Dark Empathy by Archibald Bradford (inspiring books for teens TXT) 📕

Booker snorted.

“Bit of an understatement. I’ve lost count of the number of times Yana and I woke up soaking wet because Juni was trying to put out flames that weren’t there.”

Nameless winced at the unpleasant thought.

“I’m sorry, what can I do to help?”

Booker crossed his arms, looking more than a little uncomfortable to be asking for aid from someone junior to him in so many ways.

“I don’t know, it’s only gotten worse with Yana gone, I would ask Sadie but…”

“But her powers are still sketchy.” Nameless nodded with a slight frown; “Honestly I don’t know if I can help or not. I’d like to speak to Sadie first, she still knows so much more than me about this kind of stuff.”

Booker gave him a long look with his good eye, before gruffly patting him on the shoulder.

“I know how busy you are as a cadet, I’ll speak to Aegis Bloom, find you some time.”

Nameless shifted in place uncomfortably as he imagined Baron’s reaction to him getting time off of class for ‘personal business’.

“Actually sir, if it’s all the same, I’d rather take care of it on my own time.”

The older man’s mouth twisted into a frown as he considered the source of Nameless’s discomfort.

He barked out a gruff laugh once he thought he had figured it.

“No special treatment eh?”

“If that is alright with you sir.”

Booker shrugged.

“Fine. She’s staying with Tiana and the others. Don’t take too long eh?”

“I won’t sir.” Nameless nodded earnestly.

Taking Booker’s words to heart, he sought out the Lady Essig once all of his lessons were done that day, walking into Garland with Nina and Milly.

They were the only two of his girls whose heartstones were currently attached to his person so it wasn’t as if he could leave them behind.

Whenever Nameless found himself in Divinity Square he felt a surge of complicated emotions.

At an unspoken thought, the three of them altered their course to stand before the statue of the Aegis and the last Valkyrie and share a moment of silent reverence in memory of the Amazon who gave her life for him.

The pain of Kar’s death, the fear he felt at Evadne’s wrath, and the joy he later realized at Volka’s rebirth, were all tangled into a confusing knot.

To their right, the greenery that had sprung up from the concentration of Dryad magic was still in bloom, the chill of winter’s grip nowhere near enough to lessen the vibrant life of the place.

It was a fitting monument to Kar’s memory, and it helped him shake off his melancholy and turn back to the tasks of the living.

It was the first time that he had sought out the older Empath instead of the other way around, but she had given him a standing invitation to do so.

Not wanting to crowd Sadie and her Dragon, Milly and Nina stopped at a favorite bakery in the square while he went up to see the Empath in the Bastion.

He had a while to think on the many concerns on his mind as he rode one of the levitator cars up to the very top of the towering structure where she lived with her Dragon.

Once inside Sadie clasped his hands in both of hers and greeted him warmly.

“Nameless it is good to see you again my friend.”

“Good to see you to Sadie, er, Lady Essig.” His eyes flicked to Xalanth for one quick moment.

The Dragon offered a small nod from her place beside the white-haired woman as her bond-mate waved away his concern.

“It’s always Sadie to my friends Nameless, now come and sit with me.” She gestured for him to take a seat while she took her own; “Not that we don’t appreciate the company, but I take it that this is something more than a simple social call?”

He did as she asked, watching as Xalanth took up position behind Sadie’s chair.

In Nameless’s experience the Dragon was never far from her lady and he wondered at what it must have taken the older Empath to get used to the powerful monster’s intensity, her glowing green eyes never failed to unsettle him.

But then he reflected back on all of the times Nina had shown her true power and he had to admit that if he could get used to being around a Gigas...

He looked back to his hostess as she poured him a cup of tea.

“That obvious huh?”

She chuckled as she leaned back into her chair, her own freshly filled cup now in hand.

“Let’s just say that there are more than two generations between us and leave it at that. You have a very open face, when you aren’t on your guard anyways, and I have been reading people for a very long time.”

Nameless took a sip of his tea before explaining the reason for his visit.

She let out a heavy sigh when he had finished.

“Poor dear girl. I had hoped to help her myself, after it happened, but my strength was exhausted by then.”

“Has that... improved at all?”

She shook her head sadly.

“No. At least, not exactly. I am not as world weary as I was, the time I spent on that lovely farm with Mister Fletcher and his adorable Cockatrices rejuvenated me in many ways. But as for my powers... it’s like a muscle that has been overused and is now weak and shaky, I am barely able to peer into another’s mind now. Except with my Dragon here.”

She threw a loving look towards Xalanth, eternally watching over her.

“My Lady is always welcome in my thoughts.”

“And you in mine, my love, but we are getting off topic. As for Juni, you cannot simply enter her mind and confront her fears for her, she must do that herself or