Page 81 of Shifter King

"You should ask him," the Ki Valo Nakar's voice pressed into her mind. "This is what you were made for."

"What?"

"He is going to suffer. Even if he says no, you should do it. They will harm this child greatly, and you cannot stop them from doing that—"

"I'm not going to eat his soul!"

"No."The Ki Valo Nakar spoke firmly. "No. And I shouldn't have asked you to do that to the Vawtrian woman either. You could eat the queen's soul or any of the guards. You still can. But this child, why should he suffer? What good does it do? By the time he is willing, it will be too late for you to help him. It's dangerous to remove the soul before you are stronger or without drawing upon it, but we can risk his. He's very small and weary. We can give him peace without it costing us too much."

"Please stop, Ki."

"Thank you."

She blinked, realizing that the boy was talking to her. "For what?"

"For not listening to it."

"Not listening to what?"

"Death."

She tried to smile, but it faltered. "I am surprised you even want me near you if you know about all of that."

"I'm not afraid of you right now. This isn't when it will be hard for you. And you can't listen to it. Ever. It's scared. It isn't supposed to be here. It isn't supposed to be in you. But…other people got scared too. I don't know more than that. But even though I'm scared, I want you to know I have a chance to live. I don't always die in the pit. Just sometimes. So I don't want to die. Even if it's going to hurt later." He squeezed her hand. "Let me see the outside, please?"

She nodded. "All right. Close your eyes. I need to focus."

It was hard. As she opened her mind more, other cries and thoughts intruded. So many people—so much suffering. Her shields strained, her barriers caved a little. But she pressed back against them, focusing on the Machat as he fell to sleep once more. They became stronger with the focused goal.

She rose up on her knees and leaned over him. Gently, she pressed her middle fingers to his temples and then pressed his eyelids open. His deep-hazel eyes were bloodshot and a little sallow in the whites.

Taking a deep breath, she focused, narrowing in on the key point.

The dream snapped her in with a satisfying click.

She dropped into a dark passage. The screams and cries were louder here. Light footsteps pounded, and a shadow grew, trembling in the torchlight. Brucao appeared, his face pale with terror. "They're going to cut me to pieces. Don't let them!"

"Hey. Hey." She caught hold of him and hugged him tight. "It's all right. It's only a dream."

"It's coming," he whispered, shaking. "It's coming, and I can't stop it. No one can."

Longer shadows stretched across the passage, ominous and reaching.

"Shhh." She held him close, one hand to the back of his neck. "Let's find some place peaceful." The dread clogged her thoughts for a breath, but she pushed against it. Then the darkness evaporated like sickly mist, leaving behind a lush green meadow and a large spreading oak tree with bright flowers at intervals.

It was easier to breathe now. She let Brucao go and then stood. He no longer seemed to see her as he stepped away. The sunlight poured down over both of them, the air somehow rich with wildflower perfume and sweet grass.

A small hopeful thought pressed at her mind. "Is that a sparrow?"

It wasn't. It was just a knob in the tree branch. But it only took a little more focus to make a sparrow. Then another and another. Soon the tree was flooded with their song.

Brucao climbed up the oak, easily finding both hand and footholds. Like a skinny squirrel, he clambered out onto the largest of the high curved branches and then stretched out. Pure joy shone in his eyes.

She made a bed beneath the tree as well, simple but comfortable with ivory sheets, blue blankets, and feather pillows, crisply folded and neatly fluffed. Not that he was likely to spend much time in it.

Stepping back, she added a few more trees and a couple rabbits. It wasn't as easy for her to make it a fuller scene, but it was peaceful. Pleasant. Some small comfort against what was to come.

"I hope you rest well, Brucao," she said softly.