He finally let himself go so far as to take my right hand in both of his. "By my word, Aral, I will not die if you do not, or if you cannot love me." His eyes were alight, he seemed more alive than I had ever seen him. "But I tell you true, I would far rather live my days with you than without you."

No matter what sentiment might say, I owed him the truth. I spoke quietly, for the others were not speaking much just at that moment and I did not wish to be overheard.

"Will, I won't pretend I feel more than I do," I said. "You know I care for you, you've been a wonderful friend to me ever since I met you. But—" I glanced at Vilkas, smiling now and chatting with the others. His hold on my heart was less than it had been, but not by much. "You know also that my heart has long been his. I found out for certain that he doesn't want it, but—it will all take time."

I paused. I had been going to tell him that he should not hope, but as I was about to form the words, I found to my surprise that there might indeed be room in my heart for another. He stood, strong and true, his heart open and undefended, for me to wound or to heal. A curious thought occurred to me.

"Come with me out into the corridor, Will, I have something particular to tell you," I said, and went before him out of the range of other eyes.

The corridor was deserted. He closed the door behind us.

"Kiss me," I said.

For all his ardour, he was taken aback. "What?"

"Kiss me like you mean it," I said, challenging him.

Gracious Lady. I got more than I had bargained for.

When we came up for air, he reeled as one drunk. I suspect I did too.

"Come with me, Will," I said quietly. "Come with me to Berlin and meet my family. I do not promise anything, and I do not yet have a whole heart to offer you. I would not offer you less."

"I have waited two years, Aral," he said, his voice lovely and deep. "I can wait a little longer." He grinned wildly. "I've always thought I should see the rest of the South Kingdom," he said, smiling and drawing me out into the broad spring day. "Tell me about Benin."

If that's how you always kiss, my lad, you may not have all that long to wait, I thought, and casually took his hand as we walked out into the sunlight.

The next morning, all farewells said, the company of friends scattered to the Winds for that time.

I was not yet accustomed to my new strength and had some concerns about carrying Lanen, Maran, and Mage Vilkas all the way to Beskin, but I barely noticed them once I was airborne. I remember thinking that I had had no idea that Shikrar was so as-toundingly powerful. I flew high, smiling as I heard his voice in my memory. High air is the best—least work, longest flight. His words were a part of me, they had been for many a hundred winter and would stay with me as long as I drew breath. The thought gave me comfort. Sleep easy on the Winds, my soulfriend Shikrar. Your words yet ring in my heart.

I was not prepared, however, for the sheer joy of flight. I had flown a few times near Castle Gundar, mostly short hops, and the great Celebration of the Three Branches—but that was a dance, not flight for the sake of it. This—this was freedom, this was life and all, and it filled me with unalloyed delight. I did not dare to bespeak Lanen, lest she feel my joy and gain a terrible understanding of what I had missed.

I felt she had enough terrible understanding to be getting on with.

In the meanwhile, I took intense pleasure from the feel of the wind bearing me up, the strengthening sun of spring on my face, the sheer power of these immense wings, and a new land below me full of promise and the unknown. I sang my joy to the Winds, and heard Lanen's mindvoice echoing the song.

We had spoken together several times in the kindly darkness of evening, up on Sblkrar's HiD (it is called that to this day). There was a truce just then between my lady wife and me. We lived as we had said we would, one breath at a time, but so often still those breaths were bought with heart's pain.

It did not help matters that Lanen was even more passionate in her nature than usual. Vilkas had told me that this was normal for a woman carrying a child, but it widened the gap between us even more, for I found myself inclining in the other direction. The body shapes the mind in many ways. At rest, my heart now beat at a tenth the pace of Lanen's, and I took far deeper and far fewer breaths. How could my mind not be affected by this incredible change?

I do not say that my love was lessened, for it was not and never has been—but the expression of it was changed perforce, and that threatened to tear my heart in two. Lanen was the same, I know she was. I heard her thoughts while she slept, saw her dreams, knew her fears. From dreams of winged and clawed monsters she would wake with racing heart, calling out to me in fear, and the only answer I could make was to speak to her mind to mind, say her name gendy, reassure her that all was well and that she had only been dreaming, bespeak her until her heartbeat slowed. She had had to wake the maidservants at Castle Gundar to bring her a warm cup of chelan. I knew not what we could do when we reached Beskin.

Beskin should have been three days' flight, but it took us full five days to find it. Maran, the only one of us who knew where it was, did die best she could, but as she reminded me, nothing looks the same from the air. She was quite right. Finally she laughed and said perhaps we should try walking for a few hours, in the hope of finding someone to ask our way from. After four days had passed, that is precisely what we did, though I decided to keep a little distance away lest I terrify any poor souls diat should happen upon us. The great forest of the Trollingwood stretched trackless away to our left, but I needed more precise directions than "just keep going until you're near the mountains, then turn back a little."

In the end, Maran wandered into a litde town and came back shamefaced. We were much too far south and west, it seemed. I gathered up my charges and rose up aloft, bearing north and east. I took pleasure in the smell of the trees rising to meet me, in having so vast a land to fly over. Our old island took less than three hours' flying, end to end. There was so much to see here!

Lanen and I began to consider, simply as an exercise, the possibility of some kind of harness that I might wear, whereby she might in future accompany me in more comfort. We whiled away quite a few idle hours on possible designs.

In the midaftemoon of the fifth day, Lanen bespoke me to say that Maran had recognised a great stone house not far from Beskin. We came to land at the edge of a large field. The cattle galloped away, which suited me well. Maran led us—swiftly by her standards, at a snail's pace by mine—along the road for a few miles, and up. Beskin lies in a cosy valley, protected by half a ring of hills at its back, looking out over rich farmland, and behind the bare hills around Beskin lies an arm of the Trollingwood, the vast northern forest that sprawls over most of the width of Kolmar. Maran assured the others that the Trollingwood was just far enough away for the villagers of Beskin to be safe from marauding wolves and bears. Most of the time.

I walked with the three of them to the door of Maran's house. The village seemed deserted, but Maran laughed and told me that everyone was hiding. "We'll have the chance to sort it out later, Akor, never fear," she said. She seemed curiously pleased to be invading the village at the feet of a terrible marauding dragon. That's what they'll think you are, at least," said Maran, her grey eyes alight. "I think I'll let you talk them out of it."

Her home was built on two levels with several rooms in each. I found Gedri buildings astounding and stared into each window in turn, but the little stone courtyard around the smithy was far too small for me. I could only stand there coiled about myself, with my wings tight furled and my tail firmly tucked out of the way. ft would be like trying to live in a tiny cage.