Del:

“Why does this sound like it’s going to hurt?” Nyssa said, quirking a delicately winged eyebrow.

“Don’t worry,” Del said, in composed tones, “hardly anyone has died.” Nyssa’s smile became a little less forced. She delighted at the teasing, even as Riordan glared at the two.

“I’ve cleared training room two,” Riordan said to Del. “I will meet you there.” Del nodded once, professionally courteous, and led Nyssa out of the office.

Nyssa opened her mouth to ask as question, but Del cut her off before she could speak.

“You will find out what the test is when we get there,” he said, his long legs moving him swiftly down the hall.

“Oh.” She was almost jogging to keep up with him. “But who-”

“I will be testing you.” Before she could ask, Del explained why. “I am the best at shielding.”

“Why?”

Del didn’t respond, only quickened his pace.

“Touchy subject?” Del could hear the grin in her voice but his expression didn’t change. Nyssa knew better, his face was too composed. The questioned bothered him for some reason.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Nyssa snagged his sleeve, bringing them both to a stop.

“Do you think this is a good idea?” she asked, brow furrowing. Del tilted his head, studying her somber face seriously. Eventually, she cracked a small smile which didn’t reach her eyes. “I haven’t studied for a test.”

Del stepped closer to her and laid his hand on her shoulder.

“It’s going to be fine,” he said in a gruff voice. For a second they just looked each other in the eyes, then Nyssa shrugged off his comforting hand and huffed a laugh.

“I know,” she set off down the hallway, “now, hurry before we are late.”

“So,” Nyssa glanced at their audience, then back at Del, “do I just start reading your mind?” Almost every high ranking official in the compound had shown up to watch the test.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“You can try,” Del said, “but we should probably start with emotions. They are usually the easiest to sense.”

There weren't any more rules to explain; Nyssa would attempt to breach his defenses while Del monitored her progress to determine her control. Del spread his palms towards her, gesturing for her to begin.

Nyssa uncrossed her arms and leaned forward in her chair, her brow furrowing. Del remained sitting upright, his posture rigidly formal. He thought back to the first time they met and focused on those feelings. Amusement, a tinge of frustration, the need to help this lost little girl. Nyssa nudged at the wall protecting his mind but her touch was unfocused and spread too far to be effective.

Nyssa pouted when her probing slid around Del’s smooth gloss of protection, not able to find purchase or weakness. She leaned across the void between them and placed a single finger in the space between Del’s eyes.

As soon as she made contact, his head snapped back as if she had struck him and he rocked back in his chair, stunned. There was a curious sucking sensation, originating from the point where she had made contact with his skin, followed by an empty throbbing. He could feel Nyssa draining away remembered emotions and sensations, tugging at the twists of soft flesh between his ears as easily as if there were no barrier erected between them.

Del bellowed a four letter oath.

At the same time, Nyssa cried out, tipped sideways and hit the ground hard. She curled up on the floor, clutching her head and whimpering. Del lurched towards her but when he tried to rise from his seat, the world tilted and his knees buckled. Instead, he crawled the short distance to her prone form, her pained moaning driving him to ignore his building headache and come to her aid.

“Nyssa?” She didn’t react to his gentle words or when he pulled her up off the floor to slump awkwardly against him. “Nyssa.”

She began to cry, the silent tears running down her face and neck and soaking into the collar of her shirt. She flinched away when he brushed a hand against her sodden cheeks. It was only when her confused jumble of thoughts washed over him that he realised that his mental shields were down. Immediately he slammed his walls up. In Nyssa’s vulnerable state, foreign thoughts pressing in on her would only cause her more pain.

Their audience of seasoned executives and learned stuffed shirts looked on, stupefied. In the past, testing psychic abilities of young students was largely uninteresting. So many of them had only attended the session because of the unusual circumstances surrounding Nyssa’s late education. An event such as this had never occurred and those observing were at a loss to explain exactly what had taken place. A simple exercise had dissolved into crying and all sorts of hysterics.

It was not proper.

Del could feel their eyes burning into his back as he cradled a moaning Nyssa.

“Get out.”

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Okay, so this is important. What happens in the next chapter is also important. It is also my favorite part of the whole thing. I know I have said that a lot, but this time it is actually true. It is a little weird, but roll with it and pay attention. See if you can guess what it is foreshadowing. I have dropped plenty of hints, but from now on, those hints will be a lot more overt. See if you can guess where I am going with it =)