Also available in The Secret of Jiseries:Six HeirsForthcoming:Shadow of the AncientsThe Eternal Guide The characters and events portrayed inthis book are fictitious. Any similarity toreal persons, living or dead, iscoincidental and not intended by theauthor.Text copyright 2013 Pierre GrimbertEnglish translation copyright 2013 byMatt Ross and Eric LambAll rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced,or stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording, or otherwise, without expresswritten permission of the publisher.The Secret of Ji 2: The OrphansPromise was first published in 1999 byLes ditions Mnmos as Le Secret de Ji,volume 2: Le serment orphelin.Translated from the French by Matt Rossand Eric Lamb. Published in English byAmazonCrossing in 2013.Published by AmazonCrossingwww.apub.comISBN-13: 9781477808863ISBN-10: 1477808868Library of Congress Control Number:2013908851CONTENTS MAP 1MAP 2MAP 3Authors NotePROLOGUEBOOK III: THE JUDGMENT OF ZUABOOK IV: DIVINE KNOWLEDGESHORT ANECDOTALENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE KNOWNWORLDABOUT THE AUTHORABOUT THE TRANSLATORS Authors Note Attheendofthebook,thereaderwillfind a Short Anecdotal Encyclopedia oftheKnownWorld,aglossarythatdefinescertaintermsusedbythenarratorandprovidessupplementarydetailsthatdontappearinthestory,without giving the story away, of coursefar from it!Therefore,thereadingoftheShortAnecdotal Encyclopedia can be done inparallelwiththestory,atmomentsthereader finds opportune.PROLOGUE PraisedbeEurydis.Mayherteachings serve you well.Before the gods, my namethe one Iwas given when the sun rose on my firstdayinthisworldisLanaLionerofIth, daughter of Cerille and Lioner.Quiteabignameforsuchasmallthing,asMazRlhadthehabitofsayingwhenhewantedtoteaseme.And yet, he was the one who lengtheneditfurtherbyaddingthetitle,Maz.Fortunately, people simply call me MazLana,evenifthisinventedtitledrawsavowalsofrespectanddeepadmirationthatIdontdeserve;onlythegodsareworthyofthatkindofesteem.Butthisishardlythesubjectthatpreoccupiesmythoughtsrightnow.Icouldalwaysdebatethisquestionwithacircleofstudents,ifIamevergiventheopportunitytoteachagain.IamadescendantofMazAchemdAlgondeofIth,whocarriedoutthedutiesofambassadorfortheGrandTempletotheGrandEmpireofGoranbetweentheyears760and771oftheEurydiancalendar.ThepostwasveryimportantandwasheldinhighesteembytheTemplesadministration,andwas typically seen as a step on the wayto being anointed an Emaz. But despitehistitle,myancestorsnameisrarelyspoken without a certain malaise.Whenmyparentsspokeaboutanancestorfromoneoftheirlineages,itwasalwayswithpraise,pride,andnostalgia.TherewereseveralMazinourbloodline,aswellasafewEmaz,andtheyalllefttheirmarkonthehistoryoftheHolyCity.Therewerewarchiefsaswell,fiercesoldiersandambitiousconquerorsfromapastjustas distant as it was grim. They were allalludedtowithrespect,andthepathsthey followed, however wrong they mayhavebeen,followedthedominantmores of the era.Mygreat-grandfatherMazAchemwastheonlyonementionedasanecessarylinkinthechain,apiececonnectingtheseprestigiousancestorsto the more recent generations, a piecewhichwouldhavebeenhappilyremovedifitwerepossible.Weneverspokeabouthisactions,hislife,thetraceheleftintheworld,andespeciallyavoidedhisrelationshipwiththeuniversalquestforEurydissMoral.Ofcourse,asachildIhardlythought twice about it. But growing up,this omission began to intrigue me, andIeventuallyquestionedmyparents.Although still young, I could easily tellthatmyquestionputthemillatease.Which merely piqued my curiosity, for Ihadgottenusedtogettingalltheanswers I wanted. There was no subjectofconversationthatwasoff-limitsinour householda principle I held dearandthatIcontinuedtoapplywithmycircle of students.Aftersomehesitation,myfatheransweredme,choosinghiswordsinsuchawaythattheywereneitherdisrespectfulnorscornful.ThatstheimpressionofAchemthathisstoryleftAlthoughhehaddedicatedthegreater part of his early life to studyingandteachingtheGoddesssMoral,aswashisduty,duringhislateryears,MazAchemhadchangeddrastically.He had become a dissenter, a reformistguilty of several immoral acts. The firstofwhichwastheabandonmentofhispostasambassadortotheGrandEmpireadecisionhemadewithoutevenannouncingittotheTemple,andwhich he never explained.UponhisreturntoIth,heseededdisorder in several gatherings of Emaz,goingasfarastopersecutethegreatpriestsintheirowntemples.Thisconduct alone would have been enoughto discredit him, but what drovehimtothese extreme acts was even worseonthe verge of sacrilegious. He absolutelyinsistedthatotherslistentohim.ButalltheEmazhadalreadyheardenough.AchemwasaskingthegreatprieststomakeaprofoundmodificationintheirinterpretationofcertainpreceptsoftheMoralofEurydis.However,hehimselfrecognizedhisinabilitytopresentanyconvincingargument.Ifheindeedhadreasons,MazAchemneverprovidedthem.OfcoursetheEmazpriestsrefused,encouraginghimtoreturntoideasmore in line with those of the Temple.Hepersistedinhisefforts,though,embarkingonacampaignofpublicspeechesinwhichhepresentedhistheories,eventhoughtheyhadalreadybeenjudgedasantitheticaltotheMoral by the wisest of our wise, despiteMaz Achems esteemed position.Facedwithhisobstinacy,theEmazhad no other choice but to declare himahereticthehighestdishonorandtorevokehistitleofMaz,somethingthathasonlyoccurredfourtimesinourhistory.Theirpunishmentatleasthad its anticipated effect: Achem endedupabandoninghisfutileandharmfulcrusadeandlefttosettleinMestbe,wherehediedafewyearsafter,neveragainattemptingtocorruptEurydissteachings.Myfatherhadnothingelsetoadd.He asked me if I had learned somethingfrom the story, as if he had just told measimplereligiousfable.IsaidIhadandmadeavowtoneverbetrayEurydissMoral,whichiswhatheexpected of me. Still, I was perplexed.Upuntilthen,everythingthatIhadbeentaughtrestedonthesethreevalues:Knowledge,Tolerance,andPeace.Thethreevirtuesofthewiseones. The three steps to climb to reachthe Moral.During my ancestors era, hadnt theEmaz disregarded one of the first two?WerentAchemsideas,asaMazandhighfigureoftheTemple,worthyofinterest?Iimmediatelyregrettedthisdisrespectfulthoughtandtriedhardtoforget it. Unsuccessfully.Byfollowingmycuriosity,Idisturbed Peace. But in turning a blindeye to my doubts, I insulted Knowledgeand Tolerance.Why had Maz Achem been silenced?I decided to find out. BracedagainsttheopenseaofftheLoreliencoast,onlyafewleaguesfromanearlynamelessvillage,thereisasmall, uninhabited island. An island likethedozensofothersthatdottheMedianSeawithbarrenbeaches,rockylandscapes,andshorelinesmadejaggedby untiring waves. An island that is onlyrecordedbytheoccasionaleccentricoroverlymeticulouscartographerasasimplespeckonafewrarepiecesofparchment,which,aftertime,couldeasilybeconfusedforanindiscerniblesmudge.However, this island, ignored by mostmen,fascinatedahandful.AmongthemwastheJudgeZamerine,thesecretspiritualchiefoftheLorelienmessengersandevenmoresecretly,theuncontestedmasterofalltheZupriests in the Upper Kingdoms.How much longer? Zamerine askedthe captain.Thecaptain,anoldfisherman,jumped.ItwasthefirsttimetheJudgehadspokentohim.Uptothatpoint,hehad only dealt with the youngest Zu, theJudgesfootman,nodoubt.Whilethefishermangotalongjustfinewiththeyoungerone,theJudgeseemeddifficult.Worse,hiscold,scornfulstarewasimpossible to hold.Uhtwocentidays,maybe;longenoughforthedawntoclear,heanswerednervously.Withthisheadwind, I cant do better than that.That is much too long.Thefishermandidntknowhowtorespond. It wasnt his fault, blood of theGods! Their damned island wasnt goingtofloataway!Itwouldstillbethere,even a hundred years from now!Ofcoursehekeptthesethoughtstohimself. First of all, he had been paidwell paid evenfor this trip to Ji. Next,andaboveall,histwopassengersmadehis skin crawl.TheJudgeseyesneverlefttherockymassthatwastheirdestination.Hisfrozenstaredidntshowtheslightestemotion.Andthefootmankepthiseyesonthefisherman.Asifreadytoderailany plot the fisherman might be planning.Or as if he were planning one himself.Thefishermandidntlethisimaginationgoanyfurther,andhelethimselfbeabsorbedinthecontemplationofadistantflockofgracefulswans,flyingabovethewaves.Onemorelookateitheroneofhispassengersandhewouldhavethrownhimself overboard. Idontknowwhichonebroughtabouttheother,butmycuriosityformyancestorMazAchemgrewatthesametime as my interest in the history of theHoly City. I studied the chronicles withMazRl,myteacher,butresearchedAchem alone and in secret. Keeping mypersonalstudiessecretmayhavebeentheonlylieIevertoldmyparents.IsupposeIshouldregretit,butIcant.EverythingIdiscoveredwasfascinating.The records of that era describe MazAchemasamodelofvirtuefortheentireEurydianworld.Atleastuntil771.Afterthatdate,hewasonlymentionedforhisheresy.Ilookedfortheeventthatcouldexplainhistransformation.Logically,hemusthaveexperiencedsomethingoutoftheordinary,somepainfulexperience;nothingelsecouldexplainwhyhechanged so much in so little time.Myresearchopenedupanewmystery.ThefirstaccountsofMazAchemsstrangebehavior,althoughvague, appeared after his return from adiplomaticmissioninLorelia,whichkepthimoutoftheHolyCityformorethan fifty days, five full dkades.Despitemyefforts,Icouldneverfindanythingaboutthismission:thegoal,theresult,orevenwhowaspartof it. My quest was going to come to anendjustasitwasgettinginteresting.However,Eurydismusthaveheardmyprayersbecausesomenewhintswereexposedafewyearslater,afterIhadmore or less given up.DuringadidacticcoursefromMazRl on the Uborre Dynasty of Goran, IlearnedthattheEmperorMazrelhadlostasononastrangemissiontoasmallLorelienisland.ThedatematchedupwithAchemstravels.Myhoperekindled,Idelvedbackintomyresearch,thistimeintheGoranesearchives.Isummonedmycouragetoleave Ith and travel to the capital of theGrandEmpire;theknowledgewasworth it.Ifinallygotapieceofthetruth.IntheEurydianyear711,compelledbyacertainNoltheStrange,diplomatscamefrommostofthekingdomsoftheknownworldforameetinginLorelia.MazAchemandtheGoranesePrinceVanamel were among the attendees.Theyalldisappearedunderstrangecircumstances,beforereappearingtwomoonslater,withoutbeingabletorecallwhathadbecomeofthosewhoweremissingorwhathadhappened.The whole affair was known only to theroyalcourtsandthenfadedintooblivion along with the deaths of thoseinvolved.Iwasfarfrombeingsatisfied.ThestorywasntdetailedenoughtohelpmeunderstandAchemstransformation.Iresolvedtoattacktheproblemfrom a different angle.Iwouldstudyhisforbiddenteachings. Zamerinewalkedrespectfullyalongtheislandsshore,asifhetreadedonthesacredsoilofLusanitself.Fewofhisfellowfollowershadeverhadthischance,afactthataddedtohissatisfaction.Overthepastseveralmoons,JihadbecomeacentralconcernforZuaandherJudges.Never,inthehistoryofthecult,hadsomanyoftheGoddesssmessengers been solicited to deliver hersentence.In his own way, Zamerine rejoiced attheopportunitytobringjustice.Hesavoredthepridehefeltincontributingto the Great Work. The only thing he wasmissingwasthesatisfactionofajobwelldone.ThemenZamerinehaddispatchedtoJitofinishthejobhadneverreturned.Norhadasingleoneofthepatheticmenwhowentwiththem,forthatmatter.Butthatonlybotheredhimalittle.HismessengershadperishedservingtheirGoddess.Fortheirwork,theywouldindulgeinthedelightsofLusanforeternity.AZumessengercouldnthopeforabetterdestiny.Losing a few men from the Guild wasnotaproblem,either.Noonewouldmissthem.Noteventheirso-calledbrothers,thosewhohadsurvivedandmadenoefforttoprotectthebodies.Zamerinefeltnothingbutcontemptforthese thugs.HeturnedbacktowardDyree,hisassistant.Withtheirboatdestroyed,theGuildbrothershadbeenstuckontheislandsincetheeveningbefore.Theywouldhaveboweddownbeforehimifhehadasked.Instead,hequicklyextinguishedtheirhopeofaquickrescue.Zamerineletthemknowthathedidntintendtobringthembacktothecontinent,sincetheyhadproventobeinept.Theywereallquicktopromisehimeternalloyalty,whichwasalwaysuseful.Assuch,hewasabletogetadetailedaccountofthepreviousnightsevents,withouthavingtopryitfromthem, which saved him precious time.Hisassistantappearedathissidetotell him that the daggers of the deceasedwere nowhere to be found. It was a greatsacrilegetoleavea hatidaggerinthehandsofanyonewhowasntamessenger,soZamerinetoldthebrothers,asafinalconditionfortheirrescue, to return the sacred blades.Sinceittookawhilefortheaccusations to surface about which of thebrotherswastoblame,Zamerinehadtakenawalk.Buthecouldntwasteanymore time. So he simply said, Kill themall, Dyree.Dyreeslidtowardthesmallgroup,and two men fell to their knees.Wait!oneofthemyelled.ItwasMicaeir;itwashim!Hehasthedaggers!Theaccusedmanfledwithoutevenputtingupafight.Hecrumbledtothesand before he could take ten strides, hislast two with a hati in his chest.Zamerinehimselfkilledtheonewhohadrattedhimoutforhavinghidthisinformationforsolong.Hegavetheothers the benefit of the doubt.Dyreegatheredupthedaggers,andtheyleft.Theoldfishermanwasthecolor of the pale moon, and dumbstruck.Zamerinebrieflywonderedwhathewoulddowiththeiroldcaptain,butquicklyforgotthisinsignificantdetail.Twomoreimportanttaskswereathandfor now.Thefirstone,unpleasantasitwas,wastoinformthe Accuserthatsomeoftheheirs,theguilty,hadstillnotreceived their sentences.Thesecondwastofixthat.Hecelebrated his chance to hunt. It had beenyears since his last time. His only desirewasthathispreyliveduptohisexpectations. Achemhadwrittenagreatnumberofspeeches,lectures,andcollectionsofhisideas;Iwassureofit.However,Ihaddifficultyobtainingevenafewofthem, all the more so since I had to actdiscreetly.ThewritingsintheHolyCityslibrarieswereuncensored,evenifjudgedtobeconflictingwiththeMoral.Itwasheldthatthestudyoferroneoustheoriescouldjustaswellhelp novices progress toward the threevirtues.AndthatitwasbesttodiscusstheseideasundertheguidanceofanexperiencedMazassoonaspossible,ratherthanleavingtheyoungeststudents to face them alone.ItwasdifferentfortextswhoseauthorwashimselfpartoftheTemple.Thoseweremuchtoodangerous.Andso, the few copies of Achems writing Ifoundallissuedfromprivatearchives,whichIcouldneverhaveconsultedwithoutMazRlsinfluenceandreputation as a virtuous teacher. I doveintoreadingthem.Itwasreadilyapparenttomethatmygreat-grandfatherwascompletelyhealthyinmindandwasawareofhisacts.Heexpressedhisideaswithintelligence,reflection,andknowledge;hemusthave been a great Maz.It was only the theme of his lecturesthat was troublesome.Ithhadbeenpeacefulformorethaneightcenturies.Althoughthecityshistory had always been tied to the cultofEurydis,agreatnumberofotherreligionsmadeaplaceforthemselvesthere,andtheGrandTempleacceptedthemall.Therewerecertainlyafewsquabblesatonetimeoranotherbetweenhotheadednovices,butnothing too serious.Achemsuggestedaless-tolerant,more aggressive cult. According to him,theuniversalquestfortheMoralwasfarfromreachingitsend.AlltheMazhadtoprecipitatethings.Toconvertwith all their might.Thefirstobjectivewasthedissolutionofthedemonistcults,byforce if necessary. According to Achem,peaceful Ith had to declare war againstthefollowersoftheKlur,Prias,andYooscults;againstthemessengersofZua;thegirlsofSoltan;theValipondes; and dozens of others.At the time, none of these cults wererepresentedintheHolyCity.AchemproclaimeditwasIthsmoraldutytocharterboats,recruitsoldiers,toformanarmy.Itsinourpeoplesblood,heremindedthem.Maz AchemwantedacrusadeagainstEvil.Hecalledforwar,atthesametimelamentingitstragicconsequences.ThiswasthecostoftheMoral,anditneededtobepursued with urgency.WhathappenedontheislandofJi?Whatdidhelivethroughthatsotransformed him?A tragic event delayed my search forawhile.Withinafewdaysspan,bothofmyparentsfellfatallyill.Asfortheiragony,itenduredforamoon,nearly three dkades.OfcourseIspentallmytimewatching over them. I wouldnt go intodetailabouttheseterribledaysduringwhichmythoughtswereathousandleaguesfromtheactionsofmyancestor,ifacertaineventhadntconnectedthistragedytothecenturiespast.Inhislastmoments,myfatherinsistedthatIrecordhislastwillandtestament. I was to finish a few tasks hehadbegun,allseeminglyinsignificanttomebutimportantinhiseyes.Hedidntwanttoleaveanythingunfinished as he left this world.Amongotherrequests,hemadememakeastrangepromise:toburnMazAchemsjournalifiteverfellintomyhands.Thewindwasknockedoutofme.Maz Achems journal! He had written ajournal!Iagreedtomyfathersrequest,alreadyhavingresolvedtoreadthetextbeforedestroyingit,sincethiswouldntbreakthevowImade.Andthen I avidly questioned him about it.He wasnt even sure that the journalexisted.Accordingtofamilymemory,Achem,unabletoconvincetheEmaz,unveiledpartofitscontentstooneofthegrandpriestsasalastresort.Thiseventpurportedlyspurredhisultimatedismissal from the Temple.Thisnewtrailwaspromising.Butduringthedkadesthatfollowedmyparentsdeath,Inolongerhadmuchinterest in anything.Notlongafter,IreceivedaletterfromacertainXan,fromPartacle.Hehadheardthenewsandofferedhiscondolences. He also invited me to joinsomekindofcelebrationreunitingthedescendantsofthewiseoneswhohad,acenturybefore,takenpartinthestrange voyage to the isle of Ji.Stilltooburdenedbygrief,Iresponded with a short letter of thanks,declining the invitation. My passion forthisoldstoryhadbeenputtorest.Furthermore,Iwasterriblyafraidtoleave Ith and to meet with strangers.Of course things are different now.SomeonehiredtheZukillersanddesignatedmeatarget.IhadtofleeIth,toseekrefugeinamodesttemplenear Mestbe, a dkades voyage away.I visited the house that sheltered myancestorduringhisfinalyears.Itstillbelongedtoabranchofthefamily,somedistantcousinsIneverknew.Idiscoveredthattheyhadalreadybeenassassinated by the Zu.The journal wasnt there. Or was nolonger there. Or worse, never existed.Thereisonlyonewaytoknowforsure.BOOK III: THEJUDGMENT OF ZUA Therainviolentlybatteredthepoorlyassembled slate tiles, and the cacophonywasdeafening.Inthefulldarknessthatwas the ninth and penultimate deciday, itwaseasytoimaginethatanarmyofspriteswasdancingajigontheroof.Andthat,atanymoment,itcouldcollapseundertheweightofasingleportly dancer.Two men argued underneath the porchofasmallfarm,afewmilesfromwealthyLorelia.Onewasstooped,small,andforsomereasonmusthavepreferredtokeephisbreathsmellingfoulbecauseanyoneelsewouldhaverinsed out their mouth several times withanextractfromtherosesofManive,ifthey reeked as he did.Theothermanwasyoungandgood-looking,ofmediumheight,andcouldcounthisfriendsononehand.Ofwhichthefirstmanwasnotone.Thetoneoftheirstrangeconversationintensifiedwith each exchange.Imnotaskingformuch,anyhow.Twonights.Justtwonightsinyourwarehouse.Youwontevenhavetoworryaboutus!Comeon,whatdifference does it make if you rent it outtostoremerchandiseortopeople?asked the young man.Itsverydifferent,thelittleoneresponded,hopelesslysearchingforconvincingarguments.Itsmuchmoredangerous.Anditsoutoftheordinary, thats all.Idontseehowitsanymoredangerousthansmugglingpastthegatesof Lorelia! the younger one lied.Theshortonefranticallysignaledforhimtolowerhisvoice,asiftheywereright in the middle of a meeting of royaltaxcollectors.Theyoungermanseemedto be enjoying himself.Hechanted,Junianwine!BeerfromCyr!Spicedoranges!StatuesfromJrusnie! Cloth from Phar!Stop it!Ezominestones!OilfromCrek!Goraneseblades!Jewels!RajitheFerrymanswarehousewelcomesanymerchandiseyoucanoffer,withoutpayingthesmallesttaxtotheCrown!Not a single tice for Bondrian! Yes, Rajicansmuggleandstoreanything,exceptfor friends. His tone dropped at the lastpronouncement.Stop,please,stop.Itsnotfunnyatall. Youre going to cause problems.Showmewheretheresacollectoraround here.Rajilookedintotheshadowsofthesurroundingcountryside.Hiseyeshovered over the jokesters companions,whohadallstayedintheirsaddles,atthe edge of the shadows, and didnt lookliketheywantedtointervene.Therainseemedtobetheleastoftheirworries.Infact,theywerealreadysoakedtothebone.Thelittlemanranhishandsthroughhisgrayhaironemoretime,unabletotame it. He cursed Dona, the goddess ofmerchants, who didnt seem to be on hissidethisnight.Whathave yougottenyourselfintoanyway?heasked,embarrassed. Did you kill someone?Youguessedit,theotheroneresponded. The Count of Kolimine.What?Rajiexclaimed,hiseyesbulging with fear.And his dog. I really regret having tokill the dog.The smuggler stared at the young mandumbly,notknowingifheshouldbelievehim.HehadbeenthevictimofReys comedy acts many times before.Oneofthehorsemenseparatedfromtherestofthegroupandapproachedthem.Rajistiffenedandputhishandonthehandleofthedaggerathisbelt,justasherealized,notwithoutsurprise,thatthe horseman was a horsewoman.Shestatedcalmly,MasterRaji,wehavenointentionofbringingyoutrouble.Wesimplywouldliketotakeshelter from the rain, and give one of ourown, who is slightly ill, a chance to rest.Iwouldbegratefulifyouofferedusyour hospitality.Thediminutiveman,turnedsuddenlyshy, hopped from one foot to the other innervousthought.Hisclientswererarelythisrespectful.Thewholeaffairdidntpleasehim.Itwasobviousthatthesepeoplewererunningfromsomething dangerous, but he didnt knowhow to refuse them.Fine,fine.Justfortonight,thatsit!AndIdontwanttoseeanyofyouwalkingaroundoutside.Horses,men,women,children,youwillallstayhiddenrightupuntilyouleave.Now,Imgoingtotrytogobacktosleep,ifyoudontmind.Rey,youknowtheway.ReywonderedhowRajicouldsleepwith the racket from the rain on his slateroof. He watched him disappear into thelittlehouseandclosethedoor,andthenhe turned to the horsewoman.Corenn,yourinterventionvexedme,hesaidsmiling.Iwasnotyetreadytoshowyouhowgentlemanlymyfriends can be.Mostoftheotherhorsemenhaddismounted.Anarmedman,clothedentirely in black leather, shouted at Rey,Whatwasthatallabout,thatactaboutthecollectors?Youcantdoanythingnormally, can you?Normally?Whatdoesthatwordmean, Grign?Cut it out with your nonsense. Whereis the warehouse?Not far. Follow me.Bowbaqfellasleeponhishorse,remarked a young woman with dark hair.Poorhorse.Wakehimup,Lti,Corenn asked her niece.Theyoungwomangentlyshookthegiantnorthernersarm,andthenmoreandmorevigorously.Bowbaqlookedenormousonhishorseashegroanedsomethingunintelligiblewhilerubbinghiseyes.Thenhedescendedoffhissaddle,ifthatwastherightwordtodescribethemovementthatbroughthimtotheearth,whichwasbarelyafootlower.AyoungKaulien-lookingmanapproachedRey,whowasleadingthegroup.Yan,whonormallyhadsuchanhonestandopenface,woreanexpressionofasecretconspiratorthatmadetheactorsmilebeforeYanevenasked his question.Youve smuggled before?Ivedonemyshare,yes.Likeanybodywhotravelsoften,Ithink. Youbuyhere;yousellthere.Noharmtoanyone. Right, Grign?Maybe. Ive done it on occasion. ButatleastIneverneededawarehouse.Nothing premeditated or on such a largescale.Reydidntbothertorespond.HepreferredtonothavetobroachthesesnippetsofhispastinfrontofCorenn,Bowbaq,orLti.Hebroughtthemtoawoodenbuildingthathadallthecharacteristicsofastableandentered,followedbyhisfriends.Grignleftthedooropen,longenoughforhimtolightanoil lampbythefeeblelightofthecrescentmoon.Thenhesurveyedtheplace, as he always did.Thisisntverybig,andtherainisleakingthroughallover,Bowbaqcommented with a sleepy voice.Corennreplied,Weneedsomepeace and quiet for a while. Your woundneeds to heal.But I dont feel it anymore, Corenn,he responded while gently massaging hisside.Hefrozeinthemiddleofhisgesture,andthendoubledoverinpain.Thehorsebackridehadntmadethingsanybetter.Grignand Yanrushedoverto hold him up.Restassured,Reyinterrupted,thewarehouse is beneath our feet.Heshowedthemtheproofbypullingupanenormoustrapdoor,whichhadbeenconcealedbeneathathickcushionofmoiststraw.Ltigazedatthedarkchasm opening near her feet.Weregoingtospendthenightinthere?Ivedoneitbefore,theactorresponded.Itsalotmorecomfortablethan it looks.Grign objected, I dont like it. ThisRajidoesntreallyinspiremuchconfidence. He could very easily lock usdown here.Nosuchrisk.Itsnotjustacellar;itsalsothedeparturepointforatunnelthatbringsyoustraighttoLorelia.TheydontcallRaji TheFerrymanfornothing.Thewarriormumbledawayhisdoubtsandwalkeddowntheshoddystairstohavealookforhimself.Bowbaq admired his courage, while Ltiremarkedwithdisgust,Itmustbeteeming with bugs down there.Bowbaqsurelyknowshowtoconvincethosepeststoleaveusalone,theactorsaidjokingly.Thegiantdidntbothertorespond.ReydidntseemtounderstandthatBowbaqserjakpowerscouldonlybeusedwithmammals.Hecouldneverreachthe spiritofsomecockroach,reptile,orotherprimitivespecies.Evenwitharodent,theconnection was very difficult.TheypatientlywaitedforGrign,who was clearly taking his time, to comeback. Finally, he returned.So?Itshouldwork,thewarrioradmitted almost grudgingly to Rey.Itoldyouso.Itsclean,sufficientlyventilated,andverywellisolated.Didyoureallythinksomeonewouldleaveafortuneofmerchandisetorotinagrimyhole?Theydecidedtosettleinbeforewasting any more time. The horses wereunsaddledandfed,andtheirloadsbroughtdowntothehidingplace.Whentheyhadmadetheirlasttrip,Grignclosedthetrapdoorwithanapprehensive frown. Afterward, he spentagoodamountoftimepacingabout,smoothinghismustache.Thewarriorwouldntresteasyuntiltheylefttheplace.Yanseternallycuriousspiritpushedhim to explore the surroundings. It was astunningcellar,bothbyitssizeandtheobviouscaretakeninitslayout.Eventhoughthewallsgentlycurved,theroomswerearrangedinrectangles.Allthreeroomsaddedtogethercouldnthavebeensmallerthanfortybytwenty-five yards.Thebiggestsectionwastheonesituatedrightbelowthetrapdoor.Thewallstherewererudimentary,simplysupportedwiththickplanksofhardwood. The ground was covered in athinlayeroffinesand,andtheceilingwasreinforcedwithenormouscrossbeams.Thoughtheplacewasntpretty, at least it felt like a solid shelter.Even the thundering rain was now only adistant murmur.Torcheshadbeeninstalledalongregularintervals.Grignhadalreadylitseveral,whichgaveenoughlightforthem to appreciate the sight before them.Thousandsofpoundsofmerchandise,mostofitwrappedinclothforprotection,waitedthere:boxesof allsizes,chests,bags,andbarrels.Theitems sat on shelves, or in niches carvedout of the wall, or were simply piled onthe ground in disorder.Asimpleboardseparatedthefirstroomfromthesecond,butthefinishingofthesmallerroomwasdistinctlysuperior.Thewallswerecompletelybuiltup,thegroundcoveredbywoodenslats,whichmadeamorethanrespectablefloor.Theceilinghadbeenleveledoutandwhitewashed.Takentogether,thesetouchesgavetheroomsufficientinsulation,makingiteasytopreservethemostperishableitems.Reysuggestedtohisfriendsthattheysleepthere,butthedecisionhadalreadybeenmade.Storedtherewereexoticvegetablesandfruits,andYanfoundthemlessinteresting than the mysterious objects inthe first room.Thelastroomwassealedoffbyaheavyoakdoor,furnishedwithanimpressive lock. It was bolted.Do you know whats in there, Rey?Yan asked.Of course, I already opened it. Its atiny room.Raji stores his mostvaluablemerchandise in there, as well as his owntreasure.Itsobviouslythemainreasonhe was hesitant to let us in.Yanthankedtheactor,cuttingofftheconversation.HewasunsureifhewantedtoknowwhatReymeantbyIalready opened it.ThelastdetailaboutthecellarwasthefamoustunneltoLorelia.Theentrywaywasusuallyblockedbyasecretdoorsecuredbyawoodenbeam,butGrignhadclearedthewayshouldtheyneedanescape.Thetunnelwaslargeenoughforthreementowalksidebysidewithoutbumpingintooneanother, though nothing guaranteed that itwould remain that wide along the wholetunnel. Yan wandered down the tunnel adozenyardsbeforeGrignaskedhimtocomeback.Whichimmediatelyprompted Lti to rush after Yan, until sheencounteredawizenedoldrat.SheandYanbothreturnedoftheirownaccordandaskedthattheyclosethedoorandseal it with the beam.BowbaqwasalreadysleepingwhenCorennandLtiinstalledamakeshiftpartition,usingacurtain,anddisappearedbehindit,wishingtheothersagoodnight.Grignmadeonelastroundandfinallylethimselfrestabit.ReycamebackfromthefirstroomwithabottleofJunianwine,offeredsome to Yan, and then set about finishingit himself, following the young Kaulienspoliterefusal.Henoddedoff,shortlythereafter.Yandimmedthelampandgotcomfortable,lettinghismindwanderashewaitedforsleeptoovertakehim.Ithad been only two dkades since he hadlefthissmall,nativehamletofEza.Sincethen,hehadbeeninsulted,knockedunconscious,robbed,hunted,andthreatenedwithtortureanddeath.Hehadtakenpartinseveralfightsandhad seen men fall to the ground, never torise.Hehadridhimselfofanenemybythrowingarockathisface.Severaltimes,hehadnarrowlyescapeddeath.Hisclosebrushonthecliffwasespeciallystronginhismind;hecouldstillseeLtispanickedexpression,suspended forty yards above the reefs.Thismemorysnappedhimoutofhisreveriecompletely.Hehadtheimpressionofrelivingit.Hisdespair,his powerlessness and then his suddenrage;hisfiercedesiretosaveher,asifeverymorselofhisbeingexistedonlyforthisreason.Andhehadsucceeded.Thathadhappenedonlyninedecidaysago.Notevenafullday.HisWillwasstilljustasstrong.Concealed,sleeping,butsupreme.Heknewhewouldneverbethesame,andyetnotknowingwhatthis meant, he still rejoiced in it.Corennhadsaidthatsomethinghadbeentriggeredinhim.Thattheywouldneedtohavealongconversationsoon,thatshewouldhelphimunderstand.Hecould barely wait.Sincethedaybefore,theyhadnthadanytimeforit.AfterescapingthetrapsprungbytheZuonJi,theyhadreturned to Berce to collect their horses.Grignchasedawaytwothieveswhowerepostedneartheirhorseswithoutevendrawinganarrow.BowbaqandRey,whohadbeenonfootuntilthen,hadstolentwohorsesfromtheassassins. Then the little group distanceditself from the dangerous village.Choosingtheiritineraryhadbeenalongdiscussion.GrigngrudginglyresignedhimselftostayingwithReysso-calledfriend,someonewhomtheactorpresentedasbeingreliableandgenerous, a man of rare integrity. But thedebatebetweenthewarriorandMotherCorennsurroundingtheirdestinationafterward had been long, very long.OnceagainitwasReywhocameupwiththeidea.Loreliawashishometown, and he knew it like the insideofhispocket.TheSmallPalacemarketwas among those places he had come toknow particularly well.IntheSmallPalacealltradewasunregulated,aslongastheCrownwasguaranteedalargecommissiononanydealsandnooneposedathreattoit.Inthismarket,theheirswouldbeabletomeettheZuonneutralgrounds.Andperhaps barter for their safety.As an accomplished diplomat, Corenndidntwanttooverlookanybloodlessopportunitytoescapetheirsentence.Grign absolutely refused to do businesswiththeassassinsandthoughtitwouldbelessdangeroustojumpdirectlyontoan open blade than to meet with the Zu.For him, this idea was a complete folly.Foronce,Reykepthimselffromintervening in the discussion between thegroups two leaders. Corenn had the lastword,andthewarriorspenttherestofthedaybrooding.HecouldntunderstandhowtheMothercouldalways get her way without even raisingher voice.Theheirsweregoingtoappearbefore the Zu. Yans last thought beforefalling asleep was to wonder if that wasreally a good idea. Ltiopenedhereyesslowly,surprisedforamomentthatshecouldntseethebright sun, before remembering that theywereunderground.Eventhoughitwasalmostpitch-blacktheonlylightsource, an oil lamp, was blocked by thecurtainshecouldtellthatthedayhadbegun.She stood and stretched languorously.Corennwasnotyetawake.Ltiskirtedaroundhersleepingbody,quicklyslippedonsomeclothes,andventuredoutfrombehindthehangingcurtain.Afterbarelymorethanfoursteps,Grignshotupfromhisbed,bladeinhand. She signaled to him that it was she,andthewarriorlaybackdownwithasurly grumble.SheapproachedYanonhertiptoes.Hewasstillsleeping,likeCorenn.Sherememberedthefaintnessthathadtakenoverhisbody,afterhisintenseefforttosaveher.Hisrestwasmorethanmerited. Lti sat next to him and watchedhimwithatender,pensiveface.YanhadntaskedforherPromise,whichmeanthedidntloveher.Buthewasstillherfriend,andsheowedhimherlife.EvenifshehadtomarrysomeoneelsenowReysimagefurtivelycaressedhermindYanwouldalwaysbe her best friend.Leisurely, Lti lay next to him and letherself be soothed by comforting imagesofthefuture.HerandRey,Yanandawomanofhischoosing,happilydiscussing their childrens personalities,and those of the other heirs.Shecouldnthelpbutremembertherealityoftheirsituation,anditblightedherdreaming.Thisfuture,theZuwantedtotakeitfromthem.Theyhadalready taken so many dreams, from her,her friends, and from all the other heirs.Unconsciously,herfistsclenchedandherbodystiffened.Shewouldntletthem. Never again.Fallingbackasleep,shedreamedofthreejeeringandmenacingwarriors.One would lose a hand, the other an eye,andthelastwouldfallintotheabysswith her.Thenightmaresthatcameafterthisone seemed almost pleasant. RajitheFerrymanhadaverybadnight.Thesunhadrisenandtherainhadcalmed before he managed to fall asleep.Hefinallysuccumbedtofatigue,onlytowakeupinthemiddleofthethirddeciday,toolate,muchtoolateintheday!Heranovertothewarehousewithouteventakingthetimetodresshimself.Thefactthatthestrangershorseswerestill therewasntenoughtocalm his worries. Any smart thief wouldhavepreferredtoleavetheirhorseandreachLoreliaundergroundwithhistreasure!Afterremovingthemoiststrawcovering from the trapdoor, he pulled ontheringthatwouldopenthedoor.Itdidnt budge an inch. He tried one moretime,pullingwithbothhands,butwithnomoresuccessthanthefirsttime.Hekneltandpoundedonthewood,callingfor Rey with his strongest voice, alreadyconvinced that the cellar was empty.Against all his expectations, he heardsomeonerappingonthedoorinresponse,andthedooropened.Rajidovedownthestairsfasterthanastartled animal running from its prey.Why did you lock it? Raji screamedat the actor.A blade appeared at his throat just asanirongrippinnedhisarmbehindhisback. The smuggler didnt make a move,settlingforafrightenedglanceattheyoung blond man in front of him.Rey pretended to be annoyed, lookingattheshadowthathadslippedbehindRaji.Grign,whatwillourhostthink?Thatwearethieves?Ionlyborrowedafew bottles, and that was only to stauncha truly inhuman thirst. Raji, you wouldnthold that against us, would you?No, of course not.Quitplaying,Grignordered.Goandtakealookaroundupstairstomakesure everythings all right.Reyquietlyclimbedupthestairs,smilingatRajissloppyattire.Thesmugglerwasonlywearingasimpleclothwrappedaroundhiswaist,ofquestionablefreshness,butthatwastheleastofRajisworriescomparedtothecold steel he could feel on his throat.Attemptingtojestasheopenedthedoor,Reycriedout,Grign,wait!Dont let him go, were surrounded by agang of ducks armed to the teeth.GrignletoutaresignedsighandfreedRaji,whoquicklyputarespectabledistancebetweenhimselfand the warrior. All of his guests werenowstaringathimfromthedoorwaytothesecondroom.Twowomenwereamong them. The smuggler had never feltso uncomfortable.Itsbeautifulweather,Reyannounced,returningfromhisinspection.Itsgoingtobeabeautifulday.Somuchthebetter,somuchthebetter, Raji mumbled awkwardly. Youwill make good time, soReyinterruptedhim,puttinghisarmaroundhisshoulder,Comenow,oldfriend,yourenotgoingtothrowusoutalready!?Ourcompanionoverthereishurt and needs his rest.Ow!Bowbaqmoanedinpoorparodyofsomeonesufferingfromstomachpains.Thenhefoldedover,thepain from his wound truly awakened thistime. Corenn helped him to his bed.Wouldntthatbeagainstallthefraternal laws of the Guild? Rey asked.Um,asamatteroffact,IhaveafeelingtheGuildwouldnt betoohappyto know that were friends.What? Youmeantotellmethatyouarescaredofthoselittlehoodlums,afamous crook like you?Reygrabbedhimbythetowelcovering his body and shook him firmly,asiftheyweretwooldaccomplices.Rajididhisbesttokeephimselfcoveredinfrontoftheyoungwoman,who found all of this very amusing.All right! All right! He finally gavein, mortified. Stay as long as you want,Idontcare!Only,itwillcostyoufivetercesperpersonperday.AndIdontwanttoseeyourummagingthroughthemerchandise!Five terces! But we could just rent aprincely inn at that priGrigncutReyshort,Wewillpay,andyouwonthaveanytroubleaslong you dont give us any.RajiobservedtheseriousfaceoftheRamgrithwarrior,agreed,andclimbedthestairwayasfastanddignifiedashecould.HepromisedhimselftonotgiveanyofferingstoDonaforseveraldkades. TheSmallPalacemarkettookplaceontheseventhdayofeachdkade.ItwasonlythefifthofthedkadeoftheBird.Themeetingwasonlytwodaysaway.Nevertheless,sinceeveryoneseemeddetermined to go through with this crazyplan, Grign wanted to get a look at theplaceandstudyitbeforethecrowdsinvaded.Thus,anexcursiontoLoreliawas on the agenda for the day.Ofcourse,thisdidntinvolveeveryone.Bowbaqhadtorestandwouldspendthedayinbed.Corennwouldstayathisside,eventhoughtheonlyonewhohadmuchknowledgeintheartofhealingwastheveteran,Grign. Corenn asked Yan to stay behindwiththemtoo.Theyoungmanunderstoodthattheyweregoingtohavethei r bigconversation.Heaccepted,wondering why he suddenly had a pit inhis stomach.Infact,forthesafetyofhiscompanions, Grign didnt want to bringanyone along. Lti and Rey launched intoamemorablechainofprotestsandargumentsthatwerehardlyconvincing.Thewarrioreventuallyconcededtotheactorspointthathemightneedaguideinthelargestcityoftheknownworld.ButGrignknewbetter,thatdespiteReyslackofrespectforauthority,hecould indeed prove useful. Grign knewReytoberebelliousenoughtoaccompanyhimanyway,regardlessofwhat he decided.ButhedidntgiveintoLti,andthetoneoftheconversationwasonthevergeofescalatingatanymoment.Finally,thewarriorsettleditbypromisingLtiafirstcombatlessoninthenearfuture.Ltipretendedtothinkaboutitforamoment,butacceptedwithouttheslightestobjection.ThewarrioravoidedmeetingCorennsdisapproving eyes and left to prepare.ItwasoutofthequestiontowalkaroundLoreliawiththeireverydayclothing. Naturally, for a disguise Grignplannedtosimplycoverhimselfinalargeblackcapeoflightfabric.Reypromisedhewouldmakehimselfunrecognizable,grabbedhispack,andslippedbehindCorennsimprovisedcurtain.HehadntyetreappearedwhenRajimadeanotherappearanceinthewarehouse.ThistimethelittlemanwasdecentlydressedandanauthenticGoranesebroadswordhungfromhisbelt.Grigncouldtellbyexperiencethatthelittlesmugglerwasntusedtocarryingaweapon.Hisbladespoorlylacedsheathshiftedarounduncomfortably,andRajirepeatedlyhadtorepositionit upright.Heevenmanagedtotripoverit,barelycatchinghisfallbyclingingtoabasketfullofWastille pears,endinghis stumblein anamusing posture.The little man pretended to ignore thepresence of the strangers and proceededtotakehisusualinventoryofgoodsthatweretobeferriedthatday.Afterconsulting one or another of his crookedrecordbooksthathekeptinpristinecondition,heplacedthisorthatbasket,chest,barrel,orothereccentriccontainer in the middle of the first cellar.Whenhejudgedthepilesufficient,hewent to the stable and came back pullinga donkey by the reins, dragging the pooranimal down the stairs. Although he hadcertainlymanagedthemaneuverhundredsoftimes,itnowfeltlikeachallenge.Atthatprecisemoment,Reydecidedtounveilhisdisguise.OratleastthepersonwhomusthavebeenRey,sincehehadafteralldisappearedbehindthecurtainafullcentidaybefore.Hiscompanionsexperiencedamomentofhesitation.Grignsreflexestookholdfaster than his reason, and he assumed acombatpositionbeforerecognizinghimas their friend.TheactorhaddisguisedhimselfasaZwitharedtunic,athickropeasabelt,andlacedshoes.Apartiallyopennovicesrobecoveredthewholeoutfit.Andmostnotably,thesinisterdagger,t h e hati,easilyrecognizableinitscrimson sheath.Alloftheredkillerstheyhadeverencounteredwerebald,butReyhadnodesiretotakethecostumethatfar.Hehadsimplypulledbackhisthickblondlocksinaponytailandpulledupthehood of the novices robe. Even his facedisappeared in the shadow.Theeffectwasstriking.JustthesightofthecostumegaveLtiaferocious,even animal desire for savagery.Wheredidyougetthat?askedCorenn.OffaZsback.TheonewhowaswaitingformeatMessshouse,tobeexact.Obviously,Isortofhadtokillhim before he let me take it.Someoneletoutascreamofterror,andtheheirsturnedtowardRaji.Thesmugglerwasattemptingtofleebutfoundthestairwayblockedbythedonkey.Thepooranimalhadnochoicebut to leap down the stairs four steps at atime to avoid falling.SoonRajiwasoutofview,andtheycouldonlyhearhisfrightfulscreamsbecomingmoredistant.Grignsighedbeforedashingoffinpursuit,likeacatchasingamouse,showinghisexasperationwithafewchoiceobscenities. Yan would not have liked tobe in the little mans place.Theywaitedafewmomentsforthewarriorsreturn.Reytried,unsuccessfully,togetalaughoutofhiscompanionswithaseriesofcruel,bloodthirsty scowls. He changed registerandsqueezedagrinoutofLtiashemimickedastupid-lookingZdroolinglike a toad.Grignreturnedsoonafter,proddingRajiforwardwithonehandwhileholding his broadsword in the other. Thelittlesmugglerwassopalethattheycouldalmostseehistonguethroughhischeeks. I suggest we either lock him uporgetoutofhere,thewarriorshouted.Ive had enough of this.Goaheadandleave,pleasemurmured Raji.Confining our host is not an option,Corennasserted.Mylord,RajiwasjustsurprisedbyReyansdisguise,isntthat right?WelltheZuarequiteruthless,youknow?IwouldntwantthemtocomestickingtheirnosesaroundhereThatwonthappen,Grigndeclared,handinghimbackhisbroadsword.Solongasyouholdyourtongue.Itstrue,Corennadded.Atthispointyouwouldbeconsideredouraccompliceiftheycametofindoutwhere we areOh, my oh myThelittlemantookhisheadinhishandsandpacedaroundaimlessly.Thecalmuniversehehadbuiltforhimselfhad just come tumbling down.Fortunately,wewillbegonefromhere before the eighth day of the dkade.Youve saved our life, my lord Raji.RajistaredattheMother,shruggedhisshoulders,andwithadispiritedairbeganloadingthedonkeywithhispileof goods.Yan admired the way Corenn had justassuredRajisloyalty.Theartofdiplomacycouldreallybemoreeffectivethanforce.Hehadbeenconvinced of it for some time, but it wasalways nice to see it in action.All attention fell back on Rey. He hadpreparedanarmyofargumentstoconvinceGrignthathisdisguisehadmerits,buthedidnthavetousethem.Thewarriormadenocomment.ThisvisittoLorelia,totheirenemies,wassurelydangerous.Soiftheoutfitcouldhelpkeepbystandersatadistance,itwould be perfect. Of course it would beacompletelydifferentmatteriftheyweretoendupface-to-facewiththegenuineredkillers.Suchanencounterwas destined to end in a fight.WhenRajifinallygraspedthatthestrangersplannedtoaccompanyhiminthe underground tunnel, he only emitted aweakprotest,morelikeawhine.Thenhesetoffintothetunnel,pullinghisdonkeybythereinsandsadlyshakinghishead.Reygrabbedatorchandfollowedafterhim,whileGrignbrought up the rear.Witheachsteptheactorfeltthewickeddaggerpoundingagainsthisthigh.Theredtunicrustledconstantly,andtheheavynovicesrobequicklyinducedasweat.HewasdressedlikeaZkiller,andhecouldbeheadingrightforthem.Afacepaintedwithaskullcame to haunt his thoughts and remindedhimofthenearlyfatalassaulttohisthroat.Heowedhissurvivaltomerechance.Despitehisswagger,theactorwas full of apprehension. As Yan closedthe gate behind them, he wondered if theinfallibleGrignwasinthesamestateof mind or if the warrior truly was crazyenough to not fear anything.Hecouldntdecidewhichbotheredhim more. Bowbaqwantedtogetupandwishhisfriends good luck before they left, but ashestood,thepainpromptlyassaultedhim, taking all his strength to hold back acry.Theworstwasntthepain,itwaswonderingifhewasgoingtolive.Hehad taken a dagger in his stomach. Hedsufferedmuchmoredangerouswoundsbefore,someofthemstemmingfromhisoccasionally brutal games with Mir. Thelionhadbrokenhiswrist,twofingers,and almost gashed his throat open duringaparticularlysavagebattle,whenthebeast had nearly forgotten whom he wasfighting.Butthisnewwoundhadbeenmadewithapoisonedblade.ThoughCorennwasperfectlyconfidenthewouldheal,Bowbaqcouldseetheendcoming.Heaskedhimselfwhathadbroughthimhere.Sofarfromhischildren,sofarfrom Ispen, his beloved wife, threatenedasmuchbytheZuashewas,justlikePradandIulane,andallhisfriendstoo.Andtheheirsstillhadnoideawhy,orhow to fix it.Thenightbefore,hefoundhimselfstandinginacaveonasmallisleintheMedian Sea, and he was shown a portaltoanotherworld. Amagicalportal.Thesecret of Ji.Thatnight,whilesleeping,itallbecamecleartohim.Herealizedhemustbetheonlyoneofhiscompanionstohaveanyideawhatthisotherworldcould be.He tried to forget it, but couldnt. If hesurvivedhiswound,hislifewouldneverbethesame.TherewouldbeabeforeJi.Allthathewouldlearnandknow now would be after.His wound shot such pain through hisstomachthathethoughthewouldneversleep.Whilehisbodyneededrest,hismind was too stimulated; it needed relieftoo.Hesuddenlyhadanurgetotalktosomeone.Hewantedtotalkabouthispossiblypendingdeath,hisfamily,hisexistence.TodiscusstheZutheirenemyandthemysteriesoftheisland.Hewantedtoshare,onemoretime,thisexperience with someone. A friend. Oneof the heirs.He opened his eyes to see the torchesdancinglightsonthecellarceiling.Ltiwas crouching next to him and gave himakindsmile.Thegiantbreathedathankfulsigh,clearedhisvoice,andbegan to tell his story. FromthemomentGrignandReyleft,CorennhadbeendirectinghergazetowardYan,herintelligenteyesgleamingintohisforalongtime.Theyoungmanimmediatelyfeltuncomfortable. Or rather in awe.Throughout his childhood, the Motherhad been nothing more to him than one ofLtisfewrelativeswhooccasionallycame for a visit to Eza. He later learnedthatCorennwasntreallytheyounggirls aunt, but a cousin of Norine, Ltismother.Laterstill,oncehewasgrownupenoughtounderstandinbroadtermstheorganizationofpowerintheMatriarchy, he realized that Corenn wasoneofthemostimportantpeopleinthecountry.He couldnt remember his impressionof her from before, but from that day on,hesawherasmorestern,moreserious,andmoreresponsiblethananyonehedever known. Intimidated, he had more orlessfledduringhervisits.CorennonlystayedinEzaforshortstints,anyhow.Everythreeyears,shewouldtakeNorineandLtitoLoreliaforafewdays. Yan had never asked why becausehe knew Lti would keep her secret.Well,nowheknew.Overthepasttwodkades,hehadgottentoknowCorennandlearnedtoappreciateher.TheMothersnumerousqualities,herintelligencejustoneofthem,madeherlikable to anyone. If he were asked whowasthemostfittoleadthegroup,YanwouldnothavesuggestedGrign.Despitethewarriorsexperienceintravelingandfighting,hewastoostubbornandwithdrawn.YanwouldhaveansweredCorenn,withouthesitation.The young man thought he knew moreorlesseverythingtherewastoknowaboutCorenn,butnowtheMotherofKauls Permanent Council was staring athimwithanodd,scheminglookthatgavehimthechills.Shehadpromisedhimalongconversation.Themomenthadcome.Yanunderstoodwithoutherhaving to say a word. He looked aroundtomakesurehewouldntforgetanything,unsurewhyhewasactingthisway. Then he shrugged his shoulders andfollowed the Mother to the stable.Hefeltjustasnervousasthenightbefore, when they saw the other world.Thememoryofthelushsun-ladenvalley made him sad, just as he felt whentheportalclosed,sealingoffitssecret.He nowunderstood that he wouldneverbe the same.WhataboutBowbaq?hemumbledtimidly,asifheweretalkingtoastranger.Hell be fine. Lti is keeping an eyeonhim.Ichangedhisbandagesearlier;hiswoundisveryclean,andIdontthink we have to worry about the poisonanymore.Theharmlesstoneinhervoicerelaxedhimsome,buttheMotherspensiveexpressionmadehimfeelanxiousagain.Theyleftthestableandwalkedinsilence.Thesunwasalreadyhigh above the horizon, and the Loreliencountrysiderejoiced.The songsofvorvansandvulturousblackbirdsfusedtogetherintheair.Thehoarsecryofamarinepheasantechoednearby,andwildboaransweredpromptlywithagroan. The fauna sensed the approachingseason of the earth and intended to makethemostoftherespitethesunnowoffered.Yan enjoyed imagining how scared todeathRajiwouldbe,knowingthathisguestswereoutsideintheopen,easilyseen and acknowledged by any passerby.Hewasntcompletelycomfortablewiththedangertheyimposedonthelittleman,butheknewthatGrignwouldratherdiethancauseaninnocentmantrouble.Besides,thesmugglerwouldsurely be handsomely compensated.Corenn remained silent. Yan gatheredhis courage and dove in.This long conversation, does it haveto do with the island, or me?TheMothersmiled,shootinghimasidelongglance,astheirwalkbroughtthemunderthefirsttreesofathickforest.YantheFisherman,yourenotsonaveanymore,shesaidmagisterially.It has to do with you, she added, aftera moment.Yanfelthisneckstiffen.Hehadsuspectedtheanswer,butwasalreadysorry to have been right.Corenndrewinalongbreathandbegan.Afterwhatyousawyesterday,Idontthinkyoullfindmyquestiontooodd.Yan,doyoubelieveintheimpossible?Yes,ofcourse,heansweredwithouthesitation.Thenhefelttheneedtoexplainhisimpulsiveresponse.Imean,Iveseenit,haventI?Weallhave.Anyonecangoaroundsayingthings,butthatdoesntproveanything.But yesterday I was there yesterday. Isawtheportal.Isawtheotherworld.Andifthosethingsarereal,thenotherscan be too.Corennstoppedandstretchedassheobservedthesurroundings.Hisansweramply satisfied her.Well! Like I thought, this is going tobeveryeasy.Letsstophereforamoment. I have something to show you.Consumedwithcuriosity,theyoungKauliensquattedinthegrassstillmoistwithdew.Corennunfoldedaclothshehadbroughtforthispurpose,satdownonit,andrestedherbackagainstthetrunkofayounglubileetree.Shelazilytookacoinfromherpurseandhelditout to the young man.Place it on the ground upright, on itsedge.Whereveryouwant,butcloseenough so that I can see it.Yanobeyed,wonderingwheretheMotherwasgoingwiththis.IfReyhadaskedhimtodosomethinglikethis,hewould have refused to play along, afraidthe actor was playing another one of hisjokes on him.Nowbackup.Andwatchthecoinclosely.With no idea what was going on, Yanwatchedtheengraved,metallicdiskintently.Itwasacompletelyordinarythree-queencoinfromtheMatriarchy,tarnishedbyoldage.Hardlyvaluableenough to buy a loaf of bread.Ashewaswatchingit,thediskwavered,andthenfelltoitsside.Yanimmediatelybentdownandplaceditbackonitsedge,andbegantoobserveagain.Did you see? Corenn asked.TheKaulienstaredather,confused.He hadnt seen or understood anything atall.Allright.Letstryagain.Lookatitmoreclosely,sheaddedwithamischievous smile.Yankneelednexttothecoinandconcentrated all of his attention on it. Hedidnt see a thing.Then the object vibrated slightly at itsbase,asiftouchedbyabreeze.Yanexpectedtoseeitfallagain,butnothinghappened.Then the coin started to turn in a slowspinningmotionthataccelerated,fasterandfaster.Whenthecoinfirstbegantot u r n , Yanthoughtitwasjustcoincidence,atrickofthewind.Itcontinuedtospin,fasterandfaster,andYan knew this was no accident. What hewaswitnessingbeforehimwasimpossible.Andwhereassomeoneelsemight have run off screaming in fear andanger,hefeltaninexplicablejoywashover him.Hetookhiseyesoffthecoinandlooked at Corenn, not understanding whyhe was smiling so much. Regaining someof his seriousness, he noticed the Motherlooked very focused. She would not takehereyesoffthecoin,andYanfinallyunderstoodthatCorennwasthesourceof this wonder. Corenn was a magician!He refocused on the little three-queencoin, now spinning so fast that it lookedlike a solid metal sphere. Then the littlebead lifted into the air.Theyoungmanwatched,mouthagape. The spinning globe froze two feetabovetheground,practicallyrightinfront of his eyes. He watched it turn fromeveryangleuntilhecouldntresisttheurge to wave a hand underneath it. Whenhe did, his fingers met no resistance andthe spell was in no way interrupted. Thecoin continued to spin.Hefinallyputbothhandsaroundthecoin,cuppingitlikeafirefly.Themovementslowed,andthethree-queencoingentlylaidtorestinhisleftpalm.Yan opened his hands, and contemplatedthecoinasifhewereseeingitforthefirst time.Corenn placed a hand on her foreheadandclosedhereyesforamoment.Shesuddenlyseemedexhausted.Sheletherheadrestagainstthetreetrunkbeforeturning to Yan with a wry smile.So did you see something this time?I didnt see a thing, Yan said with asmirk.Justanoldcoinspinninginmidair, thats all.The two of them, usually so reasoned,succumbedtoafitoflaughter:onethattheycouldnotjustifyorstop.Oncetheywere bothexhausted,theyletamomentofsilencegoby,andlistenedtothesongs of the forest.YanlookedatthecoinandCorenn,fromCorenntothecoin,notknowingwhereorwhenthenextwonderwouldoccur.So, YantheFisherman,theMotherinterrupted. Do you believe in magic?Yes, he answered very seriously.Good. Do you want to learn it? Grigncouldntwaittogetoutofthetunnel.Itwasntsomuchbeingundergroundthatbotheredhim.Hehadexperiencedthatheavyfeelingmanytimes before, like in the caves on Ji. No,it was more the narrowness of the tunnel.Although there was plenty of space, evenin the tightest sections, for two adults towalksidebyside,thewarriorfelthemmedin.Hewasthinkingaboutthepossibility of an attack.Insuchacorridor,itwouldbetoughforhimtoeffectivelyusehisfour-foot-longblade.Thedaggerwouldbehisbest option, but he didnt trust it one bit,thinking its use too dangerous and barelyeffectiveagainstseveralenemiesatonce. The bow would have been ideal ifthetunnelwerelighted.Butthethreemennavigatedthetunnelbytorchlightalone. Anydeterminedenemy,hidingintheshadows,wouldbediscoveredonlyafteritwastoolate.Theywereeasytargets,soGrignwalkedwithhisshoulder against the wall.Moreover,hehatedbeingledbyastranger, trusting a man who had so littlereasontohelpthem.ForthistunnelwasntjustapassagethatledfromRajis farm to Lorelia, it was one of themanyveinsinagenuineundergroundnetwork,whichmusthavespannedseveralleagues.Theyhadalreadyintersectedsix secondarytunnels,allofwhich had been walled off. So the routewas obvious, but there was no guaranteeit would be that way for the entire lengthof the passage.Grignslippedbythedonkey,whichwasweigheddownbymerchandise,towalknexttothesmuggler.Rajitriedtoignorehim,buthisworriedfacemadehis discomfort obvious.How old is this tunnel?Rajistaredatthewarrior,asifassuring himself that Grigns attempt atconversationwasntsomekindofbait.Grignsimpassivefacecomfortedhima little.Imnotsure.Mygrandfatheruseditinhistime,soatleastfiftyyearsold.WhenIwasdiggingmythirdcellar,afewyearsago,IfoundthetipofaRominianlance.Thetunnelmightdateall the way back to the Epoch of the TwoEmpires.Thatwouldbemorethaneighteons, Rey interrupted, Thats a lot.Grigncontinued,Andyourfamilyhas been smuggling this whole time?Sincemygrandfather,Rajiproudlyresponded,falselyassumingthewarriors opinion. But no one has beenas successful as me!Surelyoneofthesedaysyoullgetcaught,itseemstooeasy,Grignanswered without animosity.Raji gives a portion of his profits tohiscollector.Iveheardhesverygenerous, Rey chimed in.Rajigrumbled,Whydontyouscream it on the rooftops?Wheredotheothertunnelsgo?Grign asked.ToLorelia,likethisone,orsomewhere nearby. What does it matter?Most of them are either caved in, or toowellknown,evenbythemilitia.Mygrandfathermusthavedugforsixyearsto clear out this one. I walled off all theones that fed into it many years ago. Iveneverhadanyworries,beforeyoushowed up.Someone bold and even just halfwayclevercouldknockdownoneofthesewalls and rob your warehouse.Rajiraisedhiseyebrows.TheideaspouringoutofthisGrigndidntpleasehim at all. He grumbled, You cant trustanyone.Reyburstoutlaughingandwhoopedforagoodmoment.Grignfounditoppressive to hear such idiotic chortlinginthissordidunderground.Hebegantoregret bringing the actor along.Reytoldmethatthetunnelopensinto the cellar of an inn. Is it yours?ImnotsureIwanttoansweranymoreofyourquestions. Youcanstayinmy warehouse, you can come along withmeagainstmywill,butIhavenoobligationtomakeconversationwithyou.The little man had gathered up all hiscourageforthistiradeandmentallyprepared himself to deliver a barrage ofinsults should Grign touch him.Reyburstintoanewroundofhystericallaughter. Thesepeoplearedemented, Raji thought.Grignhadafuriousurgetopinhisbladetothefoul-smellingmansthroattofindoutwhathewanted.HeheldhimselfbackonlyonceheconsideredCorenns wishes.Ijustwantedtoknow,hewhispered with a self-restraint he didntknow he had, if we are going to surfacein the middle of a group of brothers whowillimmediatelyrushtowarntheGuild.Well,therellbebrothersallright,Raji joked.Seeingthewarriorsicystare,hequicklyadded,Imean,justmyassociateandhistwostooges.Goodpeople, no need to fear, master Grign.Thewarriorstaredatthelittlemanfor a while, without saying a word.This idea was nothing but madness. Inhisweakenedstate,andwantingtoexpressthefullcomplexityofhisemotions,BowbaqsometimeshadtroublefindingtherightwordsintheItharelanguage.Theothershadabettercommand of the religious dialect than he.Thathadneverbeenanissueuntiltoday.Ltipatientlywaitedforhimtosiftthrough his thoughts or search for a newturnofphrasewhenhegotstuckonanexpression.Inanycase,sheunderstoodperfectlywhathewantedtosharewithher. She had felt the same thing since theZuhadsurroundedherandherauntona dirt trail in Eastern Kaul.Bowbaqfeareddeath.Orratherhefeared a death by assassination, death atthehandofunknownwarriors,unknownmurdererswhomhedneverwronged.He dreaded leaving this world in such asenseless way.The giant was distraught.Intheend,animalsaremorecivilizedthanhumans,heannounced,staringattheceiling.Whentheykill,itstonourishordefendthemselves,orto protect their territory and their babies.MirwouldneverattackastrangersimplybecauseIaskedhimto,oreveninexchangeforareward. Animalshavemore morality.You didnt used to think so!No,hesighed.TheerjaksofArkaryareconvincedthathumansaretheabsolutemasterofallspecies.BecausetheycanmakethingsandhaveideasummthatdirecttheiractionsIdeals?Yes. Ideals. So I believed what theytoldme.Butnow,Ithinkerjaksarewrong.Animalsdefendthemselves,Ltiaddedwithaferociousgleaminhereyes.Theyfighttheirenemiesevenifthebattleislostbeforeitstarts.Ithinktheresalessontobelearnedfromthattoo.Bowbaqdidntimmediatelyrespond,letting the silence hang.Idontknow,hefinallyadmitted.Erjaksalsothinkthathumansaresuperiorbecausetheycanoftensolvetheirproblemswithoutusingforce.Maybe thats true.ButtheZuarekillingus!Withouthesitation!Arewesupposedtojustletthat happen?I dont know, the giant repeated.Lti was dismayed. To her the answerwas obvious.YourlionMirwouldnthesitateforaninstant.Hewouldtakehisenemytothegroundandriphisgutsout.Noremorse.Bowbaqclosedhiseyesandrelivedthat snow episode with the three corpsesasvividlyasifhehadjustleftthemthere.HecouldntoverpowerMirthelionsinstinct,anerrortowhichamastertrainerwouldhaveneversuccumbed. Three men dead by his fault,withouthimknowingwhy.Threeyoungmen.HissonPradwouldbethesameage as them in hardly ten years.Allright,Iadmitthatyouhavetodefendyourself,hefinallysaid.ButIdont want to kill. I could never kill.Icould,Lticoncludedwithconviction.Iwill.Withouthesitation.And even more, I hope I have the chanceto soon.Theconversationslippedintoalongmomentofawkwardsilence.Theybothunderstood in the future that it would bebesttoavoidthissubject.Bowbaqdecided to move on right away.Icantstopthinkingaboutwhatwesaw yesterday. The portal you too?Ltigaveasilentnod,thinkingbackontheemotionsshefeltasshewatchedthemiracle.First,shewasfrightened.Then elated. And finally sad.Onlythislastemotionsurvivednow.Thewholegrouphadsufferedaninexplicablemoralache,likeashallowandincurablecutinthesmoothpeacefulness of their minds.No one complained. No one regrettedit. But no one was satisfied.What do you think it is? Lti asked.Imean,whatdoyouthinkisontheother side?The giant thought for a moment beforeresponding. This was the very subject hehadwantedtotalkaboutsincethebeginningoftheirconversation,buthewasreluctanttobethefirsttobringitup.Inmyclansuhbeliefs,thereareseverallegendsthatcouldexplainit, he stated, cautiously.AuntCorennsaidthatitmightbeasortofparadise.Aplacewherethespirits of the dead go.UhIwasalsotoldsomethinglikethat when I was young. I hope that shesright.Ltisawsomethingstrangeinherfriendsface.Somethingwasworryinghim. Something important.Bowbaq, what do you think it is?Thegiantsatuptoresthisbackagainstthewallandagrimexpressioncameoverhisface.Hehadhadmorethan enough of lying down. He gave Ltiapenetratingstarethatreachedintothedepthsofhersombereyes.Thistimehedidnthaveanytroublefindinghiswords.Since yesterday, Ive had this feelingthatIdalreadyseenthe otherworldbefore.AsifIknewwhatitwas.Lastnight as I was asleep, I remembered thatsomeonehaddescribedittomeonce.Notanheir,atravelingMazfrom Yooswhospentaseasonwithmy clan.Iwasstill a little boy. He knew lots of storiesandlovedtellingthem.Hemayhaveinventedsomeofthem,butoneofthemfrightenedmeinparticular:oneaboutdemons. About the land of demons, to beexact.Aplacesupposedlyjustasbeautifulandpeacefulasitsresidentspowerfulandcruel.Asunnyvalleycoveredinfruittrees,hometohundredsofaffectionateanimals,butfromtherethe black gods cast their curses upon theworld of men.Imhappythatnoonewasabletopassthroughtheportal,heconcludedsolemnly. YanfixedhisgazeonCorennforafewmoments.Ifhehadntjustwitnessedthemiracleofacoinrisingintheairandspinning, he would have thought she wasjoking. Even now, he wasnt sure.TheMotherwasofferingtoteachhim magic!Shehadjustproventheexistenceofthislegendarypower.Justseeingthewonderwasexcitingbyitself.Thefactthat Corenn was one of those exceptionalbeings,capableofmanipulatinginvisibleandmysteriousforces,wouldbeaninexhaustiblesubjectofconversationitself.Now,ontopofallthat,shewasofferingtoshareherknowledge.NowonderYanwasoverwhelmedandcouldntdigestitallin a single morning.Corennwaitedpatientlyforhisresponse,amusedbytheeffectherquestionhad.Yanopenedhismouth,moved his lips, but couldnt pronounce asingleword.Heclearedhisthroat,andthensettledforjustanodofhishead,therebysignalinghisanswer:Heaccepted.Perfect!TheMotherrespondedsimply, as if they were just deciding on arecipe for the next meal. Well, we havea lot to go over.Yanfelltohisseatonthestillwetgrass,hardlyconsideringthisinconvenience.Fromthenon,Corennhadhiscompleteattention.HestillcouldntbelievethattheMotherwasreallygoingtodiscussmagicwithhim,withtheincredibleintentionofteachinghim!Hewonderedtohimselfwhenthedreamwouldend,whenCorennwouldconfess,laughteronherlips,thatthiswasalljustabadjoke,butthedreampersisted.HewasalmostasexhilaratedaswhenhewasinfrontofJisgrandportal.Ishouldstartbywarningyou.Imstill uncertain that I will be able to teachyouanything.Peoplegiftedwiththepowerareveryrare,andthoseaptenoughtocontrolit,evenmoreso. Youcouldwellbepartofthefirstgroup,oryoumightnotpossessthepoweratall,likethemajorityofpeople.Prepareyourself now for disappointment.Yannodded,thejoycoursingthroughhimhardlylessened.Never,inthecourseofhisdifferentapprenticeships,hadhefeltsomuchinterestinthesubject.HewasalreadyCorennsdisciple,assureasthesunwouldrisetomorrow. Out of boredom or necessity,hehadbeentrainedinironworks,woodworking,gardening,andevenfishing.Hewouldlearnmagicwithapassion. It was already a certainty.DoyouknowwhyIamevensuggesting you try?Yanhadnotthoughtaboutitverymuch.HismindracedtothenightonJiandtheunexplainableeventsontheisland.Anansweremergedthroughthefog, clear and obvious.Itswhathappenedonthecliff.GettingLtioffthatledgewasimpossible. Yet, I did it. Shes still withus.Hetriedtofinishwithsomemodesty.Corennlookedtobesizinghimupandcommented,Youaresmart,Yan.Verysmart.Ittookmeafewdaystorealize that. And you have a great heart.Theyoungmansfacewentred.Hewasntusedtohearingcompliments.WhatashamethatLtiwasnttheretohear it! And Grign too.Unfortunately,havingthesevirtuesprovesnothingabouttheexistenceofyourpower.AboutyourWill.Doyouunderstand?Ithasnothingtodowithbeingintelligentordumb,knowledgeableorignorant,oldoryoung,honestorwithoutmorals.Ithasnothingtodowithbeingawomanorman either. You can, or you cant. Thatsit. And we cant do anything to change it.Do you understand?There is nothing to be ashamed of ifIdonthaveit,thatswhatyouretryingto tell me?MotherEurydis,ifallthepeoplewhohadgonethroughthetesthadreactedlikeyou,mylifewouldhavebeen much easier.A test? Yan repeated. What is thistest?The young man was boiling over withimpatience.ThemultiplewarningsandCorennsreluctancewerestartingtohaveaneffect,andhefoundhimselfsuddenlypreparingfordisappointment.He wanted to know and move on as fastas he could.Icantmakeguessesaboutyourpowers,ifthatideahascrossedyourmind.TheonlywaytoprovetheexistenceofyourWillistodemonstrateit.Corennleanedover,tookthethree-queencoinfrom Yanshands,andputitontheground,standingstraightonitsedge.Theyoungmandreadedwhatwouldhappennext.Hewasrighttodread.Yourturnnow;makethecoinmove. Rey was trying to remember whyhe hadbeensointentonaccompanyingGrign.Oh,fearwasntthecauseofhisself-doubt, although he was a lot more scaredthan he would ever admit. No, it was thewarrior himself who frightened him. ReyseemedofnousetoGrign,andthewarriorwasntmakingtheslightesteffort to be good company.EvenRajisdonkeywasfriendlierandabetterconversationalist,hejokedto himself.Fortunately,theywerealmostattheendofthetunnel.Loreliacouldnthavebeen more than a league and a half fromthesmugglersfarm,butReyfeltliketheyhadalreadywalkedthree.Hehadlongagotakenoffhisnovicesrobe,whichhadmadehimsohotthathewasstill swimming in sweat. Raji cursed theactorforremovingthenovicerobe,sincetheZcostumeunderneathmadehim excessively nervous.Thelittlemanhadstoppedtwicetorepairsectionsoftheceilingthatwerethreateningtocavein.Grignhadprotestedatlengthaboutthiswasteoftime,butnothingcouldconvinceRajitoignorehisduty.Heshookhisheadateachofthewarriorscomplaints,andkeptondigging,nailing,andreinforcingthewalls,pullingoutthenecessarymaterialsfromhisdonkeyscargo.Finally, agrumblingGrigngot hisownhandsdirtyinordertospeedthingsup.Reyrefrainedfromhelpingthem,claimingthathedidntwanttosoilhisdisguise.TheyresumedtheirwalkinsilenceuntilRajiannouncedthattheywere near their destination.Rey finally admitted to himself that hehadonlycomebecausehedidntknowwhatelsetodo.HehadflirtedwiththeideaofleavingthegrouptotryhisluckonhisownintheOldCountry,orelsewhere.Butdespitetheunpleasantcharacterofafew,theheirswerethefirst true friends hed had in a long time.What they experienced on Ji united themfor eternity. He realized that now, and itwas a strange, disconcerting feeling. Reyhad never before been bound to anyone.Lost in his thoughts, it took him a fewhundredyardstonoticethechangingslopeofthetunnelandtheimprovedfinishing of the walls. The exit was near.He reluctantly slipped the novices robeback over his Z tunic.Shortlyafter,thethreemenfoundthemselves in front of a heavy hardwooddoor. It had no lock and looked a lot likethe one in Rajis farm on the other end ofthe tunnel.How do we open it? Grign asked.We wait for it to disappear, and thenwewalkthroughit,Reyjoked,referencingthewonderontheislandofJi.Thewarriorshothimadark,threatening look. Rey acknowledged thathemayhavegonetoofar.Hehadpromisednottorevealtheislandssecret,andwasdeterminedtorespecthis promise at all costs. He gave Grignasubtleapologeticgesture.Itwasthefirsttimehehadeverfelttheneedtoapologize to someone.Rajididntnoticeathing.Hewasbusy repeatedly tugging on a hidden cordthat stretched along the ceiling right nextto the wall.Whatsthat?Grignaskedwithadistrustful expression.It rings a bell above, Raji answeredwithoutpause.Totellmypartnertocome down and open the door. Its true,I swear, you have my word!Thewarriorgaugedthelittlesmugglerinsilence.AdaggerhadappearedinGrignshandasifbymagic. Rey understood that if this were atrap, Raji would be the first to regret it.Theactoralsopreparedhimselfforthepossibility,drawingadagger.Foramomenthethoughtaboutusingthe hati,buthepushedtheideaawayindisgust.Hissenseofmorals,peculiarasitwas,didntallowhimtouseapoisonedblade.Aknotinthedoordisappeared,allowingarayoflighttopassthrough.Aninquisitiveeyeappearedforabriefmoment.Raji?yelledaworriedvoice.Whats going on? Who are these guys?Friends,Grignrespondedcalmly.Were unarmed.ThewarriorwasdiscreetlyholdingRaji at knifepoint.Howsitgoing,Bellec?thelittlesmugglerasked,cheerfully.Asaconnoisseur,ReyanadmiredRajisacting performance.Theeyereappearedintheknotholebriefly,quicklyexaminingReyandGrign.Doweknoweachother?Bellecquestioned the strangers.Wevedonebusinesstogether,theactordeclared.ThroughRaji.Doyourememberthe centenariansliquor? Imthe one you ran it for.Themanbehindthedoorremainedsilent.Nothingprovedthatthestrangersweretellingthetruth.Theycouldhaveextorted that information from Raji.Bellec,pleaseopenup,thelittleman groaned. Everythings fine.TherewasarenewedsilencebeforeBelleccompliedandsetaboutunblockingthedoor.Thethreemenandthedonkeyquicklypassedthroughtheopening, under Bellecs worried watch.HehadthetypicallookofaLoreliensatisfiedwithhiscommercialsuccess.Rathersmallandplump,withatannedcomplexionfromthesunshineofthesouthernUpperKingdoms.Hisappearancewaswellkept,aswasnaturalforanyinnkeeperorcivilizedtrader,anditwasobviousthathehadneverknownhardship.Butaboveall,Reysuspectedhewasnothingbutanoafish,unsophisticated,crassmanwhose only concerns were monetary. Myfellowcountryman,Reyponderedinamusement.AftersomequickintroductionsorchestratedbyRey,Bellecrushedtoclose the door, as if some more strangerswere about to invade his cellar. It was aconsiderablysmallercellarthanRajisstoreroom,butjustaswellorganized.The two smugglers went to work placingthegoodson theshelves.Grignwaitedfor them before continuing on.Ihopethatyoutrustyourfriends,Raji, Bellec commented. I myself havenever shown our tunnel to anyone.My tunnel, the little man corrected.Thatendsin mycellar.Trytoremember that in the future. And see to itthatyousparemethiskindofsituationagain.Rajiwasabouttoprotestthathehadnt had a choice, but let it go as soonasthethoughtstruckhim.Nooneeverlistened to him anyway.Oncethestoreswereontheshelves,everyonemovedintothesideroom,Bellecs real cellar.Bellecconcealedthedoortohissecretstoreroombehindalargeshelfunit,whileRajitiedthedonkeysreinstoaringonthewalldesignedforthepurpose.Its the first time Ive entered an innthrough the cellar, joked Rey.Ha, ha, very funny, Bellec said withasneer.Mindyou,itsalsothelasttime. I run goods, not fugitives.Whoeversaidwewerefugitives?Grign asked.Whydidntyougothroughthecitygates? the Lorelien countered.Pointtaken.Justknowthatwehavenothing to be ashamed of.Ofcourse.Icouldntcarelesswhatyouvedone.Idontwanttoseeyouinmy cellar anymore, thats all.Well,wellhavetocomebackthrough this way.Thats not my problem. If you want, Ican open the tunnel again right now, andyou could disappear. The tunnel is not atoll road.RajiwatchedGrigninanguish.Itwasallgoingtoendinafight,hewassure.ButitwasReywholaunchedtheattack.We could also leave here and go talktothecollectors,hethreatened.TheCrown has no problem with us.Bellecstaredtheyoungmandownindisdain. This was a low blow.Comeon,now,theactorcontinuedcautiously.Wereonlypassingthrough.Bellecdidntanswer,insteadshootingRajiareproachfulstare.Hewas left with no choice.Whereareyourmen?Grigninquired,astheymadetheirwayupthestairwell.Who?WerbandMicaeir,Rajispecified,just as curious.TheGuildofferedthemajobinalittlehamletonthecoast,Bellecanswered,directinghisspeechtohisaccomplice. Rumor has it theyre dead.Ihopeitstrue.Theypickedupandleftme without blinking an eye.Rey and Grign exchanged a knowinglook, and then followed the smugglers upthe stairs toward Lorelia. Bowbaqhadfinallyfallenasleep.HeandLtihadcoveredmanytopics,andthe young woman had felt, yet again, herbeliefs shaken.Sheleanedoverthegiant,listenedtohisbreathing,andfounditpeaceful,measured.Rightthenshedecidedthatshecoulduseawalkoutside.Corennand Yan had been gone for a while, andafter what she had just heard, she had nodesire to be left alone.Outside she was still ill at ease. Evenafewpacesinthesunshinewasntenoughtomakeherforgetherfears,orevenpushthemawaytemporarilyintothe future or the past.ShemetupwithYanandCorennastheywerereturningtothestable.Herfriendhadanoddlookonhisface,theonehealwayshadwhenhewaspassionateaboutanewdiscipline.Hecouldnthidethesekindsofthingsfromher, she knew him too well.The Kaulien gave her a smile as soonas he saw her. She felt a pang in her gut.Again,shemournedthatYanhadntasked for her Promise.Shetriedtodrownthisthought.Yandidnt love her, and that was that. It wasonly another worry among many.Assoonastheywerewithinearshot,Corenn asked, How is Bowbaq?Good. He had trouble falling asleep,but hes snoring now.Is he in pain?Hegrimaceswhenhemoves,thatsall. He isnt complaining, though.ThethreeKauliensfacedeachother,looking for a new topic of conversation.Youtookalongwalk,Lticommented.Yanlookeddownandwassuddenlyveryinterestedingivinghisshoesanextended examination.Yes, Corenn answered. The forestisverybeautiful,overthere.Well!Iamgoing to go look and see if we cant findsomethingtomakedinnerfrommasterRajis stores. After all, at five terces perday,hecanatleastofferussomemeals!Theyreturnedtothewarehouse.Ltihad the unpleasant feeling that they werehiding something from her. Her aunt onlyactedthiswaywhenshewantedtoshelter her from bad news.LtihadmeanttospeakwithheraboutBowbaqsvalleyofdemons.Now, she no longer had the heart. ReyspenthisfirsthalfdecidaybackinLoreliawatchingtheentrywayofBellecsinn,theRominianPig,withGrign as his lone and silent companion.Thefactthatthewarriordidnttrustthetrader as far as he could throw him waseasy to understand. Rey shared the sameopinion. But to force him to hang aroundfor a half deciday under the apogee sun,sweating like a pig in his heavy clothing,that was more than he could put up with.Afteronelastattempttoreasonwiththe Ramgrith, Rey decided to go it aloneandmarchedoffwithadeterminedsteptowardtheoldneighborhoods.Grigncaught up with him before he reached thestreet corner.Yourebeingtooimpatient,thewarriorstartedtolecture.Youdontthinkbeforeyouact.Youwontlivetobe old.Theactorretaliatedwithamockingsmile, I prefer to live young, anyhow.He turned off into an alleyway, whichbetterdeservedtobecalledahallway,crossedasquarewhosecobblestoneswereseveralcenturiesold,andthenmadehiswayupanavenue,obstructedbycartsandmuledrivers,holleringtobeletby.GrigndoubledhiseffortstonotlosesightofRey,allthewhileobservinghissurroundings.Fortheexcessivelycautiouswarrior,itwasanincredibly taxing situation.Onlyonethingplayedtotheiradvantage:Loreliawasoneofthelastplaces in the world where the Zu mightexpectthem.Thisslightadvantagewouldbelostthemomenttheycameacrosstheassassins,though,andGrignstillhadahardtimebelievinghehadeveragreedtomeetwiththeredkillersforachat.Corenn,however,seemeddetermined to see it through.Shewascountingonhimtoassuretheirsafety.Ofcoursehewoulddohisbest, but if the meeting turned sour, onlyluck could save themReystarteddownanotheralleyway,continuinguntilhecametoanintersection,wherehewaitedforthewarrior.TheKercyanhouseistwostreetsoverinthat direction,hesaid,pointingtowardanarchthatoverhungasidestreet.Grignanticipatedhisnextwords,preparinghimselfforaferociousargumentinwhichhewouldforbidtheactor from putting them all in danger fora petty whim. But Rey continued walkingwithoutaddinganythingmore.Therewasnoneedtoexplainthesituationtohim.Inanycase,theactorhadneverreallylikedtheshack,agenuinelandofexileforhisfamily.Nowitwasprobablyjustmakingahomelessganghappy.Hehadnodesiretoseeitagain,much less to go inside.ThewarriordoubledhisvigilanceintheseneighborhoodsthatwereonceReys stomping ground. The actor, takingnotice of Grigns unwavering stare andsluggishpace,quicklyshowedsignsofimpatience.Intheend,theirwalk,punctuatedbymeaninglessquarrels,brought them to their destination.TheRoyalCommerceCommissionersWinterPalace,morecommonlyknownastheSmallPalace,tookuptheentirewestsideoftheimpressiveRidersSquare.Everyseventhdayofthedkade,thesquarewashosttothelargestopenmarketinLorelia. Atthesametimethattheusualmarketwasopen,theSmallPalacewasopenasabargainingsitefordeals,byand large illegal in nature, accessible toanyonetheguardsallowedinandwhocould pay the right of entry.Wehaventtalkedaboutthisyet,Reysaidastheyapproachedthebuilding,butitsreallyveryexpensiveto enter.Justtellmehowmuch,Grigngrumbled.Fivehundredtercesperperson,noless. With or without a deal.Grignsexpressiongrewevendarker.Thisaffairwasgoingtoburnquitetheholeintheirpurse.Twentygoldentercesper person?TotalkwiththeZu?Hesighedloudly,shakinghishead,andthenresignedhimselftoexamining the place.Collectively,thewarriormusthavespentmorethantendkadesinthemerchantcity.Withoutadoubt,hehadwalked through the square and along theedgeoftheSmallPalaceatleastfiftytimes. But today the structure took on anentirelynewimportancetohim,andhebegantointenselystudyanditemizeitsfeatures in his mind.Thepersonwhohadrenameditwasgiftedwithacertainsenseofhumor.Ifthis palace was supposed to be small, itcouldonlybesoincomparisontotheroyalresidence.TheSmallPalacereachedaheightoffivefloors,whereasfewLorelienresidenceshadevenfour.Andnolessthanelevenlargewindowscouldbecountedoneachlevel.Theentire building could have easily housedtwenty families.ThearchitecturewasrepresentativeofLoreliasgrandbuildings:pilasters,cornices,windows ashigh astheywerenarrow,littlebalconies.AllbuiltofsolidstonefromCyrsquarries.TheSmall Palace was more than six hundredyearsold,butlookedlikeitwascompleted no more than ten years ago.TheRoyalCommerceCommissionerwas no longer housed there, although theapartmentsremained.Fortwocenturies,the greater part of the building had beenhome to the study halls of the kingdomsclerks:alltheregularadministrators,archivists,bureaucrats,scribes,managers,registrars,andotherswhowereindispensabletothestabilityandprosperity of the merchant nation.Entryintothepalacewasfree,andeverydayhundredsoftraderswentinsidetocarryoutcertainobligatorydeclarationsandprocedures.Theseventhdayofthedkadewastheexception.Onthatday,onlytheclerkswerepermittedtoenter,andthosewishing to take part in the indoor market.GrignslowlyfollowedReyupthefifteenstepsleadingtotheexcessivelydecadentporch. Aloneguard,whomayhavebeensleeping,wassupposedlymonitoringthecomingsandgoingsbetweentheentrancehallandtheoutside.Duringthemarket,Reywhisperedin the warriors ear, the hall is guardedbysixjelenis,theroyalrankofdogmasters.Theyalwayschoosetheirmostvicious dogs. No one could ever hope toenter or leave by force.Thenarrowentrancehallledtoasumptuous receiving room, built entirelyofembossedmarble.Attheentryway,theypassedthedeskofadrudgeclerk,who paid them no attention.Thisiswhereyouwillpaytherightofentryandsurrenderyourarms,Reyexplained, pointing toward the desk.Excuse me?Icanprettywellimaginehowhardthat will be for you, chuckled the actor.Just remember that the Zu will have toendure the same punishment.Two spiral staircases led to the upperfloors.Reydraggedthewarriorupthefirst one. They passed through a splendidarchandfoundthemselvesstandingunder a portico encircling a huge interiorcourtyard.The courtyard most closely resembledagardenorasmallpark,fulloflushflowerbedsandgreenfields.Theillusionofwildernesshadbeenparedbackinsidethecourtyard,though,asnone of the trees, flowers, bushes, grass,orivythatgrewthereweretrulywild.Everythingwasstraight,trimmed,anddisciplinedaccordingtomankindsaesthetic needs.Awalkwaysnakeditswaythroughthisdomesticatedpatchofwilderness,leadingfromonemarblebenchtoanother, as if the pedestrians would needtostopforabreakeveryfifteenfeet.Thick,judiciouslyarrangedsdahedgesactedaswalls.Someof themservedaspartitions,too,creatingsmallopen-airloungeswithtables,benches,andfountains.Hereitis.Thisiswhereitallhappens.Thetradersarefreetowalkaround and sit where they like. Auctionsanddisplaysarentallowed,butIdontthink well need that, will we?Iwasundertheimpressionyouhadnever taken part. You seem to know yourfair share about it.Dontforgetthatthisismyhometown, Grign. Its only natural that Ishould know its ins and outs.Thewarriornodded,observingthesurroundings. Anyone can come in herewithaconcealedweapon,hecommented. We wont be safe.Ofcourse,theyexpectthispossibility.Archerspatrolalongthebalconyabovetheportico.Theyreunderstrictordertoshootanyonewhobrandishesaweapon.Ithinkitshappenedtwiceoverthepastthreecenturiesanyway,technicallyIdontthinkweresupposedtobehere.Imsurprisedtheyhaventkickedusoutalready!Thewarriortookonelastgoodlookat the place, taking note of the layout anddistancesinthespace.Therewereonlytwopossibleexits:oneviaeachstaircase. The heirs would be in relativesafetyassumingtheZuwerentpreparedtosacrificethemselvesjusttoget to them, which he doubted they were.Iveseenenough.Letsgetoutofherebeforewerenoticed. Afewmorethingstocheckoutintheneighborhood,and then lets head back. ItwasthefirsttimeinhismemorythatYan had lied to Lti. It left a bitter tasteinhismouththateventhejoyfromCorennsrecentrevelationscouldntsweeten.Luckily,thisbetrayalwas onlytemporary.TheMotherhadmadehimpromisetokeeptheirdiscussionsecretuntilshetoldhimotherwise.Yanimaginedshewouldgranthimthatpermissiononlyafterhesuccessfullypassed the test.Heatelunchwithhiscompanions,andthenslippedawayassoonashismannerswouldallow.Now,hewasinthe middle of the Lorelien forest, staringataKauliencoin,itsformergleamdimmedanddarkenedbytheyears.Layingflatonhisstomach,handstohistemples,heconcentratedashardashecould.Thismorningsattempthadntlastedlong. Corenn gave him some advice, anddecided that it was time to go back. Thiswas a test he had to face alone. He couldendupdevotingseveraldkadestothetaskbeforesucceeding.Maybeevenseveral moons. Years, even.Yan couldnt imagine he would spendthatmuchtimestaringatthecoin.IfCorennhadsuccessfullymanagedthetrick,itwasbecauseitwaspossible.Strange,certainly.Difficult,probably,butnotinsurmountable. Asshehadtoldhim, the key was to believe.Only,hedidntknowwheretostart.Apartfromfixingthecoinwithastarethat he hoped would make it fall over, hehad no idea what to do. Having no otheridea, he let his eyes focus on the coin forseveral centidays.Afterawhile,anewfeelingseizedYan.Hefeltsilly,whichcouldbeexpectedgiventhatanyonewhosawwhathewastryingtodonowwouldthinkhimcrazy,buthequicklypushedthethoughtaway.Corennhadwarnedhim that he would have these feelings; itwasnormal.Anyonewhodidnthavethese doubts would be the one who wastruly crazy.Herefocusedhisattentiononthemetaldisk.Healreadyknewitseverydetailandcouldpickitoutamonghundredsofothers.Athirdofthecoinwas well worn and had two nicks alongtheedge.Hewonderedifknowingsuchdetailscouldhelphim, oriftheywerejustruininghisconcentration.Heonceagainrealizedthathedidntevenknowhow to begin. How did magic work?Corenn had told him that it was like amuscleofthemind,amusclehehadneverusedthatwouldbedifficulttoawaken.Yanwouldbecontentjustknowingwherehecouldfindthismuscle.ShekepttalkingaboutWill,but the idea was still vague and strange.Yanwantedthecointofall.Hewantedit to right now!Thethree-queencoindidntbudge,with its worn pattern and rough edges. Itstoodproudanddefiant.Hecurseditscreation,andshookhisfistsatit,mumbling all sorts of nonsense. Then hestood up, picked up the hated object, andheadedback.Hehadwastedalmostadeciday of his life staring at this piece ofmetalfornothing.Itwasacompletefailure.Hewouldgoatitagainassoonaspossible. YancameintothestablejustasRajiwas leaving. The little man was in a vilemood.HehadwaitedforReyandGrignmuchlongerthanthetwomenhad told him he would have to wait. Yansimply gave him a polite nod, preferringto let the smuggler ignore him.His companions were already deep indiscussionwhenhejoinedthem.Theywere all sitting around Bowbaqs bed inasortofimprovisedmeeting.Grignfilled Yaninonthebasicsoftheirtrip,and then continued.InsidetheSmallPalace,Illadmit,thedangerislimited.Butthingswillbealtogetherdifferentassoonaswereoutside.Theguardstrynottoleteveryoneleaveallatonce,butoneortwo Zu could easily follow us. It seemslike an insufficient measure, consideringthatpeopleliketheZumeetinthere.NottomentiontheGrandGuild,ofcourse.ButtheZuarentexpectingus,explained Corenn. Im sure they haventplannedanambushofanysort,whetheritbeinsidethebuildingorattheexit.Unlesstheysystematicallyprepareambushes,ofcourse,butnothingcouldjustify that kind of excessive planning.Unlesstheyvebeenwarnedaboutus,Grignnoted.ThosetwominionsofBellec,Rajisaccomplice,wereinBerce and might have died on the island.Orperhapsnotwecouldverywellfindourselvesface-to-facewiththemnext time.Twostreetthugs:Wecouldgetridofthem,noproblem,Ltiintervenedconfidently.Corennseyesopenedwide,scandalized,butGrignrespondedbefore she could start lecturing.Youreallybelievethat?Nooneisevervictorbeforethefightevenstarts!Noone. Andevenifthatwerethecase,wewouldntbeabletorecognizethosetwo.Theycouldverywellpretendtobowatourfeetandthenrunofftofetchthe Guild as soon as we turn our backs.Ltirefrainedfromarguing.Thewarriorhadpromisedtoteachherhowto fight. Until then, she didnt want to doanythingtoupsethimormakehimchange his mind.Thetwoleadersofthegrouppickedup their conversation where they had leftoff. Grign sighed before addressing theMother with pleading eyes.Corenn,doyoureallythinkthatitsworth it? The Zu will never listen to us.Itwouldbeeasiertohaveaconversationwithadasnakethanwiththosemaniacs.Assoonastheyseeus,the only thing on their minds will be howto stab a dagger through our hearts.Iknow,Grign,Iknow.But,unfortunately,wedonthavemanyotheroptions.Ifwecannotmeetour realenemy, for lack of knowing who it is, wemust try to stop the Zus wrath.Thewarriorlockedeyeswithhiscompanions,onebyone.Heknewhowitwastoliveasahuntedfugitive.Hewouldnt wish it on anyone. Besides, hedidntthinkhisfriendscouldsurviveverylongontherun,evenunderhisprotection.Heansweredwithasilentnod,butcouldnt hold back a scowl.ThediscussionwouldhavestoppedthereifBowbaqhadntcontinued,inaconcerned voice. And if the Zu refuseto listen to us? If they want to hunt us tothe end? I mean, what will we do then?Everyone had been asking themselvesthesequestions,butnoonecouldofferanyencouragingwordstothegiant,afather of a family.I think the best thing to do would betogototheBaronies,Corennrespondedbleakly.ToJunine,tomeetQueen Shane. To our knowledge, shestheonlyheirleftalivebesidesus.Obviously,thatwouldntbringyouanycloser to ArkaryBowbaqwaslostinthought.Threedkadesbefore,hissteppepony,Wos,wokehimupashefidgetedinhispen.NowhewaslaidupinaLoreliensmugglersdepot,hisstomachwoundedby a dagger. Soon he might leave for theSmall Kingdoms. It had been two moonssincehehadseenhiswife,son,anddaughter. He wasnt even sure they werestill alive.Allright,hedeclaredreluctantly.IfitsettlesthingswellgotoJunine.Reycomfortedhimwithathumpontheshoulder.Thesightofsuchanice,gentlesoulgrippedbymelancholysaddened them all even more. LtiwouldntletGrignrestforverylong. The warrior hardly had time to eatalightmeal,whichwasalreadylate,beforeLti quicklyremindedhimofhispromise.Thefirstlessonwouldbetoday.Grignwasamanofhisword,likeallhiscompatriots,and,evenmoregenerally,likeallthenativesoftheLowerKingdoms.Whilehiseducationforbidhimfromlettingawomanwieldanyweapon,hissenseofhonor,muchmore sacred in his eyes, forbid him frombreakinghispromise.Moreover,twentyyearsoftravelingandvariousencountershadrelaxedhisfaithintherigidpreceptsembeddedinRamgrithtraditions,andhehadknowndozensofwomen warriors.Allright,letsgo,herespondedtothe Kaulienne, whose face lit up. Welldo it outside.Ltialmostrantothestairs,onlystoppingforaninstanttomakesurethewarriorwasfollowingher.Fromoverher shoulder she could see that he was inthemiddleofaconversationwithCorenn. Lti climbed the stairs, pouting,certain that her aunt was trying to changeGrigns mind. She wasnt mistaken.Corenn told Grign, I have no desiretowatchherrunstraightforaconfrontationwiththeZu.Please,trynottoencourageher,Grign.Dontletherthinkthatshecouldgettheupperhand in a fight with them.ThewarriorlookedhardattheMotherasifshehadjustinsultedhisancestors and cursed his descendants allat once. Never had Corenn offended himsodeeply.Speakingtohimlikehewasirresponsible!Heclenchedhisjawforamomentand then decided to let it go, blaming hisreactiononthecountlessworriestheywerealldealingwith.Theselastfewdays,theyhadallcalledhimoutforhisoversensitivity.Hewouldntgetangrythis time.BeforejoiningLtiatthestablesentry,hemanagedthecurtreply,Dontworry.Hehadexpectedthatalltheotherswould gather to watch the spectacle thatthisfirstlessonwouldprovide,butReywastheonlyonetojointhem.Theactor stretched out comfortably on a haybale,armedwithabottleofgreenwinehehadsnuckfromRajisreservestohelphimenjoyhimself.Grignwaspreemptivelyannoyed,waitingfortheactorsattemptathumorousjokesatGrignsexpense.HedecidedtoignorethejokerandconcentratedonLtiinstead.Theyoungwomanwaswaitingimpatiently for him to fill her in on someinsidesecretsofaveteran,buthehadnevertaughtanythingtoanyone.Hehadnoideawhathewasgoingtodo.Heeven wondered, standing silently in frontof her, what there was that he could say.Thebestplacetostartwouldbetogiveheraweapon,right?Reysuggested, as if he had read his thoughts.Thattheactorhadsensedhisapprehensionwasenoughtovexthewarrior,whowasalreadyathiswitsend.Grign grabbed his curved blade in amovementrenderednaturalbyyearsofexperience,andchainedtogetheraseriesofimpressivejugglery.Thewarriorregretteditalmostimmediately.Thesetypesofperformanceswerenothingmorethanuselessbravado,andifhecouldmasterthem,itwasonlybecausehehadwornaswordsincehisyouth. He had only wanted to prove thathedidntneedanyonesadvice,butthathadbeenanerror,becausehewasencouraging Lti to focus on weapons.Theyoungwomanhadwatchedhisentire demonstration with admiring eyes.Hewassurethatshewouldattempttoimitate him as soon as she could. Damn!Well,whatdoyouwanttolearn?heaskedher,suddenlyinarushtofinish.Allofit.Howtowieldweaponsaswellasyoucan.Howtoattack,deflect,and retaliate. All of it.You cant just learn it. Its a questionof experience.So train me.The warrior thought for a moment.Well start with the bow.Oh, no, I already know how to shootan arrow. Teach me to use blades.Grignshookhishead.Thiswasridiculous.Ifitwerentforhispromise,hewouldhavealreadyturnedhisbackonthisrashyoungwoman.Hesworetohimselfthattherewouldntbeasecondlesson.Nevertheless,heconscientiouslyreflectedonthebestadvicetogive.Havinghisbladeinhandremindedhimof the numerous combats in which he hadused it. Little by little, a few ideas cametohim.Hesettledononeandcongratulatedhimselfforchoosingalesson that would surely discourage Lti.Hebeganinaserioustone,Beforeanythingelse,youhavetoconqueryourfear.Yourfearofbeingwounded,ofreceivingblowstoyourface,yourbones,yourskin:damagethatismostoftenirreparable.Therearescratches,burns,bumps,butalsodeepercuts,fractures, and tears. And there are worsewounds,youcanbesure.Oneneverleaves a combat unscathed. Never.I know. What else?Lti had faced these same realities onJi.Shewasstillsufferingfromthem.Ifthewarriorwastryingtoimpressorscare her, he had failed.You dont understand. Im not tryingto tell you that you may get hurt. I shouldhopeyoualreadyknewthat!Imsayingthat if youre afraid of that, if you fight toexhaustiontoavoidagashinyourleg,youvealreadylostthebattle.Itsthatsimple.So?SoifyouwanttolearnhowtodefendyourselfandImeanreallydefendyourselfyouhavetolearntokeep the main goal in mind: to stay alive,andnothingelse.Unlessyouwantscarslikemine,renouncethisfollyrightnowandletothersworryaboutprotectingyou.Outofthequestion.Letsdoanexercise. Youll see.Lticaughthimoffguard.Grignthoughtthatsuchatiradewouldhavescaredher,atleastalittle,buthewaswrong. The young woman had somethingboilinginsideher.Heknewhersentimentsonlytoowell.Hecalleditthewarriorsrageandknewhowdangerous a feeling it was.Ohwell,ifshewantedtodoanexercise,shewouldhaveone,hethought.Agoodlessonwaspreciselywhat they needed to set things straight.All right, he said while juggling hissword. Attack me.Forthefirsttime,Ltilookedsurprised. Just like this? With what?Withnothing.Me,Ihavethesword,and you, you have no fear.Theyoun