Melisande's Soliloquy. (novel excerpt)

Melisande gazed from the window.  The call had gone out suddenly and there was no help for it, but to make some lame excuse, take a few vacation days and fly to Mayax. It had been a long time.  

Everything these days seemed so long ago.  She had fled this city for a quiet job in a rural setting, determined to hate it and make it brief.  But she liked it there and her temporary flight, her banishment, became her passion.  A husband and children followed and she led an ordinay life ever keeping to her training ever keeping in mind who she was and ever at every turn using her powers and knowledge in the best tradition of the wise throughout the ages.

She always made it look natural, herbal and simple.  From the store she and Gerald ran with her father, she had slowly gained the trust of the town.  And, when she married a favored son, everything magically fell into place.

She became just like one of them, and not so frightening after all.  She just had gifts, special gifts and when the baby came the final ice melted away to distant memory - like this city which she now viewed anew from the hotel  penthouse suite.

There were six bedrooms with huge beds in each.  She had arrived first, her sisters from the school would all be here later tonight.  By morning, they would occupy the entire top three floors of the Mayax Hilton and they had booked the penthouse ballroom for their "Conference" for the next full week.

They was no choice but to intervene.  They'd worked so hard to build the people's trust - One of their own gone rogue would destroy it all.