else to worry about as soon as my back is turned. So what is it now, and just how dangerous will it turn out to be?"
"Before we answer your question, you have to answer one of ours," I said, doing the honors this time. "Have you been dreaming of being back in my house?"
"As a matter of fact, I have," he said, and his frown had deepened. "Is that supposed to mean I'll be messin' up in some way because I don't really want to be here?"
"What it means is we now have confirmation that all of us have had the same dream about being back in Tamma's house," Jovvi said, her smile a good deal less soothing than it normally was. "We would love to know what the dream means, but so far nothing has come to us."
"And please don't say that it might not mean anything," Lorand put in when Vallant parted his lips to speak. "If all six of us are having the same dream, I'll bet everything I own that it means something very specific."
"I was goin' to say that just because we don't know what the dream means, that doesn't mean we won't find out at some time," Vallant told Lorand with just a trace of injured feelings. "I was also goin' to add that the invaders are bein' taken care of by our associate Blendin's, but there's somethin' we need to look into. One of the associates told me that there was a fairly heavy stir of activity over by the place where the Gracelian assembly members were watchin' the goin's on. No one has gone over to find out what happened, so we'd better take a look."
"And after we find out what they've done wrong this time, I hope we can get some more sleep," Naran said with a sigh. "The next time I wake up I'm going to make a concerted effort to break through that flux that's been keeping me from Seeing more than bits and snatches. I'm tired of being surprised by everything but what we absolutely have to know."
"You know, that's exactly the way it has been," I said, distracted from her first, out-of-character statement by a flash of revelation. "You haven't been able to see much of anything beyond the completely essential, and that can't possibly be a coincidence either. Someone has to be deliberately blocking you."
"Could the enemy really be strong enough to reach all the way here to block Naran without us being aware of it?" Lorand asked, worry widening his eyes. "If they are, we have even more trouble than we thought."
"It can't possibly be the invaders," I said while everyone else just came up with exclamations of worry and startlement. "Naran's had this trouble since before we left Gan Garee, and if the invaders are that strong we might as well just stand here and let them take us over. No, someone else is responsible for blindfolding us, and I'd really like to know who that is."
"Who could it be?" Vallant countered, but not in a challenging way. "I'd be willin' to believe that Ristor Ardanis, leader of those with Sight magic, is behind the blockin', but he and most of his people are a long way away from here. Naran, are you absolutely certain that the people in your link groups are workin' with you rather than against your breakin' through?"
"Normally I might not be absolutely certain, but once I'm part of the Blending there's no doubt," Naran answered with a nod. "My people are trying as hard as I am, but something is keeping us from breaking through."
"It certainly can't be the Gracelians," Jovvi said, her distracted gaze saying that her mind searched for an answer. "The Gracelians don't have anyone with Sight magic, so they can't possibly affect it. Who does that leave?"
"No one but the Highest Aspect," I said, finding it impossible to keep the dryness from my tone. "If the enemy isn't doing it, the Gracelians aren't doing it, and Ristor Ardanis's people aren't doing it, there's no one left."
"But there is someone left," Rion disagreed slowly, his gaze as distracted as Jovvi's had been. "We haven't mentioned the fact in quite some time, but there's still a mystery in our lives that we haven't solved. Those
"Before we answer your question, you have to answer one of ours," I said, doing the honors this time. "Have you been dreaming of being back in my house?"
"As a matter of fact, I have," he said, and his frown had deepened. "Is that supposed to mean I'll be messin' up in some way because I don't really want to be here?"
"What it means is we now have confirmation that all of us have had the same dream about being back in Tamma's house," Jovvi said, her smile a good deal less soothing than it normally was. "We would love to know what the dream means, but so far nothing has come to us."
"And please don't say that it might not mean anything," Lorand put in when Vallant parted his lips to speak. "If all six of us are having the same dream, I'll bet everything I own that it means something very specific."
"I was goin' to say that just because we don't know what the dream means, that doesn't mean we won't find out at some time," Vallant told Lorand with just a trace of injured feelings. "I was also goin' to add that the invaders are bein' taken care of by our associate Blendin's, but there's somethin' we need to look into. One of the associates told me that there was a fairly heavy stir of activity over by the place where the Gracelian assembly members were watchin' the goin's on. No one has gone over to find out what happened, so we'd better take a look."
"And after we find out what they've done wrong this time, I hope we can get some more sleep," Naran said with a sigh. "The next time I wake up I'm going to make a concerted effort to break through that flux that's been keeping me from Seeing more than bits and snatches. I'm tired of being surprised by everything but what we absolutely have to know."
"You know, that's exactly the way it has been," I said, distracted from her first, out-of-character statement by a flash of revelation. "You haven't been able to see much of anything beyond the completely essential, and that can't possibly be a coincidence either. Someone has to be deliberately blocking you."
"Could the enemy really be strong enough to reach all the way here to block Naran without us being aware of it?" Lorand asked, worry widening his eyes. "If they are, we have even more trouble than we thought."
"It can't possibly be the invaders," I said while everyone else just came up with exclamations of worry and startlement. "Naran's had this trouble since before we left Gan Garee, and if the invaders are that strong we might as well just stand here and let them take us over. No, someone else is responsible for blindfolding us, and I'd really like to know who that is."
"Who could it be?" Vallant countered, but not in a challenging way. "I'd be willin' to believe that Ristor Ardanis, leader of those with Sight magic, is behind the blockin', but he and most of his people are a long way away from here. Naran, are you absolutely certain that the people in your link groups are workin' with you rather than against your breakin' through?"
"Normally I might not be absolutely certain, but once I'm part of the Blending there's no doubt," Naran answered with a nod. "My people are trying as hard as I am, but something is keeping us from breaking through."
"It certainly can't be the Gracelians," Jovvi said, her distracted gaze saying that her mind searched for an answer. "The Gracelians don't have anyone with Sight magic, so they can't possibly affect it. Who does that leave?"
"No one but the Highest Aspect," I said, finding it impossible to keep the dryness from my tone. "If the enemy isn't doing it, the Gracelians aren't doing it, and Ristor Ardanis's people aren't doing it, there's no one left."
"But there is someone left," Rion disagreed slowly, his gaze as distracted as Jovvi's had been. "We haven't mentioned the fact in quite some time, but there's still a mystery in our lives that we haven't solved. Those
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