“The charges have been read and entered in the city’s rolls,” intoned an Elder. “Are there any who wish to stand for her at trial?”

Teza’s eyes widened. She had not thought the judges would offer that boon to a foreigner. Usually the right of defense only went to citizens of Rashemen. The crowd around her murmured in surprise. They hadn’t expected that either.

“Oh, by all the gods,” Teza breathed. “What do I do?” Although few people remembered, there was still a longstanding price on her head. If she stood forward to defend Kanlara, she could expose herself and risk imprisonment in the Iron Lord’s dungeon, or worse. The penalty for thievery in Immilmar was often the loss of a hand to the axe. Yet, if she didn’t try to help Kanlara, it was a foregone conclusion that the wizardess would be found guilty and executed for a crime she would never commit.

Teza shivered. Never had she been so torn in two, but never had she had a friend quite like the strong, obstinate, honorable Kanlara.

“I ask one last time,” boomed the judge. “Is there anyone-”

“I will,” Teza cried abruptly. She cringed at the high note her voice hit. She dropped her tone immediately and tried again. “I will stand for the accused.”

A babble of voices broke as people turned to stare.

“And you are?” the judge demanded.

“Tezan, citizen of Immilmar. The accused is my friend.”

“So let it be written. The wizardess will be held for trial in three days’ time. You have until then, young man, to make her defense.”

The sword clashed again and Kanlara was led away. The crowd slowly dispersed and Teza turned on her heel, pushing her way out of the longhouse. There was only one thing she could think to do at this moment. She walked to the nearest tavern, ordered a mug of jhuild, Rashemen’s famous firewine, and downed it all in one long, fiery pull until her throat burned and her eyes watered. The other customers cheered her, astonished at her prodigious feat.

Thus fortified, she set out do the only other thing she could think to do-face the witches in their den. The witches of Rashemen were a powerful and secretive sisterhood that ruled and protected the country. Although the majority made their home in Urling, a contingent kept a longhouse in Immilmar to support the trio of Hathran who in turn supported and advised the Iron Lord. Teza deeply respected and feared the powerful witches. After her encounter with a witch two years before, she usually went out of her way to avoid them. Now, though, she marched to the front entrance of the Witches’ Hall and boldly knocked on the carved wooden door.

The door immediately swung open of its own volition. Teza peered into the dim interior. When she saw nothing, she swallowed hard and walked inside.

A tall, black-robed woman stepped out of the shadows to meet her in the foyer of a long hallway. The witch’s face was covered with a gray mask and her hands were tucked in her long sleeves. She said nothing, but waited for Teza to speak.

The horse thief bowed low and tried to keep her voice smooth and even. “I am sorry to disturb your peace, but there is one here who knows my friend, Kanlara the wizardess. May I speak with her?”

“I am she, Teza,” replied the witch.

Teza’s hand flew to her false mustache. The witch knew her and since she was waiting, she must know what was happening to Kanlara. Without thinking, Teza burst out, “You know Kanlara didn’t do it. She was following me and the man was already dead when we found him. Please, is there anything you can do to help her?”

“There is little we can do. She is an outland speilcaster accused of murder by the city authorities. She must continue through the trial.”

“The trial,” Teza repeated bitterly. “That is a joke. She is already condemned.”

The black figure did not stir. “Unless you prove her innocent.”

“The only way I can do that to the Elders’ satisfaction is to fmd the real killer.”

“Precisely.” The woman raised an elegant hand and beckoned to Teza to follow. “We do believe Kanlara is innocent. We have been keeping a close watch on Lord Gireth for some time, and his enemies are as numerous as the tears in Lake Ashane.”

While she talked, the witch led Teza down a long, empty corridor lined with doors. The hail around them seemed empty and silent, yet Teza knew without a doubt they were being watched by numerous pairs of eyes. She stifled a shudder and tried to pay close attention to her guide.

“While we cannot help Kanlara directly, we can help you solve her problem.” So saying, she pushed open a door and escorted Teza into a dim, windowless room. The only light radiated from a single small fire that burned in a high-legged brazier sitting alone in the room. Just above the flames hovered a nebulous shape that wavered and swayed with the smoke.

“Lord Gireth!” the witch commanded.

Teza gasped. The indistinct form quickly coalesced into the head and sharp features of the dead Rashemen fyrra, and his ghostly face turned toward them.

“We summoned his spirit back to talk to you. He did not see his killer, but perhaps he can give you some clues.”

The young woman looked from the spectral head to the witch and back again, then said, “Lord Gireth, why were you in the barn that night?”

The ghost frowned at the memory. “I was to meet someone. A spy of mine who had information for me.”

“What sort of information?”

“I don’t know. I received a message to meet him outside in the barn. He knew I was staying at that inn.”

“Why did you come to Immilmar?”

The spirit suddenly grinned wickedly. “To betray my brother-in-law. He abused his privileges one time too many.”

“Did he know you were coming?”

“No. No one knew but my spy.”

Teza paused, thinking hard. “Did you see anything before you were… killed?”

“No. I was alone, waiting for Alfric. He is a serving man for my brother-in-law. I did smell something, though.” The ghost gave a hideous chortle. “Even over the horse manure I thought I caught a whiff of the lake.”

Teza nodded once. The witch raised her hands, spoke a strange word, and snuffed out the fire. Lord Gireth’s spirit form vanished from sight.

“Now,” said Teza’s black-robed companion. “There is the matter of your vulnerability. You cannot concentrate on this quest if you are constantly dodging into taverns and racing home to change disguises.”

Teza tore her eyes away from the now dark brazier and frowned. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “That is my problem,” she said.

“True. But we can temporarily relieve you of that difficulty. You only have three days to find the killer.”

“Teza crossed her arms. “How?”

“A disguise no one will penetrate.”

Teza thought she heard a hint of laughter in the witch’s words. Her mental alarms began to clang. “That’s kind, but…“ She got no further.

The witch lifted her palms up and blew a pale, glimmering powder into Teza’s face. Even as the woman chanted her incantation, Teza felt an alien feeling crawl over her. Her skin tingled; her nose lengthened. Her legs and arms shortened so quickly she fell on her side on the cold stone floor. Her clothes sagged on her body. Worst of all, she was assailed by an explosion of sensory stimulation: hundreds of smells she had never experienced, new sounds that filled her sensitive ears. Her vision sharpened in the dark room and lost most of its color. Terrified she closed her eyes and shouted, “Stop!” She heard a dog bark so close it could have been beneath her.

Oh, no, she thought.

“Teza,” a gentle voice said above her. “It’s over now. Stand up.”

Slowly, carefully, Teza opened her eyes and climbed to her feet. All four of them. Too astounded for anger, her rump sagged to the floor and she sat.

“Excellent. This spell will last only three days, so don’t worry. Think of the advantages and put them to use. You will retain your own intelligence, but you will also be able to communicate with other animals and with those creatures, human and otherwise, who are a part of magic. Do you understand?”