Elanane must be reading my mind, came the amused thought. "I'll see," came the reply, "that he is informed of your desire as soon as he awakens."
"Good," said Guy. He reminded himself never to take an expressed thought for speech. He smiled inwardly at Willadoran's amusement and wondered what the valet would do if the truth were known. Willadoran was highly amused at the idea that Elanane was a mind-reader, and considered the act utterly impossible.
A deep-seated impulse to shock the valet crossed Guy's mind, and it was only with trouble that he stifled the impulse.
Guy tried to discern Willadoran's thought concerning Charalas again, but it was a blank. Thomakein was blank, as was Leilanane, and Guy decided that his instrument was not sensitive enough to dig these deep-seated thoughts out of the below-threshold level. Only the surface thoughts were available—which, thought Guy, were sufficient.
Guy spent an hour speculating, and roaming the apartment to investigate its mysteries. Then Charalas came.
The neuro-surgeon smiled affably, looked around, and asked: "Well, where is it?"
Guy started, and then smiled. "You're slightly earlier than I expected." He went to the cupboard indicated in Charalas' mind and returned with the toran set. He was about to ask: white or black? when he perceived that Charalas expected the black men since he had been victorious on their last game. Reading the positions from Charalas' mind, Guy set up the various men upon their proper squares, and offered Charalas the first move, which was proper.
Guy's knowledge of chess was fair, and toran was an Ertinian version of the ancient Terran game. He had no idea as to the moves, but—Charalas thought: Elanane always counters my first move by counter-attacking with his vassal.
Guy moved the minor piece up to confront the other.
Charalas covered his pawn with a major piece and Guy countered with exactly the one thought that Charalas hoped against.