moment, then glanced at Shadea expectantly. As he did so, he caught sight of Gerand Cera, who was standing back and to one side of him in the shadows. He wondered how many more were in hiding somewhere in that room. He wondered if he was going to be able to fool them all.
«You already understand what it is the scrye waters do,' Shadea said. «If you can use your magic to connect with their impulses, you should be able to reach beyond what is visible for a more comprehensive reading. I am hopeful that your reach will extend to the magic that resides in your sister or perhaps your son. Any little trace, any clue revealed by doing so may prove helpful.»
Helpful to whom?he thought. But he said nothing, only nodding in response.
«Would you move back from me a little?» he asked.
All of them, Rue included, stepped away from the basin to give him the space he needed. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes in concentration. He calmed himself, centered himself, and then lost himself in the deep silence that settled over the room. He would have only one chance, and if he wasn't convincing enough, he would be in the worst trouble of his life. These were Druids, he reminded himself for what must have been the hundredth time. Druids weren't easily fooled when it came to the use of magic.
On the other hand, none of them possessed or truly understood the magic of the wishsong. That was his edge, if he had any.
He waited until he could hear himself breathing in the stillness, then summoned the magic. He began with a low humming, a sound that mirrored a wind's whisper as it passed through the branches of the trees, soft and silky. He brought it out of its resting place and let it fill him with warmth. The cold of the room lessened and then disappeared. His concentration was so complete that the people around him disappeared as well. He was alone, lost in himself and in his magic.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw only the basin in front of him. He reached out with his hands and let them hover just above the deep green waters, so close he could almost feel the strange ripples that disturbed the otherwise placid surface. He moved his hands slowly, taking his time, not rushing the flow of the magic from his body. He watched the waters respond as he let the first tendrils stroke their surface. He felt them shudder at the intrusion.
He worked more swiftly then, enveloping the scrye waters in a broad swath intended to detect any obvious sign of Grianne or Pen. The former's presence would reveal itself immediately, so strong was the connection between them. Shadea had been right about that; their shared use of magic was a powerful link. But nothing showed itself; no sign of his sister surfaced. He kept searching, sending the wishsong's magic deep into the scrye waters, into the gridwork of the lines of power that crisscrossed the Four Lands, sifting and probing. He moved his hands in a slow, circular motion that took him in all directions, toward all of the possible places she might have gone.
Still nothing.
He was beginning to think that his efforts were a waste of time, a result he did not like to contemplate, when abruptly he touched on something. The surface of the scrye waters rippled in response, and he moved his focus away immediately so Shadea would not see. He continued his search in other areas, taking his time, trying to give an appearance of thoroughness. He must seem to be working hard at making the magic connect, — he must not appear duplicitous. But it was harder now, because his instincts were to return to the place on the gridwork where he had found what he was looking for.
Time slipped away. Nothing further revealed itself. He let his hands sweep back to the point of connection, a testing of his previous discovery. Once again, the scrye waters rippled, and he felt the presence of wishsong magic. Moving his hands away, he marked the place in his mind, knowing now where to go and what to look for.
Then, preoccupied with his discovery and ready to break this off, he let his hands settle over the place on the gridwork that marked Paranor's solitary spires.
Instantly, the scrye waters boiled and steamed, then exploded in a massive geyser. Magic ripped through Bek, breaking down his defenses and his connection with the basin waters. He was caught completely unprepared, and the next thing he knew he was flat on his back on the floor, his clothing steaming and his hair singed.
«Bek!» Rue was at his side, cradling his head in her hands, bent close to his face. He blinked hard, trying to dispel the dizziness that was making the room spin and her voice echo. Had he lost consciousness? How long had he been lying there? «Look at me!» she said. «Can you see me? Can you hear what I'm saying?»
He nodded wordlessly. Their Druid hosts were gathered around him as well, crouched like vultures, faces a mix of hunger and expectation. He had planned to deceive them by creating a diversion with the wishsong's magic. He hadn't planned on it happening this way. His entire body throbbed and his head ached as if he had taken a physical beating.
«What did you see?» Shadea demanded of him, her eyes narrowed. «You must have seen something, felt something.»
He shook his head. His tongue felt thick in his mouth, and his teeth were gritted against the pain. «Nothing,' he mumbled as he worked his jaw muscles, trying to make them relax. «I don't know what happened. I was working the magic, just a general search. My hands passed over Paranor's location on the map. Then this.»
He saw recognition in her eyes, a glint of satisfaction and exultation, a response that suggested she had found what she had been looking for and that it was not something she would ever reveal to him.
Then a veiled, guarded look took its place, and she smiled. «You came in contact with the magic that wards the Druid's Keep, Bek. It was a backlash of the protections we set in place for ourselves. Para–nor was defending us. I should have warned you. Are you all right?» «I'll need to rest myself a bit before I try again. I'm not done yet with my search.»
«You shall have all the rest you need.» She stood up, glancing at the other two. «He has done well, for his first attempt. He'll do even better next time. Traunt, take our guests back to their rooms. See that they have everything they need while Bek recovers. Food and drink and fresh clothing, perhaps a walk in the gardens later. On the morrow, Bek, we will try again.»
She was gone from the room so quickly that he had no further chance to question her odd response. Still woozy, he drew himself up into a sitting position and hung his head between his knees.
«That was dramatic,' Rue whispered as she placed his arm over her shoulders and helped him to stand. Traunt Rowan had moved ahead to open the door for them and was looking down the hallway after Shadea and Gerand Cera. «Did you intend to hurt yourself like that?»
«I didn't intend to hurt myself at all, if things had gone the way they were supposed to,' he whispered back. He saw the look of surprise in her eyes and managed a tired smile. «I didn't plan any of that.»
«What happened, then?»
«I don't know. Something I didn't expect. But it wasn't wasted effort, anyway.»
She leaned close. «Penderrin?»
He nodded. «I think I found him.»
He fell asleep almost immediately after reaching their bedchamber, too exhausted even to remove his clothes. He slept soundly until Rue woke him to make him eat something, and then he fell right back asleep. He dreamed, but his dreams were disjointed and strange, a collection of images from his past life and from other lives entirely, all connected in a way that made them surreal and unfathomable. He thought he was aware of Rue speaking to him more than once, but it wasn't enough to bring him out of the dreams.
When he woke again, the sun was setting. He was alone in the room, a tray of food sitting on the table by his bed. He ate, then washed and moved over to sit by the window and watch the sun disappear and the moon come up. Stars began to appear in the darkening sky north.
It was another half hour before Rue reappeared.
«You're awake,' she said as she came through the doorway and saw him. «How do you feel?»
«As if I've been thrown off a cliff. But better than I felt earlier. The dizziness is gone; the aching isn't so bad. I expect I'll live. Where were you?»
«Traunt Rowan took me for a walk in the Druid gardens.» She smiled. «They really are beautiful, and I would have loved to see more of them. But the walk turned into an inquisition. I spent most of my time fending off questions about Pen. The Druids don't know much about our son, but they seem awfully eager to learn. Too eager.»
She kept her voice low, moving over to sit beside him on the bench. «On the other hand, I got a good look around. I have a better idea of how to get around than I did before. I thought we might want to know where all the
