But the thing that Seraph envied the most was that one winter evening, when Seraphas uncles entertained the boisterous crowd that gathered beneath the great fireplace and told them stories of haunts and shadow-things, that wise old woman shook her head with a laugh and said that she had better things to do than listen to tales of monsters fabricated to keep children up all night.

So it was that she stayed when she should have gone. But a week or a month would make little difference to her dutiesa"a lifetime or two would make little difference as far as she could tell. So she stayed.

aDonat pull that up. Thatas an iris bulb, trimmed down now that itas bloomed,a said Tieras sister several weeks later. aDonat you know how to weed?a Seraph released the hapless plant unharmed, straightened, and almost groaned at the easing in her back. aNo,a she said, though shead told her as much when Alinath had set her to the task. How would she have learned to weed? The herbs and food plants she knew, but shead no experience with flowers at all.

Tier had stormed off at lunch, beset by both his sister and his mother, who had gotten out of her bed only to try and push him into finding a wife. Since then Alinath had been picking at her as if it had been Seraph whoad sent Tier off to seek peace. Seraph had been set to half a dozen tasks, only to be sent to do something else because of some inadequacy in her work, real or imaginary.

aWell leave off then,a said Alinath. aBandor or I will have to finish it, I suppose. You are utterly useless, girl. Cannot sew, cannot cook, cannot weed. The baking room floor needs cleaninga"but mind how you do it. Donat let the dust get into the flour bins.a Seraph stood up and dusted off her skirt; shead left off wearing her comfortable pants when shead noticed that none of the Rederni women wore anything except skirts.

aItas a shame,a she said finally. aThat Tier, who wears courtesy as close as his skin, should have a sister with none at all.a Before Alinath could do more than open her mouth, Seraph turned on her heel and entered the house through the baking room door. She regretted her comment as soon as shead made it. The womenfolk in the clan were no more courteous in their requests than Alinath was. But they would have never turned their demands upon a Raven.

Moreover, Seraph knew the solsenti well enough to know that Alinathas rudeness to a guest was a deliberate slight. Especially since, except for that first time, she was careful to soften her orders around Tier.

Seraph had done her best to ignore the older woman. She was a guest in Alinathas home. She had no complaint with the work she was asked to doa"which was no more work than anyone else did, except for Tieras mother. And, by ignoring Alinathas rudeness, Seraph bothered her more than any other response could have.

There was a more compelling reason to ignore Alinathas trespasses.

Seraph let her fingernails sink into the wood of the broom handle as she swept with careful, slow strokes. A Raven could not afford to lose her temper. She took a deep, calming breath and sought for control.

The door opened and Alinath walked in. When she started to speak her voice was carefully polite.

aI have been rude,a she said. aI admit it. I believe that it is time for some plainer speech. My brother thinks you are a child.a Seraph stared at her a moment, bewildered, her broom still in her hands. What did Tieras opinion have to do with anything?

aBut I know better,a continued Alinath. aI was married at your age.a And I killed the ghouls who killed my teacher when I was ten, thought Seraph. A Raven is never a child. But she saw where Alinath was headed.

aI told Tier what you are up to, but he doesnat see it,a said Alinath. aAnyone who marries my brother will have this bakery.a Anyone who married your brother would be safe for the rest of their life, thought Seraph involuntarily, and envied his future wife with all of her heart.

aBut you will never have him.a Seraph shrugged. aAnd he will never have me.a She went back to sweepinga"and longing to be an old innkeeper who thought that ghouls and demons were stories told to frighten children. She crouched to get the broom under the low shelf of the table where Tier kneaded his bread.

aWhere did you get those?a Alinath lunged at Seraph. Startled, Seraph dropped the broom as Alinathas hand clenched around Tieras bead necklace; it must have slid out of her blouse when she crouched.

aDirty Traveler thief!a shrieked Alinath, jerking wildly at the necklace. aWhere did you get these?a Seraph had heard all the epithetsa"but shead been fighting her anger for weeks. The slight pain of the jerk Alinath gave the necklace was nothing to the outrage that Alinath had dared to grab her in the first place.

She heard the door to the public room open and heard Tieras voice, but everything was secondary to the rage that swept through her. Rage fed by her clanas death, Ushirehas death, her desperate, despairing guilt at surviving when everyone else died, and lit by this stupid solsenti woman who pushed and pushed until Seraph would retreat no more.

Alinath must have seen some of it in her face because she dropped her hold on the necklace and took two steps back. The necklace fell back against Seraphas neck like a kiss from a friend. Just before the wave of magic left her, the warmth of Tieras gift allowed her to regain control. It saved Alinathas life, and probably Seraphas as well because magic loosed in anger was not choosy in its target.

Pottery shattered as the stone building shook with a hollow boom. Cooking spoons, wooden peels, and baking tiles flew across the room. The great door that separated the hot ovens from the baking room pulled from its hinges and flew between Seraph and Alinath, hitting the opposite wall and sending plaster into the air in a thick white cloud as Alinath cried out in fear. Flour joined plaster as the door fell to the ground, taking two tables with it and knocking a barrel half-full of flour to its side.

Closing her eyes to the destruction and Alinathas frightened face, Seraph fought to pull back the magic shead loosed. It struggled in her grasp, fed by the anger that had engendered it. It made her pay for her lack of control, sweeping back to her call, back through her like shards of glass. But it came, and peelers and tiles settled gently to the floor.

Seraph opened her eyes to assess the damage. Alinath was finea"though obviously shaken, she had quit screaming as soon as shead begun. The wall would have to be replastered and the door rehung, the jamb repaired or replaced. The jars of valuable mother, used to start the bread dough, had somehow escaped, and the number of broken pots was fewer than shead thought. Neither Tier, nor the four or five people who had followed him into the room, had more damage than a coating of flour and plaster.

Shame cut Seraph almost as rawly as the magic had. It was the worst thing a Raven could doa"loose magic in anger. That no one had been hurt, nothing irreplaceable broken, was a tribute to Tieras gift and a little good luck rather than anything Seraph had done and so mitigated her crime not a whit. Seraph stood frozen in the middle of the baking room.

aI told you that she had a temper,a said Tier mildly.

aThis was an ill way to repay your hospitality,a said Seraph. aI will get my things and leave.a Tier cursed the impulse that had led him to invite the men head spent the afternoon singing with to try out an experimental batch of herb bread head been working on. That head opened the door to the baking room when hea"and everyone elsea"heard Alinath cry out had been stupidity. Head been warning his sister not to antagonize Seraph for the better part of a week.

aMages arenat tolerated here,a said someone behind him.

aShe said shead leave,a said Ciro. aShe hurt no one.a aWeall leave in the morning,a said Tier.

aStrangers who come to Redern and work magic are condemned to death,a said Alinath in a tone of voice head never heard from her.

He looked at her. She should have appeared ridiculous, but the cold fear-driven anger on her face made her formidable despite the coating of white powder settling on her.

Someone gave a growl of agreement.

The ugly sound reminded Tier of the inn where head rescued hera"or rescued the villagers from her. He realized that unless he managed to stop it, by morning his village might not be in any mood to let Seraph go.

An odd idea that had been floating in his head since head talked to Willon and then held Seraph in the wake of her night terrors crystalized.

aShe is not a stranger,a lied Tier abruptly. aShe is my wife.a Silence descended in the room. Seraph looked at him sharply.

aNo,a said Alinath. aIall not have it.a She was in shock, he knew, or shead never have said such a ridiculous thing.

aIt is not for you to have or not have,a he reminded her, his voice gentle but firm.

aI wonat have her in this house,a Alinath said.

aWe would have had to leave in any case,a said Bandor, whoad pushed through the crowd and into the baking room. He walked over to Alinath, and put his hand on her shoulder. aOnce Tier had chosen his wife, whoever she was, wead have had to leave. Iave made some inquiries in Leheigh. The baker there told me head be willing to take on a journeyman.a aThereas no need,a said Tier. Now that his choice was made, the words he needed to convince them all flowed easily. aThereas a place I intend to farm about an houras walk from here. Iall have to get the Septas stewardas permission, which wonat be difficult to obtain since the land is not being used. Thereas time to build a house before winter. Weall live there, but Iall work in the bakery through the spring when planting season comes. Then Iall deed it to Alinath.a aWhen were you married?a whispered Alinath.

aLast night,a lied Tier, holding out his hand to Seraph, whoad been watching him with an expression he couldnat read.

She stepped to his side and took his hand. Her own was very cold.

aYes,a said Karadoc, coming forward and putting a hand on Tieras head as he used to when Tier was a boy. aThere have been Rederni who were mages before. Seraph will harm no one.a The crowd dispersed, and Bandor took Alinath to their room to talk, leaving only Karadoc, Tier, and Seraph.

aSee that you come by the temple tonight,a said the priest. aI donat like to keep a lie longer than necessary.a Tier grinned at him and hugged the older man. aThank you. Weall stop by.a When he left, Tier turned to Seraph. aYou can stay here with me and be my wife. Karadoc will marry us tonight and no one will know the difference.a He waited, and when she said nothing, he said, aOr I can do as I promised. We can leave now and Iall go with you to find your people.a Her hand tightened on his then, as if shead never let it go. She glanced once around the room and then lowered her eyes to the floor. aIall stay,a she whispered. aIall stay.a

PART TWO.

CHAPTER 3.

When Seraph reached the narrow bridge, the river was high and the wooden walkway was slick with cold water from the spring runoff. She glanced across the river and up the mountainside where Redern hung, terraced like some ancient giantas stone garden. Even after twenty years, the sight still impressed her.

From where she stood, the new temple at the very top of the village rose like a falcon over its prey. The rich hues of new wood contrasted with the greys of the village, but, to her, that seemed to be merely an accent to the harmony of stone buildings and craggy mountain.

Seraph crossed the bridge, skirted the few people tending animals, and headed for the steps of the steep road that zigzagged its way up the mountain face, edged with stone buildings.

The bakery looked much as it had when shead first seen it. The house was newer than its neighbors, having been rebuilt several generations earlier because of a fire. Tier had laughed and told her that his several times great-grandfather had tried to make the building appear old but had succeeded only in making it ugly. Not even the ceramic pots planted with roses could add much charm to the cold grey edifice, but the smell of fresh-baked bread wafting from the chimney gave the building an aura of welcome.

Seraph almost walked ona"she could sell her goods elsewhere, but not without offending her sister-in-law. Perhaps Alinath would be out and she could deal with Bandor, who had never been anything but kind. Resolutely, she opened the bakery door.

aSeraph,a Tieras sister greeted her without welcome from the wide, flour-covered wooden table where her clever hands wove dough into knots and set them on baking tiles to be taken back to the ovens for cooking.

Seraph smiled politely. aJes found a honey-tree in the woods last week. Rinnie and I spent the last few days jarring it. I wondered if you would like to buy some jars to make sweet bread.a Tier would have given it to his sister, but Seraph could not afford such generosity. Tier was late back from winter fur-trapping, and Jes needed boots.

Alinath sniffed. aThat boy. If Iave told Tier once, Iave told him a thousand times, the way you let him wander the woods on his owna"and him not quite righta"itas a wonder a bear or worse hasnat gotten him.a Seraph forced herself to smile politely. aJes is as safe in the woods as you or I here in your shop. I have heard my husband tell you that as often as you complained to him.a Alinath wiped off her hands. aSpeaking of children, I have been meaning to talk to you about Rinnie.a Seraph waited.

aBandor and I have no children, and most probably never will. Wead like to take Rinnie in and apprentice her.a Seraph reminded herself sternly that Alinath meant no harm by her proposal. Even Travelers fostered children under certain circumstances, but it seemed to Seraph that the solsenti traded and sold their children like cattle.

Tier had tried to explain the advantages of the apprenticing system to hera"the apprentice gained a trade, a means to make a fair living, and the master gained free help. In her travels, Seraph had seen too many places where children were treated worse than slaves; not that she thought Alinath would treat Rinnie badly.

So, Seraph was polite. aRinnie is needed on the farm,a she said with diplomacy that Tier would have applauded.

aThat farm will go to Lehr, sooner or later. Jes will be a burden upon it and upon Lehr for as long as he lives,a said Alinath. aTier will not be able to give Rinnie a decent dowry and without that, with her mixed blood, no one will have her.a Calm, Seraph told herself. aJes more than carries his own weight,a she said with as much outward serenity as she could muster. aHe is no burden. Any man who worries about Rinnieas mixed blood is no one I want her marrying. In any case, sheas only ten years old, and marriage is something she wonat have to worry about for a long time.a aYou are being stupid,a said Alinath. aI have approached the Elders on the matter already. They know that scrap of land you have my brother trying to farm is so poor he has to spend the winter trapping so you have food on your table. It doesnat really matter that you have no care for your daughter; when the Elders step in, youall have no choice.a aEnough,a said Seraph, outrage lending unmistakable power to that one word. No one was taking her children from her. No one.

Alinath paled.

No magic, Tieras voice cautioned her, none at all, Seraph. Not in Redern.

Seraph closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to cleanse herself of anger, and managed to continue speaking more normally. aYou may talk to Tier when he returns. But if anyone comes to try and take my daughter before then . . .a She let the unspoken threat hang in the air.

aI agree,a said a mild voice from the kitchen. aEnough badgering, Alinath.a Bandor entered from the baking room door with a large bowl of risen dough. aIf any of Seraphas children want to apprentice wead be glad to have them herea"but thatas for their parents to decide. Not you or the Elders.a He nodded a greeting toward Seraph.

aBandor,a managed Seraph through her rage-tightened throat. aItas good to see you.a aYouall have to excuse Alinath,a he said. aSheas been as worried about Tier as you are. Iave told her that itas not fair to expect a man trapping in the wild to come home on time every year. But heas her brother, and she frets. Tieras only a few weeks late. Heall show up.a aYes,a Seraph agreed. aIad best be going.a aDidnat I hear you say you had some honey?a he asked.

aJes found some in the woods last week. I brought a few dozen jars with me,a she answered. aBut Alinath didnat seem interested in it.a aHummph,a said Bandor, with a glance at his wife. aWeall take twelve jars for half-copper a jar. Then you go to Willon up on the heights, and tell him weare paying a copper each for anything you donat sell to him. Heall buy up your stock for that so he can compete. Yours is the first honey this spring.a Without a word, Seraph took out her pack and pulled out twelve jars, setting them on the counter. Just as silently, Alinath counted out six coppers and set it beside the jars. When Seraph reached out to take the money, the other womanas hand clamped on her wrist.

aIf my brother had married Kirahaa"Alinath said in a low voice that was no less violent for its lack of sounda"ahead have had no need to go to the mountains in the winter in order to feed his children.a Seraphas chin jerked up and she twisted her wrist, freeing it. aIt has been near to two decades since Tier and I married. Find something else to fret about.a aI agree,a said Bandor mildly, but there was something ugly in his tone.

Alinath flinched.

Seraph frowned, having never seen Alinath afraid of anything beforea"except Seraph herself on that one memorable occasion. Shead certainly never seen anyone afraid of Bandor. Alinathas face quickly rearranged itself to the usual embittered expression she wore around Seraph, leaving only a glint of fear in her eyes.

aThank you, Bandor, for your custom and your advice,a Seraph said.

As soon as the door was closed behind Seraph and shead started up the narrow, twisty road, she muttered to her absent husband. aSee what happens when you are away too long, Tier? Youad better get home soon, or those Elders are in for a rude surprise.a She wasnat really worried about the Elders. They werenat stupid enough to confront her, no matter what they thought should be done for Rinnieas benefit. Once Tier was home, he could talk them out of whatever stupidity Alinath had talked them into. He was good at that sort of thing. And if she was wrong, and the Elders came to try to take Rinnie before Tier was home . . . well, she might have failed in her duties to her people, but she would never fail her children.

She wasnat worried about Rinniea"but Tier was another matter entirely. A thousand things could have delayed Tieras return, she reminded herself. He might even now be waiting at home.

Even hardened by farmwork, Seraphas calves ached by the time she came to the door of Willonas shop near the top edge of the village. When she opened the homey door and stepped into the building, Willon was talking to a stranger with several open packs on the floor, so she walked past him and into the store.

The only other person in the store was Ciro, the tanneras father, who was stringing a small harp. The old man looked up when she came in and returned her nod before going back to the harp.

Willonas store had once been a house. When head purchased it, head excavated and built until his store extended well into the mountain. Head stocked the dark corners of the store with odds and bits from his merchant daysa"and some of those were odd indeeda"then added whatever he felt might sell.

Seraph doubted many people knew what some of his things were worth, but she recognized silk when she saw ita"though doubtless the only piece in Redern resided on the wall behind a shelf of carved ducks in Willonas shop.

She seldom had the money to shop here, but she loved to explore. It reminded her of the strange places shead been. Here was a bit of jade from an island far to the south, and there a chipped cup edged in a design that reminded her of a desert tribe who painted their cheeks with a similar pattern.

Some of Willonas wares were new, but much of it was secondhand. In a back corner of one of a half dozen alcoves she found boxes of old boots and shoes that still had a bit of life left in them.

She took out the string shead knotted and began measuring it against the boots. In the very bottom of the second box she searched, she found a pair made of thinner leather than usual for work boots. The sole was made for walking miles on roads or forest trails, rather than tromping through the mud of a farmeras field. Her fingers lingered on the decorative stitches on the top edge, hesitating where the right boot was stained with blooda"though someone had obviously worked to clean it away. Traveleras boots.

She didnat compare them to her sonas feet, just set them back in the box and piled a dozen pairs of other boots on top of them, as if covering them would let her forget about them. In a third bin, she found what she was looking for, and took a sturdy pair of boots up to the front.

There is nothing I could have done, she told herself. I am not a Traveler and have not been for years.

But even knowing it was true, she couldnat help the tug of guilt that tried to tell her differently: to tell her that her place had never been here, safe in Tieras little village, but out in the world protecting those who couldnat protect themselves.

aI canat sell those here,a she heard Willon say to a stranger at the front countera"a tinker by the color of his packs. aFolk around here get upset with writing they canat reada"old traps of the Shadowed still linger in these mountains. They know to fear magic, and even a stupid personas going to notice that those have Traveleras marks on them.a aI bought them from a man in Korhadan. He claimed to have collected them all,a said the tinker. aI paid him two silvers. Iave had to carry them from there to here. Iall sell them for ten coppers, the entire bag, sir, for Iam that tired of them. Youare the eighth merchant in as many towns as told me the same thing, and they take up space in my packs as I might use for something else. You surely could melt them down for something useful.a On the counter lay an assortment of objects that appeared something like metal feathers. One end was sharp for a few inches, almost daggerlike, but the other end was decorative and lacy. Some were short, but most were as long as Seraphas forearm, and one nearly twice that long. There must have been nearly a hundred of thema"mermori.

aMy son can work metal,a said Seraph, around the pulse of sorrow that beat too heavily in her throat. There were so many of them. aHe could turn these into horseshoes. I can pay you six coppers.a aDone,a cried the fellow before Willon could say a thing. He bundled them up in a worn leather bag and handed it to Seraph, taking the coins she handed him.

He gathered his packs together and carried them off as if he were afraid shead renege if he waited.

Willon shook his head, aYou shouldnat have bought those, Seraph Tieraganswife. Poor luck follows those who buy goods gotten by banditry and murder the way those probably were.a A merchant to the bone, Willon should have objected to her buying outright from the tinker rather than cut him in for a percentagea"but things like that happened when mermori were involved.

aTravelersa spells donat hurt those of Traveler blood,a she said in a low voice that wouldnat carry to others in the store.

Willon looked startled for a moment. aAh. Yes, I had almost forgotten that.a aSo you think these were gotten by banditry?a she asked.

aMy sons tell me that they donat call it that anymore.a Willon shook his head in disapproval. aThe present emperoras father declared the Travelers beyond the protection of his laws. The old manas been dead for years, but his sonas not going to change anything. He shuts himself up in the palace and listens to people who tell him stories without questioning the truth from falsehood, poor boy.a He spoke as if he knew him, but Seraph let it pass without comment. Tier had told her that he thought that the caravanning business Willon had retired from had been richer than he let on. He hadnat changed much from when head first come, other than the gradual lightening of his hair to white. Though he must have been nearing his seventh decade, he looked much younger than that.

aAh well,a she said. aTheyare pretty enough, but theyall make shoes for horses and buckles for harness, sira"surely if Travelers had that much magic left theyad have used it to save themselves.a She set the boots shead selected on the counter. aNow, I need these for Jes, but Iave spent my coppers on the metal bits. In my pack I have some wild honey. Iave sold a dozen jars to Bandor at the bakery below for a half-penny apiece, and Iave a little more than twice that left.a Shead looked, and hadnat seen any honey in the section where he kept a variety of jarred and dried goods.

aMy brother-in-law told me to tell you I sold him his at a copper each,a she added with a small smile. Willon was one of the few villagers she felt comfortable talking toa"probably because he was an outsider too.

aAye, and he should have paid you that,a said Willon with a snort. aDoubtless you know it, too. Taking advantage of his own kin.a aIf Tier were home, wead have given him the honey,a she said, awhich Bandor knows also.a Willon grinned. aIall buy what youave left for a copper eacha"thatas a fair price. Especially if when that boy of yours finds more honey, you bring it to me first.a aIall do that,a she said. aThank you, Willon.a Thirty coppers for the honey minus ten for the boots left her with twenty coppers, almost a whole silver. She tucked the coins in her satchel as she left Willonas shop, closing the door gently on the first few notes of Ciroas harp.

Her mind more on the mermori shead bought from the trader than on where she was going, she almost ran over a man who stood in the way.

aExcuse me,a she said apologetically, looking into his face.

It was a good face, even-featured and wide-mouthed. He was no one she knew, which was unusual. The village was small enough that even with as little time as she spent there she knew everyone in ita"at least by sight.

aA Traveler,a he said in a tone of near delight that shocked her.

Her reaction must have been easy to read because he laughed. aI must sound like an idiota"I just hadnat expected to run into a Traveler here. I thought your people avoid coming here. Some aversion to being so near Shadowas Fall?a Aversion to being near people so fearful of magic, she almost answered him, but not even surprise could loosen her habitual control over her tongue.

A look of comprehension crossed his face. aYou must be Seraph Tieraganswife. Thatas why people speak of you . . .a he seemed to realized that however people spoke of her wouldnat exactly be flattering and stumbled to a halt.

If she had not been holding a bag of mermori that reminded her of the plight of the Travelers and her failure to live the life shead been called to serve, she might have helped him. But head talked his way into offense, and she let him find his own way out.

aI am sorry,a he said sincerely after a moment. aWhen I am excited I tend to talk too much. Let me introduce myself properly. I am Volis, priest of the Path of the Five.a aSeraph Tieraganswife,a she replied shortly, though she made no move to leave. He was distracting her from her guilt, and for the moment she was content that he continue to do so.

Shead known that there was a new priest in town, of course. Even if shead forgotten, the new temple at the very top of the road would have reminded her. Head come from Taela with the new Sept last fall, and stayed when the Sept returned to his duties in the capitol of the Empire. But she hadnat paid much heed to the newsa"she was still too much Traveler to worship in the houses of the gods.