Caught in Two Minds

"Oh, it's true that I don't have his body. But I have transferred all of the contents of his mind into my own. I now know everything that he knew. So, though I am Doctor Preeminencius Emeritus Vincenzio Haroldan Maude Van Damme Uber Priceless, in a very real sense I am also Sir Fred, especially as his body is no more than a vegetable now that its brain has been drained."

"You're lying," Astra responded. "If you really had all of his knowledge, you wouldn't refer to him as 'Sir Fred' rather than 'Lord Fred'. He's the son of a duke."

"For all except the eldest son, the use of 'Lord' is no more than a courtesy title. And Fred wasn't the eldest son. Your friend's vanity meant that he wanted people to use 'Lord', rather than the knighthood to which he was properly entitled, having been dubbed by King Emry. I can prove to you that I have Sir Fred's knowledge. Though you have not told me anything about your recent history, I know that he rescued you from the dragon's clutches."

"He could have told you that himself. Besides, you might have guessed from the chains that I had attached to my wrists." Astra did not want to believe the old man, but against her will she was beginning to.

"I'm afraid that, being unconscious from the moment he entered my tower, he was in no position to tell me anything. And anyone could have been responsible for the chains."

"If you truly did this dreadful thing, then why did you do it?"

"Dreadful? That's a very emotional word to use, my dear. There were two reasons: as an experiment that would greatly add to scientific and magical knowledge and - a rather selfish reason, I admit - to gain all your friend's knowledge.Every piece of knowledge that I acquire increases my power, and this was a rare opportunity to gain a great deal of knowledge all at once."

"Do you intend to gain my knowledge too?"

1. "Yes."
2. "No. You're a woman. What knowledge could you have that could possibly be of any use to me?" Astra was unsure whether she should be relieved or angry.

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