Samar without any help,’ the Domi said, ‘particularly now that
we know how to deal with Klael’s soldiers.’ He rubbed even
more briskly at his scalp.
‘Quit worrying at it,’ Mirtai told him. ‘i’ll shave you just as
soon as we finish here.’
“yes, love,’ he agreed immediately.
‘Oh, that reminds me,’ Vanion said. ‘Sparhawk had a talk
%with Bhelliom. klael’s soldiers can only breathe our air for about
Kring nodded.
A tall Atan came in and murmured something to Itagne.
i’m really awfully busy right now, old boy,’ Itagne objected.
He’s most insistent, Itagne-Ambassador.’
‘Oh, very well.’ Itagne rose to his feet. ‘i’ll be right back, Lord
Vanion,’ he said and followed the Atan from the room.
did Sparhawk find out what country Klael’s soldiers come
from, friend Vanion?’ Kring asked. ‘i’d sort of like to avoid that
country.”
I don’t think you need to worry, Domi Kring.’ Sephrenia
said. “klael’s soldiers were brought here from someplace
beyondd the stars.’
Kring frowned. ‘You might want to have a talk with Sparhawk,
friend Vanion,’ he said. ‘I enjoy a good fight as much as
the next man, but if he’s going to declare war on the whole
universe, he ought to let the rest of us in on his plans.’
‘i’ll definitely speak with him about it, Domi Kring,’ Vanion
said. Then he sighed. ‘I wish we’d known more about Klael’s
soldiers earlier. The Church Knights encountered them in the
mountains of Zemoch and lost half their number in killed and
wounded.’
‘i’m sorry, friend Vanion. Did you lose many old comrades?’
‘Many, Domi Kring,’ Vanion replied sadly, ‘many.’
‘How’s friend Engessa coming along?’ Kring asked Betuana.
‘Aphrael says that he’s recovering, Domi,’ she replied. ‘i’d
like to see that for myself, though.’
Itagne returned, accompanied by a Tamul wearing slightly
out-of-date clothing. ‘Would you please see to it that we’re not
disturbed?’ he said to the Atan guard in the hall. Then he closed
and bolted the door. ‘I have some good news for a change,’
he said then. He put his hand on the stranger’s shoulder.
‘This is my very dear – though new-found friend, Ekrasios,’
he said.
Betuana frowned. ‘That is not a Tamul name,’ she said.
‘No, your Majesty,’ Itagne agreed, ‘it’s not. Actually, it’s Delphaeic.
The Delphae are such a musical people. It probably
derives from the fact that they still speak classical Tamul. My
friend here just stopped by to advise us that the Delphae have
decided to come out of their splendid seclusion. Ekrasios, this
is Preceptor Vanion, the close friend of Anakha. The regal lady
is Betuana, Queen of the Atans. The short fellow is Domi Kring
of the western Peloi. The tall, pretty girl with the death-grip on
his hand is Mirtai, his betrothed, and the exquisite Styric lady
is Sephrenia, High Priestess of the Goddess Aphrael.’
‘Nobles all,’ Ekrasios greeted them with a formal bow. ‘I bring
%SFCCnSS from Beloved Edaemus. Divine Aphrael hath persuaded
him that we have common cause in the current situation,
and he hath thus relaxed his centuries-old prohibition upon us.
I am sent to thee, Lord Vanion, to advise thee that I and diverse
companions are at thine immediate disposal. Where might we
best be deployed to further our cause?’
‘if I may, Lord Vanion?’ Itagne interposed. ‘It just occurred
to me that the Delphae might be best suited to empty those
ruins in the Arjuni jungles. If Ekrasios and his friends were to
%appear in all their glowing splendor at the gates of Scarpa’s
down there, the rebels would probably go back home and
peaceful pursuits, just as fast as they possibly could.’
well said,’ Mirtai murmured her agreement.
“He certainly moves around, doesn’t he?’ Ulath said to Tynian
as the beer wagon with Sparhawk and Kalten perched atop the
bamls rumbled past on the ancient street. ‘Last I heard, he was
in Dirgis.”ps.’
The natcherl rules don’t seem t’ apply t’ ol’ Sporhawk,’ Tynian
replied in a bad imitation of Caalador’s dialect. ‘What do
you think? Should we slip back into real time? Or should we
stay where we are?’
I think we’ll be more useful if we stay out of sight,’ Ulath
replied.
That’s fine with me, but how are we going to get word to
sparhawk and the others that we’re here?’
‘I’ll slip a note in his pocket – or blow in his ear.’
That ought to get his attention.’
Bllokw came shambling back up the street with a mournful
expression on his ape-like face. ‘There are no dogs here,’ he
reported in Trollish.
‘Soldiers don’t usually keep dogs, Bhlokw,’ Tynian explained.
I have hunger, Tin-in. Would the man-things here miss one
of their herd – a small one?’
“We might have a problem here,’ Tynian muttered to Ulath.
it’s definitely in our best interests to keep our friend here
well-fed. ‘
Ulath scratched at his now clean-shaven cheek. ‘We can’t just
turn him loose,’ he noted. ‘He’ll attract attention if he starts
Stabbing people and jerking them into these broken moments.’
He’s invisible, Ulath.’
“yes, but if some Arjuni suddenly vanishes and his bones
start getting tossed back out of nowhere, it’s bound to attract
aHention.’ He turned back to the Troll. ‘It is our thought that it
would not be good for you to kill and eat the man-things here,
blokw. We hunt thought here, and if you kill and eat the manthings
you will frighten the thought away.’
I do not like this hunting of thought, U-lat,’ Bhlokw complained.
‘It makes things not-simple.’
“The forest is near, Bhlokw, ‘ Tynian said.
‘There must be many oLat things there. ‘
‘I am not an Ogre, Tin-in,’ Bhlokw protested in a slightly
offended tone. ‘I do not eat trees.’
‘There should be creatures that are good-to-eat among the
trees, Bhlokw,’ Ulath said. ‘That is what Tin-in was trying to
say. It was not his thought to insult you.’
Bhlokw glowered at Tynian for a moment. ‘I will go hunt
now,’ he said abruptly. Then he turned and shambled off.
‘You have to be careful, Tynian,’ Ulath warned his friend. ‘if
you want to get into a fight almost immediately, all you have to
do is suggest to a Troll that he might be an Ogre.’
‘They’re actually prejudiced?’ Tynian asked in amazement.
‘You wouldn’t believe how prejudiced,’ Ulath replied. ‘Trolls
and Ogres have hated each other since the beginning of time.’
‘I thought that prejudice was a human failing.’
‘Some things are just too good to stay private, I guess. Let’s
follow Sparhawk and let him know that we’re here. He might
have something for us to do.’
They trailed along behind the beer caravan winding through
the cleared streets toward that part of Natayos that was still
choked in brush and vines. The wagons trundled along a
recently cleared street and then went around behind a canvas-roofed
building identified by a crudely lettered sign that read
‘Senga’s.’
‘Trust Kalten to get close to the beer,’ Tynian said.
‘Truly,’ Ulath agreed. ‘Wait here. I’ll go let Sparhawk know
that we’re in Natayos.’ He walked over to where Sparhawk,
Kalten, and Bevier, looking strange with their altered features,
stood off to one side while Senga supervised the unloading
of the barrels. ‘Ramshorn,’ he said quietly. ‘Don’t get excited
and start looking around,’ he added. ‘You won’t be able to
see me.’
‘Ulath?’ Kalten asked incredulously.
‘Right. Tynian, Bhlokw and I got here yesterday. We’ve been
nosing around.’
‘How have you managed to become invisible?’ the patch-eyed
Bevier asked. ‘We aren’t, actually. Ghnomb’s breaking the seconds into two
pieces. We’re only present during the smaller piece. That’s why
you can’t see us.’
‘But you can see us?’
‘Yes.’
‘Ulath, that’s logically inconsistent.’
‘I know, but Ghnomb believes that it works, and I guess
his belief is strong enough to override logic. Tynian and I are
here, and nobody can see us. Is there anything you want us
to do?’
‘Can you get into that building near the gate?’ SParhawk asked
quickly. ‘The one with the barred windows?”
‘Not a chance. We already looked into the possibility. Too
many guards on the doors. Bhlokw even tried going in through
the roof, but it’s all sealed up.’
‘That’s my wife in there, Ulath!’ Sparhawk exclaimed. ‘Are you
saying that you tried to send a Troll into the same building with
her?’
‘Bhlokw wouldn’t have hurt her, Sparhawk – frightened her
a little, maybe, but he wouldn’t have hurt her. We sort of
thought he might be able to go in through the roof, pick Ehlana
and Alcan up, and carry them out.’ Ulath paused. ‘It wasn’t
really our idea, Sparhawk. Bhlokw volunteered – well, actually
he didn’t even volunteer. He just started climbing up the wall
before we could stop him. He said, “I will go get them. I will
bring Anakha’s mate and her friend out so that we can kill all
these children of Cyrgon and eat them.” Bhlokw’s a little elemental,