Jollis rose just before dawn, when moisture from a rain shower which had passed during the night still lingered in the grasses and dripped from the trees. The air already felt warm, at least compared to what he had become used to back in his homeland. There, the air would still feel frosty, the cherry blossoms' brazen display of color defying the final vestiges of winter. Yet here the peasants had already prepared for the onset of summer while much of Oceanus still enjoyed the cool and wet spring. Not that the tropics had much resembling a winter, as everything stayed green and vibrant all year round.

Jollis was sure he would grow tired of such sameness after only a short span of seasons. Nevertheless, he practiced the tenet of enjoying the moment; the beauty would soothe his conscience against whatever otherwise distasteful actions he may be forced to take. That he felt the need for such preparation, however, disturbed him.

He had not had a chance to see as much of the Manor as he would have liked during his last visit; Amanda's rejection of his Farviewing pearl had made it seem inappropriate, as if he were reveling in the disruption of her life. But now he felt the need to live up to his name and wander.

As distasteful as he had found the Overlord slave system, he could see why one might wish to stay here. The constant warmth was comforting, and he imagined a certain amount of freedom was to be had in remaining unfettered by the need for clothing in such a salubrious climate. And to those who loved the unending greenery, it could indeed be a paradise to the senses.

He remembered where all the paths led. Sometimes he wished his memory were not so unerring; he would have enjoyed the feeling of discovery. For the first time in a long while he thought of his childhood. He had been at the temple for only a half-moon and had already missed many lectures, preferring to roam the grounds to see what he could find. He could never take the same path twice; he always had to look for something new.

The winding path took him towards the center of the Manor, the clearing where the slaves were trained in the open air and sunshine. He had watched Amanda here once, and again wished he had not been distracted by other matters at the time.

He approached the decorative stone arch and suddenly paused just a few steps short of passing under it. There it was yet again! The disconcerting sense of being watched! But here? Why?

Surely this could not be his own conscience. He had come to terms with everything he had done. Yet as he stepped onto the grass, the feeling became more pronounced, as if the slaves had never left and were staring at him, the stranger, wondering if Roquan had allowed this man into their midst to ...

Jollis frowned as he stopped in the center. He looked around as if needing to convince himself he were really alone. No, this was wrong. His emotions did not work like that. They confronted him openly in the court of his mind; they did not skulk in the shadows like thieves.

Yet the sensation was not as pronounced as it had been at the Rogue Mage encampments, and even then it had been fleeting. This was constant, like an annoying buzzing in his ear.

Jollis wandered about the clearing. The sensation was strongest at the southern edge, near a thicket of trees which separated the clearing from a nearby path. If what he felt was indeed emotional in nature, this made no sense. These trees held no special meaning to him.

Jollis turned his head and squinted as the first rays of morning sun touched his face and stretched across the grass. He would not have time to investigate this further. He had to prepare for a more urgent task: following up on the alleged major encampment at Virgia Point. They were fortunate to find at least two Cohorts who knew the area, and they were indeed surprised to hear it contained a large group of Rogue Mages. Their memories would be used first, and then Jothan would supply his to refine the location.

Jollis traveled up the west-side path, intent on speaking with Elder Yurton before he met with Mage Master Verano. He was nearly upon the entrance to the Elder's quarters when he stopped and turned his head. Yet again, the same sensation, though now there was something different about it.

"Is there a problem, honored Wanderer?" asked one of the warriors flanking the entrance.

Jollis turned to him long enough to respond "perhaps" before he continued past the Elder's residence and approached the main gate. The sensation was far more diffuse here. He had trouble telling from where it came. Perhaps the trees on the right or the Overlord Portal to the left. He was no Portal sensitive, so he doubted he was sensing Portal energies. That sensation did not give one the feeling of being observed.

He headed back towards Yurton's residence. The sensation faded again.

"Yes, Wanderer?" asked one of the warriors when Jollis gave him an earnest look.

"I would advise you to keep alert to all activity in this area."

"We do so in the normal course of our duty to protect the Elder."

"Very good. Please continue to do so."

"I feel I must ask again: is there a problem?"

Jollis glanced again towards the area near the path to the Portal building. "And again I can answer only 'perhaps.' Or I may simply be overly cautious because I feel it is so important I succeed in my task." He turned towards the entrance. "I will see the Elder now."

"Of course, Wanderer," said the warrior, and both he and his companion stepped back.

Jothan did not allow himself to sleep in too late, as he did not want to risk attracting even the least amount of suspicion. He would husband his magical energies and use them to boost his alertness. The Inonni did not appear to wish to tax his magical abilities very much anyway.

He approached the tree facing the path to the Portal building where he had placed the spy pearl, but too many people might see him were he to try to extract it. It was difficult to restrain his eagerness, as he had already sensed what the pearl would tell him. To a Portal sensitive, not even sleep would block it from his mind.

The Inonni had indeed cycled the Portal on its transdimensional setting, though he would have to consult the pearl to learn if they had actually managed to reach another world. He now knew what the Inonni were doing but not why. A more detailed analysis of the energy readings might yield a clue, but that would have to wait.

Jothan frowned. Like the spy pearl near the circle, this one was leaking energy as well despite his recent efforts. He reasoned an imbalance existed in the magic itself. He would have to retrieve some of the malfunctioning pearls when it came time to leave so he could learn what he had done wrong.

Once more, he was struck by the strange absence of his brethren. The only familiar faces he had seen were Jollis and Verano. The former had attired himself in utilitarian yet rugged clothing of muted browns and greens, tailored tight to his body's exact proportions.

He uttered a small sigh of relief. Despite the implications of Garranus' disappearance, he had been grateful to learn the Mages of Virgia Point would be safe. Despite what Marlon might think, it disgusted Jothan to reveal the location to the Inonni, especially now after his Farview with Taarla.

Jothan watched until Jollis and Verano parted. Jollis left, and Verano turned towards him. The Mage Master smiled and bowed his head before he entered Yurton's dwelling. Jothan bowed his head in response, and then narrowed his eyes when Verano was gone. He had expected to be summoned to help provide the targeting for their Portal to Virgia Point. He wondered if the delay should be a concern.

Jothan wandered towards the main gate on his way to the north path. As he was about to pass the two Cohorts flanking the road out of the Manor, he stopped and frowned, then glanced towards the jungle.

For a moment, Jothan thought he had imagined it. He had handled the Farviewing pearl enough (before concealing it in his quarters with his own stealth spell) that perhaps some of Garranus' lingering energies imbued in the pearl had sloughed off onto his body. It did not make sense he would be detecting the magical resonance of his brethren here.

Jothan advanced past the gate, and the sensation faded. He paused, turned, and headed back. The sensation returned.

The two Cohorts eyed him with mild interest. Jothan did not care to be the object of their scrutiny, but he had to be sure. He walked by the gate going the way he had originally come. This time, the sensation lingered for a short distance before it finally faded.

Jothan raised an eyebrow while still turned away from the Cohorts. The feeling was similar to what he had felt in Garranus' former quarters, but this seemed ... stale was the best way he could put it. Stale and decayed, flat and inanimate. Had Garranus left him another clue? If so, it was outside the Manor.

Jothan turned towards the gate and cast a friendly smile towards the Cohorts as he strolled between them. He had barely crossed the imaginary border of the Manor when one of the Cohorts stepped into his path.

"Good morning and good blessings to you, honored Mage," said the Cohort, bowing his head. "May I ask where you are going?"

Jothan was tempted to answer "no" just to see what would happen. Instead, he returned the customary greeting and retained his smile. "I wish to take an extended constitutional this morning. It is a lovely day and I enjoy being among nature."

"A most noble cause, which is why it is unfortunate I must deny you passage, unless you obtain permission from the Holy Elder."

Jothan laughed, trying to make it sound jovial. "And I didn't realize my agreeing to work for the Inonni meant I would be a prisoner."

The Cohort folded his hands. His companion edged forward. "Not a prisoner at all, honored Mage. This is for your own protection."

"Is it, now?"

"It is well known how perilous it can be for you and your fellow expatriates. They call you 'Rogue Mage' and -- as I am given to understand -- would stop at nothing to see you killed."

"But I thought the Inonni had brought more enlightened times upon us."

"Indeed, we have, and we continue to do so. But we cannot control the peasantry."

"Ah, I see," said Jothan. He nodded and smiled.

In fact, he did. The Cohort had revealed more information than perhaps he had realized. Now Jothan knew the Inonni had little or no control over the peasantry despite their iron grip over the government institutions. They were not so all-powerful after all.

"But with all due respect," Jothan continued. "I am a reasonably skilled Mage and know many defensive magicks. I am sure I could survive a short walk from the gates of the Manor."

"I am quite sorry, but I cannot allow you to pass without permission."

Jothan paused and turned his head, shading his eyes from the morning sun. He glanced into the jungle with his Mage Sight, the weak glow from his eyes hidden from the Cohorts' view. He saw only the barest flickers of energy, which could have come from any number of mundane sources.

He lowered his hand and bowed his head. "Very well. I will see if the illustrious Elder Yurton will grant me an audience. Good day and good blessings."

He left before the Cohort could properly return the gesture.

He had taken only a few steps when Verano emerged from Yurton's residence and waved, smiling. "Ah, Mage Jothan. I caught you before you had gone very far."

Jothan thought to make a pithy comment about how that was impossible given the state of security, but he refrained and folded his hands before him. "I'm at your service as always."

"Very good. We are ready to add your memories to the Portal matrix so we may initiate the final targeting sequence." Verano beamed. "I am sure you are quite curious as to how the process works!"

"Yes, indeed, I am. Please lead the way, Mage Master."

As he fell into step beside Verano, he glanced back at the gate for a moment. He was convinced the Inonni were hiding more than an old Overlord Portal. He had intended to linger here for up to a half moon if needed for a more thorough investigation. Now he felt he had very little time left.

Verano led Jothan past Yurton's dwelling and down another path. They arrived at a small beach dotted with a curious mix of structures clearly built by the former Overlord. They followed the same pattern of native materials which blended well with the surroundings. Interspersed among them were buildings which sat upon foundations of dressed stone with walls of strange tube-like fibers and exotic dark woods, their designs following the curvilinear forms Jothan had seen on Inonni sailing ships.

As he watched, a Cohort opened the door to one of the older structures, revealing sacks of flour and seed stacked within.

"As far as we can tell, this was originally built by the former Overlord," said Verano. "The interiors were more elegant compared to the slave quarters, so we imagine they were used for visiting dignitaries. There appears to have once been something similar to a gazebo."

Jothan nodded. He believed he knew this place. He had heard the Overlords had organized some sort of Conclave prior to the civil war. This was likely where it had been held.

"We use the older buildings for storage now. It seemed such a waste to just raze them."

"How practical of you," said Jothan with a wide smile.

Verano smiled in return. "We are indeed a very practical people. Ah, here we are."

The Mage led them to the largest of the Inonni-designed buildings, where two more of the ubiquitous staff-wielding warriors stood. They stepped aside as the Mage approached, casting nary a glance at his companion as he parted the curtain draped across the entrance.

Jothan first heard the faint thrumming noise then felt the vibration under his feet as he stepped across the threshold. Ahead of him rose a narrow cylinder with walls of bright, sparkling crystal. His eyes swept up to the cables of delicately spun Mage Glass twisting from the top. He followed them until they disappeared through a gap in a thick, black drape which bisected the space behind the cylinder.

Jothan was tempted to look at it with Mage Sight, but he did not want to reveal his ability. Nothing, however, could mask the Portal energies, even as muted as these were. He marveled at how regimented the power flow felt, far more steady and sure than anything Oceanus had ever built.

"So I assume the Portal mechanism itself is behind the drape?" asked Jothan.

Verano gave him a soft smile. "Indeed. It pains us to hide it from you, but it is hoped in time we can share our technical knowledge."

Jothan forced a small smile in return. If we don't figure it out ourselves without your help, you pompous ass, he thought. His gaze turned towards the cylinder. "And is this the receptacle for my ... ah, I see." His eyes had fallen on the seat inside the cylinder

Verano swept an arm towards the cylinder "Please, sit and make yourself comfortable while I calibrate the device."

Despite wanting to appear cooperative, Jothan paused at the entrance. He sensed other energies here as well, faint and jumbled, more lingering resonances of others Mages who had sat in this cylinder.

He glanced to the side when he spotted a flicker of light out of the corner of his eye. Five blue pearls were embedded in the side of the cylinder, facing outward, arranged in a star pattern. All were glowing.

Jothan stepped inside and sat down. Verano rushed to the side of the device, appearing as a faceted blur through the crystal. Shadows passed over the pearls as Verano waved his hands and muttered an incantation. He paused, then after what seemed like a moment's contemplation, he waved a hand over the top-most pearl, and its glow winked out.

Jothan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Now, if you would, Mage Jothan," said Verano. "Face forward, close your eyes, and clear your mind."

Jothan did as he was told. However, it made those lingering resonances all the more pronounced. He could not distinguish any individual one, so he could not tell if Garranus had once sat here. All he could tell was much of it had the same strange "staleness" which he had sensed near the gate.

The thrumming noise grew louder, and he felt a vague tingling sensation along the back of the neck.

"Now keep your eyes closed if you would," said Verano, "And think of Virgia Point."

The images sprang into his head quite readily. He saw the clearing and the ruins which had been locked in their state of frozen decay by preservation spells. He felt the sun on his face and the lingering chill of early spring. He smelled the faint brine on the air when the wind blew from the east.

At first, he tried to see Marlon as well, but quickly pushed that image aside. Just the location, nothing else. Let it appear abandoned. Don't think of anyone in particular.

"Very good, very good," he heard Verano say. "You're using all your senses. You must be quite the perceptive fellow."

"I try to be," Jothan said. "You have to be when--"

"Forgive my rudeness, honored Mage, but please keep yourself focused."

Jothan slowly nodded once. "Right."

He wanted to open his eyes and watch what Verano was doing. The hand gestures, even blurred through the crystal, might give him some clue as to how the energies were being manipulated. Despite the Inonni advancements, magic was still magic, and he may have been able to use his Mage Sight without being noticed.

The tingling along his neck became more pronounced, and the sides of the cylinder trembled in response to the rising thrum of the hidden Portal machinery.

"Add any detail which would make the imagery stronger," Verano said. "Feel free to imagine people there as well."

That was the last thing Jothan was going to do. He wondered if Verano could see exactly what he was thinking, as foolish as that sounded. Would Verano know he was not quite doing what was asked of him?

The tingling became an ache which crept up the back of his neck and spread around the base of his skull.

"Now draw back out of the camp and imagine the most immediate path to it," Verano instructed.

Jothan paused, both because of the preponderance of possible approaches (another reason he was glad they had moved) and the increasing distraction of the low-grade pain. He imagined the route which would most likely lead to the nearest main road. He envisioned the compacted earth under his feet and the tree canopies overhead. He focused on the big one with the gnarled roots which had to be carefully stepped over. He recalled the large boulder and the patches of lavender wildflower.

A pronounced ache spread over the back of his head and rippled over the crown of his skull towards his eyes. Before he could raise a voice of complaint, it suddenly vanished, and the thrumming subsided.

Jothan sensed movement and opened his eyes in time to see a beaming Verano step in front of the cylinder. "Excellent! You have a very sharp mind for detail. Had we another like you, we could open the Portal into the very center of the encampment."

Jothan pushed himself off the seat. "One more? I was under the impression it took several people for a coherent image of any one particular location."

Verano chuckled. "Of course. A bit of hyperbole in my excitement. As it is, this will help refine the targeting we have already obtained from our Cohorts."

Jothan thought it odd someone who came from a people who prided themselves on precision would misspeak about something so basic, excitement or no. He rubbed the back of his neck as he stepped out of the cylinder. "Anything more you require of me, Mage Verano?"

"Not at the moment, as I will be busy performing the final targeting calculations for the Portal. Again, I thank you for your assistance on behalf of both Jollis and the Holy Order. This will go a long way towards fostering good will between our two great people."

Jothan gave him a small smile and bowed his head once before he left. He had little doubt in his mind the Inonni intentions had very little to do with goodwill, and he had the eerie feeling he could prove it if he could get past the main gate.

And he had to do it soon. Now that he had revealed the location of Virgia Point, time was a limited resource.

Jollis found cover the moment he stepped out of the Portal and remained still well after it had closed behind him, becoming just another part of the forest. He listened for the approach of footsteps but heard nothing, only the rustle of woodland creatures scurrying through the underbrush.

Jollis advanced until he spotted the foot trail Jothan had envisioned. So far everything fit with what he had been told. The place already felt as if it were familiar. He took this as a good omen, that perhaps the gods had finally smiled upon him and now his mission would be fruitful.

He crept along the edge of the path until he was within a stone's throw of the camp. As he had expected, the area ahead appeared overgrown with thick, spiny vegetation and strewn with jagged stone ruins which would daunt even the most adventurous. He imagined the spines would seem to prick him if he attempted to wade into them.

Jollis extracted a blue pearl, imbued with the spells Jothan had claimed would nullify the wards without raising the alarm. Nevertheless, he extracted his Farviewing pearl as well. He had given word that the moment he requested the Farview, they were to open the Portal at once and retrieve him.

He waved a hand over the first pearl, and after a few moments, the illusion rippled like heat rising from a road, then vanished. A large clearing was revealed, littered with fire pits and open-air living areas, surrounded by the ruins of an old fortress from the days of the Founding War. To his limited magical senses, he could faintly see the sparkle of preservation magic.

He sensed additional magical residue as well, just past the ruins, but he was too far away to pinpoint it further or know exactly what it was.

He noted the encampment was empty, but this could be another illusion. Jothan had informed him they layered their illusions, so that someone breaking through the first may become careless and bumble into their midst unawares.

Jollis waved his hand over the pearl once more, and again the view wavered. Yet when it settled, the encampment appeared as empty as it had before.

Jollis frowned. He tried a few more times, but nothing further happened. Either he had indeed stripped away all the illusions, or Jothan had given him an incomplete means to nullify the wards. He had to consider the latter as a possibility; it would not be the first time in his career someone had tried such a clumsy attempt to capture or kill him. Thus he would assume a number of Rogue Mages were alerted to his arrival and now waited in ambush.

He remained still in silent calculation, his eyes darting about, studying the approaches to the encampment. They had likely occupied this camp for many years and knew the area better than Jollis ever could. However, they were still Mages, and their thinking in terms of combat and stealth would be limited. They would tend to think two-dimensionally.

Jollis crept along the perimeter of the wards and found a tall tree whose trunk stood outside the wards, but stretched several thick branches past them.

He climbed the tree on the side facing away from the camp, timing his advances with the other sounds of the forest to mask his movements. He reached the intended branch without incident and crawled along it. He sensed the edge of the wards' influence as a sort of tingly barrier just ahead, as if charged with static electricity which made the hairs on his arms stand up.

Jollis focused his mind, tensed his muscles until he became like a coiled spring, and slinked forward on the branch. A wave of tingling passed over his skin like plunging through a curtain. He drew in his limbs and made himself as small as possible. Finally, he peered down.

The encampment remained empty.

Jollis withheld his sigh of frustration. He listened for any sign of movement; the Mages may be more clever than he had thought and were waiting somewhere away from the edge of the wards. He heard nothing.

Jollis dropped, tucking into a roll as he struck the ground. He popped up about twenty arm lengths from where he had fallen, springing into full defensive posture, his dark eyes darting about.

Still empty.

Now Jollis allowed himself a single, slow sigh as he relaxed his posture. But no more than that. He had to remain focused and investigate.

It was clear the camp had been active as recently as two days ago. He found evidence of habitation in every living area, and every fire-pit had been in use. In the center he saw a raised pedestal for holding an orb. Surrounding it was a thin layer of sand atop harder clay. The sand still bore scuff marks and footprints, artifacts which would have been whittled away by wind and rain in only a quarter moon.

Nothing had been left behind. He found no personal effects, no litter, no containers or implements. Not only had the camp been abandoned at the height of its occupation, it had been done in a very orderly manner, as if it had been planned.

Jollis turned his attention towards the faint residual magic he had sensed, concentrated at a point behind the ruins. As he approached it, his gaze drifted along the ground. Many tracks by foot and wheel still remained in the sandy soil, all leading in the same direction he was going.

He stepped behind a large section of stone wall and found a makeshift dais comprised of stones roughly cut by magic from the ruins. Shards of broken crystal lay strewn in an even radius from the exact center. He recognized the signature of the energy now. A Portal device had once stood here, destroyed by careful planned demolition. All the tracks in the soil ended here.

Jollis was now faced with two possibilities. Either Jothan's brethren learned of his intent to reveal Virgia Point and evacuated before he could betray them, or this had been a deception from the beginning.

But if the latter were true, then for what purpose? No trap had been left behind. No false clues had been planted to lead him to yet another location or to an ambush. The destruction of the Portal had been designed to be complete enough to prevent any means of determining its last target.

Jollis thus placed himself in Jothan's place. So what would his motivation be in a situation like this? He had his answer immediately. He whipped out the Farviewing pearl and waved his hand over it. At once, the Portal arrived, and he stepped through and into the structure back at the former D'ronstaq Manor, behind the drape Jothan had not been allowed past.

A Cohort stepped forward and bowed his head. "Was your mission a success, Wanderer?"

"Yes," said Jollis. "But not in the way which had been intended."

The Cohort tilted his head in question.

"Tell your fellows you are to immediately locate and track Mage Jothan. You are to know where he is and what he is doing at every moment, day and night. You are not to alert him to this surveillance."

"It will be done at once," said the Cohort. "But may I ask why, Wanderer?"

"The encampment was empty. It had been evacuated in an orderly and planned manner. I believe Jothan arranged this simply to gain our trust."

The Cohort nodded. "Yes, I agree, your reasoning is quite sound as always. Shall I inform Mage Verano and Elder Yurton?"

"No."

The Cohort said nothing, but it was clear he did not anticipate this reply.

"I do not wish to alarm them if I am wrong. It is possible Jothan is indeed nothing more than he appears to be. I wish to discover this for myself. Now, carry out my orders, and impress upon the others the same need for secrecy."

The Cohort bowed his head and left.

Jollis frowned. That had been most distasteful, despite the fact it helped him fulfill his other task, the one which had been given to him by his mentor.

If Jothan were indeed sent for the purpose of deception, his mission would be either one of espionage or sabotage. Sabotage was beyond the Mage's abilities considering the number of Inonni warriors present, so this left only espionage. Kyllos' mission to Jollis was effectively one of espionage. He could not spy on his own people, but he would utilize those who could.

The term "distasteful" could not even begin to describe his feelings anymore.

Jothan could not sleep. Too many questions flitted through his head. He had disparate clues which refused to make any sense when brought together.

He had flogged his brain to come up with a means of exiting the Manor so he could see what he was sensing just beyond its northern border. He needed to do it before the residual energies faded too much to be of any use.

He considered a brute-force approach. He knew enough combat spells to make that possible. Even if it alerted the other Inonni, he could evade a search long enough to locate the source of the energy. He wished he could do it that night, but he had a more immediate task: he had information to retrieve.

He waited as long as his lack of patience would allow before leaving his quarters and jogging down the path. He ducked into the trees before he came within sight of the gate. The pearl was right where he had left it.

He knew he should commence with the transmission of the data to Marlon's orb and let he and the Guildmaster sort it out, but what little he had detected with his own Portal sense left him too curious. He stole further into the trees, cupped the pearl in one hand and waved the other over it. The pearl began to glow, and runes swirled in the air above it.

Jothan frowned. The Inonni had gone much further with the old Overlord Portal than Verano had claimed they would do. They had fully cycled the Portal not once but three times, breached the transdimensional barrier each time and briefly linked to another world.

But the energies were off. They were not stable enough to safely transport a person. Jothan uttered a soft incantation to make the pearl repeat a sequence of runes again. Now he saw the pattern. Each Portal cycle was slightly steadier than the previous. It was reminiscent of training a new Overlord to use his Portal correctly.

Yet why would the Inonni need to do such a thing for a technique they already possessed? And why take the Overlord Portal through its paces? And why lie about it?

Jothan waved his hand and the glow faded. He wished he knew more about Portal mechanics to understand all the nuances of what he was seeing. It seemed to him like the Inonni were actively researching something they claimed to know.

He waved his hand once more and uttered another incantation, then slipped the pearl into his pocket. The pearl was transmitting its data to Marlon's orb. It would keep repeating the data until its magical energy was exhausted.

Jothan headed back to his quarters, though he doubted he would get much sleep.

"We are sorry to awaken you at this late an hour, Wanderer," said one of the two Cohorts who stood inside Jollis' bedchamber.

Jollis shook his head as he stood up. The other Cohort handed him a robe. "No need for apologies, you have done the right thing," he said as he slipped on the robe. "What have you found?"

"You were apparently correct in your assessment, Wanderer. Jothan was seen retrieving something from a tree across from the head of the path to the Portal building. We believe it was a pearl, possibly used to record information."

"What kind of information?" Jollis demanded.

"We do not yet know. He was observed playing back the information it had gathered, but we could not make out all the runes. All we know is it had recorded some sort of energy pattern."

Jollis considered. "Portal energy?"

"I am sorry, but we did not discern enough to make that distinction."

Jollis remembered what he had felt in that location earlier, and then again in the Circle ...

And thus Jollis was enlightened. "Do you know of the clearing where the slave training was once held?"

"Yes, I know it well."

"Tell the others they are to search the surrounding foliage for more of these potential listening pearls."

"I will do so, Wanderer, but there is something else you need to know," said the Cohort. "We also believe he began transmitting the information from the pearl. He used a gesture similar to a Farview summoning."

"Yes, this would make sense," Jollis said. "Where he likely used a variation of Farview magic to achieve the covert surveillance, it would be a trivial matter for someone of his skill to have it continue to operate in a fashion similar to a real Farviewing pearl."

"What are we to do, Wanderer? There is only one way to stop the transmission."

No known magic, even that of the advanced Inonni, could intercept or block a Farview. The only way to stop it was to force the Farviewer to stop it, or to destroy the pearl.

Jollis believed Jothan was no fool. If the Mage were forced to stop the transmission, he would likely do so in such a way as to destroy the pearl and deprive his enemy of any knowledge of what data he had collected.

It was what Jollis would have done in his place.

Jollis could not risk losing that information. He would have to obtain it by more peaceful means. At least now he had a rational explanation for the odd sensations he had felt. He had been detecting the magic upon the spying pearls. He could not help but feel admiration for those whom had crafted them.

"Do nothing for now but continue to observe and track him," said Jollis.

The two Cohorts exchanged a look. "But Wanderer, if he is transmitting something sensitive which--"

"There is little he could glean from our activities here which we either would not be willing to share with our Oceanus friends or which would somehow give those resisting Enlightenment an advantage against us."

"But what of the Portal energies?" piped the second Cohort suddenly. "If that is what he was indeed after."

"Then he will definitely continue to glean nothing. What use is there to detecting the energies of a Portal technology they already understand? Why should we care if the Oceanus Mages learn we are curious as to the operation of primitive Portal technology?"

The first Cohort looked to the second curiously. The second simply laced his fingers together and said in a flat voice, "Nothing at all, Wanderer. You are wise as always."

"The wise man is the one who will usurp the enemy," intoned Jollis. "But it is the fool who interrupts the enemy when he is making a mistake. Now carry out my task concerning the Circle."

The Cohorts bowed their heads and left.

Jollis had no thoughts for the events which were transpiring, simply because no words could adequately describe his feelings. Yet if there were something good to be said about this growing quagmire of deceit, it was his own feelings of guilt had vanished. His Master had once again shown the great wisdom for which he was renowned. Jollis had no choice but to follow it through to the end, no matter how many more lies had to be told and truths withheld from those he had once believed he could trust with his own life.

Deception piled atop deception! It was a tempest of lies which blew nothing but an ill wind.

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