I was re-reading FHYA and the way in which Mario defeated the Orb and the subsequent increase in the power of sorcery after the Interregnum got me thinking. Perhaps, like the Great Weapons, the Orb is sentient and learned from this attempt. Sethra had to use the then very experimental extreme of teleporting herself and others to escape. Perhaps the Orb realized that had things like teleportation and/or revivification been more easily done the emperor could have been saved or at least possibly brought back. Another thought: Sethra seemed to know a great deal about how the Orb functioned. Perhaps she was more directly responsible for the Orb's increased power. Ken