Page 29 of Flickerstate

“I see your point,” I admit. “But I wanted to know what you’dsay.”

“Ah.” He sounds pleased, not offended. Maybe he’s used to people dismissing him, not bothering to engage.

“Why do you think Dr. Langmore and the others designed the curriculum how they did?”

He pulls a wry face. “Langmore designed it. The others swallowed it. And I don’t understand why. The curriculum screws transfers. We spent all junior year learning the basics of channeling, and you guys are supposed to figure it out in three weeks? No wonder a transfer or two drops out before winter break every year.”

Transfers drop out every year? I flinch at the thought.Not me. No way.“Well, here I am, figuring out how to channel in three weeks. What do I do? Push my nav at you?”

“I thought I’d channel to you first. Demonstrate how it’s done.”

I didn’t consider that Vik might volunteer to give first, not take. I’ve already tensed my stomach against nausea, against that agonizing yank like an evil umbilical cord. I exhale in a whoosh, ashamed of how suspicious I am—but suspicious anyway. Why’s he being generous?

He’s not, not really. He wants to league. He needs an accomplice. This is a trade.

Remembering that it’s a trade helps me relax. I can control a trade. I can’t control what other people choose to give me.

“Sounds good. What’s step one?” I’m aiming forbusinesslike, but I sound a tad high-pitched.

He shifts on his rock till inches separate our arms. If I shiftedright a fraction, we’d be pressed together shoulder to knee. “Touch makes channeling and siphoning easier. Give me your hand?” He holds out his own: square palm, long fingers.

I stare. Then, tensing my middle against more flutters, I grab his hand. His skin is warm, his grip strong.

He drops the dice into my free palm. “With siphoning, your partner steals your nav, right? With channeling, your partneroffersyou nav. You’ll see my nav…approach you. Take itgently. Steady, controlled. If you pull too much, too fast, I’ll resist on instinct and break the channel. Make sense?”

“Yeah.” I roll my eyes. “If nav ever makes sense. It’s a vibes-based science.”

“Unfortunately true. Okay, take my nav. Use it to roll six sixes in a row. Ready?”

Rocks and trees are the only witnesses. If I fail, no one will know but Vik. “Sure.”

In flickerstate, the clearing pulses with color. Angry reds quiver out of me. The dice in my hand become black coals in seething flames. And Vik—

Vik is gold filigree balustrading skyward. He shines. Each glint is a future. As he breathes, intricate networks ripple and spark.

A gold strand twines from his chest toward mine.

I reach for the strand. It’s warm to the touch, pliable. Slowly, I loop it around my knuckles.

I tug the gold strand. Overhead, ghostly futures burn brighter. Each roll splits into more futures as the flames ascend, until I’m seeing thousands of paths. I can perceive thousandsdistinctly. Vik’s navclarifies my vision. I wind the strand around my knuckles, tighter and tighter, preparing to collapse these possibilities into a single reality, six-six-six-six-six-six. My fist clenches, my skin whitens, and I pull—hard.

Choking noises snap me away from the possibilities.

“Stop,” Vik rasps, sounding like a strangulation victim. He wrenches his hand from mine.

I swallow a growl and drop out of flickerstate. “What?”

Flickerstate light shows aren’t real, strictly speaking, but my eyes need to adjust to the dim clearing. Where Vik’s filigree shone, a white smear sears the black trees. I blink. When I can make him out, he’s bent like I sucker punched him, wiping blood from his nose, staining his fingers.

“Not ideal,” he says, detached. “As I mentioned, channeling fails if you wreck the people channeling to you.”

I stare at the dark blood glazing his knuckles. “I thought—I thought I couldn’t hurt you if you gave me your nav on purpose.”

“You can hurt a willing giver. When we started channeling last year, we all rotated between our clinics and the nurse’s office for months. Give it another try.”

“It looks like I stamped on your face. I won’t do the same thing again.”

“Then do it differently next time.”