Long time the manxome foe he sought -

singers, except that they heal quickly and indulge in an unusual profession. You? Erutown snorted contemptuously. Youd probably drown yourself thinking up more theories. When I initiate a session of theoretical thinking, I take the precaution of seating myself in some secure and secluded spot, Theach said in amiable reprimand. An island would suit me very well indeed. Youd starve! No one can starve on a polly island. Theach turned for confirmation to Lars, who nodded. You have to work at it, though, Lars amended. For at least a few hours every day. Despite a misapprehension current about my absent-mindedness, I have found that intense thought stimulates an incredible appetite. Since eating replenishes both body and the mechanics of thought, I do pause now and again in my meditations to eat! If I have to gather the food myself, I shall also have had that beneficial exercise. Yes, Lars, and Theach smiled at the islander, I begin to think that an island residence would provide me with all I require: seclusion, sustenance, and sanctuary! He sat back in the chair, beaming at his circle of friends. How many know you and Erutown are in the islands? Lars asked seriously. Nahia has been working very hard lately, Lars, Hauness said. She was granted a leave of absence: I took my annual holiday and announced our intention of cruising the coast. There are friends who will vouch for our presence in mainland waters. Besides, who would expect us to brave a hurricane? We boarded the jet from the seaside without being seen the night before she sailed, Erutown added. What Elder would suspect Nahias involvement with renegades? If they had any sense whatever, Nahia said in a crisp tone that surprised Killashandra with its suppressed anger, how could they fail to realize that I sympathize deeply with repressions, frustrations, and despairs which I cannot avoid feeling! With injustices not all the empathy in the world will ease. A moment of silence followed. Is your woman to be trusted with any of this, Lars? Hauness asked quietly. Suppressing a flare of guilt at her duplicity, Killashandra decided that it was time to join the group before Lars perjured himself. Here, this should satisfy, Lars, she said, approaching the others with a purposeful stride. She set before him a generous plate of sandwiches and hot tidbits which she had found in the food storage. Youre sure I cant get digital video cameras for cheap anything for you? she asked the others as she began to gather up the used plates and cups. Erutown gave her a sour glance, then turned to watch the rolling cloud formations of the approaching storm. Theach smiled absently, Hauness shook his head and settled back next to Nahia who had leaned back in the couch, eyes closed, her beautiful face relaxed. When Killashandra returned with her own serving, Lars and Hauness were absorbed by the satellite picture of the approaching hurricane, displayed on the vdr. It would be a substantial blow, Killashandra had to admit, but not a patch on what Ballybran could brew. Storm watching could be mesmerizing, certainly engrossing. Theach was the first to break from the fascination. He reseated himself at a small terminal and began to call up equations on the tiny screen. There was a tension to the line of his back, the occasional rattle of the keys that proved he was still conscious, but there were long intervals of total silence from his corner during the next few hours. Its not going to be a long one at its current rate, Lars remarked when he had finished eating. The eyell be on us by night. Is it likely to make the mainland? No. That is, after all, eight thousand kilos off. Itll blow itself out over the ocean as usual. You only get our storms when they make up in the Broad, not from this far south. So, Killashandra thought, she was in the southern hemisphere of Optheria, which explained the switch in seasons. And it explained why this group felt themselves secure from Mainland intervention and searches. Even with the primitive jet vehicles, an enormous distance could be traversed in a relatively short time. It struck Killashandra that if Nahia, Hauness, and the others could travel so far, so could the Elders, especially if they wanted to implicate islanders. Or was that just talk? If, as Lars had admitted, Torkes had set him up to assault her in order to verify her identity and was using that assault now to implicate the islanders, would it not be logical to assume that some foray into the islands would be made by officialdom? If only to preserve their fiction? Killashandra closed her mouth on this theory for she had gleaned it from information she had overhead surreptitiously. Well, shed find a way to warn Lars, for she had a sudden premonition that a warning was in order. From what she had seen of the