"I'm not blaming you." Niall felt as if the ground had collapsed under his feet.

"But are you certain the Spider Lord knew about this?"

"Oh no, I didn't say that. I'm pretty sure he didn't. What Sidonia told me was that Skorbo and a few of his mates resented the idea of not eating human flesh. So they went on eating the people in their larder. And when they'd finished those, I suppose they decided to restock the larder."

Niall picked up the handbell on the table and rang it. Jarita hurried into the room.

"Go down to the kitchen and ask Nyra to come up here."

"Yes, lord."

When they were alone, Niall chewed moodily at a piece of bread crust; his appetite had all but vanished. Veig was eating with undiminished gusto. Niall said: "I can't understand why you didn't tell me the moment you learned about it."

Veig looked embarrassed. "As a matter of fact, I didn't come back to the palace for a couple of days."

"Then why didn't you tell me as soon as you came back?"

"You weren't here then. You were inspecting the harbor installations. You always seem to be so busy that I didn't like to disturb you." He picked up a napkin and dabbed at his bleeding thumb. "You always work so hard that you make me feel like a layabout."

Niall felt a glow of affection for his brother; but it was still outweighed by his sense of foreboding.

"There's nothing to stop you working."

"At what?" Veig spread out his hands. "I'm no good on committees and councils.

What else is there for me to do except lounge around and eat too much?" It was true that Veig had put on a great deal of weight recently. "But I'll tell you one thing." He spoke with sudden seriousness. "I've often wished I was back in the desert and setting out for a good day's hunting." Niall grunted. "There aren't any girls in the desert."

"Oh, you can have too much of anything. . ." He was about to say more when they were interrupted by Jarita's return; she was followed by Nyra. The kitchen maid was a shapely girl in her early teens, with soft brown eyes and a startlingly perfect profile. The beauty of the girls in the spider city never ceased to amaze Niall, even though he knew it was the result of selective breeding.

She stood in front of them, her eyes downcast, her hands clasped over her apron.

Her long brown hair had been plaited, and coiled around her head -- one of the rules for girls working in the kitchen.

Niall said: "Veig tells me that one of your brothers has disappeared?" She nodded, evidently too nervous to speak. Niall tuned in to her thoughts, and realized that she was almost paralyzed with self-consciousness. It shocked him to realize that she regarded him as an almost godlike being, and that she was afraid he had sent for her to dismiss her for flirting with Veig. He said gently: "Tell me what happened."

She cleared her throat. "He went out after dark and didn't come back."

"Where do you live?"

"In the street of the leather beaters."

"Is it very dark?" She nodded. "And where did he go?"

"Across the street to see a friend. He'd left his horse there."

"His horse?"

"A wooden toy. He just ran across to get it."

"Did you go out and look for him?" She shook her head. "Why not?"

"We don't go out after dark."

"Why not?"

"It's not really allowed. . ."

"But that was in the days of slavery! Now you can go anywhere."

She nodded, her eyes still on the ground, her cheeks bright red with embarrassment. Suddenly Niall understood. This girl's family found it difficult to adjust to their new freedom. It was almost impossible to break the habit of a lifetime. This was why they had failed to report the child's disappearance. He had been out after dark, and that was against the law; therefore, they had been punished.

"Have you heard of any more disappearances?"

"Only one. A girl in the next street."

"Did anyone see or hear anything?"

"No."

That was to be expected. A spider dropped silently out of the dark, paralyzing its victim with will-force, and whisked him back into the air in a matter of seconds; there was almost nothing to see or hear.

"All right. Thank you, Nyra. I'll see if there's anything I can do." She was still so tongue-tied and self-conscious that he had to add "You may go" before she curtseyed and hurried out of the room. Veig stared after her with admiration. Niall had shared the feeling when she came in; now it had evaporated. Looking into her mind had made him aware of her essence, which was that of a normal teenager of average intelligence. Veig, who lacked his brother's telepathic powers, was entranced by her remarkable beauty, and therefore possessed by a desire to explore it and discover whether her mind was equally fascinating. Niall knew in advance that he would be disappointed -- and yet that there was no possible way in which he could share the insight with his brother. This realization saddened him and made him thoughtful.

Veig said: "What are you going to do?" He was pouring another glass of mead.

"I shall have to speak to the Spider Lord."

"Is that a good idea?" The thought of voluntarily seeking a confrontation with the Spider Lord appalled him.

"Why not?"

"It might only make things worse. . ."

"That's why Skorbo was able to go on killing human beings -- because no one dared to say anything about it. If someone had told me sooner, Nyra's brother might still be alive."

"I suppose you're right." He was obviously unconvinced.

There was a light tap on the door, and Nephtys came in. "The doctor would like to speak to you, my lord."

Veig asked: "Doctor?"

"That's what they call Simeon. There was no such thing as a doctor in this city before he came. Ah, come in, Simeon. Would you like a glass of wine?"

"Thanks. I need one." Simeon looked and sounded tired. Nephtys took his cloak, while Jarita helped him to take off his boots, which were covered with snow. He sank down with a groan of relief onto the cushions, and accepted the glass of mead that Veig offered him. He drank with obvious appreciation, then sighed deeply.

Niall asked: "Where have you come from?"

"The slave quarter." He was already helping himself to one of the birds.

"Did they find the other assassin?"

"Oh yes, they found him." Simeon spoke through a full mouth.

"Where is he now?"

"Dead."

"How? Did he kill himself, like the other one?" Still chewing, Simeon shook his head. "Did a spider kill him?"

"No." Simeon swallowed. "The spider had him pinned down so he couldn't move a muscle. The first thing I did was take his knife away. Only then did the spider release him. I asked him questions, but he didn't reply -- he pretended not to understand. So I told the spider to hurt him a little -- I didn't like doing it but I wanted to learn where he came from. The spider squeezed him a little and he screamed. But he still wouldn't talk. I'll say this for him, he was a brave man."

Niall winced at the picture Simeon conjured up. When Simeon spoke of squeezing he was not referring to physical pressure. A fully grown death spider could squeeze a man by sheer will-force, like a nut in a nutcracker, until he felt his bones cracking under the pressure. Niall had experienced it in his first encounter with the Death Lord, and the thought still made him shudder.

"What happened then?"

"They decided to take him back to the headquarters of the Spider Lord. I followed on in a chariot. But halfway across the bridge, they sent for me to come and examine him.

He was dead."

Veig said: "Probably died of fright."

"No. It looked like a heart attack -- blue lips and a dead white face." Niall asked: "Where is he now?"

"In the mortuary."

"I'd like to see him."

Simeon and Veig both stared at him with amazement.

"What for?" Simeon obviously suspected him of harboring some morbid obsession about corpses.

"There's something I'd like to find out."

Veig asked: "Is it a secret?"

"No." He turned to Simeon, who had resumed eating. "Was this man wearing a pendant around his neck?"

"Yes."

"Did you remove it?"

"No. Why should I? It was the same as this one." He gestured toward his chest.

Niall experienced a chill that was like a cold wind. "You're wearing it round your neck?"

"Yes. Why not?"

Niall kept his voice calm and casual. "Could I see it please?" He held out his hand. Simeon was obviously puzzled; nevertheless he reached under his tunic, lifted the gold chain over his head, and handed the pendant to Niall. As Niall held it in the palm of his hand, he felt for a moment that it was alive, like some small insect; he dropped it hastily. A moment later, when he picked it up again, the sense of life had vanished; it was merely a piece of metal alloy. Moved by some natural instinct, he dropped it into his glass of mead. The other two were watching him with astonishment.

Simeon asked: "What was all that about?"

Niall hesitated, realizing that it would sound absurd; for a moment he even thought of prevaricating, then decided against it. He gestured at the glass. "I think that's what killed him."

Simeon shook his head in bewilderment. "Why?"

Niall said: "Why do you suppose they were all wearing these things around their necks? As some kind of decoration? That would be stupid. If one of them was caught, it would mean that the other two could be identified more easily. No, it's some kind of communicator."

Both of them stared at the pendant, which was now coated with bubbles. Simeon asked: "What makes you think so?"

"I took the other one into the white tower."

Simeon nodded. "Aha, I see!"

Niall allowed the misapprehension to stand; it saved explanation.

Veig said: "But why did you put it in there?"

"Because wine is alive. The vibrations might confuse it."

Simeon said: "But a communicator can't kill."

Niall said: "I think this kind can."

Veig was still unsatisfied. "But why do you think so?"

For a moment Niall considered telling them about his experience in the tower, then dismissed the idea; it would take too long, and place too great a demand on their credulity. The internalizer had to be experienced to be understood. Instead he said: "It's just a guess. That's why I'd like to see the body." He asked Simeon: "Will you come with me?"

"Of course. But do you mind if I finish eating first? He won't get up and walk away."

"I'm sorry." Niall had forgotten that Simeon was tired. "Please don't hurry."

Aware that he had sounded brusque, Simeon said: "You haven't finished eating either."

"No, of course." Niall forced himself to eat a piece of buttered bread; but his appetite had gone.

As Veig and Simeon emptied the carafe of mead, he pretended to listen to their conversation. But as his thoughts revolved around the pendant and the man with the pointed head, he found himself wishing that he could talk to Dravig; it was so much easier to communicate with an intelligent spider than with a human being. The image of the man in the black robe was so vivid that he seemed to be able to see the bushy eyebrows, the pointed ears, the webbed fingers, and had to shake his head to disperse the illusion. A moment later he was staring at the rising bubbles in the glass, and experiencing a curious passivity that was akin to hypnosis.

There was a thunderous knocking that shocked him into attention; he started as if from sleep. A moment later he realized with astonishment that it had only been the sound of Nephtys tapping at the door.

She said: "The Lord Dravig is here my lord."

"Good. Ask him to come in."

Veig and Simeon clambered to their feet as Dravig entered the room; they were sufficiently conditioned to feel uncomfortable remaining seated in the presence of a spider. Niall acknowledged the gesture of obeisance with an inclination of his head.

"I am glad to see you."

Dravig said: "I felt that you wanted to see me -- that is why I came."