Kanits. Kor. Romis. Hector, and Ceri.
If I returned to Kerak, would Kanus restore me to my juH honors? I hold the key to teleportation, to a devastating new way to invade and conquer a nation. Or has Kanus found other psychic talents? Would he regard me as a traitor or a spy? Or worst of all, a failure?
Kor. Odal could report everything he knew about Romis’ plot to kill the Leader. Which wasn’t much. Kor probably already had that much information and more.
What about Romis? Is he still bent on overthrowing the Leader? Does he still want an assassin?
And the Watchman, that bumbling fool. But a tele•• porter, and probably as fully talented as Odal himself. I can impress Leoh and Spencer by rescuing him. It would be risky, but if I do it … it will impress the girl, too.
The girl. Geri Dulaq. Yes, Geri. She has every reason to hate me, and yet there is something other than hate in her eyes. Fear? Anger? They say that hate is very close to love.
The viewscreen chimed, snapping Odal from his chain of thought and pacing. He clapped his hands and the : wall dissolved, revealing the bulky form of Leoh sitting at his desk in the dueling machine building. The machine itself was partially visible through the open doorway behind the Professor,
; “I thought you should know,” Leoh said without preliminaries, his wrinkled face downcast with worry, “that ‘, Hector has apparently escaped from Romis’ hands. Weeceived a message from one of Romis’ friends in the < Kerak embassy that he’s disappeared.” ^ Odal stood absolutely still in the middle of the room. “Disappeared? What do you mean?”