It was a market day at the bazaar, with every extra stall crammed with winter'sproduce: jellies, sweet breads and preserved fruits. He shoved past them,untempted, until he reached the more permanent part of the bazaar and could hearthe ringing of Dubro's hammer above the din. She had found herself an ableprotector, at least. He stopped before the man who was his own age and heightbut whose slow strength was unequalled.

"Is niyra inside?" he asked politely, knowing he would be recognized. "Is shescrying for someone or can I talk to her?"

"You're not welcome here," Dubro replied evenly.

"I would like to see my sister. I've never done anything to hurt her in the pastand I don't intend to start now. Stand guard beside me, if you must. I will seeher."

Dubro sighed and set his tools carefully back in their proper places. He bankedthe fire and moved buckets of water close by the cloth door of the simplestructure he and Illyra called home. Walegrin was about to burst with impatiencewhen the plodding giant lifted the cloth and motioned him inside.

"We have a visitor," Dubro announced.

"Who?"

"See for yourself."

Walegrin recognized the voice but not the woman who moved in the twilightdarkness. It was Illyra's custom to disguise her youth with cosmetics andshapeless clothing-still it seemed that the creature who walked toward him wasfar too gross to be his half-sister. Then he saw her face-his father's face forshe took after him that way-and there could be no doubt.

She slouched ungracefully in the depths of Dubro's chair, and Walegrin, thoughhe had little knowledge of these things, guessed she was late in pregnancy.

"You're having a child," he blurted out.

"Not quite yet," she replied with a laugh. "Moonflower assures me I have someweeks to wait yet. I'm sure it will be a boy, like Dubro. No girl-child would beso large."

"And you're well enough?" Walegrin had always assumed she was barren: doublycursed. It did not seem possible that she should be so robustly breeding.

"Well enough. I've lost my figure but I've got all my teeth, yet," she laughedagain. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes-and more," Walegrin didn't trust the smith who stood close behind him, butIllyra would tell him everything he said anyway. "I've brought back the ore. Wewere betrayed by treachery-I lost all but five of my men. I have made powerfulenemies with my discovery. I need your help, Illyra, if I'm to protect myselfand my men."

"You found the steel ofEnlibar?" Dubro whispered while Illyra sought a moredignified position in the chair.

"I found the ore," Walegrin corrected, suddenly realizing that the great ox of amonger probably expected to make the swords himself.

"What do you need from me?" Illyra asked. "I'd think you'd need Dubro's help,not mine."

"No," Walegrin spat out quickly. "I've found one to make my steel for meBalustrus, metal-master. He knows forging, grinding and tempering-"

"And Ilsig alchemy," Dubro added. "Since he cast the Prince's god-bell it wouldseem good fortune falls to him."

Walegrin did not like to think that Dubro knew of Balustrus and the making ofsteel. He attempted to ignore the knowledge and the smith. " 'Lyra, it's yourhelp I need: your sight. With the cards you can tell me who I can trust and whatI can do in safety."

She frowned and smoothed her skirts over her great belly. "Not now, Walegrin.Not even if I could use the cards for such things. The baby-to-be takes so muchfrom me; I don't have the sight. Moonflower warns me that I must not use thegifts so close to my time. It could be dangerous."

"Moonflower? What is moonflower?" Walegrin complained, and heard a giggle fromDubro.

"She is S'danzo. And she takes care of me, now-"

"S'danzo?" Walegrin said in disbelief. "Since when do the S'danzo help you?"

Illyra shrugged. "Even the S'danzo cannot remember forever, you know. The womenhave the sight, so the men feel free to wander with the wind. The women stay inone place all their lives; the men-It is forgotten."

"Forgotten?" Walegrin leaned forward to whisper to her. "Illyra, this Moonflowerwho tells you not to use your sight-does she see those who used to come to you?"

"She-or her daughter," Illyra admitted.

"Illyra, breeding has clouded your mind. They will squeeze you out. They neverforget."

"If that were true, so much the worse for them. Since the mercenaries came totown scrying is not pleasant, Walegrin. I do not enjoy looking into the futureof soldiers. I do not enjoy their reactions when I tell them the truth." Sheshifted again in the chair. "But, it is not true. When my son is bom the dangerwill be past and I will see again. Moonflower and Migurneal will not keep whatis rightfully mine," she said with the calm confidence of one who has the upperhand. "You need not worry for me. I will not send you to Moonflower, either.I'll answer your questions myself, if I can, after my son is born-if you canwait that long."

It seemed likely that she would be delivered of her child well before Balustrusfinished making the swords, so Walegrin agreed to wait.

4

Balustrus' villa-foundry had fallen from fashionability long before the firstRankans reached Sanctuary. Weeds grew boldly in the mosaic face of Shipri in theattrium. There wasn't a room where the roof was intact and several where it wasnon-existant. Walegrin and Thrusher threw their belongings into a room onceconnected to the main attrium but now accessible only through a gaping hole inthe wall. Still, it was a better billet than most they'd seen.

The work was hard and dirty, with little time for recreation, though Sanctuarywas in sight down the gentle slopes. Balustrus treated Walegrin and his men likeordinary apprentices, which meant they got enough food and more than enoughabuse. If Walegrin had not borne his share so stoically there might have beenproblems, but he was willing to sacrifice anything to the cause of his swords.

For three weeks they lived in almost total isolation. A farmer delivered theirfood and gossip; an occassional mercenary came seeking Balustrus' services andwas turned away. Only once did someone come looking for Walegrin himself,and that was after Illyra bore twins: a boy and a girl. The soldier sentthem a gold piece to insure their registry in the rolls of citizenship at thepalace.

"Is it worth it, commander?" Thrusher asked as he kneaded a soothing balm intoWalegrin's burnt shoulder. "We're here three weeks and all we have to show forourselves is fresh scars."

"What about full bellies and no problems from Kittycat? Yes, it's worth it. Weshould know how steel is made; I had always thought the smiths just took the oreand made it into swords. I had no idea there were so many steps in between."

"Aye, so many steps. We've gone through two sacks already and what have we got?Three half-decent knives, a mountain of bad steel and a demon grinding away inthe shed there. Maybe we would be better running. Sometimes I don't think we'llever leave Sanctuary again."

"He's mad, but no demon. And I think he's getting close to the steel we need.He's as eager to have the steel as we are-it's his life."

The little man shook his head and eased Walegrin's tunic over the sore. "I don'tlike magic," he complained.

"He only added a little bit of Ilsig silver- hardly enough to make a difference.We've got to expect a little magic. We found the mine with magic, didn't we?Balustrus isn't a magician. He said he couldn't put a spell on the metal likethe Wrigglies put on steel, so he thought he'd try to add something to the steelthat already had a spell on it."