Sankalara nodded acceptance.   Javastad poured her a mug of wine and handed it to her.   Sankalara accepted it graciously, took a sip, found it tasted just as good as the night before and, setting the mug down, said, "OK.   Let's talk about how we're related."

   "He gave her a look that seemed to bore into her soul.   The minute that I heard you were here, despite the fact that your mother is dying and when I heard what you said to Herrapki about The Religion being stagnant, I knew we were more than blood kin.   We are soul kin!   And I think --"

   Sankalara interjected, "Wait a minute!   Let me get a few facts straight in my head!   How did you find out about my mother dying?   I thought you didn't want to have anything to do at all with us!   And how did you hear what I told Herrapki?   You were sitting clear across the room the whole time.   Did he talk to you?   I mean, I thought he understood that it was in confidence and that he wasn't to blab it to the whole village!   And let's get one other thing straight here too.   How do you people think you've managed to stay alive as long as you have? It certainly wasn't excellent genes!   We, our side of the family, have kept you alive this long with the power of the PQ -- even though you say you don't believe in it!   I guess that it was some sort of misguided loyalty on Charianna's part -- or maybe a guilty conscience for leaving Jevstan --"

   Javastad looked at her in mild amusement.   "Your point being?"

   This was the last sort of reaction Sankalara had expected from him.   If anything she had expected him to be outraged by the injudicious blurted out revelation of hers!   In fact, why had she done it?   There were only two possible answers.   One: She was already tired of feeling like a second class citizen and had struck out at that.   Secondly: She was more frustrated about her ability to do nothing with the rest of the world than she'd thought and was trying to bolster her sense of self worth by showing him what she COULD do here, at least.   In fact both answers WERE correct, she suddenly realized.   She gave him a wary look.   "My point being that there is no way you could be more than blood kin!   And it is presumptious of you to think that you could ever be soul kin!   How could you when you don't believe in the ultimate agent of the soul: the PQ" She quickly tipped her wine mug to hide her anger and embarrassment from him for a moment.

   The next two things he said, nearly floored her.   "Who said that I don't believe in the PQ?   And I've known for a long time, while the others in the village believed that it was our gods that were keeping us alive, that it was in reality your side of the family doing it.   So like I said, let's talk about how we're related, shall we?"

   Sankalara, at a loss for words for a moment, spluttered, spitting the mouthful of wine onto the table top.   When she had recovered and Javastad had wiped up the spill, staring at her sardoncially all the while, she managed to say, "WHAT!   Are you telling me that someone from this tribe, you specifically, have managed to tap into the PQ all by yourself?   How in the world did you manage that?   And, equally important, why?"   As Sankalara asked that she realized his admission explained one thing: That was how he'd known what Herrapki and she had been talking about!

   Javastad looked at her unflinchingly.   "I am telling you exactly that!   I found a letter written by Charianna to Jevstan urging him to reconsider.   It even went as far as outlining the process to him in case he changed his mind.   WHY?   Because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about!   I am blessed -- or maybe cursed! -- with an inquiring mind.   I am not prepared to take anyone's word for anything!   And, of course, when I managed to tap in that's when I found out what your side of the family was responsible for."   He continued to stare at her, maintaining his challenging look.

   Sankalara struggled with a it minute or two, her mind swimming with the possible ramifications of this revelation, but could come to no conclusions about the truth of it without using the PQ to probe his mind.   She wasn't going to do that for two very good reasons.   She'd already decided to keep it's usage down to a bare minimum so that she couldn't be easily tracked.   And she wasn't going to invade his mind that way.   If he was truly telling the truth he might turn out to be an ally of some sort and she didn't want to jeopardize that possibility by alientating him with a uninvited mind probe.   So she resorted to the verbal method.   Moving her mug around in the wet circles on the table top and keeping her voice and face carefully neutral, she said, "Help me out here, will you?   "Why would you have a copy of this letter?   Why would it have survived all this time?   And what prompted you to read it in the first place? &nsbp I mean, didn't it occur to you that it probably was just a mushy love letter?"

   "It's no big mystery.   As the eldest son of my father, and sub-elder of this village I inherited Jevstan's personal effects when my father passed away -- that's the sub-elder's job: keeping the historical records.   My great great grandfather, who was the first sub-elder, appropriated Jevstan's effects when he disappeared.   These effects have been passed down through the generations as a sort of family historical legacy -- especially considering the fact that Jevstan never came back.   And of course I was going to read it.   I read every letter!   Why, then, would I pass that one up?   I, of course, had heard about Jevstan and Charianna's break, but I had not heard the day to day details.   This was my chance to peek behind the historical veil.   You're right about one thing.   Most of them WERE love letters.   I don't suppose that Jevstan could quite make himself destroy every link to Charianna.   He loved her very much despite their differences and I believe that he wanted to keep the good part of the past alive.   Those letters did that!   Imagine my surprise when I came across that letter!   And imagine my bigger surprise when I found out that Charianna's VERY explicit instructions made the thing work just as she said they would!   One has to wonder what Jevstan had against the whole thing!" Javastad smiled warmly at her to let her know that he was far from insulted by her veiled accusations.   "Oh!   I should also mention that Herrapki also read those letters, but he didn't put as much as stock in them as I did.   He felt that Jevstan was right to spurn the whole thing.   Of course I, secretly, didn't entirely agree with him. How could I?   There are potentialities that Charianna left untapped."

   Sankalara said, musingly, "Sometimes it makes me wonder if Jevstan was wiser than we give him credit for."  She sighed   "If only he had been able to make his point more clearly!"   She gave Javastad a sour grin.

   Javastad turned her sour grin right back at her.   "That's my point entirely!   He saw where it was going to lead!   So you see, we are related after all!   You and I ARE very much alike!   So now, CAN we talk, really talk?"

   Sankalara asked for more wine, thinking that she knew what Javastad was hinting at, even though he hadn't come right out and said it.   Javastad obliged, pouring her more wine.   He sat the pitcher down and again looked at her expectantly.   She took a sip and sat the mug back down with a look of distaste.   Seeing the look on Javastad's face she hastened to explain, bringing it out in the open if he wasn't going to.   "No!   The wine's fine!   I was just wondering what only two people could do to change the world.   I confess I have no idea."

   A burning look in his eye, Javastad replied, "Two people -- Charianna and Perki -- changed the world!"   He sighed suddenly and gave her a world weary look.   "I'm so glad you came here!   I mean, do you have any idea what's it like to be sitting on a secret like this?   I had no one here that I could share it with."   He brightened. "But now YOU are here!   I mean, I had a plan that I knew would work --" he gave her a sheepish look, "but I couldn't figure out how I was going to do it all by myself.   I never figured that I would get the one ally I needed!   How could I dare to hope for that?   But you came!" He repeated in wonder.   "So -- do you want to hear what I now think should be done?"

   Suddenly Sankalara wondered if she was talking to a madman.   How could he have any idea what to do when she had agonized over it for a long, long time and could not come up with any kind of satisfactory idea at all?   Or could it be possible that he was more brilliant than anyone else alive?   After all, she couldn't say one way or the other.   She'd just met him and they had only talked a little while.   There was no way to tell, then, until she'd heard him out.     "OK", she said cautiously, "What do YOU think we should do?"

   "You need to go back and claim your inheritance and --"

   He WAS a madman after all!   "NO!" she said hotly!   "That's the last thing I'm going to do!"

   He gave her a pleading look, "Hear me out and --"

   She jumped to her feet, not sure where she was going.   Instead of going anywhere, she loomed over him, getting right in his face. "NO!   YOU hear ME out!   Those are people I've known all my life!   I couldn't do that to them and I am sure that I would never be able to fool them even if I wanted to!   I mean, I know what you're suggesting --" She sagged then, sitting down heavily. "It's out of the question!"

   Javastad just sat there and looked at her adamantly.   "Oh.   I suppose you'd be happy staying here the rest of your life, doing nothing and always knowing that it was never going to change and that you COULD have done something?"

   It was her turn to give him a pleading look.   "There must be some other way!   There's Pashli, my good friend and Molotark, the Major Domo.   Even if I could fool my mother, I could never fool them!"

   Javastad gave her a stern look, "Well, I guess it depends, like I said, on how bad you want to do something about this.   And anyway, you still haven't let me tell you what my plan is.   Can I tell you now?"

   Sankalara sagged forward on her elbows, putting her face between her hands.   She could always veto it -- and probably would.   But it was obvious that he wasn't going to leave her alone until he'd said his piece.   "OK.   Let's hear it."

   "As I see it there are four things that need to be done that only you can help with." He held up one finger at a time as he ticked his points off.   "One: We need to give everyone the PQ, of course that means our tribe too.   Two: We need to show that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, can be just as powerful in the PQ as the Priests and the Grand Matron!   Three: We need to get off this planet and spread the word.   Four: There is no reason why we can't live forever."

   Sankalara gave him an astonished look.   The way he'd just outlined it the whole thing was suddenly crystal clear.   Why hadn't she thought of the obvious things he'd just brought up?   Well, I don't really have to ask myself that, do I?   She thought, bitterrly castigating herself.   I was so busy trying to think of either a way out of my responsibilites or a way to just bring the whole thing to an end that I never thought positively at all!   Looking at Javastad with tentative respect, she asked, "But how do you propose we go about this?   And why do you need me?"

   "The answer to the last question should be obvious!   We need an inside person!   To deal with those that want to maintain the status quo." He looked suspiciously at her as if he was suddenly wondering if she was some kind of simpleton.

   Sankalara blushed. "Oh!   Of course!   In my defense let me say that the whole idea is so new that a thousand ideas and concerns were roiling through my mind like a hurricane!   Sorry!   So.   What about it?   Do you want to outline the the rest of it -- the part that isn't so obvious?"

   "Sure." He gave her a forgiving grin.   The first we need to do is to get Herrapki to accompany us to the capital.   Then --"

   "Wait a minute!   What do we need Herrapki for?   I thoght you just said that this was going to be a two person show?" Sankalara said, frowning in confusion.

   Javastad gave her a patient look that was straining at it's edges.   "If you'll just let me finish, PLEASE?"   Sankalara nodded contritely.   "OK.   As I was saying we need to get Herrapki to accompany us to the capital because he is going to be our example.   If we can give him the PQ right in front of everyone -- at a mass gathering -- and he can demonstrate that he DOES have it, then what better example of what we can do?   If mean if we can give the PQ to a member of a race that's opposed it forever -- and make him like it -- then we can prove that the PQ is available to everyone.   That way we will become a race of near gods and everyone will naturally want to try out their new wings by spreading off this world.   The last will be the easiest.   We'll just take everyone to the far future and let them see that they ARE going to live forever!"

   "Well.   It's not going to be exactly as easy as you make it sound.   It's going to require a lot of work on our parts!   Are you sure you're up to that?" Without giving Javastad a chance to reply, she hurried on, caught up in the idea.   But I agree with you for a few good reasons.   The whole thing is so stratified and stagnant.   We have lost the diversity that our world once had! That was a good thing for the most part!   At least it made life interesting!   And then -- Why WASN'T the PQ given to everyone?   At least those that wanted it?   That lack has just heightened the stratification and stagnancy -- and I don't think it was intended to be that way!   Also, why SHOULD we stay on this world?   Perki never said we had to!   And why SHOULDN'T we all live forever just like her?"   Suddenly realizing that she was getting a little carried away, Sankalara said soberly. "So we start with Herrapki.   What do we tell him?"

   "Let's back up a bit first!" Javastad gave her a sad, tortured look.   "I agree with you one hundred percent!   We have lost the diversity that our world once had -- and let's not give it short shrift!   Of course neither of us remember it in our lifetimes, but my soul remembers the days when our religion was a real religion, when the ceremonial dress meant something, when the rites and festivals meant something.   And then there was the way that men were men and women were women!   The pomp and circumstance and majesty of the empire was certainly stirring!   There was mystery, magic and sweet melancholy in those days.   Even though there was bloodshed, too, it was from honest passion and pride!   Anything was possible in those days and yet all was sweet familiarity!   There was a spectrum of diversity that was like a rainbow in the soul!   And the universe shouted back into out souls, Yes! Yes! Yes!"   He suddenly stopped to give her a rueful, wry grin.   "I didn't mean to rhapsodize so much!"

   Sankalara gave him a steady look, but there were tears lurking in the corners of her eyes. "That's OK. I know exactly how you feel about all that since I feel the same way too.   Isn't it sad that we can't quite put it into words?   But I guess if words alone could bring it back we would have already done so, wouldn't we?"

   Briskly, Javastad said, "OK.   Let's get back to reality as we find it now!"   He gave her one last sad smile. "Now.   I didn't say it was going to be as easy as I made it sound!   And I AM up to it!   Would you like a little demonstration?" Javastad glared at her, daring her to take issue with him, but having had a meeting of minds, the glare he gave her was not so hard as it might have been.

   Sankalara made hasty placating gestures in the air at him.   "OK!   OK! I see!   And NO -- I don't want any demonstration! That carries the possibility of someone sensing it!   And that leads me to something we haven't yet discussed fully.     The status quo!   I am going to have to do a lot of fancy talking and explaining and come up with some very inspired cons!   That'll be MY major part!   But in the meantime, let's get back to my question.   What do we tell Herrapki?   If you are going to be my partner in this then you need to take care of YOUR end -- starting with him.   So?" She gave him a pointed look, softened with a little smile.

   "It's simplicity itself!" Javastad said with a wicked grin.   "We're going to tell him that you have sensed that Jevstan has just returned and that he wants to see us both!   And that you are going because you can't resist seeing this marvel yourself!"

   Sankalara looked at him doubtfully.   "I can see where he would want to check that out -- if I do a good enough job making him believe it's really happened.   But what do we tell him when he wants to know why Jevstan is there and what do we tell him once we get him there and he doesn't see Jevstan?"   While she waited for his answer she wondered why he'd brought this up as a possibility.   Did he have some agenda he wasn't telling her about?   Well, she decided, I'll play along for now and just wait and see if he'll give anything away later.   And if he WAS playing games, well, then, I guess I'll just have to take care of him!   Maybe he'd like to go where Jevstan went?   Holding all that back for the meantime, Sankalara regarded Javastad.

   Javastad had maintained his wicked grin.   "You'll tell him that the priests are holding Jevstan there for study.   That'll get Herrapki all riled up!   And as far as why Jevstan is there?   You'll tell him that Perki finally decided to bring him back because she took mercy on him and decided to undo what Charianna did to him.   If nothing else that will gain us a little sympathy with him since that's been the major sore point with him all along and what he's most held against your religion. In fact everybody here, of course, but especially him since he's the Elder."

   She still wasn't sure if Javastad was holding out on her.   His answer hadn't given anything away.   What he'd said was the most obvious thing that Herrapki might very well want to believe: that Perki had finally found out the wrong that had been done in her name and that she was taking steps to correct it.   Afterall, Perki HAD saved Jevstan and Charianna from the Buhroots!   So what gave Charianna the right to banish him in Perki's name?   However, all that aside for the moment, she DID have to give Javastad credit for getting her out of her funk. And she liked him.   And it was a place to start.   And it did sound just possible enough that Herrapki could very well buy it!   She'd just have to thread her way carefully through all the possible pitfalls if and when she came to them.   So she was going to go for it -- for now! -- and see where it led her.   Sankalara gave him a challenging look and said, "OK.   What are we waiting for?   Let's go give Herrapki the news!"

****************************************************************************

   "All this jumping around in time is making me, er, ah, time sick!   Yeah!   That's it!   Timesick!" Weslee said.

   "Oh be quiet, Weslee." Perki said, giving him an extremely annoyed look.

   "Uh oh, Doc!" Weslee said, "I think we're getting real close to the end of all this!   I'm not sure I want to look!"

   "Why would you say that?" I inquired, innocently, giving Perki a sweet smile.

   "Oh stop it both -- Um.   I'm sorry, Doc!   But Weslee's right!   We are nearing the end and I don't want to see this, but I gotta show it to you and --"

   "That's OK.   I understand." I said, patting her shoulder fondly.   As I folowed Weslee back into Edgar, this time his T-shirt said, "Who needs enemies when you have relatives?"   I thought that summed it up nicely as we whisked back to the capital city it seemed like we'd just left.

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