Sword and Mind

23

Pallu sat up bolt straight in her bed. With haggard breath, she pushed her hair from her eyes. The images of her friends' deaths continued to play through her dreams. She tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't. After throwing off her blankets, she dressed and went for a walk around the palace. To her surprise, people were busy running here and there on their daily errands.

She stopped a maid. "What hour is it?"

"Oh, it's passed noon meal, your Grace." She curtsied and moved on down the hall.

Rumah?

Aye, Hold on. After a brief wait she said, How'd ya sleep?

I slept, Pallu lied.

Well, come ta the meetin' room. Everyone's 'ere fer yer show.

Pallu made haste to the room and found out who the "everyone" was: every mind master within ridding distance of the palace.

Rest easy, Lu. They're not 'ere ta eatcha.

She nearly asked why they were there, but she already knew the answer.

Her father met her at the door. Rumah must have told him she was on her way. "Good Morning, sunshine. You think you're up for this."

Pallu sighed, remembering the headaches after her fight with the old man. She, however, reminded herself that this new trick of hers could save people's lives. Still, it was an untested trick and therefore dangerous.

"Duchess, please come and explain this discovery of yours." Lady Vanak showed her to the center of the room. She was all smiles, no doubt at the prospect of a new ability and the fact it was found by one of her pupils.

Pallu had the strange sensation of being the proverbial deer in the den of wolves. Although she knew the masters meant her no harm, the feeling was no less real. When all were seated, she began her description of the "Ball Trick" as Rumah told her everyone had begun to call it. In the middle of her "lecture," she realized most of the masters were sitting on the very edge of their seats with the necks craned to listen. She could not help but think it was ironic that a student was teaching all the masters.

To that thought, Rumah chuckled in Pallu's mind. Too true, Lu. Though in me own opinion, ya shoulda been a master afore I metcha.

Pallu smiled to her sister and continued, "Basically, I took the idea of the new lamp and combined it with my father's shield against wizard fire."

One master in the middle of the crowd stood up to show he wished to speak. Pallu nodded for him to ask his question as was custom. "But fire is intangible. You can't hold it. It is a well known fact."

"Yes, Master, but none thought my father's shield would work either. After all, the shield is invisible. What my masters and my father have taught me is that many people think telekinesis is impossible. The most difficult obstacle is believing that the impossible is possible. I saw the mage's globe and thus knew it must be possible. We are the mages' antithesis. What I did is very similar to "shielding" another person." She felt for a trinket in her pockets and then looked to Rumah. Do you have something small? Anything. Rumah took off a brooch and handed it to her. Pallu motioned to the master who questioned her. "Would you join me down here, Master Wem?"

"Of course." The man moved to Pallu's side.

"Father, the chair?"

Nimshi's brow furrowed, but he brought her his chair.

"Alright. Now, Master Wem, I want you to hit the brooch as hard as you can with that chair on my word."

Beaming for being called on to help with the experiment, he nodded. Pallu rose the brooch in the air and set her shield about it. "First put your hands on the brooch. Tell us what you feel."