Roh'ath appraised the Nü a second time, and scanned her from head to toe. Onion could feel his eyes crawling over her bronze skin, her dark hair, the Yibouhese style collared tunic of yellow and peach cream.
I
advise neither, Pnum Rduap. I have two minds of this one; either she
is too ignorant of mind to be taught, or too weak of heart to be loyal.
Kill her and be done with the Nü. Walk her out the door and stab her in the back in the garden. Blood is the best nutrient for the flowers. Maybe in three hundred tides we will speak with them as cousins, but for now, they are insects.
"No!" Vren screamed and all three figures turned to her immediately in
surprise. She stared right at the Silent Scholar and verbally
implored, "I am not stupid; I can learn. I am learning! I am not
weak. I fight for my brothers. If not brothers of the flesh, I will
fight for my brothers of the spirit. And I am no insect. I am a
spider."
The three of them looked at the Nü dumbstruck,
but the Silent Scholar cracked a sinister smile with its thin lips well
before the two men had time to register what had just occurred.
Good!
Very good! You are interesting then aren't you. You've been listening
the whole time haven't you? You nasty little weasel. You cautious
little squirrel. How did you do it? Did you have to try or are you
like I? Do you hear every thought, every feeling of those you walk by?
Did you have to give away your soul too?
Onion eyed the shriveled being next to her and wondered if it hadn't been planning this the whole time. Had it known she could hear their every word as they communicated to each other through their minds? Had they realized that every thought shook the strands of her spider's web, as if being plucked by a guitarist? Was this talk of lethal ultimatums nothing more than a game to lure her out of the safety of her mental walls?
She glanced at Cedric, wondering his role in this as well. He had hardly proven himself to her, and now what little trust he managed to earn was quickly dissolving into a fog of suspicion. All three of them stared at her silently waiting for her to say something, or think something, but there was naught but silence on both the audio and mental planes.
The Silent Scholar was the first to realize that Onion had managed to halt its intrusive mind. Her thoughts were hers alone. You will lose that ability, girl, if you become bei'thal. The mind of the Silent Scholar took on a serious focus in sharp contrast to the normal ramblings of its mind as. Your
mind will be open to mine, and you will not be able to hide away those
little tidbits of your thoughts. I will tear your walls down in order
to build them up bigger and better than before, but you will open to me
when I demand it. But with its very next thought it returned to its academic mirth and its cloudy hazel eyes beamed. This will be so very enjoyable, and I don't think I am alone in saying that. Let's learn how you work.
"No. I won't let you."
"Pnum'beithal, as I told you. There will be nothing but trouble with this one." Roh'ath roared.
"But I will serve you, as I once served my brothers. You will have my talents, my web. You need me." Onion was not sure if she was convincing enough. However, now that she had been found out, now that she felt the futile buzzing of the Silent Scholar's probing mind uselessly struggle against the power of her web, she felt more confident than she had since her arrival two tides ago. "You know you are curious."
Onion felt a chill down her spine as under the cloth of its cloak and hood she could feel its leathery face smile. Spider protect against the day she'd have to see that face in person. You will loose that ability. Even the bei'thal must make sacrifices, and your mind will be open. But you are right. I am curious. It turned to the Empress's son, By your mother's leave, I will see to her basic training myself. And then back to the uncomfortable man on the other side of Onion, Cedric will assist me. We shall have a fun time with this, the three of us. Shalln't we?
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