Read Grace and Shadow for Free Online

was a bed, a research desk and a small table as well as a beverage dispenser for late-night tea.
    “Now that you know where you are staying, we will go to the sparring floor and you will have your first lesson.”
    “Why so quickly?”
    “We only have you until you are trained, and there is no reason to hesitate with the training. There is no reason to delay and every reason to hurry. Your people need you.”
    She suddenly wanted to be headed home. “Then, why am I here?”
    He chuckled. They left her quarters, and she memorised the landmarks so she could find her way back to her apartment.
    The sparring floor was precisely what it sounded like; around the room, men and women in a variety of combinations were engaged in combat or martial meditation.
    Nekron led her to a space against one wall, helped her remove her robe and hang it on a nearby peg, and then, he faced off against her.
    “Now, we begin with posture. Among my people, posture is assisted by corsets and military training. Your posture is pretty good on its own, but physical confidence will go a long way to improving it.”
    He showed her how to stand, and they were off.
     
    Two hours later, she was bruised from falling but felt exhilarated. She had performed as well as other talents she could see in the sparring floor and better than many of the men. Growing up on a world that wouldn’t give her a chance, she had never guessed that she was just as physically capable as someone who could read minds. It was a fun moment.
    They were sitting on a bench, and Nekron explained to her, “Now, as for your test results...”
    “Yes?”
    “You know that everyone on your world has a power of some kind.”
    “I do.”
    “You are no exception.”
    Imgrace was shocked. “But, they did tests.”
    “They did. They were testing for talents, for measurable talents. You are not a talent and never will be, but you are power.”
    She sipped at her water bottle. “I don’t understand.”
    “What gives a talent shape?”
    She shrugged. “Genetics, I suppose. They shape the talent.”
    “What if nothing shapes it? Does the power behind the talent cease to exist or is it just lying there, waiting?”
    Imgrace blinked. “I suppose if all the other genes are in play and the only one lacking is the one that gives it focus, the power would still be there.”
    “And your species can’t use their powers off world because the thing that their talent attaches to is the world itself. They need a focus, a lens to work through. They need their own world and the power it produces. You contain the same electromagnetic energy as Jremat.”
    She hoped that she looked as shocked as she felt. “So, all the talents on Jremat are useless when they are away from a certain frequency?”
    “Frequency, intensity. What normally happens to one of your type on your world?”
    “We die as children. We are killed by our peers as their talents become active.”
    Combat Master Nekron sat with his horns gleaming in the light. “Let me posit a thought that there is no malice in it when it is a child. The void pushes their power into overdrive, like sunlight through a lens. You are trying to contact the energy around you that matches the energy inside you, and it runs through one of your peers. They go crazy and the rest is obvious.”
    “I am going to need to mull that over. It makes sense but it is horrifying.” She closed her eyes. “You have obviously studied my world.”
    “It is a fascinating conundrum. An entire world of powered people, and yet, they cannot be removed from their world to spread their power through the universe. It has been a puzzle. You have made things much clearer.”
    She nodded. “What is my training schedule?”
    “I will meet you, and we will exercise before dawn tomorrow. We will have breakfast, and you will have another combat round. In the afternoon, we will work on finding a way to project your energy.”
    “Right. I suppose I should get to bed