On the second Friday of the term, Leonie gave IIIa one of her rare smiles and dismissed them for the day. Shyly, they returned the smile. All of them liked her, although all of them were also more than a little afraid of her. The truth was that Miss Hastur possessed an air of authority and dignity that was matched only by the Head herself. Teaching, therefore, posed fewer difficulties than even Leonie herself had anticipated. Life on Terra in general, however, was something else.

As a telepath, Leonie had found the adjustment to living with non-telepaths difficult and painful. Years of living at Arilinn- the one Tower in the Domains that was sacred to those of Comyn blood- 'Comyn' was the collective term used to refer to the ruling familes of the Seven Domains- had sensitised her intensely.

Leonie, as Keeper, had incredibly strong shields, but in this world even they did not suffice. She had had to fix her matrix- the telepathic, sapphire-seeming stone that was set in a seal ring on her right hand- to maintain a constant damper at all times. Even then, there were times when she was almost overcome with the constant barrage of thought-stream coming her way. Never before had she been so grateful that she did not possess the Gift of empathy to any significant degree. Hearing what others were thinking was difficult; to be subject to their emotions too would be unendurable.

As a result, there were only a very few people with whom she could truly relax- as far as any woman, Keeper-trained, could relax. One of them was Miss Annersley, with whom she had built an instant rapport that Leonie at least understood, although Hilda was sometimes puzzled by it. There were times when she felt that she knew the new junior mistress better than anyone in the world...Another was a Sixth former, Len Maynard. There were others; Leonie began to assess them, as if she was testing them for laran, delighted to find that, after all, her brother's suspicions had been correct.

"There are some strong telepaths here, Lorill," Leonie whispered that night into her starstone.

Leonie had the Hastur Gift of the 'living matrix'. That meant that her powers, without a matrix, were equal to or greater than those of most Comyn with a matrix. With a powerful matrix such as the one in her ring, Leonie's powers were trebled, and before she left Darkover, she had liased with the great relay screens across the planet to construct a special relay- the first of its kind- that would allow a very powerful telepath to communicate telepathically across space. She knew the effort would leave her ill and drained; but it had to be made.

-Can you tell me more, came back to her faintly in Lorill's voice. Leonie knew she was better at reaching him, than he, her. Leonie had always been the more powerful of the two.

-Hilda Annersley. She has several gifts, Leonie continued. Ridenow, Alton, Aillard.

-Empathy, forced rapport- did you say Aillard? Lorill was immediately interested; the old Aillard Domain, the only one in Darkover to pass daughter to daughter, was dying out. Their gift was an unusual and special one- they were- those who possessed it- catalyst telepaths, able to waken laran in one who had been unaware of it.

-Yes, Leonie responded.

-How? Lorill asked.

-I do not know, came his sister's voice. It is not a strong gift; but she is a powerful telepath and empath. If she were on Darkover, I would train her for Arilinn. Her voice was wistful.

-Can you not persuade her? Lorill wanted to know.

-I cannot. You do not understand. In our world, women can only marry, or enter a Tower.

-Or become a Free Amazon, interjected Lorill. As Melora Aillard's daughter did.

-Leonie laughed softly. Yes. But here, they can do so much more. This vai domna Hilda has power. She rules a large school, and her word is law. She is as powerful here, Lorill, as you are in the Council or I at Arilinn! And she is happy. Why should she give it up?

-If you can tell her of our world, and your need, my sister, she might offer, Lorill suggested. If she is as strong an empath as you appear to think, Leonie, she could not do otherwise.

-If she were Callista's age, Leonie returned wistfully, I should not hesitate to do so. She would be a powerful Keeper for Arilinn, I believe.

-There you go! Lorill interjected firmly, if weakly. This sustained inter-planetary communication was draining him fast.

-Leonie, almost without thinking of it, automatically reached out to strengthen and steady him with her own power before she replied.

-There would be no point in that, Lorill. I wish to lay down my burden because I am no longer young or strong enough to carry it. If domna Hilda were to succeed me, it would only be for a little time, and she would not have time to establish the authority she must have- in the Towers, or in Council, before she would have to step down. And then how could we return her?

-H'mmm, Lorill replied, decidedly non-committal. Is there anyone else?

-At least two others, Leonie said immediately. Their names are Len Maynard and Flavia Ansell.

-These Terranen have such strange names, her brother complained.

Leonie continued as if he had not spoken. But there is one thing. Flavia, the younger girl, is known as 'Copper' by her friends.

-Copper? She has red hair, then?

-Yes. As red as any of the Comyn. Indeed, she is very like to Comyn- red hair, grey eyes, pale skin.

-Has she laran Lorill demanded.

-I think she may have a trace of it. She does not like looking at my matrix.

-Has anyone mentioned it? Lorill asked with real curiosity. His sister's matrix, whilst not too large for a pendant, was certainly a large stone for a ring setting.

Leonie began to laugh. They have asked me when I will marry!

In spite of himself, Lorill had to repress a grin. It sounds as if women on Terra are not so very different after all! But what of Len and Flavia?

-Len too is a strong empath, and she has some telepathic ability. I do not think she has the Aillard or Alton gift, however. Leonie paused to think. But her mother, Lorill! A tinge of excitement crept into the normally impassive voice of the Lady of Arilinn.

-What are her gifts? Lorill asked resignedly.

-Aillard, Alton, Ridenow.

-But you said domna Hilda had all of those!

-Yes, but domna Joey has all three in greater measure, and she is a powerful telepath besides, Leonie affirmed.

-Is she a widow?

Leonie paused, stricken. She had not yet met Jack Maynard, but she knew he was very much alive. Which meant, she thought bitterly, that Joey would be of no use. No married woman could be Keeper trained- her channels would not be clear. To interfere with that basic belief, Leonie believed, was to fall into the heresy of the Forbidden Tower, and the Lady of Arilinn felt that she would die rather than accede to them any further than she must.

-Leonie? Lorill's voice was anxious.

His sister gave a sigh of deep weariness. You are right, she admitted at last. Domna Joey is married. More than that, she has several young children. She could not possibly leave that for Arilinn, even if she or we so desired.

-So we are back to Len and Flavia, Lorill observed. Which do you think is more likely?

-I do not know, Leonie returned despondently. Even she was growing weary now, and the effort of sustaining this communication was telling. At the moment, Len is the stronger. She is her mother's daughter and has Ridenow in full measure, at least. She is not so strong a telepath, though. Flavia- she is young, nearly as young as Callista was when first she came to Arilinn. Living amongst the head-blind, it is possible that she has not woken to her gifts.

-And? Lorill prompted, hearing the hesitation in his sister's voice.

-And, she looks more nearly Comynara than the others do. Len is chestnut, rather than red, but Flavia- she is a true fiery copper. Her nickname does not lie.

-Then you must find a way to bring her to Arilinn. Or bring both of them! the Regent ordered.

Leonie sighed again, remembering those five other girls whom she had trained before Callista. Only Callista had had the strength to endure, and even she had defaulted in the end. Would two be enough? Leonie did not know.

For a second, she remembered her own cry: that there was something very wrong in the way telepaths were trained on Darkover. If she returned there with these girls, would she train them according to the Way, or would she herself modify that harsh training to something more humane? That, too, was something Leonie did not know.