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. As though we don t have enough to do! I ll give that kid apiece of my mind when we get him down! But he is only a child, Vanessa pleaded. And he iscrippled& She glanced at Colin, who nodded, knowing what wasin her mind.Here in this world that had forbidden even Telthis toexercise his supernormal powers, he was going to be even morecrippled than before. We ll make sure he never does anything like this again, Vanessa insisted. There s no need for you to concern yourself withhim.Like you said, you have more than enough to do and I mustsay, you know, you did a marvelous job with your hoses, calmingthe crowd.I was so afraid someone would have to start shooting,but& She beamed dazzlingly at the fire chief.A little syrup, a littlebutter, and the problem was solved.They were allowed, withoutinterference, to carry away the limp but happy Ishimu from thesurviving dregs of the crisis, and on the south edge of the squarethey sat him down on a bench and plied him with the questionsthat could wait no longer for an answer. What are you doing on this side? Vanessa demanded. I wanted to be here when Telthis failed, the boy answeredsimply. How did you know he was going to? Colin snapped. Didyou ? A shadow passed over Ishimu s face, and he held up one thinhand. I have a message to give you from Kolok, which will makeeverything clear. Kolok! Colin started, and Vanessa twisted around, staringtoward the arch where the police were still trying to make sense ofthe arrival of the invaders, weirdly clad and illegally armed andincapable of making themselves understood.By now, ambulanceswere rolling up; Telthis was likely to be committed to a mentalhospital, in that case, and Colin wanted to laugh aloud with joy andrelief. It s no good looking for him, Ishimu murmured. You willnot see him again.Listen, and I will repeat the message heimplanted in my mind. His voice changed and deepened, as though an echo ofKolok s own had blended with it. My friends, you would not have been human had you notwondered why Telthis trusted me so long, permitted me so muchfreedom as freedom is measured in my world and chose mebefore all his other adepts to make the first exploration through thebarrier.The reason is simple.I am his brother.And in his twistedway, perhaps he loved me, as much as a man of his stamp can loveat all. Thank you for not making me tell you this before.Andthank you, too, for not asking why I made no move to help youescape the trap that Yovan set us.I had, as you will learn, anotherinspiration.If you ever hear this message, you will be aware that Idid finally succeed. Where I have gone it makes no difference what anyonethinks or says about me.Nonetheless, think well of me sometimes,if you can& The words died away. What has he done? Colin said, and realization dawned evenas he spoke. He told you that we had looked into the future and saw thatI stopped, Ishimu said. He did not tell you the same was true ofhimself.He assumed, of course, that he must meet Telthis face toface in a final battle, and at best he and his brother would both bedestroyed.He did not know until the last moment that the truthwas otherwise.Myself, I was aware though out of kindness I didnot tell him that my stopping was to be as you see: permanentexile from my home world.That is the fortune he would havechosen for himself, had he been free.But he was not. You saw the blue mist vanish, there between the pillars ofthe arch? Yes! That was one second after Kolok took his guards by surpriseand ran through it into the other world. He became trnak, Colin said slowly. Yes, he did.He is the greatest adept who has ever done so.For no one can tell how far around this spot a hundred miles,perhaps a thousand the barrier between the worlds is locked instasis.Had I your powers, and mine, and Telthis s combined, thatcould not break it.And he timed the deed so that he trappedTelthis here, together with scores of other adepts loyal to him. Back there, I predict chaos.Power will descend to weaklingswho will glory in the chance to imitate the behavior of those moretalented than they, but they have learned only the viciousness, notthe skills, of their departed masters.Factions will develop.Therewill be wars.The rulers will further weaken themselves.Eventuallythey may bring about their own downfall; let us hope so, for in thatevent the race of man can resume the slow upward climb whichwas halted ten thousand years ago. But if you re wrong, Vanessa said, won t someone else tryand breach the barrier on the other side of the world, perhaps? What would it profit them to repeat Telthis s fatal mistake? Ishimu said, turning his blind gaze. Colin understands, I think. Yes, I believe I do, Colin confirmed. You said just nowthat even if you had our powers you could not break the trnak stasisKolok set up.But he had to return to your side to create it! Vanessa s mouth rounded into an O.Ishimu dipped hisoverlarge head in a sketch for a nod, and his thin mouth curvedinto a faint smile. Indeed.Just as certain devices from your world cannotoperate in mine, so certain powers from my world cannot be usedin yours.You yourself overcame trnak projected by adepts Telthis had personally chosen and brought yourself, Vanessa, and Kolokacross the barrier in face of all opposition. Ishimu shiveredslightly. Such power is awe-inspiring, and you never guessed youhad it! For here it simply does not work, any more than Telthis s. Over his head, Colin s eyes met Vanessa s, and he could tellthat she was thinking, as he was: But in that case we would not have tofear what our children might become&Time enough for that later.They were still, in all the sensesthat counted, total strangers.But he was whole enough at least tocontemplate plans for the future again, free of the suspicion that hewas at risk of mental breakdown.There would be no moremovement without anything to move at the corner of his eye, nomore tampering by Telthis s agents.He said, Well, if Kolok was right to say that the universe is afigment of the human mind, it follows that on this side we declineto permit that sort of unbridled power.It does make sense.But& He hesitated, then forced himself to utter the painful truth. But it also means, Ishimu, that you are going to be a worsecripple than ever.After so long, I doubt that any doctor, even here,can do much to help you. Ishimu s mouth quirked. Did I not recognize you from thetop of the arch? he countered. Though I say it myself, my talentsare unmatched even by Telthis! I ve lost many of them I shallnever again be able to float through the air, for example.But I haveperceptions that compensate for my blindness.And what is mostimportant, my mind has been set free from fearful fetters.WithoutKolok s help I might well have lost my mind.You cannot imaginehow the temple teachers policed the thoughts of us apprentices,hoping to batter us into perfect loyalty
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