The man’s face twitched slightly as he spoke, leading Kitalia to believe that Bel was doing everything she could to break through to wherever the man had taken the two of them. She also realized that she needed to guard her thoughts more effectively, as this creature seemed to be more than capable at drawing them out.
Kitalia closed her eyes briefly and concentrated on a specific image she called up that helped her center her mind and focus on protecting her thoughts.
It wasn’t magic, not the way that the Tehynshins believed it to exist. It was simply one of many meditative practices that the Ylveryans had perfected over the centuries. The best way that they could ever describe it to non-Ylveryans was to simply call it “stillness”.
It was the same practice used by Ylveryan craftsmen as they ensured absolute perfection in their makings.
It was the same practice used by her people as they prayed, as only with a pure heart and a chaste mind could they receive the blessings.
It was the same practice that their warriors used in battle, to separate personal feelings and emotions from the other part of themselves that could act ruthlessly and without remorse. This was, of course, a very dangerous practice, as once that part of one’s self is summoned up and given free rein, it is incredibly hard to contain again once its work is done.
Her mind suitably protected, or so she believed, she turned her attention to the stranger. Maybe if she delayed him long enough, she thought, Bel would succeed, and they could get out of there before Kre managed to do something dumb. She glanced over at her companion in the hopes of non-verbally communicating her plan, only to find that he was no longer next to her.
Kitalia closed her eyes and swore a dozen Ylveryan curse words under her breath, nearly breaking her grasp on her stillness of mind.
A glance behind her proved her fears correct as she noticed Kre nearly at the altar. “Calm down,” Kre called back, though Kitalia wasn’t certain who he was directing his words to, “I’m checking out the altar.”
A few light steps carried her up to a spot next to him, just before the step up to the dais. “What in the world do you think you are doing?” she asked in a soft, but still dangerous sounding whisper. “I thought I said not to do anything stupid.”
“Stupid would have been standing there pissing that thing off even more with questions, accusations, and delays. You saw what he did to that wooden bench. I don’t really relish that man’s hands around my neck. If walking up and looking at an altar keeps him happy, that’s what we’ll do.”
The logical and decisive response caught Kitaila slightly off-guard. She half-wondered if Kre was snidely insulting her and calling her stupid with his response and half-cheered him for finally seeming to understand how to survive in this world. She had half a mind to ask him about the former thought instead set it in the corner of her mind to hold over him later.