Then I looked down and saw great lumps of skin in the water. Then I realised they had come off my arms.

I screamed once and fainted.

We all gasped when the youngling came out, whole and hearty. I saw it look at Lanen and smiled to myself. This was likely to be quite an interesting addition to the Kindred.

Mirazhe would not be able to speak for some time, but the way she bent to the youngling and greeted it I had no fears for her. Her soulgem, brilliant now, shone a glorious sapphire even in that light.

Shikrar and Kédra were wholly taken with mother and child. I followed Lanen as she went to the sea. "Littling, the Winds bless you, you have saved them."

She did not answer and I could not see her face, but I did not have to. She screamed then, once from her gut, and fell over.

''Lanen!''

When I lifted her from the water she was limp, she could not hear me, and her arms—her arms were horrible. I could not hear her thoughts. I was terrified. My little knowledge of the Gedri disappeared like the wind, I could not help her and I knew she needed help desperately.

I could think of no other course. I must take her back to her people. They would surely know what to do for her pain. My heart turned cold, but there was no other way.

I gathered her in my arms and leapt into the sky, crying out in truespeech even as I flew. "Shikrar, Kédra, someone, quickly! Fly before me to the place of the Gedri. Call out to them however you must, bring the Merchant, or better a Healer. Have them meet us at the place of Summoning. Fly on the Wind's wings!"

Shikrar was beside me before I had finished.

"Shikrar, I fear for her, she barely lives. I take her to her own people to find healing, I will go from thence to the Great Hall when she is in their hands. The Council must wait upon me so much longer.''

His greater wingspan took him ahead of me, but I sped after as fast as ever I had flown. I bespoke my dear one constantly, on the chance that she might wake and be fearful. I would not have her feel alone. I held her gently, keeping her close to me for warmth, but she did not stop shaking. I had to hold more tightly than before, since she could not grip with her poor burned hands.

In my passion I overtook even Shikrar, cried aloud to him to follow and flew fast as fear to the Gedri camp. I did not take the time to seek out the pass; instead I clasped my dear-ling to me and flew up, up into the thin cold air, crossing the mountains in a straight line to my destination.

Lanen never moved.

It was deep night when we reached the place of Summoning. If I had the time, I might have noticed that I still held the mood that Lanen had brought to me the night before, where hours were as years and all of life seemed to take place in a day.

I cared not who heard me. I shouted as loudly as I could.

I had the whole story from Rella later.

"Those of us who were here and still awake were just settling to a bite of food when a voice the size of all outdoors rang through the night. We could tell from the first word something

was terribly wrong.

" 'Marik! Merchant Marik! Bring a Healer, come here to the Boundary. It is the Guardian who calls!' No one twitched a muscle, we were that shocked. We couldn't believe it, but in seconds it came again. 'Come swiftly, Gedri, or I shall come to you!' it cried. For something that big it sounded amazingly desperate. And angry.

" 'About then we saw a long streak of light, Marik it was, running hotfoot through the clearing towards the Boundary. His men ran beside and behind—mostly behind—with torches. And we all got up and followed.

"When I got there I saw Marik at the Boundary, standing .in front of this huge silver head leaning over the fence, speak-ing as quickly as it could. 'Merchant Marik, I require your consent. I have need of assistance only your people can provide. May I cross the Boundary?'

"Marik stood there speechless with wonder. The Dragon leaned closer and spoke again, fangs glinting in the torchlight 'Quickly, Merchant, your consent!'

"Give the man credit, he's the cockiest beggar I've ever heard tell of. Not only did he find his tongue, he found something to do with it. 'And what do you offer in return, O great one?' he says, bold as brass. Ah, but he got his comeuppance, There was another voice from the shadows behind that hissed. 'He offers you life, small-souled one. I suggest you take it. lest I take it for you.'

" 'I consent,' squeaks Marik, stepping back. He needn't have bothered. As soon as he spoke there was a sudden wind, loud in the ears, and behind us all settled the Dragon. He was huge and terrifying, silver all over, and he was carrying something limp in his claws.

" 'This is Lanen, called Maransdatter. She is in great pain, and there is some thing else that ails her as well. She shakes like a tree in a high wind and cannot stop.' He set you down and leaned towards you for a minute, I don't know why. Maybe to see if you were still alive."

I stopped her. "You know, I think I remember that.'' Perhaps I roused a little when we landed, for I remember seeing him in a kind of haze when he leaned down and bespoke me.

"Lanen, dearling, I must leave you in the care of your Kindred. Forgive me, dear heart, I cannot help you in this. I will watch with you as I may, I will hear your lightest thought. Call if you have need of me and I will be with you."

"Mirazhe and the child?" I managed to ask.

"Both alive and very well. You have the gratitude of all the Greater Kindred." His thought became almost a whisper. ''And the love of their King.''

Rella went on. "When the Dragon looked up, there was Marik standing to one side. He drops his head down to Marik's level and says in a kind of low rumble, 'Know, Merchant, that I value this life more than any other. Restore her to health, tend to her well and I shall be grateful. Treat her ill and I shall know of it and seek you out, treaty or no, wherever in the world you fare.' Then he flew away. That silver hide of his shone like white fire in the torchlight.

Then we heard the voice of the second Dragon again. It was deeper, and seemed to come from even farther up than the other one. 'We give you thanks for your permission, and for your assistance with the lady; but as of this moment, the Boundary is restored. I am Guardian now. We shall stay on this side, and who of your people crosses the Boundary must die, as our treaty declares.'

"We hurried away from there. Marik's men were carrying you, and he was shouting for his Healer. I think you fainted again."

I remembered nothing for a long time.

"Berys, we have her! The Lords of the Hells have blessed my petitions with a swift answer, and more. The treaty has been broken by the Dragons, the Boundary crossed, and all to bring to me the dying body of the one I sought!

"I know not what has brought her to such a state, nor why the Dragons care about her, but they do. She was very near to death, her hands and arms horribly burned and her whole body shaking with an ague. Maikel has saved her life, though it took all his strength to do it. When he was done, he shook his head and said it was not enough, and he forced me to cut open a Ian fruit, one of my precious Ian fruits, and feed a quarter to her tonight and another quarter in the

morning. (The second half I shall still have—it seemed to work wonders for her, I will try it myself in the morning if she survives.) Maikel will need to rest for days to regain his strength."

"And the girl?"

"He says she should be fully recovered before we leave the island, assuming the Ian fruit is as effective as legend makes