for sending the man back to the ranks from a martial standpoint. His energy was dim, wispy and seemed drawn to other people, but she couldn’t discern any effect that it might be having.
“Send him over as soon as I get the table and chairs set back in place.”
“My Princess, please. Corman! Set the chairs back at the table.” Alvin looked uncomfortable as Em’risi rolled her eyes at him.
“I am a princess. Not made of glass or porcelain. There is no need to treat me as such.”
“Ah my lady, but your delicate beauty doth compel us miserable beings, unworthy of your smile, to spare your hand the labors that another can perform, albeit with far less grace.” Alvin blushed a shade of red after his oration and took a great deal of interest in how his armor fit.
“Why Alvin, I will yet make a poet of you.” Alvin took the opportunity to test the fit of his cowl and moved off to assist Varis in performing a maneuver with his short swords.
“Anything else that I can do for you Princess?”
“Corman was it? You can take a seat please.”
“Of course.” Em’risi began her customary observation of Corman’s energy. It was a difficult color to define. Somewhere between the color of ash and the light airy yellow that had been the basis for Varis’ colors. Not quite a gray similar to Alvin’s color, but not the same as Varis’ either. She could sense the strength of the energy, except it was dim like it was being intentionally hidden. It was still drifting around like fog in random directions, although she noticed that it was acting as if repelled from her person. Em’risi returned to her normal senses when she saw Corman nervously fidgeting.
“I’m sorry for staring at you like that. I was trying to observe your energy better.”
“It wasn’t that. Your telling me that I was Gifted explained a few things, but there is something about you that I can’t put my finger on. Usually I can just look at people for a minute to figure them out, except… there is something different about you. I have no idea what you want or how I can change your mind. No offence intended.”
“No offence taken. I rather consider it a compliment that you find me difficult to sway. Can I try something?” Em’risi cast a glance at Varis who seemed to be fine after his incident with her last experiment.
“Of course.”
“Just be ready for anything. I don’t know what might happen.”
“All right.” Corman braced in anticipation. Em’risi focused on his energy again and moved her hand to intercept a strand that was lazily floating by. At first it moved away like a hair that had acquired too much of a charge. When she finally caught it, the stand of energy twirled around her fingers. Something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. It looked like a shadow, but there was nothing there when she looked. Again, something caught her attention at her other peripheral. A silhouette of a figure and a raised fist. Whispers tugged at her mind. Insinuations that Corman’s Gift was relatively worthless, that he should be allowed to return to his company. Flashes at the corners of her vision intimated danger in some form. Em’risi shook the clinging energy off her fingers as she realized what Alvin had been thinking.
“Stop it right now. You have a valuable Gift. You won’t be returning to the regular ranks unless you make the request yourself and even then, I am not inclined to approve the transfer.”
“I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?”
“Not intentionally. You think that you don’t have a useful Gift and that you aren’t a good enough swordsman to merit a place here on those grounds alone. Am I right?” Em’risi calmly looked Corman in the eye until he looked at his hands.
“How did you know that? They were telling me that you can’t read minds.”
“I can’t, but I was able to figure out that you are planting those thoughts in everyone around you. You are one of the best straight blade swordsman that I have seen, barring Alvin, but you made him think that you were hardly able to hold the blade. If you learn to use your gift, it could be invaluable in battle because you can also cause people to see things.”
“Really? I couldn’t really figure out what good being able to understand people might be with this group.”