squat beside the water and gazed down into it. Pellaz joined him, wondering if Cobweb could conjure pictures on the silvery surface.
"Thiede isn't dead," Pellaz said, "not in the normal sense."
"He is strong," Cobweb said, "and he passed from flush with his inner eyes open. That is all. He might place his feet in many worlds, but he did not want this, Pell. Don't deceive yourself otherwise."
"The Kamagrian did not wish Thiede dead. Opalexian is a recluse."
Cobweb look to the last directly in the eye. "When Cal went to speak in the Hegalion that first time, he spoke of the Kamagrian. He told the Hegemony about them, these strange off-shoots of Wraeththu who refer to themselves as female. They had healed and trained him in the mystical arts. Why did Opalexian take it upon herself to do that? In sending Cal to Immanion, she changed the world. It was a great shock, was it not...? For some..."
Pellaz sighed. "I won't try to deceive you. I have known of the Kamagrian's existence since Flick and Ulaume went to live in Roselane. I visited Shilalama often. You know that."
"I have seen your visits there," Cobweb said, " and what you learned."
Pellaz wasn't completely sure whether Cobweb was telling the truth is or how much he really knew. "Opalexian asked me to keep quiet, and I did," he said. "It was not yet time for Wraeththu to know about the Kamagrian. It was safer for everyhar to believe those who lived in Roselane are Wraeththu ascetics, a community of misfits. Opalexian feared persecution."
"I wonder why? She is as powerful as Thiede was."
"I respected her wishes. It did no harm. And since Thiede's disappearance, she hasn't come charging into Almagabra with a horde of Kamagrian Amazons, so we can only presume she still intends to keep a low profile. I asked her to come to Immanion and speak to the Hegemony, but she declined the invitation."
Cobweb ignored these comments. "Hara do not know the truth about your relationship with Shilalama, do they? You still keep your silence."
Pell looked away, sure that Cobweb would interpret correctly the lies in his gaze. "It is irrelevant. My visits there were social, and primarily concerned Flick and Ulaume."
"Do not look for Thiede in the parage, Opalexian," Cobweb said. "Along that path lies delusion and danger."
"I have no intention of replacing Thiede, if that's what you're implying."
Cobweb stood up and took a deep breath through his nose. "Be careful, Pell. The winds of change are, in reality, a hurricane of transformation. It is all far bigger than you know and it has yet to begin."
"What can you see? Tell me."
"Shadows," Cobweb said, "and somewhere a leaking truth."
"That's very helpful."
"It's all I can say. You will soon know. Seek your brother."
"Terez is in Immanion. What can he tell me?"
"Not Terez," Cobweb said. "He is your sword, Pell, and he is sharp. Use him wisely. Use him as your scout to find the one you really need."
"Then, are you speaking of Dorado? Is he still alive? What do you know? Tell me!"
"Very little. A hunch. When Cal went to Immanion, the reverberations of what happened opened portals that are usually closed. I saw many things that night. And one of the things I saw, or felt, was your kin. He has greater strengths than you, in some respects, as all the Cevarros
"Thiede isn't dead," Pellaz said, "not in the normal sense."
"He is strong," Cobweb said, "and he passed from flush with his inner eyes open. That is all. He might place his feet in many worlds, but he did not want this, Pell. Don't deceive yourself otherwise."
"The Kamagrian did not wish Thiede dead. Opalexian is a recluse."
Cobweb look to the last directly in the eye. "When Cal went to speak in the Hegalion that first time, he spoke of the Kamagrian. He told the Hegemony about them, these strange off-shoots of Wraeththu who refer to themselves as female. They had healed and trained him in the mystical arts. Why did Opalexian take it upon herself to do that? In sending Cal to Immanion, she changed the world. It was a great shock, was it not...? For some..."
Pellaz sighed. "I won't try to deceive you. I have known of the Kamagrian's existence since Flick and Ulaume went to live in Roselane. I visited Shilalama often. You know that."
"I have seen your visits there," Cobweb said, " and what you learned."
Pellaz wasn't completely sure whether Cobweb was telling the truth is or how much he really knew. "Opalexian asked me to keep quiet, and I did," he said. "It was not yet time for Wraeththu to know about the Kamagrian. It was safer for everyhar to believe those who lived in Roselane are Wraeththu ascetics, a community of misfits. Opalexian feared persecution."
"I wonder why? She is as powerful as Thiede was."
"I respected her wishes. It did no harm. And since Thiede's disappearance, she hasn't come charging into Almagabra with a horde of Kamagrian Amazons, so we can only presume she still intends to keep a low profile. I asked her to come to Immanion and speak to the Hegemony, but she declined the invitation."
Cobweb ignored these comments. "Hara do not know the truth about your relationship with Shilalama, do they? You still keep your silence."
Pell looked away, sure that Cobweb would interpret correctly the lies in his gaze. "It is irrelevant. My visits there were social, and primarily concerned Flick and Ulaume."
"Do not look for Thiede in the parage, Opalexian," Cobweb said. "Along that path lies delusion and danger."
"I have no intention of replacing Thiede, if that's what you're implying."
Cobweb stood up and took a deep breath through his nose. "Be careful, Pell. The winds of change are, in reality, a hurricane of transformation. It is all far bigger than you know and it has yet to begin."
"What can you see? Tell me."
"Shadows," Cobweb said, "and somewhere a leaking truth."
"That's very helpful."
"It's all I can say. You will soon know. Seek your brother."
"Terez is in Immanion. What can he tell me?"
"Not Terez," Cobweb said. "He is your sword, Pell, and he is sharp. Use him wisely. Use him as your scout to find the one you really need."
"Then, are you speaking of Dorado? Is he still alive? What do you know? Tell me!"
"Very little. A hunch. When Cal went to Immanion, the reverberations of what happened opened portals that are usually closed. I saw many things that night. And one of the things I saw, or felt, was your kin. He has greater strengths than you, in some respects, as all the Cevarros
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