your land is what it is, both Vashanka’s power and Mine were required to send
rain that night, when you needed water to survive the plant-that-kills.
Naturally I made bargain with Vashanka ere I helped him-because I knew Vashanka
would bargain to help you save Tempus!
“Having agreed, Vashanka himself made a concession: Vashanka himself struck his
name from the palace of My people. Nor will Vashanka use such power displays
here again. It were not wise of Me to raise my murdered temple, which Vashanka
struck down; that is the business of you humans. Such edifices please you
humans; gods have no need of such aggrandizement for there is no aggrandizement
beyond godhead.”
Hanse’s brain was awhirl and he wished he were sitting down. He said, “And…
and Mig-nureal?”
It was Eshi who replied to that. “We have acted through her twice now, and she
remains more powerful than she knows. For none can be touched by a god without
receiving some of that which is the essence of gods-a form of strength, a form
of dominion over time and space. Those are after all creations of gods, and
bounded about my mortals. The girl Mignureal remembers nothing of having twice
acted for us. But she dreams-0 how she dreams, now!”
Now that shadow-presence spoke, at table’s end, and its voice was as a shadow
might sound; was as a piece of good leather drawn slowly across a whetstone.
“The power of Vashanka remains at bay, and now you may make use of Vashanka’s
servant, who is … lost.”
“How-why?” Hanse asked, and indeed he was not sure if either question was the