"Is that an order?"

She looked away. "I no longer give you orders. My father says you are ... Never mind. Can you stand?"

"That depends. What does your father say I am?"

Megaan rolled her eyes in exasperation. "He told the people that you are very brave and risked your life for us. Because of what you have done, he says you are no longer a nonperson. You are an equal.''

"How about that?" Mark rubbed his chin. "And what does it meana"to be an equal? Do I get to come and go as I please?"

"Yes."

Mark looked at her steadily. "Seems like an equal ought to get more than that."

"It means ... you may have a beast and a plot of land to farm and build a house on, and you may ask for a wife when you decide to marry. Now get up. I don't have all day."

"That sounded an awful lot like an order." He raised himself up. "Could you give me a hand?"

Megaan pulled him to his feet and helped him walk. "I think that is enough help. Wait here, Kakon. I will lead your mount to this boulder so you can get up more easily."

"What was that bit about asking for a wife?"

Megaan scowled at him. "You are too young for a wife."

"I was just kidding."

"I do not find you funny." She handed him the reins. "Can you get on your animal, or do you want me to do that for you too?"

Mark climbed up on the boulder, gritted his teeth and hopped on. Megaan was already on her beast, heading back through the trees. He trotted up behind her. "Thanks for coming to look for me, Megaan."

"You are welcome. But it was nothing. I would have done it for anyone. Even a nonperson. Besides, I suppose I do owe you for saving our lives."

She kicked her beast into a run and left Mark in the red dust.

chapter 29.

The storehouse and some of the other structures were still smoldering when Megaan and Mark rode in. The tower guard announced their arrival with the horn but most people were too busy rebuilding to pay any attention. A few stopped what they were doing long enough to wave or yell out their grat.i.tude as Mark rode past.

Several beasts were tied outside Dagon's cabin. Megaan helped Mark dismount. "Go into the house, Kakon. I will take care of our mounts."

Mark limped to the door and opened it. Dagon and some men were sitting on long benches at a large wooden table.

"Come in, Kakon. The council and I were just talking about you." Dagon indicated an empty seat. "Sit down and hear how the Tsook reward those who help them."

Mark hobbled to the end of one of the benches. "Megaan has told me that you have made me an equal. I thank you."

"Did she also tell you that as soon as the village is defensible again, we will hold a great feast, inviting all the Tsook of Transall? When the Overlord, the great Merkon, sends his emissary, then the rites of warriorhood will begin."

"For me? You want me to be a warrior?"

"You have proven yourself worthy."

"Again I thank you, but..." Mark looked around the table at the war-hardened faces. How could he tell them that all he really wanted was to be free to search for the light and go home?

He swallowed. "What I mean to say is that you have already given me far too much. The place of warrior should be reserved for the sons of the Tsook."

Dagon pounded the table. "It has been decided. Anyone who disagrees with this will answer to me."

The men of the council stood and filed out of the room. Dagon remained sitting. "You are allowed to choose a plot of land, Kakon. While you are trying to decide, you may live in the house of Hagis. He was a brave warrior who died fighting the Rawhaz. I will send Megaan to make sure it is well supplied. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Mark looked down at the steel band around his ankle. "Did Megaan tell you the reason why I no longer wear the weight on my foot?"

"She explained that she needed an extra hand in the field that day for the harvest, so she ordered it to be taken off. If I had been here I would have been angry, but as it turned out she made the right decision. Do not worry. I will have Tybor, the blacksmith, remove the rest. There is no need for it now."

Mark stood. He couldn't remember ever being so tired. "I'd like to go to that house now. My leg is starting to bleed again and I must sleep."

"Of course." Dagon went to the door and called for his daughter. Megaan appeared and he gave her instructions.

Outside, Mark untied his mouse-colored beast and led it down the road. "I'm sorry for teasing you earlier, Megaan. It really was kind of you to come help with my wound."

Megaan kept walking.

"Your father gave me an odd explanation of how the iron bar came to be off my leg."

"Would you rather I had told him you were a runaway slave?" Megaan snapped.

"Why didn't you?"

"This is the house." Megaan stopped in front of a one-room cabin. "Hagis was an old bachelor. There is no telling what we will find inside." She pushed open the door and went in.

Mark wrapped the reins around a post and followed her in. She started checking the shelves in the back. "This house is a disgrace. I will send a slave up later to clean it for you."

"No. It will be fine until I can do it myself."

"Buta""

"No slave will work for me. Do you understand? It is wrong to force others to do your work."

"Oh, really?" Megaan put her hands on her hips. "And just how do you intend to work your new land, Kakon? Warriors are not farmers."

Mark dropped wearily to the torn sleeping mat on the floor. "I haven't thought that far ahead. But I can tell you one thing. If I can't do it myself, it just won't get done."

"Mawk." Leeta burst through the door. "You all right. I glad."

Mark sat up on his elbows. "This is my new house, Leeta. What do you think?"

"It is good house." Leeta wrinkled her nose. "But I clean."

"What about your owner? She might not like it if you're gone too long."

Leeta smiled and spoke in fluent Tsook. "My new owner is Megaan. She took me in."

"It was nothing," Megaan said. She scowled and moved to the door. "The old woman was killed trying to run from the Rawhaz. With you gone we needed another worker. Leeta will take your place, that is all."

"I swear, Megaan." Mark shook his head. "Why is it so hard for you to take a compliment? Just because you are the chiefs daughter doesn't mean you're not allowed to say thank you."

Megaan lifted her chin. "Come, Leeta. Kakon needs his rest."

Leeta followed her out the door and then stepped back in. "I be back, Mawk."

"Do that. And if your boss isn't too busy acting like a sn.o.b, bring her too."

The door slammed.

chapter 30.

Mark felt better than he had in a long time. The iron band was off his leg and his wound was nearly healed. The past few weeks had been spent learning to ride, hunt with a crossbow and fight hand to hand with a sword.

Sarbo was his chief teacher, and the big man demanded perfection. "Not like that, Kakon. If you strike from above you have more power but your opponent will come in underneath and run you through. Try it again."

Mark removed his sword from the practice dummy, stepped back and wiped the sweat off his forehead. This time he whirled and came in from the side, slicing the dummy in two.

"Better. Much better. That will be enough for today. Go home and eat. Come back tomorrow."

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away."

"Wild horses?"

"It's an expression, Sarbo. It means nothing will stop me from being here."

"Strange boy." Sarbo picked up the dummy. "I will take this to my wife to repair. She will have it ready tomorrow. And Kakon?"

"Yes?"

"I do not think you are ready to take on any of the wild horsesa"whatever they are. Wait until you are a better rider."

"Right." Mark smiled, put his sword in his belt and started up the road.

Tybor, the blacksmith, shouted at him. "Kakon. Come see. I think I finally have it right."

Mark trotted over to the smoke-filled lean-to. "Let's see."

Tybor reached behind him and brought out a flat piece of lightweight metal. "Well? What do you think?"

"This is it. This will make a perfect breastplate. It's light and it won't weigh me down. What about the helmet?"

"It is a much more difficult problem. I am still working on it. "

"Great. Let me know when you get it done." Mark turned and headed up the road to his house.

"Wait for me, Kakon." Barow ran up behind him. "You said you were going to show me more writing today. Did you forget?"

"I didn't forget. Come to my house. I will make us a fine meal and then we can begin."

"I already ate, Kakon. Let us begin now. I've been practicing. Watch." Barow bent over and wrote his name in the dirt.

"That's good, Barow. What else can you do?"

"I can make all the letters. Today you should teach me how to write more names."

"I don't know. You need to work on the sounds some more."

"Will you teach me if I tell you a secret?"

"I might. Depends on the secret."

"Dagon has set the time for the feasting."

"Well?"

"Will you teach me?"

Mark tousled the little boy's curly black hair. "I guess so. Now tell."

"It will be at the new moon. And guess what? A messenger has come with word that the great Merkon will be here in person. It will be a very big event." Barow frowned. "Will you still be my friend after you are a warrior?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Megaan saysa""

"Megaan doesn't know everything. Here's my house. Do you want to come in and watch me eat or come back later?"

"I have seen the kind of food you cook. I will come back later. "

"Hey!" Mark pretended to be angry. "You'd better watch it or I won't make you any more of my special brain pizza."

Barow giggled and ran across the road. "I do not think that would be so great a loss."