Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,

was indignantly shaking at him, pulling her hand across the laden table to his lips. The familiar caress evoked familiar responses deep in her groin and she tried to use her irritation with his methods to neutralize its effect on her. Just then a communit bleep startled her. With a fleeting expression of annoyance, Lanzecki lifted his wrist unit to acknowledge the summons. A tinny version of Trags bass voice issued from the device. I was to inform you when the preliminary testing stations reported, the Administration Officer said. Any interesting applicants? Although Lanzecki sounded diffident, even slightly bored, the curious tension about his lips and eyes alerted Killashandra. She pretended to continue eating in a courteous disregard of the exchange, but she didnt lose a syllable of Trags reply. Four agronomists, an endocrinologist from Theta, two xenobiologists, an atmospheric physicist, three former spacers Killashandra noted the slight widening of Lanzeckis eyes which she interpreted as satisfaction and the usual flotsam who have no recommendations from Testing. Thank you, Trag. Lanzecki nodded his head at Killashandra to indicate the interruption was concluded and finished off the dish of fried Malva beans. So what is the glitch in the Optherian assignment? A lousy fee? On the contrary, such an installation is set at twenty thousand credits. And Id be off-world as well. Killashandra was quite impressed with the latitude such a credit balance would give her to forget crystal. You have not been awarded the contract, Killa. I appreciate your willingness to entertain the assignment but there are certain aspects which must be considered by the Guild as well as the individual. Dont commit yourself rashly. Lanzecki was being sincere. His eyes held hers steadily and a worried crease to his brows emphasized his warning. Its a long haul to the Optherian system. Youd be gone from Ballybran nearly a full year All the better You say that now when youre full of crystal resonance. You cant have forgotten Carrik yet. His reminder conjured flashing scenes of the first crystal singer she had met: Carrik laughing as they swam in Fuertes seas, then Carrik wracked by withdrawal fever and finally the passive hulk of the man, shattered by sonic resonance. canon underwater digital camera housings You will in time, Ive no doubt, experience that phenomenon, Lanzecki said. Ive never known a singer who didnt try to push himself and his symbiont to their limits. A major disadvantage to the Optherian contract is that you would lose any resonance to your existing claims. As if I had a decent claim among the lot. Killashandra snorted in disgust. Rose is no good to anyone and the blue petered out after two days cutting. Even the white vein skips and jumps. I cut the best of the accessible vein. With the kind of luck Ive been enjoying, the storm has probably made a total bollix of the site. I am not not, I repeat spending another three weeks in a spade and basket operation. Not for white. Why cant Research develop an efficient portable excavator? Lanzecki cocked his head slightly. It is the firm opinion of Research that any one of the nine efficient, portable and durable, a significant pause, excavators already field-tested ought to perform the task for which it was engineered except in the hands of a crystal singer. It is the opinion of Research that the only two pieces of equipment that do not tax the mechanical aptitude of a singer are his cutter though Fisherman does not concur and his sled, and you have already heard section and paragraph from the Flight Engineer on that score. Havent you? Killashandra regarded him stolidly for a few moments, then remembered to chew what was in her mouth. Overheard him, she said, with a malicious grin. Dont try to distract me from this Optherian business. Im not. I am bringing to your notice the several overt disadvantages to an assignment that involves a long absence from Ballybran for what might, in the long run, be inadequate compensation. His expression changed subtly. Id rather not be professionally at odds with you. It interferes with my private life. His dark eyes caught hers. He reached for her hands, lips curved in the one-sided smile that she found so affecting. She no longer shared a table with her Guild Master but with Lanzecki the man. The alteration pleased her. On numerous occasions, during sleepless nights in the Milekey Ranges, she had fondly remembered their love-making. Now, seated opposite the charismatic Lanzecki, she found that her appetite for more than food had been completely restored. Her smile answered his and together they rose from the little table and headed for the sleeping room. Chapter