It was just as Bebe had said: his lips were sealed. If he said he would not tell his boss, he would not tell him. When Linley asked where he had gone that day, he said he had gone to catch birds. Linley glanced at him and asked no more. Bebe felt very pleased with himself, thinking he had done a splendid job.
But what he had not expected was that, while Wharton and Mia were on their date, Loa's soul power sensed Bebe suddenly leaving the main city, and he grew a little curious too. Bebe did not usually run outside the city. What had gotten into him today?
His Spiritual Force extended along Bebe's path and happened to catch sight of the two beneath the tree. Bebe crouched in the treetop, peeking at them, while Loa's Spiritual Force took everything in as well.
How should he put it? He felt as though a pig had gotten into his cabbage patch. But this particular pig was one he thought well of. He had practically watched that boy Wharton grow up.
From that green youngster in the O'Brien Empire to the peak eighth-level warrior he was now, Loa had played a part in every step.
Mia, moreover, had been brought back by him and Bob, growing from that skinny little girl into the graceful young woman she was now.
Loa felt like laughing. He was not angry; it was a feeling he could not quite describe. Like a father seeing that his daughter had someone she loved, his heart felt both a little sour and a little warm.
He sat on a stone stool in the Miniature Plane, the corners of his mouth curling slightly upward.
Across from him, Linley and Doehring Cowart looked at the strange smile on the