Chapter VIII, Reading 7

"I invoked the power of Rigga as you told me to do. While I was galloping Deru, Rigga's power aura surrounded both of us and I became aware of his consciousness. Then the contact went deeper; I seemed to merge with him. It felt as if I had become him - that I was the one running across the ground. When we stopped running, the excitement lessened, and the link ended. Then to see if the whole thing had been real, I tested the mind link. I started to control Deru with my thoughts rather than with the reins or my body. I had no problem directing him with just my mind. Were you aware of this aspect of Rigga?"

"Yes I was aware of it, but I hadn't gotten around to telling you about it."

"Will it have the same effect on people? Can I direct them mentally?"

"Yes and no. Humans are creatures of free will. In general, they are not as easily controlled. If you are trying to do something that is in conflict with the will of that person, you'll have no power over them at all. Some people will be impervious to your mind control; others will be much easier to manipulate. You probably will be limited to simple things such as making a person forget something, or to not notice things. It really is a matter of interrupting their concentration for a moment so they forget what they are doing. You also might be able to trigger minor physical sensations such as an itch or drowsiness."

"I see."

"There is one aspect of Rigga which might be helpful. King Meldh once told me that he could use the ring to hide his presence by making people not notice him."

"Not notice him?"

Kewero nodded. "He simply encouraged people to ignore him to the point they really didn't see him. He used this aspect of the ring to have the freedom to travel among his subjects without their awareness of him. He didn't really want to spy on people, but he liked to see what was truly happening. Sometimes, it's hard for a King to get an accurate picture of what his subjects think."

"He sounded like a good king."

"He was one of the best this world has ever been blessed with."

Kewero was finished stuffing the bird so she began to help Flindra peel the turnips.

"You will find that you'll have much greater control over animals. The limit to the power is that the animal must be in contact with the power shield. The greater the distance you extend the shield the weaker it gets. Rigga's power is inversely proportional to the distance away from your body. For any real control, you'll have to be near the creature. Attempting control over a wild animal could be dangerous so don't try unless you have to."

Flindra nodded in understanding.

"Does that answer all your questions, little one?"

"I have one more. If I can influence others by overlapping them with the power shield then there must be some sort of interaction within the aura. If so, would the person be aware of my shield? Can others become conscious of the aura with just casual contact?"

Kewero was quiet for a moment. "I'm aware of the power shield," she finally said. "But I have heightened perceptions. I don't know for sure but I think you'll have to be careful when you project the aura about yourself. I'll think on this problem further."

"All right," Flindra replied.