"You know," Ginevra says, almost archly, "the Seker was supposed to be an abstract concept. Or at least an abstract force that eanates fromt he purple fire behind his Gate, in the Cavern underneath our old fortress Valgaard. So you can probably imagine my surprise to find somebody here who claims to be Asar-Suti, messing about in the garden, and with the kitchen personnel. It was a rather disturbing mismatching of concepts."

She eyes Seth. "That little fellow looks about ready to go to sleep - of course if the want to, no noise in the world is going to keep them from it."