The Last Light (The Wandering Inn, #5)

by Pirateaba

“I can do it, Calectus.” “How? If you’re spotted—” “I have stealth Skills. And I’ll do it from above.” Everyone looked up as Okasha pointed at the branches. She looked at Calectus, then flicked her glance towards Ken and the others. Ken thought she was worried about them hearing, but the situation must have warranted it, so Okasha spoke. “I’ll exceed Geneva’s limits. I can leap from tree to tree. I did it with my last body. I can do it with hers. Let me do it, Calectus.” “Leap?” Luan stared up incredulously at the treetops. The branches were thick and could probably hold someone’s weight, true, but jumping from one to the next would require inhuman strength! Or maybe the athleticism of a trained Olympian, neither of which Geneva had. However, that wasn’t an issue, as Okasha explained to the Humans. “We can exceed our limits for a brief period. It is a trick that pushes a body’s muscles and nerves past their physical threshold. Other species can do it in times of dire need, but we have no such limitations of the mind. The cost, however, is that the body we inhabit will degrade and break down far, far more quickly.” “Yes, and doing that to a living body would be painful—” Calectus was frowning and objecting, but Geneva interrupted. She looked from Calectus to the trees, to the other Humans. “Let’s do it. If it means no fighting, I can bear the pain. Okasha, go ahead.”