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

By being foolish enough to violate the mind of a warrior?

But he shook his head as he stopped moving.

She wasn’t a warrior. She was just a Lapine, no mental training, no discipline. But she was so stubborn! And I was exhausted, keeping the Aegis working to save the Tenebrae I created was almost a full time job, especially when I had to maintain the farce by helping Sadie ‘cure’ them.

You vile little snake!

She lashed out, throwing her battle rage at him as she charged towards him, kicking up the memory of sand under her sandaled feet.

But even though he lacked the protection of a Valkyrie, he had his own tricks. Her mental assault slid around his oily presence and she found she could gain no purchase on his mind.

It won’t work. I’ve learned a lot since then, you won’t hurt me the way the Lapine did.

After several bitter minutes of trying to force him out of her head by doing just that, she had to stop to collect herself, finding that it was surprisingly draining.

Why are you telling me any of this?!

At her words he reeled on her and all but screamed into her mind.

Because I want you to understand what it is I’m trying to do! I will save you all! We will END it all! No more bonds, no more Tenebrae, no more SLAVES!

She felt his emotions hit her like a blow to the gut, a ball of foiled lust, ambition and determination, as well as a genuine, if perverse, desire to save her.

After a minute or so he recovered his composure and gestured at her mental form.

You are strong, Yana of Brael, I don’t doubt that. In your mind I can see every muscle, every part of you. A beautiful warrior, forged by decades of training and combat. But there are cracks in your façade.

He smiled a predatory smile and once again he gestured at her, this time she couldn’t help but follow his gaze down at her body.

Just as he said, her mental form had splinters spidering across it, self doubt, regret, remorse.

And guilt, always guilt.

Tell me about this, why weren’t you able to save her?

While she was looking down he had pulled a memory to the forefront of their shared mind.

Kar stood between them in the ring, but she immediately fell to her knees, her own spear lodged between her breasts.

Yana flinched back from it, but stood straight and snarled at him.

I won’t play your sick game!

I don’t need you to. But you feel it don’t you? Feel her dying, over and over. You dream of it, not a day goes by where you don’t dwell on it. Why didn’t she catch the spear? It was her spear, you yourself taught her how, so why didn’t she?

He twisted the memory so that Kar did just that, dodging to one side and seizing the spear mid-flight, spinning gracefully with its momentum.

And smiling as she did it.

Yana sobbed at the sight of it, her iron will cracking slightly.

Jonathan was relentless as they watched, his words never stopping.

She really was quiet beautiful, wasn’t she?

With an enormous effort, she forced the memory aside, but when it was gone she was panting on her hands and knees from the exertion.

All the while he circled her, an oily snake, probing for weakness.

N-neucta!

Yes. Shame of my ancestors, you’ve said. Still, you haven’t answered my question: why didn’t she catch it?

But though Jonathan was working hard to keep her attention where he needed it to be, she slipped free of him long enough to draw strength from another memory, letting it play out in another part of her mind while she strove to show him nothing but weakness.

The memory was faint, clouded with time, but the parts that mattered were sharp and distinct: her mother’s smell, the warmth of her calloused hands gripping Yana’s tiny wrists, and the feeling of her juvenile muscles as she was guided through one of her first stretching exercises.

“That’s my girl.”

Jonathan flinched back as the words echoed around them like thunder, his eyes wide as his machinations broke apart under the weight of one of Yana’s dearest memories.

In one fluid movement, she rose to her full height, towering over the simpering snake that had dared to slip inside her.

It seems that two can play at this game.

A cold smile spread across her face as she drew upon another memory, focusing on it with every ounce of her will.

An Amazon toddler wielding a little spear with growing confidence stood before him, blocking him from reaching Yana, the girl’s youthful face filled with the unshakable stubbornness of a child.

He opened his mouth to spealk, but Yana couldn’t hear him.

Instead her mother’s voice echoed around them again.

“Now my darling, like I showed you: plant your feet and thrust!”

Doing as her mother bid, the toddler drew her arms back with a sharp ululating cry just as she had heard the adults around her make, her aggressive little vocalization echoed from all sides by her grown-up self in the countless skirmishes she had seen in service to the Aegis.

All of it was directed at a suddenly staggered Jonathan.

The infant Amazon thrust, her spear striking his wiry form with enormous force and hurling him from her mind.

Yana drew in a sharp breath as she became aware of her surroundings again. She was still chained against the strange wall of the underground bunker, still surrounded by dark-eyed Antlions.

But now Jonathan was sprawled out at her feet, holding his head in his hands and groaning.

She began to laugh, low at first but rising quickly as she watched the dark Empath try to recover his faculties after her mental assault.

By the time he managed to pull