Dean kept thinking about the word 'dormant.'
Dean leaned back slowly.
"Oh."
Arion looked toward him.
Nero did too.
Dean barely noticed either of them.
Pieces were beginning to fit together in a way he did not particularly like.
"The beasts."
Amaru's attention sharpened.
Dean looked at him. "Your ability does not put someone to sleep."
"No."
"It changes their perception until their mind and body stop coordinating properly."
"Yes."
"And Claudia spent years studying it."
Amaru's expression changed slightly.
Dean continued before the thought escaped him.
"She had Duncan's ability in the outer mixture. Maybe not his actual pheromones, but something derived from his profile closely enough to reproduce terrain and distance distortion. Your residence proved she could combine traits."
Arion understood first.
"You think she did the same thing with the beasts."
"I think we have been asking the wrong question."
