Her aversion to the tower might be mostly from paranoia, but the Dreaming had never really been kind.

"I'm not sure its so much sentient as it is a force," Valdis replied, considering the possibilities of Trahearne asking the questions. It could be more fruitful to have someone with less suspicion visiting the tower.

She glanced at him, surprise in her eyes when he stated his age. "You speak with far more wisdom than any twenty-six year old I've met. The races of my world are ancient. The youngest is still twenty-three hundred years old."