aJes is in one of the tents with Isfain at watch.a aWhat do you want?a she asked.

Benroln smiled as if to say, See, I knew youad do it my way. Three days had obviously not taught him much about hera"she hoped that her other secrets were as well-hidden.

aMy uncle has been scouting for work for us, and he found some not five miles down the road.a aWhat kind of work?a asked Seraph.

aThere is a merchant who buys grain and hauls it to Korhadan to sell. Last year one of the farmers with whom he had a contract delivered his grain himself and cost our merchant money and reputation when he wasnat able to deliver the grain he had promised his buyers. He went to the courts for redress, but they were unable to help him.a aI see,a said Seraph neutrally.

aI want you to curse this farmeras fields.a aTo teach him a lesson,a she said.

aRight,a he smiled engagingly. aJust like that man who assaulted Hennea.a aBut this merchant will pay you money.a aYes.a He didnat even have the grace to look uncomfortable.

aAnd what will I get out of it?a aYour family will have a home at last. A place where they fit in and no one taunts them for their Traveler blood. We will share with you all that is ours,a said Calahar, as if he were offering her a gift instead of blackmailing her.

Benroln was smarter than that. aSafety,a he said. aFor you and your family.a Seraph stared at them for a minute.

aYou canat hold Jes for long,a said Lehr confidently. aHe doesnat like strangers mucha"heall know that there is something wrong.a He was righta"or should have been. Seraph watched, but Benrolnas confidence didnat falter.

aYou have a foundrael,a she said, suddenly certain it was true. There werenat many of them, but then there werenat many clans left either. They werenat such fools as to try to keep a Guardian prisoner without something to keep him under control.

aWhat is that?a asked Lehr.

aGuardians can be difficult to control,a she explained without looking away from Benrolnas face. aThey are driven to protect their own at the expense of everything else. Sometimes their imperatives are inconvenient; guardians donat follow orders well at all.a She wasnat going to tell them how common it was for an Eagle to lose his daytime persona and become completely violent, even toward the people he had previously protected. aA Raven a long time ago came up with a solution. She created ten foundraelsa"collars that keep the Guardian from emerginga"before she realized what the end effect of repressing a Guardian is.a aWhatas wrong with it?a asked Lehr. aIs Jes in danger?a Seraph fingered the knife at her hip. aLetas just say that if they thought they had problems with their Guardians when they decided to use the foundrael, they had real problems the first time they decided to take it off. The use of foundraels is forbidden except under the most dire conditions.a aMy father will keep him calma"your Guardian will experience no difficulties unless you give him reason to think that there is danger,a said Calahar, stung by the contempt in her voice.

aSerapha"Iave looked all over . . .a Henneaas voice died out as she recognized the confrontation.

aThese men have taken Jes,a Seraph told Hennea. aSo that I will aid them in cursing a manas field. They will receive gold for their efforts.a She saw Henneaas face as worry faded, leaving behind a facade as cold as icea"just such a face had Hennea worn as she knelt beside the dead priest in Redern.

aThey take gold to curse people?a Seraph spat on the ground in front of Benroln. aThey have chosen to forget who we are. But they have me at a disadvantage.a She shook her head in disgust and then looked at Lehr.

She needed someone to tend Jes, someone he trusted who would sit by him calmly until she could get Benroln to take the foundrael offa"the collars could only be taken off by the person who put them on. But Lehr was too angry, she thought in near despair; Jes would know that there was something wrong.

aWhereas Jes?a asked Hennea.

Seraph looked at the other womanas expressionless face thoughtfully. aKors,a she abruptly, awill take you to Jes. Heas being held with a foundraela"Isfain is supposed to be keeping him calm. I would appreciate it if you would do your best to see that Jes is not discomforted while I go with Benroln.a aA foundrael?a If anything, Henneaas voice was colder than before. A blush rose on Korsas cheeks. Henneaas mouth was tight with anger, but she nodded her head at Seraph. aIall take care of hima"heas been helping me knit in the evenings since we met up with this clan. Sometimes simple tasks help.a aThank you, Hennea,a said Seraph, feeling vast relief at Henneaas confidence. She pointed to the tent entrance. aGura. Stay. Guard.a The last thing she wanted was for one of these fools to get their hands on the Ordered stones. Once the dog was sitting where shead asked him to, she said, aLehr, my dear, it looks like you might miss the Hunt today. You will come with mea"I have no desire to lose anything more than I can help on this foolas errand.a

CHAPTER 12.

Hennea stalked behind Kors, the canvas bag that held her needles and woolen thread clutched tightly in one hand. Her anger was partly self-disgust. She knew better than to getinvolved; that always brought unnecessary pain. Poor Moselm . . . head been such a kind man, uncomplicated. Theyad been lovers before theyad been taken, but it had been little more than a convenience to both. Moselmas wife had died several years before of one of the mysterious ailments that plagued the Traveling clans. They had come together for comfort.

But it was the Traveleras lot in life to confront things that no one else would face. If Moselmas death brought the light of destruction to the Path, he would have counted his life well-spent. But Jes . . .

There was no peace in dying among kinsfolka"and Hennea, like Seraph, knew that every minute that Jes spent collared by the foundrael brought him that much nearer to madness and a merciful death at the hands of those who loved him. She didnat want to do that ever again.

That Travelers would come to this, Travelers sworn and taught to aid the solsenti. For gold and hatred they betrayed their oaths, and put a good man at riska"perhaps they all deserved the fate that the solsenti intended to mete out.

Kors, subdued and somber with doubt, led Hennea toward one of the more distant campsites. The clansfolk they encountered on the way bowed their heads and refused to look her in the eye. They knew, she saw, and they were ashameda"but angry at the guilt they felt. Before long, she thought, theyad turn that guilt into righteous indignation.

See what the solsenti have turned us into, they would say to one another, so lacking in pride that they could not even accept the responsibility for their own downfall.

Kors stopped in front of a large tent and they both heard Isfainas harsh voice snap out. aSit here and wait, boy, as I told you. Your mother has business with Benroln and then you may do as you wish.a Henneaas eyebrows climbed. aSupposed to be keeping him calm, is he?a she murmured to Kors, pleased when she saw that he was unhappy with what theyad just heard as well.

She swept open the tent with none of the usual courtesies. Isfain was standing in front of her and she shoved him ungently aside to see Jes perched unhappily on a tall stool in the middle of the tent. It was the only object in the tenta"if Benroln had indeed given orders to keep Jes calm he had failed marvelously.

aWoman, watch what you do!a snapped Isfain.

Evidently, he didnat care for her entrance. She ignored him.

aHennea,a Jes said in soft-spoken relief. aI need to see Mother.a One hand rubbed at the leather strap he wore around his neck, turning it about as if to find a buckle or lacing that wasnat there. To Henneaas eyes the leather was as smooth as if it had just grown around his neck.

aWhat are you doing here?a said Isfain. aDoes Benroln know you are here?a She ignored him again.

aItas all right, Jes,a she said to the dark young man sitting restlessly on the battered old stool. aBenroln wants to force your mother to curse some poor farmeras land for money. Theyare holding you with an artifact that keeps your other spirit at baya"thereas nothing wrong with you. Lehr went with your mother.a She didnat know how much head understand in his current state so she was gratified when Jesas swaying slowed down.

aThey are safe?a he said.

aI donat think that Benroln will be able to do anything to Seraph that she doesnat want to happen. Lehr is with her.a He swallowed, aAnd you are safe here.a aYes,a she agreed. aIam safe with you. Would you help me with my knitting until your motheras business is completed?a She opened her bag and gave him a skein that shead tangled just for this purpose. After a little hesitation he took it from her. He stared at it for a minute, but at last his long-fingered hands began to work patiently at untangling knots. The rough wool thread had a mind of its own, and it would take a while to unravel the mess shead made.

She settled at his feet and began knitting with a ball head rolled for her yesterday. She leaned lightly against his leg, prepared to shift away if she made him uncomfortable. The long muscles of his thigh softened and relaxed, so she let him take a bit more of her weight.

She glanced into his eyes and saw the fury trapped impotently in the net of the foundrael. She shivered and looked back at the sweater she knitted. For a while he seemed calmer. Perhaps if the tent had not been so starkly furnished, or if that idiot Isfain had quit looking at Jes as if he expected him to explode, Jes would have been all right.

aI donat like this,a said Jes, abruptly throwing his yarn on the ground. aI need . . . I need to be somewhere.a Hennea looked up at him and saw the despair in his eyes. Enough, she thought. aWait a moment,a she told him.

Kors was not a problem. He knew what was right when someone shoved it in his face, as much as he wished he didnat. Isfain, though, Isfain might be more difficult.

He was one of those gifted with magic, though not Ordered. Hennea knew that other Ravens had a tendency to look upon unordered mages as weak, but she was not so foolish. A good wizard used subtlety as well as power, and like a well-knit wool sweater, their spells could be difficult to unravel.

The trick with wizards was not to give them time to do anything.

aIsfain,a she said simply. aHush, be still.a It wouldnat have been worth doing to a Raven, because they needed neither word nor movement to call magic. A wizard could call magic that way, tooa"but it was a poor business they made of it. It would be a long time before Isfain worked his way free of her binding.

aWhat?a asked Kors incredulously, surprised at Henneaas rudeness.

She put her knitting away carefully, then she took the yarn Jes had thrown and set it in the top of her bag. Time enough later to unspell it so it could be organized more easily.

aHeas too far,a she said.

aWhat do you mean?a asked Kors, who still hadnat noticed that Isfain was now immobile because of her magic. He didnat know what she was.

aHave you ever seen a Guardian released from the foundrael?a she asked. aItas not bad if they havenat been upseta"but your Isfain precluded that.a aMother,a said Jes sadly.

She nodded. aI know. Lehr will keep her from harm, but that is your job. To protect your family.a aYes,a he said.

She turned to Kors. aIf I were you Iad leave this tent, so that you arenat the first thing he sees when heas free.a Shead given him warning enough. If he didnat choose to follow . . . she relaxed as she heard him leave. Really, Kors wasnat a bad sort.

aAll right, Jes, Iam going to take this thing off.a She reached up, but he caught her hands. aCanat. Benroln said only him.a aWell,a Hennea said. aIam not as powerful as your mother, Jes, but I have spent a long time studying. I think I know how to take the blasted thing off. Iall not lie to you, there is some dangera"but not as much as leaving it on.a aTo me,a he said, catching her hands before she could touch the foundrael. aNot you.a aOnly to you,a she lied, but shead had a lot of practice lying and it came out like the truth.

He let her set her hands on the soft band around his neck. The leather was soft and new-looking, as if it had been tanned yesterday instead of centuries ago. That made it easier, because she knew which one it was.

aNo,a he said, pulling her hands away again.

aItas all right,a she said.

aNo,a Jes said again. aThe Guardian will kill the big man. That would be bad. He thinks that killing would be very bad for us. Killing is bad, but he would have no choice. He is very angry.a Hennea considered him. Everyone had a tendency, she thought, to ignore the daylight Jes in their fear of the Guardian. Oh, Seraph loved him in either guise, but she treated him with the same indulgence and discipline that she treated their dog and the others followed her example.

Jes, thought Hennea, was more than just a disguise where the Guardian resided. Impulsively she put her hand, still clasped loosely by his, on his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned against it, moving so the light stubble, new-grown since his shaving this morning, prickled her fingers.

He was just a boy, she thought, uncomfortable with the instant response his innocently sensual gesture had called from her.

He might be right about killing. The Order of the Eagle came only to people who were empathic, a rare gift and usually weak. If Jes were a strong enough empath, killing might very well be enough to damage him.

aThe Guardian wonat calm until we take it off, Jes. Heall just feel worse and worse,a she said, though she didnat move her hand from his face. aThe longer we wait the more difficult it will be.a He nodded, but didnat open his eyes. aHeas so angry,a he said. Dark lashes brushed her fingertips, and she shivered.

He looked at her then, his eyes dark and hungry. aYou could make him not angry,a said Jes. aHe likes you, too. Kiss me.a His suggestion startled her. Shead never heard of anyone trying something like this. Likely because only an idiot would think of kissing an angry Guardian.

Her lips were still canted in a smile when they touched his. It was an innocent kiss at first, because he called that from hera"though not without arousal. His lips were a little chafed, and the rough surface scraped hers in butterfly-wing caresses.

She could feel him tense when her hands touched his neck again, so she opened her mouth to nip lightly at his lips, distracting him from what she did.

It distracted her, tooa"but not so much that she fumbled the Unlocking.

As soon as she finished, fear washed through the tent like a flash flood, taking her breath with its strength. She dug her fingers into Jesas shoulders, which had turned to iron. But he didnat fight her as she held him to her and touched his lips with her tongue.

Fear had driven away the embarrassment she felt at seducing him, but it hadnat erased the desire he called from her. When he took charge of the kiss, she softened for him and allowed him to vent his fury into passion.

It was the Guardian who gentled the kiss again and shifted his weight away from her. He rubbed his face against hers, like a cat marking his territory, and then pulled away despite the tension that shook his body.

aBenroln has Mother and Lehr?a he asked hoarsely.

She had to clear her throat before she could say anything. aYes,a she said.

She averted her face, knowing her cheeks were red, so she didnat have a chance to move away before he touched her again. He pulled her against him, and set his chin on top of her head.

aWeall go find them,a he said. Then he must have noticed Isfain, because he stiffened.

aWhat have you done to that one?a he growled.

She used the excuse of looking at Isfain to step out of Jesas arms. aNot as much as Iad have liked to,a she said. aBenroln was young when he stepped up to the leadershipa"if I understand the history that led to this stupidity. But you,a she tapped Isfainas nose reprovingly, ayou knew better. He was your sisteras son and you taught him poorly.a aRelease him,a said the Guardian.

She cocked her head at him warily. aWhy?a When he growled at her, she found herself smiling despite the way the skin on her back flinched. aI think wead better just leave him as he is until we find Lehr and your mother, donat you?a aSoft-hearted,a he said.

aBetter than soft-headed,a she replied. aShould we go after Lehr and Seraph?a He stepped around her and held open the tent flap. aIad rather eat someone,a he saida"she thought it was for Isfainas benefit, but she wasnat quite sure. aBut weall head out looking for Mother first. Is Gura here?a aSeraph told him to guard the tent,a she said.

As she ducked through the flap he put his lips near her ear and said, aDonat feel guilty.a She stopped so abruptly that the top of her head collided with his jaw hard enough that she heard his teeth click.

aWhy should I feel guilty for kissing a handsome young boy?a she said sarcastically, without lowering her tone at all.

To her amazement he grinned at her. Guardians didnat grin. They smiled with pleasure while they choked the life out of some poor fool who crossed them. They bared their teeth. They didnat grin.

aI donat know. We both enjoyed it very much, Jes and I,a his grin widened. aAnd wead like to do it again as soon as possible.a aHere you are,a said a young man in rich clothing who awaited them in a small clearing set in the side of a hill and overlooking a twenty-acre field with a tidy cottage at the far end. aI thought you might not make it.a Benroln smiled congenially. aI donat break contracts, sir.a aAnd besides,a said the young man, ayou knew there was more gold where you got the first, eh?a He looked too young to have been a merchant for long, thought Seraph, then she reconsidered. There was a softness in his face that made him look exceedingly young, but his eyes were sharp and old.

Iall bet that he uses that young face of his, Seraph thought as she revised her estimate of his age upward by ten years.

aOf course, sir,a said Benroln after he laughed politely at the merchantas comment. aThis is the woman who will set the spell.a aAnd this is the farm right here,a replied the merchant in a light, pleasant voice. aI want it curseda"you understand. Paid good money for a mage to curse it last yeara"but Asherstal still got a harvest out. I told that sorcerer I wanted nothing to grow on these fields, not even a weed. I want the other farmers to avoid Asherstal for fear whatever befell him will happen to them. I want him shamed. Youad better do the job or maybe some ill might befall you, eh? Like happened to that mage I hired last year.a Benroln looked taken aback, and Seraph wondered if head believed that sweet, innocent air the merchant exuded.

aYour mageas curse is still here,a she murmured. aPerhaps you had him killed too soon. Iall have to take it off before I can work.a aI donat tell a tanner how to do his job,a said the merchant. aI just pay him for good work.a He made an odd motion with his hand that might have been accidentala"but Tier had taught the boys the signs soldiers used. It had the look of one of those.

Lehr had caught it, too, she thought. He faded back silently into the night. Neither the merchant nor Benroln seemed to noticea"she doubted the merchant had ever seen him to begin with.

aIall have to go down to the edge of the field,a Seraph said.

aFine, fine,a he agreed. aItas dark enough that they wonat see you. We can wait in the trees that border the field.a He led the way down. If Benroln was worried by anything, Seraph couldnat tella"but she thought not. If head been properly worried about the merchant, he wouldnat have left Isfain and Kors to tend Jes and Hennea. More fool he, to trust a man whoad curse another manas living.

She suspected that the hidden men were to come out when she finished to make certain neither Benroln nor she told anyone that head paid to have this poor farmeras fields cursed.

Lehr wondered if his mother had caught the signal the merchant had sent. There were men out here somewhere, men waiting to kill Benroln and his mother when the merchant decided he was finished with them. Personally, Lehr wasnat worried about Benroln one way or the other, but his mother was another matter entirely.

Lehr backtracked the merchant until he found a place where the man had waited with four others. Enough men to account for a couple of Travelers as long as they took them by surprise. Each had taken a different path.

They left no tracks that he could see, because the forest was inky-dark; not even the starlight illuminated the ground under the trees. But he knew they had been there because he could smell them.

He shuddered. What was he that he could scent a man like a dog? He drew his knife and picked a trail to follow.

When they came to the edge of the woods, the merchant motioned Seraph on. He and Benroln settled in to wait under the cover of the trees while she worked her magic.

She sat down on the ground at the edge of the field, just outside of the area of planting. She could see the weaving of magic through the soil. The mage this merchant had hired had done well; it was going to take her a long time to clean the field. Time for Lehr to find the merchantas men. Time for Jes to be lost to the effects of the foundrael.

She began plucking the threads of the dead mageas spell without further ado. As she did so, the familiarity of what she was doing settled around her with a feeling of rightness: this is what she had been born to do.

After a while the merchant became impatient. aI donat see anything. I donat pay good money for nothinga"and I donat put up with people who try to steal from me.a aTell him I canat work unless heas quiet,a said Seraph serenely, knowing that the calmer she was the worse the merchant would take it. His sort always liked to see people cringe in fear of him. She could have given him a light show, but the people her magic told her were sleeping in the cottage might be awakened. She didnat want them coming out to investigate with the merchantas armsmen lurking abouta"the wrong people might be killed.

aCome away,a Benroln said to the merchant with an air of determinedly cheerful deplomacy. aThis will take a while. I brought a pair of dice with me. We can pass the time while Seraph works.a Just as well head intervened before shead pushed the merchant too far, she thought and turned her attention back to the field. Lehr needed all the time she could buy him.

Now why didnat you work? she asked as she pulled the cursing magic away from stalks of wheat only half the size they should be this time of year. Nonetheless, with the strength of the spell she was unravelling, this field shouldnat have grown anything more than a sprig of cheatgrass.

Night fell, but she didnat pay any attentiona"what she was looking at didnat require light for her to see. Finally, she detached the last of the spelling and, unanchored, the weave fell apart and lost its form.

The magic the wizard had imbued in his casting drifted off when the spell lost its power. It didnat go far before it was caught firmly, and pulled back into the earth to enrich the soil. That was when Seraph realized how it was that the farmer had managed to grow wheat in this field.

There were other creatures that used magic besides the shadow beasts who lived in the Ragged Mountains. Most of them had died fighting at Shadowas Fall. But some of them escaped.