CHAPTER two
From their observation post high in the trees, Marish watched the elephant grazing with her calf.
“I much prefer them to my own kind,” the man sitting next to him said. “So calm, so intelligent, so unique. You know the legend that claims the elephants are Old Ones trapped in a battle form that they took on during one of their great wars in the Dawn Times?”
“Only as a bedtime story,” Marish said. “Do you believe it, Lemo?”
The older man shrugged. “Our telepaths cannot speak to them, you know,” he said. “Unless you...”
“I’ve never had much ability in that direction,” Marish said. “And in the military, I needed to suppress what little I had. But I came here to ask about your abilities.”
Lemo shuddered. “What is there to say? A mindleech is a kind of telepath who can snatch m
