The Logs of the TDFS Tindome

Chapter 31: Another Graduate of the Lorelei McHerron School of Icky Psychic Practices

"Wow! Your magic here is really different from ours," remarks the dwarf.

Eïr revives Mannie, who asks the customary question: "What happened?"

"You landed on a snake," she explains, and points to the paving stone. He looks at it, and sees only a crude, human-worked stone. The captain puts him back on the net. He sits up, and tries to remember/work out what happened to him. It is somewhat similar to his earlier attempt to look over the walls with his remote viewpoint.

The passersby, after staring for a bit, have gone back about their business. The guards are standing in a circle around us, and their captain is looking clearly disapproving. Khazhad just stands there. We gather ourselves together and proceed, with Eïr avoiding stepping on any of the snake-like stones.

As we get closer to the palace, a pyramid structure, we can see that it is inside its own wall. Now that we are only a few blocks from it, Bay tries another dowse, and learns that Sarah is in one of that line of buildings. There are two buildings outside the palace walls, and a bunch inside the walls, on this line of sight. Mannie uses his second sight, now back in his head, to look through the walls in that direction. He looks through the outer wall of a domicile. His vision fades out, he falls off the net, and he feels funny, not all there. His second sight is gone.

Eïr spots, and points out to the rest of us, two fellows who are watching us closely. One is probably leaning on a cane.

"Wooo! Head rush!" exclaims Mandorak.

Eïr realizes that she didn't hear him psychically, and steps over to him. "What happened?" she asked in a low tone.

"I seem to have lost my wits again."

Eïr thinks that this is nothing special. This mental comment draws Finwë's attention. He tries to put the burly dwarf back on the net, but fails. Eric tests the local vibrations, and realizes that he himself has just survived a magical attack.

The captain of the guard says something sharp, and Khazhad urges Mannie to hurry up. Mannie tries, but his legs feel heavy and sluggish, and he feels tired all over. The rest of us think he looks unwell. Eïr remembers attending a carnival many years and miles ago, and seeing human dwarfs there. Now, Mandorak is looking more like a stiff, bandy-legged human dwarf than he ever had before. Eïr conveys this thought over the net. The captain hasn't noticed anything, since all non-elves look graceless to him. Sam asks him if he feels al right.

Aldamir examines him, and realizes that the slow, clumsy dwarf has been more drained of psi than any fay being he has ever seen. He slips closer. "You are looking... drained," he murmurs warningly. Slowly, Mannie realizes what he means, and taps his psi battery. He doesn't feel any better. Aldamir warns him: "You didn't tap it." Eïr hands him one of her psi batteries, says the magic word, and little sparkles of a light show flash around him. He feels no better. Eric checks that Mannie is really right there, in front of him. Yes, he is.

Mannie, as well as most of the others, decide that using magic just isn't working. He trudges on determinedly, struggling to keep up with the others. As we approach the palace gates, Eric does one last dowse: Yes, Sarah is inside these walls here.