As he marches the ugly little man towards Duplar and Reylorna, Ryzar
catches sight of Dharak working on Kylar.

"Jal!" Ryzar calls to his friend, "Come take control of this
Kolder-serving Toad!  Kylar looks to be in bad shape -- perhaps my
meager skills with herbs and healing can help him"

No sooner said than done. The bard gently rests the point of his long
blade on the man's shoulder from behind, where he can see its' point
and feel the cold edge against his neck. Then he murmurs from behind,
"My friend and comrade is badly hurt, scum. You are the only person
left we can blame. I wonder," and at this point, all the dripping
menace that he's ever worked into the voice of a ballad villain oozes
from his voice, "how many days we can keep you alive while you pay for
that?"

No vocal sign that this is to keep the man still; because Jal's left
arm won't grip enough to hold him. If he moves, Jal would have to kill
him; he's no arm to grab with. 

The prisoner looks at him in a 'me no understand' sort of look; but he
seems to have understood the intent if not the actual words.  He
doesn't move.

Duplar emerges from cover and starts examining the devices. 


He has seen many strange things in the Karazthan workshops, but
nothing this sophisticated.   How much have things changed over the
years?  This equipment doesn't look much like anything he's seen
before; there are some devices that resemble some non-functional
ancient machinery he's seen, some look newer, and of an unfamiliar
design.

His first priority is to find an "off" or "standby" button.  The
inscriptions on the control panel are a mixture of Old Kandar and
another language in a script he doesn't recognise.  There is no button
clearly marked 'off'.  He could start pressing buttons at random, but
there's no knowing what they might do.  


The battle was over, just as fast as if it had never been.  She stood
reeling both in her own mental exhaustion and from what she had just
experienced.  She shook her head when Ryzar called her name.  For a
moment she could focus on the prisoner rather than what she had done.

"What shall we find out first?" She asked rhetorically.  She began to
concentrate and tried to enter the prisoner's mind.  She knew all too
well that had to get that mirror shut down, after what she had
experienced in the Karazthani.

The man's mind is filled with fear, and a sense of betrayal - he
wishes he never came to the barbarous planet, and wonders if he'll
ever see his family again.  There's a fleeting image of two small
children, a boy and a girl, standing outside a house which seems to be
made entirely of glass.


Ryzar rushes over to Dharak and Kylar, sheathing his sword, and
pulling his pack from his back, as he does.  He double-check's
Dharak's work, and adds to it with the applications of some herbal
poultices from his healers bag, in his backpack.

He tries, carefully to get Kylar to drink some water.  Kylar sips a
little, but begins to slip into unconsciousness.
--
Tim Hall, http://www.kalyr.com
Read my blog!  http://www.kalyr.com/blogger.shtml