The Younger Gods

"You don't need to know that just yet, Alcevan," Aracia declared.

Balacenia could catch bits and pieces of Aracia's thoughts. Her brain was fairly scrambled, but the word "kill" kept cropping up.

"I think I'd better warn Veltan about this. His big sister isn't quite as sane as Sorgan seems to think she is."

The Trogite ship called the Ascension that Narasan had given to Sorgan was anchored in the harbor, and Balacenia sensed Veltan's presence in the large cabin at the ship's stern. Fortunately, he was alone, and Balacenia was certain that the two of them needed to talk privately. She could have just drifted down to the deck of the Ascension and then knocked on the cabin door, but she chose at the last minute to just suddenly appear in Veltan's presence with no warning.

Veltan visibly flinched when she dropped into the cabin. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"I just thought I'd drop by and warn you that there's a great deal of trouble coming your way, Uncle Veltan," Balacenia replied. "I was sort of keeping an eye on things in your big sister's temple, and I saw that little priestess Alcevan sneaking along the east wall. She went on inside, and I used that corridor Sorgan's cousin found to get close enough to the throne room to eavesdrop. I hate to tell you this, Uncle Veltan, but that little priestess Alcevan just put a stop to your sister's journey into the land of people who aren't crazy."

"You aren't supposed to be doing that sort of thing yet," Veltan protested.

"Don't worry so much about 'supposed to,' Uncle. I just discovered that Alcevan isn't at all what everybody seems to think she is. Actually, she's a bug."

Veltan's head came up sharply. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"I was talking about Alcevan the bug. Weren't you listening? This has happened before. If you think back, you'll remember that tribe in Tonthakan who were positive that they'd been terribly insulted—right up until the Maag called Ox brained a couple of men—who turned out not to be men. Alcevan's of that same variety of bug."

"How do you know that?"

"I could smell her. She's emitting the same kind of odor the ones in Tonthakan were, so Aracia believes everything Alcevan tells her, and she's coming very close to trying to keep Enalla from taking over here by killing Lillabeth."

"She wouldn't do that. It's totally forbidden."

" 'Forbid' just blew out of the window. Aracia is all wound up, and the word 'kill' keeps coming into her mind. I'm almost positive that Aracia believes that if she kills Lillabeth, it'll almost certainly kill Enalla as well. I think it's time for a conference, Veltan. Why don't you go speak with Dahlaine and Zelana? The other Dreamers are with them. I'll snatch Lillabeth out of Aracia's temple."

"That might be just a bit tricky, Balacenia," Veltan said. "Sorgan's cousin Torl has a hundred oversized Maags there guarding her."

"So?"

Veltan blinked. Then he laughed a bit ruefully. "I keep forgetting who you really are, Balacenia. You're not at all like Eleria, are you?"

Balacenia sighed. "Not really. I love her, but she goes her own way. I don't think we'll be able to merge when this is all over, but we can worry about that later. Right now, getting Lillabeth to safety is more important than anything else. Where do you think we should meet?"

Veltan frowned. "I'd say Mount Shrak. It's the most secure place. The snow's probably ten feet deep up there, and that should definitely keep the bugs from getting close enough to hear what we're saying."

"Good idea. We need to make some decisions. If necessary, we might all have to come down on Aracia with both feet. Let's get started, Uncle. We've got a long way to go, and not very much time."

It wasn't particularly difficult for Balacenia to take Lillabeth right out from under the noses of Torl and the hundred massive sailors Sorgan had sent to guard her. The Maags guarded doors and hallways, but they didn't guard the roof. Many things were coming back to Balacenia now, and she had no difficulty passing down through the roof to join the little girl who was really Balacenia's sister Enalla. "We've got an emergency, Lillabeth," Balacenia declared, "and we're all supposed to meet with the elders up at Mount Shrak."

"Why didn't Aracia come here and take me there?" Lillabeth demanded.

"There's a war out there, Lillabeth," Balacenia reminded her sister. "Aracia's very busy right now." She paused. "I don't suppose you remember how to fly," she said.

"I've never tried," Lillabeth said. "I'm sure that Aracia would be terribly upset if I suddenly sprouted wings."

"We don't use wings, Lillabeth. There's a much easier way to do it. I'll carry you. You're not really all that heavy."

"You're the grown-up Eleria, aren't you?"

"Well—sort of. Eleria and I are much farther apart than you and Enalla are."

"When the time comes, will I have to grow up before I become Enalla? Or will there just be a poof, and I'll be all grown up?"

"We've never done this before, Lillabeth," Balacenia replied. "I think each one of us will have to make it up when the time comes." She held out her hand. "Shall we go?" she said.

Lillabeth's eyes went very wide when the two of them passed up through the roof of Aracia's temple. "How can you do that?" she said in a trembling voice.

"It has to do with thought, little sister," Balacenia replied. "Aracia could do it, if she ever left her throne room. There are all sorts of things we can do that ordinary people don't even think about. Just look at the scenery, Lillabeth. I'll take care of this."

"Where are we going?"

"I told you, Mount Shrak. You've been there, so it shouldn't bother you."

They rose up through the chill winter air until Balacenia located a wind coming out of the southeast. She latched onto it, and it carried them in a generally northwesterly direction. Balacenia had always enjoyed riding the wind. It was an easy way to go from here to there, since the wind did all the work.

"How high up in the air are we?" Lillabeth asked in a trembling sort of voice.

"That doesn't really matter, child," Balacenia replied. "Don't let the height bother you. I won't let you fall."

"I've never been up this high in the air before," Lillabeth said. "The world's a lot bigger than I thought it is. How far is it from one side to the other?"

"The world doesn't have sides, child. It's round—almost like a ball, but it's much larger than an ordinary ball. There are thousands of miles between one side of the world and the other."