* * *
Willem had felt Xandor’s hand and heard his voice. But the mouse couldn’t respond. It was as though Jenna’s mind and body had shut down, forcing Willem into a similar if not quite identical state.
The mouse had never tried to initiate mental contact with his master. Jenna had always contacted him at her discretion. Now he wanted desperately to sense something from her, but for the first time since he’d met her, he felt completely cut off from her. He hated the feeling and tried to touch her mind. Though he didn’t know how, he concentrated as hard as he could to make it happen. But she was unreachable. Willem kept trying. He could do nothing else.