First, he noticed that two people sauntering casually down the altar's hillocktoward him were not familiar; and then, that none of his Stepsons were moving:each was stock-still. A cold overswept him, like a wind-driven wave, and rolledon toward the barracks. Above, the pale sky clouded over; a silky dusk swallowedthe day. Black clouds gathered; over Vashanka's altar two luminous, red moonsappeared high up in the inky air, as if some huge night-cat lurked on a loftyperch. Watching the pair approaching (through unmoving men who did not even knowthey stood now in darkness), swathed in a pale nimbus which illuminated theirpath as the witchcold had heralded their coming, Temp us muttered under hisbreath. His hand went to his hip, where no weapon lay, but only a knotted cord.Studying the strangers without looking at them straight-on, leaning back, hisarms outstretched along the fencetop, he waited.

The red lights glowing above Vashanka's altar winked out. The ground shuddered;the altar stones tumbled to the ground. Wonderful, he thought. Just great. Helet his eyes slide over his men, asleep between blinks, and wondered how far thespell extended, whether they were ensor-celed in their bunks, or in the mess, oron their horses as they made their rounds in the country or the town.

Well, Vashanka? he tested. It's your altar they took down. But the god wassilent.

Besides the two coming at measured pace across the ground rutted with chariottracks, nothing moved. No bird cried or insect chittered, no Stepson so much assnored. The companion of the imposing man in the thick, fur mantle had him bythe elbow. Who was helping whom, Tempus could not at first determine. He triedto think where he had seen that austere face- soul-shriveling eyes so sad, bonesso fine and yet full of vitality beneath the black, silver-starred hair-and thenblew out a sibilant breath when he realized what power approached over therutted, Sanctuary ground. The companion whose lithe musculature and bare, tannedskin were counterpointed by an enameled tunic of scale-armor and soft low bootswas either a female or the prettiest eunuch Tempus had ever seen- whichever,she/he was trouble, coming in from some nonphysical realm on the arm of the entelechy of a shadow lord, master of the once-in-a-while archipelago that borehis name: Askelon, lord of dreams.

When they reached him, Tempus nodded carefully and said, very quietly in anoncommittal way that almost passed for deference, "Salutations, Ash. Whatbrings you into so poor a realm?"

Askelon's proud lips parted; the skin around them was too pale. It was a womanwho held his arm; her health made him seem the more pallid, but when he spoke,his words were ringing basso profundo: "Life to you, Riddler. What are youcalled here?"

"Spare me your curses, mage." To such a power, the title alone was an insult.And the shadow lord knew it well.

Around his temples, stars of silver floated, stirred by a breeze. His colorlesseyes grew darker, draining the angry clouds from the sky: "You have not answeredme."

"Nor you, me."

The woman looked in disbelief upon Tempus. She opened her lips, but Askelontouched them with a gloved hand. From the gauntlet's cuff a single drop of bloodran down his left arm to drip upon the sand. He looked at it somberly, then upat Tempus. "I seek your sister, what else? I will not harm her."

"But will you cause her to harm herself?"

The shadow lord whom Tempus had called Ash, so familiarly, rubbed the bloodytrail from his elbow back up to his wrist. "Surely you do not think you canprotect her from me? Have I not accomplished even this? Am I not real?" He heldhis gloved hands out, turned them over, let them flap abruptly down against histhighs. Niko, who had been roused from deep meditation in the barracks by thecold which had spread sleep over the waking, skidded to a halt and peered aroundthe curve of the fence, his teeth gritted hard to stay their chatter.

"No." Tempus had replied to Askelon's first question with that sensitive littlesmile which meant he was considering commencing some incredible slaughter; "Yes"to his second; "Yes, indeed" to the third.

"And would I be here now," the dream lord continued, "in so ignominious a stateif not for the havoc she has wrought?"

"I don't know what havoc she's wrought that could have touched you out there.But I take it that last night's deadly mist was your harbinger. Why come to me,Ash? I'm not involved with her in any way."

"You connived to release her from imprisonment, Tempus-it is Tempus, so thedreams of the Sanctuarites tell me. And they tell me other things, too. I amhere, sleepless one, to warn you: though I cannot reach you through dreams, haveno doubt: I can reach you. All of these, you consider yours...."He waved hishand to encompass the still men, frozen unknowing upon the field. "They aremine now. I can claim them any time."

"What do you want, Ash?"

"I want you to refrain from interfering with me while I am here. I will see her,and settle a score with her, and if you are circumspect, when I leave, yourvicious little band of cutthroats will be returned to you, unharmed,uncomprehending."

"All that, to make sure of me? I don't respond well to flattery. You will forceme to a gesture by trying to prevent one. I don't care what you do about Cimewhatever you do, you will be doing me a favor. Release my people, and go aboutyour quest."

"I cannot trust you not to interfere. By noon I shall be installed as temporaryFirst Hazard of your local Mageguild-"

"Slumming? It's hardly your style."

"Style?" he thundered so that his companion shuddered and Niko started,dislodging a stone which clicked, rolled, then lay still. "Style? She came untome with her evil and destroyed my peace." His other hand cradled his wrist. "Iwas lucky to receive a reprieve from damnation. I have only a limiteddispensation: either I force her to renege on murdering me, or make her finishthe job. And you of all men know what awaits a contractee such as myself whenexistence is over. What would you do in my place?"

"I did not know how she got here, but now it comes clearer. She went to destroyyou in your place, and was spat out into this world from there? But how is itshe has not succeeded?"

The Power, looking past Tempus with a squint, shrugged. "She was not certain,her will was not united with her heart. I have a chance, now, to remedy it...bring back restful dreaming in its place, and my domain with it. I will not letanything stop me. Be warned, my friend. You know what strengths I can bring tobear."

"Release my people, if you want her, and we will think about how to satisfy youover breakfast. From the look of you, you could use something warm to drink. Youdo drink, don't you? With the form come the functions, surely even here."

Askelon sighed feelingly; his shoulders slumped. "Yes, indeed, the entirepackage is mine to tend and lumber about in, some little while longer... untilafter the Mageguild's fete this evening, at the very least. ... I am surprised,not to mention pleased, that you display some disposition to compromise. It isfor everyone's benefit. This is Jihan." He inclined his head toward hiscompanion. "Greet our host." .

"It is my pleasure to wish that things go exceedingly well with you," the womansaid, and Niko saw Tempus shiver, a subtle thing that went over him from scalpto sandals-and almost bolted out to help, thinking some additional, debilitatingspell was being cast. He was not fooled by those polite exchanges: bodies andtimbres had been speaking more plainly of respectful opposition and cautioushostility. Distressed and overbalanced from long crouching without daring tolean or sit, he fell forward, catching himself too late to avoid making noise.