Star Wars_ I, Jedi - Michael A. Stackpole [53]
In her place I sensed malevolence and danger. At first it came from where I had felt Mirax, then it sank deep into the moon and focused itself beneath us. I knew what I had felt had been one danger, and what I was feeling now was part of a warning from Master Skywalker about another. He’d felt another menace, one closer and more immediate.
Somewhere, deep inside the moon’s crust, searingly hot gasses had been released and were jetting their way upward. They would bubble up and into the pool through the same cracks that allowed the water to fill the basin. In a heartbeat or three the water would be flooded with hot gasses, roasting us alive.
I fought panic and would not have made it but for two things. Above the splashing of others striking for the side of the pool, Master Skywalker’s voice rose. “A Jedi feels no heat or cold. A Jedi can extinguish pain. Strengthen yourselves with the Force.” The calm strength in his words banished my fear and allowed me to concentrate.
The second thing was a choked gasp from Tionne. She had lunged for the side of the pool but her slender fingers had failed to hang on. She sank abruptly and came back up, sputtering. She coughed hard and noisily sucked in air, then realized she would never get clear. In the lichen’s light reflected by her pearly eyes, I saw that she knew she would die.
I refused to let her die. The frustration, pain and sorrow that had tortured me when my father died in my arms, became transformed into a determination that Tionne would not die here. I knew I had it within me, using the Force, to prevent her death. I opened myself to the Force, adamant that I would do whatever I needed to do—even dying—to save her.
The Force flooded into me as the superheated gasses hit the pool. I felt the heat hit my feet first and expected the Force to channel it around me. Instead the heat poured up through me. The Force insulated me from its destructive potential, then seemed to digest it into energy I could use. Without thinking I gestured toward Tionne with my cupped right hand and raised it.
As if riding a repulsorlift couch, the silver-haired apprentice rose from the water and drifted to the side. I set her down as gently as I could. She dropped to one knee and coughed again, with her silvery hair flowing down like a curtain between us.
I turned about to see if there was anyone else who needed help, but the roiling surface of the water had reverted to a more placid state and everyone else appeared to be fine. I sensed no pain, just surprise and gratitude and confidence. A smile blossomed on my face as I realized that I, too, had survived a lethal challenge by using the Force.
“Enough for tonight.” I heard the splash as Luke pulled himself up out of the pool. “Think about what you have learned.”
Once again, I found that when it was necessary I was able to use the Force. Lifting Tionne clear of danger surprised me, causing me to assume that the energy I had absorbed needed to be expended in some way. I had used it to power telekinesis—something I had shown no talent for in the past. It was nice to know that with an energy boost I could do telekinesis, but without one it would still be hopeless. That didn’t matter, though. Tionne was safe and I was plenty pleased with that.
I swam to the side of the pool and pulled myself from the water. The cooler air immediately raked cold claws over me, puckering my flesh. I looked around for my robe, then found it drifting through the air toward me. I pulled it on and nodded my thanks to Luke.
The Jedi Master watched me cautiously, his blue eyes intense even in the dim light. “Do you know what you did here?”
“As nearly as I can tell, the Force allowed me to serve as a conduit for the heat.”
“Very good. There is another Jedi power that manifests with the absorption