfort that his consciousness couldn’t be breached without him knowing.
“Now, what’s on your mind?” Arkin asked
Kovos thought about lying to Arkin but, mind protected or not, Arkin knew him too well.
“This stuff is kind of freaking me out a bit.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know. It’s just odd seeing Sasha and Legon sitting silent next to each other and then laughing. Or feeling other people in my head.”
“Ok.” Arkin sat silent, waiting patiently for Kovos to say what was really bothering him.
They were moving along a clearing in the trees, probably close to a co-op. As they went he could see a line in the landscape. On one side of the road were dense trees and forest. On the other were open fields. To the right of him where the fields began was a waist-high stone wall marking the edge of someone’s property. On the other side of that wall was a wheat field. It looked as if there had once been a forest where the field was, and it made him wonder at the dedication of these people. They would have had to clear cut the land and then pull all the stumps. Not to mention removing all the stones that would break a plow. That was probably where the stones from the wall had come from. The wheat was high now, and as he looked out at the field he noticed a breeze playing in it. The wheat looked like a sea of giant gold waves rippling away from them. The contrast between the forest and the field seemed to be a good analogy for what was happening to him.
“Do the elves do this a lot—the mental networking? I mean, I see true benefit in it and all, but… I don’t know what I’m saying.” He really didn’t know what he was saying. He was having a hard time keeping track of his thoughts these days. Too much stress, too much homesickness. Well, more Emma sickness if he was being truthful.
“Isn’t it nice to know what the other person is thinking?” Arkin asked.
“Yes, it is, but I don’t know… I think that maybe I’ve been messing up in life and if I knew what others were thinking….” He breathed out. “I can’t stop thinking about how much different my life would be if I knew what, well…”
Arkin helped him. “What Emma was thinking?”
“Yeah, is it bad to want to know that?”
“No, not at all. You know what the dot on Legon’s Tattoo