Three

Sext, Sixteenth Day Before Kalends of May

Main Courtyard, Greghorn Castle (Anselm Family Residence), Drum

Jack Anselm, the only child of the Anselm family, aged twelve, sat on the grass, barefeet, wearing a simple grey tunic, eyes closed. Sitting before him was Kate Rinehart, the daredevil child of the Rinehart family, aged twenty, in light armour. Her eyes were open, staring intently at the boy.

“Loosen your Connexion with your Body,” she said, softly. “Consider your Body merely one among infinitely many Bodies. Let go.”

Jack managed this with ease. This step had taken the two of them daily work for the past three months, but he now found it easy to detach his Mind from his Body. His body went limp.

“Keep your eyes closed. Extend your Mind outwards. Find Connexion with the grass underneath you.”

Jack did this, his Mind groping outwards, blindly. His Body tugged at his Mind to return to it, but his Mind firmly turned away, and when he did he found that he could Sense the sprawling grass beneath him.

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“Feel the shape of the blades of the grass. Feel the wind rustling these blades, as if you are the grass itself.”

And Jack was the grass and he could feel the wind amongst the blades.

“Now Transcend it. Grow!”

And the grass grew, all around them, and the prickling sensation jolted Jack’s Mind back to his own Body and he opened his eyes. The grass stopped growing.

“Oh!” said Jack.

“Good,” said Kate. “But you must not let loose your grasp. You must harbour a… kind of possessiveness. A vicious possessiveness. Like a wolf that has caught its prey. You must not let go at all cost, even if the other is squirming under your grasp.”

Jack stared at Kate with large, unfocused eyes, and Kate realised that she was Transcending the young boy’s fragile Mind.

“Oh,” she said, and let go.

Jack smiled confusedly and said, “I will try again.”

And once again he closed his eyes but the two were interrupted by a call from the arcade. Both raised their heads to look. There was the usual crowd of servants that often gathered to watch these daily lessons, but the crowd was parting deferentially to give way to Lord Ainsel himself. Kate rose to her feet and bowed.

“Lord Ainsel,” said Kate. “What brings you out here?”

“Rinehart,” said Lord Ainsel, seeming uncharacteristically agitated. “I am afraid we must draw today’s lesson to a close. Councillor Keys has visited. He wishes to speak to you. Now.”

“Councillor Keys?” said Kate.

“Yes, he is in the Main Hall. Do make haste.”

“Of course, my lord,” said Kate, smiled at Jack, and made leave.

Lord Ainsel noticed Jack staring at Kate as she walked away and said, “My boy, you must not stare like that.”

Jack flushed red and turned away.