But the sikkintair's vast wings eclipsed the sun. Jamie rejoined his band andplucked the second spear from Cappen's fingers. 'Hurry on, lad/he ordered. 'Getthem to safety.'

'Leave you? No!' protested his comrade. Jamie spat an oath. 'Do you want thewhole faring to've gone for naught? Hurry, I said!'

Danlis tugged at Cappen's sleeve. 'He's right. The state requires ourtestimony.'

Cappen stumbled onward. From time to time he glanced back. In the shadow of thewings, Jamie's hair blazed. He stood foursquare, spear grasped as a huntsmandoes. Agape, the Flying Knife rushed down upon him. Jamie thrust straightbetween those jaws, and twisted.

The monster let out a sawtoothed shriek. Its wings threshed, made thundercrack,it swooped by, a foot raked. Jamie had his claymore out. He parried the blow.

The sikkintair rose. The shaft waggled from its throat. It spread great ebonmembranes, looped, and came back earthward. Its claws were before it. Airwhirred behind.

Jamie stood his ground, sword in right hand, knife in left. As the talons smote,he fended them off with the dirk. Blood sprang from his thigh, but his byrnietook most of the edged sweep. And his sword hewed. The sikkintair ululatedagain. It tried to ascend, and couldn't.

Jamie had crippled its left wing. It landed - Cappen felt the impact throughsoles and bones - and hitched itself towards him. From around the spear came ageyser hiss.

Jamie held fast where he was. As fangs struck at him, he sidestepped, sprangback, and threw his shoulders against the shaft. Leverage swung jaws aside. Heglided by the neck towards the forequarters. Both of his blades attacked thespine.

Cappen and the women hastened on.

They were almost at the pergola when footfalls drew his eyes rearwards. Jamieloped at an overtaking pace. Behind him, the sikkintair lay in a heap.

The redhead pulled alongside. 'Hai, what a fight!' he panted. 'Thanks for thisjourney, friend! A drinking bout's worth of thanks!'

They mounted the death-defiled stairs. Cappen peered across miles. Wings beat inheaven, from the direction of the mountains. Horror stabbed his guts. 'Look!' Hecould barely croak.

Jamie squinted. 'More of them,' he said. 'A score, maybe. We can't cope with somany. An-army couldn't.'

'That whistle was heard farther away than mortals would hear,' Danlis addedstarkly.

'What do we linger for?' Rosanda wailed. 'Come, take us home!'

'And the sikkintairs follow?' Jamie retorted. 'No. I've my lassies, and kinfolk,and -' He moved to stand before the parchment. Edged metal dripped in his hands;red lay splashed across helm, ringmail, clothing, face. His grin broke forth,wry. 'A spaewife once told me I'd die on the far side of strangeness. I'll wagershe didn't know her own strength.'

'You assume that the mission of the beasts is to destroy us, and when that isdone they will return to their lairs.' The tone Danlis used might have servedfor a remark about the weather.

'Aye, what else? The harm they'd wreak would be in a hunt for us. But put tosuch trouble, they could grow furious and harry our whole world. That's the morelikely when Hazroah lies skewered. Who else can control them?'

'None that I know of, and he talked quite frankly to us.' She nodded. 'Yes, itbehoves us to die where we are.' Rosanda sank down and blubbered. Danlis showedirritation. 'Up!' she commanded her mistress. 'Up and meet your fate like aRankan matron!'

Cappen goggled hopelessly at her. She gave him a smile. 'Have no regrets, dear,'she said. 'You did well. The conspiracy against the state has been checked.'

The far side of strangeness - check - chessboard - that version of chess whereyou pretend the right and left sides of the board are identical on a cylinder tumbled through Cappen. The Flying Knives drew closer fast. Curious aspects ofgeometry -

Lightning-smitten, he knew ... or guessed he did ... 'No, Jamie, we go!' heyelled.

'To no avail save reaping of innocents?' The big man hunched his shoulders.'Never.'

'Jamie, let us by! I can close the gate. I swear I can - I swear by - by Eshi -'

The Northerner locked eyes with Cappen for a span that grew. At last: 'You aremy brother in arms.' He stood aside. 'Go on.'

The sikkintairs were so near that the noise of their speed reached Cappen. Heurged Danlis towards the scroll. She lifted her skirt a trifle, revealing adainty ankle, and stepped through. He hauled on Rosanda's wrist. The womanwavered to her feet but seemed unable to find her direction. Cappen took an armand passed it into the next world for Danlis to pull. Himself, he gave a mightyshove on milady's buttocks. She crossed over.

He did. And Jamie.

Beneath the temple dome, Cappen's rapier reached high and slashed. Louder camethe racket of cloven air. Cappen severed the upper cords. The parchment fell,wrinkling, crackling. He dropped his weapon, a-clang, squatted, and stretchedhis arms wide. The free corners he seized. He pulled them to the corners thatwere still secured, to make a closed band of the scroll.

From it sounded monstrous thumps and scrapes. The sikkintairs were crawling intothe pergola. For them the portal must hang unchanged, open for their hunting.

Cappen gave that which he held a half-twist and brought the edges back together.

Thus he created a surface which had but a single side and a single edge. Thus heobliterated the gate.

He had not been sure what would follow. He had fleetingly supposed he wouldsmuggle the scroll out, held in its paradoxical form, and eventually glue it unless he could burn it. But upon the instant that he completed the twist andjuncture, the parchment was gone. Enas Yorl told him afterwards that he had madeit impossible for the thing to exist.

Air rushed in where the gate had been, crack and hiss. Cappen heard that soundas it were an alien word of incantation: 'Mobius-s-s.'

Having stolen out of the temple and some distance thence, the party stopped fora few minutes of recovery before they proceeded to Molin's house.

This was in a blind alley off the avenue, a brick-paved recess where flowersgrew in planters, shared by the fanes of two small and gentle gods. Wind haddied away, stars glimmered bright, a half moon stood above easterly roofs andcast wan argence. Afar, a tomcat serenaded his intended.

Rosanda had gotten back a measure of equilibrium. She cast herself againstJamie's breast. 'Oh, hero, hero,' she crooned, 'you shall have reward, yes,treasure, ennoblement, everything!' She snuggled. 'But nothing greater than myunbounded thanks ...'

The Northerner cocked an eyebrow at Cappen. The bard shook his head a little.Jamie nodded in understanding, and disengaged. 'Uh, have a care, milady,' hesaid. 'Pressing against ringmail, all bloody and sweaty too, can't be good for acomplexion.'

Even if one rescues them, it is not wise to trifle with the wives of magnates.

Cappen had been busy himself. For the first time, he kissed Danlis on her lovelymouth; then for the second time; then for the third. She responded decorously.

Thereafter she likewise withdrew. Moonlight made a mystery out of her classicbeauty. 'Cappen,' she said, 'before we go on, we had better have a talk.'

He gaped. 'What?'

She bridged her fingers. 'Urgent matters first,' she continued crisply. 'Once weget to the mansion and wake the high priest, it will be chaos at first,conference later, and I - as a woman - excluded from serious discussion.Therefore best I give my counsel now, for you to relay. Not that Molin or thePrince are fools; the measures to take are for the most part obvious.However, swift action is desirable, and they will have been caught bysurprise.'