Father got the little knife out of his pen case and ripped the hem of his robe. There were grains of corn in there, black, red, and white. He gave them all to Gyrfalcon. "Cross these," he said, "but always keep the pure strains for the years to come. New Viron will never go hungry."

Gyrfalcon took them, tied them up in his handkerchief, and put it in a pocket inside his tunic. Father cried then for a long time.

Servants with chains brought us wine and food, both very good. I ate and gave some to Babbie, and drank more than I should have.

"Is this your father?" Gyrfalcon asked me, and I said it was. I felt really brave.

"I don't recognize him."

I said, "Well, I do."

"If this is your father, where is Calde Silk?" Gyrfalcon thought he was being very smart when he asked that.

"In a book my mother and father wrote," I told him.

"You are Horn? The same Horn I spoke to a couple of years ago when we got the invitation from Pajarocu?"

"I am," Father said.

"You live on Lizard, near the tail, and make paper?"

He nodded.

"Nettle's husband?"

"Yes, and the father of Sinew, Hoof, and Hide. I am also the father of Krait and Jahlee, neither of whom you know or will ever know-both are dead. If you wish to continue to explore family connections, I am the father-in-law of a woman named Bala. She is Sinew's wife. I am the grandfather of their sons Shauk and Karn, as well."

Gyrfalcon smiled. "The founder of a family. I congratulate you."

The bird seemed to understand Father was being praised, and it called out, "Good Silk!" three or four times.

"Yes, I am." For a few seconds he sat scratching Babbie's ears. "My son Hide will come here soon with my wife and my daughter-inlaw to be, Vadsig. They will be married by Patera Remora. My brother Calf and his wife are making arrangements."

"Assisted by you, financially. So I've heard."

"Correct. They know the town, as Hoof and I do not."

I spoke up then even though I should not have, saying I had been learning a good deal about it recently.

"Prowling over it at night with your… Father? Sitting in bottle shops. Who are you looking for?"

I said I did not know.

"Who are you looking for, Horn? As calde of our city, I think myself entitled to ask."

"By name?" He shrugged. He had not eaten a bite till then, but he picked up a sparkle and began to peel it. "For a friend, that's all. I don't know his name. Or hers. I'll learn it when I find the person."

"You have graciously answered all my questions," Gyrfalcon said. He was making fun of Father, but you could tell he admired him too. "Will you tolerate a few more?"

"If you will tolerate one from me. Will you come-or at least consider coming-to my son's wedding? It would be a great honor for him and his wife, and for our entire family. I'm taking advantage of your hospitality, I realize."

Gyrfalcon stared, then laughed. He has a big booming laugh. "You want me at your son's wedding?"

"Yes," Father said, "I do. I want you there very much, if you will come. All of us will be delighted, I'm sure."

"Let me think now." Still grinning, Gyrfalcon sipped a little wine. "You promised to answer some more questions for me if I would answer that one. I suppose you meant if I would give you an answer you liked."

"Why no. Any answer. And I'm only asking you to consider it. I know how many demands there must be on your time, and in all honesty you are entitled to ask all the questions you wish."

Gyrfalcon leaned back and surveyed us, looked around at his garden, and came back to us, looking at Father and me like he never saw us before. "Do you think my wine's poisoned?"

"Certainly not. I would have warned my son not to drink it if I did. Does it bother you that I haven't drunk my own?" He drank half his glass and ate some bread.

"I poison people. That's what they say in town. You must have heard it."

"I heard something of the sort."

"Well, I don't. They can't prove I do, but I can't prove I don't."

"Naturally not."

"Do you still want me to come to your other son's wedding?"

"Of course. We will all be delighted."

"Then I'll come. Let me know when the date is set."

The bird said, "Bird tell!" and I noticed Father jumped a little. Later he explained to me about Scylla.

"I've got a few more questions for you. Here's the first one. Is Silk ever coming?"

"I have no idea. I failed to find him." For a minute I thought Father was going to cry again but he did not. "That was the principal thing I promised I would do. I realize that. I failed, and that is all I have to say. I reached Viron. I talked with its present calde, Calde Bison, and a number of other people-I spoke with my own father, for example. But I was unable to locate Silk, and I left. I offer no excuses."

"You don't know whether Silk's coming?"

"As I said. He may, but I very much doubt it."

I whispered, "Can't you see that if he were here Gyrfalcon would have to kill him?"

"No, I don't-because it isn't true."

Gyrfalcon told me, "You're stirring our stew with your finger, young man. Better stop before you get burned."

Father was smiling. "I've dreaded this hour. Not because of what you and the others might say to me or what New Viron might do to me, but because I knew I would have to admit that I failed, that Silk is not coming. Now I've done it and I can begin to live again."

"Good Silk," said the bird. "Good Silk!"

"Can I ask a couple more questions?"

"Before you decide on my punishment? Yes, certainly."

Gyrfalcon shook his head. "No punishment. I'm not going to give you a dressing down, either. You did your best."

"I did not," Father told him. "I did what I did. I could have remained in Viron and continued to search. I didn't."

"You said you were looking for somebody here, too, but you didn't know his name. What do you want with him?"

"I want him to go on a journey with me."

"I see." Gyrfalcon sucked his teeth at that. "Going far?"

"Yes, very far indeed," Father said.

They had put us on horses for the ride out to Gyrfalcon's house, but we had to walk back. While we walked, I asked Father if he wanted me to come when he went away. It seemed to surprise him, as if it was something he had not thought about, but I saw enough of him to know that he thought about most things way far in advance. "Would you go, if I asked you to?"

I said I would, and Hide and Vadsig could look after Mother.

"We won't be gone long," he told me. I did not understand what he meant till later. I had never gone to the Red Sun Whorl, and when Hide told me he had not made me believe it. Father could not make Juganu believe it, either. Juganu was the inhumu we found, a little old man with a bald head. We had taken him on the boat and put out to sea.

Father said, "You have no reason to worry-far less than we. If this vessel sinks, you can fly."

"Rajan!" Juganu tried to get away, climbing the rigging like two nittimonks and flattening out his arms, but I chased him and caught him and threw him down.

"You need have no fear," Father told him, "we will be your friends if you'll let us."

"I served you faithfully." Juganu moaned. "I swear by our god."

That was the first I ever heard about the inhumi having their own god, but Father paid no attention to it. "You tried to kill me when Evensong and I left Gaon, and you will call for others to kill me here as soon as I let you go."

I said we should kill him ourselves when we were finished with him, but Father shook his head. "I killed your sister. Surely that was killing enough for one lifetime. I will not call it murder-murder is something worse-but I will not kill this man, who may be her brother for all I know. After he has helped us, we will free him."