The Beast and The Brain.

J and I ran to the barn. “I won’t be needing a horse.” I growled, J grabbed the saddle and through it over the stallions back.

“I don’t want you changing just yet Asher.” She said looking to me, “We have the upper hand. Whether these fools know it or not, you will be my ace should things turn for the worse.” She said. I gave one short nod. J had changed into her black attire with her sword swords against her back. She had a pair of throwing knives at either boot as well. I had no doubt in my mind that she knew how to use them. J swung into the saddle then held out her hand. “Get on.” I used her hand and swung on behind her.

In a flash, we were running to the village. “We are going to walk once we get close enough.” J told me.
“Alright.” I said.
“I want you at my side the entire time. Don’t do anything stupid until I tell you that you can. Understood?” J asked.
“I understand. But J…?”
“Yes?”
“What if the soldiers are there?”
“Then they are going to wish they weren’t”

~ ~ ~ ~

When we reached the border of the forest and the village, we got off the stallion and walked the rest of the way. The villagers had set up patrol, we could have easily slipped passed them, but J wanted to be seen, to prove a point. So instead, we walked straight down the main road that lead through the center of town.

We heard a shout as one of the men spotted us. As we reached the village, a crowd had gathered. Women and children were standing on their porches as the men held swords, torches, pitchforks, and shovels. It was an everyday mob. The crowd circled around us as we hit the center of town where the well was.

J stepped up onto the well; I stayed below and kept my eyes on everyone. “Where is Grace?” J demanded, “We have come, now show her to us!” A man stepped forward; I thought I recognized him as the mayor of the little town. He had Grace before him, and a sword in the other hand.

“She is here, and unharmed. Now turn yourselves in and we will let her go.” He spat.
J looked coolly at the man, “I think not you pathetic little fool.” She said smoothly. She stepped down from the well and stepped up to the man. He pushed Grace back behind him were another person snatched out and held her.
“What did you call me?” He demanded.

“I called you a pathetic little fool.” J repeated very clearly, “You all made the mistake of messing with our friends. We do not take kindly to those you hurt or threaten our friends. You will do well to remember that.” J looked each one of them in the eye, “If you let Grace go immediately on a horse back to her father I may have the kindness to forget all of this. Grace and Charles have been your friends all the time they have been here. Grace has healed many people that would have died otherwise. You will do well to remember the payment you owe her…for some of you; you owe her your lives.” I noticed that some of the villagers looked guilty.

“You are still criminals!” The mayor shouted, “You need to be turned in!”
J eyed the man and approached him, “Who says we are criminals?” J asked.
“Soldiers, they came here this afternoon, passing through to the next town, but they stopped long enough to tell us about you.”

“And what did these soldiers look like? Can you describe them to me?”
The mayor shifted on his feet, “Well there were two of them-”
“-Just two?” J asked.
The mayor paused, and then nodded, “Well yes. They were both large men, with large horses as well. They both carried long swords with symbols on the hilt.”
“What symbol?” J asked. The mayor seemed to have forgotten the idea of turning us in.
“I….I don’t remember.” The mayor spoke honestly.

J looked away from the man, “Does anyone remember the symbol?” She shouted out. Everyone shook their heads or shrugged.

“I remember.” J turned as a large man stepped out of the crowd.
“They came to my shop and asked me to sharpen their swords.” The man said, “I remember the symbol clearly. I was a symbol of a sword with the tip in a snake’s mouth.” For the first time J, look truly afraid. She went a little pale and she was speechless. People waited nervously as J seemed to gather her thoughts.

“Listen. All of you!” She stepped back up onto the well, “These men are not soldiers. They are evil vile men. We will be leaving this area immediately; do not hold Grace or Charles accountable for any of this. They are not at fault, go now and forget we were ever here.”

J jumped down from the well, took Graces hand, and started running for the woods to her horse. I took off and caught up with them, “Asher.” J said pushing Grace into the saddle, “Can you get back to the house on your own…quickly?” She asked giving me a look and I knew she wanted me to fly back to the house.

“Yes.” I nodded.
“Good, then do so immediately, pack our things, and get ready to leave.” I nodded my head once and J took off down the road pushing her horse into a full run. I looked around to make sure no one was able to see me then released the power inside.

My whole body shifted and took shape in a flash; I stretched my wings out and took to the sky. I stayed low against the trees of the forest and in a minute, I was landing in the field behind the house. I formed back into my normal self and ran up the back steps. “Charles!” I yelled. He shot out of the chair he had been sitting in and rushed forward.

“What’s happened? Where are Grace and J?” He demanded.
“They are on their way back. J sent me back to pack our things. I hurried into J’s room and gathered her things into her saddlebags, I went to my room and gathered the few things I had bought and stuffed them in as well. I went outside and placed everything in the grass. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a small sack, “I hope you don’t mind Charles, but J and I are leaving. I’m sorry for everything, and the mess we put you in.” I tied the sack off and placed it with the rest of the things outside.

“You still haven’t told me what’s happened.” Charles retorted, just as I could hear the sound of hooves approaching. I gave him a look then walked out the door and down the steps. J pulled back on the reigns and helped Grace down before she dismounted herself.
“Dad!” Grace ran into Charles arms.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.” He said in her hair. Then he looked up at us, “Thank you for all you’ve done.” He said, “This is for you.” He tossed J a sack filled with coin.
“We can’t accept this.” J said holding up the sack angrily.

Charles shook his head, “I don’t care what you’ve done. You two are hard workers, and you deserve to have a new start if that is what you seek. You will always be welcome here if you need a place to stay.” Grace ran forward and to my surprise came to me and hugged me.

“I have to tell you something.” She whispered to me. She took my hand and led us off a few steps away from J and Charles.
“What is it?” I asked her.
“I’ve been healing you…back to what you used to be.” She told me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You used to be strong and agile. I’ve been helping you become the way you used to be with my power.” She said.
I looked over my shoulder; Charles was talking to J, “Does your father know about your power?” I asked her.

She shrugged, “He knows something is different about me, he knows there is something different about you two as well, but he doesn’t care. He says that people are people no matter what. Listen, when I came and found you on the road that night when J was ill…I knew instantly that you all had powers like me. When I heal people, I connect with them, I feel what they feel, and I sometimes see things that they don’t. I’ve seen what you and J are…and I’m telling you, you both are not normal.”
I smirked at her, “Thanks Grace.”

She hit me in the arm, and surprisingly, it hurt, “This is serious!” She hissed, “You two are the two most powerful people I have ever felt! You don’t even realize it, but there’s a reason you two ended up together…it wasn’t coincidence, trust me. Stick together….” With that Grace left, went, and gave J a hug goodbye, I shook Charles’s hand and then mounted behind J.

“Goodbye.” J and I waved. J kicked the sides of her horse and we disappeared under the canopy of trees. We stuck to the road for a good few horse before we dismounted and walked to let the horse rest.

“So about what happened back there.” The silence between us had gotten awkward J looked over.
“What about it?”
“Well, how did you convince all of those people to listen to what you were saying? How does your power work?”

She looked forward down the dark road; the moon was only half-full so it was rather dark. She sighed, “Well it’s really not that difficult to be honest. Controlling another person’s brain is difficult yes; there are so many memories and thoughts in someone’s head you have to learn where to look and where to go to have the most effect when trying to overcome them. See if I told you that my horse was a giant flower and then I pushed that image in your mind so you really saw a giant flower that would take more energy out of me. But if I somehow already convinced you that my horse was a giant flower, all I would have to do is elaborate that thought that was already in your mind. Make sense?” She asked.

I nodded, “So if I’m already thinking it, you can make me believe it easier. If I think you’re crazy and I don’t want to listen, you will have to use force and energy.”

J smirked, “Yes. If that’s how you want to look at it. See here. I want you to close your eyes and picture a giant flower right in front of us, as tall as you want to make it. As tall as the trees.” J waved her hand in front of us.

“Alright…” I said. I closed my eyes and imaged and large daisy at least forty feet tall.
“Ok now open your eyes.”
“Woah!” I took a step back. Right in front of us was a huge daisy. Then it disappeared.
“See?” J asked.
I nodded my head, “So the people back at the village…?”
“They like Charles and Grace; they wanted to see them safe, so I simply used that thought and elaborated on it.”
“How many people can you control?” I asked, “Does the more people you have, mean the more power you use?”

J nodded her head slowly, “Yes, the amount of people we can control at once changes with each Brain and their ability but it will drain you faster the more people you try to control.”
“How many Brains are there?” I asked her.
She shrugged, “I know fifty, there are probably more.”
“Fifty?!” I said awed, “I thought they were a myth, and now you’re telling me there are at least fifty?”
J chucked, “Yes, at least fifty.” I thought for a moment.
“Back when you saved my life before we left the island, the guards…and all those watching. You controlled them didn’t you?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes, “No they just felt like listening to me. Of course I controlled them.”
“But….” I paused, “There must have been at least thirty people on that street watching us.”
“Give or take.” She nodded and shrugged.
“That’s why you collapsed.” I said with realization.
She sighed looking frustrated, “Yes.”
“And with the sailors!” I shouted, “You tricked them mentally!” I said amazed.
“Yes…” She said rolling her eyes.
“That’s why you were so tired…you weren’t drunk at all….” I ran my hand through my hair, “Your pretty amazing.”
“I also made you think that you couldn’t walk remember that?” She asked looking over at me and held my gaze.
“Uh…Right…” I stopped asking her questions. We walked until we were too tired to go on. Then we walked off the road and laid down under a tree and fell asleep.