Swallowing with difficulty, Warin looked at the chair now facing the fire, then forced himself to sit gingerly on the edge of the seat. Morgan moved behind the chair and reached his hands to Warin’s shoulders, urging him back to sit in the chair properly. The hands remained resting lightly on the rebel leader’s shoulders as Morgan began to speak. The others stayed behind the chair as well, so that they could see only Morgan and the back of Warin’s head and shoulders. Morgan’s voice was low and soothing in the firelit darkness.

“Take a deep breath and let it all the way out. Sit back and focus on the fire on the hearth. There is little true magic involved in what we do here…perhaps just a trace of that power I used earlier to heal. Relax and watch the flames. Concentrate on the sound of my voice and the touch of my hands. You’ll not be harmed, I promise you. Relax and drift with me. Let the soft flicker of the flames be the only movement in your universe. Relax and drift with me…”

As Morgan’s voice droned on, rising and falling with the flames, he became aware that Warin was, indeed, beginning to drift beneath his hands. He relaxed his hands slightly and Warin did not flinch at the movement—a good sign. Slowly, as Warin came more and more under the spell of the murmuring voice, Morgan began to extend his senses, glancing down at his gryphon signet and triggering the first stage of Deryni mind-linking. Warin had slipped into a light trance by this time, his breathing slow and deepening by the minute, eyelids quivering on the verge of closing altogether.

After a few more seconds the eyelids did close, and Morgan gently eased his hands to either side of Warin’s head, masking the movement with a touch of firmer control. Warin did not stir at this new, more intimate probe of mind, and with a slight sigh of relief, Morgan permitted himself to go deeper. Tipping Warin’s head back against his chest, he gazed down at the closed eyes through hooded lids, then bowed his head and also closed his eyes—and entered Warin’s mind.

It was perhaps a hundred heartbeats before he stirred, and then it was only to lift his head slightly and look toward Kelson and Duncan, his eyes deeply hooded.

“He has a very well-ordered mind, underneath all the anti-Deryni conditioning,” Morgan whispered, “but I am almost certain he is not Deryni. Will you confirm?”

Wordlessly, Kelson and Duncan moved to either side of Morgan and reached out to place their hands on Warin’s brow. After a few seconds, they withdrew.

“He was right. I don’t think he is Deryni,” Duncan whispered.

“And yet, we have all seen him heal,” Kelson murmured in wonder. “He also seems to have a slight persuasion in the area of Truth-Say. Of all the Deryni talents, those two are probably the most useful to a man like him, who believed he had a divine mission to fulfill. You don’t suppose he really is a holy man, albeit a misguided one?”