Vienna was thinking of the pond again, and the ripple. She kept the image in her mind and stood very still. Then, from inside her, something strong and pure and completely natural rippled out. Energy, a conscious thought, an entity of change. She launched it like a spear. She could feel the power of it as it left her body.
The guard had stopped mid-sentence. She opened her eyes and gazed at him. His jaw went limp as he stared straight ahead, overwhelmed with wonder. He blinked a few times. "Who are you?" he finally asked his words blurred.
"I am no one." Vienna hoped that was the right answer.
"Where are we?" The guard scratched his head, dazed.
"You are in my chambers in the middle of the night. Now go back to your station, or the prince will have a stake with your name on it. Go on,
