Sankalara gave him a grateful smile.   "Of course I forgive you!   How could you know?   But of course you're right.   We need to review our plans.   I'd hate to come this far and have it blow up in our faces.   But can it wait until morning?   I know it's only early evening, but I feel like I could sleep forever!"

   For an answer Javastad put both arms around her and kissed her gently on the mouth.

   After a moment Sankalara pulled away and smiled at him.   "Now is not the time for more of this.   Will you go get Pashli for me?     I need her to change this bedding and to bring me a meal."

   Javastad didn't protest.   He simply returned her smile, got up off the bed and went to do as she'd asked, smiling at her again just before he left the room.

   Ascension Day!     Somehow it came quicker than Sankalara had thought possible.   She was standing with Javastad on the front steps of the Tabernacle -- the very same steps Charianna had stood on when she'd challenged the emperor -- and it was a glorious day full of sunshine, warmth and just the right amount of salty, cool breeze coming in from the sea.   A perfect day for changing a world!   She gave Javastad a reassuring smile.   They'd gone over their plans far too many times to count in the previous days and Sankalara was certain that nothing could go wrong.   But it seemed Javastad was still nervous about the whole thing.   A lot he had to worry about!   She was going to be the one running the show and their success or failure rested entirely on her shoulders.   At least this initial part.   Javastad broke the silence.   "Where is Hammabelpar and Herrapki?   You don't suppose they got suspicious about something, do you?" he said, looking around with a worried, impatient frown.

   "I'm sure it's just Hammabelpar excercising his perogative to engage in theatrics" Sankalara began, but then she noticed a couple of figures moving towards each other through the crowd -- "Wait!   Here they come!" she pointed -- first one way then another.

   Javastad looked in the directions where Sankalara was pointing and saw them.   The crowd was parting deferentially for Hammabelpar who was making his stately, unhurried way from the direction of his headquarters and then there was Herrapki who was coming from the direction of the Merchant's Palace.   Herrapki reached them first.   Bounding up the stairs and coming to a halt beside Javastad, he stood there and smiled at them disingenuously.

   Javastad hissed at him, "Where have you been?"   Sankalara's about to start the ceremony and you -- who has professed that you want to see Jevstan more than anyone else -- are late?"

   Herrapki refused to be fazed.   Looking at Javastad and Sankalara both, he cheerfully told them, "I am in love!   Pashli and I were made for each other.   I figured that either way this worked Pashli and I could still be together and I might as well get her a gift to show my affection.   This was my only chance today so I was going to take it!   I'll just give it to her later!"

   "Wha--!?" Javastad started, indignantly.   He quickly thought better of that.   "Why, that's wonderful, Herrapki!   That's just what we need!   The first marriage between our people and Sankalara's!   It will be the first real step between uniting our two people!"

   As Herrapki beamed at them -- obviously too caught up in his own affairs to catch the near gaffe on Javastad's part -- in a mixture of pride and modesty, Javastad turned to Sankalara and gave her a minimal shrug, lifting his eyebrows in a question.   He desperately hoped she knew the question he was trying to convey without alerting Herrapki.

   Fortunately Sankalara was in tune with him.   Looking at Herrapki, she said, formally, "Herrapki!   While I am certainly glad for you and Pashli, she still is my servant and as such I have to give my blessing.   In the meantime you have given me your word that you will trust me implicitly here and will co-operate fully and I still expect you to abide by that.   I don't want to say that my blessing will hinge on that, so let's just say that you need to focus on this and forget Pashli for the moment!"

   Herrapki, looking a bit offended and yet obviously wanting to be diplomatic, carefully said, "Like Javastad said -- and because I am the elder of our people -- I have desired the return of Jevstan more than anyone.   If only because this is his rightful world.   If you can truly bring him back then I will be eternally grateful for that, but life must go on!   I will want Pashli in any case!"

   Suddenly Sankalara was reminded of something that she'd somehow forgot in the swirl of events.   She TRULY liked Herrapki!   And of course she was very fond of Pashli!   Because of that she suddenly didn't want to be part of this deception.   But she had to remind herself, though, that things were a bit different now that she was the Grand Matron.   Was this deception really going to hurt either of them?   She didn't see how!   Still she was going to be extra, extra careful that nothing went wrong.   She'd stop before she'd allow that to happen -- despite whatever objections Javastad might have!   Because of the thoughts and feelings that had just gone through her heart and mind, Sankalara said very gently to Herrapki, "And you shall have her!   As soon as this is over."

   "Thank you!" Herrapki said, his voice and eyes brimming over with gratitude.

   At that point Hammabelpar joined them, having finally made his way up the stairs.   Looking around at everyone with a formal air, Sankalara said, "Shall we begin?"

   "Herrapki held up a hand as if to be recognized.   "Sankalara, you lied to me about Jevstan being back -- for whatever reason you had.   And I was sure that it was evil driven just like Jevstan said.   Then I saw that incredible display in your mother's room and heard and felt your joy.   And I didn't know what to think.   I guess I what I am saying is this -- Sankalara, bring Jevstan Back!   Sankalara, MAKE me believe!!"

   Seeing the earnest, yet tortured look on Herrapki's face Sankalara winced.   She wanted to call the whole thing off at that moment.   She wished ever afterwards that she had.   Instead, with more confidence than she felt, she said, "I will, Herrapki, I will!"

   Lifting her hands skywards and turning her palms towards her face, as if she would pull down Jevstan from the very heavens, Sankalara began to speak to the PQ.   A calm stole across the square.   Not a murmur or a whisper was to be heard.   It was so quiet, in fact, that the occasional stray voice could be heard speaking from a side street.   A thousand faces looked upwards towards the sky, expectantly.   After a few seconds, when everyone was riveted in the direction Sankalara was looking, she surreptitiously directed the PQ towards Herrapki.   A strange thing began to happen.   At first everyone thought the twilight blue light pervading the square and blanking out the sun was the precursor to Jevstan's return.   And they began to murmur in anticipatory joy.   But then a puzzled sound began circulating through the square as people realized the light was centering on Herrapki.

   Herrapki noticed it too!   He started to scream.   "Get it off me!   Get it out of me!"   He stiffened and began to writhe like a man fighting an invisible opponent. He voiced a long ululating cry that froze everyone except Sanklara.   Sankalara gasped and tried to pull away, shut it down, but she couldn't manage it in time!   Suddenly Herrapki stopped venting that terrible cry and sprang up into the air, impossibly high, voicing a roar of triumph!   He came down, floating like a leaf in a lazy breeze.   Touching down, he vanished in a pillar of rose colored, transparent pink fire!   He reappeared, this time on the roof of the Priest's Parish, a gigantic, transparent version of himself.   His voice booming out like thunderous surf, he called out, "Behold the power and the Glory!"   Once again he became a man, floating down towards the surface of the square.   The crowd parted and Sankalra saw Herrapki running out of the square in the a direction that would take him -- if he kept going -- in the direction of the Suskani village!

   Immediately Hammabelpar turned on her.   In a voice full of fury and wonder he asked, "What have you done, Sankalara?"

   Sankalara winced away from the onslaught of Hammabelpar's awed rage.   But then she turned back, facing Hammabelpar defiantly, deciding that she had to dissemble -- she HAD to!!   "I don't know!   Everything was going fine and then that happened.   I can't imagine how!"

   "Well, you must undo it!" Hammabelpar insisted.   "This cannot be!"

   Sankalara was pretty sure that she DID know what had happened, but it wouldn't do to admit that to Hammabelpar.   So she had to keep dissembling.   With that objective in mind she gave him a hopeless look.   "Since I don't know what happened I can't undo it now!   It will take some study and meditation on my part!   Now.   You must excuse me!   Please disperse the crowd."   Turning towards Javastad, she saw that he was giving her a very troubled look.   But when she motioned him to follow her he did.   Sankalara, with Javastad at her side, headed towards the side door of the Tabernacle.   At their back they could hear Hammabelpar issuing orders to his priests to gently disperse the crowd.

   They had only gone a few more steps when they saw Pashli.   She was standing there near the side door staring at Sankalara in horror, her face ashen.   "Why did you do that to Herrapki, Sankalara?   WHY?   It was to keep us apart, wasn't it?"

   Feeling anguish and remorse, her heart nearly ripping out with them both those feelings, Sankalara started towards Pashli with her arms wide open to embrace her, to assure her that her accusation was DEFINITELY not the case!   But Pashli put her face in her hands to stifle her sobs, refusing to look at Sankalara.   Her shoulders convulsing with deep wracking sobs, Pashli uncovered her face, turned and fled.   Sankalara just stood there helplessly her hands still out, still reaching for Pashli.   After a moment she turned to Javastad. "Let's get out of here and inside out of sight!"

  Once they were in Sankalara's chambers and Sankalara had given Molotark strict orders that they were not to be disturbed by anyone, she slumped bonelessly into a chair in the corner of the room and Javastad sat down in one across from her.   Leaning towards Sankalara, he gave her an intense look and asked, "What DID happen out there?"

   Wearily Sankalara looked at him with hooded eyes as she swiped a stray lock of hair off her cheek.   "It drove him crazy!" Sitting up more straight and leaning towards Javastad, she gave him an intense look that rivaled the one he was still giving her.   "It shaffing drove him crazy, that's what!!"

   Javastad made placating gestures in the air.   And gave her a tentative smile.   "Easy!   We're not going to get anywhere attacking each other this way.   Help me understand.   Why did it drive him crazy?   I mean, you must have some idea.   I saw you gasp and try to pull away.   What happened?"

   Sankalara slumped back against the chair.   "I'm not sure.   I mean, I thought since he'd been around it all his life -- or was at least aware of it -- that it wouldn't be a big shock to him when he actually felt it in him for the first time.   But as near as I can figure out, once he realized that it wasn't going to harm him -- at least not immediately -- he tried to do too much.   He tried to contact Jevstan, he tried to go to him and he tried to bring him here all at once!   That might be possible for someone who is well versed, but not for a novice.   I guess I should have seen that coming.   I mean, with all his talk about bringing Jevstan back or at least having him brought back I guess I should have realized that he might try it on his own.   But it never occurred to me!   I really didn't think he'd do that!   My best guess now is that since he can't get rid of the PQ and he can't get Jevstan back that he's going to have to be dealt with before he deals with us!   Because he IS crazy!" Sankalara shuddered and looked at Javastad with dread and sorrow.

   Alarmed, Javastad said, "What do you mean deal with him before he deals with us?"

   Sankalara gave him a very somber look, her lower lip beginning to quiver.   "I mean that since he has the PQ and doesn't know what to do with it and can't do with it what he wants to, that there's no telling what he WILL do!   "Oh, Javastad! The whole thing has gone wrong from the start.   We should have picked somebody like Pashli who has no ambitions.   Now Pashli will probably hate me for the rest of her life, I've lost my best friend, and I don't see how we're ever going to straighten this mess out." Sanklara sat there staring at him in terrible anguish, tears flowing down her face at last, letting them flow unobstructed.

   Javastad looked at her in horror and sympathy. "Well, what do we do now?   I mean what do we have to do to make this right?   Is there anything we can do?"

   Sankalara wiped angrily at the tears on her face with both hands.   Her tears dried up, she looked at Javastad somberly.   "Well, we can wait to see if he comes to his senses or we can try to hunt him down.   Neither possibility is palatable.   It's not likely that he will come down from this jagged high.   And even if we found him before he did something drastic I'm not sure that I could deal with him.   This is a different aspect of the PQ that I have never seen before.   I said he was crazy?   Well, I think it's more than that!   I think he's somehow tapped into a maleficent side of the PQ that no one even suspected existed!"

   Dark side?" Javastad echoed, a startled look on his face.   "Why do you say that?   I mean, why do you call maleficent?   What makes you think that?   He didn't really do anything to harm anyone or anything!   Is a maleficent side possible?   I thought it was just manipulating possibilities so that they came out the way one wanted them too, irregardless of how they would have came out otherwise!"

   "That was one of the reasons I pulled away!   I felt something coming from him or enveloping him -- it's hard to say!   But anyway, the best way I can describe it is to say that it gave me a sick giddy feeling like I was being sucked onto a merry go round that I wouldn't be able to get off, a merry go round that would leave me weightless and yet infinitely powerful in a disjointed way." Sankalara answered, looking at Javastad in helpless desperation.   "Does any of that make any sense to you at all?"

   "I guess I have a vague idea of what you're describing there.   But you seem to have forgotten something.   I too have the PQ.   Granted, I haven't had it all my life like you have, wasn't born with it, but I do have a little facility in using it.   That's why I asked you if there was anything WE could do.   So what do you think?" Javastad said, looking at Sankalara with a tolerant grin.

   Sankalara slapped herself on the forehead.   "Of course!   What an idiot I am!   But seriously, I just forgot in all the confusion!   I mean it's not like I'm real used to the idea of someone from your tribe having this ability that I take for granted!   Anyway! -- maybe together we CAN stop him!"

   "You think?" Javastad asked with a smile that would have looked right at home on a gallows.   But then he sobered. "In actuality since he's my favorite cousin -- after you of course! -- I don't really want to hurt him if I can help it!   Any ideas how we can do that?   I mean, what do we have to do once we find him?"

   "You know him better than I do!" Sankalara shot back.   What do you think might work?"

   "I've never dealt with him in this sort of situation before, so -- how should I know?"   Javastad replied, raising his shoulders helplessly.

   With growing frustration, Sankalara said, "Well, like I said, I've had no experience with this sort of thing either, so I am no more qualified to deal with this than you are.   There's only one thing I can think of.   And then I don't know what we'll do after that.   We'll just have to try to find him.   But, like I said, I don't know what we'll do after that because no telling what he'll do or want to do or is able to do and --"   She was interrupted by the sound of someone screaming outside in the hall.   Sankalara exchanged a startled look with Javastad.   They went rushing towards the door.

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