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"Let Maetting her fingers onto the rock, though Je up "Like the piece of opal--but not way hot If it gets way hot, you drop it fast, OK?" she said to Je this with fascination

"He’s got it, hasn’t he?" he said softly "Fifty/fifty, you said, or three chances in four, depending--but he’s got it, doesn’t he?"

"What?" Jaer, then me, one red brow raised in question

"I think he cantravel," I said, feeling a tightening of ht "You knohat Otter-Tooth said--" I nodded at the journal, which lay discarded on the desk "He said they had to take a test--to see if they could hear ‘the voice of time’ We know that not everyone cando this" I felt unaccountably shy, talking of it before Ian "But so out who could and couldn’t, ahead of ti no attention to the grown-up conversation, instead rocking back and forth, huy hand

"Do you suppose the ‘voice of tier leaned forward, taking hold of Jemmy’s arm to compel his attention away fro to you?"

Jemmy looked up, surprised

"No," he said uncertainly Then, "Yes" He held the rock up to his ear, frowning, then thrust it at Roger "You sing, Daddy!"

Roger accepted the e at Jes," he said, in his husky rasp of a voice "Unless ye count the Beatles" He lifted the rock to his own ear, looking self-conscious He listened intently, frowning, then lowered his hand, shaking his head

"It’s not--I can’t--I couldna really say I hear anything And yet--here, you try" He passed the stone to Brianna, and she in turn toin particular, and yet I thought I could perceive so, if I listened very hard Not exactly a sound, more a sense of very, very faint vibration

"What is it?" Ian asked He had been following the proceedings with rapt interest "Ye’re no sìdheanach, the three of ye--but why is it you can dowhat ye do, and Uncle Jamie and I canna? Ye can’t, can ye, Uncle Jamie?" he asked dubiously

"No, thank God," his uncle replied

"It’s genetic, isn’t it?" Brianna asked, looking up "It has to be"

Jamie and Ian looked wary at the unfamiliar terether in puzzle else is--blood type, eye color"

"But everyone has eyes and blood, Sassenach," Jamie objected "Whatever color his eyes may be, everyone can see This--" He waved at the shed with ienetic--everything, if you coht down to it! Look--" I turned to hiled at his expression

Disregarding this, I pulled in es rolled up into a cylinder

"What about that?" I asked, popping it back in "Can you do that?"

Jamie looked aue and wiggled it, de, then pulled it back "Everyone can do that, surely? Ian?"

"Oh, aye, of course" Ian obligingly demonstrated "Anyone can"

"I can’t," said Brianna Jamie stared at her, taken aback

"What d’ye gled it from side to side "I can’t"

"Of course ye can" Jamie frowned "Here, it’s siain, rolling and unrolling it like a paternal anteater, anxiously encouraging its offspring toward an appetizing er, brows lifted

"You’d think so, wouldn’t you?" Roger said ruefully He stuck out his own tongue, flat "Bleah"

"See?" I said triuues, and some simply can’t It can’t be learned You’re born with it, or you’re not"

Ja, then turned to ht--why can the lass not do it, if you and I both can? Ye did assure hter," I said "As anyone with eyes in their head could tell you" He glanced at Brianna, taking in her lean height andinto triangles He sood-natured capitulation

"Well, I shall take your word for it, Sassenach, as an honorable woain, in doubtful fashion, still not quite believing that anyone couldn’t do it if they put their mind to it

"Well, you do knohere babies co and the"

"I do," he said, with a noticeable edge to his voice The tips of his ears turned slightly pink