2/15/01

                        The Coming of the Zioth
                              Chapter Two

                                  ***


   Continuing was difficult at first. Ardith and Ziedon could only
carry the townsman so far, and they had to stop every minute or so to
rest. Brinn was not nearly tall enough to take a corner of the litter.
Although Sahlman tried to help, it was obvious that his arm was causing
him trouble, and after half an hour, he had to admit that he'd done all
he could. Kay gave up ten minutes before Sahl. Every few minutes, while
Ardith and Ziedon rested, the townsman would insist that he could walk,
despite his broken leg. They surely had no hope of getting to Grenzig
at that rate.
   After an hour-long struggle, Ardith stopped and put the townsman
down. She waved Sahl toward her and said, "Ziedon and I can't do this.
We need your help."
   Sahl lifted his arm slowly, wincing in pain. "Arditta, I will try."
He turned toward the front of the litter, but Ardith put a hand on his
shoulder and sat him down on the ground. She sat down in front of him,
closed her eyes, and held the Symbol of Andritha in both hands. She
mumbled a few words, and put one of her hands on Sahlman's injured
shoulder. The warrior jumped at the unexpected sensation, but when
Ardith caught his shoulder again, he didn't resist. By the time Ardith
opened her eyes, Sahlman's wound looked like it had been healing for
days. Sahl lifted his arm up, and dropped it down. He repeated the
movement a dozen times more, amazed at what had happened. For the rest
of the trip, Sahlman was able to help.
   From then on, the journey was nearly silent. No one knew what to say
when there were two people nearby who could kill or heal with a word.
Even the townsman became less adamant about the urgency of their
mission. Ardith and Ziedon together carried the back of the litter, but
although they had caused the silence, they made no effort to break it,
Ziedon because he didn't care, and Ardith because she didn't know what
to say.
   The leaves were just beginning to change color, and the air was
moist with a thin fog. The moisture carried all the smells of the
forest to the travelers' noses; the sharp pine, the sweet berries,
the bitter leaves and needles that rotted on the forest floor. Some put
all their concentration into the smells, to avoid thinking of other
matters.
   At night, the group sat or lay quietly around a small fire, well
off the path for fear of another attack. The townsman argued briefly
that they press on, but then Ardith said it would be difficult to
gather wood after dark, and the townsman submitted. Ardith cooked
dinner, and then made more compresses for her companions' wounds, but
other than an occasional 'thank you,' no one spoke but she. Ziedon sat
close to the fire, intently examining oddly-shaped symbols in his
heavy, leather-bound book. Kay, sneaking an occasional glance, imagined
he was reading about some ancient evil power that would fuel his magic
in days to come. She wasn't sure why she thought him evil. He was cold,
surely, but he had helped them in battle. Were he concerned only for
himself, he might have run off; surely he had to have the power to
survive alone; but he stayed and fought. Kay just wasn't sure what to
think. And if there were wizards, what of other legends? Were there
werewolves, and elves and pixies? Were there burwings in every hill,
and dwarves in every mountain? Maybe Brinn -- Kay laughed out loud at
the thought, but Ziedon stopped her with a quick look.
   Ardith began to hum a tune that most of the group was familiar with
from their various childhoods. She continued to stir a mixture that
smelled strongly of mint, no doubt picked earlier in the day. Although
the tune was soft and pleasant, it took on an eerie quality amidst the
silence of the group. Six people were present, but the only sounds were
the insects and night-creatures of the forest, and one woman's humming.
   Finally, Brinn broke the silence. "Enough already! So _you_ can seal
up a wound. So _you_ can kill a thief. Go ahead, turn me into a frog or
a rat or something. It'd be better than this." He looked at the rest of
the group. "I've seen magicians before; they make things disappear;
they make things float in the air. So these two can do a little more.
So what? We're moving as a group, and it's not going to do us any good
to hide our heads and be afraid that someone's going to cast a spell on
us. We all help each other, and we're all going to have to trust each
other for a while. We might not've made it out of that fight without
them. And the townsman'd be as good as dead without _her_."
   Kay chuckled, and then laughed again, and this time no amount of
staring by Ziedon would stop her. Soon, everyone apart from Ziedon was
laughing. To hear the dwarfed man, who had barely spoken even before
the magic, come out with such a heartfelt and angry speech, was just
too funny.
   "Turn you into a frog!" Ardith laughed. "A priestess of Andritha!"
   "He is being to say sense, this one."
   Ziedon looked up and muttered, "I'll turn you into far worse than
that if you don't let me concentrate," but only Brinn and Sahlman heard
it, and, in the circumstances, it only made them laugh harder.
   When everyone was more or less settled down, Ardith said, "Well,
we'd best be off to bed. If we rise early tomorrow, we'll be at Grenzig
before sunset." That thought completely sobered the townsman.
"Tomorrow, I'll -- well, we'll talk about tomorrow tomorrow." Ardith
thought better than to mention magic again that night, but everyone
knew what she meant. There was no way they'd reach Grenzig the next day
if they were still carrying the townsman. The thought disturbed some of
the group, but they were much more comfortable with the situation than
they'd been minutes before.
   Hours before sunset the next day, the townsman was limping on his
own, and the party was near enough to Grenzig to see its walls. The
forest thinned near the town, and to the left and right, away from the
main road, areas had been cleared out for farming. The walls were high
around Grenzig, twenty feet at least, and nearly four miles around.
   The townsman, who was now eagerly walking in the lead, stopped
suddenly and put his arm out to block the others. "After this turn,
we'll be able to see the gate." He paused for a few thoughtful seconds,
and everyone wondered whether that simple fact were meant to impress
them. "I don't wish to be seen quite yet, at least not until I know who
guards the gate. You go," he said to Kay. "And leave your most visible
weapons here."
   "Me? But -- my bow --"
   "Yes, you'll have to leave that here. You don't want people seing
it, do you?"
   Kay stood tall and angry. She started to raise a fist, but thought
better and lowered it. "Are you telling me there's something wrong with
my bow?"
   "Don't worry, Kay," Ardith said softly. "I'll take care of it."
   "He can't just throw orders around like that," Kay said, although
she realized full well that he could.
   "Kay, he's right. We have to see whether it's safe. I'll make sure
nothing happens to your bow, and you make sure nothing happens to you."
   "Fine, I'll go." With a bitter look at the townsman, Kay slid her
bow off her shoulder and handed it to Ardith. Then she headed towards
the town.
   "Hurry," the townsman said, "and be quiet."
   Kay looked back, and as visibly as possible, kicked a large rock
loudly into the brush. The group watched her turn the corner and drop
out of sight.
   "Why the secrecy?" Ardith asked.
   The townsman looked even more anxious than usual. "Just wait."
   "If there is being trouble for Kay, I am watching her." Before the
townsman could stop him, Sahlman slipped into the woods, and followed
Kay, out of sight of the path.
   Minutes passed, while the townsman became increasingly anxious. He
paced back and forth, and finally said, "Maybe we should stick to the
woods, just in case," and walked between the trees. The others
followed.
   Kay and Sahl returned to find the rest of the group missing. There
was a rustling of leaves, and the townsman jumped out of the woods.
Instantly, Sahlman's kukri was in his hand. Kay reached for her bow,
and found it missing. "No, it's just me! What did you see? What took
you so long?"
   "It is being only few minutes when --"
   Kay interrupted, as the rest of the group returned to the path.
"The thieves who stopped us on the path are guarding the gate. What
kind of town would have them as gatekeepers?"
   "How many?"
   "Two that I recognized, and ten more besides."
   "Two is too many. If you recognized them, they'll recognize us. Did
they see you?"
   "Only from a distance."
   The townsman began to pace again. "And time keeps passing! Very
well, we'll wait for the changing of the guard."
   They waited and waited, sending Kay periodically as a scout. The sun
fell quickly, and still the guard did not change.
   "We'd better set up camp," Ardith said.
   "No, we have to enter Grenzig."
   "These guards will never tire, but we will."
   "Very well, but no fire."
   "We'll freeze. And how can we cook without a fire? We have to cook.
We can set up further from the town. Thieves or no thieves, they're not
going to leave their watch to inspect a fire they can't see."
   "All right. But a low fire, and well into the forest."

   The group sat around the fire, the townsman twitching with anxiety.
   "Perhaps," said Sahlman, "the time is now to find out what it is
that goes on in Grenzig, neh? This burgher, he is apparently opposed
by the leaders of the town, if it is that these road bandits can become
the guards." He looked sharply at the townsman. "Perhaps he could be
good to give us, for who danger is not hiding, more information?"
   "When did we last check the guard?" the townsman asked. "Maybe
they've changed. You'd better check."
   "Yes, Sahl." Ardith said, ignoring the townsman's request. She
turned to speak to him. "Have you a name?" she asked. "It's not
convenient to always call you 'townsman,' or 'client.'"
   "'Townsman' is a title of respect, and it is by that name you can
call me."
   "Respect?" Kay asked. "How can we respect someone who --"
   Ardith halted her with a raised hand. "Your real name would still
allow for a friendlier relationship."
   "I didn't hire friends. I hired escorts."
   Ardith was annoyed, but she did not let it show. "That is all well,
but at least you might tell us what sort of business you are engaged
in?"
   "My business is of no relevance to you." He sighed. "Why must I be
subjected to questioning? As far as you are concerned, I am just an
employer, whose business is personal, and thus private."
   Kay jumped in again. "Your business is important to us when our
lives are at risk! And we saved yours, I'll add!"
   Ardith continued as if Kay had said nothing. "Alright, you're our
employer, and that is all. But as your employees, we must be concerned
for your safety, as well as our own. If you could tell us anything that
would help protect us all -- for example, why these ruffians want to
prevent your entry into Grenzig..."
   Sahlman was amazed at the amount of self-control Ardith was
displaying. He was sure he would have resorted to other means of
questioning by now.
   "How should I know why a town would hire thieves to guard it?
The townsmen of Grenzig are probably incompetent fools."
   "But surely you know something about why we were attacked."
   "I'm a townsman. I hold myself like a townsman, and I had horses and
a wagon at my disposal, meaning I have money. I am a prime target for
thieves."
   "And that's the only reason? Members of a town guard would move
most of the way to Dmerzig on the off chance of finding a wealthy
traveler, and then return to Grenzig to their regular posts?"
   "That's what it looks like. If you want, you can see for yourself.
In fact, I highly suggest it. The guard may have changed by now, and
you're just wasting time with all this talk."
   Finally, Ardith was fed up with her employer's attitude. "All I ask
is information! I won't have us walk blindly into a dangerous situation
about which we know nothing! If you aren't going to give us the
slightest clue as to the dangers involved, you can consider our deal
forfeit!"
   "Very well!" The townsman stopped pacing, and looked intently at
Ardith. "My name is Frondar. I'm here to relieve the guild master of
the cobblers. He's senile and incompetent, but the cobblers love their
guild master, and are willing to defend him. They're the wealthiest
guild in Grenzig, so they hire the guards.
   "Now if you take a moment to think, you'll see that's a lie. There
are six master cobblers in Grenzig, and their small guild is far from
wealthy. It's all they can do to protect themselves and keep their
taxes down. And my name is not Frondar. Frondar was the gardener of my
grandfather. Now if you push me harder to tell the truth, I will just
tell you a more elaborate and more believable lie, but I'd much rather
not go through the trouble. The truth is my business and my business
alone. You agreed to perform any services I require for a period of one
day following arrival at Grenzig. I expect you to adhere to the
agreement, or you will not be paid. The loss of money may not concern
_you_, but I am sure that not everyone in your party shares your
thoughts on the matter. The service I currently require is for you or
some one of you to scout out the gate, and inform me whether the guard
has changed, and I expect you to perform this service without
hesitation and _without_ unnecessary questioning."
   Ardith was taken aback, and had nothing to say. By the time she had
recovered and thought out a response, the townsman was sitting by the
fire and reading a book. He read with great speed, turning the page
every few seconds, so that Ardith wasn't sure he was reading at all.
She discreetly walked up behind him to find out what the book was, but,
aware of her actions, and equally discreetly, he turned so that Ardith
couldn't see the pages. Lacking further willpower for the moment, she
gave up and asked Kay to check out the gate again.
   Ardith sat away from the fire and thought. She saw that Sahlman, on
the other side of the fire, was doing the same. Brinn was whittling the
bark off a narrow branch, and Ziedon was reading the heavy book he
seemed never to grow tired of. Perhaps it was the book of magic that
so many wizards of legend were reputed to own. If so, that book had to
be very important to Ziedon, for without it, he was powerless. Ardith
was grateful that her own power came from Andritha, not from a fragile
and transient object. She could see the pages at a sharp angle, and the
current page was blank. Ziedon sighed a longing sigh, and then looked
up and caught Ardith watching him. Both lowered their heads, and Ziedon
turned back to a more complete page. Anyway, Ardith thought, there were
more important matters to think of than Ziedon's book.
   Unfortunately, there was no time for thought before Kay returned
with good news. "The guard's changed. I didn't recognize any of the
new ones."
   The townsman jumped to his feet. "Then we go now." He started to
walk towards the path, but then stopped and turned back. "No. You go."
He pointed to Ardith. "I'll watch from a distance, and if they allow
you in, I'll follow."
   "Why wouldn't they allow me in?"
   "You have yet to see that they won't."
   "I am a priestess of Andritha."
   "That is not always important in these matters."
   Ardith agreed to perform the task, being more curious than cautious
at that point. She wanted to be the first to find out what was going
on.
   "You go with her." The townsman pointed to Ziedon.
   "Arditta, I will going with you too to this town," Sahlman said.
   "No," the townsman said, "you're too conspicuous."
   Ardith assured Sahlman that she would be safe alone.
   "I do not know what this is meaning, conspicuous, but I am letting
you go because you are feeling safe. I am watching with this burgher
to make sure."
   "Thank you, Sahl."
   The townsman and Sahlman cut through the forest, directly towards
the gate, while Ardith and Ziedon returned to the road. Near the gate,
Ardith looked into the woods, and could not find her companions. They
were well out of sight.
   The walls looked even higher close up than they had looked from a
distance, and they were smooth -- there was barely a handhold anywhere,
even though they were made from stone and wood. The only break in the
wall was a rectangular space for the gate which, for now, was closed,
barred and guarded by a dozen armed men.
   Ardith made sure her Sign of Andritha was clearly visible, and said
"I request entrance into Grenzig."
   "Grenzig is closed to visitors," one guard answered.
   "We are not visitors," Ardith said. "We have business in Grenzig."
   "Grenzig is closed to merchants."
   "As a priestess of Andritha, I should not be barred from my own
temple."
   Ziedon spoke up. "We have important business with an important
townsman. If you intend to retain your jobs and your lives, I suggest
you let us pass."
   The other guards laughed, and the speaking guard smiled. "Which
townsman would that be?" After a few seconds' pause, he laughed again
and said, "Grenzig is closed to _you_."
   As they left the gate, Ziedon caught Ardith's concerned glance, and
whispered, "Idle threats. They would have our throats before I could
fell one of them with any magic."
   "I'd have preferred a more peaceable conversation. It might have
worked."
   "You will use your methods, and I will use mine."
   When they got back to the camp, they found Sahlman trying to explain
what he had seen in such poor language that no one could possibly
understand him. Ardith interrupted and told the townsman what had
happened.
   The townsman sat down on a rock. "Then we must find another way into
the town. Have you looked at the walls?"
   "Not all of them, but from what I saw, they'd be impossible to
scale without climbing equipment."
   "Ah," he said, and walked into his tent. After a minute, he was
heard cursing from inside the tent. The rest of the party walked closer
to see what was wrong. When he heard them outside, he stopped and came
out. "I had a grappling hook, but I left it by the roadside when we
lost our wagon. There will be no entrance through the front gate, and I
don't have four days to spend on the round trip to Dmerzig." He sat
down and faced the ground. "We might as well give up, unless one of you
has a grappling hook."
   "Surely," said Ardith, "there's another way in."
   "There's a gate on the other side of town, but I can see no reason
one gate would be open and the other closed."
   "Nevertheless, we will explore that possibility, and maybe we'll
discover some other means of entrance on the way."
   Sahlman broke in. "First we are finding this, er, place of the
bandits."
   "Oh Sahl. I completely forgot with all that's been going on. We
should definitely look for the thieves' camp. Then we'll know what
we're up against, and we might learn some information that's been
lacking from other sources." She looked at the townsman, but he seemed
not to have heard the comment. He was deep in thought. "Sahl, you,
Brinn and Ziedon should search for the camp, while Kay and I check out
the other gate."
   "No, I am being to go with you, for to protect."
   "Kay will be adequate protection for this simple task."
   "Still, I am wanting to be sure."
   "It's okay Ardith," said Kay. "I'll leave you two alone." Although
Sahlman had never heard that particular expression, he blushed at its
obvious meaning and had to hide his face. "Our good friend the townsman
might need some protection too."

   Ardith and Sahlman followed the wall around town, while Brinn and
Ziedon searched for the thieves' camp. Stringing his bow as he walked,
and wincing at the pressure this caused his still injured shoulder,
Sahlman headed off with Ardith around the right side of the wall, on
the outward edge of medium range for his weapon. As they walked,
Sahlman noted the absence of guards on the walls with a shaking head
and rueful smile. He felt thankful that such fools were on the side of
the opposition, and not on his. Sahlman was happy that Ardith had
accompanied him. She seemed as level-headed as any other person that he
had met in the lands of the Infidel to that point, and so young too.
   Sahlman noticed no openings in the wall other than a large gate on
either side of the town. He did, however, see several places where
large trees had grown up close to the wall. Apparently, the rulers
of the town were either extremely foolish or they normally had no
reason to suspect invasion. Perhaps the wall was some ancient defense
for which they no longer had much need. Sahlman didn't know enough of
the wetlanders' history to guess.

   With Ziedon's information from the battle in the woods, the thieves'
camp was not hard to find.
   There were at least thirty men, and a woman or two, coming in and
out of tents and huts, talking amongst each other, or dragging around
heavy bags and boxes. From their concealed position in the bushes,
Brinn and Ziedon could see all of this without being seen. On the
other side of the camp, two particularly well-dressed men were
conversing. Brinn pointed them out to the others, and then snuck around
the periphery to get a closer look.
   "And now I hear word of magic? Magic! Now what do you think of
that?"
   "Disconcerting, to say the least. I'd say we should be watching for
mutiny."
   "Yes, I thought the same. But the ruse is too pitiful. What do they
expect to accomplish with such stories? Am I supposed to be frightened
by a myth?"
   "No. They're smarter than that. Maybe they just used it as an
excuse. They did run away from a group half their number, after all."
   "They're smarter than that, too. I like to hope it was an excuse,
but they've made up better than that before!"
   "You can't be suggesting there was actually magic involved."
   "No, no. Of course not. I just wonder what it all means. If they're
making it up, why? And if they're not --"
   "What did they really see? Yeah, I'm as confused as you are. If
they're not making it up, at least we don't have to worry about
mutiny."
   "True. So true. We should keep an eye out for both possibilities.
I'll have a few men on the look-out."
   "Men you trust."
   "Of course, and I'll keep an eye and an ear open myself. And so
should you. So what do you make of the town's sudden change in
character? Hiring us as official guards?"
   "At double-pay, too. They're expecting something. Something big
enough to want to double their forces."
   "It's like they're trying to raise an army, but what would a town
do with an army? They already have the protection of the Baron."
   "And then they sent us out against half a dozen people, two of them
women, and a heifin!"
   "Pretty disorganized, too. They couldn't even be _part_ of an army,
let alone the whole thing."
   A third man entered the conversation. "We'd better lie low for the
night. We've had word that there may be spies about."
   "They won't find us here."
   "Those were the orders."
   The third man left.
   "Agh. I'm tired of taking orders from townsmen."
   "As long as the pay's good --"
   "Yeah, as long as the pay's good."
   Both men left for their tents, and the whole camp quieted down after
that.

   Everyone returned to the camp and related their news. The townsman
had nothing to say about any of it, but he looked more nervous and
anxious than ever. At one point, Kay thought she overheard him whisper,
"There's not enough time."
   Ardith kept her friends awake with trivial talk, signing
inconspicuously to the others to stay with her. Soon, the burgher
excused himself and went to his tent.
   When Ardith was sure the burgher was in a deep enough sleep that
their talk would not wake him, she spoke.
   "My friends," she said in a quiet voice, "I do not know what to make
of our client. Grenzig is raising an army against _something_, and I
suspect it's our client, but he has no army to fight with. Perhaps he's
just a messenger of things to come. That would explain his haste, but
it would not explain why the bandits were sent out specifically against
us. Why would they concern themselves with a simple messenger, when
there were preparations for war at hand?"
   "Yeah," said Brinn, chewing on a scrap of dried meat. "He's more
than a messenger all right."
   "But Ardith," said Kay. "Towns don't just raise their own armies. If
there's fear of attack, shouldn't the baron be here?"
   "Maybe the baron doesn't know."
   "And maybe there is no army at all." Everyone looked at Ziedon. "So
a town is hiring thieves. That just says it is corrupt and must be
stopped. It says nothing about preparation for war."
   "A thief can be a seer," Ardith said. "I'd trust the guesses of
those thieves more than I'd trust any of ours. Either way, we must be
prepared for the worst. If the townsman is part of an army come to
subjugate this town under the forces of evil, I want no part in it."
   "There are no forces of evil. You are far too melodramatic."
   "And I tend to agree that the townsman is part of no such force. I
find his taciturn nature offensive, but we are, to him, merely
hirelings, and he does not owe us explanations, merely our pay. I would
think that a person of higher intent would explain, but it is possible
after all, that he may not be free to explain -- or that he not trust
us sufficiently. The fact remains that the vandals who guard the city
do not hold the citizens in high regard, and they oppose our client's
return to the city. That is enough for me to give him the benefit of
doubt.
   "Nevertheless, we must be careful, and we should not act until we
have more information. I believe that we need to send a spy into this
town. Brinn, you will be the least noticed of any of us in the dark, so
if you accept, I would ask you to be our spy."
   "After what I heard from those criminals back there, I'll do
whatever I have to to get us in that town."
   "Good. Sahl and I spotted several trees growing close up to the wall
of the town. About half-way between the two gates, on the western side
of Grenzig, there is a tree with several low branches. Low as they are,
they will be too high for you to reach, so Kay, I would like you to go
with him, and then watch from the top of the wall once he's over. Your
presence will also allow you to lower a rope when he returns, rather
than leave one hanging against the wall and possibly catching notice."
   "I'll gladly help in any way I can."
   "Once you're in the town, Brinn, use your ears and your wiles to
gain information. If you must be seen, assume the role of a merchant
looking to trade. Do not endanger yourself -- at this point we need not
heroics, but information. We'll find out what we can of matters, then
make the choice for ourselves as to what is right, whatever that may
be.
   "In any case, we need to set a watch. Sahl, you are only recently
healed of serious injuries. Please take the first watch. Wake Ziedon
before the mid of night, then Ziedon wake me. At the first sign of
trouble, the watchman must waken the rest of us quietly, but if there
is a sudden attack, wake us loudly. We must be careful not to be taken
by surprise.
   "Oh, and I think you'll all agree that we should not tell the
townsman of any of this, including our plans to send a spy.

   Brinn dusted himself off. There was no use looking like he'd been
sneaking around, even if that was exactly what he was doing. He looked
at Kay, twenty feet up at the top of the wall, and prayed she'd be
there when he returned; there was no way he could scale the wall alone.
Kay was all but invisible as she drew up the rope, and when she finally
lay flat on the wall, not even the most trained eye could see her from
the ground. Brinn hoped she would manage to stay awake; it was a long
drop.
   A light breeze blew some dirt against a fallen branch, and Brinn
shot around, fingering his weapon, and then relaxed when he realized
what it was. He couldn't afford to be so nervous. The breeze continued
to blow, making quiet noises against everything as it passed. Brinn
breathed a deep breath. The town was dark, except for a guard post or
inn here and there, and a few candle-lit windows.
   Brinn left the wall and got onto the main road, which he followed
for a few yards, hiding as best he could in shadows. No, he thought. It
was no use looking like a thief. Gathering his courage, he stepped into
the middle of the road and continued walking as if he had lived in
Grenzig all his life.
   Now the question was only how to find the information he wanted. As
eager as he had been to help, Brinn really knew nothing about spying.
He guessed a tavern might be a good place to start; bartenders were
famous for their stores of information. Then again, going right up to
a bartender and asking why a bunch of thieves were running the town
might not be the best idea.
   To think, it was only two days before when Brinn had been
friendless, grumbling about the way people treated him for his height.
Now, he had four companions he was sure would soon be his friends, and
he was playing an important part and working for a cause (although to
what end he worked, he still did not know).
   There was a light up ahead, in a large house that could only be
owned by a townsman. Further down the road, there was another light
coming from an even larger house. In fact, many of the houses along
that street were lit, at least dimly through shutters. So many townsmen
up so late could only mean they were expecting something, but Brinn
already knew that.
   Brinn subtly swerved his walk to bring him close to an open window,
but no sound came forth. At the next window, he heard something. He put
down his pack and rummaged through it, as if looking for something he
needed, and listened.
   "Day after day passes, and nothing happens. The journeymen of my
guild are afraid to go out at night. I know it's the same in the other
guilds. This has got to end, one way or another."
   "Hopefully our way."
   The first voice came nearer and louder. "Anyone's way will do more
harm than good if this goes on much longer."
   "Not so close to the window."
   "I know. I'm closing it."
   The shutters closed, and the sounds thereafter were muffled and
indistinguishable, at least to Brinn's ears. "Well that was
interesting," Brinn said quietly to himself. "Useless, but
interesting."
   The next several open windows yielded nothing, and neither did
those beyond.

   Brinn looked up at the moons. Dawn was only a few hours away, and
he still had no useful information. He had walked up and down the
streets countless times, to no avail. But the lights remained lit. As
long as people were awake, there was a chance for information. Time
and time again, Brinn had been ready to give up and try the local
taverns, but each time, he feared that the moment he left, that key
conversation would begin and he'd miss it. Besides, who but the
hardiest of drunks would be in a tavern at this hour? A sharp breeze
blew loudly between the houses, and Brinn pulled his robe tighter
around his body.
   "...townsman Ba..."
   Brinn jumped. Even if that voice wasn't useful, at least it was
something. He looked up at the window under which he was standing.
   "...the townspe..."
   No, the voice was coming from farther away.
   "...who would suspect..."
   Left, definitely left. Brinn ran to the next window to his left,
barely remembering to mask his footsteps.
   "...for every inane theory..."
   No, right. He had to calm down. He ran to the right, and stumbled
over a rock. Before he could feel the pain, he hurried into a shadow
and pushed his back against a wall. If he was noticed--. No, no one was
coming, and the talking continued. The talking!
   Brinn tore his shoes off -- he could no longer trust his own feet to
keep quiet -- and hurried to the window on the right.
   "No, listen. The guards are clearly under our control, and as long
as we pay them as much as we're paying them, he won't be able to buy
them off."
   Perfect. Brinn stood on his traveling bag to hear better.
   "So it won't be the guards. What about the townsmen?"
   "Who? You? Me? Laran? Be realistic. Even if he had half the
townsmen on his side, he wouldn't make it."
   "His own army, then."
   "And where is he keeping this army that we haven't noticed them? And
how is he paying them?"
   "So you think he's got the people."
   "Popular uprisings are the most successful kind."
   "It'll never work."
   "Don't be so sure. With a larger militia, there's less money, and
common people suffer. With the kind of militia _we_ have, people
suffer even more. And if people suffer in times like these, there will
be trouble."
   "So basically, we've dug ourselves into a hole."
   "We can dig our way out, given enough time. I just hope it's not too
late."
   The contents of the bag shifted, and at that moment, Brinn fell
again.
   "What was that?"
   Brinn cursed his clumsiness, and his eagerness. But he had found out
something useful, if only he could make it out of the town...
   Someone was coming closer. Brinn leaned up as close to the house as
he could manage. A massive townsman with a trimmed beard hung out the
window, leaning his hands on the sill. "Damn! I think someone was
listening. There are shoes out there."
   Brinn held his breath.
   "I'm going to take a look. You keep an eye out the window."
   This was his chance. If the other townsman was watching, Brinn would
have a hard time escaping. As soon as the first townsman's head
vanished into the house, Brinn ran around the corner into an alley. His
bare feet would definitely help him now, although the ground was strewn
with sharp rocks and broken objects.
   A series of hard footsteps was followed by the sound of a door
thrown open. With the huge townsman right around the corner, Brinn
could no longer afford to be subtle. He ran with all the speed he could
manage through the alley. At its end, something sharp entered his foot,
but he suppressed his yell, and kept running.
   However little noise Brinn made, the townsman had heard. In no time,
the townsman was out of the alley and following Brinn. Still, it was
dark, and Brinn had the advantage of being short. Maybe he hadn't been
seen. If he had, there was no way he could outrun those long legs, so
he would have to bet on it. Brinn turned a sharp corner into another
alley, and lay down against the wall of a house, covering his face
with his darkly-clothed arms.
   Seconds passed, and the pounding footsteps quieted with distance.
For now, at least, Brinn was safe. The bulk of the danger gone, Brinn
suddenly felt the searing pain in his foot, working its way quickly up
his leg. He wasn't sure he could walk.
   After what he'd just been through, this was no time to give up.
Brinn crawled up along the stone wall, putting as much of his weight as
possible on his good foot, and the pain multiplied. He sat down again,
and felt along the bottom of his foot. There was something sharp, that
was for sure, and it was stone, or hard plaster. If only he had more
light, he could see what it was.
   Brinn pulled himself up again, standing on his good foot. Whatever
was lodged in his foot, it would probably be safer to keep it there.
Maybe that priestess could help. He wasn't sure he trusted her magic,
but it was better than losing his foot. He'd known people who had lost
their feet to disease after an accident like this. They were useless
after that.
   Slowly, Brinn limped out of the alley, barely touching his injured
foot to the ground. Then even more slowly, he limped down the street,
past dark houses and closed shops, the pain increasing with every step.
Eventually it was taking minutes to pass each house, and Brinn was no
longer certain he could hide if the townsman came back. He repeated
what he had heard over and over again in his head to avoid thinking
about the pain. If only he could get out of the town, Ardith would help
him.
   Finally, Brinn approached the wall. Tired as he was, he could no
longer remember exactly where Kay was hiding, so he hobbled up and down
a length of the wall. He feared momentarily that someone might be
watching, but pain soon overrode his fear. Brinn sat down to rest, and
looked up at the sky. It was as clear as he'd ever seen. Halkak had
set, and only the dimmest outline of Zabrigar was visible. Against the
wall hung a rope, that was at this point violently swinging to catch
his attention. Brinn looked up at Kay on top of the wall, and
collapsed.


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