As they ate, Lily was unusually thoughtful and quiet for so long that Anest was prompted to say, "May I ask what's on your mind?"
With diffident reluctance, she rose from her seat and went to where her outer robe hung; a wooden peg set in the near wall. She withdrew the Summoning Stone from a pocket and returned to her seat.
"Both you and Belloc have said that this is a periapt of great power." She turned it over in her hands as though searching for some hidden flaw, yet it appeared whole, perfect, as alive and green as living sap. "I see its power . . . but what I feel is something else entirely." She raised her green-gold eyes to his own which were a contrasting deep blue like early evening skies. Hers spoke of activity and doings under the clear light of day, a restless energy, ever in motion; his, though seemingly made for quiet stillness and calm, relaxed contemplation, were now troubled on her behalf. She lowered her gaze, though if she yet studied or even saw the periapt, he was not sure. "What I feel is responsibility descending upon my shoulders like a great weight. Yet I cannot put a name to the source or cause of what I feel. This concerns me, for the search for the meaning of this riddle seems always to lead me away from myself." She raised her eyes to his. "And from