*rn-y-fhain said stay, that was the end of it. He would Cmain.

"But. . . but see here! I am a free Roman citizen and priest of Holy Church. I have many places to go."

"Stay."

"Not that I'm not grateful, mind you. Not that I uldn't return to preach to you, but-"

But Gern-y-fhain had spoken. His spirit was released fhain, and Padrec must slay. In the middle of his Mestalions, Artcois and Bredei squatted, one on either ie of his legs, each with a large stone in his hand. As ctfully as possible, they explained their position. His legs

*re broken once to release his spirit. If Padrec remained lurate, they could be modified again, much as it grieved

60 Artcois and Bredei. Padrec sputtered, swallowed, and looked from one to the other. They'd damned well do it.

In alt else they were largesse itself. When the time approached to move north, Cru decided Padrec was too large for a fhain pony.

"Must walk, crutches and all," Bredei sorrowed.

"Or borrow horse," Artcois offered. He appealed to Cru, "Cruaddan First husband, be those horses far who cry out as the pierced heart for a's freedom?"

"Not so far," Cru estimated with an understanding smile, "that fhain does not hear them."

Bredei clapped Padrec on the back as if morning light had routed the last murk from the problem. "Will free one for Padrec!"

"Be only kindness," Artcois agreed. "And thy brother must aid in this."

"I usually-that is, a priest does not ride a horse but a mule," Padrec attempted.

They frowned at him. Mule? What be mule?

"Like a horse, but-"

They couldn't grasp it. Horse be horse.

"You don't know everything," Padrec burst out, exas- perated at them and his crutchbound helplessness. "It's half horse and half ass."

Consternation. A new problem. Which half was ass?

"The mare, damn it. God forgive my careless tongue."

No real help there. Draft animals and hybrids were unknown to fhain. They'd never seen a mule-nor, come to think of it, a stallion with a taste for loving anything but his own kind. Either Padrec made a joke on his friends whose every effort now bent to his aid, or else he came from a land where animals had customs inscrutable as his own- He got a horse night-borrowed from a distant village.

No one seriously thought anyone would come to make trouble. Padrec learned after a time that anything bor- rowed by Faerie was never sought by the original owners.

It simply disappeared into Faerie-land.

"And much happier with fhain," Artcois reasoned.

"See how dost toss a's fine head."

"But you stole it." And Padrec launched into a cau- tionary lecture on the sin of theft: "Thou shalt not steal!"

61.

"And shall nae shout, Padrec. Will fright thy horse.

Do nae steal," Bredei concluded on a note of injury. Padrec bandoned it. They had no direct word for theft, as they ad only the vaguest notion of property. All came from (other and Lugh, who would deny nothing to first hildren.

There was little discord in their lives and that quickly ettled. Most of it came from Guenloie. Padrec's direct experience with women as sexual beings was limited, but pie knew the sort men regarded as light or easy. Guenloie llold him of her Taixali mother and seemed eager to hear of the women of the south and to identify with them.

?adrec was sensitive enough to be touched by her open ^Biuvete but insufficiently versed in the gender to know her first-blown, half-child sexuality as ingenuous as the rest of Iber. Guenloie reminded him of one of his father's overbred Proses, too flush and ripe. Fhain women were not promis- HEUOUS; no woman invited the husband of another, but adrec was a gift from Raven and unclaimed. Guenloie und ample excuse to putter about close by. That she did ) in full view of her husbands was a measure not of ruelty but innocence. Once she leaned across Padrec to ifctch a cup and let her bare breast brush his cheek. He recoiled in confusion, indignant.

"Woman, stop that. Cover yourself. Do you not know ifhat I am?"

Guenloie flashed her radiant smile. "Holy man."

In a corner of the rath, Drust drew his bronze knife J -and began to hone it on a piece of sandstone. Beside him, 'walgon's eyes narrowed with long experience on Guenloie, 11 Hrhose smile now had a teasine quality.

" ^T . n -." - ' *

Uost nae tike women?

"I am a priest. How can I say it? Be promised not to kke women. Go away."

The notion of celibacy was as alien to Guenloie as was a -iving to a dog. She was openly astonished. "Dost not lie I ^Koth women?"

"No."

"Then how dost get child-wealth?" Guenloie's laugh- cr tinkled in the rath as she leaned forward to stroke his heek. Suddenly she was jerked roughly away and Padrec "It Drust's knife at his throat. "Drust, no!"-his heart

62 Parks Godwin

stopped for an instant, then Drust in his turn was thrust aside and Malgon loomed over the knot of them, restrain- ing his brother husband's arm,

"Fool, Drust, fool A knows nothing. Go thee down in crannog. Guenloie!" Malgon Jerked his head toward the taut Drust. Not submissively, but in complete understand- ing and acceptance, Guenloie took Drust's hand and drew him with caresses through the crannog opening in a cor- ner of the rath. Malgon turned on Padrec.

"Come, walk."

"I don't feel like walking."

"Walk."

Malgon pulled Padrec to his feet and steadied him as he set the crutches. He'd made them himself and was proud of their craftsmanship. When Padrec eased himself out of the rath, Malgon led him a little way from it. His gray eyes were almost black with the anger behind them.

"A's love for Guenloie be too full. Like a sickness.

Guenloie's be worse. Must be loved by all. Fools." Malgon squatted, scratching with angry knife strokes in the dirt. It was his habitual preoccupation; he sketched constantly with anything at hand. In a few strokes, idly or perhaps to visualize the intensity of his feelings, he drew the head of a wolf with mouth lolled open, laughing or snarling. "Will never be happy, Padrec. Never have enough. Guenloie be a good wife, but fool- Leave be."

Exasperating to Padrec that they could not under- stand even that much of him or his intentions. "I can take no woman. Leave me alone."

This impressed Malgon no more than Guenloie- "A's in crannog with Drust and will love him now. Leave be."

And Malgon left Padrec hunched on his crutches, angry and frustrated as cloud shadows chased each other through the sunlight and Guenloie's tremulous cry of delight lifted from the crannog below.

They understood nothing, these people, nothing of value. While there was no papal rule, celibacy was the approved way of a priest. Some married; many bishops did, but the case for celibacy was incontrovertible and encouraged by Rome.

Not that he was entirely virginal. On two occasions in Ireland, female slaves of Miliuc found him attractive.

63.

They excited him. He might have pursued lechery further , at peril of his soul if the energy of his youth had not been ; diverted by God. One wrestled with and defeated such ' urges; they were not the worst of his personal devils, not Uneven with Dorelei walking bare in his sight. No, the need to be nght, to be vindicated before all men, to be spiritu- ally triumphant, this was his acknowledged weakness.

Meganius sensed it in him, as deadly as lust. The priest of

*Padrec forever forced his head to bow white the frail, , intractable sinner piped his feeble pride.

Oh, Meganius, where have vou sent me?

What did these Faerie want of him? He couldn't leave.