afers, holding one for Snooks to nibble. Then he
became aware that his son was wearing leather shorts and tall buskins.

"Going out somewhere?" he asked, a trifle enviously.

"Up in the mountains, for a picnic. Olva's going along."

And his tutor, and his esquire, and Olva's companion-lady, and a dozen
Thoran riflemen, of course, and they'd be in continuous screen-contact
with the Palace.

"That ought to be a lot of fun. Did you get all your lessons done?"

"Physics and math and galactiography," Rodrik told him. "And Professor
Guilsan's going to give me and Olva our history after lunch."

They talked about lessons, and about the picnic. Of course, Snooks was
going on the picnic, too. It was evident, though, that Rodrik had
something else on his mind. After a while, he came out with it.

"Father, you know I've been a little afraid, lately," he said.

"Well, tell me about it, son. It isn't anything about you and Olva, is
it?"

Rod was fourteen; the little Princess Olva thirteen. They would be
marriageable in six years. As far as anybody could tell, they were both
quite happy about the marriage which had been arranged for them years
ago.

"Oh, no; nothing like that. But Olva's sister and a couple others of
mother's ladies-in-waiting were to a psi-medium, and the medium told
them that there were going to be changes. Great and frightening changes
was what she said."

"She didn't specify?"

"No. Just that: great and frightening changes. But the only change of
that kind I can think of would be ... well, something happening to you."

Snooks, having eaten three wafers, was trying to lick his ear. He pushed
the little dog back into his lap and pummeled him gently with his left
hand.

"You mustn't let mediums' gabble worry you, son. These psi-mediums have
real powers, but they can't turn them off and on like a water tap. When
they don't get anything, they don't like to admit it, and they invent
things. Always generalities like that; never anything specific."

"I know all that." The boy seemed offended, as though somebody were
explaining that his mother hadn't really found him out in the rose
garden. "But they talked about it to some of their friends, and it seems
that other mediums are saying the same thing. Father, do you remember
when the Haval Valley reactor blew up? All over Odin, the mediums had
been talking about a terrible accident, for a month before that
happened."

"I remember that." Harv Dorflay beli