"Does that go for us as well?" Garam asked with a grin, speaking more slowly than Fearin had. "My men tell me those two are something to see, and since they are prizes of war... "

"Prince Garam, they're more than prizes of war," Fearin said with a sigh, forcing himself to slow down as he reached for a pitcher of fruit juice. They're the key to a door now standing closed in our path to ultimate victory. If the key becomes warped the door won't open, and that will be the end of our campaign. Are you willing to accept that for a short while of pleasure?"

"Not likely," Garam answered with a snort, leaning back in his chair. "Not even if they should beg."

"I don't think you're likely to find them begging," Fearin began, cup of juice on its way to hislips, but that was as far as he got. There was a sudden babble of voices from inside the palace, and then Ranander was half-backing toward us with two very angry young females following/chasing after him. The girls were the twins with golden hair and green eyes, and this time they wore gowns of green. They seemed to be enjoying all the screeching they were doing, but Ranander was obviously not feeling the same.

"Fearin, I've brought them," he said hastily when he saw the man of Power. "Now you can talk to them."

I had to admire the way Ranander slid out of the line of fire, leaving Fearin as the prime target.

While the girls started in on their new victim their former guide came to our chair grouping and sat, trying very hard to turn invisible. He'd been completely out of his depth with the two pretty little girls, but his replacement was another story.

"That's enough!" Fearin shouted at them, the roar shocking them into silence. "If you're both too young or too stupid to understand you're not in charge here, allow me to spell it out for you.

You will not complain, you will not give orders, and you will not throw tantrums. You'll behave yourselves and do as you're told, or you'll find yourselves housed in a dungeon cell rather than that suite you were given. Do you understand me?"

"Boors always manage to make themselves perfectly clear," one of the girls answered haughtily with a sniff. "Our father won't let you get away with harming us, you know, so you'd better release us immediately. We planned to go home today, and despite the rain there's no reason for us to change those plans."

"Unless, of course, you really want to be defeated by our father's forces and delivered into his hands," the second girl added, a cold, nasty smile on her face. "We'd certainly enjoy that, since we'd then have a say in what was done to you. If you have any intelligence at all you'll-"

"Listen to me," Fearin interrupted very slowly and deliberately, looking back and forth between the girls. "Your father the prince is out of this and won't be getting back in. When he let the Chief Administrator of this city force him into turning you two over to the city, he washed his hands of you completely. He has a rich princ.i.p.ality but a very small one, and his forces couldn't even resist the numbers sent from here. I have an army that's already taken this city; it would roll right over you father's forces without even noticing them."

"You don't seem to understand how important we are," the first girl said in a simplified way that showed she knew she was speaking to an idiot. "We've always been deferred to and taken care of properly because we've been important since the day we were born. Everyone has been concerned about us, including our father, so he would hardly ignore us now. He - "

"You were given all that attention because of the prophecy," Fearin plowed on, trying to keep from losing his temper. "It was said on the day you were born that you could well be the cause of the downfall of this city in this season of your lives. Since there was a 'maybe' in the prophecy the leaders of this city argued for years over whether or not to have you killed. Your father knew he couldn't keep you alive if it was decided you should be killed, so he mistakenly had you pampered in all ways against that very dreadful time. Your father is a keen businessman and an excellent administrator, but hasn't a trace of backbone even when it comes to his own family."

Both girls start to squawk indignantly over that, but Fearin overrode the interruption with greater volume.

"The new Chief Administrator of this city decided he didn't care for taking any chances and had you brought here," he went on. "If it looked like the prophecy was about to come true he would avoid his city's fate by having you immediately killed. If the time of the prophecy pa.s.sed without anything happening, he would simply return you to your father. With you here under his thumb he obviously thought he couldn't lose."

"But he did lose," the first girl pointed out with continuing indignation. "And you've just proven how untrue your story is. If it was anything but lies they would have tried to kill us, and they didn't. Until your ruffians broke into our apartment no one bothered us at all.""That's because I set a guard on your apartment before we attacked," Fearin countered, more annoyed than insulted. "They tried to get through to kill you, but the guard didn't allow it. Both of you girls owe your lives to that young woman over there."

He nodded in my direction, undoubtedly thinking he was giving me the credit I deserved, but he certainly must have forgotten who he was talking to.

"Her?" the second girl asked with a ladylike snort of derision, her eyes moving over me with distaste. "If you ask me, she looks like a slave."

"And since she's a slave, it's her place to do things for her betters," the first girl said in agreement. "That means we don't owe her anything, even if you aren't all lying about what happened. And right now I want some food, so slave, you come and fetch it for me."

"And me," the second girl chimed in with enthusiasm while Fearin lowered his head and rubbed at both eyes with the fingers of his free hand. Ranander had gone all indignant, Talasin was furious, Garam was disgusted, and even Lokkel wore a frown of disapproval. The only one who felt the least amount of amus.e.m.e.nt was me, and it wasn't a very nice amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Among the Kenoss, parents who try to spoil their children have those children taken away," I remarked. "A Life Seeker must understand very early that the world won't give in to his or her whims, and expecting it to happen could cost the young Seeker's life. Your father ruined you two as a salve for his conscience, and because of that you have my pity."

"You're a slave and we're princesses, and you pity us?" the first girl came back with a laugh.

"Just imagine, Lia. The slave pities us."

"That's enough," Talasin said coldly over the tinkle of their joined laughter, putting his plate aside before standing. "This woman over here isn't a slave, and my family, at least, would never shame itself by letting brats like you use the t.i.tle of princess. A princess is supposed to be better than other women, not so obviously less. You-"

"Please, Prince Talasin," Fearin interrupted, and the girls looked startled again. They'd been dismissing everything Talasin had said - until they heard he was a prince. "I know how you feel, but we can't waste the entire day on these two."

"Even if we could spend the time, it would still be a waste," Garam said, looking at the girls with dismissiveness in his lazy, insolent stare. "They wouldn't know quality if it marched over them, not being as useless as they are. Don't spend your breath telling them the why of things, Fearin. Just give them their orders and send them back to their dolls."

"Not quite yet, Prince Garam," Fearin said, and this time I saw that he was using t.i.tles deliberately. The two girls couldn't quite decide how they should be feeling, but with a second prince speaking against them they certainly weren't happy. "I want these young ladies to understand thoroughly that they aren't privileged guests. They're captives of war who will serve a purpose for us, but their purpose isn't all that important. If they give me any trouble at all I'll have them stripped and collared and sold as slaves, and then go looking for others to serve in their place. Do you understand me now, little girls? No one will be coming to your rescue, or even to avenge you. Behave yourselves or face the consequences. Ranander, take them back to their suite."

The two girls were indignant over having been spoken to like that, but all they did was whisper to each other as Ranander hurried to guide them out again. Fearin had lied about their importance, but they didn't know that and the lie had been necessary. It might be enough to keep the girls from making trouble for a while, but I wouldn't have bet on it.

"At one time I would have sworn that only healing produced relief like this," Lokkel said, sending a last disapproving glance toward the door the girls had left by. "Are you able to tell us yet what we're meant to do with them, Fearin? Or at least how soon we'll be rid of them?"

"No to your first question, Lokkel," Fearin said with his own sigh of relief. "I can't tell you what their purpose is, but I can tell you they'll be traveling with us for a while. We'll have to watch them carefully, but we shouldn't have to a.s.sociate with them."

"I wonder if the city's Chief Administrator knows yet that he guaranteed defeat for his city bybringing those two here," Garam said with a laugh. "If he'd left them with their father it would have been his city we'd have needed to take. Maybe I ought to go down to the cell he's in and explain that to him."

"He's probably already figured it out," Fearin answered, turning to the table and reaching for a plate. "The prophecy had that 'maybe' in it because there was a chance the girls would either be killed or left where they were. As soon as he made his decision to bring them here the city's fate was sealed. He ... "

Fearin's voice went on, but since I was no longer in the room I could no longer hear the words.

I'd slipped out without any of them noticing, needing to find a place of peace and quiet to cope with what I was feeling. Things were getting worse instead of better, and wasn't that a surprise.

I hurried through the palace corridors looking for a set of stairs, and once I found one I used it to get to the ground floor. From there I was able to rediscover the corridor I'd found that morning, one that led outside to the palace grounds near a moderately large gazebo. The thing had a roof but was open to the air all around the circle of it, and no one was likely to be using it in all this rain.

I made a dash through the downpour, but still ended up soaked to the skin before the gazebo roof was over me. The thing was far enough from the palace to insure the privacy of whoever used it, so I didn't really mind having gotten wet in reaching it. Privacy was what I wanted and needed, and as I sat cross-legged in the center of the floor it was also what I'd gotten.

Privacy to calm the twisting of my thoughts. As I brushed back wet hair with both hands, my eyes closed with the inner pain I felt. The way I was being treated by Talasin and Garam and Fearin and even Lokkel... How was I supposed to stand their kindness and support when I knew what would happen as soon as they found out what I was? Kindness would change to disgust, concern to fear - "Why are you doing this to me, Diin-tha?" I whispered, really wanting to know. "Why haven't you told them yet? Is my agony part of the deal you made with Bellid? Is he watching and chuckling, waiting until I get comfortable before stopping it cold? I did what you wanted me to and paid the price for doing it. Can't you just tell them now and get it over with?"

If I expected the G.o.d to be listening I was kidding myself. Or maybe he was listening and just didn't care to answer. I couldn't tell which, and then an interruption came that chased all those thoughts away. A big body vaulted over one low side of the gazebo, and startlement sent me to my feet before I remembered I had no weapon to draw. The new arrival was the barbarian who'd wanted to buy me when he thought I was a slave!

Chapter 8.

"Just be calm, girl, I'm not here to hurt you," the barbarian said, glancing over his shoulder as though checking for pursuit. "I'm here to help you get away."

I blinked at the man as he straightened and shook wet blond air out of his eyes, and then I felt the urge to sigh.

"I think you'd better understand that you're making a mistake," I began, intending to set him straight as fast as possible, but he shook his head and gestured with one hand.

"Don't let the thought of that lowlife who owns you bother you," he said, disdain clear in his voice. "I'll leave two pieces of silver here in your place, and that will have to satisfy him. If it doesn't, he can always come looking for me with a sword. I won't be that hard to find, at least not for him."

"You're not hearing me," I told the man, starting to feel annoyed. "I said you're making a mistake and you are. You can't steal me for the same reason you couldn't buy me. I'm not - "

"I'm not stealing you!" he insisted, highly indignant. "If I were stealing you I wouldn't be leaving two silver pieces. What I'm trying to do is fulfill a prophecy, and you're the one theprophecy speaks about. Look, let's argue about it later. Right now we need to get out of here before those guardsmen I lost find me again."

"There can't possibly be another prophecy involved in this," I stated flatly, beginning to believe I'd been wrong about Diin-tha not paying attention. The G.o.d was watching all right, and undoubtedly laughing his head off. "Listen to me, and understand what I'm saying. I'm not a slave, I'm not interested in any prophecies, and I'm not going anywhere with you."

"You think you're not a slave because he took your collar off?" the barbarian asked, trying to be gentle as he wiped the water from his face. "I'm sure he knows as well as I do that you can't escape from here, at least not alone. That's why I'm here to help you, and together we'll do it.

It's possible to get over the wall if you know where to climb, the wall around the palace and the wall around the city. We'll - "

"Diin-tha, get him away from me or I refuse to be responsible," I muttered, closing my eyes as my hands went to fists at my sides. "I'm not in the mood to be the b.u.t.t of a joke right now, and if you let this go on I promise more trouble than fun."

"What's bothering you, girl?" the barbarian said, suddenly a lot closer than he had been. "Are you afraid to go with me, afraid I'm lying or won't be able to protect you? I give you my word that I'm not lying, and as for protection - "

"I can protect myself!" I interrupted harshly, pulling my arm back away from the sudden touch of his hand. "And the only thing I'm afraid of is that you'll find that out a little too late. Now get out of here before those guardsmen show up."

"You believe I'd leave you?" he asked with a snort, looking down at me with very blue eyes. "I don't know what you think I am, but I'm not in the habit of saving myself at the expense of a woman's freedom. I - "

"What I think you are is someone looking to fulfill a prophecy," I told him, holding that light blue gaze. "The only reason you're so concerned about me is that you think I'm part of the prophecy, otherwise you'd be somewhere else rather than here. If you want the truth I'll give it to you: I wouldn't go with you even if I was a slave who needed freeing. Does that make it clear enough?"

"Clear isn't really the word I'd use," he answered, his expression having gone strange. "I think you're misunderstanding something I said, but this still isn't the place for a discussion.

Come with me now, and - "

"There he is!" a shout came, and we both looked around to see a squad of guardsmen not seven strides away and closing as fast as the wet gra.s.s let them. The barbarian was in front of me so fast with his sword in his fist that the guardsmen faltered in their jogging advance. I could see there would be a fight if something wasn't done, and the only one available to do that something was me.

"Stop right there," I called to the guardsmen, moving out from behind the barbarian even though he tried to stop me. "Do any of you know me?"

"You expect us to remember one like you?" one of the guardsmen began with a laugh, but that was as far as he got. The man next to him gave him a hilt-filled backfist in the mouth, and even through the pouring rain I could see how the second man had paled.

"You d.a.m.ned fool, don't you know who she is?" the second man hissed, loud enough for all to hear. "She's the one Fearin set in the Guest Pavilion, the one he had to call off personally! You say another word out of line and I'll kill you myself!"

"G.o.ds, is that her?" one of them muttered, and "Dargol save me, I saw the bodies," came from another, and in an instant they all looked like they were ready to run.

"This man isn't to be bothered," I said before they could decide to take off, making sure I didn't move toward them. "Pa.s.s his description around and see to it that no one tries to stop him when he's ready to leave."

"Yes, ma'am," and "As you say, lady," came at me in various voices and words, and then they were on their way back to wherever they'd come from. I didn't like the reputation using theLearning gave me, but I wasn't above taking advantage from it when I had to.

"Well," the barbarian said as he watched the squad leave, his sword almost forgotten in his hand. "I thought you were lying to yourself about not being a slave, but obviously I was wrong.

Now I really don't understand."

"Garam and I are part of the invading force, and we were playing a little game yesterday," I said, wondering why I was explaining anything at all to him. "What you saw was an accident, not a deliberate attempt to hurt me, so you can forget about how mistreated I am. And you can also leave with a clear conscience."

I walked past him to go back to the middle of the gazebo, looking forward to being alone again, but I should have known better. When the G.o.ds decide to have their fun with you, nothing you say or do can stop them.

"But you were a slave, and not too long ago either," he said, not sounding the least unsure.

"You may be free now, but you used to be a slave in this city."

"All right, I used to be a slave in this city," I granted, turning with a sigh to look at him. "If I hadn't managed to escape earlier on my own I would have needed you to help me. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Not exactly," he denied as he resheathed his sword, surprisingly with a grin. "I was fairly sure you were the right one, and now I'm convinced. I thought it was pure luck that I saw you being brought here last night, but now I know I was meant to see it. How soon will you be able to leave here with me? As soon as the entire city is secure?"

"You really need to do something about your hearing problem," I said, no longer feeling the least amount of patience. "I'm not leaving here with you even if I am the one involved in that prophecy of yours, which I seriously doubt. I have other things to do, and none of them include you."

"You want people to think you're really hard, don't you?" he said, those light eyes inspecting me from stringy hair to muddy feet. "A woman alone in a place like this needs to do that, I suppose, but I'm not like these others. You don't have to pretend with me, not about anything.

Do you believe that?"

I was just about to tell him what I believed, in gutter slave lingo tailored especially for him, when my intentions were interrupted. Ranander came racing into the gazebo, just as wet as he would have been if he'd walked, his stare going from me to the barbarian and back again.

"Aelana, Fearin wants to start the meeting now," he said, both looking and sounding distracted. "Everyone thought you'd only stepped out for a breath or two, that's why I didn't come sooner. Who's this?"

"Ranander, meet a barbarian," I said, the words not quite a growl. "Barbarian, meet Ranander. I hope you two get to be really close."

With that I marched back out into the rain, heading for the palace and that meeting Fearin was waiting to hold. It wasn't Ranander's fault that he could follow me by knowing which way I'd gone and which I hadn't, but I wasn't feeling too kindly right now toward the man who had shown me I was wasting my time. Privacy wasn't something I would be allowed, not as long as Diin-tha's purpose remained unaccomplished.

That short walk through the downpour turned me wringing wet, but over the seasons I'd learned to ignore worse things than dripping with every step. When I reached the porch and stepped out on it, four pairs of eyes turned to study me.

"Where did you disappear to?" Fearin asked with annoyance. "I was ready to start and you weren't here, so I sent Ranander after you."

"I stepped out for a breath of air," I answered shortly, heading back to the chair I'd earlier abandoned. "I didn't mean to keep everyone waiting. Go ahead with whatever it was you wanted to say."

"Now we have to wait for Ranander to get back," the man of Power said, even more annoyed.

"How did you manage to miss him?""I didn't miss him," I said as I sat and pushed my soaking hair back. "I left him with what delayed me, an acquaintance who paid me an unexpected visit. Ranander should be along in another tick or two."

"Someone you knew in the city got onto the palace grounds?" Fearin demanded, moving away from the table he'd been standing near. "And the guard did nothing to stop them? Prince Talasin, Prince Garam, I think you'd better look into that. I didn't want to bother setting up my own watch, but - "

"Don't get so excited, it wasn't just anybody," I interrupted with a sigh. "And the guard did track him down, but I sent them on their way. The man thought he was doing me a favor, but now he knows better so he ought to be ready to leave. If he isn't, you can do whatever you like to get rid of him."

"What do you mean, he isn't just anybody?" Talasin asked from his chair to my left. "And the guard obeyed you without giving you any trouble?"

"One of them remembered me from last night," I said without looking at him - or anyone. "And as for who the man is - "

I hesitated, feeling both annoyed and foolish, and Garam made the sort of intuitive leap I hadn't thought he was capable of.

"Don't tell me," the fighter said with a big grin from his chair opposite mine, leaning forward just a little. "I'll bet it was that yokel with the two swords, back with a better offer. Didn't you tell him I'd take it?"

"What are you talking about?" Fearin demanded as I simply glared at Garam. "What yokel with two swords, and what's this about a better offer?"

"She and I had an accident yesterday while we were placing men around the city," Garam answered, my glare adding to his amus.e.m.e.nt. "A visiting barbarian from somewhere or other decided I was being too hard on her and tried to buy her from me. I had to tell him something to get rid of him, so I said his offer of a silver piece was too low. But I also told him to come back when he decided to raise his offer, and it looks like he has. How much higher is he willing to go, girl?"

"I offered two silver pieces, but this time she turned me down," another voice b.u.t.ted in, and then Ranander and the barbarian were adding their own dripping to the porch. "You sophisticated city people must have a way to make silver grow on trees."

"Of course we do," Garam told him, arrogance in the way he looked at - and down on - the stranger. "We also happen to be choosy about who we do business with, especially when one of our own is involved. She still isn't for sale, so why don't you just forget about her?"

The barbarian seemed to be trying to control his temper to keep from starting a fight, but all the rest of us, Lokkel and Ranander included, were staring in shock or surprise at Garam. Not a dozen ticks earlier he'd been telling me he was ready to accept the barbarian's offer, but now, in front of everybody, he was flatly refusing even to joke about the matter. I was one of them, he'd said in so many words, and wasn't for sale any more than any of the others. Garam...!

"I'm sure Aelana appreciates your concern, but as you can see it isn't necessary," Fearin finally said after pulling his stare away from an unnoticing Garam. "And since you're our guest for the moment, why don't you introduce yourself to us."

This time it was Fearin I stared at, hearing something in his voice I didn't like, and looking at him seemed to confirm my original suspicion. He was studying the barbarian in a way that was too casual, too easygoing for his earlier annoyance.

"I'm Ijarin of the Far Mountains," the barbarian answered, speaking directly to Fearin. "My father is Ralak, King of the Silent Desert. When the day comes for my father to journey to the next of his lives, I'll be king of the Silent Desert and the first of what sons I'll have will be Prince of the Far Mountains. It's the way we barbarians do things."