“That perception is inaccurate. Do you not recall looking into the strait near your home in Wisconsin and seeing Lord Limu at the other end?”

“Sure, but all I did was see him. That doesn’t seem particularly useful. And it’s not like he was trying to hide, or anything. He was right there.”

Cordus pondered me in silence for at least a minute before answering. He was close enough that I could see the paler starburst pattern in his brown eyes. I found myself staring at it and jumped when he spoke.

“He was not trying to hide, Miss Ryder, because it never occurred to him that someone might be able to see him. He was in the heart of his domain, and he knew that I was here in New York. Who else in this part of the First Emanation could possibly see him through a strait? He felt as safely hidden there on his mountain redoubt as I feel sitting in this room.”

I thought about it. He had looked awfully surprised.

“What does that mean, exactly? I mean, what does it mean for me?”

God, only I could use “mean” three times in two short sentences. Almost a quarter of what I’d just said was “mean.”

“Now is not the time for that conversation,” Cordus said flatly. “But rest assured that your abilities are of value to this organization. As for tonight,” he continued, “I suspect Lord Limu will recognize you. We shall see how he reacts to your presence, shall we not?”

I sat in the back of the limo with Cordus, trying not to fidget.

I had gotten the full-on staff treatment again. The hair and make-up were similar, but my dress this time was more revealing. It had a plunging neckline that snaked down between my breasts, all the way to my navel. My breasts had actually been taped in place. I’d tried my best to ignore the staff members’ hands as they glued me into shape, but it had been distinctly unpleasant. The whole neckline was edged in at least two inches of pearl beading. The beading wrapped around the dress’s collar, then snaked down to a point at my ass.

The dress made me feel less like high-class arm candy and more like a pricey hooker. The fact that I was going to show up alone on Cordus’s arm underlined that impression. This dress also had even more white than the last one, and the fur stole they’d given me to wear was white, too. I felt highly uncomfortable.

At least Cordus was occupied on the phone. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, so I just looked out the window and tried to think of a name for a transparent barrier that blocked sound. By the time we arrived at the building, I’d come up with sound-wall, shush-shield, silentasphere, and hushification.