After the Calling

<<Madness: Part V

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“No,” Troy said doggedly. “I can’t believe you have me out in the middle of the night for this.”

“You have to,” Salem huffed.

“You are far from being in the position to tell me what I do and don’t have to do Salem.” Troy leaned back in the booth. “Know your limits.”

Salem looked down at her hands.  She and Troy had never gotten along very well, but she was attempting to maintain her cool. She needed her. “You’ve done it before,” she said hurriedly.

Troy sucked her teeth in annoyance. “Exactly, Salem. I’ve already sent waves out for you once. I’d be risking both of our lives if I tried it again. There’s no telling who’s on the lines now. Even if I was able to mask the message, I promise you there are telepaths out there stronger than I am, and they’re working for that bitch,” Troy spat. “They’d pick up my message, track it to me, track me to you, track you to Roux. We don’t need that. Especially not now with Rowanne out there killing fucking healers, of all people.”

“No one is sure she has anything to do with Sarke’s death,” Salem said.

“Selective hearing, huh? Well, tell me, who else would be able to do something like that?”

“She’s a psychic just like any other.”

“She’s fucking vampiric. And she’s begun to take the phrase literally. I know you heard that Sarke’s body was drained of blood!” Troy said, leaning forward. “They said his body was like a dried up corn husk, a flimsy piece of nothing.” She made a fluttering motion with her fingers. “And his aura? They can’t even find post-life traces of it. She sucked him dry.” Troy let her body fall back heavily. “I’m not going to risk my position on the Fringe again, let alone my psyche and my life, to help you send a love letter to Aeryn.”

Salem scowled at Troy’s mention of being on the Fringe. It was a reference to psychics who had not made allegiances to any side during Rowanne’s siege against The Calling, and used their neutrality to barter a level of immunity against any future violent acts. As long as they refrained from getting involved in the fight, aiding any psychics who were against Rowanne, or harboring those on her most-wanted list, they were relatively protected. However, any act of endorsement toward a marked psychic meant an immediate forfeit of any Fringe protection, and a promise of the full wrath of Rowanne should she get her hands on you.

“You owe it to Hadrian.”

Troy threw her head back incredulously. “I don’t owe Hadrian anything.”

“You abandoned him.”

“He abandoned me!” Troy exclaimed, sitting up and spinning to face Salem. She caught herself, and glanced around, making sure she hadn’t drawn any attention to herself. She leaned forward on the table and rubbed her temple.

She and Salem sat in silence as she regained her composure. “You judge me,” Troy said, eyes closed, “make faces and frown because I’m on the Fringe. You look down on me because I have a tiny inkling of self preservation, and can admit that I’m terrified.”

Salem bit her tongue and let Troy continue.

“You know just as well as I do that I wouldn’t even be there if Hadrian hadn’t left me to rot. I would have followed him anywhere. I would have done anything.” Troy gritted her teeth, and looked up. “You think it’s been easy? When every knows who you are, and who your former associates are. When at the drop of a hat, they’d throw you to the dogs if it meant saving their own ass. The Fringe is the last place that I want to be, but it’s offered me more protection than any of you ever could or would. Especially Hadrian.”

Salem waited to make sure Troy had said her piece. When she was satisfied Troy had finished, she spoke resolutely. “I’m surprised you don’t have to rinse out your mouth after spewing up that crap. Hadrian, Aeryn, Tobias, and I may not have had the strongest defenses, but each one of us would have laid down our lives for you. Especially, Hadrian.”

Salem shook her head. “But you’re too selfish to even realize that. You know he couldn’t stay. His episodes were getting stronger, less controllable, and after that incident with Aeryn, it was clear that he was becoming dangerous.”

“Aeryn provoked that situation.”

“There should not have been a situation to provoke, Troy!” Salem emphasised. “And Rowanne, had she caught him, would have killed anyone and everyone around him. He left to keep the ones he loved out of danger… including you,” Salem replied, glaring at Troy. “But if anything, you could have helped fight for him. Even now, you could be helping to find him. Instead, you endorse the cowardice of the Fringe. That’s abandonment in my eyes.”

Troy gave Salem a frigid look, but said nothing. A few tense moments past before Salem began speaking again.

“I need to get in touch with Aeryn,” Salem explained slowly. “Roux is having… dreams. Odd ones. She’s seeing things. Unfamiliar people and places. We don’t know what they mean. If Aeryn were able to channel them, interpret the auroric energy involved with them, maybe we’d get some insight. ”

Troy unpursed her lips. “Are they cognitive in any nature?”

“No,” Salem said quickly. “They don’t seem to be pre or post-cognitive in any way, but they are definitely related to Hadrian, and may have something to do with his disappearance.”

Troy shook her head. “To my knowledge, psychokinetics don’t have visions.”

“You know Roux has surpassed her abilities as a psychokinetic many times over. Besides, it is possible for an individual to develop more than one psychic capacity.”

“Two. Sometimes. Three at the most, on a phenomenally rare occasion. And even then, the capabilities are usually categorically similar,” Troy said, her words rapid fire. “But Roux has gifts in energy movement, object movement, telepathy, empathy, and now she’s a fucking cognitive? That’s five different skills, five different areas of psychic ability. Not to mention that she’s pre-vampiric. You know just as well as I do that something the fuck is up.”

“The dreams were not cognitive in nature, I told you.” Salem said firmly.

“Then what the fuck were they?” Troy said, raising her voice. “Projections? She can be in two places at once? She’s a fucking astral now?”

“Astrals don’t project in their sleep.”

“And psychokinetics don’t have visions!”

“Troy, I would appreciate it if you’d lower you voice,” Salem said, glaring.

“Ugh!” Troy moaned, frustrated. ““There is no one in here paying attention, and there isn’t a psychic in a 10 mile radius, I checked. Quit worrying, and get with the issue!”

“You are the issue.”

“I am the farthest fucking thing from the issue,” Troy argued. “You want me to send a long distance message about one of the most wanted psychics in history of Rowanne’s plague against our kind? That she’s developing more powers? That she’s seeing images involving another psychic that Rowanne would kill to get her claws on? You want me to do this knowing that she has telepaths far beyond my ability crawling all over the waves, waiting for a slip up like this?” Troy shook her head disbelievingly. “And you expect me to do it with a smile on my face? Fuck that. Fuck you.”

“You have superior abilities in telepathic encryption,” Salem said, although there was little encouragement in her voice.

“Look, don’t play games with me, Salem. I’m aware of what I can and can’t do. This is something that I can’t do,” Troy said, standing up. “You of all people know how dangerous times are right now. If someone was aware that I was even talking to you, I could be killed. Or worse.”

Salem sighed heavily and looked down at the table. “Well, then thank you for risking your life to accomplish absolutely nothing.”

“Always the warrior for morality, aren’t you Salem?” Troy chuckled bitterly as she walked away from the table. “Don’t try to contact me again.” Salem watched her walk away, but said nothing.

She waited a safe 2 hours, and 6 cups of coffee later before she exited as well, dejected, and unsure of what to do next.  She was completely unaware that Troy was very mistaken about the proximity of the nearest psychic, and that her every move was being watched. 

 

Mercer, adjusted her wig and shifted her energy once more to ensure that her psyche was thoroughly masked. From the conversation she had just listened to, she knew one thing for certain. Salem would be unable to play cat and mouse with Rowanne for much longer, and it was definitely time for her to take Roux into her own custody.

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Madness In Sanity: Part VII>>