mt for me?"<br >the decision.<br >this McAran<br >ked quietly.<br >down at his<br >vaults for a<br >credibility--<br >rarely predict<br > right about<br >And whether<br >eat damage to<br >lit to subvert<br >atrol the Uni-<br >agreed.<br > might fall."<br >too， there is<br >voldng super-<br >e s apprehen-<br >on bomb."<br >;." The Pope<br >e dignity of a<br >te held out a<br >lirecting who-<br >you whatever<br >Ld Therms， are<br >anet， and find<br >ide him to the<br >or the illusion<br >Uwell stood，<br >Aran sent his<br >Who else<br >CHAPTER ONE<br > There was a crash， and the tinkle of broken #ass.<br > "Geoffrey!" Gwen cried in exasperation， "if I have told<br >thee once， I have told thee twenty times--thou must not<br >practice swordplay in the house!"<br > Rod looked up from Gerbrensis s Historie of Gramarye to<br >see his smaller son trying to hide a willow-wand sword<br >behind his back， looking frightened and guilty. Rod sighed，<br >and came to his feet. "Be patient with him， dear--he s only<br > " Tis thy fault as much as his，" Gwen accused. "What<br >business has so small a lad to be learning o swordplay?"<br > "True， dear， true，" ROd admittedi "I shouldn t have been<br >drilling Magnus where Geoff could watch. But we only did it<br >once."<br > "Aye， but thou knowest how quickly he seizes on any arts<br >of war. Here， do thou speak with him， the whilst I see to the<br >mending of this vase."<br > "Well， I didn t know it then--but I do now. Here， son."<br >Rod knelt and took Geoff by the shoulders， as Gwen knelt to<br >begin picking up pieces， fitting them together and staring at<br >the crack till the glass flowed， and the break disappeared.<br > "You know that was your mother s favorite vase?" Rod<br >asked gently. It s the only glass one she has--and glass is<br >very expensive， here. It took Magnus a long time to learn how<br >to make it."<br > The little boy gulped and nodded.<br > "She can mend it，" Rod went on， "but it ll never be quite<br >as good as it was before. So your Mommy won t ever have it<br >looking as nice as it did before. You ve deprived her of<br >something that made her very happy."<br ><br >