LITMIR.BIZ

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the man? Pale skin and pale hair?'

      'Not sure, my lord. The drunks only caught a glimpse of her. I thought it was just the tail end of some drunken dream, but it was in the heads of both men. It doesn't seem to make sense. How could a little girl get into the prison? And the man was wearing a witch manacle.'

      'Was he?' the duke said, impressed. 'Even though the fellow showed no sign of magic? Commend the mage who did that. That was very perceptive of him.'

      He got up and went to the window. The marshal noticed that there was a small brown bird with green wings standing on the windowsill, watching them with beady eyes. It did not seem at all disturbed by the duke's proximity.

      'So one, maybe two, of these fair people. Where did the man say they came from?'

      'Commander Barius told me he claimed to be a Dani, but I don't think he had interviewed him very carefully.'

      'Commander Barius.' The duke pulled a face. The commander of the watch was a good leader of men, but notoriously bad with the natives. 'It all becomes clear now. So do we have any idea what this tall, fair man was doing in Lamartaine?'

      'Barius was certain he was a spy.'

      'And what else did Barius say?'

      'He said the fellow could give no good reason for being in Lamartaine. Said he gave some stupid story about looking for a sister.'

      The duke looked quickly at the marshal. 'Looking for his sister? He said that?'

      'So Barius claims.'

      The duke looked grim.

      'He came off a ship, you said.'

      'Yes. It was being impounded for trading with the Mori. It had a cargo of Mori furs on board.'

      'And the master of this ship?'

      'Among those who escaped from the jail. The ship went out on the early morning tide. We've sent out one of ours, but we don't have much hope. It must have been sailing very fast; there was no sign of it. There must be a mage involved. And there weren't many witnesses on the docks either. A lot of people were asleep. But the watch mage found a couple of hairs this Yani had left on his blanket, and he cast a bowl of seeing on them. The man is out at sea, no doubt on that ship heading back to Dania.'

      'I see,' the duke said. 'Well, I want no more breakouts of this kind. But do not punish the guards too harshly. These tall, fair people are notorious among the natives for their subtle magic. As for our good Commander Barius, reprimand him soundly for being overzealous. Tell him that next time he encounters one of these people he should send for me immediately. They are called Tari for future reference. You may go now, marshal. I know you will do your best to round up the other prisoners.'

      As the door closed behind the marshal, the duke sat down at the table and put his head in his hands.

      There was a feathery rustling of wings and suddenly the small, green-winged bird was gone and a woman stood before the window. She was tall and dressed in green, with green feathers plaited into her long, pale blonde hair. Her eyes were dark and slightly slanted above her high cheekbones.

      'Why the attitude of despair, Madraga?' she said, smiling cynically.

      'Your people have come to take her back,' he said. 'Now I have no chance.'

      Sometimes without meaning to, a person looks at the sun and though he may look away quickly, the afterimage of the sunlight is burnt into his eyes and is a part of everything he sees till it fades. So it was for Duke Wolf Madraga now he had seen Elena Starchild. Except that the image did not fade, but continued to remain part of everything he did. It was worst at night. When he closed his eyes he saw again her shining beauty as she came forth from the tower. The Mori had called her Elena Starchild with good reason. He had such dreams of her - such sweet and ecstatic dreams. The very memory of them turned him hot.

      He should have taken up arms against Scarvan, he should have. But opposing his liege lord had never been one of Wolf's ambitions. It had taken time to work up to that. Though not very much time.

      Why did she haunt him so? Why did the memory of her fill his mind at odd times of the day - when he was sitting in judgment or inspecting troops or riding through the forest to hunt? Women usually intruded very little on Wolf Madraga's inner life. Well-bred Mirayans kept their womenfolk secluded to protect them from the outside world, so that they saw no men but their close male relatives. Women who went out in public were either serfs - although the usual social classes had broken down somewhat in the Archipelago - or native slaves.

      Of his female relatives, his thirteen-year-old daughter, Stasia, was the only one he had strong affection for. He was fond of his mother, but the bonds had weakened under the force of her hysteria after his father had been killed and she had found herself a widow, six months pregnant and on a ship to a strange new country with only her fifteen-year-old son, Wolf, for protection. Wolf had been immensely relieved when older women had taken on the task of caring for her and later Prince Pirus of Ishtak had found her a new husband.

      His own late wife had been a much stronger woman: dutiful, calm and affectionate when appropriate. But the deep affection he felt for her memory was mostly a product of gratitude. She had been undemanding and attractive enough to make getting his four children no chore, but he had not felt passion for her. He had never thought of himself as a passionate man. So why did he burn for Elena Starchild, and why did he feel such deadly anger when he thought of Scarvan's big, red paws touching her beautiful skin?

      'I said it would happen, didn't I? You were too slow,' the Lady of Birds said.

      Though the duke called her the Lady of Birds, Jindabyne was her real name. The Tari sorceress had appeared to him one night a month ago in the shape of an owl. The Tari, so it seemed, were not a myth. The morning after, he had sent for a native shaman and asked him all about the strange race. The strange island of Yarmar still had its mysteries. What he heard would have been frightening if he had believed every word of it. Regardless, Wolf Madraga no longer cared about danger. All he wanted was the release of a night in Elena Starchild's arms.

      Yet he had enough self-possession to resist all Jindabyne's urgings to go to war with Scarvan over Elena. He had not lost his mind completely. He saw clearly that she might well be some ill-wishing native sent to create fatal disunity among the Mirayans.

      'Well, if it has happened perhaps it is better so,' he said. 'Such obsession as I have is dangerous and should be fought. At least he will not keep her.'

      The Lady of Birds put her hands on her hips.

      'Oh, please,' she said sarcastically. 'Spare me the heroics. I never saw such a hopeless man. I cannot imagine why destiny says you will breed rulers with Elena Starchild. You have no spine at all.'

      The duke tensed angrily then relaxed, sat back in his chair and looked at her with a tolerable copy of her own cynicism. 'A Mirayan woman would never speak to a man so.'

      'And I should wish to copy such dull creatures? It is not surprising you have fallen for the first Tari woman you saw. How can a strong man bear endlessly obedient women?'

      She leaned casually against a chair and watched him working to suppress his anger with amusement.

      'You have no choice, if you want my help' she said sweetly.

      'Did I say I wanted your help? How can I be sure I can trust you? I've never believed in prophecy. People cannot foretell the future.'

      She was suddenly serious. 'You should. The Tari are destiny's intimates. We can foretell the future. And we foresee that it is you - not Alexus Scarvan - who will breed rulers of Yarmar with Elena Starchild.'

      'So you say,' Madraga said coolly.

      She smiled. 'Oh, I know that you think I am here to sow disunity and make you Mirayans weak. That shows you are not a fool, and thus worthy to father Tari rulers. I want some of that wine,' she said, pointing to the jug on the sideboard.

      He got the wine and ignored the way she sat down without so much as a by your leave. She had no more shame than a whore, this creature. It did not bother

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