Idyll could see the intermediate future, and the machines could see the far future. The spans of time differed enormously, but the three types of seeing were actually equivalent, because decisions of the present had overwhelming impact on the future. What a person did in ten seconds could change the course of events for the hour and beyond. The key was to fathom the impact of specific actions, so as to know and avoid the dangerous ones.
In one second a person could stick her thumb on a thorn, and the pain might fade within a minute, so a glimpse at one hour later might show no change. But if that thorn were poisoned, it might take a day for the mischief to manifest, so the clearance of the near future was no guarantee. The intermediate future could catch most such things, however. That was why Voila had told her to go to Idyll. It wasn't any lack of competence or courtesy; it was a necessary check.
Gale picked up the plant and conjured herself to Counter Charm. She arrived in the reception glade of Idyll Ifrit, the first non-human, non-animal Glamor they had encountered. Millennia old Idyll had become young Voila's closest associate, and a key player in the siege effort.
There was a swirl as an illusion figure formed. Idyll's specialty was illusion, and she was phenomenal. The glade, its surrounding forest, and all else in this section of the planet were part of her illusion fields. But Idyll herself was real, though seldom with any physical body. "Welcome, friend," the image said, coalescing to human woman aspect.
Gale opened her mind and held up the potted plant. "Question."
The ifrit examined the situation, and applied her ability to see the intermediate future paths.
"Safe," Idyll concluded. "For you and Vila."
"Appreciation."
"Significance."
"Agreement." But there was a problem. "Normally we need ikons at each end to safely travel between stars."
"The alien plant ikon connects to its Glamor," Idyll said. "As her guest you can make that first journey. You can leave a duplicate ikon for visits thereafter."
So she could. But still she was nervous. "Favor." She put her request uppermost in her mind.
"Privilege."
Then an imprint of the ifrit formed in her mind, like a second personality. Idyll was joining her, lending her considerable consciousness and perception to Gale's body. That made her feel far more competent.
The two women hugged. They were of totally different kinds, flesh and demon, but they were friends who completely trusted each other. Voila had spent much time with Idyll when growing up, and Vila was doing so now.
Idyll had much to teach, and she was great company. And now, as they separated physically, they remained together mentally. That was very reassuring for Gale; she trusted Idyll's competence beyond her own in dealing with aliens.
Gale conjured herself directly to Figment. Aura and Vila were there, of course, discussing animals. They had even half-tamed a six-legged squirrel that lived in the foliage of the tree. The creature quickly vacated when strangers appeared.
"Appreciation," Gale said to Aura. "Now Vila and I must travel far."
"Question?" Aura inquired.
"To a new culture, in a new star system," Gale explained. "Idyll is with me."
"Approval."
Gale picked Vila up, and took Aura's hand. She conjured them to Triumph. She thanked Aura, who departed.
Then, to Vila: "Dress in travel clothes, and carry a nonChroma stone. We don't know what we'll encounter."
The girl obeyed without hesitation.
"And fetch a duplicate ikon."
Vila went to the hidden box where Gale kept several copies of her ikon. She lifted the little metallic figure of a ball of moss. "Question?"
Gale considered briefly. "Yes, swallow it. That will be the one you keep, at least until we return."
The child wrapped the ikon in a wad of bread and swallowed it. It would remain in her system several days, and she would not allow it to be lost with her wastes. She would wash it off and swallow it again if need be. Her regular ikon remained bound out of sight in her hair. It did not matter where on her or in her the ikon was, or that there were now two of them; what counted was that as long as they were in a nonChroma zone, they would transmit power to Gale. If there were no nonChroma zones where they traveled, she would have to depend on the Chroma stones. They would do; otherwise the near and intermediate future paths would not be clear.
A glamor could not touch her own ikon, or any other Glamor's ikon; that was why the ikons had to be carried by trusted normal folk, or securely hidden. But a Glamor could touch or transport the person holding an ikon, so long as that ikon never touched the Glamor's flesh. Gale thought of it as being like a burning hot pan: the bare hand could not touch it, but a potholder could be used to carry it. Vila was in that sense a potholder; she carried the ikon and Gale carried her. The girl understood the way of it, and also knew the benefits the ikon bequeathed her, making her healthier, smarter, and in due course as she matured, sexier. Ikons protected themselves by enhancing their bearers. It was a nice deal, provided the bearers did not try to stop bearing them.
"The plant is an alien ikon," Gale said. "It anchors this site. We well go to its Glamor. I do not know what to expect, except that it is safe."
"It's a plant Glamor," Vila said.
"How do you know that?"
"The plant told me."
Gale did not question this. Her daughter had perceptions others lacked, perhaps because of Gale's ikon.
Maybe one ikon could understand another ikon.
They went to the front office. "Ennui, we are going to a far star to visit a plant culture," Gale said. "We hope to return soon."
Ennui was Havoc's oath friend, the one he trusted before all others. She handled this astonishing news as if it were routine. "Will you need to be covered?"
"That's probably best, if we are gone long." For Gale was the Queen, and her prolonged absence would be noted.
She had a double to take her place, a loyal mortal woman who looked very much like her, by no coincidence, and who enjoyed taking Havoc to bed when it was in the line of that duty. Sometimes Havoc teased Gale that the double was more fun than she was. But then Gale teased him back about the sexual prowess of his double, when Gale bedded him.
"Please check in when you return," Ennui said. This was not mere concern; she needed to know where the primary figures of the planet were at all times, in case of emergency. Ennui was now in her sixties and ready to retire, but was determined to see the Third Crisis through first.
"Agreement. There is a small potted plant in my chamber. Water it if need be, but do not move it or allow it to be disturbed."
Again the woman accepted this without question. "Agreement." Ennui was thoroughly competent.
They returned to the chamber. Gale placed the plant in a windowed alcove so that sunlight could find it for much of the day. She picked Vila up, kissed her, and invoked the travel line.
Immediately they were caught up in the swirl of ether travel. This was a matter of conjuring the bodies to the wormhole the line led to, then conjuring through that hole. It was the same system that spaceships used, except that individuals could use smaller and closer wormholes. Wormholes were spots where the underlying fabric of the universe—the ether—was warped to the point that a cyst formed between adjacent convolutions, a kind of black hole, and passing through that aperture took a ship or person to a quite different and distant part of space. Because matter was responsible for the warping of the ether, and a galaxy was a collection of matter, wormholes generally connected spots that were not too distant from each other, astronomically: the same section of the galaxy. So their destination was probably within a hundred light years or so. It would still have been extremely awkward to travel that distance through normal space at under light speed. Wormholes facilitated virtually instant travel, once their locations and connections were zeroed in.