Communication 2

“Talk to me.” Tezzeret leaned forward, fists on the table. “Not with your mouth. With your mind.” For an instant, Jace stared.

Tezzeret wasn’t certain if he was concentrating, or had somehow failed to understand the command. Then …

Like so? The words formed directly in Tezzeret’s mind. Jace’s lips, his tongue, his teeth moved not at all.

“Precisely like that,” Tezzeret told him. “I see you’ve done this before.”

It’s come in useful a time or two.

“How far?”

Jace shrugged. “Never tried it beyond a few yards or so,” he said aloud.

“We’ll have to test that.” He pointed a metal finger at the door. “There are several guards in the hallway outside. Can you communicate with them?”

“Hm. I’ve never tried this outside line of sight, except with people I already know.”

“Then now’s a good time to start.”

A moment more, and Jace’s eyes grew wide, his jaw muscles twitching as though he were repressing a shout. And then the door flew open and a trio of guards dashed inside with the clatter of mail, hands reaching for their swords. The room abruptly smelled of oiled steel.

“Boss?” one asked. “Is everything okay? I thought I heard someone shouting for us.”

***

Agents of Artifice, Chapter 10