The last straw had been walking into Fontana's office a short time later and discovering that the subject of her interview had the power to raise the hair on the nape of her neck.

"Elvis isn't a pet," she said, pulling herself together with an effort. "He's a companion. Now, if you don't mind, I have another question regarding your plans for the Crystal City Guild."

Fontana looked amused. "You seem to be obsessed with the future of this organization."

"The Guilds wield enormous power in all of the city-states. That was especially true here in Crystal under your predecessor's administration. Naturally my readers are anxious to know what to expect now that there is a new chief."

Fontana shrugged. "The Guilds are respected, well-established institutions. They have always played active roles in the political and social affairs of their communities. I see no reason for that to change."

In Sierra's opinion, the Guilds were all about power, and there was certainly a lot of it here in Fontana's office—not just the political and social kind but also the sort produced by raw psi energy. Some of that was coming from Fontana himself. But the room also shimmered faintly with energy. In fact, there was so much psi swirling in the atmosphere she knew there had to be a secret entrance to the ancient underground tunnels somewhere nearby. Here in the Old Quarter there were reputed to be hundreds of old holes-in-the-wall, as they were called.

She straightened a little in her chair. She had come here for answers, and she intended to get them.

"I'll allow that the Guilds are well-established institutions," she said briskly, "but don't you think it's going a bit too far to say that they are respected? I'm sure you're well aware that all of the organizations have serious problems when it comes to public relations."