Free Night of the Magician by Stephanie James, Jayne Ann Krentz Page B

abilities to work through me increase daily,“ Galen announced in a pleased yet humble tone. “As our mind-to-mind link solidifies and grows strong, so does his ability to channel his otherworldly talent through that link.
    But as I have explained in the past, your assistance is also a powerful component of these experiments. Through me Krayton can tap your energy and goodwill and use it to conduct the various tests. As with everything else in the universe, all power feeds on energy and energy feeds on power. The two are intertwined and inseparable. Only the nature of the energy changes. Here on earth we have tapped very primitive forms of energy such as fossil fuels and the atom. But Krayton’s people have gone far beyond such sources. Tonight you will see just how far they have gone.“
    Ariana jumped a little as she realized that another person had materialized at the corner of the stage as Galen had been talking. The assistant had his hood up over his face and nothing could be seen of his features as he carried forward a tray of small objects.
    “Concentrate with me,“ Galen intoned as he passed his hand over the tray of objects. “Let Krayton tap into the power of your minds and demonstrate to you the rich resources of the human brain that wait to be set free, just as the resources of his own mind have been set free by the psychic science of his planet You are the Keepers of the Energy here on Earth.“
    There followed a demonstration of pyschokinesis, the movement of objects by the power of the mind. The assortment of items on the tray alternately floated in midair, snapped in half or disappeared entirely from the room.
    It was all accompanied by eerie lighting, the sincere, heavy-toned voice of Galen and the indefinable power of an audience that was only too happy to believe in psychic powers. This was the same crowd who also believed in the Bermuda Triangle and ancient spacemen, Ariana reminded herself periodically. But no matter how frequently she told herself that it was all stage magic, she couldn’t control the uneasy reaction of her body and her mind.
    The demonstrations grew in complexity until Galen himself floated in midair at one point. Then a member of the audience was put into a trance and declared he could actually see an image of the mysterious Krayton as if he were viewing him through a camera. Philomena leaned over to whisper to Ariana and Lucian that she knew the person in the trance and couldn’t wait to talk to him about the experience later.
    Gradually the tension and the sense of other-worldliness built in the dark room until almost anything that could have happened would have been blamed on Krayton’s psychic intervention. Ariana knew it was all a razzle-dazzle operation, but for the life of her she couldn’t fully convince her senses. She sat quietly crouched in her chair, every fiber of her being taut and alarmed. She began to pray that the session would come to a quick close.
    And then a soft rush of wind seemed to fill the chamber. Instantly a thrilled silence swept over the crowd, and Fletcher Galen, himself, went absolutely still, as if he, too, was stunned. His dark eyes peered into the space above the heads of the audience, and everyone else’s eyes followed.
    There was another glowing light, apparently emanating from midair, and in the center of it was the faint outline of an unhuman face.
    “Krayton!“ The, shocked gasp was from Galen. “Krayton, is it possible? Have you actually found the strength to project yourself so far?“
    The image in the darkness seemed to turn its head slowly with great effort, and then, as if from across the vast reaches of interstellar space, came a distant voice.
    “Not enough. Not yet. Not yet…“ The image and the voice began to fade.
    Ariana shuddered and felt the last of her rational thoughts desert her. She gasped aloud and groped blindly for Lucian’s hand. It closed around her own with instant reassurance, and she turned her head into