The color and the material struck sparks in Blade's memory. Lady Oyasa and her red leather mask, the day she had come out to inspect the new dabuno! Blade froze almost in midstride, then glared up at Lady Musura. The black-clad jinai woman returned his glare with a bland smile-then nocked an arrow to her bow and pointed it at Blade. Blade measured the distance to the hut and the cover of the forest. It would be a miracle if he could make it to the forest safely, but to the hut-

Without any tensing of muscles to warn the sharp-eyed woman, Blade sprang forward. He covered the twenty feet to the hut in two tremendous leaps, stopping just below her. The lady crouched on the edge of the overhanging roof, turning to bring her bow to aim at Blade. Before she could draw a bead on him he thrust upward with his spear. The spearhead shot up between the bow and the bowstring. Then Blade swung the spear outward with all his strength and weight behind it.

In her surprise at Blade's attack, Lady Musura was a fraction of a second slow in letting go of her bow.

The spear jerked the bow savagely outward and she followed it, to the edge of the roof and over.

She was still in midair as Blade jerked the spear back, sending the bow flying out into the field. Then he reversed the spear, striking with the butt and shaft at Lady Musura as she landed. With the catlike quickness of the trained jinai, the lady flipped in midair to land on her feet. But once again she was a fraction of a second too slow to cope with Blade. His thrust with the butt end of the spear caught her in the stomach. She gasped and started to double over. Then he swung the spear shaft sideways and caught her behind the knees. She went down, and Blade reversed the spear again, closed in, and stood over her with the point of the spear at her throat.

Then he laughed. «Lady Musura, I hope you'll believe me when I say that I don't have any quarrel with you. So I wouldn't like to kill you. Also, killing you would weaken the forces of Lord Tsekuin, to whom I have sworn an oath, at a time when he must be as strong as possible. But I could kill you if I wanted to. You admit that?»

From somewhere Lady Musura managed to drag out one of her rare smiles. But there was also sincere respect in her voice as she said, «I do admit it. I would stand little chance against you unless I caught you by surprise, and then I might at best die beside you. A jinai of your size and strength at the height of his power and training would no doubt do a better job. But even he would find himself with a fight to remember, if he won.»

«I thank you for the praise, Lady Musura. But you have not said if you will answer my questions.»

«I can make no promises when I do not know the questions, Blade. Is it strange to you that there are things I would rather die by slow torture than speak of to you?»

«It is not,» admitted Blade. «Very well. Who is inside that hut? And why are they here, and why are you guarding them?»

The woman on the ground smiled more broadly. «If you had not been so afraid of traps, Blade, you would have found answers to those questions by now. The answers lie there-«She pointed at the door with the red leather.

«I never fear traps unless I'm made to suspect them,» said Blade sharply. «But having arrows pointed at me for no good reason makes me suspect traps and treachery. There is so much of it in the air now.»

The lady jerked her head, acknowledging that Blade had a point. Then her face softened. «Blade, go through that door-I ask you as an honorable comrade and dabuno. Go through that door, and if you keep silence and show discretion, no harm shall come to you or anyone else.»

Blade detected sincerity in her voice-enough to make him relax somewhat, not enough to make him shift the spear. «Do you swear by Kunkoi and by your honor as a jinai?»

«By these I swear, Blade,» said Lady Musura. «And I will gladly swear by any of the gods of your own land that will accept my oath.» There was an unfamiliar note in her voice, almost a pleading one.

«Well, then,» said Blade, raising the spear. He had turned away before Lady Musura could say anything to thank him.

Inside the hut the light was dim and ruddy, but it was strong enough for Blade to see that the place had recently been swept free of dust and cobwebs. The air was close and thick, in contrast to the fresh coolness of the evening outside. It was heavy with the smells of dust, dry rot, incense, and perfume.

Perfume? Blade looked more closely and realized that the far end of the hut had been partitioned off with dark red curtains hung from the ceiling. Through the crack under the curtains Blade saw the faint orange yellow glow of lamplight. Then he saw the curtains move slightly, as though pushed from behind, and heard a deep-throated woman's laugh.

«What are you waiting for, Blade? I heard Lady Musura promising you safety. Do you doubt her word?»

Blade could not have stopped more suddenly if a bear trap had clamped itself on his leg. The voice belonged to Lady Oyasa.

Blade's wits did not stop, however. His voice was cool as he replied, «I do not doubt her word, Honorable Lady. But I-«

«Then why do you stand there?» There was an imperious note in that question. This was a young woman accustomed to getting answers to her questions, whether they made any sense or not.

«I doubt the wisdom of my being here in this hut with you at this hour and no one else present,» said Blade sharply. «I will say nothing out of loyalty to Lord Tsekuin. But I will say something about folly that could bring us both under the executioner's sword-if we were granted such a merciful death. And what of the Hongshu? Would you throw him a perfect excuse to intervene in your husband's affairs, with Kunkoi alone knows what consequences?»

A hiss of indrawn breath followed Blade's words, and after that came a long silence. Blade heard the rustle of garments and the scrape of sandals on the floor as Lady Oyasa shifted position, but still she made no answer. He waited in silence, his eyes occasionally flickering toward the door. It was the lady's move now, if she chose to make it.

He rather hoped she would have the sense not to.

«Blade,» she said finally. «Come behind the curtains and sit down. I see that you speak from a wisdom that I once had. But no more. I am not afraid of folly. I beg of you-come and listen to me, at least.» There was no mistaking the tone in her voice. She was begging now, not commanding. She sounded almost desperate.

Blade shrugged and stepped forward. A woman who demanded or threatened-that he could refuse and had refused. It was one reason why he was still alive. But a woman who begged made an appeal he had to answer.

Lady Oyasa sat behind the curtain at the head of a long double sleeping pad, with several folded quilts stacked at the foot. She wore a robe the same color as the flame of the lamp, with a circlet of small diamonds set in gold around her unbound black hair. Her face was not only unmasked but free of any cosmetics. Blade was surprised at how young she now seemed-no more than twenty.

He made a ceremonial bow, and saw a grimace pass across her face. One hand clenched around a fold of her robe. «Blade, I beg you also-no ceremony. Do you have any idea of how tired one can become of ceremony? No, I do not imagine you have been in Gaikon long enough to see all the horrors our etiquette can inflict on one who must live with it always. And when one is married to a man-«She hesitated, then her courage returned and her words came out in a rush. «When one is married to a man one saw for the first time the day of the wedding, who makes even the few times he comes to one's bed a ceremony, who has the skills of a scholar but the temper of a spoiled boy-Kunkoi has sent enough already. One should not have to endure more.»