Suppressing a smile, Morgan wiped the palms of both hands against his thighs, then picked up Prime, the first white cube. Bringing it carefully to Quinte, its black counterpart, he let the two touch gently as he murmured, “Primus!”

With a muffled click, the two cubes merged into a silvery-gray oblong, which Morgan gently put aside before picking up Seconde. With a glance at the frozen Cardiel, he touched it to Sixte and whispered, “Secundus!” A second glowing oblong was formed, and Cardiel stifled a gasp as Morgan put the second one aside and picked up Tierce.

Morgan was beginning to feel the energy drain now, and he passed a hand lightly over his eyes as he fingered the third white cube. The weariness faded as he applied the Deryni technique for banishing fatigue, though he knew he would have to pay later. For now, though, the Wards must be set, whatever the cost in power. Quickly he steeled himself to touch Tierce to Septime.

“Tertius!”

The third oblong glowed. The Ward was now three-quarters complete.

“We’re almost ready,” Arilan said, moving quietly to Cardiel’s side as Morgan picked up Quinte. “Thomas, I need you now.”

With an apprehensive swallow, Cardiel let himself be guided to a place on the rolled-up carpet, lying back as Arilan directed and letting the Deryni place a cool hand on his forehead. His eyelids fluttered briefly as he drifted into Arilan’s trance. Morgan shook his head and took a deep breath, steeling his strength to meld the final pair of cubes.

“Quartus!”

Light flashed again as the two cubes became one; and then there were four silvery oblongs on the ground before him.

Morgan sat back on his haunches and glanced around him, then began moving the oblongs to the four compass points of the octagon. As he laid out the limits of the Ward’s protection, Arilan moved within the circle and motioned Kelson and Duncan to do the same, each of them still retaining control of his charge at a distance. Morgan crouched in the center of the octagon and glanced around warily as the other three crowded close around him, then readjusted the position of a Ward that had gotten jostled in the process of moving into the circle.

“Go ahead and set the Wards,” Arilan murmured, nodding toward their three entranced colleagues. “Include them in the protection, too. I’ll light the candles as soon as you’re done.”

Morgan glanced at the circle, at the sleeping men just outside its confines, then raised his right hand to point in succession to the four wards.

“Primus, Secundus, Tertius, et Quartus, fiat lux!”

His words caused the light of the Wards to flare to a misty web of luminescence that bathed the seven men in faint milky-white light. As the net stabilized around them, Arilan reached out a tentative hand to probe the net, then passed his hands over the candles set at the points of the octagon, setting them alight. He then edged himself slightly closer to the center of the octagon and placed a hand on Morgan’s shoulder.