Free Ritual Magic by Eileen Wilks Page A

barely aware of them, save when they spoke directly about Julia. He had no energy, attention, or emotion to spend on anything not directly related to his wife’s health. “Since Lily was called away,” Edward said as if nothing had happened, “it is your turn to speak, Rule.”
    Speak about Julia, that is . . . who was why they were here. Who wasn’t here with them, helping them make this decision. They’d already deemed her unable to participate in her own care regardless of what the law said, which Rule intended to point out to—
    Do not.
    Sam could direct mindspeech to one or many. This time, Rule was sure Sam had spoken only to him. Sam was well able to pluck the thoughts from Rule’s head . . . or respond to his general confusion. Which was what he did next.
    Do not point out that they have no legal authority to make this decision for Julia Yu. Li Lei would be displeased.
    As far as Rule knew, only two beings called Lily’s grandmother by her first name: Sam and her companion, Li Qin. Rule followed Madame’s wishes when he spoke, not pointing out that they could not legally make this decision for Julia, so this meeting was pointless.
    Why didn’t Madame Yu want them to realize that?
    The question all but answered itself. If Edward decided against having Sam treat Julia, his mother intended an end run. She or Sam would tell Julia what Sam proposed—and Julia was legally able to direct her own treatment.
    You are slow,
Sam said,
but you arrive at the obvious. Edward Yu believes he is keeping an open mind. He is not. He possesses a strong and visceral distrust of direct mental manipulation; he considers it an unholy violation of sovereignty. Were he in a better mental state himself, he would be able to reason that the violation has already taken place, and what I propose is similar to the violation of a surgeon’s knife, made to repair what has been damaged. He is not at this time capable of this level of reasoning.
    However, it is not Li Lei or myself who will persuade Julia Yu to accept my proposed treatment. That falls to you. She trusts you.
    Apparently persuasion did not violate Sam’s ethical standards.
    Direct mental manipulation without consent abrogates choice. Persuasion does not.
    To a dragon, choice was the fundamental value. All virtues and all sins flowed from it. The funny thing was that dragons were also great meddlers. Rule had sometimes wondered how Sam resolved the apparent contradiction.
Apparently the key lay in how one defined manipulation.
    If Sam disagreed with Rule’s conclusion, he didn’t say so. Rule finished the out-loud conversation by repeating what Lily had said about them having no choice. Sam was the only one who could help Julia. Edward listened carefully, but without giving any sign Rule had convinced him.
    Dr. Babbitt was up next. He began to talk about his proposed treatment—antianxiety drugs, talk therapy, and sequestration in a mental institution. He padded that bleak picture with a great many words.
    Use whatever means seem best to convince Julia,
Sam told Rule while the doctor spoke
. This should not trouble your own ethical standards. You are accustomed to making decisions for others.
    Yes, but Julia wasn’t one of his clan members.
    You are also accustomed to manipulating others into making the desired decision themselves. Your father is better at this, but you have some skill. Lily Yu agrees that this is necessary.
    That surprised Rule—both that Sam had already told Lily and that she’d agreed, considering how unhappy she was with Sam at the moment.
    Lily Yu has grown fond of me. When fondness grows in humans, an innate mechanism transfers expectations along with the emotion. Because this transfer occurs without conscious recognition, she is unaware of the foolishness of those expectations and experiences only their violation. She is, however, capable of setting this reaction aside to do what is necessary. Once you have persuaded Julia, I will put Julia