'When...?'

'I don't know,' Cal interjected. He glanced at Tyson and Ferany, then clearly came to the decision he felt comfortable speaking plainly in front of them. 'I don't know whether I will return to Immanion.'

'Oh,' Cobweb said. 'I see.'

'I hope you do. Some would call it healing. I've learned to be realistic.'

Ferany spoke up in a cool voice. 'All of Wraeththu will be disappointed. Your love for Pellaz is... was... legendary. Your reunion was supposed to be the happy ending.'

Cal grimaced. 'I prefer to be something other than a legend. My home is in Galhea. It always has been, since the day I first came here.'

Cobweb was astounded by these remarks and not altogether pleased. Pellaz was, after all, one of his best friends. 'What happened to make you change your mind?' he asked coldly.

'You just walked out on him, didn't you?' Tyson said, before Cal could answer. 'You weren't spirited away, or kidnapped.'

It was obvious to Cobweb that Tyson was delighted about that. 'Do you know what happened to Rue?' Cobweb asked.

'I heard,' Cal said. 'I'm sorry for him, but essentially it was the best thing that could happen. What we did together was wrong.'

Cobweb gazed at Cal in shock for some moments. 'Do we get to hear the full story?' he asked at last. 'Where have you been?'

'Receiving an education,' Cal answered. 'The one I should have had before I was sent to Immanion in the first place. If I'd had it then, things would have turned out very differently.'

'Would you have even gone there?' Tyson asked.

Cal fixed his son with a stare. 'I really don't know,' he said. 'Let's just say, if I had, my motives would have been different.'

'I don't believe this!' Cobweb snapped. 'You are denying Pell completely? This isn't you, Cal. I don't believe it.'

'I deny nothing,' Cal said, 'but hara change. I was deluded. Even Rue told me that. The Pellaz I was obsessed with is long dead.'

'You've been indoctrinated,' Cobweb said. 'You must have been. Who put these things in your head?'

'Orien did,' Cal said laconically. 'Or rather the memory of him. Shall we leave it there? There are more important things to discuss than my obsessive past. Pellaz doesn't need me at the moment, Cobweb. Leave idealistic romance out of it. We have important issues to address.'

'Excuse me,' Cobweb said, 'but in this matter I am obsessive myself. I won't let you duck out of it. We're family, Cal. For the Ag's sake, what the h.e.l.l has gone on?'

'I have been with Thiede,' Cal said.

'What?' Cobweb drew in his breath. 'He's not dead, then, as Pell wasn't dead. I see. Who is dead? Will Terzian show up again? Will Gahrazel?' He laughed coldly. 'Maybe you could bring Orien back, while you're at it. This is insane.'

'Thiede is Aghama,' Cal said reasonably. 'You know this.'

'Oh,' Cobweb said. 'I get it. You've been with a G.o.d. Makes sense. Only you could do that.'

'Why are you angry?'

'Angry?' Cobweb couldn't even respond. 'We should eat. We're all hungry.'

He began to leave the room and noticed Tyson pat his hostling's shoulder. Cal reached for his son's hand, squeezed it briefly. Allies instantly. Typical.

Snake didn't come down to the dining room, so Cobweb asked Bryony to take him a tray. Later, he would visit Snake, who was sleeping in one of the guest rooms. For now, he still wanted to get the truth from Cal. It was disorientating to be sitting at the dining table with him, where he placed himself in the very seat where once he had stabbed Terzian right through the hand. Cobweb swallowed bitter saliva. He remembered how he'd felt then, so jealous and frightened. He remembered Terzian's desire for Cal, which had been so strong it had filled any room they were in together like smoke. He wanted Cal to be the same as he had been back then, the wild creature, whose madness was barely contained: the angel of vengeance doomed to a desperate love that was almost sacred. He didn't approve of this new, contained and very obviously sane and sorted Cal. It diminished him, made him too safe.

There were only four of them seated at the big table. Cobweb felt all the absences deeply.

'So this is your chesnari,' Cal said to Tyson, smiling at Ferany. 'You are fortunate.'

Ferany had already been reduced to a shuddering ma.s.s of quivering eyelashes and coquettish glances. Cobweb groaned inside. He was also curious as to how Tyson would answer.

'We've been together for a while,' Tyson said, applying himself with rather too much concentration to the food on the table.

'He hates the word chesna,' Ferany said. 'He thinks it makes him sound too ordinary and boring. That's your influence, I expect.'

Cal laughed. 'Probably. For that I apologise. But I hope that, despite his lack of commitment, the experience is worth it.'

'Oh, yes,' Ferany said, 'he gets that from you too.'

'So,' Cobweb interrupted firmly. 'About your story, Cal. Will you tell us now?'

Cal was crumbling a bread roll onto his plate. 'Some of it,' he said. 'I can't tell you everything Cobweb, not yet.'

'The smallest particle would relieve me greatly.'

Cal drew in a deep breath. 'OK. I didn't leave Pell voluntarily, not exactly. I had to leave, because there was something I had to do, that only I can do. It's my work now and I can't speak of it entirely. Shall we say it's cla.s.sified, but it's to do with what's happened in Gebaddon and what is now happening in Fulminir?'

'How did you find out about this vocation?'

'Somehar came to me. I met him in Immanion and he convinced me.'

'Who?'

Cal shrugged his shoulders. 'Sorry...'

'Thiede?'

'No. An agent of...' He sighed. 'This is very difficult. I can only say an agent of individuals who have Wraeththu's wellbeing at heart.'

'Conspiracy, how lovely,' Cobweb said mordantly.

'This is important to me,' Cal said. 'I have purpose now, and direction. I've never had that.'

'So what will you do next?'

Cal gazed at Cobweb for a few moments. 'I think we should discuss what you should do next.'

'You have plans for me? How sweet.'

'You must take your hara and the human community from Galhea, Cobweb. You must take them to a safe place. They are not safe here.'

'We can protect ourselves. We did so last night.'

'That was nothing. That was Ponclast testing the water. He has allies you cannot imagine. He will go to them now and next time he attacks, you won't be able to hold him off so easily, not even with my aid.'

'It's impossible to move an entire community. It would take months of planning.'

'Then you'd better begin today. You don't have months.'

'Ithiel is in charge in Swift's absence. You must speak to him of this matter. I would be interested to hear his opinion.'

'I will speak to him today. It's imperative that Galhea is evacuated. It is perhaps the only way to preserve it.'

Cobweb shuddered, remembering his dream of Forever in flames. In his heart, he sensed that Cal spoke the truth. 'How do you know this?' he asked.

'If you knew who Ponclast's allies were, you'd know it yourself.'

'Well, I don't, do I?' Cobweb said. 'Because you won't tell me.'

'I hope you never know,' Cal said. 'Trust me. I said I was here to help and I am. This is the best advice I can give you. Ponclast wishes to destroy the House of Parasiel. He burns with hatred for Swift and by default for all those who honor him.'

'I can't leave here without Swift,' Cobweb said. 'We don't know if he's safe.'

'He is safe,' Cal said. 'You will receive news very soon.'

'What happened at Amber Ridge?' Tyson asked. 'Do you know?'

Cal nodded. 'A little. They were attacked again, after Swift's forces arrived there. As far as I know, he held them off, but didn't manage to take any prisoners.'

'How do you know this?' Cobweb asked.

Cal smiled. 'Colleagues keep me informed.'

Cobweb uttered a derisive snort. 'I hate this. It's so stupid. Just tell us the truth, Cal! What could possibly be so dangerous in being honest?'

'What you don't know can't harm you,' Cal said. 'That's all I can say. At one time, I despised Orien for this kind of behaviour, and the irony is not lost on me, but I'm sorry, I can't say more. We must concentrate on the problems here for now, evacuating Galhea.'

'But where could we go?' Ferany asked. 'Where could we take an entire community so that Ponclast couldn't find us?'

'You must think about it,' Cal said, gazing at Cobweb. 'Think hard.'

'If you're here to help, you think!' Cobweb snapped. 'Can we get to Immanion?'

'No, the otherlanes are still disturbed and you'd need too many sedim. I doubt Pellaz can spare them.'

'Imbrilim?' Tyson suggested.

'Prime target,' Cal said.

'We could go to the forests, I suppose,' Cobweb said, 'but how would we feed everyone?' He shook his head, then paused. 'Wait...'

'You've thought of somewhere?' Cal said.

'A possibility,' Cobweb replied, 'though it's a couple of weeks ride away, through the cloud forests.'

'Where?' Tyson asked.

Cobweb pulled a sour face. 'When Ponclast was in power the Varrs had... breeding facilities. It was a disgusting concept, quite grotesque. The Gelaming liberated one of these harling farms some years ago, the only one that ever really became "successful," and I became friendly with the har who was left in charge of it once the Varrs abandoned them. It became an education centre and a kind of orphanage, but still has the advantage of being fairly hidden and I know they already have some basic facilities...'

'Like what?' Cal asked.

Cobweb rubbed his temples, eyes closed to conjure up old memories. 'Fields nearby, where the visiting soldiers would stay, a covered pavilion, fireplaces and some running water built in, a few showers even.' He looked up. 'Running water in the facility too, more indoor sleeping s.p.a.ce than they need these days, a small farm, kitchens... And I know they've stockpiled on supplies - Lis is paranoid about that. It's possible...' He frowned. 'But no, it won't work... It's not really big enough, certainly not designed to handle an entire community like ours.'

'But it sounds the perfect place,' Tyson said. 'Way off in the wilderness, supplies even...'

'I doubt Lisia could, or would, help us,' Cobweb interrupted. 'He is fiercely protective of his hara.'

'Whoever this har is, he's obliged to help,' Cal said. 'You are in extreme need. If this is the best you can think of, and I agree with Tyson this does sound feasible, you must go there.'

'Can you try to contact him, Cobweb?' Ferany asked.

'I could try, although the ethers are still not too reliable, and I haven't communicated with Lisia for quite some time. I'm not sure we are attuned as much as we used to be.'

'We could just go there,' Tyson said. 'Turn up unexpectedly. Then he could hardly refuse to help us.'

Cal smiled. 'Good thinking. But less of the 'we.' You'll be going somewhere else.'

'Oh? Like where?'

'With me,' Cal said. 'To Fulminir.'

'Great,' Tyson said, 'and this suicidal mission is for...?'

'To free Azriel and his chesnari,' Cal said. 'Had you forgotten them?'

'You will do this?' Cobweb asked, surprised. 'You won't help us evacuate the town?'

'That is your task, and Ithiel's. We have to get Azriel out of Fulminir fast. We believe that Ponclast intends to use the Sarestes for some abominable purpose. Too many harlings are being created like perverted machines. The mingling of the blood of the snake and what Ponclast has become is too dangerous.'

'Does your harling still live?' Cobweb asked. 'The one that Rue hosted?'

'Yes,' Cal said. 'He does.'

'How? Where...?'

Cal raised a hand to silence him. 'And Ponclast seeks to create somehar similar. We know that, but not everything. Some areas are cloudy. When we heard he had taken Aleeme Sarestes, we feared the worst. The Colurastes hide their light, and their considerable powers. There is something in their blood. Not even Ulaume is aware of everything about his tribe.'

'You know about...'

'We know Ulaume and Flick are in Shilalama, yes,' Cal said, 'although I was stringently prevented from meeting them when I was there. I wish I had. I should have seen Flick. He would have persuaded me that what I intended to do was wrong, but...' He sighed. 'It no longer matters. We cannot change the past. We can only change the future.'