"There are many places in the Confederation she could hide," Sien said. "But if Kira takes after her mother, as she does, she will not go for half-measures."

"Somewhere beyond the Confederation," Mari agreed. "We still might be able to find her before she gets that far, but I think right now we need to keep that ship from Urth looking for her here."

Sien made a most unroyal face of displeasure. "They have acted with total disregard for our authority, using their flying craft to block ships trying to leave the harbor while sending their smaller flying devices and some of their people to search every ship and boat in the harbor. I have given orders not to confront the Urth people directly, but their arrogance implies they do not fear us acting against them."

"Kira said Jason told her the Urth people have some kind of personal protection," Mari said. "Some sort of armor we can't see. He also said they can find him using something that can identify one person from a distance, even if he's hidden, if it gets close enough."

"How do we defeat such devices?" Sien asked. "Especially when the ship from Urth is blocking your use of far-talkers?"

Alain spoke, his eyes not on the map but gazing inward. "When Mari and I first met, we began to learn not only what the skills of the Mages and the devices of the Mechanics could do, but also what each could not do. What are the weaknesses of the Urth devices?"

Mari nodded at him. "That's my Mage. Let's see, they are trying to block my use of the far-talkers, but they have to leave far-talkers able to work otherwise so that if anyone finds Kira and Jason they can call the Urth ship."

"And call they will," Sien observed. "In the days of the broken kingdom, when what remained of the royal family were being hunted everywhere, there were a thousand false or mistaken reports of where such a person might be for every one that was true. For years after her death, my older sister was being 'seen' in many places."

Mari looked away, still unsure what to say even after all the years she had known Sien. "I'm sorry we brought up such memories."