Heroes Return by Moira J. Moore Read Free Book Online

feared most irrationally, might actually make it happen.
    “I don’t think we should move,” said Taro. “It makes sense for us to be here. It is the place that has the most empty space, and we’re family. I’m just being ridiculous. You’re supposed to smack me up the back of the head and tell me to be sensible.”
    “You’re too far away.” And as far as I was concerned, he had every right to feel weird about this place. Maybe I should keep an eye out for a better place for us to live. I’d rather insult Fiona than have Taro assailed by bad memories every moment of every day. “I’m writing a letter to Aryne. Do you want to add something?” I could tell he was about to shake his head. “You should. You didn’t write anything in the last one.”
    “I can never think of what to write,” he muttered as he came to where I was sitting.
    “I don’t think it matters.” She had no one in the world, and Taro and I were poor substitutes for family. The least we could do was write her regularly. “It’s important that she knows we think about her.”
    Taro shrugged and I let him have my seat at the secretary. In my mind I tried to compose a convincing letter to send to the Triple S.
    Suddenly Taro straightened in his chair. “Are you ready?” he asked.
    That meant he was feeling the approach of a natural disaster, and he was going to channel. “Aye.”
    The inner protections he had, guarding a mind that would directly touch the forces of the world, faded away, allowing the forces attached to the natural disaster to flow through him. I erected my Shields around him, letting him do his work while guarding him from the forces he wasn’t manipulating. I calmed a mind straining with exertion, and slowed blood that threatened to burst from veins and heart as Taro’s whole body reacted to forces the human vessel wasn’t really designed to interact with.
    It was something I usually enjoyed doing. It was a wonderful stretch of mind and concentration, to feel what Taro was doing and make sure he was protected while he did it. I had trained most of my life to do this, and I knew I was fortunate to be able to do it for someone as worthy as Taro. As there were more Shields than Sources born, I was aware that there were many Shields who never got bonded and therefore were never able to Shield. And there were some Shields bonded to unworthy Sources who dragged them down into infamy with them.
    I liked the challenge of Shielding, but of late most of the events we channeled were unusual in nature. It looked like this one would be the same, for all of a sudden the forces started rushing through Taro at a faster pace, and faster again. His blood started pumping harder, his mind working more intensely. This wasn’t good. “Slow down, Taro!”
    “I can’t!” he snapped.
    Images started slamming into the back of my mind, images I had seen before. Waves crashing into high, dark cliffs. The images brought other impressions. Salt water filling my mouth and stinging my nose. The screeching of seabirds piercing my ears.
    No, not again.
    It was going too fast, too fast. My Shields felt like they were stretching. “Slow down!”
    There was no reaction from Taro. Maybe he hadn’t heard me. Usually we could speak while channeling, but I wouldn’t be surprised if all of Taro’s attention was on the forces. Mine should be, too. I felt like I was holding his moist beating heart in my hands and trying to stop it from beating so hard. I felt like I couldn’t breathe without dragging in pounds of salt.
    I thought my Shields might start to burst apart at any moment.
    And then I felt trembling. Actual physical trembling. It wasn’t me. It was happening around us. Were we letting the earthquake through? “Do you feel that?” I demanded.
    “Aye,” said Taro.
    “We have to do something.”
    “I’m open to suggestion.”
    The trembling continued. It didn’t get to be very strong, just causing rattling of the wall hangings.
    And