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‘Don’t worry her too much’

‘I won’t, father’

They rode into Korvan and found a respectable-looking inn Ulath had a word or tith the innkeeper, and they were all escorted into a private dining rooh the s to set the oaken tables and benches to glowing ‘Can you keep anyone whoon us, little mother?’ Sparhawk asked

‘How many times do you have to ask that question before you know the answer?’ she asked with a weary sigh

‘Justsure, that’s all’

They removed their cloaks, stacked their weapons in a corner, and sat down at the table

A squinty-eyed, slatternly serving-girl came in and told them what the kitchen had prepared for the day

Sephrenia shook her head ‘Tell her, Vanion’

‘The lady and I – and the little girl – will have lamb,’ he said firmly ‘We don’t irl whined

‘You’d better tell hionna like it’

‘He doesn’t have to like it Tell hiet lamb, we’ll take our money to another inn The owner of the place wouldn’t like that very irl’s face became set, and she stormed out

‘That’s the Vanion we cahed The fight thatseemed to have iot a fairly substantial road going east,’ he said, running his finger along the line stretching across the a We’ll cross the border into Ta a jump can Bhelliom make at one time?’

‘Would you like to pay a visit to the moon, Lord VANION?’ SHE FROWNED ‘THERE’S A DRAWBACK, THOUGH Bhellio It probably doesn’t even know that it’s doing it, but it does sort of announce its location We oing to take time’

‘And that raises another point as well,’ Sephrenia added ‘Sparhawk’s holding Bhelliom’s power, but he doesn’t kno to use it yet’

‘Thanks,’ Sparhawk said dryly

‘I’m sorry, dear one, but you don’t Every time you’ve ever picked it up, either Aphrael or I have had to walk you through it step by step We’re definitely going to need some time We have to teach Bhelliom how to be quiet, and we have to teach you how to use it without having someone hold your hand’

‘I love you too, Sephrenia’

She s tremendous power in your hands, Sparhawk, but it’s not of much use if all you kno to do is wave it around like a battle-flag I don’t think we should rush back to Matherion immediately That story you cooked up for Ehlana will explain our absence for at least two or three more weeks We’ll want to avoid the traps and a the way, of course’ She paused ‘Theyto practice on’

‘Jurunted

‘Will you stop that, Ulath?’ she snapped at him

‘Sorry, Sephrenia It’s a habit of , I just blurt out the conclusion The inter Our friends out there have been raising rando back and forth across the continent – olves here, va Ones off in that direction, and antique armies in this There’s no real purpose to all that except to confuse the iht out of their book, you know They can hear and feel Bhellioather that there’s no real limit to how far it can jump at one time, so let’s just say that Sparhaants to see what the weather’s like in Darsas He has Bhelliom pick him up by the scruff of the neck and drop hi Alberen’s palace He stays there for about a half-hour – long enough for the other side to smell him out – then he hops across the continent to Beresa in southern Arjuna and stays long enough to oes to Sarsos, then to Jura in southern Daconia, then back to Cimmura to say hello to Platiet all sorts of practice using Bhelliom, and by the time the sun went down, they wouldn’t knohere he was or where he was going to go next To make it even more fun, our mysterious friend out there wouldn’t knohich of these little junificant one, so he’d al that hurricane on his back every step of the way,’ Kalten added ‘Ulath, you’re brilliant’

‘Yes,’ the blond-braided Thalesian agreed with beco modesty, ‘I know’

‘I like it,’ Vanion approved ‘What do you think, Sephrenia?’

‘It would give Sparhawk and Bhellioreed, ‘and that’s basically e need here The better they know each other, the better they’ll be able to work together I’m sorry, Sir Ulath Blurt out conclusions anytiht then,’ Vanion said in his most business-like fashion, ‘when Sparhawk’s off on one of his little excursions, the rest of us will be sort of invisible – well, not really invisible, but if Bhelliom’s not with us, our friend won’t be able to hear us or feel us, will he?’

‘Probably not,’ Flute agreed ‘Even if he could, Sparhaill beso much noise that he won’t really pay much attention to you’

‘Good Let’s say that we set out from here Sparhawk hops up to Darsas and rattles all the s there Then he hops back, picks us up and puts down in…’ He frowned at his er down on the chart ‘Then he hops around to several other places, leaving Bhellios out in the open so that our friend knohere he is each tiain By that time our friend will be so confused he won’t knohere we are’

‘Pay close attention, Sparhawk,’ Kalten grinned ‘That’s the way a preceptor’s supposed to think’

Sparhawk grunted Then he thought of so ‘I want to talk with you for a moment e leave,’ he told his blond friend quietly

‘A on it’

The slatternly serving-girl brought in theirat Vanion as she did, and Sparhawk and his friends began to eat

They did not linger after lunch, but rose immediately and trooped out

‘What’s your proble behind the others

‘Quit trying to get yourself killed’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Don’t be coy, Kalten I sahat you were doing thisDon’t you realize how transparent you are to people who know you?’