Loray read the note, and choked back sobs, as she buried her face in her hands.

“Thank you,” was all she could say.

The glisten of tears in the corners of her eyes reminded him of his starry sky.

He had asked himself this question before, many times, as he had felt the poisoning of the soft sentiments of the humans around him.  How must it feel to love someone, to the point they are precious to you?  Being inquisitive by nature, he often wondered about things that had no words in the uzruul language.

“Now,” he said, unintentionally forcefully, “we’re going to cast our sight around Henbrace, and gaze out from there.”

He did not know what made him upset for that instant, briefly berating himself for the moment of weakness.

“Concentrate on Lucas,” he told her.  “Let us find him.”

Unwaveringly, she focused.  With this attempt to see her son, he gave his own effort, guiding the spell for real this time.

Minutes passed, and his scrying turned the view into a blur across unseen miles.  He smiled at the effect of Loray’s concentration, and blinked at the sight of the master’s murky, dark Cloud, knowing they were looking over East Osterly.  Did the Coastal woman take Lucas there?  Compared to the lands in the north, the city offered no real work for a bounty hunter.  Was she stupid, or did she just prefer to remain a pauper?

“Concentrate,” he whispered.

Loray’s gaze never faltered.

He had months ago found pathways between the interference of the Cloud, and with a focused effort, could spy the land in its shadow.  Curious, he peered through the vapors, aided by the mother’s efforts.

Their eagle’s-eye view in the glass above the city narrowed, focusing on one building, then to one room, where sat a tall and slender young man, marked from recent injury.  But he was alive and well as he sat on a bed, wrapped up in the process of casting spells, using a curious, green, armored gauntlet before his crossed legs.

“Lucas!”

Loray’s own strength brought the vision closer, but her words did not carry, as Egress had not enabled it.

He just studied the gauntlet in front of the youth, as suddenly a serving girl entered the room, but said not a word.  She picked up a plate that had been hardly touched; and exited.

Egress changed his focus to follow the girl out and down the stairs.

“We follow her to learn of his friends,” he said, when Loray’s concentration wanted to keep them locked on the image of her son.  The vision caught up with the girl, giving a quick remark to the master of the inn behind the bar, where he was talking with a very large, dark-haired man dressed in leathers.

Loray’s distraction kept wavering the picture.

“Watch and learn,” he quickly whispered.  It took more effort, but he focused more strength on the spell that was touching her mind, as well as his attention inside the glass.

The dark-skinned proprietor addressed the barbarian.

“Your young friend needs less food?  It’s been a full day.”

“No,” Halrick casually told him.  “Let him come down when he’s ready.”

“Is your leader truly confident she can fight the tri-cleorps?”

“Yes.” He jabbed a thumb toward the upstairs.  “His magic will help us.”

Klingger leaned closer, and spoke softer.  Egress felt his fatigue starting to mount, as he focused more closely to listen.

“My friend, truly the odds are against her.  Is she anxious to walk into that forest, and throw her life away, with yours and the young man’s?”

“Ha-ha!  Worse odds are what we grew up on, Master Klingger.  You weren’t there when she beat a red dragon with such dispatch, she did not even have to deal the death-blow.

“We will purge your enemy.”

Klingger raised a glass.

“To victory!”

As the drinks chinked, Egress at last severed the connection.  Loray leaned back in a swoon, and nearly fell off her chair.

For his part, Egress’ aching head would never forgive him.  But he had to grin, with what he had learned.  Fate had just smiled on him again.