by Sharon Green
"Then what you need are Blendings," Gardan said, a grim set to his jaw. "Four or five should do it, and we'll decide right now on who's to go. We - "
"No, no, you still don't understand," the man Marne interrupted, looking as though he wanted to cry. "If you send any Blendings, they'll be overrun just the way our High talents were. Those monsters … they butchered our people, men, women, and children alike, and we couldn't do a thing to stop them. It … isn't possible to touch them with talent, it just isn't possible."
Jovvi felt the shock flaring around the room, an emotion she shared completely. Gracely was being invaded by people who couldn't be touched with talent? But that was what wasn't possible, not the use of talent. Everything could be touched, nothing else made sense. The man had to be wrong…
But what if he wasn't wrong? What if Gracely fell to the attackers? The next ones to be made victim would be the people of her home, and hundreds if not thousands would die before anyone in Gan Garee became aware of the problem. But even if they did become aware, if the man was right there would be nothing anyone could do…