Chapter 2
Chapter Two
“ Y ou need to learn this. What we are going over is the very basic skill you need to manage the arcane art of Aesthesia. A child of five winters can instinctively do what it has taken you two days to grasp. Concentrate, Leander.”
The demigod was sitting in a hardback chair, leaning forward with his face in his hands as the frustration he was feeling began to get the better of him. “I am concentrating! This isn’t as easy as you insist it is.”
“Like I said, a five-year-old?—”
“Oh, give him a break, Venser,” Verin interrupted as he exhaled slowly.
“A five-year-old has received five additional years of training, five more than Leander. Even if it isn’t formal.
They instinctively know it because they didn’t have it thrust upon them at the age of twenty-eight…
and their gift would by no stretch of the imagination be as powerful as Leander’s. ”
Venser acquiesced, falling silent as he allowed his half-brother to pull himself together.
“Would that the Nine had not deigned it appropriate to bless me with this mortal power when they stripped me of my divine powers.”
“It is the birthright of most noble children and even some who are baseborn,” Verin explained gently. “You are entitled to it as the son of Flavian Talius, as much as we are. You can do this, Leander.”
“I don’t even understand what I am supposed to be doing. I could feel our father the other day and it was second nature to throw up a barrier but I have no idea how I did it. It was instinctual.”
“That’s all Aesthesia is: instinct.”
“Yes,” Venser agreed, “cerebral instinct. You think and you do. There is little more to it than that.”
“It is still none of it easy,” Leander grouched to his brothers. He slapped his hands on his thighs. “Right. I’m ready. Let’s try again.”
“Okay then.” Venser took his seat opposite Leander while the eldest of the three brothers stood at a distance, watchful.
“You will feel light pressure against your psyche. I want you to repel it just as you did against father. This needs to become a conscious effort rather than a passive phenomenon. Only then will you be able to understand what you are doing and it can be done unconsciously.”
There was a pause.
Then: “Good, that barrier will keep out all but the most gifted. Do you recognise the effort it takes to sustain it?”
Leander nodded as he felt the pressure leave his mind. He had imagined cast iron walls being erected to defend his mind and it took a fair amount of effort on his part to keep them up, but it worked. Once the pressure was removed, he allowed the defences to fall.
“No, keep them up, Leander. This is something that needs to be second nature. I can feel the pride in yourself radiating off you. The barrier must remain erected. That’s why I recommended picturing something simple: easier to maintain.”
“Let’s move on, Venser. Leander has the basics down. We can always return to this lesson when we work with the children, but he needs the rudiments in active use of Aesthesia, not just passive and protective uses.”
Venser glanced at Verin. “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” he murmured as he leaned forward in his chair. “Verin, will you be his target? Easier for me to instruct when my mind isn’t being invaded.”
The Talius scion nodded and came to sit in the plush recliner next to Venser. There, he settled in, preparing for Leander’s attempts to breach his mental defences. He smiled at his little brother, a look that was both comforting and a challenge, as if to say, I fucking dare you .
Leander wiggled around in his own chair, trying to get comfortable before his attempt to penetrate his brother’s no doubt well protected mind.
“Ready?” Venser asked of the pair of them. When they both nodded in response, he said, “Okay, Leander, do your worst.”
Permission given, Leander closed his eyes and shut his senses off from the world, as his brothers had taught him yesterday. Eventually, he would not need to do this, but it was, apparently, the easiest way to learn the arcane art of Aesthesia.
Clearing his mind, he sought out other presences in the vicinity. There was Verin, and then he sensed Venser. He found them easily, but he could also sense a few slaves as they went about their work around the house.
In their minds was little of consequence as they went about their day, completing the tasks required of them by the Talius family.
They were focused on their tasks, some thought about what they would do this evening in the Bazaar as there was quite the celebration tonight.
One even thought about a spurned love. Nearby, Verin’s children were occupied in lessons with their tutors.
None of their minds were focused on the political history of Vyrica as they should have been.
It was mundane and inconsequential but difficult for Leander to tune out.
He tried to dismiss the minds of those who were not his quarry and focused on Verin. Eventually, he managed it.
There it was, the thoughtfully constructed barrier, one with enough holes in it for him to have a fighting chance at getting through. Leander prodded at it lightly. He opened his eyes and gave his brother a look.
Leander could sense Verin’s amusement at the situation. The man’s thoughts were all focused on that—he would have to reach deeper than the surface thoughts, but they were still blocked to him. So much for unfettered access.
“There are many things I do not wish for you to know, Leo,” Verin said cheerfully, obviously feeling some force of Leander’s psyche against his own inner, more carefully constructed barrier .
“Fair enough.” Leander wasn’t digging for anything, so he let it go. Returning his attention to what he could read, he groped around with no real direction or purpose other than to learn how to use this infernal power.
“Eventually we will teach you how to do this without your quarry knowing. Right now it is like having a battering ram thrust through my brain.” Verin explained, evidently finding the whole situation hilarious good fun.
Venser coughed, though Leander was sure it was a poorly concealed laugh.
He wasn’t very good at this. Leander didn’t much like Aesthesia, especially when compared to his own lost divine powers.
There was nothing easy about using Aesthesia and it didn’t come naturally to him.
It was not instinctive like it had been the other day when he was fending off his father’s probing.
He withdrew from Verin’s thoughts to scowl at his older brothers. “And you were an expert within a few days?”
“Actually, Venser is a natural. He is the most accomplished Aesthesic in the kingdom. You are lucky to have him as your instructor.”
Leander huffed but said nothing.
“It wasn’t a bad attempt. Once you stop mentally stampeding around like a rampaging elephant you will be fine.” Verin grinned.
Venser was also smiling. “Right, let’s move on,” he said, leaning forward in his chair.
“Even the unskilled might become aware of your presence within their mind, which is a dangerous thing. It is the reason most will not bother. Sensing emotions, however, cannot be detected, and can be used wherever and whenever you feel like it. Pun intended.”
Verin continued, “The only time you cannot sense emotions is through a well-constructed barrier. Which is why it is vital you get a grasp of creating a good and subconscious defensive shield around your mind.”
Leander nodded slowly.
He didn’t like the idea of people constantly being aware of what he was feeling. The mental barrier seemed like the most useful thing for him to learn and he promised himself that he would double down on practising how to throw up a barrier and keep it up without having to constantly focus on it.
“You’ll probably pick this up quickly. From what you’ve told me, it is probably no different from your divine ability to differentiate lies from the truth.” Venser explained.
As if either of them had any idea how Leander’s divine domain worked.
“You do this mostly passively. Emotions radiate off every sentient being, including those without language. Even some animals, though their emotions are often a lot less complex than that of a human. More… crude.”
“But if, as you say, one uses this passively, aren’t I just going to spend the rest of my existence feeling the emotions of others with no reprieve?”
“Yes and no. You will learn to tune into as well as ignore tendrils of emotion emanating from people around you. It is not so hard once you get the hang of it. But it is vital that you learn how to control this aspect of arcana, lest you be driven mad by the wayward emotions of others. Trust me when I say that. ”
“Don’t scare the boy, Venser.” Verin was still grinning. His jovial mood was beginning to piss Leander off.
Apparently, it was pissing Venser off too.
“It’s true, Verin. Wipe that grin off your face or leave.
I have witnessed better men than you deliberately harm or even dispatch themselves in an attempt to escape the turmoil of emotions on a battlefield.
It is not a pleasant sight. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy and I certainly don’t want that for our brother. ”
“A valid point. My apologies.”
Venser fixed his brother with a hard glare.
It was only then that Leander, using his developing understanding of Aesthesia, felt Verin’s continued mirth and merriment at the happenings in this room.
He also felt Venser’s irritation. After a few moments, Verin’s beguilement dissipated and was replaced with the more appropriate emotion of remorse for his disrespect for arcana.
Satisfied, Venser returned his attention to Leander. Leander first felt the threads of surprise spread out away from Venser. Then he also felt a sense of… pride?