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he would return to pick up where he left off. But if that were true, why would he even
talk to that girl?
Junosk was beginning to believe that the power of the stones was such that they would
bring about the New Age no matter what any of them did. Getting the Cylopean to try
stealing it again was pointless if Ava and her companions understood the stone s purpose.
With Joss s contacts, short of blasting them all to oblivion, there would be no stopping
them now. There was only one viable alternative left&
Joss s assurance that there were Aquerei factions searching everywhere for the Aquina
keystone people who wouldn t hesitate to kill for it made them more cautious. Ava now
kept the stone hidden from sight. Strolling through the streets as carefree tourists was no
longer an option. Dax and Waroun kept their hands near their pistols, and Threldigan
wrapped Ava in his cape as they hurried back to the ship as quickly and unobtrusively as
possible.
Despite the fact that Dax didn t intend to charge him for the ride, Joss hadn t shown
much enthusiasm until he boarded the Valorcry.  Very impressive, he commented, his
estimation of Dax obviously rising a notch or two.
Ava marveled at the way Dax managed to get Joss to go quietly though he did have a
little help from Waroun. They were quite a pair. She wasn t at all certain that Joss could
be trusted but didn t see that they had much choice. They could have accessed any
number of maps to direct them to the temple but, as Waroun had so succinctly pointed
out, finding it without anyone getting killed was the tough part.
Dax had been quick to initiate a plan of action, though he had the strength of his own
vision to push him toward that decision. He d seen her in that vision too. What part could
she possibly have to play beyond handing the stone over to the high priestess? She wasn t
the type to do anything remarkable or heroic. Granted, she was pretty handy with a pulse
pistol, but she was a barmaid, not a commando.
Still, if she could survive the backstreets of Luxaria which had few equals as a training
ground for the streetwise war-torn Aquerei should pose no significant challenges. Of
course, on Luxaria, she d done her best to avoid trouble. Now they were heading right
toward it with Joss as their guide.
Ava didn t like Joss very much. His lack of honesty irked her, and as she saw it, he was
nothing more than a rich man taking a vacation while his people were at war. He might
have been concerned with the outcome, but he obviously intended to lay low until the
shooting stopped. The fact that he d spoken to her at all was surprising he seemed
surprised himself. He must have been shocked out of his mind to see the stone.
Her hand moved to touch her pendant in wonder. Whatever the future would bring, at this
moment, she had a sense of the inevitable. She was going to Aquerei at last, and she was
going there with Dax. Leaving Dax or losing him was becoming less of an option all the
time.
But that night, lying in bed with Dax, Ava began to have doubts.  Are you sure you want
to do this? We could give the stone to someone else& 
Dax cut right to the heart of the matter.  Do you know of anyone you could trust with
such an important artifact?
 I certainly wouldn t trust Joss and like he said, it would be hard to tell which side
anyone was on. Sighing, she snuggled closer, resting her head on his chest.  We don t
have any choice, do we?
 Not if you re in favor of bringing about the New Age. You are, aren t you?
She raised her head to look him in the eye.  Of course I am. Why wouldn t I be?
 Obviously some people think it s a bad idea, or they wouldn t be fighting.
 True. Ava rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.  I m still trying to figure out
where my father came into all of this. Did he know it would turn out this way? And
which side was he on? Did he leave the stone with me for safekeeping until the right
time, or did he want it to disappear forever?
 If he d wanted that, he could have dropped it into the sea on any number of worlds, or
cast it into an active volcano. Leaving it in your care indicates that he wanted it kept
safe.
Ava nodded soberly.  And if he were killed, no one else would know where to look for it.
Too bad he didn t leave any instructions with the stone. Makes you wonder if fate might [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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