Colene has started to learn magic, or at least telepathy, from association with me. Is it possible that my ability could help you similarly?
“Perhaps. But it is not telepathy I need. It is my own power of magic.”
I am thinking that association with me might change your ability, as is the case with Colene. Perhaps that was why you were able to multiply magic, on the bog. You might recover some of your magic, when linked with me.
“I doubt it. I did not have my magic in the Shale Mode.”
But Nona had some of hers, and you had some of yours in the Fractal Mode. We do not know why the magic patterns as it does. Could it be because of the company we keep?
“Now, that’s an interesting notion! Very well, let’s experiment.” Darius brought out his own icon, and invoked it. He tried to conjure himself across the street.
There was no effect. The magic wasn’t operative.
Try your mental magic.
“For that I need a subject from whom to draw, and subjects to receive.”
Can you try it in a small way?
“I could try to draw from you, and return it immediately. But you would not care for that.”
I could tolerate it.
So Darius focused on the horse, and drew his joy—and felt it working. He returned it.
I felt it, and not merely through your own awareness. That magic works.
It did work—when it had not before. It was different this time. Because of the horse.
“I think we now have a tool we can use to help the Sin Eater,” Darius said, quick to appreciate the possibilities. “But we still must discover how best to do it. I wish to bring him joy, but none to the oppressive community.”
After a time, Seqiro had another thought. The youths who attacked you: they are approaching.
“Those ones? How can you know that? I don’t even know their identities!”
Your mind has a picture of them. Their minds have pictures of you. As I range through this community, I am aware of correspondences. There is an alignment. They are in a car, and they are looking for trouble. This is the way they entertain themselves. They like to insult and hurt other people. I am reading this in their minds.
Darius considered. He had never expected to have such a meeting, but realized that this was the same segment of the same Mode where he had encountered the youths before. They were traveling in their car, cruising the neighborhood, as it seemed was their wont. So it was not after all surprising that they should pass close to him.
“Seqiro, I am not a vengeful man, but it is in my mind that I owe those youths somewhat. They sought to make of me a Sin Eater, and brought me pain. Would you object if I repaid them for the beating they gave me before?”
I do not like their minds. I share your anger. I have no objection.
“In Colene’s mind, or in Amos’ mind, or in the awareness of others you have surveyed, has there been an indication of especially dangerous folk in this community?”
There is what is termed a motorcycle gang at its fringe. This is considered to be dangerous to those who annoy it.
“When I saw those youths—that gesture of theirs I emulated—was that an insult?”
The horse explored the minds. That gesture is considered provocative. The one who receives it is required to avenge the affront, or suffer loss of esteem.
“Could you cause the youths to drive past that gang, and make that signal?”
Watch.
In Darius’ mind appeared the image culled from the mind of one of the riders of the car. The buildings were moving rapidly back on either side of the car, and other cars were being narrowly passed. This was termed Joy Riding, and was the youths’ main diversion.
The car swerved around a comer, taking a new direction. “Hey, watch it!” one of the youths protested as his container of alcoholic beverage slopped over. “You near rolled us over!”
“I can’t help it!” the driver replied. “Something’s making me do it.”
The other three laughed. “Yeah, sure!” the viewpoint character said. “Where’s this demon making you go?”
“To the Chain Gang.”
There was more laughter, but it lacked force. “You know we don’t mess with those toughs,” another youth said, sounding a bit nervous. “Those chains they use pack a mean wallop.”
But the car kept zooming in the new direction. Soon it was entering the region of the gang.
“Hey, fun’s fun, but it ain’t fun to trespass on their territory,” the fourth youth said. “Lay off, Buzz.”
Buzz continued to zero in on the hangout of the Chain Gang. The main group of motorcycles came into view. Several gang members were standing outside, swigging beer.
The car slowed. Then the viewpoint youth put his head and right arm out the side window. “Hey, ganglia, suck on this,” he said, lifting one finger. Then Buzz gunned the motor, almost running down a parked motorcycle.
It was like banging on a hornet’s nest. There was a yell. Men piled out of the hangout. In a moment several motors were starting.
“Get out of here, Buzz!” a youth yelled, terrified by what they had so foolishly done.
But Buzz just poked along, making sure that the cyclists got a good look at the car. As the first cycle roared into pursuit, another youth released his belt and dropped his trousers and undershorts. Then he contorted himself so as to poke his bare buttocks out his window. The first youth reached out his own window and repeated the finger gesture with an exaggerated upward hooking motion. “Up yours!” he yelled. “Sideways! The same goes for your gooney friends!” It all seemed rather pointless to Darius, but the horse assured him that it was effective communication in this Mode.
Then Seqiro released the driver. The four youths were on their own.
Do you wish to watch further?
Darius chuckled. “No. I am not a man of violence, and I fear that some is going to occur.” But he was hardly unhappy about it, remembering the drubbing those same youths had given him for returning their own gesture. “How did you know those particular words that the gesturing youth spoke? They did not come from my mind.”
Colene had a fantasy of arranging such a sequence for the other four youths who raped her. I merely applied her scenario.
The rapists! Darius got a wicked notion. “Are they in this neighborhood also?”
Seqiro searched. Yes. This is what is considered to be the bad section of town. Their residence is not far away.
“I would like to deal with those youths too. Colene does not wish to make trouble, fearing that it will interfere with our marriage. But perhaps we can arrange something appropriate for those young men, also.”
They caused Colene a great deal of anguish. That rape was the start of her trend toward suicide. I do not regard them as worthy humans.
“I love her, and wish I could marry her in my Mode as well as this one, but she is now a vessel of dolor and I can not. To the extent that those men are responsible for that, I hate them, and wish them ill. The question is what is feasible and appropriate?”
Amos knows of the rape. Had he not been prevented by his oath of secrecy, he would have reported them to the police. The authorities would have made things difficult for the rapists, if they were able to prove the case against them.