"I believe that she must do so. There is unfinished business between herself and her brother."

There was a small pause.

"Uncle Daav," Shan said carefully, "are you quite well?"

Daav sighed. Shan was a Healer. To lie to a Healer was...difficult. Still, they were bound not to force themselves even upon those they considered to be in need, and they were, after all, merely human. Which meant that they could be distracted.

"I am a trifle tired, child," he said evenly, and turned his head to meet opaque silver eyes. "Our neighbor, the excellent Mr. Shaper, tells me that Boss Sherton undertakes to build a road to the sea. The delm was unsurprised."

"She must have been working on it for years," Shan said, obligingly following him into the new subject. "Considering what she has to work with and how far along it is. I'm going to propose to the delm that we offer to assist her --" He kicked at an embedded boulder, artfully missing-- "since we'll be doing work of our own."

"That would," Daav said, "be neighborly, and a road to the sea must benefit all."

"It may benefit Korval more than most. I've been looking about Surebleak for a place to site yos'Galan's new house."

"Surely there's room at Jelaza Kazone for us all? And no need for a fortress to protect our valley, here. All we need do in order to remain inviolate is to fail to fix the road."

Shan grinned. "As you point out, it's hardly prudent for all of us to travel in the same car."

Daav inclined his head, acknowledging the point. "Yet, in terms of a strike from space, two houses as near as this location and the seacoast --"

"I have my eye on the archipelago that lies east and north of here."

"North?"

"Yes, it seems lunatic. However, according to Weatherman Brunner, once the mirrors are deployed in orbit, and tuned correctly, we should see some climatic benefit very quickly-- and the situation I have in mind is only a few degrees nearer the pole." He sighed.