* * *

"Just put your swimsuit and a change of clothing for dinner in your bag," Roff sat on Toff's bed while Toff dithered over what to take to the beach house. "We'll take extra clothing later and leave it there, so you'll have it if you need it."

"What about sunburn?" Toff turned to his father.

"Ry can provide a shield for everyone—it's a simple spell any warlock can manage. Nissa can probably do it as well, I've just never asked," Roff replied.

"Papu, I don't know why I never thought we were related before—our eyes are the same color. Our hair is the same color, too. Master Morwin is teaching me about genetics in my science lessons."

"You should have met your older sister," Roff sighed and stared at his hands. "Did you read her records, too? Members of our family either have black or light-brown hair. Your grandfather had light-brown hair. His parent had black hair."

"I read the records; my sister's name was Giff, but much of the information refers to her as him. Why is that?"

"Lissa can identify which comesuli will be male or female after the turn. Giff was destined to be a female Winged Vampire, which is quite uncommon. Her loss was a grievous one, child."

"Did I know her?" Toff looked troubled. Roff beckoned with a hand, so Toff went to sit beside his father.

"She watched you whenever I couldn't," Roff placed an arm around Toff. "Fed you, bathed you, did everything for you that she could. We both loved you, son, very much."

Toff hung his head. He imagined that mentioning Griffin's visit when he'd first come to the palace would only upset his father, so he didn't say anything. More and more, though, he found himself disliking Lissa's father, and felt the strange man had many things to answer for.

"Come now, finish packing you bag and I'll fly you to Casino City. I imagine that a bauble might be found there for Nissa."

"Really? We can go shopping?" Toff beamed at his father.

"We really can," Roff grinned and tousled Toff's hair.

* * *

"We will form the circle in four days," Tiearan informed the village elders. "I hoped to do it sooner, but the illness that swept through our humanoid population has prevented it." Tiearan wanted to vent his frustration, but as chief of the Green Fae, he couldn't. All those inside their boundary were affected in some way or another by the energy drain from the core's tapping. Peaceful inhabitants snapped at one another. Several fights had broken out within the humanoid population, and then the fever came, sweeping through those who were susceptible and leaving them weak afterward.

"I will be ready." Willow had come, but was anxious to return to his animals. He'd only come to hear the date and had no desire to be around the others longer than necessary. Tiearan nodded as Willow walked toward the wide barn door. He'd chosen the barn where they crushed grapes for winemaking, because it was more than large enough to hold the elders without bringing them too closely together. Tiearan had seen firsthand what pushing them together might accomplish during this trying time; arguments often came, and he had no desire to act as peacemaker on this day.

"All of you, gather here in four days. The circle will convene and we will repair this blight. Go now and prepare. Charge your crystal and be ready." Tiearan dismissed them with a sigh.

* * *

"It doesn't hurt," Nissa smiled at Trik. For the first time in his life, Trik had walked with the others to the beach, closely watched by Roff. Lissa and a few others had chosen to stay on the balcony overlooking the private stretch of sand attached to the beach house. It wasn't really a beach house, although that's what everyone called it. The structure was actually a smaller palace, suited to its location near the beach on the light half of the planet.

"What can you tell me about the rite?" Trik asked. He, Nissa, Roff, Ry and Tory were all sitting on the sand after playing in the surf for nearly an hour. Roff stood farther down, looking westward over the sea.

"Grampa Glendes usually does it," Nissa began. "He takes you head in his hands and everything goes dark. You won't remember anything past that until you wake up, but Daddy says that Grampa described it once. He said it's like looking at a star field at night, when Grampa looks into your mind. The more stars there are, the more powerful the wizard will be. Grampa will wake the wizard's talent with a little power of his own, and Daddy says that all the stars, which were only pinpoints of light before, will shine like the sun after that. You'll be able to tap your power after Grampa Glendes wakes it up."

"Nobody ever described it to me at Belancour Manor," Trik huffed. "They all said I didn't need to know."

"They were wrong to ignore or mistreat you," Toff muttered angrily. He could identify with Trik easily.

"I wish you were coming, too," Nissa nudged Toff's shoulder with her own. Toff made sure to sit beside her when they'd all flopped onto the wet sand.

"Me, too," Toff admitted. "I always wanted what the others around me had. Even the halves had a lot of power, but I didn't have anything."

"It's hard, growing up in that environment," Trik nodded. "They all flaunt what they have and there you sit, thinking you'll never have anything."

"Dude, you'll have it now," Ry grinned at Trik. "I think Dad might show you a trick or two, after you go through the rite."

"You think so?" Trik offered Ry a hopeful glance.

"Yeah," Ry replied with a shrug. "Dad knows all kinds of stuff."

"Grandfather was always jealous of the Karathian Warlocks. Said they hid their talents and wouldn't let anybody know how they did anything," Trik said.

"Dad's not like that. He showed Sissy how to cast illusions," Ry grinned at his sister.

"I can cast really good illusions after Uncle Erland showed me how. Daddy said I couldn't do it anymore inside Grey House, though," Nissa grumped.

"After you made the kitchen staff think they were getting attacked by a dragon," Tory snickered. "Because they were cooking liver for dinner."

"I was grounded for three weeks," Nissa mumbled, her face turning pink. "Uncle Erland taught me how to add sound to the illusion, and dinner sort of got ruined that night."

"How old were you?" Toff put an arm around Nissa.

"Eight," she said, leaning into his embrace.

Trik chuckled at Nissa's admission. "Some of Belancour's best wizards couldn't do that," he proclaimed.

* * *

Gren backed up against sharp, uncomfortable rock as he stared at the ocean far below. Tandias stood on a narrow ledge nearby, waiting for Gren to tap the core. Gren's feet barely had enough room; he'd felt ill when Tandias first placed him on the small shelf of rock. Any wrong movement might send him plunging into the waters below. Waves crashed and boomed into the dark base of The Tooth.

"Get on with it, whelp," Tandias growled. He didn't like the location any better than Gren. Gren breathed a shaky sigh and reached out with his power.

* * *

Lissa's Journal

"Here." Gavin handed a glass of pineapple juice to me. I'd chosen to sit on the western balcony of my beach house so I could easily keep an eye on the kids. Gavin settled on the wide chaise beside me after I accepted the drink he'd asked the kitchen staff to prepare.

"Thanks," I sipped the juice before leaning my head against his shoulder.

"They're still sitting in a circle on the sand," Gavin observed, lifting an eyebrow as he watched the young ones below us.

"They're talking, and I think they did that to give Trik a rest. He can walk, now, but that doesn't mean he's up to a marathon." I leaned back and wrinkled my nose at Gavin.

"Cara mia, if we weren't babysitting," he growled, leaning in to rub my nose with his.

"We are babysitting," I reminded him. "There's always later," I added, wrinkling my nose again. "Besides, it's almost lunchtime. Did you ask Web to have towels ready? They'll be tracking in sand, too."

"Web informed me that all has been made ready," Gavin's mouth tugged upward at the corner. That always makes me want to melt in a puddle. I think he's figured that out, too.

"If I weren't pregnant, there would be some time bending right now," I whispered before leaning in to kiss Gavin. Just as his lips closed over mine, the beach house shook. And then continued shaking.

* * *

"What the hell?" Drake gripped the doorframe tightly with strong fingers—he and Drew had just finished blade practice with some of their elite troops and intended to shower inside the barracks before joining Lissa and the others at the beach house for lunch. Another earthquake had taken them by surprise, and this one looked to be stronger than the last.

"Where?" Drew shouted over the noise of falling bricks and toppling furniture.

"To the west," Tony folded in, almost falling as his feet settled onto an unsteady floor. The tiles were threatening to buckle beneath them.

"But there's nothing but water to the west," Drake's voice wobbled as he replied.

"Fuck!" Drew shouted. "Sound the alarm. This will cause a tsunami, and those people in Sun City will be swept away!"

"Lissa's at the beach house," Drake turned frightened eyes to his brother.

"Let's go, there's no time to waste," Tony said. All three disappeared just as the ground seemed to be settling down.

* * *

Roff had taken to the sky as soon as he'd gathered Trik, Nissa and Toff in his arms. Tory had grabbed Ry's arm and skipped his brother to the beach house already. Flapping determinedly toward the second-floor balcony, Roff watched in horror as the ground beneath shook harder and trees toppled.

"The floors are cracking," Lissa pointed out as Roff landed on the balcony. Tory and Ry were already there and Gavin was prepared to fold everyone away. Lissa was correct—the marble beneath their feet was splitting and roof tiles were breaking and falling to the ground.