Chepa led Bracken and Lisha on a tour of the performing hall while Silas stayed behind to help with the instrument set up. The music center was one of the most unusual Bracken had ever seen. He felt privileged to have Chepa give him a guided tour. A large transparent floor, the entire diameter of the globe, stretched out in front of the platform, revealing the lower part of the Sphere falling away beneath it. Above his head, the concave walls of the ball rose toward their apex. A unique array of fixtures hung from the ceiling. Once activated, this would help to turn the Sphere into a glittering ballroom. A transparent gauze-like material was stretched in contour with the walls and about a foot in front of them over the entire face of the Sphere. Chepa pointed out the walls, as the three of them stood in the center of the vast complex. "Behind that covering are some of the special atmosphere producers. Tonight, when they're turned on, you'll see what a fascinating world this place can become."

Just then someone called from the entryway. "Hey, Chepa," waved the figure as he moved toward them across the crystalline deck.

Chepa turned and waved back. "Ley, good to see you!" As Ley Os approached, Chepa nodded toward Bracken. "Recognize my new friend?"

Os looked happily surprised to see Bracken. "I certainly do. Never expected to see you two together."

Os extended his hand and Bracken shook it warmly. "It's kind of a surprise for both of us. We ran into Chepa and his group near Rimlex. They had a little trouble with their trans, and I helped get it running again. They offered us a ride and here we are." Bracken was glad to see the Gem dealer again. Their Mingus experience and the night battle had knit Bracken's heart with the older man. Bracken was also relieved to see that Ley had survived the attempts on his life. "Where did you disappear to after that trouble in Accad? I went back to your place later but no one answered my knock."

"There're plenty of places to disappear to in that city. I wasn't about to go home after what happened," answered Os.

"Who are your friends, Bracken?" Os glanced briefly at Silas who had joined them, and then turned and gazed into Lisha's eyes with an almost hypnotic stare. "This one is particularly lovely." Lisha felt a little embarrassed by Ley Os' commanding manner. She had never met anyone as completely fascinating as Ley. She wasn't Sure whether she should respond to his suggestive look or merely remain aloof. Finally she smiled shyly back, and looked to Brarken hoping to escape Ley's haunting gaze.

Ley had not taken his eyes off of Lisha. She could feel his Stare. She began to feel a mysterious attraction to him. Finally Ley turned his gaze back to Bracken. "You have good taste in friends, Bracken. Very good taste. By the way, have you shared our little secret with them yet?"

"Yes, I've told them all about the Gem. They're eager to experience it. That's part of the reason they came along with me." Bracken enjoyed the thought of sharing the Gem's power with his friends. He Wanted Lisha to experience it. He wanted everyone to touch it. Even the Pirax.

Silas cleared his throat and addressed Ley eagerly. "How Will the Gem affect us? Will it help us?" Even though Bracken had shared with him the thrill Of the stone's power, Silas was still a little doubtful. Lisha had her doubts too, but her interest in Os was changing all that now. The unknown seemed suddenly exciting.

"It's effect is perfectly safe and wonderfully helpful," said Os. His voice took on a friendlier tone as he smiled warmly at Silas and then Lisha. He felt a deep sense of personal satisfaction when it came to instructing novices.

"It's what helped make Chepa's group one of the most unique musical sounds in Nerkush. I'm sure Bracken's told you about its other effects."

Silas remembered what Bracken had shared with him back in Tizra. "Why, yes. It's supposed to alter one's awareness of reality, right?"

"Not alter," replied Ley. His blue-green eyes danced with a secret joy. "Let's say, enhances it. There's more to life than meets the senses and much you've yet to understand." Ley winked at Chepa and then turned back to Silas. "The shadows of our world hide more than lurking ghosts. Obscurity is the guardian of many a treasure. The Gem dispels all such enigmas."

Chepa patted Silas on the back reassuringly. "He's absolutely right." Resting his hand on Silas' shoulder, he turned his attention to the pouch at Os' side. "Looks like you brought some with you, Ley."

Ley put his hand on the leather bag strapped to his waistband. "Yes, there's plenty for all of you."

Chepa motioned to the rest of his group. They had finished unloading the equipment and were lounging on the stage. "Good. I was hoping the group would have time to touch the stone before we went on tonight."

"That's why I'm here," smiled Ley. Chepa pointed toward the door to the musician's lounge. "Let's go. There's no better time than the moment."

The group leisurely walked across the Sphere's glass-like deck. Their footsteps echoed in the empty room.

Chepa was walking between Bracken and Ley. "You know, Ley, Bracken's quite a musician."

Ley looked pleasantly surprised. "You never told me, Bracken."

Bracken grinned back at Os. "Didn't think of it."

"You going to play with the group tonight?

Chepa interrupted him as they reached the door. "He sure is. I think you're going to like his playing, Ley. He's great. I can't imagine what it'll be like after the Gem."

"I'm looking forward to finding out," said Ley as the group disappeared from the hall and walked down the corridor leading to the back room.

Entering the music hall later that evening, Bracken was confronted by an overpowering sight. He had expected the room to be wondrous once its atmosphere producers were activated, but what he saw before him as he mounted the stage exceeded the limits of his imagination. A sea of curious face stared at him from the audience. People dressed in a rainbow of colorful clothing clogged the massive floor. He strapped his stam in place and gazed at the dome overhead. Hues of amber, magenta, vermilion and ruby mixed on the laced white, outer surface of the curving walls. Dancing pigmentations seemed to Spill over the onlookers as a kaleidoscope of spotlights beamed down from above. Every motion of the people around him came alive with fluidity. Every tint of light shimmered with life. The effect of the Gem was at its maximum.

Overwhelmed by the beauty around him, Bracken's soul bloomed in awe and adulation. Turning to the others in the group, Chepa gave the signal to begin. As if ignited by the blaze of a hidden dawn, Bracken's heart erupted with song. His fingers sprinted on the strings of his instrument, detonating an explosion of arousing sound. Leaning forward, he sang into the microphone His voice, an unleashed prisoner of silence, exalted in song like a chorus of anthems:

Wanderer, find your home
Depart your vacant tomb
Grasp the stars to take your flight
Shake away the Webs of fright
And soar...
Straggler, set your course
Break the binding force
Place your feet upon new ground
Listen closely to the sound
And roar…
You are new, you are now, you are the breath of life
You are free, you are here, you are the death of strife
Hate will melt beneath our gaze
In the loving nights and the endless days
No more the fist of hate, gone forever suffering's gate.

In response, the crowd came to life. Hundreds of bodies swayed, coupling, spinning, caressing. A rippling ocean of desire linked everyone in the Sphere in a bond of fellowship. Voices echoed back to Bracken from the audience and elsewhere beckoning for more, Whispering for further blessings. The members of Golden Flight smiled at each other, Bracken laughing with them. In melodic union they played on till late that night, each song building another layer or sensation until the final number brought the concert to a climax.