Page 116 of Riftborne
“That sounds a bit like Osta,” I realized.
“I thought so too. Fascinating how focuses manifest differently in people. However, I believe Osta’s is limited to inanimate things, like her designs. I have a way with… people. I think I’ve mentioned this to you before. I can sense what makes them tick. I know how to get what I want out of them. I am who I need to be given the circumstance,” he continued.
“And the other part?”
“I can always see one step ahead. In a fight, I can sense my opponent's intention before he makes his move. I can’t be surprised. I’m the best combat fighter in a generation,” he said casually.
His words sank in. It all made so much sense now. He was a military’s dream. No wonder he was promoted to General so young.
“So that’s how you knew you could train my focus?” I eyed him, finally understanding.
“Not exactly. We’ll have to attribute that to my overwhelming confidence.” He shot me a smile that caused my breath to catch in my throat. “For some reason or another, my focus doesn’t seem to work on you.”
“Why?” I asked, scrunching my forehead.
“Well, there’s something clearly wrong with you. It’s the only viable possibility. It works perfectly on everyone else.”
“It sounds like there’s something wrong withyou,” I shot back, hiding another smile. He was oddly playful in the face of near-certain death.
“Maybe so.” He shrugged.
“When we first met, you seemed erratic, like I couldn’t get a read on who you were,” I said, a new realization seeping in. “Is it because you couldn’t see what made me tick?”
“I couldn’t sense what motivated you whatsoever, so I had to go about it the old-fashioned way, figuring out what your greatest fears were and how to exploit them. It was beyond frustrating,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows. “But I figured you out enough. Anytime I mentioned Osta, you fell into place quite easily.”
I stayed silent for a moment, trying to push away the discomfort that his words brought. After so much time, it was hard to recall the beginning of our relationship. So much had changed.
“ Now you know all of my secrets.” His words broke through my thoughts.
“I highly doubt that. You’re about as mysterious and conniving as they come.”
Our horses veered left, trotting down the decline of a hill.
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know, but first, you have to tell me how you beat me in Mercer’s class. I know you didn’t do it on your own merit as a fighter.” Laryk scoffed.
The wind had picked up, and he pushed his hair behind the points of his ear.
“I tried something. I didn’t know if it would work. But it was just this inkling. Because my focus is so tied to the mind, I was curious if I could sense someone within range of me. And it worked. I could see you burning bright as you approached me. It’s like having a second sight,” I admitted, pleased with myself.
“It makes sense. How can you grip a mind if you can’t see it? It’s intuitive. The thought never occurred to me. As frustrating as that is.”
“That's why my focus was useless during the simulation,” I added. “Not that we know for sure that Wraith's even have minds.”
“They have some sort of cognitive function.” He glanced down, adjusting the straps of his saddle.
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“My ability is also highly tied to the mind. I don’t know what the wind is going to do. I don’t know if it’s going to rain. But I can readthem. That tells me there has to be something behind the shadows,” he said, rubbing his scar.
“Anyway, was there something specific you wanted to know about me?” he questioned, changing the subject.
I paused, wondering what the best approach would be. I wanted to ask him about the scar and how exactly he received it, but I got the feeling he wanted to end this portion of the conversation.
“Your father is a famous General right?”
“I guess you could say that.” He clenched his jaw, and I wondered if I had stumbled intoanothersensitive subject.
“We don’t have to talk about it.”
