Fall

 
Fugitives
The yellow message light flashes slowly in Shazira’s room.
It’s two inches wide, and is surrounded with a white circle that blinks rapidly on and off.
The circle indicates a secure message, and the rapid blinking means that it’s urgent.
The caller’s location and identity are unspecified, but who else could it be?
Shazira enters the family code, loads the encryption algorithm, and waits a moment for the wall to glow.
Tzina’s image appears, standing next to a black beast that holds her arm.
She’s wearing strange clothes and holding a Kizak blaster.

“You’re alive!” cries Shazira.
“It’s … Read more

Secrets of the Game

 
Games of Fire and Ice
While we eat, and during the blessing that follows, Tzina’s face is troubled.
She takes me aside and whispers, “Ina, I need to speak with you alone.”

“Open your mind shield,” I tell her, “and I’ll touch your thoughts.”

“No.”
“Let’s go to your circle, away from the others.”
“I need to get out of my head.”

I tell everyone that we’ll be back soon, and we glide to my circle.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, as we land.

“There’s a lot about MindTwisting that you don’t know.”

“Show me.”

“MindTwisters call the dreams that … Read more