Morgan Leah was laughing merrily from within his mud co-
coon. “I apologize, I really do. But it was an opportunity no
man could resist. Surely you can understand that!”
Par tried to wipe the mud from his clothes and finally gave
up, stripping bare and carrying everything into the springs with
him. He gave a sigh of relief, then glanced back at Morgan.
“What in the world are you doing anyway?”
“Oh, the mud? Good for your skin.” Morgan walked to the
springs and lowered himself into the water gingerly. “There are
mud baths about a mile back. I found them the other day quite
by accident. Never knew they were here. I can tell you honestly
that there is nothing like mud on your body on a hot day to cool
you down. Better even than the springs. So I rolled about quite
piglike, then hiked back here to wash off. That was when I heard
you coming and decided to give you a proper Highlands greet-
ing.”
He ducked down beneath the water; when he surfaced, the
mud monster had been replaced by a lean, sinewy youth ap-
proximately their own age with skin so sun-browned it was al-
most the color of chocolate, shoulder-length reddish hair, and
clear gray eyes that looked out of a face that was at once both
clever and guileless. “Behold!” he exclaimed and grinned.
“Marvelous,” Par replied tonelessly.
“Oh, come now! Not every trick can be earth-shattering.
Which reminds me.” Morgan bent forward questioningly. He
spent much of his time wearing an expression that suggested he
was secretly amused about something, and he showed it to them
now. “Aren’t you two supposed to be up in Callahom some-
where dazzling the natives? Wasn’t that the last I heard of your
plans? What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?” Coil shot back.
“Me? Oh, just another little misunderstanding involving the
governor-or more accurately, I’m afraid, the governor’s wife.
They don’t suspect me, of course-they never do. Still, it seemed
a good time for a vacation.” Morgan’s grin widened. “But come
on now, I asked you first. What’s going on?”
He was not to be put off and there had never been any un-
shared secrets among the three in any case, so Par, with consid-
erable help from Coil, told him what had happened to them since
that night in Varfleet when Rimmer Dall and the Federation
Seekers had come looking for them. He told nun of the dreams
that might have been sent by AUanon, of their encounter with
the frightening woodswoman who might have been one of the
Shadowen, and of the old man who had saved them and might
have been Cogline.
“There are a good number of ‘might have beens’ in that
story,” the Highlander observed archly when they were fin-
ished. “Are you certain you’re not making this all up? It would
be a fine joke at my expense.”
“I just wish we were,” Coil replied ruefully.
“Anyway, we thought we’d spend the night here in a bed,
then go on to the Vale tomorrow,” Par explained.
Morgan trailed one finger through the water in front of him
and shook his head. “I don’t think I’d do that if I were you.”
Par and Coil looked at each other.
‘ ‘If the Federation wanted you badly enough to send Rimmer
Dall all the way to Varfleet,” Morgan continued, his eyes com-
ing up suddenly to meet their own, “then don’t you think it
likely they might send him to Shady Vale as well?”
There was a long silence before Par finally said, “I admit, I
hadn’t thought of that.”
Morgan stroked over to the edge of the springs, heaved him-
self out, and began wiping the water from his body. “Well,
thinking has never been your strong point, my boy. Good thing
you’ve got me for a friend. Let’s walk back up to the lodge and
I’ll fix you something to eat-something besides fish for a
change-and we’ll talk about it.”
They dried, washed out their clothes and returned to the lodge
where Morgan set about preparing dinner. He cooked a won-
derful stew filled with meat, carrots, potatoes, onions, and broth,