It was Eshi who replied to that. "We have acted through her twice now, and sheremains more powerful than she knows. For none can be touched by a god withoutreceiving some of that which is the essence of gods-a form of strength, a formof dominion over time and space. Those are after all creations of gods, andbounded about my mortals. The girl Mignureal remembers nothing of having twiceacted for us. But she dreams-0 how she dreams, now!"

Now that shadow-presence spoke, at table's end, and its voice was as a shadowmight sound; was as a piece of good leather drawn slowly across a whetstone."The power of Vashanka remains at bay, and now you may make use of Vashanka'sservant, who is ... lost."

"How-why?" Hanse asked, and indeed he was not sure if either question was theright one. Seismic disruptions disturbed his brain and his stomach felt bothhollow and drawn together.

Because they needed him, they told him without equivocation, for what was prideto gods?

The Ilsigi his people, and Sanctuary called Thieves' World needed him, and theworld needed him. It was not just that Ils and his family would wane and shrinkand perish. Ranke would rule supreme over all the world, and Ranke was ruled bymen other than good ("for my cousin Savankala is old and weary of the strife ofhis offspring") and Savankala's warlike, war-loving son ruled Ranke, through itsemperor. .

"I may not do battle with Vashanka, though," Ils said, light speaking in thevoice of warmth, "for son must battle son."

And with that stated He vanished, and much light left with him. Now the bigchamber was draped with shadows, and the Shadow at table's end spoke, in therustly voice of shadows, hooded and cloaked.

"You think you know me, Hanse, and you are right. I am He to Whom There is noTemple. I am the Shadowed One, Hanse who are Son of the Shadow. It is I who mustcombat Vashanka, for I am son of Ils as he is son of Savankala my uncle. But thepresence here of Ranke, and of Vashanka and his so-powerful servant-these haverobbed me of abilities. I can act only through you, Hanse, as my sister may actonly through Mignureal. With the sword from him called Stepson, Hanse, who isGodson, is to combat a god."

"Vash- Vashanka?"

Hanse saw the shadowy nod that was his only reply, and again he blurted words:"But I am not skilled with a sword!-Lord of Shadows," he added.

That fortunate fact was not to be his succor as he hoped. Fight a god!Shadowspawn? Hanse? No no, he wanted only to fly from here and lose himself inthat cess-warren called the Maze, forever!

But: "There is one in Sanctuary who is more than expert with the sword and thebusiness of killing, and he allows that he owes you. With him now are those whoare skilled at teaching use of the sword, and they are his liege-men, Hanse.Hanse: use him. He will see to your instruction, and with pleasure. You shalllearn prodigiously and surprise them, for I shall be there with you, Hanse whoare the Chosen of Ilsig."

Now Hanse was propping himself with both hands on a high-backed chair, and atlast Eshi took notice.

"We are cruel, brother! Shadowspawn-seat yourself."

Shadowspan obeyed with gratitude and alacrity. He almost collapsed into thechair. He took a very deep breath, let part of it out, and was able to formwords by letting them ride the breath: "But ... uh ... then what?"

"You will know, Hanse."

Then Shadowspawn twitched away at a sound beside him. He looked at the floorbeside his chair, at what had only just appeared there, and could not possiblybe there. Clinking, dripping, running water, were the bags off the saddle of adead man named Bourne. Hanse's saddlebags, from the deeps of the well justoutside! The ransom of the Savankh, which he had stolen for little purpose otherthan his own ego and pride-which had soared, then. The ransom Prince Kitty-cathad told him was his-if he could get it out of the well.

It was irresistible. He bent to the bags, opened one, took forth a few wetsilver coins. And he sighed. He dribbled them back in, listening to their sweetlovely clink, and he did it again- keeping a few in his fist. Then, staringthoughtfully down at those bags sending wet runnels along the floor, he sighed.

"You are god and my god, Shadowed One. This... this is safe in the well. Uh,can you put it back?"

Hanse jerked when the bags vanished, and he wondered if he were not the greatestfool in Sanctuary. How silly I am going to feel when I wake up from this dream?

"It is back in the well, Son of the Shadow, and aye, it is safe indeed! And wemust go, my sister and I. Our time on this plane is necessarily limited."

Hanse raised an expostulating hand, said "But-" and was alone in Eaglenest. Thecandles remained, burning. So now did food and wine, on the table before him. Heglanced down. The puddles and dark run-stains of water remained. And so did thecoins in his hand, a few pieces of silver.

Did that mean it had all indeed happened?

No, of course not. When I wake, the coins will be gone.

The food he took with him, eating as he left, tasted very good in his dream, andthe wine was the very best he had ever sipped. Only sipped; the sack remainedheavy as he climbed the steps to his room deep in that area of Sanctuary calledthe Maze. (It was even more dangerous now than ever before, what with allthese damned swaggering soldiers, all foreigners; that was one reason he hadchosen to leave his money in the well. Even the Maze could no longer beconsidered safe, Hanse thought.)

He entered his room and closed the door with care, and bolted it with as muchcare. A window leaked in a little moonlight, and by the time he had the cloakunclasped and off and the tunic over his head, he was able to see pretty well.That was how he discovered that a woman waited in his bed.

A girl, rather. The truly beautiful Lady Esaria. In his bed. She sat up, showingthat all she wore was the bedspread, and held out her arms.

Hanse was somehow able to avoid yelling or collapsing. He made it to the bed.She was real. She was waiting for him. It was wonderful, all of it with her.Even his wondering, Is she Eshi?, did not inhibit him or her or his enjoyment orhers. What matter whether she was the Esaria she appeared to be or the goddess;she was higher than he could have aspired, and the experience was supernal.

He deduced that it really was Esaria, not Eshi (in his dream, of course, hereminded himself) because surely Eshi wouldn't have been eating so much garlic.

She was gone in the morning, and he lay smiling, thinking about his dream. Lyingon his back, he rolled his head.

He could see cloak, tunic, and wine-sack from here. That brought him wide awake,and sent his hand swinging down beside the pallet to check his buskins. Thesilver coins were still there. Hanse demonstrated the cliche of sitting boltupright. Hurling back the spread, he inspected his bed. That required no effort.The evidence of Esaria's visit and her late virginity were vehemently present.

I was not dreaming, he thought, and then he spoke aloud: "I see and I believe. Iwill do it, 0 Swift-footed One, 0 All-father Ils! I will do it, holiest-but-oneLady Eshi, and Venerable Lady of Ladies Shipri?"

The voice was there, inside his head: All depend on you,son.

Not "all depends," Hanse realized later. "All depend." Meaning "all the gods ofIlsig and the Ilsigi!"

He took up the last of the strong drink he had used all too much since ThatNight, the night at Kurd's, and he poured it out onto the sheet on the floor,which already showed the scarlet of another form of sacrificial outpouring.