Teldin nodded. "I can't wait too long."

*****

Aelfred accompanied Teldin and Julia halfway back to the harbor, then left to go about his own business. "I've got to talk to someone about repairing the ship," he explained. The female officer seemed lost in her own thoughts, and she and Teldin finished the walk in silence.

As they reached the harbor, the small tender was just coming alongside the dock, packed with familiar faces. There was "Bale Estriss" and two officers from the Probe. Vallus Leaf-bower was accompanied by Horvath and Miggins. Teldin was most pleased to see Rianna smiling up at him from the vessel.

The tender's passengers disembarked. The ship's officers strode away immediately, with the avowed intention of arranging for the Probe's repair and resupply, then finding a tavern. Estriss wandered off to pursue his investigations, and Vallus Leafbower faded into the night without mentioning where he was going-"Probably going to see his mistress," Rianna speculated under her breath.

Miggins and Horvath headed off in search of a ship's chandlery to find the materials they needed for their proposed modification of the hammership's sea sail. Julia climbed into the tender.

That left Rianna and Teldin alone on the dock. "Did your business go well?" she asked.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose," he replied. He glanced at the sun, which was hardly a finger-span above the horizon. "Coming into town for evenfeast?"

She shrugged. "What are your plans? "she asked. "Are you set on going back to the ship?"

He grinned at her. "Unless you've got a better idea."

"Maybe I do." She turned to Julia. "You head on back," she suggested. "I'll keep an eye on Aldyn."

Julia scowled at Rianna, an expression for which her face seemed little suited. She gave no answer, just told the ferryman, "The Probe!'

Rianna watched with raised eyebrow as the tender pulled away from the dock. "Friendly sort," she remarked. "So, any preferences as to what you want to do?"

Teldin shrugged. "You know this city, I don't," he pointed out. He smiled. "I do remember an offer to show me around."

"Evening isn't the best time for sightseeing," she said with a grin, "but let's see what we can see."

They started up the hill into the city proper. As they walked, it seemed natural to Teldin to slip his arm around Rianna's waist, his hand resting on her right hip. Without saying a word, she rested her right hand on top of his. Their fingers intertwined, and he pulled her closer.

The street Rianna had selected was wide and well paved. Most of the two-story buildings that flanked it seemed to be shops of some variety, closed for the day. In the deepening evening, the ground floors were dark, but lights showed in many of the upstairs windows-presumably these were the shop-keepers' homes. The couple saw no carriages on the street, and the few pedestrians seemed to be sailors.

"This is called the Processional," Rianna told him. "If you follow it all the way, it'll take you to Duke Admantor's castle. Last time I was here, some visiting dignitary's ship was in the harbor and this road was decked out in flags and banners, flowers and torches, like you wouldn't believe. I wish you'd seen it."

The road began to climb a little more steeply. Teldin felt under-used muscles complain in his calves. He tried to match Rianna's easy, swinging stride. Even though she was a little shorter than he, her legs-and hence her strides-were almost the same length as his. As they walked, Rianna was looking around as if searching for familiar landmarks. " Where are we headed?" he asked.

"There's a tavern around here, I think," she answered. "If I can just remember the side street, and if it hasn't closed since I was last here."

"We passed some inns back down by the water," Teldin pointed out.

Rianna shook her head. "Harborside taverns," she said dismissively, "catering to sailors, broken-down whores, and uptown failures. They're great if you're looking for a nice, diverting brawl, but I'm not in the mood. What I'm looking for-there it is," she interrupted herself. She put her arm around Teldin's waist and led him to the right down a narrow crossroad.

There were fewer lighted windows here, but fifty feet away Teldin saw ruddy firelight washing out into the street from an open doorway. A wooden sign hung above the door, but he couldn't make it out.

" 'The Pig and Whistle,' " Rianna announced, leading him toward the door. She gave his waist a squeeze, "Buy a girl a drink, sailor?"

Teldin stopped in his tracks. He hadn't even thought of it before. "I don't have any money," he admitted. That wasn't quite true; he did have some coins, but they were steel Krynn currency. Odds were that it wouldn't be accepted here, and- worse-someone might recognize its origin.

She fixed him with an amused glance. "Don't they use money on Waypoint?" she asked ingenuously, then chuckled at his uncomfortable reaction. "Don't you worry, I've money enough. This time the girl can buy the sailor a drink." She led him through the open doorway.

Teldin had visited inns in a few of the larger towns he'd visited and thought he knew what a "big city" tavern would look like. The Pig and Whistle came as a complete surprise. It was a small room with pillars and crossbeams of dark wood supporting the low ceiling. The whitewashed walls were decorated with horse-brasses, bridles, and other pieces of tack. The floor was wooden planking dusted with a thin layer of sawdust to soak up spilled drinks. A fire burned in the small hearth opposite the bar itself. Teldin sniffed the air; he would have sworn it was a peat fire. By the bar was a narrow staircase that presumably led upstairs to the tavern's one or two guest rooms.

This was his first trip to Rauthaven, but Teldin knew this little pub. It was virtually identical to any number of village taverns around the Kalaman region where he'd grown up. Everything-the smoke-discolored ceiling, the feel of sawdust underfoot, the smell of peat smoke mixed with ale-was exactly as it should be. An overwhelming sense of homesickness, of loss, washed over him.

Rianna smiled broadly. "Well?" she asked. "What do you think?" When Teldin hesitated, her face fell. "I'm sorry," she said, "I thought you'd like it. I thought it'd remind you of home."

"It does," he explained.

"But too much." She squeezed his waist again. "I understand. Come on, we'll go somewhere else."

She tried to turn back to the door, but Teldin stopped her. "Oh, no," he said, "I do like this place. Anyway, you promised me a drink, and you're not getting out of it that easily."

Her smile returned. "And I thought I was off the hook," she said jokingly. "All right. Why don't you find a seat while I get the drinks?" With a final squeeze, she headed for the bar.

Teldin looked around the room. Most of the tables were occupied, but there was one-in the back corner-that was empty. Carefully he threaded his way over to it.

The table had no chairs around it-presumably they'd been "requisitioned" by the occupants of other tables-but there was a wooden bench with cloth-covered seat bolted to the wall. It's small, but there's just enough room for two, he thought as he sat down, as long as we don't mind sitting close, Teldin thought he could handle that.

Rianna was at the bar, watching the publican draw two pints of ale. As he waited, Teldin let his gaze drift idly around the tavern. There was a difference between the Pig and Whistle and the pubs of Kalaman, Teldin realized, but the difference wasn't in the institution itself. It was the people who were different. In a village pub at home, there was no way he could have made his way from the door to a back table without someone offering him a friendly greeting, trying to strike up a conversation, or challenging him to a friendly game of knucklebone. A village pub was more like a social center than a drinking establishment, particularly for the more aged.