Pages 104-150 Summary

Tamalane, earlier Duncan's mentor, is Mother Commander of the Rakian Keep in the fourth anniversary of Sheeana's coming to the priests. Tapped into the 'thopter's channel, Tamalane watches the middling, 50-meter worm arrive. Sheeana demands to know why her village is destroyed and receiving no answer, sends it away.

With trepidation, Teg obeys Taraza's order to report to an Ix-branded Guild Transport orbiting Gammu. His gut tells him that the ghola is in danger. Although everything on board appears serene, Teg is poised for combat. He smells shere and is surprised to see Taraza looking unusually fatigued; she alerts him to a foe by the keyword "appreciated." Motioning him not to respond, Taraza orders the ghola awakened immediately. Teg whips aside the hangings to reveal a tall man with a wide jaw and green eyes, armed and wearing military-style clothing. The...