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.Aservant entered49and left a platter with a steaming roast, mushrooms, a loaf, and a large mug."Well," Raadgiver said, "we'll leave you with this, for we have eaten and willreturn when you've finished." He held the door for Signe, at the same timeturning again to Nils."Do you speakAnglic, Nils?" he asked."Some," Nils answered."I've been learning it for several weeks."Raadgiver almost grinned for a moment, and nudged his daughter as the doorclosed behind them."I believe your 'filthy, ignorant barbarian'heard and understood that little remark just before he opened his eyes," hethought to her."And what do you think of him now, my dear? He is hardly morethan a boy, a very large boy, but he has a mind like a razor."Signe's answer was a flash of irritation.Nils chewed the end of the loaf, which held all that was left of the gravy,then tipped the last of the ale from the mug and wiped his mouth on the backof a thick hand.Standing, he pulled the bell cord and walked to the narrowwindow.The thickstone walls restricted the viewing angle, but the room was high and he couldsee over the castle wall.The patchwork of fields and woods, so different from the endless forests, bogsand lakes of Svealann, lay peaceful and warm in the sunshine of an Augustafternoon.He did not turn when a servant entered and took out the platter.A momentlater, Raadgiver and Signe returned.Without preliminaries, Nils asked, "What is it you want me to do?"50"Why do you think we want you to do anything?" Raadgiver countered.Nils, leaning casually against the wall, said nothing, simply folding hismuscular.arms across his chest.Raadgiver laughed suddenly and addressed his daughter out loud."My dear, thiswould be the man we need, even if he wasn't a psi.If I praise him, he won'tbe embarrassed because he'll know it's merely the truth.And if you insulthim, he won't be irritated because it won't matter to him, being untrue."And besides, I can't read his thoughts except when he speaks."Raadgiver lowered himself into a cushioned chair and looked up at Nils moreseriously now."Do you know the word 'psi'?""No.""Psi is the ability to read minds, to converse silently or to look into thefuture.Very few can do these things.Small children with the potential tolearn aren't rare, but in most cases the potential is lost if it isn'tdeveloped by the fourth or fifth year.Among the occasional adults who retainit, it is almost always erratic and usually weak, unless trained."Page 19 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"I've had that sort of experience only twice," Nils said."In my dream twonights ago, when my mind was in the peasant hut, and last night, when thetroll was swimming from the island.""Only twice strongly," Raadgivercorrected, "but perhaps many other times less obviously.I read the minds ofthose who were at your audience with the greve.You had handed JensHolgersen his sword after beating him, and then you sheathed your own.Wasn'tthat reckless? He could easily have51killed you then, and many men would have.Yet bravado and foolishness are asforeign to your nature as weakness is.""I knew he wouldn't," said Nils."Good.But how could you be so sure? You hardly knew him," Raadgiver pointedout."When we say that an untrained psi shows erratic ability, we refer toconscious psi experience.Most such people, or probably all, receive manyother psi impressions unconsciously-that is, psi messages enter their minds,but they don't recognize them for what they are.But the information is intheir minds anyway.That is-" He paused."It's very hard to explain to someone who has no conceptof the subconscious mind.""I understand you," Nils said.Raadgiver leaned back in his chair, his intensity suddenly gone."Of course,"he said."You would.""And now, back to my question," Nils reminded him."Ah yes.What we want you to do.We're working up to that." Raadgiver shiftedin his seat, looking tired now and no longer meeting Nils's eyes.He spoke quietly."What is the most important thing to a man next to lifeitself?""For many, what he really believes is true."Raadgiver stared up for a moment, then looked down at his nails."Only if heisn't suffering.If he's suffering enough, the most important thing is for thesuffering to stop.It can be more important than survival.And if he lives inconstant fear-fear of terrible pain, of the real and imminent threat ofphysical and mental torture-then the most important thing becomes freedom fromthat threat."Nils had never heard of such a situation.52"Now suppose there was a land where all men were thralls.No, less thanthralls, because thralls at least have some rights and protection in law.Suppose all men were slaves except for one master and his soldiers.Andsuppose that master had the worst kind of madness, finding his greatestpleasure in the misery and degradation, the torture, of his slaves.An emperorwho conquered only to enjoy the cries, the whimpers, the begging for mercy ofthose he ruled.A man who had lived very long and has a great army." Raadgiverleaned toward Nils."What would you do if you lived in a land like that?""I have never thought of such a thing,"Nils answered."It would depend on the possibilities.""But suppose that lord offered to make you his lieutenant?" Raadgiver asked."The lieutenant would still be his thrall
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