Battle for the mind, opening shots

[singindemonhq]

We got to William Tallisker House, and that's where things took a turn for the better. The proprietor was the right Grant Douglas, I knew this one years back, when he was wilder.

Erynne was exhausted after the drive. I'd have carried her in, but I didn't want to spend any more energy than I could help. I knew there was likely to be more to do.

I hadn't been able to keep the telempathic link open properly while I was driving - too much risk of an accident. It was different once we were in the suite, though. I opened the link, stayed close and waited - and Old Snakey tried for Erynne again.

I wouldn't know how to explain what happened next - not in English, anyway. It isn't easy to fight an intruder in the mind of someone who you don't want to hurt.

I knew in the first seconds that Old Snakey probably wouldn't burn - no real chance to get her mad enough - but it was worth a try. I remembered that she was probably claustrophobic, and sent the illusion of pitch, solid-looking darkness, in a small place, with the echoes suggesting that the walls were closing in. Then the illusion wrapped her tightly, crushingly, in fabric, rolls of it, leaving no room for breath - for a second Old Snaky's mind was full of screaming, but then she was gone - totally gone!

For a moment I was caught in it myself, and as the link broke I was afraid for Erynne, but she sighed and turned toward me, with the strained expression that had been on her face finally relaxing into true sleep. I waited for over an hour, with the tranquilising gun across my lap, before I called Grant.