plans. So if you’ve any ideas at all …”
Matty Roh shook her head. “If the Federation has Padishar,
he won’t stay alive very long.”
Chandos scowled. “Maybe longer than he’d like, if the
Seekers get their hands on him.”
Morgan recalled the Pit and its inhabitants momentarily and
quickly forced the thought away. Something about all this
didn’t make sense. Padishar had gone looking for Par and Coil
98 The Talismans of Shannara
weeks ago. Why had it taken him so long to find them? Why
had the Ohmsford brothers remained in Tyrsis all that time?
And when Par and Padishar had gone into the prisons to rescue
Damson Rhee, where was Coil? Did the Shadowen have Coil
as well?
It seemed to Morgan that there was an awful lot unac-
counted for.
“I want to speak with Damson Rhee,” he announced ab-
ruptly. He had wondered about her at the beginning, and
suddenly he was beginning to wonder about her all over again.
Chandos shrugged. “She’s sleeping. Walked all night to get
here.”
Images of Teel danced in Morgan’s head, whispering insid-
iously. “Then let’s wake her.”
Chandos gave him a hard stare. “All right, Highlander. If
you think it’s important. But it will be your doing, not mine.”
They crossed to the encampment and passed through the
cooking fires and the free-bom at work about them. The sun
had dropped further in the west, and it was nearing dinnertime.
There was food in the cooking kettles, and the smells wafted
on the summer air. Morgan scarcely noticed, his mind at work
on other matters. Shadows crept out of the trees, lengthening
as dusk approached. Morgan was thinking about Par and Coil,
still in Tyrsis after all this time. They had escaped the Pit
weeks ago. Why had they stayed there? he kept wondering.
Why for so long?
As the questions pressed in about him, he kept seeing Teel’s
face—and the Shadowen that had hidden beneath.
They reached a small hut set well back in the trees, and
Chandos stopped. “She’s in there. You wake her if you want.
Come have dinner with me when you’re finished, the both of
you.”
Morgan nodded. He turned to Matty Roh. “Do you want to
come with me? ”
She gave him an appraising look. “No. I think you should
do this on your own.”
It seemed for a moment as if she might say more, but then
she turned and walked off into the trees after Chandos. She
knew something she wasn’t telling, Morgan decided. He
The Talismans of Shannara 99
watched her go, thinking once again that Matty Roh was a
good deal more complex than what she revealed.
He looked back at the hut, momentarily undecided as to
how he should go about bracing Damson Rhee. Suspicions and
fears shouldn’t be allowed to get in the way of common sense.
But he couldn’t shake the image of Teel as a Shadowen. It
could easily be the same with this girl. The trick was in finding
out.
He reached back over his shoulder to make certain that the
Sword of Lean would slide free easily, took a deep breath, then
walked up to the door and knocked. It opened almost immedi-
ately, and a girl with flaming red hair and emerald eyes stood
looking out at him. She was flushed, as if she had just
awakened, and her dark clothing was disheveled. She was
tall, though not as tall as Matty, and very pretty.
“I’m Morgan Lean,” he said.
She blinked, then nodded. “Par’s friend, the Highlander.
Yes, hello. I’m Damson Rhee. I’m sorry, I’ve been sleeping.
What time is it? ” She peered up at the sky through the
trees. “Almost dusk, isn’t it? I’ve slept too long.”
She stepped back as if to go inside, then stopped and turned
to face him again. “You’ve heard about Padishar, I suppose.
Did you just get here? ”
He nodded, watching her face. “I wanted to hear what hap-
pened from you.”
“All right.” She did not seem surprised. She glanced over
her shoulder, then came out into the light. “Let’s talk out here.
I’m tired of being shut away. Tired of being inside where