Zedd halted and crouched low, studying the lay of the land. He couldn't see anyone in the faint light, and he could only vaguely detect the foreign smell of sweat. It could be that it had been carried on the breeze for miles.

"A spirit raiding party," he said as he put his mouth close to her ear. "It's a long story, but the ending is that they offer sacrifices to the spirit world.

"It is their belief that the newly departed spirit will carry the Nangtongs' respects and requests to their departed ancestors, and in return the spirits will look kindly upon them. The hunting parties hunt things to sacrifice." "People?"

"Sometimes. If they can get away with it. They aren't very brave when they encounter strong opposition-they would rather run than have a fight-but they will gladly pick off the weak or defenseless."

"In the name of Creation, what kind of place is this Midlands, letting people get away with such things? I thought you people were more civilized than that. I thought you had this alliance through which everyone in the Midlands cooperated and saw to the common good."

"The Confessors come here, to try to insure the Nangtong don't murder people, but it's a remote place. The Nangtong are always servile when a Confessor comes; her magic is one of the few not altered by the Nangtongs' power. It could be that because a Confessor's power has an element of the Subtractive to it, it isn't altered."

"Why would you fools leave these people to their own devices, if you know what they are capable of?"

Zedd scowled at her in the darkness. "Part of the reason for the Midlands alliance was to protect those with magic who would be slaughtered by stronger lands." "They don't have magic. You said they couldn't do anything with magic." "Since they can nullify magic, make it impotent, then that means that they have magic. Those without magic could not do such a thing. It's part of the way these people defend themselves. It's their teeth, so to speak, used to defend themselves against those with powerful magic who would subjugate or destroy them.

"We leave alone people and creatures with magic. They have as much right to exist as we, but we try to insure that they don't murder innocent people. We may not like all forms of magic, but we don't believe in exterminating the Creator's beings to make a world in the image of those with the most power."

She remained silent, so he went on. "There are creatures that can be dangerous, such as a gar, but we don't go out and kill all the gars. Instead, we leave them be, let them have their own lives, the way the Creator intended. It is not up to us to judge the wisdom of Creation.

"The Nangtong are diffident when challenged by strength, but deadly when they think they have the upper hand. They're a kind of scavenger-like vultures, or wolves, or bears. It wouldn't be right to eliminate those creatures. They have a part to play in the world."

She put her face close so she could express her displeasure without yelling. "And what part do the Nangtong play?"

"Ann, I am not the Creator, nor do I have conversations with Him to discuss His choices in creating life and magic. But I am respectful enough to allow that He may have a reason, and it isn't my place to say He is wrong. That would be naked arrogance.

"In the Midlands, we allow all forms of Creation to exist, and if it's dangerous, we simply keep away from it. You, of all people, with your dogmatic teachings of your version of the Creator, should be able to sympathize with this view."

Ann's words, whispered though they were, became heated. "Our duty is to teach heathens such as this to respect the Creator's other beings." "Tell that to the wolf, or the bear." Her growl could have been either.

"Sorceresses and wizards are meant to be custodians of magic, to protect it, just as a parent protects a child," Zedd said. "It is not up to us to decide which are good enough to have a right to exist, which is worthy of life.

"Down that path lies Jagang's view of all magic. He thinks we are dangerous, and that we should be eliminated for the good of all. You seem to be siding with the emperor."

"If a bee stings you, do you not swat it?" "I didn't say we shouldn't defend ourselves."

"Then why haven't you defended yourselves and eliminated such threats? In the war with Darken Rahl's father, Panis, your own people called you the wind of death. You knew how to eliminate a threat then."

"I did what I had to do to protect innocent people who would have been slaughtered-who were being slaughtered. I will do the same against Jagang if I must. The Nangtong haven't warranted annihilation: they don't try to rule others through murder, torture, and enslavement. Their beliefs result in harm only if we are careless enough to intrude."

"They're dangerous. You should never have let the threat continue." He shook a finger at her. "And why haven't you killed Nathan, to eliminate the threat he represents?"

"Would you equate Nathan with those who sacrifice people for heathen beliefs? And I can tell you that when I get my hands on Nathan again, I will set him on the right path!"

"Good. But in the meanwhile, this is a poor time to debate theology." Zedd smoothed back his wavy hair. "Unless you wish to begin teaching the Nangtong your beliefs, I would suggest we follow mine, and remove ourselves from their hunting grounds."

Ann sighed. "Perhaps you have a point or two. Your intentions, at least, were benevolent."

With a shooing motion, she signaled for him to get going. Zedd followed the twisting gorge, trying to stay out of the sluggish ribbon of water running through it.

The ravine led southwest. He knew that would take them away from the Nangtong homeland. He hoped it would also conceal them while they fled. The Nangtong had spears and arrows.

When the moon came out between a break in the clouds, Zedd put out a hand to stop Ann, and squatted down to take a quick appraisal of the landscape while there was light enough for a moment. He saw little but the eight- to ten-foot-high walls of the banks and, beyond, the nearly barren hills. There were scattered copses on distant hills.

In the low valley ahead, the stream ran into a thicket of woods. Zedd turned back to tell Ann that their best bet might be to hide in the brush and woods. The Nangtong might be leery of a trap, and stay out of such a place.

The moon was still out. He saw behind them their perfect pair of tracks through the mud. He had forgotten that he couldn't hide their trail. He pointed, so she would see them, too. She gestured with a thumb, indicating that they should get out of the muddy gully.

Twin, reed-thin screams in the distance cut through the stillness. "The horses," he whispered.

The screams silenced abruptly. Their throats had been cut. "Bags! Those were good horses. Do you have anything with which to defend yourself?"

Ann flicked her wrist and brought forth a dacra. "I have this. Its magic won't work, but I can still stab them. What do you have?" Zedd smiled fatalistically. "My honeyed tongue." "Maybe we should split up, before your weapon gets me killed." Zedd shrugged. "I wouldn't hold it against you if you wish to strike out alone. We have important business. Maybe it would be better if we split up to give a better chance of at least one of us making it."

She smiled. "You just want me to miss out on all the fun. We'll get away. We're a goodly distance from the horses. Let's stay together." Zedd squeezed her shoulder. "Maybe they only sacrifice virgins."

"But I don't want to die alone."

Zedd chuckled softly as he moved on, searching for a place ahead where he could take them up and out of the ravine. He finally found a cut through the bank. Roots of gnarled bushes hung down like hair, providing handholds. The moon slid behind a thick cloud. In the inky darkness, they climbed slowly, blindly, feeling their way with their hands.