*Have I reason not to?'

Could she not just tell him the truth? Swear him to secrecy, count on him not to say anything about Rostigan's true past?

*Listen,' she said.

She could not. Blood and fire.

It was then she noticed something odd about him, and let her vision slide to the realm of patterns. There, in the tapestry that made him up, were little grey dots, clinging to his threads like dust.

*Oh dear,' she said.

*What?'

She reached out a hand and sent her influence questing forth.

*What are you doing?' he demanded.

*Something from the worms lingers on you. Over time it will probably drop away by itself, but here, let me help a'

She smoothed his pattern down with an ethereal stroke, brushing the greyness to the floor, while Jandryn looked quite startled.

*Is it a was it much?' he asked.

*Do you feel better now?'

*I a' His eyes shone. *Ah a but I have let dark thoughts overpower me.' He averted his gaze. *I have been weak.'

She slid off her chair to her knees, gathered up his hands in hers. *It's all right.'

*Yalenna,' he said, his voice strained, *you should not be down there. Our positions should be reversed. It is I who must ask for forgiveness.'

*It is not needed. I just wish I had noticed yesterday.'

*I can't deny I have been jealous,' he said, *but ever since the worms it has grown consuming.'

She got up, went to the window to stare out as she collected her thoughts. *We have never discussed your blessing,' she said eventually. *You must know, of course, that you have one, yet you have never asked about it.'

*No. It did not seem courteous. I mean, you must get asked about that kind of thing all the time. Endlessly, I imagine.'

*It's true.'

*I did not want to be another person bothering you.'

She chuckled. *Ah, you are a strange man. But perhaps I should tell you what it is, for what it may be worth.'

He didn't reply. She turned around, and almost did not believe what she saw. His eyes were fixed a little to the left of where she now stood, his expression frozen in place.

*Grief,' she muttered.

With Despirrow dead, did that mean Forger was the one using the time-halting power? Maybe in the midst of a raging battle, many leagues away? There was a fear about it now, after the long night she had endured. Forger would not leave it so long as that though, surely? He was just sidestepping a sword or something. As she waited, however, the freeze sustained and she began to worry.

It was lucky in the end that Jandryn had been in such a mood, for he had left the door open wide enough for her to squeeze through.

Rostigan tapped the spoon on the surface of his rock hard oats and cursed quietly. Tarzi, sitting beside him, had thankfully not been touching him when everything had stopped. He sometimes wondered how he would explain it to her if they both wound up in no-time together.

He sat waiting in the silent barracks dining hall, trying not to grow impatient. The freeze was lasting a while and, just as he was wondering whether to get up and move around, and how he would account for his disappearance if time started again, Yalenna walked in.

*Ah!' he said. *Your sudden appearance will be preferable to my mysterious departure.'

*I have just had a report from Jandryn,' she said, sliding in between two soldiers. *The Unwoven are mobilising on mass, and Forger is attacking Ander.'

Rostigan's expression darkened. He may have avoided his homeland for a long time, but he did not like to think of what Forger might be doing to it.

*It's time to act,' she said.

*I know.'

*At least we better understand our ultimate goal.'

Going to the Spire * that was what she meant. Was he ready? Rostigan wondered. He did not think so. He glanced sidelong at Tarzi. Was she an obstacle in his search, or, if he became mortal again, would he love her in a way that his current, altered self could not? Perhaps he had already found what he was looking for and did not even realise.

*If we can kill the others,' Yalenna said, *Forger and a Mergan a we can absorb their threads and return them to the Wound ourselves.'

Rostigan nodded, though internally he balked at the idea. Once he was loaded up with the other Wardens' corruption, he would have no choice but to return it to the Spell. The way he was he could resist actively using his own power, and Stealer's too, but if he killed Forger he would also inherit Braston's and Despirrow's powers, and Braston's at least could not be controlled. There would be no more living quietly, playing a patience game with time. He would have to give it all up. Three hundreds years of waiting, for nothing.

*I am fearful of trying to slay Forger,' he said. *His strength will be very great by now. In a direct stand-off, I do not favour us.'

*Braston and I bested him once before.'

*When you managed to catch him alone. When he had already expended much power in his search for me. Not to mention that Braston was a better threader than I in direct confrontation.'

She nodded dully. *The army must march, at least. Perhaps we can deal with the Unwoven first, and with the backing of other threaders, Mergan as well?'

*Yes, the army must march.'

Perhaps there was another way to deal with Forger? To use him, even? The thought of it worried Rostigan * had worried him ever since he'd started entertaining it, after hearing Salarkis's message.

Could he journey so far into the deep place without grave consequences to his soul?

*I have an idea,' he said.

They argued about it for a while * Yalenna shared Rostigan's concerns, but eventually she agreed.

*Bruises in the sky and the ground quakes,' she said. *I suppose it would be fair to call these desperate times.'

Rostigan nodded. *Haste is becoming a factor.'

*You really think you can do it?'

*I think I must try.'

She remained uncertain. *I can't help but feel it would be simpler to orchestrate his demise.'

*And how would we go about that? Go to him while he stands surrounded by his army? Threadwalk into their midst and attack him head on?'

*We could bide our time, wait until the right moment a'

She trailed off, and he knew what she was thinking. Moments were growing shorter in supply.

He felt a hint of guilt * was he trying to convince her of his plan for selfish reasons, or was it really the best course of action?

*Do you really want Forger's threads inside you?' he asked. *What if they make you something like him?'

She paled at that, and bit her lip. *You did not become like Stealer,' she said. *And Forger, presumably, has not become like Braston.'

*I was affected, nonetheless,' he said, not liking the fact that he had to lie. *There are sometimes a urges a that I must control.'

*What? You've never spoken about this before.'

*I did not want to worry you. The point is, Forger was the most affected, the most changed, of all of us. That bespeaks potency in his threads * who knows what would happen if either of us took them on? There is the potential we could grow even more powerful, more twisted, than he is now.'

That was when he got her, he knew, and she looked perfectly miserable for a moment.

*If you get yourself killed,' she said, *or sink too far a I don't think I can do it all on my own.'

It was rare to see her look so vulnerable, and he appreciated her worry. Having lost all former friends and allies, it was really only the two of them standing together.

*I won't leave you alone,' he said. *I promise.'

*What are you going to tell Tarzi?'

He glanced at his minstrel, frozen mid-chew, her freckled cheeks full of breakfast. Could he spend the rest of his days with her? Why couldn't he give up on some whimsical dream befitting a twelve-year-old girl, and settle for reality?

*I'll think of something,' he said.

*Oh, by the way * there was some worm dust on Jandryn. You might want to check that Tarzi doesn't carry any.'

*I did. She doesn't.'

*Ah. Well thanks very much for warning me such a thing is possible.'

*Apologies.'

*Honestly, I suffer enough for keeping your secrets. You could at least share knowledge when it costs you nothing.'

*I'm sorry, really. It simply did not occur to me.'

Time started, and the soldiers on either side of Yalenna were startled to find her sitting there. Tarzi also choked a little.

*Priestess!' she said, wiping her mouth. *Where did you spring from?'

Yalenna, however, was distracted. *Excuse me,' she said, sliding backwards off the seat. *I left Captain Jandryn * I must go and find him.'

A thought stopped her, and she turned back to Rostigan.

*When?' she asked.

Rostigan wondered if he really meant to go through with it. A cold chill crept down his arms, and he had no more appetite for the food before him.

*Soon,' he heard himself say. *Today.'

She gave a little nod and left.

*What was that about?' said Tarzi.

He stared at his oats and let the spoon sink away. *I'm not sure,' he replied.

It wasn't the first time she had vanished from his presence, so hopefully Jandryn wouldn't be overly concerned, but it had happened at rather an awkward moment. She rounded a corner to find him coming down a corridor, speaking to two other guards. When he saw her, relief showed on his face.

*Leave us,' he told his underlings. Once they had gone; *Did time stop again?'

*Yes.'

*Where did you go?'

Speaking with Rostigan was maybe not going to be a popular answer.

*Just checking that everything was all right. I was going to wait it out, but it lagged a little.'

Jandryn glanced out a window at the sky, and she knew what he was wondering.

*Not as long as last time,' she said. *The day's natural cycle will not be interrupted. Captain, we must speak to Loppolo. It is time for the army to march.'

*Yes, Priestess.'

There was a question in him, however, and she could guess what it was.

*Yalenna a er a' He shifted his feet.

*You heard me mention your blessing? I was not sure quite when things stopped.'

He cleared his throat. *Yes. You said you would tell me what it was, and the next moment you were gone.'

*Well then, it is only fair to tell you now.' She arched an eyebrow at him. *To be lucky in love.'

His eyes opened wide in astonishment.

*Which you have very much been.' She prodded a finger into his armoured chest. *But, if you're not very careful from now on, and visit at night when you're supposed to, your luck will not last. Now, enough of this nonsense. We must go to the king.'