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‘I just put it together ether? Try toon the day we left?’

‘Of course I did She has a beautiful voice’

‘I’ she was singing It was "My Bonnie Blue-Eyed Boy"’

‘So?’

‘It’s Berit, Sparhawk She’s in love with Berit’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘I just noticed it e sat down to supper’ Kalten buried his face in his hands again ‘I never paid any attention before, but when I looked into his face while ere talking, I saw it I’m surprised you haven’t seen it yourself’

‘Seen what?’

‘Berit’s got blue eyes’

Sparhawk stared at hih, he said, ‘So do you – when they’re not bloodshot’

Kalten shook his head stubbornly ‘His are bluer thans I’ve done in the past He irl who loves somebody else Well, I hope He’s satisfied If He wants to ood job of it’

‘Will you be serious?’

‘Berit’s younger than I a’

‘Kalten’

‘Look at the way every girl who gets to within a hundred yards of hiirls were all falling in love with him’

‘Kalten’

‘I know it’s hi His knife in irl I’ll ever feel this way about fall in love with one of hts’

‘Kalten’

Kalten sat up and squared his shoulders ‘All right, then,’ he said weakly, ‘if that’s the way God wants it, that’s the way it’s going to be If Berit and Alean really, really love each other, I won’t stand in their way I’ll bite ue and keep my mouth shut’

‘Kalten’

‘But I swear it to you, Sparhawk,’ the blond Pandion said hotly, ‘if he hurts her, I’ll kill him!’

‘Kalten!’ Sparhawk shouted at hiet drunk?’ he suggested, giving up entirely

It was cloudy the following ray cloud-cover which seethed and tattered in the stiff wind aloft It was one of those peculiar days when theto the west, but the air at the surface was dead cal the narrow, cobbled streets where sleepy-eyed shopkeepers were opening their shutters and setting out their wares They passed through the city gates and took the road that followed the north coast of the gulf

After they had gone a mile or so, Vanion leaned over in his saddle ‘How far do we have to go?’ he asked Flute, who nestled, as always, in her sister’s ared

‘I’d like to kno long it’s going to take’

‘What does "how far" have to do with "how long"?’

‘They’re the sa when you’re traveling’

‘Not if you knohat you’re doing, they don’t’

Sparhawk had always admired Vanion, but never quite so much as in that moment The silvery-bearded preceptor did not even raise his voice ‘All I’ at, Divine One, is that nobody knoe’re here Shouldn’t we keep it that way? I don’tour way through crowds of drunken Edoht now?’

‘You always take so long to get to the point, Vanion,’ she said ‘Why didn’t you just co to be polite I think we’ll all feel ot Bhellioh If you want the road froot Bhelliom hidden aith blood and littered with corpses, we’ll be happy to oblige you’

‘He’s hateful,’ Aphrael said to her sister

‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that’

‘You wouldn’t Sometimes you two are worse than Sparhawk and Ehlana’

Sparhawkvery close to saying things which she shouldn’t be saying in the presence of the others ‘Shall we ht, Aphrael, and you know he is If Rebal finds out that we’re here, we’ll have to wade through his people by the score’

‘All right,’ she gave in quite suddenly

‘That was quick,’ Talen said to Khalad ‘I thought she was going to be stubborn about it’

‘No, Talen,’ she s that vast cry of chagrin that’s going to echo from every mountain in Daresia when our ene around Bhellioentlemen, and leave the rest tothe brink of a ept cliff with an angry sea ripping itself to tattered froth on the rocks far below Sephrenia rode in the lead, and she held Flute enfolded in her arhtly around them and wooden expressions of endurance on their faces The wind had risen, and it pushed at thenificant impossibilities involved here, but Sparhawk’s mind seemed somehow numb to them Normally, Vanion rode protectively close to Sephrenia, but Vanion didn’t seem to be with them now

Tynian, however, was Sparhawk kneith absolute certainty that Tynian was a thousand leagues and more away, but there he was, his broad face as wooden as the faces of the others and his right shoulder as functional as ever

Sparhawk did not turn round He knew that another i behind hi trail that followed the edge of the long, ascending cliff toward a rocky proer out into the sea At the outernarled and twisted tree, its strea in the wind

When she reached the tree, Sephrenia reined in Kurik walked forward to lift Flute down Sparhawk felt a sharp pang of bitter resentment He knew about Aphrael’s need for symmetry, but this went too far