CHAPTER 13Mara took Ping’s question—about whether she had other abilities he should be aware of—to be rhetorical, so she didn’t bother to answer. Instead she continued examining the board of lightbulbs.
He must have felt slighted and leaned down far enough for Mara to see his expression. He was waiting for an answer. “What is the nature of these abilities of yours, and what kind of threat do they pose to us?” he asked.
Mara straightened. “You think I’m some kind of threat?”
He indicated the fading chasm in front of the light board and the shattered glass from the minor explosion caused by Mara’s fingertip lightning-bolt experiment. “I don’t think it’s an unreasonable concern, considering the circumstances. What if you had tried that by a cylinder of kerosteam?”
“I don’t even know what
