As the Mage-Imperator's second son, Udru'h had always labored hard, doing necessary work unnoticed by his elder brother, Jora'h, who glided through life, paying little attention to the advantages of his station. The Dobro Designate was not jealous of Jora'h, had no aspirations of taking over his brother's role as eventual heir to the Prism Palace. Instead, his attitude was focused and ruthlessly businesslike. He would do what was necessary... and sometimes such efforts were not pleasant.

Now he looked over at the half-breed girl, who stood at the windowpane gazing deep into the gathering darkness, oddly intent, as if she could sense something out there.

But the moment hethought her name, she turned to look at him. Osira'h had large eyes and feathery golden hair. Her cheekbones were high, her chin strong, showing a mixture of delicacy and grace along with noble breeding. The Designate could see a hint of Jora'h's features, given an exotic flair by the bloodline of the female green priest. The irises of Osira'h's eyes swirled with an inner light, a glint of smoky topaz she had inherited from her father, darkened with shadowy hazel from her mother.

"You are thinking about me again," she said, her voice small but clear. Osira'h was only five years old, but the combination of her superior breeding and intensive training and indoctrination had made her far more mature than anyone else her age. This girl never dreamed of spending afternoons at play.

"Can you sense my pride?"

The girl laughed. "It pours from you like heat from a fire."

He stepped up beside the girl to put his strong hand on her shoulder. A year before, Osira'h had expended much effort, channeling her thoughts and her senses, just to read what the Designate was thinking. Now, though, she had begun to do it automatically, as instinctively as she drew breath.Remarkable.

None of her half siblings by the green priest woman-not even his own son, Rod'h-showed quite as much talent, though Udru'h still hoped for another breakthrough by interbreeding Nira Khali with various powerful kiths. The other mixed-race children were raised in large groups in nurseries, schools, and training centers in the Dobro city. The half-human children understood their uniqueness, and the instructors and inspectors worked very hard to determine and build on their individual capabilities.

But the Designate kept Osira'h to himself.

"You have so much potential. There are other telepathic candidates on Dobro, but you are the best. That is why I have devoted my life to instructing you, to giving you every advantage so that you can reach your true abilities."

"For the glory of the Mage-Imperator," Osira'h said, mouthing the words he had impressed upon her ever since she could first utter sentences.

"For the glory of the whole Ildiran civilization," Udru'h emphasized.

"I promise to do my best. And if my best isn't enough, then I will try harder." Her expression became troubled, as it always did when the consequences began to pile up on her. Her small mouth frowned, like a flower bud. "But sometimes I get afraid of the hydrogues. They are monsters. Real ones."