"The years have passed you by."

Celeste decided Lady Attewell was no threat and turned to regard Wolf. She curled her pretty lip."They have not been kind to you, have they? I understand that this will be a flying visit?" She had extracted the news from Basket-fox, no doubt.

"Regrettably. I must get my wife to an elementary."

Celeste smiled; the danger level rose. "Must you? Well, I want to know what you're really up to, Ed. If I don't like it, I'll put a stop to it. What game are you playing?"

Seemingly no one trusted him tonight except the Conch-flute."No game. I am in a hurry to save my wife's life, certainly, but I am fulfilling my duties as emissary from King Athelgar."

"You? Athy wouldn't appoint you ambassador in a thousand years!"

True."Men change,Amy.You have been away from Grandon a long time." But nothing had changed. He had to force himself not to stare at the twin roses glowing through the gauzy scarf.

"But for a year before that I had to put up withdearAthelgar's opin-ions of you.All night, every night!"

She sighed."Ranting about the bee-tle guardsman Sir Wolf, and what he'd like to do to you. Pathetic, it was."

What game was Celeste playing? All Wolf could do was keep par-rying, wondering when the acolytes would arrive to take him to the rit-ual.Already a drum had begun a slow beat from the top of the pyramid.

"The Pirate's Son's never liked me, but-What didyoutell him about me, Amy?" She shrugged."Well, he always wanted to hear how you deflowered me, of course."

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Dave Duncan P.

"That's a lie to start with."

"And how virile you were, even as a boy. How no man could com-pare. He would quite wear himself out trying to better your feats. I may have exaggerated a teeny-weeny bit when describing your equipment. The King does not stand above all other men in that respect, you know."

So Celeste had fanned Athelgar's animosity toward him, just out of devilry.That might well be true. But what was she after now? Return to Chivial? Would Basket-fox let her go? Lynx would fight it, because he could not go with her.

"I don't believe much of this, Amy. I do have to leave shortly. Is there something you want of me, for old times' sake?"

Celeste floated closer to him-dangerously, intimately close. Her scent was sweetly tropical, her allure incredible, even yet, and her eyes reflected the stars. "Yes. I want to borrow the King's Killer. There is a matter of justice that needs be attended to."

"What are you talking about, Amy?"

"Justice," she said. "Justice for my murdered child."

Startled, Wolf glanced back to the cat-man sitting on the parapet. He had not moved since Celeste appeared.

"I thought your baby died. I had it on excellent authority, sworn in the presence of an inquisitor . . ."Ah, but that day back in Ironhall some-thing in Lynx's testimony had rung false.Wolf's heart sank. He could not recall his brother's exact words but deceit did not always require actual lying. "What really happened, then?"

Celeste laughed coarsely. "The midwives pulled it out of me, cut it loose, dropped it in a blanket, and handed it out the door to my senior Blade, Sir Lynx.And he killed it!"

Wolf batted away the wheeling insects while he tried to think this through. If it was true, then the moral high ground had sunk to new depths. It was as hard to think of genial, easygoing Lynx murdering a baby as of Celeste being maternal, but a Blade must do anything neces-sary to protect his ward. She had been given years to brood over an in-justice.Without raising his voice,Wolf said,"Brother, you are accused of murder."

Lynx yowled like an alley cat in heat, but he stayed where he was, 362.

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sitting on the wall with his guards around him."So?" he called."So what can you do about it now, Wolfie? I'mmuchfaster than you are. I carry eight blades to your one. Corn-fang is nimble, too, even at this range. Draw that sword and you'll have a spear through both ears."

Light glowed in the stairwell. The waiting maidens twittered and cleared a path for a mighty feathered warrior, who came marching across the roof with seven or eight men at his back. He thumped the butt of his spear down in front of Wolf.

"Lord Ambassador, I am taker of seven captives Raging-stone, son of Lord Basket-fox, who bids me tell you that the ritual is about to begin."

"We have a few things to settle here first," Wolf said. Infanticide, perjury, fratricide.

"We have brought you garments in the style of your city and blan-kets for your wife."

"That is very kind."Wolf turned to Celeste. "I don't believe you."

She shrugged again.The light of the newcomers' torches made her long hair shine like copper; her eyes were an intense green flecked with gold.

"Then I shall warn my dear old tabby cat protector that you are a notorious liar, Edwin Attewell. That you will betray his trust. That you do not speak for the King of Chivial, that the King of Chivial wants vengeance on El Dorado for the massacre at Quondam, and that you plan to torture the conjury secrets out of the acolytes and have no in-tention of delivering any weapons. Old Foxy will get one of his Eagle friends to lay the Serpent's Eye on you and out will come the truth. So if you're lying, Ed, you'd better kill that brother of yours for me, by hook or by crook."

Yes, she was dangerous. She was deadly. She had guessed that Wolf was lying and dared not face the Serpent's Eye.

"How long has she been like this?"

Lynx said, "She has some lucid moments."

"Maybe we should call for the Serpent's Eye for you,Amy Sprat, and get the truth about the baby."

"Yes, let's!" she said, but her neck muscles were tense. She was lying, too, somehow, at least slightly.

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Maybe they all were. "Brother?" he said. "I didn't kill it," Lynx said. "The King had made it quite clear that he wanted no royal bastards running around.They endanger the realm. They get used by unscrupulous people. He promised me Celeste would be released if the child was born dead."

"You trustedAthelgar?" Wolf said. "How could you be so stupid? Oh, that wasreallystupid!" "But we had no choice, did we? I found a good home for it ...him. I had a wet nurse waiting. She knew that."

"I know what you said!" Celeste snapped."But then you told me he had died.When Athelgar went back on his word, you wouldn't give me back my child!"

"Of course not!" Lynx said. "That would have been admitting to conspiracy. In ten minutes the old Baron would have been high-tailing back to Grandon babbling about treason."

Watched by the healers and grandiose Raging-stone, four slaves were lifting Dolores on her mat, to lay her on a litter they had brought. Wolf should be providing comfort and support, not engaged in this ab-surd quarrel.

"Oh, so now you tell me he's alive?" Celeste said, baring her teeth.

"He's been dead for years and now he's alive. I want my son! Where is he?" "You don't need to know." "Eater of stars Amaranth-talon is waiting, speaker for kings,"

Raging-stone announced. "We'll be ready very soon,"Wolf said, "Is the child still alive?" "A year and a half ago he was," Lynx said. "What's his name?" "Edwin." "I'm flattered." "Her idea." "And there's no doubt it's the same boy and he's Athelgar's get?" "I've watched him grow. Every year I delivered money for his board. His hair's as red as any I've seen." "Where can I find him?"

364.

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P "Brackyan. Remember it?"

"Brackyan!" Celeste practically spat."A king's sonthere?" Brackyan was another mining hamlet, not far from Sheese and its equal in squalor.

The slaves had raised the stretcher and were carrying Dolores toward the stair. One torch-bearer remained, fidgeting. It was time to go.

"I know Brackyan," Wolf said. "It is no fit abode for a king's son. How can I know him? Who fosters him?"

Lynx chuckled. "Cob Sprat, her brother. He doesn't know Edwin's his nephew, though.The boy limps, has a twisted foot.The right one."

Drums throbbed in the sultry night.Torchlight danced.

"Should be able to find him,"Wolf said. He braced himself to take hold of Celeste's arms, which was like embracing lightning. "Do you want him sent here to you, Amy?"

She hesitated, then shook her head. She was a slave in an embattled city.What future for her son here?

All these years she must have been at least half convinced that the baby was dead. She didn't know what she wanted.

Wolf said, "Will you take my word for it that I'll find him a good home and see he is raised as a gentleman? I can, now. Two-swans-dancing made me a wealthy man tonight."

She studied him with those huge green eyes that he knew so well from so long ago. Every gold fleck in them he knew."Will you tell him who his parents are?"

"Of course not. But I'll see he is educated and taught gentle man-ners."

"You will adopt him as your own son!"

Now, there would be irony! "If you insist." He had no time to bar-gain.

"You swear?"

Wolf nodded. "I swear. I swear I will do the best for him I possibly can. I will never hold his father against him."

Still she hesitated, but no man could tell when Amy Celeste Sprat was being real and when she was acting. "Kiss me, Ed."

"For Edwin," he said, and kissed her. Even after all the years, he knew the taste of her and the warmth of her breast in his hand. It was 365.

Dave Duncan P an incredible kiss; he let it persist as long as she wanted.They were both burning when it ended; she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Spirits!" she muttered."We should have stayed in Sheese, you and me."

"Maybe we should have." He broke free. "I'll look after Edwin, I promise. Goodbye, Amy. Good chance." He set off toward the stair, the torchbearer at his side.

"Lucky man," Lynx said at his back. "I do miss kissing."

"So does she." Wolf sighed. "Were you telling the truth about the brat?"

Lynx chuckled. "Surprisingly, I was.Were you?"

6.Glimmering like mist in the starlight, the great masonry pyramid ta-pered upward into the night. Flames streamed from two great fires on the summit, where the drums now beat the double rhythm of a giant heart:Boom-BOOM! Boom-BOOM!Many people had gathered at the base of the pyramid steps, the low rumble of male voices like surf on distant reefs, wafted by flower-scented trade winds.There was a dream-like quality to any big crowd in darkness, but Wolf had never felt that unreality as strongly as then.

He saw a few Jaguar and Eagle heads tow-ering above the others; he saw feather-decked warriors and slaves hold-ing flaming torches, and a group of blackened acolytes went by him, trailing an unbearable stench.

Boom-BOOM!

He squeezed between guards and bearers standing around the litter and knelt to speak to Dolores. She opened her eyes and smiled briefly, but soon drifted off to sleep again. He hoped that was a good sign, meaning she was not in pain. Three of the healer women were in at-tendance, and nobody seemed to know what everybody was waiting for.

Lynx said, "If you're doing favors for Celeste and people, will you do one for me?"

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Wolf stood up. "Of course.What?"

Night-fisher offered him a sheathed sword.Boom-BOOM!

"I can't wield her anymore," Lynx said. "I can never come home. When the city falls, I will die with it."

Boom-BOOM!

"I've told you! The city is not going to fall. I'm going to send weapons and horses to save it for you."

"Awoull!Really?"

"Of course." In that sticky-hot tropical night,Wolf's body betrayed him and shivered as if he were cold.

Lynx purred a sort of chuckle. "I know you will do your duty as you see it,Wolfie.You always have.

Even if you do save Tlixilia, the other pussycats won't tolerate me for long.TakeRatter,please."

Wolf said, "If you insist. I'll see she goes to the sky of swords-but not until I'm sure it's time."

"I'll write you as soon as I'm dead."

Wolf tucked the sword in under the blankets and warm garments that had been piled on the litter at Dolores's feet. She did not waken. As he straightened up he became aware of a new sound, a low moaning, a lament like wind in a forest. A long line of torches was emerging from the darkness.The leaders were armed men, men with torches, men with flutes, but behind them followed a line of prisoners, all naked, all teth-ered by the neck to a very long rope. Some staggered, some shuffled, and a few tried to march with their heads up. Some were moaning, while others sang softly or sobbed or just mumbled to themselves-the noise he had heard was the sound of the entire coffle, a weeping snake of doomed humanity. Guards walked alongside, carrying canes and torches. Any misbehavior earned a blow.

They went by from left to right and joined a score or so other pris-oners sitting on the ground. As they sat down, slaves moved among them, untying and coiling the tether. But the vague wind sound con-tinued, and to leftward the lights were still coming, flickering between the trees. How many?

Horror, most horrible!

"Lynx? These aren't all for . . . they're not just for us, are they?"

Lynx stroked his whiskers with a giant paw. "Who else?"