Power Play

Sequel to The Second Layer. Cover by @evenings.

Chapter 1

The man in the hooded cloak walked the streets with an air of confidence about him, not speaking to those he passed, not stopping for the minor distractions of the night. Those who passed close enough to get a look under his hood saw the clean, shaven face of a man in his late twenties. The only thing that seemed strange was that his eyelids always remained closed, he carried no cane, nor did he reach out with his hands to test the area around him, and yet he seemed to maneuver his way through and around the people and objects along the sidewalk as if he could see them clear as day.

After a long time spent walking this way, the man finally turned off into a dark alley. It was only once he was well inside it, away from earshot of the press of people along the street, that he spoke. "You might as well come out, True Mind, I know you're there."

A second passed where a hesitation seemed to hang in the air, before another man suddenly appeared in the alley almost as if out of nowhere. This man, with dark hair and eyes and a strongly sculptured face, moved to lean against a wall not far in front of the cloaked one. For his part, though his eyelids remained closed, the cloaked man's head shifted to look directly at the newcomer, as if he was staring straight at the man's face.

"It's Lord Talen, to you," the man leaning against the wall finally said after a long silence. "Why have you come to this city?"

The cloaked man simply smiled in amusement. "Can't you see into my head and take the answer for yourself?"

"Something is limiting my ability to look inside you, as you already know. What I can see is that you see more than any freak has a right to, and you have some kind of purpose," the True Mind known as Talen told him.

"Which is the only reason you haven't killed me yet. The True Mind from my home area, the one called Raeth, said the same. I can see more clearly even than your kind, and you don't like that. But you can't see the path of my future, and so you have no idea what my purpose is. And until you know what purpose I'm meant to serve, you won't kill me," the cloaked man replied.

"For now, that's true. There's a chance you could prove to have too great of importance for me to simply kill you out of hand. But I'm sure you already understand that the measure of protection that offers you only lasts so long as you do not become a problem. I won't hesitate to take your life and cut your purpose short, if you give me sufficient reason," Talen stated.

"Like what? Interfering with your plans?" the cloaked man asked, smiling at the way Talen's expression hardened. "Oh, I know all about your plans for this city, my lord. I know all about what you're setting in motion. I can see its path as plain as day."

A dangerous look entered Talen's eyes, and a fraction of a second later he was standing directly in front of the other man, their faces less than a foot apart. Not a human nor freak alive would've been able to follow the speed with which he'd moved away from the wall to get there. "I will not allow you to interfere with my interests in this city. If at any time you pose a threat to what I intend, you will die in the next instant. I will ask no questions, there will be no considerations of mercy, and I will show not the slightest care for your purpose. If you try to get in the way of my goals, I will kill you, do you understand?"

"Perfectly, my lord. Believe me, I have no intentions of obstructing your plans. I'm here because there's something I need to learn. That's all. It may take awhile, but stepping on your toes wouldn't serve to aid me in any way. So you have nothing to worry about where I'm concerned," the cloaked man answered.

There was another hesitation as Talen studied him for a moment more, but finally the True Mind nodded. "Good. See that it stays that way, and there'll be no problems between us."

"Of course, my lord. Was there anything else you wanted?" the cloaked man queried, still smiling.

"No, for now. But be careful, I'll be watching you," Talen instructed, before disappearing as suddenly as he'd appeared. The cloaked man simply turned and made his way back out to the street.