Sisters Page 6

  Eva looked at Hareh and Seri, “Both of you were aware that you had talents, right?”

  They nodded, looking uncomfortable.

  “Okay,” Eva said. “Let me explain a little. People in my family seem to inherit talents and they’ve been aware of at least minimal kinds of talent for generations. It’s the same for the Hyllises.” She took a breath, “Sometime during their adolescence, they become aware they know where the sun is, even at night. At a minimum, it’s useful for knowing the time at night. Many of them don’t seem to realize they can do it—or they do know they can do it, but just thought everyone else could do it too.”

  Her eyes went from Hareh to Seri to Jadyn. “I think Hareh and Seri already knew they could do this because they come from families known to inherit the trait.” Eva’s eyes went back to Hareh and Seri and they both gave little nods. Eva’s eyes went to Jadyn, “The fact that you were surprised to realize you could do it at your age is not at all uncommon. In my family, the tradition’s been to ask a young person if they know where the sun is at night. The question’s supposed to be posed on the evening of their fifteenth birthday.” She looked at Hareh and he gave another nod.

  She looked back to Rrica. “I’ve considered the possibility that you might know where the sun is but were reluctant to tell Daum you did. You really don’t know where it is, correct?”

  Rrica shook her head. In a small hurt voice, she said, “I have no idea.”

  Eva said, “We considered just telling you we wouldn’t teach you so you wouldn’t be upset to learn you didn’t have the talent we use for healing. But everybody thinks you’re brilliant and that you have a lot to offer the healing profession. I understand you were already interested in the cleanliness of your previous healing master’s practice. As if you’d done some reading on it, perhaps in ancient books?”

  Rrica nodded. “We had two books. One on anatomy and one on germs and infections.”

  “Believe me, the knowledge you gained shows. You already know about epidemics. We think most towns and cities today have such poor sanitation that they’re either having epidemics or they’re at grave risk.”

  In a very small voice, Rrica said, “Tarc explained this to me. It’d be like a dream for me to work to prevent epidemics, but… Tarc says no one’ll pay me to prevent disease, only to treat it.”

  Eva’s lips thinned. Jadyn thought Eva would have preferred Tarc leave such explanations to her. Nonetheless, she nodded. “That’s true. At least at present. But we Hyllises will support you. Like the rest of us, you’ll have to work at the tavern to help support yourself. But I think in the long run you’ll be more important to the people of Clancy Vail than any of the rest of us.” She sighed, “They just might not know it. Tarc’s right that they might not want to pay for it, though I hope to eventually convince the baron he needs to support the kind of work you’ll be doing.”

  She looked Rrica in the eye, “You should know we talked about trying to hide the use of our talents from you, but I think that’d be impossible. If it were possible, you wouldn’t be the brilliant young woman I hope’s going to restore the science of epidemiology.”

  Uncertainly, Rrica said, “You keep talking as if I’m going to figure out this epidemic stuff. Aren’t you going to teach me?”

  “I’m going to teach you everything I teach the others. But most of what any of you learn is going to come from reading books written by the ancients. I’m hoping you’ll focus more on the books about epidemiology and infectious diseases. Those are things our talents aren’t very helpful for.”

  At the mention of books written by the ancients, Jadyn felt a stab of fear. What if one of the others believed in the proscriptions against books. What if I do? she wondered. She glanced to her left.

  Rrica was leaning forward excitedly. “You have books by the ancients?!” she asked almost breathlessly.

  Eva nodded, smiling. “A lot of them. More than any of us could possibly ever read, so we’ll definitely need to specialize.” She winked, “Ms. Epidemiologist.”

  Jadyn glanced to the right where she thought Seri looked like she’d already been aware books would be involved. Hareh looked a little surprised, but not at all upset. Jadyn examined herself. Her stab of fear had dissipated. If reading books by the ancients is what lets Eva cure people the way she does, I’m ready to do it.

  Rrica asked, “What’re infectious diseases?”

  Eva laughed and waved her off, “Things like diarrhea and measles. We don’t have time to teach you everything right this minute.” She turned to the other three, “Now, as far as I know, everyone who knows where the sun is at night also has an ability to sense other warm things. Can the three of you all do that?”

  “Warm things?” Jadyn asked.

  “Like Rrica and Seri there on either side of you. Try closing your eyes and trying to sense the space around you.”

  Doubtfully, Jadyn closed her eyes and tried to think about what was surrounding her. The first thing she noticed was the hot point of the sun about halfway up the western sky. Then as she thought about other warm things, she noticed the stoves in the kitchen below and behind her. Then, the five people in the clinic room with her. And below her, a scattering of people still in the dining room of the tavern. Below and in front of her, the big warm bodies of the horses and mules in the stable. Oh, and those smaller ones must be Tarc and Daussie!

  Startled, her eyes flashed open. She looked over at Seri and Hareh. They also looked surprised, though Hareh’s surprise appeared much milder than hers. She looked back at Eva.

  Eva gave a little nod, “It doesn’t look to me like any of you had done that before?”

  Hareh looked a little uncomfortable. “Mom told me I should be able to tell when people were behind me, but that’s all I ever tried to do. I’ve never tried to close my eyes and sense all around myself.”

  Eva nodded, “Marissa didn’t have talent so she wouldn’t have really understood it or known how to teach you about it.” She shrugged, “She may even have preferred you not know much about it.” She took a deep breath, “Next.” She sighed. “This next part is really important for being a healer and some of you may not have this talent. Daum doesn’t. So, say a little prayer you do.”

  After giving them several seconds during which Jadyn’s anxiety built and built, Eva said, “Okay. Close your eyes. Now try to sense your own body. Send your ghirit—that’s what we’ve agreed to call this extra sense your talent gives you—send it down inside your chest and try to feel your heart.”

  At once grossed out at the thought, anxious she wouldn’t be able to do it, and excited to see what it would be like, Jadyn closed her eyes, calmed her thoughts and focused her attention inward from the room and down into her chest. Oh My God! she thought. She brought her hand up and placed it on her chest so she could confirm that the thumping of her heartbeat coincided with the twitching structure just to the left of the center of her chest. Structures on each side seemed… light and fluffy. Lungs?

  Jadyn was about to go exploring the rest of her body when Eva brought them back to reality. “From your expressions, it looks like all three of you can do it?” When they all nodded she gave a big relieved sigh.

  Excitedly, Jadyn said, “So this is how you tell what’s wrong with people?!”

  Eva nodded. “Apparently, even the ancients couldn’t sense the insides of people. They used machines like x-rays to see inside people, but as best I can tell from reading their books, x-rays couldn’t tell them nearly as much as our ghirits can. So, we may not have their miracle machines and medicines, but we have at least one advantage they didn’t.”

  “But,” Rrica said, “even though I can imagine how sensing peoples’ insides would help you make a correct diagnosis, I can’t see how it would let you treat the illness you diagnosed?”

  “It doesn’t,” Eva said. “Sensing is what I think of as the basic talent. As far as we know, anyone who can sense the sun can also sense their environment. Daum’s the only one I k
now of who can’t sense inside people. So, the three of you all have the basic talent. So far, all of us—by that I mean myself, Daum, Tarc, Daussie, Kazy, and Vyrda—have another talent in addition.” She looked at Hareh and Seri, “Do either of you know if you have an additional talent?”

  Hareh shook his head.

  Seri said, “My dad never told me how to check for those, but I’d say I probably don’t.” She hesitated unhappily, “If I don’t have another talent, does that mean I won’t be able to heal either?” She stiffened her trembling chin, “If not, I’ll be happy to study epidemiology with Rrica.”

  “Orn didn’t have the basic talent,” Eva said. “We think jealously was probably part of the reason he was so dead set against the use of talents and joined others in banning witchery. So, he both wouldn’t and couldn’t have known how to test you for them. Oh,” she said as if having a sudden thought, “I’ll bet he didn’t even ask you where the sun was, did he?”

  Seri shook her head.

  “You probably learned about that from one of the other kids, right?”

  She nodded.

  “But they didn’t test you for other talents, did they?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  Eva smiled, “Thank you for the courtesy, but you don’t need to call me ma’am.” She turned to Vyrda, “Can you demonstrate telekinesis for them?”

  Saying, “Sure,” Vyrda lifted her hand and opened it to expose a small striped bead on her palm.

  Jadyn was studying the bead, wondering where the fine stripes had come from when she realized Vyrda’d lowered her hand and the bead was floating in air. Jadyn jerked her head back in surprise, then leaned forward to study it. “How’re you doing that?!”

  Eva said, “Telekinesis is the moving of objects with your mind. By our small sample, it seems to be the most common talent. Vyrda, Tarc, Daum, and Baron Clancy Vail, they’re all telekinetics.”

  “The baron’s a witch?!” Rrica asked, then looked embarrassed to have called telekinesis witchery.

  Eva chuckled, “Don’t worry, we agree that people who use talents for evil should be called witches. The baron certainly qualified for that, though we have reason to hope he won’t be doing vile things with his talent anymore.”

  Hareh looked curious, “What about other people in our families?”

  Eva shrugged, “The few I’ve heard about, either Gaynors or Hyllises, have been telekinetics.”

  His eyes narrowed, “So, you’re saying there’s some other kind of talent besides telekinesis?”

  She nodded, “Kazy and I are telepaths.”

  Jadyn was about to ask what a telepath was when a wide-eyed Seri exploded, “You can read our minds?!”

  Eva gave a single nod, “If I get close enough, and if I try to. That’s why I put my head against yours when I was asking if you’d keep our secrets and care for people whether or not they could pay. I have to be within about half a meter, and I have to work at it to be able to tell what you’re thinking.” She smiled, “I’m pleased to report that you all seem very nice and quite committed to the practice of medicine and the betterment of mankind.”

  Rrica said, “You can read my mind too?”

  Eva frowned, then seemed to understand, “You were thinking I wouldn’t be able to read you because you don’t have a talent?”

  “Yes.”

  Eva tilted her head, “No, it works just the same on people who don’t have talents.”

  Rrica said, “Isn’t that unethical? Reading our minds without our permission?”

  Eva looked thoughtful, then spoke slowly. “I think you’ve got a point. This is all very new to us and we’re still trying to work out our ethics and morals regarding the use of these talents.” She chewed her lip for a moment, then looked back at Rrica. “A very real problem that we need to consider is that we can’t tell most people that we can read their minds or they’d report us as witches. You could easily argue that we should’ve told you, but we were using my ability to decide whether it’d be safe to tell you.” She paused again, then resumed, “Kazy’s been doing this longer than I have and she makes a concerted effort not to read people’s minds unless she needs to do it in order to treat them—”

  “Wait,” Seri interjected, “Kazy’s been doing this longer than you have?! You didn’t teach her how to do it?!”

  Eva laughed, “No. To my great embarrassment, I’ve always thought I only had the basic talent and nothing further. To tell the truth, until recently we didn’t really know there was anything other than telekinesis beyond the basic talent. I think I’ve been a telepath for a long time and it’s helped me work with patients and calm them when they’re upset.” She grinned, “I just thought I was good with people.”

  Rrica turned excitedly to Jadyn, “I’ll bet you’re a telepath! That’s why you always kind of know what everyone’s thinking…” Her eyes widened, and she turned to Eva, “Can you affect the way others think and behave? Could that be why Argun doesn’t act like such a jerk when Jadyn’s around?”

  Eva’s eyebrows were up as she stared speculatively at Jadyn. “Maybe? After we’re done talking here, I’ll work with you to try to figure it out.”

  Hareh spoke slowly, “You can change the way people think?”

  Eva nodded, though it seemed reluctant.

  “Could you change Argun? Permanently? Make him a better person?”

  Though Eva hesitated, she did answer the question. “We’ve changed two people who were psychopaths. People who had no consideration for the well-being of others, only themselves. So far, it seems to have lasted, but this wasn’t long enough ago that we can say for sure the changes are permanent.” As several of them opened their mouths to ask further questions, she put up a hand to get them to wait. “However, as I told you, Kazy’s been giving a lot thought to the ethics of doing this. We don’t think we should be changing people just because they’re a pain in the ass. We think they have to be a real danger to others. Either they’ve already committed capital crimes or we think they’re likely to.”

  Hareh said, “Argun may not have killed anyone, but he’s been ruining his own life,” Hareh glanced at Jadyn, “and dragging Jadyn’s life down with him. A little modification of his personality would help him a lot, not just everyone else.”

  Eva gave Hareh a wry smile, “Okay, but let’s start with you. When I touched heads with you as you came in the room, I noticed a couple of things about your personality that I think could use some adjustment.” She rose to her feet, “If you’ll just stand up—”

  “What! No! I may not be perfect, but…” he ran down as he saw Eva grinning, then heard the others laughing behind him. He twisted to look at them, “What? You guys think I need adjustment?”

  Seri snorted, “No. Well, maybe a little. But I think Eva’s just trying to tell you that it’s hard to draw a line.”

  Eva shrugged, “We’ve had some people ask to be adjusted. People who’re depressed. It seems to work for them and they feel really happy they had it done.” She glanced out the window, “Though, since what we’ve done is essentially made them happy instead of sad, you have to wonder if we didn’t just make them happy they had it done.” She turned back to Hareh, “In any case, we decided not to adjust people unless they ask for it,” she shrugged, “or we think they’re a danger to others.” She winked at him, “So, I guess you can rest easy about those little personality quirks of yours.”

  Hareh rolled his eyes, “Okay. But if Jadyn or I could talk Argun into asking to be adjusted, you’d do it?”

  “As long as you hadn’t talked him into it at sword point.”

  “That’d never happen,” Hareh said emphatically. “I’m opposed to violence in all forms.”

  Eva widened her eyes, “Wait. Who do you think’s going to protect us from bandits on the way to Cooperstown?”

  “What?!” he said disbelievingly. “I thought you had a plan for that? Aren’t you hiring guards or something?”

  She shook her head slowly, “We’r
e counting on you and Tarc.”

  “I’m not a fighter,” Hareh said emphatically.

  “But you think it’d be okay if we hired some guards?”

  He nodded, “You’d have to be crazy not to.”

  “So, what you’re saying,” Eva said slowly, “is that you’re not a fighter and you’re opposed to violence… But you’re not opposed to hiring someone else to fight and do violence on your behalf?”

  He stared at her for a moment, then slumped, “Okay, you’ve got me. But, even if I was prepared to do my own fighting,” he grinned, “and do my own violence, the fact remains that I really don’t know how.”

  Eva laughed, “I guess we’ll just have to count on Tarc to do all our fighting for us then. At least until he’s trained you.” She looked around at the others, I think we’ve talked enough for now. I still need to test Jadyn for telepathy and try to figure out whether Seri has any additional talents above basic. She glanced at Hareh, “I can test you while we’re on the road.” She looked around at everyone again, “So, I propose that Hareh go down and help Tarc and Daussie pack the wagon.” She glanced at Hareh, “That way you’ll know where stuff is. All of you’ll need to go to the caravan to get your stuff. You can move it into some of our empty boarding rooms. Hareh, you’ll have to figure out what you absolutely have to have for your trip to Cooperstown and what you can leave here.” Addressing all of them. “Are there any other questions you just have to have answered right now?”

  There were plenty of additional questions. Eva did answer a few, but she rejected most of them, telling their authors they’d have to be patient.

  Chapter Three

  “Argun already got all your gear,” Nader said. “He told me you guys decided to stay in Clancy Vail and he’d been sent to collect it for the whole group. He also picked up your eighty percent refund for the segment you prepaid from here to Murchison.”