"You two really are different than most of the scum I've met. You remind me of myself and Sleituson when we'd first found the stone -- which is why you'd better not have it any longer." She lunged at the table and Jon swept his arm towards the stone, but Glora slammed one hand on the table just behind the stone. The stone slid away from her hand, towards her as she reached with both hands to cup the thing. It hovered in the cage of her fingers, unable to touch her hands, emitting a golden glow. The boat's cabin rocked in the waves.
Jon stood and advanced on Glora. "No! You lied to us!" He remembered the were-otter power he'd gained, and claws sprouted from the ends of his paws as he changed to the most intimidating mix of otter and human he could manage. Karyn was frozen in her seat, but changed too, growing claws.
"Sleituson really was just a warlord. I'm the Unifier of Worlds, and you've set me free." She closed her eyes and said, "I wish Jon here wouldn't lunge at me."
Jon had been about to do so, but his muscles refused. The stone still worked between her hands! Instead he moved slowly in her direction, circling, looking for some other way to attack. Karyn stood too, her eyes scanning the room for ideas.
Glora said, "You really don't know much about the stone, do you? How about reality matrices and kabalistic wish analysis? No?" She shook her head, smiling with eyes closed. "Then you wouldn't know that I believe in poetic justice, not petty revenge. And you did give me a great gift, so I wish --"
Jon snarled and shoved the heavy table hard at Glora, just as Karyn threw the huge guidebook to the Land of Things That Disappear.
