Rediscovery by Marion Zimmer Bradley Read Free Book Online Page A

roar down out of, and something made it just—go away.”
    Ysaye crawled over to the terminal, pulled off the cover, and starting running
    diagnostics. “Maybe,” she said absently, “someone down there has solved that old problem: ‘Everybody talks about the weather and nobody does anything about it.’”
    She paused for a moment, as her own words struck an odd chord within her. Did I just dream something about that? She tried to remember, but the dream, whatever it had been, was gone.
    David looked down at her soberly.
    “You think so?”
    Ysaye shrugged. “We’ve said it before; anything is possible. Including natives
    who have technology that doesn’t match anything we think of as technology.”
    David frowned at the now-blank screen. “Well, if someone did change the weather
    —whoever it might be, if he has that kind of power, I’d like to meet him—or her, or them.” He paused for a moment, as if he was having second thoughts.
    “Or, then again,” he said softly, “maybe I wouldn’t.”

CHAPTER 4
    In the garden of the Dalereuth Tower, three young girls walked together; two of
    them closely, as if they were best friends, and the third a little apart. All three bore the red hair and the strong aristocratic stamp in their features of the Comyn, the hereditary autarchy of the Domains. Comyn is what the scions of the seven families were styled; and they were looked upon with awe and envy, for each family bore a special Gift, or power of laran. Not every member of the Comyn had this Gift in strength—or even had it at all—for their blood was thinner these days, and the powers seemed to be dying out.
    Towers that had once sent messages and even messengers across vast distances now stood dark and empty. That was what made these three girls so precious—both to their Families, and to the Tower.
    Melora and Rohana Aillard, aged ten and twelve, were cousins, but were as alike
    as sisters; the third girl was Leonie Hastur, a little taller, a little fairer, a little older than the others. And very much more conscious of her rank and the strength of her laran. Her pride was evident in even the way she carried herself, head high, and not with eyes cast downward with the maidenly modesty that society preferred.
    At this time, late in the day, the younger girls in the Tower were allowed to gather in the gardens, weather permitting, to play games and amuse themselves as they wished.
    Leonie considered herself much too old for such nonsense as games, but it was a chance to escape the walls of the Tower, at least for a little while.
    “I’ll push you in the swing, Rohana,” said Melora, who was delicately made and
    the smallest of the three. “It’s not raining yet. I want to stay out as long as we can.”
    “Give it time,” Rohana replied, with a sigh. “It always seems to rain at night here in this season. The best we can hope for is that it doesn’t start until after we go in.”
    “It won’t rain tonight,” said Leonie very positively, and with a sly smile. “I want to see the moons, even if they are separating from conjunction; it is very important to me.”
    She did not say why it was important to her, nor did the other two girls bother to ask. After even so short an acquaintance, they knew that Leonie would never tell.
    “And I suppose,” responded Rohana Aillard, almost mockingly, “the weather will
    cooperate and stay clear just because you want it to. I should have known, of course.
    Even the weather must listen when a Hastur speaks.”
    “It usually does,” Leonie remarked, as if Rohana’s veiled mockery meant nothing
    to her. “If you don’t want the swing, Rohana, I do.”
    “No, it’s my turn first,” Rohana said, climbing into the swing and setting it in motion, and giving up on her attempt to ruffle Leonie’s temper. “They should have two swings—”
    “Or three, but how often do they have more than one person here young enough
    to be interested?” sighed Melora. She