"What happened? You must tell me, lady." He smiled gently, his whole demeanour intent on kindliness, the amulet around his neck brilliant in the bright dawn light. "Come, Lanen, I have saved your life, surely you owe me so much."

I could feel the glamour through my weariness, but never again could I be fooled in that way. "Forgive me, Marik. It is true I have learned much about them: but they have enjoined me to silence, and surely you see that I will not, I cannot betray that trust. I hope for a day when our two peoples will be able to speak freely one with another, but until that time I—"

"Spare me your fool's dreams!" he spat angrily. Despite all I knew of him, I was shocked. That voice, so musical it reminded me of the Kindred, turned to cracked bells in an instant when he was angry. He rose and flung himself around the room, pacing, half wild with impatience. "I want to know why the Dragons, who have instantly killed everyone else who has ever crossed their border, did not kill you. Not only do they not destroy you, the Guardian himself crosses the border to take you away, and a day later brings you half-dead into the camp and demands that I break their precious treaty and weary my own Healer near to death—for what? For you. I want to know why, girl. Why? What are you to them?"

I was becoming befuddled with fright and weariness, and his intensity cowed me in my weakened state. Swiftly, Reila, I begged her silently. I looked up at Marik. "I don't know what to tell you," I answered. "I did not cross the Boundary like poor Perrin. He was after gold or some other gain, no matter who he had to kill for it. I was not. Please, I cannot tell you more. So far as I know I am nothing to them. Let me sleep." I bowed my head.

He was back beside the bed in an instant; he snatched a handful of my hair right next to the scalp and yanked it back as hard as he could. I screamed, of course. (Jamie always said I should never cheat anyone in earshot of the chance to help.) "You have slept enough at my expense, witch," he snarled into my face. ''Talk, or I will make you. What pact have you made with the creatures? Tell me, damn you!"

In the brief silence I thought I heard voices outside, and in through the window came just the slightest hint of the smell of smoke.

"I have made no pact!" I cried out.

"Have you not?" he said grimly, and a dagger appeared from nowhere in his hand as he gripped me by the hair. My bandaged arms were worse than useless. He held the blade against my throat, I could feel the cold steel press againstmy flesh. ''Yet I know a way to find out the truth of the matter. Why will you not speak of the Dragons to me? What do you owe them, against'the life you owe me? You were willing to tell them about me fast enough," he growled between clenched teeth. "What kind of creature are you, with Far-speech that you use against your own kind?''

I was almost too shocked to be frightened. "What? How did you... ?"

"I know," he spat. "Leave it at that. Repay your debt, daughter. Use this Farspeech to tell them I am a man of honour, that you were wrong about me."

"I cannot!" I cried. Even if it were possible to lie in true-speech, the vision of Marik at large among the Kindred, hidden by who knew what agency, bearing the Lady only knew what sort of weapons to use against them—never.

And below thought, down deep where I thrust it until I could bear to think of it, I heard him call me daughter, and knew it was the truth.

"So. You cannot." His face was mere inches from mine, his eyes blazing with hatred and a kind of triumph. "Then I shall take what I want without your assistance. For I have ways and ways, Lanen. You are not the only one to have set foot across the Boundary and lived!"

I gasped, which made him laugh. The smell of smoke was stronger now, and the voices outside louder. I could not make out what they said.

''Yes, I thought that would catch you. And I did not crawl to the beasts that live there, as you did." He smiled at me, a mad smile, but the most chilling thing about his whole demeanour was that it seemed so little different from his usual manner. Aside from an indefinable something in his eyes, his smile was still the charming smile I had first seen in Illara. I was terrified. ''And now that you are healed, there is no more cause for delay. You are no more use to me, daughter," he said, making the word a curse. "I shall turn you over to my demon master as payment."

"The Guardian—" Hurry, Rella, damn it, it can't be that hard....

"If you had called him, he would be here already." The knife blade pressed hard against my throat.

I could make out what the voices were shouting now. Fire. I heard the running footsteps of what I desperately hoped were the two guards. Marik ignored it, possibly did not even hear it.

"I have not called upon them," I managed to say past the blade. "I have no wish to destroy you, Marik." I managed to choke out the word. "Father."

At that instant, thank the Lady, the door burst open and Rella rushed in. ''What are you doing to her?'' she screamed. Marik was caught off guard, she ran straight to him and dragged him away from me.

Now it was my turn. I rose swiftly and snatched up the chair that stood near the bedside, raised it high and brought it crashing down with all my strength. Marik dropped with a groan.

Rella stood and faced me. "Come on, in the eye like we agreed," she said impatiently.

"Quickly!"

"Come with me!" I whispered urgently.

"I told you, if this doesn't work you'll need me here to help. Hit me, damn it!"

There was no time to argue. I drew back, muttered "Sorry about this" and hit her.

She fell back. I had held back my strength, but she had said it should be realistic. I ran to the window farthest from the door and threw open the shutters.

In just a few moments, Rella sat up and screamed. ''Help, guards! Help!"

I ran.

Both Marik's grunts came rushing back in, the idiots—if I'd done the same as last time they'd go down again the same way. Stupid.

"She's gone!" yelled Rella, pointing at the open shutters. One went straight through the opening, the other ran round the cabin on the outside.

I rose from behind the bed, winked at Rella and flew out the door. The woods beckoned in the dawn light, and, all my weariness forgotten, I took off-like a deer for their shelter.

I had gone no more than a few steps when I was seized by a sudden horrible weariness in every limb. My movements were drugged and stretched out as in a nightmare, when every step takes all your strength and no matter how you struggle, you never get anywhere. I used the last of my will to look up at the strange noise before me, and managed to catch sight of Caderan gesturing in the air and grinning wildly before darkness took me once again.

When I next bespoke Shikrar, as noon approached, it was to find the Council still divided on my fate and Lanen's. Our union they all (save Shikrar) discounted as madness and agreed it would have to be severed. As for our fates—there was still much debate on whether Lanen should be allowed to live. If so, it seemed most felt she should be kept here and not allowed ever to rejoin her people. A few, led by Shikrar, kept her deeds before the others' eyes and argued for her freedom, combined with her sworn word that she would not return on pain of death. As for me, some argued that I be forced to give up the kingship and another appointed; some felt I had been gripped by a passing fancy or subtle spell and that I would be fine once Lanen had gone, one way or another; still others that I must simply be kept away from the Gedri for the rest of my life, never again to be the Harvest Guardian, and that in all other ways I was still fit for the kingship.

Shikrar's arrival had caused quite a stir, it seemed. Rish-kaan, disgruntled, had no choice but to give way to him as Eldest. At the beginning of the latest debate on Lanen's fate one of the younger males, a distant cousin of Idai's, called out, "Let us ask the Eldest. He is Keeper of Souls, it is his family that is most deeply involved. Let us hear the words of Hadreshikrar!"