«No,» said Blade again. «Stay out of my mind, too. I don't like that, any more than I like the Wolves. Leave me unharmed and free, both in mind and body, or see me dead in front of you.»

«You wouldn't dare,» was the thought that came clearly from the Wizard.

Don't risk it, was Blade's reply. It seems that I have something you value. You will not get it or anything else if I die, and I will die if you touch either my body or my mind again. Do not doubt this for a moment.

Blade was not bluffing. Death might be worse than whatever the Wizard had in store for him, but he doubted it. In any case, he could do nothing to affect the Wizard's behavior once he lost control of his mind. He couldn't risk leaving himself at the man's mercy.

It was literally and brutally a case of liberty or death.

The two men stood glaring at each other for a minute that seemed like an hour. Neither moved an inch, or paid any attention to the five Wolves. The men were blinking and shuffling their steel-shod feet, certain that something was badly wrong, equally certain they didn't know what it was or what they should do.

Then the Wizard let his breath out in a long sigh and lowered his gaze to the floor. His hands dropped to his sides and Blade noticed that they were visibly shaking. His olive face had gone pale and sweaty, while his eyes blinked furiously.

At last he got control of himself and again met Blade's eyes.

«Who are you?» he rasped. «Who are you, Richard Blade? Where did you come from, and when did you come from?»

Blade found it hard not to gape stupidly at the Wizard. The questions made no sense at all. He wondered if the strain of the mental duel might not have temporarily muddled the Wizard's mind.

«Do you know who you are?» said the Wizard. «Do you remember, or have you forgotten?» He was impatient, but there was also a pleading note in his voice. Blade could no longer doubt that this was a desperate man in front of him-but desperate about what? The man's questions still made no sense.

«Who are you?» he shot back. «Tell me, and then I will know if it is safe to tell you who I am.» The Wizard's face twisted, but Blade raised the dagger again. The Wizard swallowed, then took a deep breath.

«I am Bernardo Sembruzo, Conde di Pietroverde,» he said. «I was a nobleman of Milan and a captain in the service of the Visconti. I fought against Florence. After the death of the great Gian Galeazzo, I retired to my estates. There I explored the secrets of the world around us and also of the world within our minds. I explored too deeply, and one day I passed from my castle to-here, Rentoro.»

The Wizard said all this without stopping for breath. Now he gulped in air and repeated, «Where did you come from, Richard Blade, and when did you come from there? I came from my castle, north of Milan, in the Christian year 1410. When did you leave Earth, Blade, and come to Rentoro?»

For a moment Blade could not have said a single coherent word to save his life. He clamped his mouth firmly shut to keep it from hanging helplessly open. Then he found he had to close his eyes, shutting out the world and the man facing him so he could organize his thoughts.

This man says that he traveled across the Dimensions from Renaissance Italy.

That thought might have been written in giant fiery letters across Blade's mental vision. It was quickly followed by other thoughts, equally clear, equally insistent.

This is the most astonishing claim I have ever heard any human being make about himself. Do I believe it?

Why should he be lying? In fact, how could he lie? He has mentioned too many places, names, and dates not to have had some contact with Home Dimension. How do you explain it otherwise?

Don't try to explain it. Let the Wizard do the explaining.

How?

You know there is only one way.

Dangerous.

No matter how dangerous it is, you must use it. You cannot let this man slip away. Not if he can cross into Dimension X by the power of his mind alone.

«Too bloody right,» muttered Blade, his lips at last able to form words. He looked at the Wizard. «Bernardo Sembruzo» was staring at him, eyes narrowed, hands clasped behind his back. His dark face was twisted into a frown.

At last the Wizard took a deep breath and forced a thin smile on to his face. «I see that you do not believe I am telling the truth. No, no, I am not trying to enter your mind again. You have shown me that would not be wise and I have some pride in my wisdom. What you think of me is written large upon your face.»

Blade was able to return the smile. «I can say the same thing about you. It is very easy to hear in your words and see on your face that you want something from me.»

«Yes,» said the Wizard, irritably. «I have said it several times. I want to know when you came from Earth to Rentoro, and from where?»

«Yes, but you want to know these things because you want my help. In fact, you want my help desperately. You want to know if I can help you return home.»

The Wizard's face turned even paler than before and his lips tightened into an almost invisible line. Both hands rose, twisting into claws. Blade tightened his grip on the dagger, suspecting that the Wizard was about to leap at his throat, but almost certain his shot in the dark had gone home.

The moment passed. The Wizard's hands dropped back to his sides. He turned slowly to the five Wolves. «Leave, and do not return until I summon you. Chergin, give me your dagger.» One of the Wolves handed his dagger to his master, who stuck it in his sash. The five Wolves clanked out of the room and the door slammed shut behind them. The Wizard turned back to Blade.

«You have guessed wisely. Does that mean you believe my story?»

«It does not.»

«But-«

«My lord Wizard,» said Blade briskly. «How much more time are we going to waste arguing like a couple of pimps in a cheap whorehouse? You interest me, even if you are not telling the truth. And if you are-«

«I interest you?» exploded the Wizard, his pride as nobleman, ruler of Rentoro, and explorer of the unknown violently pricked. «You dare-«

«Yes, I do,» said Blade. «You seem to know that I have crossed the unknown, the way you say you have done. You should also know that a man who has done that will dare a great many things. I am no weakling.»

The Wizard seemed to find that last remark wildly amusing. He threw back his head and laughed until the room was echoing and tears streamed down his face. «No, no certainly you are no weakling,» he said at last. «What do you propose?»

Blade pointed to the floor. «Throw your dagger aside and lie on your back on the floor. I will kneel beside you. Raise your hand and place it on my head. Send your thoughts into my mind-thoughts of all you have seen and done, both in Italy and here in Rentoro. When I know you are telling the truth, I will think of what I have said and done, so that you may read my thoughts. That way I will know if you are lying. If you are-we shall see what happens. If not, you will have a chance to learn all you might wish to know about me.»

The Wizard frowned. «I do not like being so vulnerable. If you chose to stab me as I lay-«

«Why should I do that? You have the sense not to risk killing a man who has traveled from Earth to Rentoro. Why should you think I am less sensible? Neither of us can really wish to kill the other unless he is a fool, and we are neither of us fools. No, I keep the dagger in order to kill myself, if you seek to control my mind. I will never let my mind be under your control. Accept that now and do not forget it. Also,» Blade continued, «do not think you can simply turn your back on me and leave me here to starve for another week, until I am so feeble a child could overpower me. I will not permit that. If you leave this room without doing what I have proposed, I will be dead on the floor in the next moment-Is all of this clear? If it is, then why not act like the wise and brave man you are? You have much to gain if you go ahead, and much to lose if you do not.»