Moana gasped, sudden understanding waking her mind. The Hierarch brushed her with his eyes and sighed.
"Tandor is free. I fulfill my promises. You tried and failed, yet you tried. Now—"
He paused, fingertips pressed together, brooding down at Angus.
"Many thousands of eons ago, before our race came into existence, all Karr belonged to the Elder Race. It lived a long time on this world, before it went on."
Angus grinned, "Your priest said that. You and he mean—"
The Hierarch spoke patiently, as if lecturing a child. "It did not die out. It went on, to another plane of existence. Everything must progress. That is the immutable law of nature. The First Race progressed, far beyond our understanding, beyond the natural laws as we know them. They exist today—somewhere outside.
"Stasor, now. Take him, for instance." The Hierarch flicked burning black eyes at Moana. "Some think he is a god. He is a member of the Elder Race."
Moana said harshly. "Blasphemy! You speak blasphemy of Stasor."
The Hierarch shrugged. "I tell you Stasor is a four-plane man, one not bound by our three dimensions. He and his kind have gone on to that other world. They left behind them rules to guide those who came after them. They left the pools. They were a great race, the Elders, and the black pools are their greatest discovery. Those rules they gave us are contained in the Book of Nard. I want that book!"
"Why?"