Sometimes, lying abed of nights, he wondered what went on in Glyneth's mind, and how serious she was in her play. Always at these times other images came to disturb him.

These were no longer dreary recollections of the secret garden at Haidion. Suldrun had long become a misty shape lost and gone across the gulfs of time. Another more vital figure marched through Aillas' mind. Her name was Tatzel; she was Ska, and she lived at Castle Sank in North Ulfland. Tatzel's style was unique. She was slim as a wand, with dark hair hanging loose past her ears; her complexion, like that of all the Ska, was pale olive; her eyes glowed with intelligence. Aillas had seen her most usually striding along the main gallery of the castle, looking neither right nor left. She took no notice of Aillas; as a slave, he was of less concern to her than a chair.

Aillas could not easily define his feelings toward Tatzel. There was resentment and challenge, generated by his abraded self-esteem, but other more subtle yearnings had brought him queer little pangs whenever she walked past unseeing; he wanted to step forward to where she must stop to notice him, to look into his eyes and take heed of his own prideful being. Never could he have dared to touch her; she would have instantly cried out for the guards and Aillas would have been dragged away in disgrace, perhaps even to the gelding-board and a future too awful to contemplate, with both his manhood and all hope of Tatzel's good opinion forever lost and gone.

When finally Aillas had escaped Castle Sank in company with Cargus and Yane, he had turned at one point, and, looking back, had muttered: "Tatzel, take heed! Someday we shall meet again, and on different terms, so it may be!" And such was the phantom haunting Aillas' mind.

II

AFTER PASSING THE NIGHT AT HAG HARBOUR, and at noon crossing over Green Man's Gap, Aillas and Tristano late in the afternoon rode clattering across the drawbridge and into the stable-yard at Watershade. Dhrun and Glyneth ran out to greet them, followed by Weare, Flora and others of the household, while Shimrod* waited in the shadow of the arched passage leading out upon the terrace.

*Shimrod, while wandering the Daul countryside as ‘Doctor Fidelius. Charlatan and Mender of Sore Knees', had befriended a pair of vagabond children named Dhrun and Glyneth, and thereafter the three had traveled together.

Across the years Shimrod had changed little. A long nose, crooked mouth and gaunt cheeks gave his face a droll cast; he retained his spare physique, pale gray eyes under half-closed lids, and as ever wore his light brown hair cut short in the peasant style. See LYONESSE 1: Suldrun's Garden.

The travelers retired to their chambers to refresh themselves, then came down to the terrace, where Weare served the best supper his larders could afford, and the company sat long while the afterglow faded and dusk became night.

Tristano told of the green pearl and its sinister infection. "I am baffled by the power of the object! It seemed a true pearl, except for its colour, which was the green of sea-water! Shimrod, what do you make of it?"

"I am ashamed to admit that, for me, in the realm of magic there is far more unknown than known. The green pearl is beyond my conjecture."

"It might have been the brain-stone of a demon," mused Glyneth. "Or perhaps a goblin's egg."

"Or a basilisk's eye," suggested Dhrun.

Glyneth said thoughtfully: "There is a valuable lesson here, say, for a youth in his formative years, like Dhrun. Never steal or rob objects of value, especially if they are green!"

"Good advice!" declared Tristano. "In cases of this sort, honesty is the best policy."

"You have frightened and daunted me," said Dhrun. "I will stop stealing at once."

"Unless, of course, it is something nice for me," said Glyneth. Tonight, perhaps to please Dame Flora, she wore a white frock and a silver fillet enameled with white daisies to contain her hair; she made a charming picture, to which Tristano was by no means oblivious.

Tristano said modestly: "My conduct at least was exemplary. I took the pearl only as a public service and I gave it up willingly to one less fortunate in his birth than myself."

Dhrun said: "Here, evidently, you refer to the dog, since we have no knowledge of the robber's lineage."

Glyneth spoke severely: "Your treatment of the dog was truly rather heartless! You should have brought the pearl to Shimrod."

"So that he might feed it to me in a sausage?" demanded Shimrod. "I prefer it otherwise."

"Poor Shimrod!" murmured Aillas. "Foaming at the mouth, running down the road at full speed, halting only to bite passers-by!"

Glyneth said with dignity: "Shimrod could properly dispose of the thing, whatever its nature. The dog lacks this competence."

"I now understand my mistake," said Tristano. "When this dog came to snap at my horse's heels, I admit that I lacked kindly feeling for the beast. I therefore acted on an impulse which almost instantly I regretted, and more when I saw the disreputable quality of the beast."

"I do not quite understand," said Glyneth. "You almost instantly regretted your cruelty?"

"Well, not altogether. Remember that I indemnified the dog with a sausage for his risk."

"Why, then?"

Tristano gave a fastidious flutter of the fingers. "Since you press me, I will explain, and as delicately as possible. On the previous midnight the pearl was returned to me in an uncanny fashion. As I considered the dead dog, I thought at first to depart at full speed and to leave the dog behind. Then I began to ponder on the night ahead: specifically, on the hour of midnight while I lay asleep. At this time the pearl would have progressed well on its way along the dog's digestive tract—"

Glyneth clapped her hands over her ears. "That is enough. Already you have told me more than I want to hear."

"The subject would seem to lack any further interest," said Aillas.

"Just so," said Tristano. "I only wanted to excite Glyneth's compassion for the travail to which I was subjected."

"You have done so," said Glyneth.

There was a moment of quiet, and Glyneth looked up the table to Aillas. "Tonight you are quiet! What troubles you? Affairs of state?"

Aillas looked off across the dark water. "Miraldra seems a thousand miles away. I wish that I need never go back."

"Perhaps you take too much responsibility upon yourself."

"With my counselors and ministers all older men, watching to catch me out in mistakes, I have no choice except to go carefully. There is a chaos in South Ulfland which I must organize, and perhaps come to grips with the Ska, unless they mend their ways. And all the while, even as we sit here, Casmir hatches new plots."

"Then why not work plots upon Casmir, until he desists?"

"If only it were so easy! Clever plots are Casmir's specialty; I can never beat him at intrigue. His spies are everywhere; they would know my clever plots before I know them myself!"

Dhrun made a sound of outrage. "Can we not identify the spies and drown them all in the Lir?"

"Nothing is ever simple. Naturally, I want to identify them, but thereafter I prefer to make their life easy and befuddle them with false information. If I drowned them all, Casmir would merely send over a group of strangers. So I make do with the lot I have and try not to cause them anxiety."

"This ‘befuddling' seems a clever plot in itself," said Glyneth. "Is it effective?"

"I will know better after I identify the spies."

Glyneth asked: "Certainly our own spies keep watch on Casmir?"

"Not as carefully as he watches us. Still, we are not utterly overmatched."

"In some ways, it seems an interesting business," said Glyneth. "I wonder if I would do well as a spy."

"Beyond a doubt," said Aillas. "Beautiful girls make excellent spies! Still, they must be dedicated to their work, and take the good with the bad, since the choicest items are usually told to them in the dark."