"We removed the replacement orb from the ship and placed a selection of lab animals aboard," Saturn told the assembled senior wizards the next day. "When we went back a few hours later all the animals were alive and well, so either the original orb is still functioning or the ship is drifting through a volume of space empty of skydeath." He kept his eye particularly on Seskip as he spoke, savouring what he was sure was a look of disappointment on the unsettlingly reptilian face.

     "Where is the ship now?" asked Natan Crowley.

     "In a high orbit above the planet Rama," replied Saturn. "It was much closer to the planet, examining its innermost moons, when the incident occurred, and Gunther Fugh's last order was to head the ship up and away, fearing that their proximity to the planet might be in some way responsible. I think he may have been right. We know there are regions above our own planet where the skydeath varies in strength. I suspect there is a region close above the cloudtops of Rama where the skydeath reaches such an intensity that the orbs are unable to protect against it."

     Some of the other wizards sat forward in their seats, and Colonel Valeron Hort in particular looked interested. "A natural phenomenon?" he asked, "or a deliberately contrived defensive measure? Could it be that Rama is the world we are looking for? The home of the Shipbuilder civilisation?"

     "I don't believe so," replied Saturn. "All the outer moons are frozen balls of ice. It's too far from the yellow sun. We know that the shipbuilders were nearly enough human to need a world like ours. I believe their world lies on the other side of the transdimensional rift the Felisians came through."

     "What do we know about Rama?" asked the Director.

     "It's a much larger world than Tharia, at least ten times its diameter. It is densely covered with clouds, so much so that no part of its surface is visible. It has winds of several hundred miles an hour and lightning storms rage almost continually. Even if it were warmer, it would not be possible to live under those conditions. No possible civilisation could exist there."

     "Not on the surface, maybe," mused Crandell Way, a grey haired but still spry and active wizard only recently retired and returned to teach the next generation. "What about underground caverns? Our own world has the Underworld, a cavern the size of a continent. Rama may have caverns the size of our whole world. And we know it is warmer underground than on the surface. Those caverns could be quite cosy, no matter how inhospitable the surface is."

     "That is mere speculation," pointed out Saturn. "We should be exploring the worlds on the other side of the transdimensional rift."

     "We don't yet know where the rift is," replied Seskip. "Neither of the Felisians we captured know its location. Their pilot was one of those who escaped."

     "Then we should be searching for it, not sitting here bickering like a lot of old women."

     Maera Goodlun, a grey haired wizardess from Lydia and Janet Tollier, an Ilandian and fierce matriarch of a huge and widely spread family, both looked up and looked at each other with expressions of disdain.

     "You know how vast a volume space encompasses," said Pondar Walton with a little sneer. "How long would you have to search before stumbling across it? Heed my words, Mon-Morchov. Simply searching at random would be a hopeless quest."

     Saturn glowered, knowing the other wizard was right but hating to admit it.

     "The Felisians found it," pointed out the Director. "If they just 'stumbled across it by chance', as you put it, then our position seems hopeless, but it may be that there is a way to detect it from a distance. Transdimensional portals emit fields of randomised magic, don't they?" Several heads nodded around the table. "Then spells to detect magic might be of some use. Master Walton, perhaps you could look into this for us."

     "I have my own projects..." protested the elderly wizard in agitation.

     "Which can wait," said the Director firmly. "This is more important. Until then, however, it makes sense for us to explore the worlds we know about, so we can formally eliminate them from our enquiries. How many worlds are there beyond Rama, Maera?"

     Meara Goodlun looked up in surprise. She'd attended several faculty meetings but never before been called upon to speak at one. Perhaps Natan Crowley was trying to make up for Saturn's chattering old women comment.

     "Only one," she said, self conscious at having everyone looking at her. "Talphon. Another big world like Rama. It has at least three moons, one of which, Tibron, is almost as big as Tharia. Beyond that, nothing."

     "Nothing that we know about," corrected Pondar Walton. "Talphon's existence was unknown until the Agglemonian astronomer Sarl Cunn spotted it through a Lens of Farseeing in 1091. Who knows what other worlds circle even further out, undiscovered and unsuspected?"

     "The further you go from the warmth of Tharsol, the colder it gets," countered Saturn impatiently. "If you had seen the outer moons of Rama with your own eyes, as I have, you would abandon all thought of finding the world of the Shipbuilders circling our own sun."

     "Could it be circling Derro?" asked Maera impulsively, then immediately shrank down with embarrassment as all eyes turned to look at her.

     "By the Gods!" gasped Kalda Mot, the director of extra planar studies. "Why didn't any of us think of that?"

     "One of us did," said Janet Tollier icily, fixing him with her hard blue eyes. After nearly two thousand years it was about time female wizards were treated with the same respect at the highest levels as their male counterparts.

     "Yes, yes of course," agreed Kalda in embarrassment, dropping his eyes.

     "How long would it take the Jules Verne to reach the vicinity of Derro?" Natan Crowley asked Saturn.

     "I have no idea," admitted the senior wizard. "No-one even knows how far away it is."

     "It can't be that far," said Kalda. "It appears about the same size as Tharsol in our sky. If it were very far away, it would have to be tremendous to still appear so big."

     Saturn looked doubtful, though. "So far as I can remember, it appeared the same size from every vantage point in our planetary system. In the vicinity of Rama, Tharsol was tiny, but Derro appeared unchanged. I think it may be very large indeed."

     "It doesn't matter how big it is," said Natan Crowley. "What matters is whether it has planets orbiting it. Saturn, Derro will be your next destination. How soon can we put a crew back aboard the Jules Verne?"

     "As soon as we can verify beyond all doubt that the Orb of Skydeath Protection is still working properly. A few days perhaps. Then we're going to need some way of making sure that what happened never happens again. We need to confirm the presence of a death zone around Rama and we need some way to detect other death zones before we go blundering into them."

     "Canaries," muttered Maera, looking encouraged by Janet Tollier's defence of her. "Trogs take canaries into their deepest tunnels. If there's gas the canary drops off its perch, alerting the trogs to the danger."

     "I was hoping for something a little more sophisticated," said Saturn, but with some reluctant amusement. "A spell to detect skydeath perhaps, working in a similar way to a Reveal spell."

     "Well, since you know exactly what's wanted you're the ideal man to work on it," said Natan Crowley with a smile. "I leave the skydeath detection spell in your capable hands. Now then, is there anything else we need to discuss?"

     "We need a replacement for Gunther Fugh," said Saturn. "There's only a short list of candidates. We need someone who's familiar with the ship of space. Preferably someone who's had a hand in its construction."

     "Do you have someone in mind?" asked the Director.

     Saturn hesitated just a moment before replying. He had a good idea how his recommendation would be received. "In my opinion, the most suitable candidate is Tassley Kimber. She knows the ship and she's a worthy wizard."

     "Tassley Kimber?" cried Pondar Walton in astonishment. "That vixen? You seriously want to put that harlot aboard a ship full of hot blooded men? There'll be a riot!"

     Tassley's reputation was well known, and not a few of the assembled wizards were grinning in amusement, to Saturn's annoyance. What are we? he thought angrily. Wizards or giggling adolescents? "I would, of course, see that she behaves herself," he assured them. "Any flirtation with the crew would be severely punished, I'll make sure she knows that."

     "Can we trust her to obey such a command?" asked Pondar doubtfully. "I know that girl better than anyone else in this room and I don't think it's a matter of choice for her. I think she simply can't help herself."

     "Then it's time she learned," said Saturn with a face like stone. "She has it in her to be a first rate wizard if she could only learn to keep her legs together."

     "I'll have a word with her," said Maera. "She's not alone, though, as you all well know. The ability to wield awesome magical powers, the ability to defend themselves against all but the world's most dangerous inhabitants, gave many female wizards the confidence to go on the offensive in their personal relationships. The trouble is that it brings all of female wizardry into disrepute. You men tend to see us as little more than a joke. Not really proper wizards at all."

     The Director looked about to say something but Maera raised a hand to stop him. "Don't deny it. You all know it to be true. And putting all the blame on Tassley is unfair. It takes two to tango, to borrow one of Elmias Pastin's favourite expressions. None of you think any less of the male wizards she takes to her bed."

     "What is a tango, anyway?" someone further down the table asked. The man next to him just shook his head in bafflement.

     "You're right, of course," said the Director with a nod of his head. "Nevertheless, for the sake of order and discipline she needs to refrain from her favourite hobby while she's aboard ship." He turned to Saturn. "You think you can keep her under control?"

     "Yes," confirmed Saturn confidently. "I'll put a Belt of Chastity on her if I have to."

     "Very well," said Natan Crowley. "The final decision will be up to the selection committee, of course, but your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight. They'd need a good reason to turn her down with you backing her. Anything else, anyone?"

     There wasn't, so the Director began the long process of ending the meeting.

☆☆☆

     The news spread like wildfire, and was treated as a fait accompli even before the selection committee confirmed her appointment. Tassley was delighted. Even though she'd been accepted for crew training and had been working alongside the other potential crew members for over a year now, she'd never thought she stood a real chance of making it onto the Jules Verne as a member of the crew. If the truth were told, the idea of being cooped up with so many brawny, sweaty men had a lot to do with her delight, but she was realistic enough to know that such behaviour wouldn't be tolerated even before Saturn spelled it out for her. Even if she were forced to remain completely celibate, though, she would still have been eager for the chance to explore the unknown, to see things that no-one had ever seen before. In this she had a lot in common with Thomas Gown.

     Lirenna was horrified when she heard the news, and her head filled with images of the blonde beauty cornering Thomas and ravishing him, as if she were powerful enough to take him by force.

     "But you'll be there as well," pointed out Thomas later that day, back in their dwelling tree. He was surprised to find himself growing aroused by his wife's jealousy. "You'll be able to keep an eye on both of us, and you can read her mind. See if she does anything she shouldn't."

     "If she so much as looks at you..." growled Lirenna, sparks flying from her eyes, her nails digging deep into Thomas's flesh where she held his arm. "I'll tear her apart! I'll wear her teeth as a necklace! I'll tan that perfect white skin and use it to bind my spellbooks and make a floor mop from that silky golden hair!"

     Thomas's passion was now almost too great to contain and his breath came in panting gasps. "Compared to you her skin's as rough as dragonhide and her hair's as coarse and dull as brown string. She gave up on me when she got her first look at you because she knew she just couldn't compete."

     Lirenna stared at him, her eyes glowing with fierce love and aggressive, predatorial sexuality. Nothing turned her on more than when he said things like that. Suddenly they were tearing each other's clothes off, cloth ripping and buttons flying, and they had each other right there and then on the living room floor.

☆☆☆

     Afterwards, they didn't bother dressing again. They enjoyed looking at each other too much. Instead, their desires temporarily sated, they went to the bedroom to lie on the bed. They lay facing each other, hands on each other's flanks, each enjoying the feel of the other and the touch of the other. They staried into each other's eyes, simply enjoying the moment and wishing it could go on forever.

     When it began to get dark and the temperature dropped below the point where nudity was comfortable, they slipped under the sheets and made love again, but slower this time and savouring every moment. Every touch and smell and taste. It left Thomas feeling wonderfully drowsy and he would have slipped into a deep dreamless sleep, but Lirenna was still bright eyed and nudged him back to full wakefulness.

     "What is it?" he mumbled sleepily, lifting himself up onto one elbow.

     "Tell me what happened to Tak next," the demi shae demanded eagerly. "After Molos Gomm returned to the castle. I want to know everything."

     "It's nighttime," protested Thomas, looking at the window, but the truth was that not all the stars were out yet and those parts of the sky he could see through the gaps in the forest canopy still had a shade of dark indigo. It was still at least two hours before the time they normally went to bed. "I haven't sorted the next bit out on paper yet. I might get things in the wrong order."

     "Doesn't matter," replied Lirenna. "I'll sort it out in my head. Start talking."

     Thomas sighed in resignation, but with a grin of pleasure. He loved being the object of his wife's rapt attention, horrific though some of the memories they brought back were. Someone else's memories, he reminded himself. Not mine. But if he remembered it as vividly as though it had happened to him, what was the difference?

     The difference is, my body has not been violated, he told himself. My body has not been penetrated by perverted wizards or sex starved older apprentices. My body is clean and untainted. That helped. He felt he could talk now. "I'll cast a light spell," he said, moving to get out of bed.

     Lirenna grabbed him by the arm and held him back. "We don't need light. In the dark I can picture the scenes you describe."

     Thomas nodded and they sat up in bed, the sheets around their waists. Lirenna snuggled against him and he put an arm around her shoulder.

     "I'm not going to talk about what the next year was like. I've said enough to give you some idea. All I'll say is that he became numbed by the unceasing horror of it, and that this had the merciful effect of making the time seem to fly by. He blinked, and months would have passed. The next really significant thing to happen to him was Philip's death. This is how it happened..."