his academic records and couldn’t see his poor marks in mind reading. But when he calmed down, he had realized that Idhron wanted to see how he would handle such a task. It was another test. A test Eridan hoped he had passed.
“So I used your reputation,” Eridan said, watching his Master’s reaction carefully. “All the initiates are scared of you. All I had to do was imply that I wanted to enter their minds on your orders, and that if they resisted, you would not be pleased.” He nearly laughed, remembering the other initiates’ faces at that threat. Eridan had picked the most horrible initiates he had known, ones that always bullied throwbacks and younger children. He couldn’t deny that he’d taken pleasure in scaring those assholes shitless. “They let me enter their minds, obviously, and after I learned their most embarrassing secret, I erased their memories of our conversation—that I’m rather good at.” Focusing, he sent the memories of those conversations to his Master through their training bond.
Idhron’s expression remained impassive. Unimpressed.
Eridan’s heart sank. He had thought Idhron wouldn’t mind his solution…
“It is not your solution that is the problem, Eridan,” Idhron said, his voice mild. “Using all resources available to you was a smart thing to do. What I have an issue with is the fact that you picked five unpleasant boys you did not like. You let your emotions rule your actions.”
Eridan clenched his jaw. “Well, that’s me. I already told you not to expect me to turn into an emotionless robot. If you really expect it, you should stop wasting our time and ditch me right now.”
“I hardly expect you to turn into an ‘emotionless robot,’ Eridan,” Idhron said, giving him a steady look. “But I expect you not to be so squeamish. When you eventually become a mind adept of the High Hronthar, it will be part of your job to learn other people’s dirtiest secrets, and you will not be afforded the luxury of choosing only people you dislike.”
Eridan swallowed his annoyance, hating that Idhron’s point was valid and hating himself for being pleased by his wording. Idhron had said “when you eventually become a mind adept,” not if. It pleased him more than it should have.
“So I failed your test,” he stated, dejected.
“Yes and no,” his Master said. “I will give you an opportunity to redo your assignment, only this time you will choose five people you like. Your closest friends.”
A laugh left Eridan’s mouth. “Then you’re out of luck, Master. I don’t exactly have friends.” He said it in his most casual voice, but he probably shouldn’t have bothered, considering that Idhron had direct access to his emotions.
“Why not?” Castien said, looking faintly puzzled. “You are quite outgoing and physically appealing. Boys like you are usually popular among your peers.”
Eridan face warmed. “I’m a throwback,” he said, holding Idhron’s gaze unflinchingly. He refused to be embarrassed about it. “You do know that, right?”
When the other man just gave a nod, he relaxed slightly and continued. “It has always been something other boys teased me about, and I kind of developed a bit of a sharp tongue in response to all the teasing.” Bullying. “And it also didn’t help that everyone knew about your preliminary claim on me.” He smiled humorlessly. “It didn’t exactly make me friends.”
Idhron nodded, his expression difficult to read.
Curiously, Eridan peeked into his Master’s mind.
He hadn’t tried to do it before, so he wasn’t sure what to expect.
He found… immense mental shields. They weren’t walls, the mental defense most telepaths, Eridan included, tended to gravitate to. Idhron’s shields were like a fog, dense and elusive, ever-changing and confusing. When Eridan tried to enter the fog, he realized that he had no idea where to go, where the exit or entrance was. These kinds of mental defenses were designed to get the intruder hopelessly lost.
He would have been hopelessly lost, too, if he wasn’t able to sense a gap in those defenses, a faint path into Idhron’s mind. It was their bond, Eridan realized with some surprise. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Although the Master had more control over the training bond, the apprentice could still use it, too. But “could” didn’t equal “allowed to.” Masters generally didn’t like giving their apprentices free access to their minds, and he doubted Castien Idhron was an exception. Eridan was still curious. So he focused and followed the bond until he finally slipped past Idhron’s mental defenses.