Lupi 06 - Blood Magic

involved widespread arson, rioting, violent mobs - the complete breakdown of civil authority in San Diego. However, in some of the dream sequences, this breakdown wasn't limited to San Diego. I don't wish to alarm you, but there is a possibility the upcoming crisis could infect the entire nation. Maybe several nations."
    "We just got warned about something like that," Lily said slowly. "Really bad shit that could happen all over the world."
    Ruben's faint sigh suggested relief rather than increased tension. "Then I called the right person. Good. For some reason I doubted... Never mind."
    "Do you have any feel for how close the crisis is?"
    "Hmm. I can't answer that precisely. I'll try to frame this better. That I dreamed of so many sequences suggests there are many decision points that could lead to what I saw. Some of those decision points may be fairly immediate. I believe my first impulse - which was to ask the president to put the National Guard on standby alert - was one such decision point. I decided that bringing in the military would increase rather than ameliorate the potential disaster. Do you know why that might be?"
    "Shit. Shit. Maybe. Let me pull my thoughts together. We've just been to see Sam - Rule's with me - and what we learned has to explain those dreams. He said... " Her voice trailed off. A strange look spread over her face, as if she'd bitten into a steak only to have her teeth grind against steel. "He told us about this being, this... He said that I... There's... Oh, hell."
    Lily thrust her phone at Rule. "I can't. I can't say any of it."
    He took the phone, thinking fast. Lily had been able to discuss the Chimei with Li Qin, so why... but Li Qin already knew about the Chimei. Ruben didn't. That must be the difference. "Ruben, this is Rule. I'll have to brief you. Lily has just discovered she's unable to speak to you about this. There's a geas - an inherited binding - that's tied to Lily's Gift rather than being repelled by it. This geas prevents her from saying more."
    "Hello, Rule." Ruben's voice was polite with a hint of wary. "What in the world is going on out there?"
    Lily watched him, intent and furious. He wished he could take her hand, but both of his were occupied. "I need to ask you something. It's after noon, your time. Clearly you waited several hours to call Lily. Earlier, you said you had doubts, but didn't explain. Were you uneasy about speaking with Lily?"
    "Yes, I thought our conversation might be or might precipitate one of the decision points."
    "Do you have that feeling about speaking with me?"
    Ruben was silent a moment. "Actually, it's stronger than before."
    "All right. Let me think a moment."
    Lily spoke very low. "Rule, you have to tell Ruben."
    "Do I? It seems that the treaty considers Ruben pivotal, or it wouldn't have stopped you. Ruben has an uneasy feeling about talking with me. This - my revealing information - could be one of those indirect actions Sam spoke of which can break the treaty."
    "Or it could be exactly why Sam brought you in - so you could pass on information I can't!"
    That was what had his mind spinning, trying to guess at ramifications that were essentially unguessable. Sam had included Rule in his briefing. That had been choice, not necessity, so it meant something, but what? "He made me part of this, though the treaty's geas can't act on me, and the treaty didn't stop him. Therefore it must be possible, even probable, for me to act in ways that don't break the treaty."
    "I'm finding my end of this conversation interesting, yet frustrating," Ruben said.
    "Sorry. I was speaking to Lily. I should have put you on mute. There are ramifications to your learning too much right now."
    "There are also ramifications from my knowing too little, which is where I am right now."
    "I'm sorry," Rule repeated, "but I have to put you on mute for a moment." He touched the screen.
    Lily was ready to erupt. "Dammit, Rule, we can't just sit on this!"
    "Before we act, we have to figure out why Sam brought me into this - and why the treaty let him."
    "He did it so you could speak of all the things I am so damned not able to!"
    "That's one possibility." Rule trusted Ruben as much as he did any non-clan human, but telling the man about the Chimei and the treaty would hugely increase the variables. "Here's another one. What if Ruben decides he can't rely on you, since you're being affected by an outside agency?"
    "He wouldn't pull me. Someone else wouldn't have the geas