“But you will, won’t you?”
The two boys looked silently at each other for many seconds. Then Theon smiled.
“You can’t bully me, you know. Whatever you’re planning-and I can’t read your mind-as soon as you tried to put it into action Mother would take over. She won’t let you out of her sight until everything has been settled.”
“I know that,” said Alvin, “but is she looking into my mind at this moment?”
The other hesitated.
“No, she isn’t,” he said at last. “I think she’s deliberately leaving you alone, so that her thoughts won’t influence you.”
That was all he needed to know. For the first time Alvin dared to turn his mind upon the only plan that offered any hope. He was far too stubborn to accept either of the alternatives Seranis had offered him, and even if there had been nothing at stake he would have bitterly resisted any attempt to override his will.
In a little while Seranis would return. He could do nothing until they were in the open again, and even then Seranis would be able to control his actions if he attempted to run away. And apart from that, he was sure that many of the villagers could intercept him long before he reached safety.
Very carefully, checking every detail, he traced out the only road that could lead him back to Diaspar on the terms he wished.
Theon warned him when Seranis was near, and he quickly turned his thoughts into harmless channels. It had never been easy for her to understand his mind, and now it seemed to Seranis as if she were far out in space, looking down upon a world veiled with impenetrable clouds. Sometimes there would be a rift in the covering, and for an instant she could catch a glimpse of what lay beneath. She wondered what Alvin was trying to hide from her. For a moment she dipped into her son’s mind, but Theon knew nothing of the other’s plans. She thought again of the precautions she had taken: as a man may flex his muscles before some great exertion, she ran through the compulsion patterns she might have to use. But there was no trace of her preoccupation as she smiled at Alvin from the doorway.