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Jhond raised it close to his face as he studied the sides, trying to glimpse the contents. He changed his grip on the cylinder, taking hold of it by the sides as he moved it and, as he did, one hand slipped through the side as if nothing was there. The other hand was still clutching the cylinder. It seemed to Ninian that Jhond wasn't taken by surprise at this occurrence, though he was by what happened next.

  Chapter 17

  Patinus was feeling quite pleased with himself. It hadn't been easy, but he'd finally made a breakthrough with Rhou. They'd found some common ground. Rhou had only one real interest outside his family and his career and that was the history of warfare. He'd been studying the subject for quite a few years and had collected a substantial library on the subject. Patinus found about this quite by chance from, of all people, Gallia.

  Patinus was surprised to learn of Gallia's interest in weaponry and of her particular skill with a sword. It was one of the few times he'd seen his wife display any real interest and enjoyment. He invited Gallia to show him and they'd sparred with the blade, and Patinus had to concede that her skill was greater than his own. Patinus' own affinity was for the staff, so Gallia returned the favor by having a match with him, and this time his superiority with the weapon was obvious. It became one safe interest they could happily share.

  Shortly afterward, they'd been making arrangements for an official visit to the Museum of Arms and Armor to open a new wing dedicated to warfare at sea. Rising interest in the subject had become quite the thing with the ever-present threat from across the Estan Sea, and the Ministry of Information decided to put on a new display showing the extent of the commercial and military navies. The idea was to calm any fears of the populace at large and to inform those who wanted particular information. Gallia let slip during their discussions for the tour of the new display that her erstwhile childhood friend, Rhou, was the ministry liaison with the museum as he had a particular interest in the subject.

  Patinus had his perfect opportunity. He, too, had a personal interest in the subject, though in a much more personal context. Patinus made a quite reasonable request of the ministry that Rhou should conduct the tour for them, and he used the opportunity to breach the wall Rhou had built between them. Patinus could be extremely charming when he put his mind to it; Rhou never had a chance.

  By the end of the visit, Rhou happily accepted an invitation to visit Patinus and Gallia for lunch the next day. If Gallia was put out by this, she made no intimation and, in fact, she was the perfect hostess the next day. Rhou brought his intended bride with him, which was actually a surprise for Gallia as she hadn't known that Rhou was serious about any female. It happened to be a young woman who had been quite a frequent visitor to the Reeve household in the last year or so, as a close friend of Rhou's sister, Kaylin. Gallia's acquaintance with her, however, was only casual and as such she was a pleasant, though not too personal guest, who kept Gallia happily occupied whilst Patinus showed Rhou around the estate.

  The beginning of a very pleasant friendship.

  * * * *

  Suvran finally felt he was getting nearer. The pull drawing him on was greater than ever, making him believe he was reaching his target. He was aware the crew of the ship he'd commandeered was afraid of him; even the captain didn't approach him if he could possibly avoid it, but the captain needed to speak with him as Suvran was acting as the ship's navigator. Only he knew the direction, and constant deviations were needed--minor deviations, it was true, but important ones just the same. For quite some time, the ship had been moving into uncharted waters, and without Suvran's direction, the ship would have been hopelessly lost by now.

  Captain Endar approached Suvran, who was standing near the rail looking out to sea far ahead of the ship. Suvran was reaching out, feeling with his very being, trying to find the end of the "string" linking him to the young stranger. He was aware of the captain's presence, but he hadn't let it distract him from his task. The captain waited. Suvran finally withdrew, still not sure of just how much farther they may have to go. Captain Endar waited until the preceptor turned his attention his way before daring to speak.

  "Preceptor, are we to continue on the present course? You did ask that I check with you at regular intervals, and the prescribed time has passed."

  "Yes, Captain, I know. You may continue on this course until I advise you otherwise."

  "Sir? Er, do you-- Will the journey take much longer do you think?"

  Suvran looked at the man, and Captain Endar felt the chill creep into his bones. He'd spent his entire life believing such things as magic didn't exist, couldn't possibly be more than old wives' tales told to scare or entice children. And in just one instant, just one look into this man's eyes, and the captain knew he'd been mistaken his entire life. Fire danced behind the man's eyes. He let you see it when he wanted, letting you know that, compared to his power, you were nothing. And you didn't doubt. Whatever Suvran asked, the captain would do without question. And Suvran knew it.

  "We will arrive, Captain Endar, when we arrive," he said coldly, before turning his back and once again looking out to sea. Soon, soon it will be mine.

  * * * *

  Jhond gasped as he fell headlong inside the cylinder, tumbling over and over, falling as shimmering light engulfed him and seemed to slip through him. He was surrounded by the constantly falling strands, twisting slivers that shimmered with an unearthly light. Even more disconcerting was that sometimes it looked like it wasn't the strands falling, but the spaces between.

  Jhond's descent stopped, but where he was, he had no idea. He was totally disoriented and, for a moment, he wasn't surprised when he saw her--Gallia. Sitting there, as beautiful as ever. Except she appeared unhappy.

  Then it all came flooding back. Unhappy? Yes, of course, she was. As unhappy as he was. Unhappy because they were apart. Apart, so how was it she was here? Wherever here was.

  She was sitting on a stone bench in a garden. The bench is on the edge of water, a lake, he thought. There was something vaguely familiar about the setting, but he couldn't quite place it.

  "Gallia!" he called.

  She never even turned her head. He called again, louder and yet louder. No reaction.

  Then someone else was advancing; it was his brother, Rhou. As Rhou approached, he spoke to Gallia. Jhond could clearly see his mouth move. Jhond watched Gallia's response, watched as she rose, smiled and took his hands, watched as she replied.

  But Jhond could hear nothing. He put his hands over his ears, pressing hard, as if perhaps there was something wrong with his hearing. But he had been able to hear himself speak; had heard his own voice grow louder and louder as he had called to Gallia. No, his hearing worked perfectly.

  Everything slammed into place. He remembered his hand slipping into the side of that peculiar cylinder and remembered the disorienting fall through...through whatever. He realized he was somehow "inside" the cylinder and that he could see but not hear.

  See, but not hear what? Where?

  There was something about the location. Could it be Duke Vikor's place? It would make sense she would return there after...after he'd left. He was glad, too, she had stayed good friends with his family. He'd been worried about that.

  Had he somehow, subconsciously, chosen to see this? To put his mind at rest about his love? If it wasn't of his choosing, then why?

  As he pondered this question, someone else was approaching. Rhou, who had seated himself next to Gallia on the stone bench, rose with a wave of his hand for the stranger. He was a tall, good-looking young man, and a sudden feeling filled Jhond. He recognized it for it was: jealousy, knowing he had no right to such an emotion. But the emotion threatened to overwhelm him as the stranger leaned over and kissed Gallia with an easy familiarity that struck through his heart like a knife. The knife of jealousy twisted as Gallia leaned into the gentle kiss and touched the man's cheek with a soft caress.

  As the shock ran through him, he found himself falling again, twisting and tumbling. He became aware h
e was seated on the floor next to the chest, the cylinder still in his hands. Both of his hands were now holding the glass-like sides that were now quite solid.

  "Are you all right?" Ninian asked, concerned. "You were in a trance of some kind for a good few minutes. For a time I wondered if you'd ever recover."

  Jhond didn't answer; he didn't yet trust himself to speak. He knew he no longer had any right to feel jealousy over Gallia, but he also knew that was precisely what he did feel--a seething, all-encompassing jealousy. He hated himself for it.

  "Jhond? What happened?" pressed Ninian, excitement rife in his voice. He could hardly sit still. "Did you have a vision? What happened?" He shook Jhond by the arm, trying to elicit some kind of response. "Jhond!"

  "Please, give me a minute," Jhond said quietly.

  Ninian opened his mouth, about to protest when he suddenly clamped it shut. He realized something profound had happened to Jhond and he would have to bide his time. Instead of pressing the younger man, he reached into the chest, pulled out a couple of little packages and began to unwrap them. Two small crystals were in one package, a scrything block in the other. As he handled the crystals, Ninian felt the warmth begin. He knew he could use these. He glanced again at Jhond, who still seemed preoccupied, so he stepped to one side, taking the block and crystals with him. He placed first one and then the other crystal into the correctly shaped holes in the block and let the images wash over him.

  It was quite some time before he again approached Jhond, who, by this time, was sitting quietly watching Ninian with the crystals.

  * * * *

  Captain Amired paced up and down, glancing frequently toward the building in the distance. He was feeling more and more nervous, not the least because his crew was restless. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep them hanging around here, waiting. Amired wanted to keep his word to Ninian, but he had a prior commitment to his crew. If he didn't protect them, he would never get a good crew again. The word would go out that Captain Amired couldn't be trusted. He could use his command ability on them, but only as far as they were prepared to let him.

  That was the truth and the fallacy of command...a captain was only as good as his crew would let him be; the reverse also being true, a crew was only as good as their captain made them. They would follow him as long as he led where they were prepared to go. He doubted they were prepared to risk their lives for an unknown cause, and neither Ninian nor Jhond had confided the exact nature of their mission.

  All Amired actually knew, and that was a damn sight more than the crew did, was that Jhond had been drawn to the mysterious island to collect something. Something special, though what Amired wasn't even sure they knew. He hated being this out of control, this unsure. Yet he still felt this unexpected trust where the two strangers were concerned. Could they have put a spell on him? He didn't think so or why would he question the situation? If he had been spelled, surely he would have obeyed without question?

  "Captain," a voice called out, ending his reverie. "Look, sir, out there." It was Aldous and he was pointing toward the horizon. A sail could be seen, moving pretty swiftly. Amired took out his telescope and trained it on the approaching ship. It appeared to be on a direct course for the islands. And the speed--Amired could not believe the speed the ship was moving at.

  "It's heading this way, isn't it, Captain? And at a fast clip, too, I'd say," commented Aldous.

  "I thought this place was unknown, secret or something," interjected Warkist, walking to the shoulder of his captain. "So, how come they be coming here?"

  Amired didn't answer. He couldn't and he certainly had no intention of getting into an argument with Warkist. He was no less concerned than Warkist clearly was, but he had to decide what to do. Ninian had promised them a generous fee; he'd paid half up front. Besides that commercial consideration, Amired had developed a particular respect for Ninian and had no intention of merely sloping away and leaving them to whatever that ship might bring. He didn't know why, but he knew, simply knew, that whatever else that ship might be bringing, it was carrying evil.

  That unconscious revelation was quite a shock. Evil. He had never consciously accepted that he believed in such a concept, but he knew, without a doubt, that it was coming. And if evil was on the way, didn't that suggest it was coming to harm or prevent an act of good?

  "We must warn them in the tower. They'll need help," he announced to his crew.

  "Why must we run the risk? Let's just go," Warkist spoke up.

  "Stow it, Warkist. We've been paid well to do a job, and do it we will. I don't know who that is"--he indicated the approaching vessel--"but I know they're up to no good." He knew it could be fatal for a captain to talk with his crew about his choices. It was always much better to just tell them what was needed. "Aldous, you take all but Mathias back to the ship and get it ready to sail. We'll go to the tower and bring back Ninian and Jhond, and anything they may have found."

  "What sort of 'anything,' sir?" interjected Warkist, eager for the first time.

  "Not anything you'll be concerned with," Aldous replied sharply, pushing Warkist on his way to the cliff edge and the winding path down to the beach. Aldous gave a casual salute to his captain as he, too, moved off. "Leave it to me, sir. We'll be ready to push off as you return." He had only gone a few steps when he stopped and turned back. "Captain, if that ship looks like it'll be a threat, I could take the Horologue off shore and wait for your signal, like I did last year off Atotry."

  Captain Amired smiled, remembering that close scrape, when he had thanked the Lords of Light he'd just happened to have a flash flare. He'd taken to always carrying one on him whenever he went ashore. "Good idea, Aldous. But only if you have to. And keep a good look out for my signal if it comes to that. I have a bad feeling about that other ship."

  "I know. Odd the way it's making a beeline for us, eh?" He turned without another word and hurried after the men.

  Amired nodded to Mathias, who was quietly waiting behind him, and they headed off quickly toward the distant tower.

  * * * *

  "Well, what did you see this time?" Jhond asked.

  "What did I see? What about you? You were a long way away for far too long. What in all the heavens happened?"

  "I'm not sure I can explain it because I don't really know myself exactly what occurred. I suddenly seemed to be falling, yet I knew I was inside the cylinder. Then I saw somebody I recognized. I could see very clearly, but I couldn't hear anything."

  "Hear? So people were there?"

  "Yes," Jhond replied softly. "Gallia and my brother, Rhou." He hesitated and licked his lips, which had become very dry. "And there was a third person present, a stranger, to me at least. Rhou seemed to know him very well...and Gallia did, too."

  This was said almost as if it was an afterthought, but it didn't fool Ninian at all. It was said too casually to be anything of the sort. Ninian didn't pursue it, instead saying, "I think I know what happened."

  "What?"

  "The crystals in the chest with the scrything block were meant to be found. I felt drawn to them. I knew exactly in which hole in the block each went."

  "Yes, I see, but what did they tell you?" It was clear Jhond was impatient for an explanation. "I also want to discover if there's a way in which I can hear while using the cylinder. I...I believe it's important to know precisely what's happening in these...visions or else what's the point of seeing them?"

  "It was complicated, yet at the same time quite precise. Let me see if I can explain it clearly to you." Ninian sighed and pursed his lips, clearly considering how to clarify what it was he had learned. He ran his hands through his hair, mussing it more than it already was. He began to explain it took a very special person to be able to precipitate the use of the cylinder, the cylinder containing the strands of time.

  Jhond felt he should have been surprised to learn that was what it was, but somehow he had always known.

  "Only someone with a very special talent can penetr
ate the magical cylinder. And even when operated, it's very difficult to make it do what you want. A person needs considerable mental control to guide the image of what one wants to see--where one wants to be. It's your very choice that's acted upon, but even so, it's also an imprecise medium. You might choose a person, you might choose a place, but to get the exact person and the exact place at the exact instant isn't as easy as one would think."

  Jhond frowned, not quite following this explanation.

  "Let's take an example," Ninian said thoughtfully. "A garden party where your father is expected to be. You want to listen to a conversation he's having with another local landowner. But the options are innumerable and almost uncontrollable." He went on to explain some of the various scenarios.

  You see your father on his way to the garden party.

  You see the garden party before he arrives.

  You see the garden party, your father is there, but he is talking to someone else.

  You see the garden party, there is the landowner, but there's no sign of your father.

  You see the garden party site being cleared after the event has ended.

  You see the landowner talking to your father. Success, you think, until you realize the conversation has already taken place and they are saying farewell.

  "Just a few examples and the permutations are endless," Ninian finished. "Getting the exact place, time and person is extremely difficult. It takes great power and training."

  "But even if I have the power to use the strands, how can I get the training? It sounds impossible. And you've not even mentioned how one is able to hear even when--if--you can see what you want." Jhond paced back and forth in the small tower room, frustration plain in every line of his face and form. "Impossible!" he repeated angrily. "And what was the bit about... What was it? About being where one wanted to be. Did I hear that part right?"

  "Yes, that's a part I haven't worked out yet. I was quite thorough with the first crystal. It explained the outline of what it was and how it worked. The second one seems much more detailed about its specific use. That's where the training will come in. But I've got to study it in much more detail yet. Give me time. I'm sure it'll explain how to hear as well as see. How to pinpoint your choices more accurately and whatever else you need to know. There could even be more crystals here to help us learn. I'm sure all the knowledge we need is here, somewhere. It will take time to decipher all this, though."