Sword and Mind

32

Pallu's skin verily rippled with anticipation. She could see the twins below, as alike as Recet and Draus in appearance. They were sleeping. Or appeared to be. She was crouched next to her father on a library balcony a floor above and across from their enemies. Neither spoke as Pallu strung her bow with the ease, stealth, and quickness of years of practice. The large oak doors behind them closed the library off from the balcony without even a whisper.

Someone must have oiled them, thought Pallu as they seemed as old as the library itself.

Her eyes drifted to the enemies below. They were close enough that if Pallu got a running start she could jump to their room but there was nothing for her to grip so she could catch herself. She set arrow to string as her mind silently tried to open one of the two windows. It wouldn't move. Her brow furrowed and she tried again. Nothing.

"Won't open."

After her father tried he nodded. "Something's got it."

Pallu's eyes widened with the onset of an idea. "I could teleport."

"No. It's too dangerous. It's untried."

"I've succeeded every time I've practiced."

Her father would not yield.

"It's the only way."

"Shoot through the glass."

"Too noisy." She shook her head. "The other one'll wake up."

He gave her a look that reflected her own thoughts. No one, least of all the mages, was sleeping. "If you go I go."

"You haven't even tried it." Pallu continued to ponder the situation in silence, knowing her father would not allow her to teleport. Her eyes lit up as she looked at her hand. She pulled off a diamond ring she had forgotten she had on. After a bit of work she had the precious stone free of the setting. Her finger tested the sharpness of the stone's point before her mind sent it over to the window in front of the bed closest to the interior door. With a bracing breath she put the tip of the diamond against the glass and with constant pressure the diamond moved in a circle.

"Smart girl," Nimshi whispered. "I'll catch it. The glass, I mean."

Pallu nodded without speaking. She mentally tapped the glass and it fell into Nimshi's waiting mental grasp who then moved it silently away. The diamond flew back with abrupt swiftness as Pallu readied her bow. She took aim and let fly, not seeing her target's lips moving to speak the arcane words of a spell.

Pallu did not form a shield as she should have. With her mind so intent on that room she could only think of moving out of the way of the lightening that was streaking towards her. In the bat of an eyelash, Pallu found herself in the same room as the mages, both of whom were wide awake and gasping in surprise. The master nearly cursed aloud at her mistake but kept the presence of mind to try and teleport back.

Nothing happened.

Her thoughts turned sourly to Draus who predicted such an event, but quickly drew a shield around her as the far twin hurled two fire balls in rapid succession. The door opened and in rushed three mages. After Pallu heard her opponents thump against the far wall, she seized the moment, calling with confidence on her mental abilities and grabbed the three new opponents and threw them against the small section of wall separating the windows. The mages took out the support causing the windows and wall to collapse and the mages to fly out into the night air. The surprise felt by the twins bought her enough time to try and teleport.

Still nothing.

Footsteps were tramping up the stairs towards the room. The closest twin threw out his hand and Pallu went flying back through the door and into the leading soldiers. The door slammed shut. Pallu leapt up and tried the door.