hnically a screen is
less powerful than a shield. I will try to be more precise henceforth.
Yours is a shield, and I am not sure I can tell you in words how to let
it down; you may have to work that out. It can be described as a sort
of mental force field, with your mind as generator and field both. You
have to relax, deactivate the generator as it were."

Medart closed his eyes, leaned back in the chair, and relaxed all his
muscles. Corina concentrated on his shield, ready to slip through the
smallest opening, watching his face as he tried something totally
beyond his experience.

A sort of mental force field, Medart thought. He knew how to turn off
a standard field; all that took was touching a control. This was a lot
more nebulous. He didn't have any switches to throw or dials to turn,
he had to deactivate part of himself. Relax, she'd said. What were a
couple of those tricks Jasmine had tried to teach him?

Deep breathing, he remembered. That was supposed to help, as long as
you didn't overdo and hyperventilate. In and hold, then out and hold
was the pattern. He began the exercise, doing the best he could to
relax--though he couldn't help wondering how he'd know if he succeeded.

After what seemed like an hour, he opened his eyes. "How'm I doing?"

"I noticed no reduction in field strength," Corina said. "You are
too--it is difficult to put properly. Defensive, perhaps, or suspicious.
If this is to work, you must trust me." She thought for a minute, then
took the dagger from her belt and held it out to the Ranger, hiding a
wince of anticipation at his touch. "Perhaps it will be easier if I am
not armed."

Medart took the soul-blade, too surprised not to. Unlike Dawson, he
knew the blade's significance, and could appreciate Corina's action.
She had to be really determined about this working, he thought.
Thark's betrayal must have hurt even more than he'd gathered earlier.
"Let's give it another try, then. But it isn't easy turning off
something you never knew was on."

"True." Corina was surprised to find his touch on her blade didn't
bring discomfort. That was highly unusual, but she was becoming
accustomed to unusual things around this human. "Again, try to relax.
I will continue to check your progress."

"Right." For the second time, Medart closed his eyes and began the
deep-breathing routine. In and hold . . . body relaxed . . . out and
hold . . . cat-clean scent . . . in and hold