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"Yes, sir," he ain"

Lleu moved back to his place by the lantern, certain of the knife he held, and sure of nothing else "What garily of me

"Youanswers to its master," I said bitterly "But I will not see you harmed without reason"

"You have threatened to kill me!" Lleu protested

"There is reason for that," I answered

In the ht, paved Roman road that runs directly to Ratae Coritanorunizable beneath the snow; around us theto conceal his relief But Agravain guided the horses to turn south along the road Lleu shook his head "What are you doing?"

"I aravain explained with elaborate precision "Mythe horses and continuing south On foot it will take you two days to reach Caht," said Lleu "I will seek shelter and rest in Aquae Arneht h to walk away, but I laid one hand lightly on his shoulder and said, "I will join you"

"Sir?" Agravain questioned stonily "You will not come with me?"

"What for?" I sneered "It is no triu made a kill I have no desire to journey to Ratae Coritanorum without the required trophy"

"What aravain cried harshly "Why would you come so far in such a venture and then turn back?"

"But I a back," I answered, "merely aside, to follow my oill"

"Wait," Lleu interrupted "What do youyour oill if you take the road with me"

"I can I can ransohtly resting on his shoulder, his expression agonized "You would kill me yourself, if my father refused your demands?"

"I would," I said quietly

"I am still free"

I took his face between h dark, desolate eyes ringed with ses of blue shadow "Yes You are still free," I repeated in quiet

"Come with me, then, I don’t care," he said with reckless, passionate courage "I would rather die by your hand, I would rather have otten by your heartless mother"

"You must understand how defenseless you have left yourself," I whispered It was chilling to hear him speak so bluntly of his own death, he as afraid of the dark

"I understand," Lleu said with bleak clarity "We are alone, and it is dead of winter; and only byprisoner to you When finally I fail I will be yours, hated and envied, for you to use as you will So I wait on your fury"

"Brilliant," I said "Agravain, here we leave you"

"How dare you!" Agravain said He see as Lleu, and as desperate, about to be left alone in the wilderness in an unfamiliar land

"I dare because I have drunk my fill of the queen of the Orcades," I said veheo back to your er her ward Tell her that I owe her nothing Tell her thatShe drew me in and now I am up to my neck in it, but I am in it for myself and not as her minion" I went to the horses, untied certain of the satchels and slung theether in a bundle that I could carry on ravain We’ll walk"

I took Lleu by the elbow and started up the road through the snow, leaving Agravain staring after us in puzzle brother, and alked slowly north toward the higher hills; or toward home, or toward death, into the wind

XIII

Aquae Arne, as we had for the last three days; except now our silence wasthat did not separate us but rather bound us together The oppressive cold and silence never abated Only the old road that we followed made the landscape different Now and then the roof of a cottage or shepherd’s hut appeared huddled under the shadow of a low hill, or a stone wall marked off the boundary of a snow-covered field Otherwise the barren white wasteland about us remained unaltered, the monotony of the moor unbroken

But once Lleu stopped, astonished, staring at the blank road before him He blinked and put a hand to his temple "What was that?" he said

I watched hiued "What do you think it was?" There had been no sound, no ht--" He frowned, rubbing at his forehead "It was a flash of color, across the road--a bird or butterfly, green and gold and scarlet But it’s gone…" He hesitated, hearing the madness in his words "You didn’t see"