Cathra ascended to the summit together. The Heritor, Orrion, begged a boon of the Sky Realm while touching the second Moon Crag formation, which lies on that very mountaintop. Who'd have thought it was there? And what a strange coincidence it was found by those lads, after our own fruitless windsearching.'
'Most peculiar, I must agree. What happened to Prince Orrion? Did the Lights strike him dead for insolence?'
'Nay. Fortunately, the Pain-Eaters completely ignored his irregular attempt at conjuring. And so the Likeminded ventured to answer the boy themselves, almost without volition. In some way, they channeled their power to the Ground Realm through the crag, and thence to Orrion. It was little more than an experimental exercise to the Likeminded, and they were much surprised that it succeeded.'
'God of the Heights and Depths,' Thalassa whispered. 'Then the Likeminded Remnant are no longer impotent! The scales of fate may be tipping in our direction at long last.'
Ansel Pikan's cracked lips widened in a smile. His wind-voice was as clear and incisive as ever, although it would not have reached beyond the bedchamber had he tried to project it.
'Our dear Source's chains of blue ice have weakened slowly over the years, as we gathered scattered sigils and brought them to him for destruction. And ill-fated though my own enterprise in the Barrens was, I did manage to deny the Salka most of the first Moon Crag. That has to count in our favor.,'
She pulled the comforter more snugly around him.‘Iprayed it would, though the Source himself seemed uncertain . . . What did you mean when you spoke of our plan for King Conrig being endangered? Is it put at risk somehow by the Demon Seat episode?'
Ansel set forth the basic factsof the arranged marriagethat had driven Prince Orrion to his unwitting conjuration of the Lights.
'The consequences of Orrion's loss will enfuriate and trouble the king, leaving him more vulnerable than he can possibly know. Long years of opposing the Salka, as well as contending against his human enemies, have turned him harsh and unyielding. Conrig sees his hope of extending his Sovereignty beyond this island fading away. He has always been a difficult New Conflict participant - all the more so because he doesn't know he's been enlisted! He'll be harder than ever to control once his scheme for his son Orrion lies in ruins.'
'Do you think the Source's plan for influencing the Sovereign through Deveron Austrey might now be impossible?'
'We must trust that the former spy can still find a way to regain his old master's friendship. Conrig cannot defeat the Salka invasion through human military efforts alone. Convincing him of that will not be easy.'
'Perhaps Cray will think of something,' Thalassa said, 'as she did so fortuitously in the matter of the worms!' She considered for a moment.‘Ishall have to go to her at once. We two must soul-travel beneath the Ice and consult the Source together on these matters.'
The dying shaman gave a prolonged sigh. He spoke aloud in a voice as faint as rustling leaves. 'How I wish I were able to go with you! At least tell the Source that I beg forgiveness for having defied him. I had no choice but to go to the Barren Lands and destroy the first Moon Crag.'
'Of course I'll tell him, even though I'm certain he already knows and agrees you did the proper thing. He tried to dissuade you because of a premonition that you would not survive the mission and an understandable desire not to lose you. As a Sky Being, albeit one trapped in a body of flesh,he sometimes fails to understand our stubborn groundling self-righteousness. To say nothing of our foolish courage and need for direct action.'
Ansel Pikan began to laugh, but broke off in a fit of painful coughing. Thalassa Dru held his head against her ample breast until Wix came with the new medicament. Two drops of the elixer in milk were sufficient to bring relief to the shaman, after which she placed the heated,
'Most peculiar, I must agree. What happened to Prince Orrion? Did the Lights strike him dead for insolence?'
'Nay. Fortunately, the Pain-Eaters completely ignored his irregular attempt at conjuring. And so the Likeminded ventured to answer the boy themselves, almost without volition. In some way, they channeled their power to the Ground Realm through the crag, and thence to Orrion. It was little more than an experimental exercise to the Likeminded, and they were much surprised that it succeeded.'
'God of the Heights and Depths,' Thalassa whispered. 'Then the Likeminded Remnant are no longer impotent! The scales of fate may be tipping in our direction at long last.'
Ansel Pikan's cracked lips widened in a smile. His wind-voice was as clear and incisive as ever, although it would not have reached beyond the bedchamber had he tried to project it.
'Our dear Source's chains of blue ice have weakened slowly over the years, as we gathered scattered sigils and brought them to him for destruction. And ill-fated though my own enterprise in the Barrens was, I did manage to deny the Salka most of the first Moon Crag. That has to count in our favor.,'
She pulled the comforter more snugly around him.‘Iprayed it would, though the Source himself seemed uncertain . . . What did you mean when you spoke of our plan for King Conrig being endangered? Is it put at risk somehow by the Demon Seat episode?'
Ansel set forth the basic factsof the arranged marriagethat had driven Prince Orrion to his unwitting conjuration of the Lights.
'The consequences of Orrion's loss will enfuriate and trouble the king, leaving him more vulnerable than he can possibly know. Long years of opposing the Salka, as well as contending against his human enemies, have turned him harsh and unyielding. Conrig sees his hope of extending his Sovereignty beyond this island fading away. He has always been a difficult New Conflict participant - all the more so because he doesn't know he's been enlisted! He'll be harder than ever to control once his scheme for his son Orrion lies in ruins.'
'Do you think the Source's plan for influencing the Sovereign through Deveron Austrey might now be impossible?'
'We must trust that the former spy can still find a way to regain his old master's friendship. Conrig cannot defeat the Salka invasion through human military efforts alone. Convincing him of that will not be easy.'
'Perhaps Cray will think of something,' Thalassa said, 'as she did so fortuitously in the matter of the worms!' She considered for a moment.‘Ishall have to go to her at once. We two must soul-travel beneath the Ice and consult the Source together on these matters.'
The dying shaman gave a prolonged sigh. He spoke aloud in a voice as faint as rustling leaves. 'How I wish I were able to go with you! At least tell the Source that I beg forgiveness for having defied him. I had no choice but to go to the Barren Lands and destroy the first Moon Crag.'
'Of course I'll tell him, even though I'm certain he already knows and agrees you did the proper thing. He tried to dissuade you because of a premonition that you would not survive the mission and an understandable desire not to lose you. As a Sky Being, albeit one trapped in a body of flesh,he sometimes fails to understand our stubborn groundling self-righteousness. To say nothing of our foolish courage and need for direct action.'
Ansel Pikan began to laugh, but broke off in a fit of painful coughing. Thalassa Dru held his head against her ample breast until Wix came with the new medicament. Two drops of the elixer in milk were sufficient to bring relief to the shaman, after which she placed the heated,
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