Up in the hallway, there is a muffled shout, then the repeated smack of flesh against flesh. Something heavy slams against the walls. In a few seconds, with an incoherent howl, Palindrome flies out of the doorway, back into the room. His left hand grips the back of his head and slams it hard into the stone wall. The wizard collapses and tumbles down the stairs.
Though his body is unconscious, his left hand is still moving. The fist, almost like the head of a serpent, dances on the end of his arm, surveying the room. The thumb moves, puppet-like, in imitation of a mouth. Doddoddod's voice speaks,
"Do not be alarmed."
"I repeat: Do not be alarmed."
"You have just witnessed the activation of a contingent compulsion, initiated in the event that my apprentice attempted long-term abandonment of those that I have assigned to watch over him."
"Please continue to act as if nothing untoward had occurred."
The hand falls.
Palindrome is clearly unconscious.