seems to dissipate quicker than it once did.”
“That is another of our abilities, Madison. You can harness it,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“You were created to become a ruthless killer,” said Mahkah from a horse a few feet away. “When Inazin healed you, he also gave you the ability to control everything else.”
“But that makes no sense. I cared for you and the others after I changed. I wanted you to get better. And I had not yet met Inazin.”
“Because that is the one thing that Vam-pyr-ei-ak did not account for,” said Mahkah. Madison looked at him, waiting for him to continue. “Human empathy,” he said. “They assumed that your people, the white men, had none, given the visions they had of what would become of their tribe in the future.”
“Empathy outweighs any hatred or anger,” said Jamison, “but only for those who are capable of feeling it.”
“That explains Caspar’s recent activities,” she said sarcastically.
“Precisely,” Jamison responded. “You can control the depth of your empathy in the same way you can control the depth of your fear. We still feel, Madison. But we control our emotions. They do not control us. Not anymore.
“And if I may be so bold to ask, Mahkah,” she said slowly, “how did you come to learn English so quickly?”
Mahkah looked at her and snickered. A wide grin crossed his face and he trotted forward with his horse, not answering her.
“He did not, sister,” said Jamison. “None of them can, although it will soon become a necessity for them to learn.”
Madison looked at him with inquiring eyes.
“They are speaking their native tongue,” he said.
“Okay,” she said quizzically, “explain please, for the one who obviously is not following.”
He laughed softly. “You can make sense of his native language in the same way you can make sense of his emotions when he is standing feet away from you,” he said.
“But I couldn’t understand Caspar’s henchmen.”
“They were not making any attempt for you to understand them,” he said. “When you sense another vampyr’s emotions, they have the ability to sense your s as well. By doing so, a connection can be made.”
“Yes, I have experienced that with Jayden. When we were very close, I could almost feel his aura touching mine.”
“When Mahkah is talking to you, he is touching your, ‘aura’ so to speak with his. It allows you to make sense of what he is saying through your language.”
“Can you and I do this?” she asked.
“You can do it with anyone, no matter their language, hence why our influence among those in power can be most profound.”
“How convenient,” she said.
“I will show you once we settle for the night. It will take two days to reach the land I have in mind for these people.”
“And then we start for the eastern lands,” she said.
“Yes, and there we will find Jayden. We must run on foot to reach him in time,” he said.
“In time for what?” she asked hastily.
“Let’s just say that Caspar has covered much ground since we left him without guards. He is setting up some sort of trap. People in the eastern lands are not ignorant of our kind. Caspar spent a significant amount of time there poisoning their waters with his blood some months ago. I think there may be a vast number of vampyrs in the region.”
“You can sense this?”
“I will teach you everything. I promise,” he said, ending the conversation there.
Madison chose to stay quiet from that point onward. She was anxious to learn the few things that Jamison had from the tribes he visited, and the skills that Inazin had taught him. She wanted to pass them along to Jayden. And she knew that sensing what was to come, taming the thirst, and understanding foreign tongues were among the few skills he had acquired.
The people Jamison and the Sioux rescued were grateful. The land they were given was near enough to the Rhine to be fruitful for crops, and far enough from other
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