Storm Warning

listened to what Karal had said.

'And don't make another mistake,' he continued. 'Don't assume that because a leader ordered something be done, that he had any idea what the consequences were going to be. Unless you have someone like a Herald or Solaris, who has a—' he grinned wanly, for he sensed Altra padding in the door just at that moment, '—a rather insistent and altogether meddling four-legged conscience always at his side, leaders are just people, and they frequently forget to think before they act.'

:Indeed,: Altra said sardonically. :A very nice speech. Meddling, am I?:

He only reached out and scratched Altra's ears, a caress that the Firecat 'submitted to' quite readily.

'That's all very well, but we still need to do something about the next wave coming in, don't we?' An'desha replied pragmatically. 'Once I can think properly again, we need to get all the mages together. I can explain this once, and get the questions over with.'

'Should I bring over Master Levy and Master Norten as well?' Karal asked, assuming that it would be his task to find everyone and notify them that their presence was needed.

An'desha considered that for a moment. 'I believe so,' he said finally. 'They can find the key points where we can place our defenses to do the most good; I think their formulas will be useful there.'

Karal was struck, suddenly, by the fact that An'desha sounded different somehow; it was nothing very obvious, and he wasn't saying things that he wouldn't have said before, but it was the way he said them that had changed.

He's—by the Sunlord, he sounds older, that's what it is! He doesn't sound like a half-child anymore! He sounds—yes, and he acts—his true age! Karal didn't say anything, but the change delighted him; so far as he was concerned, this was all to the good.

:One wonders what Firesong is going to make of an independent An'desha,: Altra remarked, as if to himself. The same thought had occurred to Karal, just as Altra made the comment.

Well, there was nothing to be done about it. Firesong was just going to have to cope. Whether the Adept liked it or not, Karal was certain that this change in An'desha was not going to be temporary. Firesong should be allowed a little time to recognize it and deal with it in private.

:Or not,: said Altra. Karal aimed a sharp thought-jab at the Firecat; once in a while it would be nice to have a private thought or two!

'I'll go tell the others that we'll have a meeting in the morning,' he said, getting to his feet. 'And I'll be back only when I find them all. Don't bother to wait for me.'

He trotted off down the hall and down the stairs without giving either of them a chance to reply.

But was it his imagination, or did he actually hear An'desha say 'We won't,' and chuckle?

By the time the morning was half over, the Master Craftsmen had narrowed down the 'necessary' key points for the new shields from several dozen to the absolute minimum. There would be three major, essential points of blockage, and several minor points. The minor points could all be handled by sets of Master Mages, and all of them were within a few days' ride of Valdemar.

'We have enough mages here, between Herald-Mages and the envoys, that we can post people to each of those minor points,' Elspeth said, pursing her lips over her list of available personnel. 'This shouldn't be a problem.'

'But here, here, and here—' An'desha pointed on the map to the three major points—north, in the heart of the Forest of Sorrows—south, at the border of Karse—and east, at the place where the borders of Iftel, Hardorn, and Valdemar all met. 'These are problems. The breakwaters are unstable in their first stage; they actually require the energy from a wave to stabilize them and make them self-supporting. You will have to have either two Adepts or one Adept and two Masters to create them, join them to the two others, and hold them until the wave comes.' He studied the map, and put his finger on the third point. 'This one will be the easiest, but the most vulnerable; it's like the keystone of an arch. It will need less power, and more craft. And the mages will have to be at the site in order to create the breakwater and join it into a whole.'

Elspeth grimaced. 'We only have four Adepts,' she pointed out gently. 'And we only have a few days to get them in place, before the next wave comes.'

An'desha took a long, deep breath. 'You have two Adepts, one Healing Adept—and me.'

Firesong turned to stare at him, and it was as clear to Karal as the color of his eyes that he had no idea what An'desha meant.

'You have a Sorcerer-Adept,' An'desha elaborated. 'A creator. The kind of mage who actually made living beings. All of Ma'ar's knowledge is mine, now. I know how to build these