Tales of the Citadel # 32 - Core Charge by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online

while she ducked behind the screen and did as he requested. When she emerged, her suit was loosely hanging from her hips, and she boosted herself onto the table to lie face down.

    Effin’s businesslike hands moved quickly to expose just the skin he needed, and he sterilised the spot he had scanned as a good candidate.

    “I can’t give you anaesthetic for this.”

    “I remember from the briefing. You need me alert so you can watch for signs of distress.”

    He sighed and swiped something cold against her back, just above her hip and next to her spine. She gripped the edge of the exam bed while he scanned for the precise placement.

    Nyral crouched in front of her with a wince and took her hands. “Breathe easily. In and out. It will be over in seconds.”

    She nodded and followed the flaring of his nostrils, breathing in and out with him. The direct feel of his skin against hers made her blush, but before she could look away from him, a searing bolt of pain struck her spine and fire reached through every inch of her pelvis within seconds. She gasped and shook, her body twisted and a charge built, but she held it in.

    Effin sealed the wound and began watching the effect of the implant on her.

    She could feel something happening, but Nyral kept eye contact with her, his dark swirling irises calm and concerned. He could probably feel the energy, but he didn’t let her go, he held on while she began to shake as the fire splashed through her limbs before slowly retreating back to the central point of the implant. It was in her centre of mass, and she felt different with it inside her.

    Effin said, “It appears to have successfully grafted itself to your spine and attached to your pelvis. If you have any side effects, come to me immediately or tell Nyral.”

    She was still keeping eye contact with the man in front of her. She nodded. “I will. Can I move now?”

    Effin stepped back. “Move carefully.”

    She inhaled slowly and pushed herself upright. She wanted to get dressed and walk, so she moved as fast as she could to remove the gown and put on her suit again. She was back as quick as she could be, and Effin was still turning back to the instrument tray with the injector.

    “Holy stars. That was fast.”

    Nyral came up and put his arm around her. “I will take her for a walk, and she will wear off the first surge of displacement.”

    Effin appeared shaken. “Can I put monitors on you?”

    She shrugged. “Will my energy short them out?”

    He grumbled. “Yes.”

    “Ask Nyral for a briefing. He is the only one who knows what is going on here.” Her limbs were shaking with energy. She really did need to get moving.

    With Nyral at her side, she left the base with huge strides, heading away from the tarmac and out toward the empty plain nearby.

    He kept pace with her and didn’t say anything.

    When she was far enough away from the base, she went down on one knee and sent a bolt of lightning across the ground, blowing up a shrub half a kilometre away. The relief of pressure was enough to make her sigh. “That feels better.”

    He chuckled. “You are handling it well.”

    “Thank you. It feels peculiar. Even the explosion seemed slower.”

    “You are running fast, that means that your perceptions will allow you additional time to absorb information from the world around you. You will learn to slow down.”

    “How will I learn?” she looked up at a descending ship, and it should have dropped like a stone at the speed it was landing.

    “You are planning to teach the children to play the harp? You will need to work on you timing there. Sound can only travel at the normal speed, so you will need to slow down to match it. It is a good training tool, and I didn’t have to think of it, so I am very pleased indeed.”

    She snorted and tried to listen to the world around her. She focused on the landing ship, and as she used the sound to calibrate herself, she took Nyral’s hand and started