The Will-Breaker

"Guess what!" Clutching the book to her chest, Sini rushed across the room as Felitïa entered the Council Chamber, followed by Akna, Zandrue, Mikranasta, and Pedrin.

"What?" Felitïa said.

"You have to guess! Something really exciting."

"You used the Pearl. Yes, I know. I was there when you vanished, remember?"

Sini shook her head. "No, something else."

Agernon pushed between Sini and Felitïa. "You can tell her about that later. So, you're actually still capable of leaving that palace you've taken up in."

"You know I can," Felitïa said. "There's just so much to do."

"Ha! Always dragging me out there."

While Felitïa and Agernon had a warm-hearted altercation, Sini wandered back over to Meleng. "He's always so mean."

Meleng gave he a commiserating smile. "We'll get to tell her soon." He had to admit, he was excited to tell Felitïa what they'd found out, but obviously, the Pearl was the big news for the moment. They still had two days to act on what else he and Sini had learned.

"Periwinkle?"

Sini nodded excitedly at Felitïa's question.

"Well, I guess I'm not surprised," Felitïa said.

"You're not?" Sini looked disappointed.

"I mean, I'm not surprised you chose the word. I am surprised it actually worked."

"What's periwinkle?" Akna asked.

"A colour," Felitïa replied. "A kind of purple."

"You know what periwinkle is?" Sini said. "No one ever knows what periwinkle is. Even Melly didn't know what it was until I told him."

"I didn't until you told me either." Felitïa walked down the centre aisle towards the front of the chamber.

Sini fell in beside her. "I did? I don't remember that. When?"

Felitïa stopped at the front row of seats before the seats for the council members. "It was…" She looked away from Sini. "While you were unconscious under the cathedral."

"But I was unconscious."

"I know. I...saw it in your head. I didn't have the shield around me, and…" Felitïa looked back to Sini, grimacing. "I couldn't help myself. Sorry."

Sini scrunched her nose in thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Oh. You should have just said." She held out the book. "Guess what me and Melly found out?"

Taking the book, Felitïa looked down at the cover, her eyes widening. "You figured something out?"

"One thing at a time!" Agernon said, his cane clacking as he crossed the room to join Felitïa and Sini.

Felitïa handed the book back. "We'll go over it soon, okay? I want to know what you learned, but Agernon's right. Let's concentrate on one thing at a time."

"Ezmelda and the Council members will be here soon," Pedrin said.

"The Council? Bah!" Agernon pounded the floor with his cane. "We don't need the Council for this." He pulled out the pouch holding the Pearl, shook it out into his palm, and then handed the Pearl to Felitïa. "I've tried to make it work a couple times, and it hasn't, but the lad here"—he nodded towards Meleng—"suggested there might be a recharge period, which is reasonable. But give it a try. It's been a couple hours. If it doesn't work now, I'm inclined to believe there's something else up."

Felitïa held the Pearl out in front of her, and glanced at Sini. "Periwinkle, right?"

Sini nodded.

"Okay, here goes." Felitïa stared intently at the Pearl for several seconds. "Nothing's happening."

"Where are you trying to go?" Sini asked.

"Just the entranceway. Same place you went."

"It worked for me."

"I know." Felitïa stared at the Pearl a little longer, but then shook her head, lowering her hand and closing her fist around the Pearl. She looked to Agernon. "Thoughts?"

"Hmm." Agernon clacked his cane a couple times, his face twisted in thought. "Give it to your sister again. I want to see her do it."

Felitïa held out the Pearl to Sini, who took it, handing the book to Felitïa in its place.

"Now, girl, do exactly what you did last time," Agernon said. "Go to the same place. Do everything the same."

Sini nodded and held the Pearl in front of her face between her thumb and forefinger. A moment later, she vanished.

Meleng's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't that he hadn't believed her, but actually seeing it happen was still startling.

"Gods damn," Agernon said. "I was almost starting to think it hadn't happened, and those of you who saw it were hallucinating. The question now is, why isn't it working for anyone else?"

"Have you considered the possibility it's not because of the command word, but something else the young princess is doing?" It was Angelida, who was standing by the doorway with Ezmelda and two other Council members.

Agernon slammed his cane down. "Of course I have! Why else do you think I wanted to see her do it?"

Angelida smiled. "My apologies. I only arrived just in time to see Princess Sinitïa vanish. Did you notice anything?"

"Several things. No idea if any of them are the explanation though."

Felitïa edged her way over to Meleng. She tapped the book and said quietly, "I take it you learned something about the demons?"

Meleng nodded. "Specifically, I think we have a name for the Tall Man: Kranian. He...or, I guess, it… That's how Stark Drago refers to Kranian. Um...the description of Kranian fits what we've seen, and it can disintegrate things with a touch, like...um…" He glanced where his missing arm should be.

"Like your arm," Felitïa said.

"Yeah, and Feviona's sword. Stark Drago says that Kranian is rumoured to be able to completely erase people and things from existence. It becomes like they never existed and everyone forgets them."

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Felitïa tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "But if no one remembers…"

Meleng nodded. "Stark Drago brings that up. He says it's a ridiculous rumour because, even if it's true, no one could ever prove it because no one would remember what had changed."

"What about the other demons?"

"They don't technically have names, but they're usually called elementals. Sini's going to be really angry I told you all this without her here. She helped me."

"Sorry. I just thought, since we have a few minutes while she makes her way back here, that—"

Sini reappeared in the room, right where she had been standing before, causing several people to gasp.

"Or she could get back quicker that way," Felitïa said, turning to face Sini.

Beaming, Sini clapped her hands and jumped up and down. "I started coming back down here, but then I thought, why don't I just use the Pearl to come back, and it worked too!"

Meleng sighed. So much for his recharge period idea. He was still happy for Sini though.

"So much for the recharge period," Agernon echoed.

Zandrue hurried to Felitïa's side and touched her arm. "Felitïa, you realise what this means, right?"

"It means a lot of things," Felitïa said, "but yes, I know what you're referring to, but we still have to figure out how to make it work for other people. I'm not sending Sinitïa to Arnor City, especially not on her own."

"But Dyle could take others with him. Maybe she can too."

"We'll figure it out, Zandrue, I promise."

Zandrue nodded, and backed off. "I get it. I'm just…"

Felitïa flashed Zandrue a smile. "I understand."

"I think we need to see her do it again." Angelida had come up beside Agernon, and was now leaning on her cane.

"Of course we do!" Agernon snapped. "I'm just contemplating a few things first."

"Well, get on with it then."

"This is not something to be rushed. We have to do this methodically, take note of everything."

"I don't see you writing anything down."

Agernon tapped the side of his head. "I'm writing it all in here. I still have a perfectly working brain, you know! Now, Sinitïa, I want to you stand the way you stood before, but don't do anything else until I tell you to." He started to circle Sini slowly, tapping his cane lightly on the floor.

"Oh, for gods' sakes," Angelida said. "Your Highness, please do what you did last time, except don't use the command word."

"Okay." Sini held up the Pearl again, and vanished.

"Gods damn it!" Agernon waved his cane in Pedrin's direction. "This is why I didn't want the Council here."

"Now, we know it's not command-word activated," Angelida said. "It has to be something else she's doing."

"Obviously, and if you'd waited a bit longer, I could have observed more of what she was doing. I'm certain it has something to do with how she was standing or holding the Pearl."

Sini reappeared, laughing. "This is so fun!"

Agernon glared at her, tapping his chest and pointing at Angelida in time with his words. "From now on, girl, you do what I say, not her."

Sini frowned. "You could be nicer about it."

"Fine. From now on, please do what I say and not what she says."

"Okay." As Agernon turned briefly away from her, Sini stuck her tongue out at him and mouthed something, though Meleng couldn't make out what.

Agernon poked her skirts with his cane. "Are your legs and feet exactly like they were before?"

"Um…" Sini glanced down and shifted positions slightly. "Now they are, I think."

"You think? I need more precision than that."

"I don't know," Sini said. "I don't remember exactly. I'm pretty sure."

"Then pay attention this time. This thing obviously needs absolute precision. Now, raise the Pearl the way—"

"What if that's not it?" Meleng said.

Scowling, Agernon said, "Then what?"

Meleng moved over beside Sini, and took her hand. He looked her in the eyes for a moment until she smiled. Then he turned to Agernon. "You've been trying ways of holding it and ways of standing. It hasn't worked that way. Not for you. Not for Felitïa. Not for me. We've tried every way to stand or sit. Every way to hold it."

"That's why I think precision is important."

"But Dyle didn't really have the time for precision," Zandrue said. "We were fighting, and yet he managed to activate the Pearl."

"And it went wrong," Agernon said.

"Yes, but it still activated. Everything you've tried has resulted in it doing nothing at all."

Agernon grumbled, but nodded.

"What do you think it is, Meleng?" Felitïa said.

He smiled at Sini again. "What if it's the way she thinks?"

Sini beamed and squealed a little. "Melly says I don't think like other people." She squeezed his hand.

"Everyone thinks differently," Agernon said.

"Yes," Meleng said. "That's kind of my point. Maybe it's not a physical stance, but a mental one."

"But Felitïa's been trying different mental stances." He looked at Felitïa. "You have, haven't you?"

Felitïa nodded. "But maybe they haven't been varied enough." She approached Sini and Meleng. "I think I know what Meleng's getting at. You're right that we all think differently, Agernon, but Sinitïa is a different case altogether. I've seen inside her head. Everyone's mind is different, but hers…" With a smile, she placed her hands on Sini's shoulders. "Sinitïa, would it be okay if I watched you do it again, but this time, I watch what happens in your head?"

Sini smiled and looked to Meleng. When he nodded, she said, "Sure!"

Felitïa patted Sini's shoulders, and turned around. "Mikranasta?"

The Isyar came slowly forward. "This is not a wise idea, Will-Breaker."

"Why not?" Felitïa said. "I'm getting better at it. You said I can practise on a single person, and you would only be letting Sinitïa inside the shield."

"You are already practising on Zandromeda Armida."

"Not right this moment. You said I could practise on a single person, not specifically Zandrue."

"Princess Sinitïa Alessia Deanna Folith does not have a full understanding of what you are proposing. She cannot give informed consent."

"Yes, I can! I can…" She frowned, and leaned over to whisper in Meleng's ear. "What did she say I couldn't do?"

"Give informed consent," Meleng said.

"What's that?"

"See?" Mikranasta said. "We cannot proceed this way."

Sini stormed forward, bearing down on Mikranasta. "Yes, we can. I know I don't understand every fancy word people use, but I understand what Felitïa is asking. She wants to look inside my head while I use the Pearl. I know she might see other things, but that's okay. She's my sister, and Melly's friend, and I trust her. Is that enough...whatchamacallit for you?"

Mikranasta took a deep breath. "I don't know."

"Mikranasta, I know you're just trying to protect me, and I love you for that. You know that. But I want to do this. I want to help Felitïa. Please?"

With a smile, Mikranasta reached out and touched Sini's cheek. "Jorvanultumn chose his fomazee well. Very well. I will allow it, Will-Breaker."

Sini squealed again, and spun around, clapping her hands. "What do I have to do?"

"Nothing for the moment," Felitïa said, standing in front of Sini again. She glanced at Mikranasta, who nodded. She then looked Sini in the eyes. "Just do what you did last time."

Sini nodded and vanished once more.

Felitïa's eyes widened. "Holy shit. I don't believe it."

"What?" Agernon said. "What is it?"

"We're still connected."