"Are you sure he's ready for the CoUegmm?"'Darius asked anxiously. "Celador's such a long way away and there's no one to keep an eye on him."

Jarrod and Tokamo exchanged a look. "I can a.s.sure you that he's quite capable of looking after himself and

30 may even benefit from not having a doting grandfather around to spoil him."

Darius smiled ruefully. "Frankly, it's what happens after the Collegium that bothers me," he said.

"How so?"

"Well, if his Talent's as strong as you seem to think it is, he's not likely to want to settle down to a life at Gwyndryth."

"You haven't,." Jarrod pointed out. "Then again, I'm more than a little surprised that Marianna spends as much time there as she does."

"I know." Darius drank some more wine and wiped his mouth with his left hand. "I'd like to see more of her, but she and Naxania don't get along all that well.

I'd also like to see her remarried," he added in a burst of candor. "If anything happened to young Joscelyn . . ."

He let the sentence trail off.

"The boy's in robust health," Tokamo said, "and at least you don't have to worry about him being killed in the war."

"I wish I could be sure of that," Darius replied. "I don't like the sound of what happened this morning.

You'll forgive my saying so, but I wish the Discipline had more clout."

"The people still rely on us," Jarrod said.

"Yes, but it's been fifteen years since the Discipline did anything dramatic. People become accustomed to having dependable weather and mill wheels that turn even when the rivers are low. They take you for granted." He paused. "What I'm really suggesting is that it is time for another grand gesture to rea.s.sert your authority."

"Do you have any suggestions?" Tokamo asked

skeptically.

Darius gave a little shrug. "Perhaps Greylock would 31.

like to flex his Magical muscles. After all, he's seldom seen these days."

"You must understand, my lord," Jarrod said quickly before Tokamo could intervene, "that the Mage is not as young as he used to be."

"Who among us is?" the Holdmaster said. He fin- ished his wine, and it was apparent that he was going to take his leave. "On the other hand," he added, "he does have you two strapping lads to help him, doesn't he? Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I wish you'd think about what I've said. The Discipline's always been the binding force in the Magical Kingdoms and I have a nasty suspicion that we're going to need you now more than ever."

He got to his feet, bringing the other two with him, and parting courtesies were exchanged.

"Well, Jarrod, what do you make of all that?" To- kamo asked after the Holdmaster had been ushered out.

"I think that Queen Naxania has more problems than we are aware of. I've known the Holdmaster for a long time and he's never been adept at dissimulation."

"I think he was sincere," Tokamo objected.

"Oh, he was. I've no doubt about that. I just don't think that the visit was his idea. Naxania wants some- thing from us and she doesn't want to face either Rag- nor or Greylock directly. She used the Holdmaster instead."

"Speaking of that, it's time she married the man, don't you think? She isn't getting any younger either and she's the last of the line."

"He's a foreigner," Jarrod replied. "That's tolerable in a lover, but not in a consort- Besides, she's got time.

Her Talent enables her to control her body in ways de- nied other women-as long as she doesn't perform re- ally strong Magic."

"Well, what do you think we should do?"

32 "I think we should go and see Greylock."

"In that case I'll leave you to it," Tokamo said, fin- ishing off his ale.

"Not so fast. Where d'you think you're going?"

"I still have a great deal of work to do in the count- inghouse . . ." Tokamo began.

"You're still afraid ofGreylock, aren't you?" Jarrod said, not altogether kindly.

Tokamo stiffened, and then his shoulders relaxed.

"Who wouldn't be? The man's come back from the dead."

"He was never dead and you know it. Honestly, Tok.

you're as bad as a village midwife."

"You should get out into the country a bit more,"

Tokamo retorted. "Midwives are among the wisest peo- ple I've met."

"That's as may be, but Greylock's quite normal and you know it."

"What about those times when he goes away? One moment he's talking to you and the next he's totally oblivious. I'll be in the middle of a report and suddenly his mind is somewhere else. I could stand on my head and he wouldn't notice."

"He's seen things that we haven't," Jarrod replied.

"There are questions that he's trying to answer that you and I wouldn't know how to ask and, once in a while, they preoccupy him. He knows that the sand is running out for him. He's almost seventy and, for a Mage who has been as active as he, that's a remarkable span."

"Ragnor must be in his eighties," Tokamo pointed out.

''Granted, and that borders on the miraculous. I'm tempted to think that the unicorn horn that we ingested for that last spell has something to do with it."

"Is that why you look thirty rather than sixty?" To- kamo asked acidly.

33.

"Could be," Jarrod said with a grin. "And now we're both going to see Greylock and discuss Lord Darius'

suggestion."

"Is that an order. Excellence?" Tokamo asked with an edge on his voice as he returned his flagon to the sideboard.

Jarrod sighed to himself. Tokamo had always been touchy, even as a boy. "Of course not," he said lightly.

"You've been out in the countryside and you're a good listener. You have a perspective that Greylock and I lack. I need you there."

"G.o.ds but you've grown smooth-tongued," Tokamo said, but Jarrod could see that he was pleased.

"Let's go and see the old man," Jarrod said.