Throughout that pregnancy, her first after Osira'h, she had prayed for a miscarriage, wanting to expel the hated fetus from her body. But the next child, a boy, was born healthy and strong. Despite her loathing for the father, Nira grew attached to the innocent infant. Now, though, the little boy-Rod'h-was gone as well. She prayed he did not grow up to be like his father.

When he'd taken the boy away, Nira had tried to get the Designate to tell her about her Princess, any small detail about her daughter's life, but Udru'h had brushed her aside. "Never ask me that again. Osira'h is no longer your concern. She carries the weight of an empire on her shoulders."

The words filled Nira with both dread and hope. What did he want to do with Osira'h? Now, trying to put her thoughts into words as the darkness gathered, Nira stared at the tall tower as if it were a bastion of dreams and possibilities. Her Princess was in there. She knew it. She felt it.

The Designate's residence basked in warm illumination, as if pretending to be a pleasant place. She wondered how many of her other children still lived in the Dobro city, raised and trained collectively, tested by curious scientist kithmen and specialists. Or had they been taken back to Ildira as trophies to be shown to the Mage-Imperator?

Nira was startled when she saw a small silhouette appear in front of the largest window, a little girl, small enough to be Osira'h's age. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and she pressed closer against the fence. Nira concentrated, reached out with her mind, trying to snag the faintly telepathic connection that had always bound her to the worldforest. If only she could touch a worldtree... any tree! She desperately wanted to connect to her own child, blood of her blood.

Nira clenched the fence, not caring if she cut her fingers.Princess! Could that little form be her daughter? If only she could see her, send her a message, tell her the truth...

But she felt no answering tingle. Even if she managed to make a genuine connection, she doubted Osira'h would know what to do with it. Nevertheless, Nira's spirit soared, just for having seen her. It was a start!

29

DOBRO DESIGNATE

The half-breed girl was remarkable, talented and intelligent beyond the Designate's most optimistic expectations. This child might well provide the mental bridge between Ildirans and hydrogues, the unbreakable link that would bind the diverse races just as the soul-threads ofthism bound all Ildirans.

If Osira'h succeeded in this unprecedented goal, it would make the many generations of effort worthwhile. This girl might save the Empire, their civilization, everything. She had to.

Inside the well-lit residence, the child looked at her mentor with a shining smile, willing to do anything he asked of her. Beautiful, innocent, perfect, a bright sunbeam directly from the plane of the Lightsource. Osira'h was admirable and wise beyond her years, and he guessed that he didn't know half of her capabilities. Nor did the girl herself. He hoped it would be enough.