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The floor was scribed with a star-in-circle configuration she recognized from old texts-a predictive tool prized by diviners. The floor gently rolled and pitched in an unsettling manner, as if floating on liquid. Telarian reclined at the star's center, staring at hef, surprise evident on his face.

"Delphe!"

"Why, hello, Telarian. I see you've been delving new chambers within Stardeep?" She tried to keep her voice light, but was mostly unsuccessful.

Telarian raised himself to a sitting position then stood. His features resumed their normally placid countenance.

He said, "As you can see." He gestured around. "I find the Epoch Chamber helps concentrate my talents."

"Ah-so Cynosure informed me. And have you learned anything useful?" She gazed down at the smaller symbols scribed around the circle's periphery and at the slowly burning incense sticks.

He squinted at her, a yearning expression briefly inhabiting his face. Then he smiled ruefully. "Not yet. But if I can look forward far enough, I can foresee all potential escape attempts by the Traitor. Once I know of them, I can etadicate each and every possibility from the time stream."

Her eyes widened. "Is that possible?"

He shrugged. "So I hope."

"The Traitor tried today-I would have told you earlier, but I couldn't find you. Did you foresee that?" "He tried today?"

"Yes-your new chamber didn't foresee it?"

Telarian considered, frowning. Then he said, "It did not. But then, it wouldn't, would it? You obviously foiled the effort."

"But he mounted a genuine, credible effort! If I hadn't stemmed the attempt… what good is your early warning chamber if-"

He put up a hand. "Why should I focus on escape attempts alteady destined to be foiled by our efforts? Interference in such events, already predetermined to proceed one way, could finish far differently. No, I'm looking for instances of probability where the Traitor successfully breaks free of all our containment efforts."

Delphe blinked. "Successfully?"

"Yes. If I can identify those instances, how ever far in the future, I can take steps right now in the present to make certain those circumstances fail to develop and materialize."

Delphe put a hand to the side of her head. Telarian's voice seemed so matter of fact, so rational. But the meanings behind the words he spoke seemed unbound by reason. She spoke out, "How far do you look?"

He smiled. A note of pride crept into his voice as he explained. "Before I crafted this chamber, I could see only moments, perhaps days at most. Now I can see years. The misty edges of a century ahead are becoming clear to me,…

Telarian broke off, frowning. "And you've seen… what?"

He plied her with anothet gauging look. Finally he said, "I've seen worrying images…"

She grasped his shoulder, squeezing. "What? What did you see?"

He frowned again, said, "I'm too close to the edge of temporal resolution; I can't be sure. I'm working to increase the clarity of that vision so the details will firm up."

"You must have seen something-I can tell by your expression you hold something back. From your fellow Keeper!"

"Delphe, until I could be relatively certain, I didn't want to commit all of Stardeep to a plan that might be unnecessary. I-"

She squeezed harder. "Describe the images you saw."

He swallowed, then spoke. "Alliances. The Traitor retains alliances with those outside Stardeep, outside even the hidden realm of Sildeyuir. I've seen visions of wood elves unearthing old tomes, old journals, and becoming ensnared. But the seeds of cotruption have already been cast, or soon will be. If we do not act in relatively short order, I fear that wood elves will find this cache."

Delphe released Telarian's arm and stepped back. She said, "You are certain?"

"No, not certain. But I am making preparations, gathering resources, sending out agents."

"Is that why you sent Empyrean Knights across the Causeway?"

His eyes narrowed but he nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's tight. I sent them to reconnoiter a wood elf encampment established a fair distance from the Causeway. If the Knights reach