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Voyager 

DAVID AND LEIGH EDDINGS 

THE ELDER GODS 

Book One of The Dreamers
HarperCollmsPublishers

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Voyager An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.voyager-books.com
Published by Voyager 2003 135798642
Copyright ｩ David and Leigh Eddings 2003
The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 000 715758 4
Typeset in Janson Text by Palimpsest Book Production Limited, Polmont, 
Stirlingshire
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives pic
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a 
retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publishers.

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PREFACE
The Land of Dhrall, if we are to believe the sometimes fanciful legends 
of the region, has existed in its present location since the beginning of 
time. Father Earth is unstable, and other continents move hither and yon 
across the face of Mother Sea, wandering, ever wandering, in search of 
new places in which to abide. But the Land of Dhrall, we are told, was 
firmly anchored to its present location by the will of the gods of Dhrall, 
and it shall remain ever so until the end of the world.
Now, from whence this world came - and why - is far beyond human 
comprehension. But the legends of Dhrall maintain that it is the work of 
ancient gods, and the making of it was a task so enormous that the gods, 
immortal and omnipotent though they be, oft-times wearied of their labor.
Now there were younger gods abroad in the land at this time, and great 
was their pity for their exhausted elders, and they urged their kin to rest 
while they themselves took up the burden of creation. And grateful 
beyond measure were the old ones, for they had labored well-nigh unto 
death. And so they slept while creation continued uninterrupted in the 
hands of the younger gods. 

Excerpted from 禅he Land of Dhrall,' a study by the Comparative Theology Department 
of the University of Kaldacin.
So it was that the elder gods slept for twenty-five eons and then they awoke, refreshed and ready to 
resume their eternal task; and when they awoke, their younger counterparts were well ready to relinquish the 
task and go to their rest.
And mountains rose up from out of the earth and were worn down by weather and time. And Mother Sea 
brought forth life in many forms, and some of the creatures of Mother Sea came up upon the dry face of 
Father Earth in search of a dwelling place. And time and place altered them there upon the face of Father 
Earth, and many were those alterations. Forms not seen before emerged, and older forms died out as the 
creatures blindly groped for fulfillment.
Now the gods of the Land of Dhrall chose not to interfere in the growth and development of the creatures 
of their Domains, for they wisely concluded that the creatures should follow their own course in response to 
the world around them. For truly, the world is in a constant state of flux, and a creature suitable for one era 
may well not survive in another, and the gods had come to realize that change must be a response to the 
world rather than some divine preconception.

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And constant time continued her stately march toward an end that none could know, and the cycles of 
labor and rest among the gods continued even as Mother Sea and Father Earth watched, but said nothing.
Now the gods of the land of Dhrall have divided the land, and each, younger or elder, holds dominion 
over a certain portion of the land. There remains, however, a vast Wasteland in the center that is not part of 
any of the four Domains, be they East or West, North or South, for the Wasteland of Dhrall is barren and 
without beauty. There is life there, however, but the life-forms of the Wasteland are unlike those of the rest 
of the Land of Dhrall. The legends of Dhrall maintain that the life-forms of the Wasteland are the creations 
of That-Called-the-Vlagh.
The legends of Dhrall are uncertain as to the origins of the Vlagh. Some maintain that it is no more than 
a nightmare which one of the early gods experienced during that first long sleep. Other legends contend that 
the Vlagh is vastly older than the gods whose forms resemble those of humans, and that it was the lord of 
stinging insects and venomous reptiles which have long since vanished from the faces of Mother Sea and 
Father Earth. All legends of Dhrall agree on one point, however. That-Called-the-Vlagh was too impatient to 
give the creatures which served it sufficient time to follow the slow, natural process of development and 
alteration favored by the true gods of Dhrall, but rather it chose to manipulate their development so that they 
might better serve it.
And it came to the Vlagh that its servants might be of greater value if they were not all the same, for a 
creature designed for one task and one only would be far more efficient than a more generalized creature.
To achieve that end, the Vlagh periodically enveloped itself in a woven cocoon in its dark nest in the 
center of the Wasteland, and when it emerged from its cocoon, it was a creature of an entirely different 
aspect than it had been before. Then it tested the capabilities of its new form to determine its 疎bility to 
perform its specific task, noting its strengths and weaknesses.
And then once again it enclosed itself in the cocoon, and when it emerged once more, the weaknesses 
were no longer there and the strengths had been enhanced.
Thus by experimentation, That-Called-the-Vlagh altered and modified its own form to develop a highly 
specific creature. And once it was satisfied, it reproduced that creature by the thousands so that it would have 
servants enough to achieve its ultimate goal.
Then That-Called-the-Vlagh returned to its nest and began again, creating yet another form for yet 
another specific task.
And so it is that all of the varied creatures which emerge from the cocoon of the Vlagh are not the 
creatures of the Domains of the true gods of Dhrall, but rather are strange combinations, part insect, part 
reptile, part warm-blooded animal, and each of these variations has a specific task in its service to the ruler 
of the Wasteland.
The one and only characteristic the creatures of the Wasteland share is an obsessive need to expand the 
Domain of the ruler of the Wasteland until the entirety of the Land of Dhrall lies in its grasp. For truly, That-
Called-the-Vlagh hungers ultimately to rule the world.
And the Vlagh sent forth many of its creatures to intrude themselves into the Domains of the true gods of 
Dhrall, and carried those intruders back to the Vlagh everything which they had observed. And the Vlagh 
considered each tiny nibble of truth which its servants brought to it, and after eons uncounted, it perceived a 
flaw during the transfer of power and authority from one generation of gods unto the next.
For truly, the elder gods grew weary and forgetful as they longed for sleep; and the younger gods were 
yet only half awake.
And the spirit of the Vlagh was filled with evil joy at this revelation. And laid it then its plans and 
marshaled its servants in preparation for a war whereby it could surely destroy the true gods of Dhrall. And 
there in the Wasteland it dreamed of the day when it would come to rule the entirety of the Land of Dhrall. 
And once Dhrall lay securely in its grasp, it could reach forth and claim other lands as well, and all in good 
time would it come to possess the world. And all creatures great and small would bow down before it, and it 
would assume its rightful place as ruler of all the world, and its reign would last forever and ever, and all

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power would lie in its hands.
And the spirit of the Vlagh rejoiced.
Now Mother Sea and Father Earth paid scant heed to the antics of any gods of any lands, and neither did 
they sleep, for to them fell the task of maintaining the life of the creatures of earth and sea, and woe to him, 
human or divine, who threatens the perpetuation of life. For gentle though they may appear, Mother Sea and 
Father Earth have disasters beyond imagining at their disposal, should such appear necessary for the 
continuation of life.
Now it came to pass long ago in the Domain of the North that a half-mad hermit had a vision of that 
which would one day become reality, and in that vision he saw sleeping children whose dreams could thwart 
the designs of That-Called-the-Vlagh, for the dreams could command, and Mother Sea and Father Earth 
could not disobey the commands of the Dreamers.
And most men of the Land of Dhrall scoffed at the vision of the hermit, for his madness was clearly 
evident. But the Gods of East and West, North and South, scoffed not, for the hermit's vision resounded 
deep within their souls, and they knew it to be true. And troubled were the true gods of the Land of Dhrall, 
for they knew in their hearts that the arrival of the Dreamers would change all the world, and nothing 
thereafter would ever be the same again.
And the eons, as eons must, plodded on toward an uncertain future, and the younger gods grew older, 
and the cycle of their ascendency neared its conclusion.
And it is here that our story begins.

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THE ISLE OF THURN
1
Zelana of the West had grown weary of the brutish man-creatures of 
her Domain. She found them repulsive, and their endless complaints and 
demands irritated her beyond measure. They seemed to believe that she 
lived only to serve them, and that offended her.
And so it was that she turned her back on them and sojourned for 
several eons on the Isle of Thurn, which lies off the coast of her Domain. 
And there she communed with Mother Sea and entertained herself by 
composing music and creating poetry.
Now the waters around the Isle of Thurn are the home of a rare breed 
of pink dolphins, and Zelana found them to be playful and intelligent, and 
in time she came to look upon them not as pets, but rather as dear 
companions. She soon learned to understand - and to speak - their 
language, and they gave her much information about Mother Sea and the 
many creatures that lived in Mother's depths and along her shores. Then 
by way of recompense, she played music for them on her flute or sang for 
them. The dolphins came to enjoy Zelana's impromptu concerts, and they 
invited her to swim with them.
They were much perplexed by a few of Zelana's peculiarities after she 
joined them. So far as they could determine, she never slept, and she 
could remain under the surface of Mother Sea almost indefinitely. It also 
seemed odd to them that she showed no interest in the schools offish 
which swam in the waters around the Isle. Zelana tried to explain to her 
friends that sleep and air and food were not necessary for her. Her periods 
of sleep and wakefulness were much longer than theirs; she could extract 
the essential element of air from the water itself; and she fed on light 
rather than on fish or grass. But the dolphins could not quite grasp her 
explanation.

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Zelana decided that it might be best to just let it lie.
The man-creatures of the Land of Dhrall knew full well just who - and 
what - Zelana was. She held dominion over the West, but there were 
others in her family as well. Her elder brother Dahlaine held sway over 
the North, and he was grim and bleak. Her younger and sometimes 
frivolous brother Veltan controlled the South - when he was not exploring
the moon or contemplating the color blue - and her prim and proper elder 
sister Aracia ruled the East as both queen and goddess.
The ages continued their stately march, but Zelana paid them no heed, 
for time meant nothing to her. Then one day her dearest friend, a 
matronly pink dolphin named Meeleamee, surfaced near the place where 
Zelana sat cross-legged on the face of Mother Sea playing her newest 
musical composition on her flute. 選've found something you might want 
to see, Beloved,' Meeleamee announced in her piping voice.
前h?' Zelana said, setting her flute aside in the emptiness just over her 
shoulder where she kept all her possessions.
選t's very pretty,' Meeleamee piped, 疎nd it's exactly the right color.'
糎hy don't we go have a look then, dear one?' Zelana replied.
And so together they swam toward the stark cliffs on the southern 
margin of the Isle, and as they neared the coast, Meeleamee sounded, 
swimming down and down into the depths of Mother Sea. Zelana arched 
over and followed, and soon they came to the narrow mouth of an 
underwater cavern, and Meeleamee swam on into that cavern with Zelana 
close behind.
Now reason and experience told Zelana that this cave should grow 
darker as the two of them went deeper and deeper into its twisting 
passage, but it grew lighter instead, and the water ahead glowed pink and 
warm and friendly, and Meeleamee rose toward the light with Zelana 
close behind.
And when they surfaced in the shallow pool at the end of the passage, 
Zelana beheld a wonder, for Meeleamee had led her into a grotto unlike 
any other Zelana had ever seen. There was a rational explanation, of 
course, but mundane rationality could not tarnish the pure beauty of the 
hidden grotto. A broad vein of rose-colored quartz crossed the ceiling of 
the grotto, filling that hidden cave with a glowing pink light. Almost in 
spite of herself, Zelana feasted on that light and found it delicious beyond 
the taste of any other light she had savored in the past ten eons. And she

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shuddered and glowed with pure delight as she feasted.
Beyond that shallow pool at the entrance was a floor covered with fine 
white sand touched with the luminous pink of the prevailing light, and 
there was also a musically tinkling trickle of fresh water in a little niche at 
the rear, and all manner of interesting nooks and crannies along the 
curved walls.
糎ell?' Meeleamee squeaked, 糎hat do you think, Beloved?'
選t's lovely, lovely,' Zelana replied. 選t's the most beautiful place on all 
the Isle.'
選'm glad you like it,' Meeleamee said modestly. 選 thought you might 
like to visit here now and then.'
鮮o, dear one,' Zelana replied. 選 won't need to visit. I'm going to live 
here. It's perfect, and I deserve a little perfection.'
塑ou won't stay here all the time, will you, Beloved?' Meeleamee 
squeaked in consternation.
前f course not, dear one,' Zelana replied. 選'll still come out to play 
with you and my other friends. But this beautiful place will be my home.'
糎hat is "home"?' Meeleamee asked curiously.
It was on a day much like any other when Dahlaine of the North came 
up out of the passageway that led to Zelana's pink grotto to advise his 
sister that there was trouble in the wind in the Land ofDhrall.
選 don't see how that's any concern of mine, dear brother,' Zelana told 
him. 禅he mountains protect the lands of the West on one side, and 
Mother Sea protects them on the other. How can the creatures of the 
Wasteland ever reach me?'
禅he Land of Dhrall is all one piece, dear sister,' Dahlaine reminded 
her, 疎nd no natural barrier is completely insurmountable. The creatures 
of your lands of the West stand in as great a danger as all the others. I 
think it's about time for you to come out of your little hide-away here and 
start paying attention to the world around you. How long has it been since 
you last surveyed your Domain?'
Zelana shrugged. 羨 few eons is all - certainly no more than a dozen. 
Have I missed anything significant?'

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禅he man-creatures have made a bit of progress. They're making tools 
now, and they've learned how to build fires. You really ought to look in 
on them once in a while.'
糎hat in the world for? They're stupid and vicious, and they stink. My 
dolphins are cleaner and wiser, and their hearts are large and filled with 
love. If the creatures of the Wasteland are hungry, let them eat the man-
creatures. I won't miss them.'
禅he people of the West are your responsibility, Zelana,' Dahlaine 
reminded her.
全o are the flies and ants and roaches, and they seem to be getting 
along well enough.'
塑ou can't just ignore the world, Zelana,' Dahlaine told her. 禅here are 
changes taking place all around you. The creatures of the Wasteland are 
growing restless, and it won't be long before the Dreamers arrive. We 
need to be ready.'
選t's not nearly the age of the Dreamers yet, is it, Dahlaine?' Zelana 
asked incredulously.
禅he signs are all there, Zelana,' Dahlaine said. 閃other Sea and 
Father Earth move to their own schedule. They won't wait until it's 
convenient for us to do what needs to be done. The ruler of the Wasteland 
is preparing to move against us, and we aren't ready to face it yet.'
糎e should have destroyed that hideous creature as soon as we realized 
what it was.'
糎e can talk about all this some other time, dear sister,' Dahlaine 
smoothly changed the subject. 糎hat I really came here for was to give 
you something I thought you might like.'
羨 gift - for me?' Zelana's irritated humor seemed to vanish. 糎hat is 
it?' she demanded eagerly.
Dahlaine smiled. Somehow the magic word 組ift' always seemed to 
bring his brother and his sisters around to his way of thinking. Zelana in 
particular always responded in exactly the way he wanted her to. A gift 
wasn't really a form of coercion, but it served the same purpose, and it 
was a nicer approach. 前h,' he said in an off-hand manner, 訴t's not much, 
sister dear. It's just a little something I thought you might enjoy. How 
would you like a new pet? It occurred to me that you might be getting a 
little tired of your dolphins after all these eons, since they can't come out

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of the water to play with you here in your lovely grotto. So I brought you 
a pet that should be able to share your home.'
羨 puppy, maybe?' Zelana asked eagerly. 選've never owned a puppy, 
but I've heard that they're very affectionate.'
鮮ot exactly a puppy, no.'
前h,' Zelana sounded disappointed. 羨 kitten then?' she said, her eyes 
brightening once more. 選've heard that the purring sound kittens make is 
very relaxing.'
糎ell, not quite a kitten either.'
糎hat is it, Dahlaine?' Zelana demanded impatiently. 全how me.'
前f course,' Dahlaine replied, concealing his sly smile. He reached 
both hands into the unseen emptiness he always carried along behind him 
and took a fur-wrapped bundle out of the air. 糎ith my compliments, my 
beloved sister,' he said extravagantly, handing her the bundle.
Zelana eagerly took the bundle and turned back the edge of the fur robe
to see what her brother had given her. She gaped in obvious disbelief at 
the newborn pet drowsing in the warm fur robe. 糎hat am I supposed to 
do with this thing?' she demanded in a shrill voice.
He shrugged. 禅ake care of it, Zelana. It shouldn't be much more 
difficult to care for than a young dolphin.'
腺ut it's one of those man-creatures!' she protested.
糎hy, so it is,' Dahlaine replied in mock astonishment. 践ow strange 
that I didn't notice that myself. You're very perceptive, Zelana.' He 
paused. 選t's not an ordinary man-creature, dear sister,' he added gravely. 
選t's very special. There are only a few of them, but they'll change the 
world. Care for it and protect it, Zelana. I think you'll have to feed it, 
because I don't think it can live on light alone, as we do. You might have 
to experiment a bit to find something it can digest, but I'm sure that 
you're clever enough to solve that problem. You'll need to keep it clean 
as well. Infant man-creatures tend to be messy. Then, after a few years, 
you might want to teach it to talk. There are things it's going to need to 
tell us, and if it can't talk, it won't be able to pass them on to us.'
糎hat could one of these creatures tell us that we don't already know?'
船reams, Zelana, dreams. We don't sleep, so we don't dream. That

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baby in your arms is a Dreamer. That's why I brought her to you.'
選t's a girl, then?' Zelana's voice softened.
鮮aturally. I didn't think you'd get along very well with a boy. Care 
for her, Zelana, and I'll drop by in a few years to see how she's coming 
along.'
The baby in Zelana's arms made a cooing sound and reached out one 
tiny hand to touch Zelana's face.
前h,' Zelana said in a trembling, almost stricken voice, clasping the 
infant more closely to her.
Dahlaine smiled. It had turned out rather well, he congratulated 
himself. All it had taken to totally enslave his brother and both of his 
sisters had been a few peeps and coos and one soft touch from an infant 
hand. He might have gloated a bit more, but his own baby Dreamer was 
home alone, and it was almost feeding time, so he really should get on 
back.
He swam out of Zelana's grotto and remounted his well-trained 
lightning bolt. Lightning bolts are noisy steeds, there's no question about 
that, but they can cover vast distances in the blink of an eye.
Zelana's first problem with her new charge was finding something to 
feed it. She rather hoped that Dahlaine had been mistaken. If the infant 
could live on light alone, as Zelana herself did, feeding it would be no 
problem. The vein of pink quartz in the ceiling of the grotto concentrated 
the sunlight into a glowing pink pool which was presently centered on the 
bed of moss where Zelana occasionally rested. Hopefully, she laid the 
fur-robed bundle on that moss bed and turned the robe back to allow the 
sunlight to touch the child.
The infant began to fuss a bit. Maybe the little creature didn't like the 
color. Zelana had discovered that a steady diet of pink light took a bit of 
getting used to. Pink, it appeared, was an acquired taste.
Zelana snapped her fingers, and the quartz obediently turned blue. The 
baby didn't stop fussing, though, and her discontent was growing louder.
Zelana tried green, but that didn't work either. Then she tried plain 
white. It was a little bland, but perhaps the baby wasn't ready for 
advanced colors yet.

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The sounds the infant was making grew louder and more insistent.
Zelana quickly gathered the squalling infant in her arms and hurried 
down to the edge of the shallow pool at the mouth of the grotto. 
閃eeleamee!' she called in the piping language of the dolphins, 選 need 
your help! Soon! Please!'
Now Meeleamee had mothered many, many young, so she had great 
wisdom and much experience in such matters. 閃ilk,' she advised.
糎hat is milk?' Zelana asked. 羨nd where can I find some?'
Meeleamee explained in some detail, and for the very first time in her 
endless life, Zelana blushed. 糎hat a strange sort of thing,' she said, 
blushing even harder. She looked down at herself. 船o you think I might 
be able to ... She left it hanging.
善robably not,' Meeleamee replied. 禅here are some things involved 
that are just a little complicated. Can the young one swim?'
選 don't really know,' Zelana admitted.
繕nwrap her and put her down in the shallow water here. I should be 
able to nurse her without too much trouble.'
It was a bit awkward at first, but between them Zelana and Meeleamee 
managed to feed the infant. Zelana felt a real sense of accomplishment - 
which lasted for nearly four hours.
Then they had to feed the child again. It seemed that there was great 
deal of inconvenience involved in caring for infants.
The seasons turned, as seasons always do, and summer drifted on into 
autumn, and winter followed shortly after. Zelana had never really paid 
much attention to the seasons. Heat or cold had little meaning for her, and 
she could create light whenever she grew hungry.
The female dolphins were taking turns feeding the infant, and Zelana 
noticed that the child seemed to be very affectionate. The dolphins were a 
bit startled by kisses at first, but after a while they enjoyed being kissed 
by the grateful child, and sometimes there were even arguments about 
whose turn it was to nurse. The arguments broke off abruptly when the 
child sprouted teeth and began chewing on whatever was handy, though. 
Her diet changed at that point, and the dolphins offered her fish instead of

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milk. She still kissed them by way of thanks, so everything seemed all 
right again.
Since the child had always been fed in the shallow pool at the grotto's 
mouth, she was swimming even before she began to grow teeth, but she 
started walking - and running - not long after her diet changed, and she 
was soon toddling about the grotto, squeaking dolphin words as she went. 
She returned to the water whenever she grew hungry, however. The 
dolphins were careful to keep her more or less confined to the water at the 
mouth of the grotto, but they took to chasing fish in from the deeper 
waters of Mother Sea to give the child some experience in the business of 
catching her own food.
When the summer of the child's third year arrived, she ventured out of 
the grotto to join the younger dolphins in their forays along the coast of 
the Isle of Thurn. She spent her days now frolicking with the young 
dolphins and eating the bounty of Mother Sea.
Zelana approved of that. The child's independence freed her mistress at 
last so that she could return to poetry and music.
The young dolphins called the child 腺eeweeabee,' but Zelana didn't 
really think that was appropriate, since it approximately translated into 
全hort-Fin-With-No-Tail.' Despite her habits and her companions, the 
little girl was still a land animal, so Zelana unleashed her poetic talents 
and ultimately arrived at 薦leria.' It had a nice musical sound to it, and it 
rhymed with several very pleasant words.
The little girl didn't seem to care for the name, but after a while she -
would answer to it when Zelana called her, so the name more or less did 
what it was supposed to.
The seasons continued to turn, but Zelana had long since realized that 
they could do that on their own, so she didn't have to prompt them.
Then in the autumn of Eleria's fifth year, Dahlaine came by again. 
践ow are things progressing with your child, dear sister?' he asked 
Zelana.
選t's a bit hard to say,' Zelana replied. 選 haven't had any contact with 
the man-creatures for more than ten eons, and I'm sure they've changed 
in that many years. I can't really be sure what's normal for them at 
Eleria's age. She spends most of her time in the water, though, so she 
doesn't stink the way most of her kind did when I turned my back on

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them.'
糎here is she?' Dahlaine asked, looking around the grotto.
善robably out playing with her friends,' Zelana said, 僧ost likely 
somewhere along the coast of the Isle.'
全he has friends?' Dahlaine seemed a bit surprised. 選 didn't know 
there were any people here on the Isle.'
禅here aren't, and even if there were, I wouldn't permit her to associate 
with them.'
塑ou're going to have to get over that, sister. Eventually she will be 
required to have dealings with her own kind.'
糎hat for?'
全he'll have to tell them what they're supposed to do, Zelana. If her 
playmates aren't people, what exactly are they?'
船olphins, of course. She and the young dolphins get along very well.'
選 didn't know that dolphins can move around on dry land.'
禅hey can't. Eleria swims with them.'
羨re you mad?' Dahlaine almost screamed. 全he's only five years old! 
You can't just turn her loose in Mother Sea like that!'
全top worrying so much, Dahlaine. She swims almost as well as her 
playmates do, and she finds most of her food out there in deep water. It 
saves me all sorts of time. She feeds herself, so I don't have to bother. 
She does seem to like berries - when they're in season - but most of the 
time she eats fish.'
践ow does she cook them if she's out there in the water?'
糎hat is "cook"?' Zelana asked curiously.
遷ust a custom, really,' Dahlaine replied evasively. 塑ou ought to try to 
keep her out of deep water, though.'
糎hy? She swims mostly along the surface, so what difference does it 
make how much water's down below her?'
Dahlaine gave up. There was just no talking with Zelana.

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2
Though Zelana would not have admitted it even to herself, her life was 
much more pleasant now that she had Eleria to love and to care for. Since 
Eleria was able to find her own food and she had playmates enough to 
keep her occupied, her presence in the grotto in the evenings was hardly 
any inconvenience at all. Zelana was still able to create poetry and 
compose music, and Eleria served as a ready-made audience. She loved to 
have Zelana sing to her, and she seemed to enjoy listening to the 
recitation of Zelana's poems - even though she didn't understand a single 
word. She was now well into her sixth year, but she continued to speak 
exclusively in the squeaky, piping language of the dolphins.
Zelana considered that. It wasn't really all that much of a problem, 
since she herself was also fluent in that language. She decided, though, 
that perhaps one of these days she might teach the young one the 
rudiments of the language she spoke and shared with her sister and her 
brothers. It shouldn't be too difficult. Zelana had discovered that Eleria 
was very quick.
As it turned out, however, Eleria was about two jumps ahead of her. 
Zelana had been reciting poetry to the child since Eleria's infancy, and 
one day in the early autumn of Eleria's sixth year Zelana happened to 
overhear the child reciting one of the poems to her playmates, translating 
each line into their own language as she went along. Zelana's poetry took 
on whole new dimensions when delivered in the squeaks and burbles of 
the dolphin language. Zelana was fairly sure that the young dolphins 
weren't really all that interested in poetry, but Eleria's habit of rewarding 
their attention with kisses and embraces kept them obediently in place. 
Zelana was very fond of dolphins herself, but the notion of kissing them 
had never occurred to her. Eleria, however, seemed to have discovered 
early in her life that dolphins would do almost anything for kisses.
Zelana decided at that point that it might not be a bad idea to start 
paying closer attention to the progress of the young child. Lately it 
seemed that every time she turned around, Eleria had a new surprise for 
her.
薦leria,' she said a bit later when the two of them were alone in the

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grotto.
Eleria responded with a squeaky little dolphin sound.
全peak in words, child,' Zelana commanded.
Eleria stared at her in astonishment. 選t is not proper that I should, 
Beloved,' she replied quite formally. 禅hy speech is not to be used for 
mundane purposes or ordinary times. It is reserved for stately utterances. 
I would not for all this world profane it by reducing its stature to the 
commonplace.'
Zelana immediately realized where she had blundered. In a peculiar 
sort of way she'd treated Eleria in much the same way the child was now 
treating her dolphin playmates. Eleria had been something on the order of 
a captive audience - but not quite completely captive. The child had 
drawn her own conclusions.
There was a certain logic behind Eleria's conviction that Zelana's 
language was reserved for poetry alone, since the only times when Zelana 
had spoken that language to her had been during those recitations. 
Ordinary conversations between them had been in the language of the 
dolphins.
舛ome here, child,' Zelana said. 選 think it's time for us to get to know 
each other a bit better.'
Eleria seemed apprehensive. 践ave I done something wrong, 
Beloved?' she asked. 羨re you angry with me because I told your poems 
to the finned ones? You didn't want me to do that, did you? Your poems 
were love, and they were for me alone. Now I have spoiled them.' 
Eleria's eyes filled with tears. 善lease don't send me away, Beloved!' she 
wailed. 選 promise that I won't do it again!'
A wave of emotion swept over Zelana, and she felt her own eyes 
clouding over. She held out her arms to the child. 舛ome to me,' she said.
Eleria rushed to her, and they clung to each other. Both of them were 
weeping now, yet they were filled with a kind of joy.
Zelana and Eleria spent all of their time together in the grotto after that. 
The dolphins brought fish for Eleria to eat, and the trickling spring 
provided water, so there was no real need for the child to go out into 
Mother Sea. Her playmates were a bit sulky at first, but that soon passed.
Zelana spent many happy hours teaching Eleria how to create poetry 
and how to sing. Zelana's poetry was stately and formal, and her songs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

were complex. Eleria's poetry was still antique but much more 
passionate, and her songs were simple and pure. Zelana was painfully 
aware that the child's voice was more beautiful than her own, clear and 
reaching upward without effort.
Eleria eventually came to realize that the language she had come to 
know as the language of poetry had a more colloquial form which they 
could use for everyday communication. She still insisted on calling 
Zelana 腺eloved,' however.
It was in the spring of Eleria's seventh year when the child went out to 
play with her pink friends again. Zelana had suggested that Eleria had 
been neglecting them of late, and it was not polite to do that.
Late that day Eleria returned to the grotto with a strange glowing 
object.
糎hat is that pretty thing, child?' Zelana asked.
選t's called a "pearl", Beloved,' Eleria replied, 疎nd a very old friend of 
the dolphins gave it to me - well, she didn't exactly give it to me. She 
showed me where it was, though.'
選 didn't know that pearls could grow so large,' Zelana marveled. 選t 
must have been an enormous oyster.'
選t was huge, Beloved.'
糎ho is this friend of the dolphins?'
羨 whale,' Eleria replied. 全he's very old, and she lives near that islet 
off the south coast. She joined us this morning and told me that she 
wanted to show me something. Then she led me to the islet and took me 
down to where this enormous oyster was attached to a reef. The oyster's 
shell was almost as wide across as I am tall.'
践ow did you pry it open if it was that big?'
選 didn't have to, Beloved. The old whale touched the shell with her 
fin, and the oyster opened its shell for us.'
践ow very peculiar,' Zelana said.
禅he old whale told me that the oyster wanted me to have the pearl, so 
I took it. I did thank the oyster, but I'm not sure it could understand me. It

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was a little hard to swim and hold my pearl at the same time, but the old 
whale offered to carry me back home.'
舛arry?'
糎ell, not exactly. I rode on her back. That is so much fun.' Eleria held 
the pearl up. 全ee how it glows pink. Beloved? It's even prettier than the 
ceiling of our grotto.' She nestled her pearl, which was about the size of 
an apple, against her cheek. 選 love it!' she declared.
船id you eat today?' Zelana asked.
選 had plenty earlier today, Beloved. My friends and I found a school 
of herring and ate our fill.'
船id the whale have a name, by any chance?'
禅he dolphins just called her "mother". She isn't really their mother, of 
course. I think it's more like a way to let her know that they love her.'
全he speaks the same language as the dolphins?'
全ort of. Her voice isn't as squeaky, though.' Eleria crossed to her bed 
of moss. 選'm very tired, Beloved,' she said, sinking down onto her bed. 
選t was a long swim out to the islet, and mother whale swims faster than I 
do. I had trouble keeping up with her.'
糎hy don't you go to sleep, then, Eleria? I'm sure you'll feel much 
better in the morning.'
禅hat sounds like a terribly good idea, Beloved,' Eleria said. 選'm 
really having trouble keeping my eyes open.' She lay back on her bed of 
moss with the glowing pink pearl cradled to her heart.
Zelana was puzzled, and just a trifle concerned. It wasn't natural for 
whales and dolphins to associate with each other in the way Eleria had 
just described, and Zelana was almost positive that they wouldn't be able 
to speak to each other and be understood. Something very peculiar had 
happened today.
Eleria appeared to be sound asleep now, and her limbs had relaxed. 
Then, to Zelana's astonishment, the glowing pink pearl rose up into the 
air above the sleeping child. Its pink glow grew steadily stronger and the 
glow seemed to enclose Eleria.
船on't interfere. Zelana,' a very familiar voice echoed in Zelana's 
mind. 禅his is necessary, and I don't need any help from you.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eleria awoke somewhat later than usual the following morning, and 
she had a puzzled look on her face as she sat cross-legged on her bed of 
moss with her pearl in her hand. 糎hy do we sleep, Beloved?' she asked.
選 don't,' Zelana replied, 疎nd I'm not sure exactly why other creatures 
seem to need to sleep every so often.'
選 thought you and I were of the same kind,' Eleria said. 糎e look very 
much alike - except that your hair is dark and glossy and mine is sort of 
yellow.'
選've wondered about that myself. Maybe I've just outgrown the need 
for sleep. I am quite a bit older than you are, after all.' It was a simplified 
answer, but Zelana was quite certain that Eleria wasn't ready for the real 
one just yet.
全ince you don't sleep, you wouldn't know about the strange things I 
seem to see happening while 選'm sleep, would you?'
禅hey're called "dreams", Eleria,' Zelana told her, 疎nd I don't think 
any other creature has the same kind of dreams you do. My brother 
Dahlaine told me that your dreams would be very special, and much more 
important than the dreams of the ordinaries. Did you have a dream last 
night that frightened you?'
選t didn't particularly frighten me, Beloved. It just seemed very strange,
for some reason.'
糎hy don't you tell me about it?' Zelana suggested.
糎ell, I seemed to be floating - except that I wasn't floating in Mother 
Sea the way I do sometimes when I want to rest and catch my breath. I 
was floating way up in the air instead, and all sorts of strange things were 
happening far below. Father Earth seemed to be all on fire, and his 
mountains were rising and falling the way Mother Sea's waves do. Rocks 
were melting and running down the sides of some of Father Earth's 
mountains into Mother Sea, and some of his other mountains were 
spouting liquid fire way up into the sky. Could something like that really 
happen?'
塑es, child,' Zelana said in a troubled voice, 疎nd it happened in 
exactly the way you just described it. I was there watching while it 
happened. It was at the very beginning of the world. What happened 
next?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

糎ell, the fires kept burning for a long, long time, and then the land 
below me started to break apart, and the pieces floated off in different 
directions. Then trees began to sprout on the face of Father Earth, and 
Mother Sea started having children. It was about then that I seemed to 
know that I wasn't alone. Others were having the same dream - only 
maybe for them it wasn't really a dream.'
Zelana smiled. 鮮o, dear, it wasn't. I was one of those others, and I 
certainly wasn't dreaming, and neither were my brothers or my sister.'
禅hen it was your family that was sort of hiding around the edges of 
my dream?' Eleria asked. 選 thought you only had two brothers and one 
sister. There seemed to be two more brothers and a sister watching with 
me.'
禅hey're another branch of the family, Eleria,' Zelana told her. 糎e 
don't get together very often. We can talk about them some other time. 
Why don't you tell me what happened next in your dream. Dreams fade, I 
guess, and I'd like to hear your whole dream before you forget.'
糎ell, most of Mother Sea's children were fish, but some of them 
weren't. Those were the ones who crawled up onto the face of Father 
Earth. They looked like snakes at first, but then they sprouted legs and 
they grew up to be very big. Some of them ate trees, but some of the 
others ate the ones who were eating trees. Then a great big rock that was 
on fire fell down out of the sky, and when it hit Father Earth it made an 
awful splash, except that it was rock that splashed instead of water, and 
everything got dark for a long time. It finally started to get light again, 
but the snakes with legs weren't there any more.'
船id my relatives go away, too?'
全ome of them went to sleep, but they woke up after a while, and the 
ones who'd stayed awake went to sleep. There was one that never slept, 
though. That one's very ugly, isn't it?'
選ndeed it is, child,' Zelana replied with a shudder. 選t's an outcast, and 
we don't even like to think about it. What happened next?'
禅here were a lot of things with fur wandering around, and there were 
birds and bugs, too, but then some things who walked on their hind legs 
came along. They didn't look at all the way we do, though. Their skin 
was scaly, like the skin of large fish - or maybe snakes, and their eyes 
were huge and stuck way out in front of their faces. That went on for 
quite a long time, and then everything was all covered with white, and it

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

got very cold. Mother Sea seemed to shrink, and she ran away from her 
shore. Then the white went away, and Mother Sea came back. That's 
when the man-things who look like me arrived. They didn't look exactly 
like me, though. They wrapped themselves up in animal skins for some 
reason, and you and I don't do that, do we?'
選t isn't necessary for us, Eleria. The skins help the man-things stay 
warm, and they're ashamed of their bodies.'
践ow peculiar,' Eleria said, frowning slightly. 禅hat was about all 
there was, Beloved, except that the awful-looking watcher was still way 
off at the edge of my dream, and I don't think it likes me very much. I get 
the feeling that it's afraid of me for some reason.'
選f it has anything like good sense, it is,' Zelana said. 船o you think 
you'll be able to manage here by yourself for a few days? There are some 
things I need to attend to. I won't be gone for long.'
舛an't I go with you?'
選'm afraid not, Eleria. I have to go by myself this time. Maybe you can 
come along next time. We'll see.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3
Zelana swam out of her hidden grotto and onto a nearby gravel beach 
where the waves rolled in and then receded with a mournful sound that 
seemed filled with regret. Then she raised her face to the sky to search for 
one of those winds that rushed far overhead in perpetuity, streaming 
eternally above the clouds and weather. She encountered several, but they 
were not moving in the proper direction, so she continued her search. 
Then at last she felt a wind that streamed northward toward the Domain 
of her elder brother, and she rose up and up through the buffeting of those 
winds which had not suited her until she reached that wind which rushed 
northward along the outer edge of the sky, and she bestrode that wind, 
and it obediently carried her toward the bleak Domain of her brother 
Dahlaine.
Now Dahlaine dwelt in a cave deep in the bowels of the earth beneath 
the crags and eternal snow of Mount Shrak, which the people of the 
North believe is the tallest peak in all the world. And Zelana descended 
from the dark outer edge of the sky to the forbidding mountain that 
seemed almost to scowl down at her brother's Domain with a bleak 
expression of superiority. The mouth of Dahlaine's cave was a deep 
indentation in the north side of the mount, and Zelana entered there and 
followed the twisting passage that led down and down through glittering 
black rock to the vast chamber far beneath the mountain that was 
Dahlaine's home.
Zelana paused at the mouth of the passage. Her burly, grey-bearded 
brother, stripped to the waist, was standing over a ruddy fire beating on 
something that glowed and made a sort of ringing sound. A small, 
glowing orb hovered just over him, bathing him with light.
糎hat in the world are you doing, Dahlaine?' Zelana asked curiously.
Dahlaine turned sharply to look at his sister. 糎hy, Zelana!' he 
exclaimed. 塑ou startled me. Is something wrong?'
善erhaps - or perhaps not. Are you taking up music now? If you are, 
you're a little off-key.'
遷ust experimenting, dear sister,' he replied. 全ome of the people

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beyond Mother Sea have discovered something they call "metal." I 
wanted to see if I could duplicate it. Is something afoot?'
Zelana looked cautiously around Dahlaine's cave. 糎here's your 
Dreamer?' she asked.
羨shad? He's out playing with the bears.'
腺ears? Surely you don't allow him to play with bears! They'll eat 
him, won't they?'
前f course they won't, Zelana. They're his friends - in the same way 
the pink dolphins are Eleria's friends. Is something unusual happening?'
善erhaps. Eleria had a dream last night, and I think it may have been 
significant. I thought you should know about it. There's something else 
that may be even more significant than the dream itself.'
前h?'
選t appears that Mother Sea's taking a hand in this herself.'
Dahlaine stared at her.
薦leria was out playing with the young pink dolphins yesterday, and 
they introduced her to an old cow whale.'
選 didn't know that whales and dolphins spoke the same language,' 
Dahlaine said.
禅hey don't. That's what leads me to believe that it wasn't really a 
whale. Anyway, the old cow led Eleria to a small islet off the south coast 
of Thurn and showed her an oyster shell that was about fifty times bigger 
than any oyster I've ever seen. Then the whale touched the shell with one 
of her fins, and the oyster opened as if someone had just knocked on its 
door. There was a pearl inside - pink, and a bit larger than an apple.'
禅hat's impossible!' Dahlaine exclaimed.
塑ou'll have to take that up with the oyster, Dahlaine. Then the whale 
told Eleria that the oyster wanted her to have the pearl, so Eleria took it, 
and the whale gave her a ride back to Thurn.'
鮮ow that's something I'd like to see,' Dahlaine said, laughing. 選t 
might be a bit difficult to saddle a whale.'
船id you want to hear the rest of this, or did you want to make funny

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remarks?' Zelana said tartly.
全orry, dear sister. Please go on.'
薦leria'd had a busy day, so she was very tired. She went to sleep 
almost immediately, and then some very strange things started to happen. 
That pink pearl rose up into the air above Eleria, and it started to glow - 
almost like a small pink moon -and its light shone down on Eleria. Then 
it spoke to me and told me to mind my own business. I recognized the 
voice immediately, since I've been listening to it since the beginning of 
time.'
塑ou're not serious!' Dahlaine exclaimed.
膳ery serious, brother dear. It was the voice of Mother Sea, and that 
seems to suggest that the whale might have been something other than an 
ordinary whale as well, wouldn't you say?'
全he's never done that before,' Dahlaine said in a troubled voice.
塑ou're being obvious again, Dahlaine,' Zelana said. 選 think we'd 
better step around her very carefully until we get a better idea of what 
she's doing and why. Mother Sea's the central force of the whole world, 
so let's stay on the good side of her.'
糎hat happened next?' Dahlaine asked.
薦leria had a dream, naturally. Evidently, that was the whole idea. In 
some peculiar way, that pearl's the essence of Mother Sea's awareness. 
Her tides still rise and fall, and her waves wash the shores of Father 
Earth, but she's awake now. I'm almost positive that the pearl, which is 
really Mother Sea incarnate, dictated Eleria's dream, image by image.'
船id Eleria tell you about her dream?'
前f course she did. Why do you think I'm here?'
糎hat did the dream involve?'
禅he world,' Zelana replied. 薦leria saw it when it was still on fire 
before the continents separated and before life began. Then she saw the 
continents move away from each other and watched living things crawl 
up out of Mother Sea. She saw the big lizards roam the world and the 
falling star that killed them all. She was aware of us and of the others - 
the ones who are asleep now - and somehow she knew about the Vlagh. 
She saw the age of ice and then the more recent man-things. As closely as 
I can determine, she dreamt all the way from the beginning up until the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

day before yesterday.'
全he managed to dream all of that in one night?' Dahlaine said 
incredulously.
全he had help, Dahlaine. I'm sure that the pearl was guiding her step 
by step. I think we'd better advise our alternates what's afoot here. Our 
cycle's very nearly reached its conclusion, and our alternates will be 
waking soon. We'd better warn them that the crisis we've been expecting 
since the beginning's very likely to boil to the top during their cycle.'
禅hat's assuming that it doesn't come before our cycle's finished,' 
Dahlaine said. 選 think that we'd all better get together and thrash this out. 
Why don't you go fetch Aracia, and I'll see if I can run Veltan down. We 
need to make some decisions, and we might not have much time.'
選t shall be as thou hast commanded, my dear, dear brother,' Zelana 
replied with exaggerated formality.
船o you have to do that, Zelana?' he said with a pained sort of 
expression.
糎hen you're being obvious, yes. Go get Veltan, Dahlaine, and I'll see 
if I can pry holy Aracia out of that silly temple of hers. Do we want to 
meet here?'
選 think we'd better. It's more secluded than the other places -except 
for yours, of course. We could meet there, I suppose, but Veltan doesn't 
swim very well. And let's keep the Dreamers away from our meeting. We 
don't want to contaminate their visions.'
Zelana went up out of Dahlaine's cave and probed the northern sky 
until she found a wind that suited her purpose, and then she rose up 
through the chill northern air to join with the obliging wind to ride it on 
down in a southeasterly direction toward Aracia's Domain.
The arrival of the later variety of people had elevated Aracia's opinion 
of herself quite noticeably. Until their appearance. Aracia had seemed 
sensible enough - a little vain, perhaps, but not unbearably so. The later 
people, unlike the more brutish early ones, had religious yearnings, and 
they longed for gods.
Aracia had thought that was very nice of them, and she'd been more 
than happy to oblige. She'd suggested that a fancy dwelling where she 
could stay while she was looking after them might be appropriate, so her

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people built one for her - several, actually. The first one had been a bit 
crude, since it had been constructed primarily of logs. It had been all right 
for a while, but the wind blew through the cracks, and the dirt floor grew 
muddy during the spring rains.
Aracia had then suggested stone blocks instead of logs, and the people 
who served her labored long and hard to build a dwelling for her that was 
almost as comfortable as Zelana's grotto or Dahlaine's cave. And now 
Aracia of the East dwelt in her splendid, though drafty, palace-temple 
with servants by the score to tell her how wonderful she was and how 
beautiful and how they could not possibly get along without her - and if it 
wasn't too much trouble, could she turn that fellow who'd been so 
insulting the other day into a toad and maybe make it rain because the 
oats really needed some water along about now, but not too much rain, 
since that made everything all muddy.
Zelana descended through the crisp autumn air to the marble dome of 
her sister's temple and adjusted her eyes to look through the polished 
marble at Aracia's regal throne room. It was sheathed in palest marble, of 
course, and there were tall columns around its outer edge, and red drapes 
behind Aracia's golden throne.
Aracia was garbed in a regal gown, and she wore a regal crown of gold 
and a regal sort of expression on her face.
A fat man garbed in black linen vestments and a tediously ornate miter 
was standing before Aracia's throne delivering a tiresome oration of 
praise.
Aracia. Zelana noticed, seemed to hang on the fat man's every word.
Although she knew that it would be terribly impolite, Zelana simply 
couldn't resist a sudden impulse.
The fat orator broke off suddenly when Zelana, clad only in filmy 
gauze, abruptly appeared out of nowhere before the throne of her elder 
sister. Several plump, overfed servants fainted dead away, and a few of 
the more theologically inclined began to contemplate revisions of several 
articles of the faith.
Aracia gasped. 舛over yourself, Zelana!' she said sharply.
糎hat for, dear sister?' Zelana said. 選'm immune to the weather, and I 
don't have any defects that I want to hide. If you want to wrap yourself in 
that silly-looking cocoon, that's your business, but I don't think it'll turn 
you into a butterfly.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

践ave you no modesty?'
前f course not. I'm perfect. Didn't you know that? Dahlaine needs to 
see us - now. Leave your Dreamer here, though. Our brother will explain 
why when we join him.'
選f Dahlaine wants to explain something to me, he can come here and 
do it,' Aracia said. 選 will not bow down to him in that grubby hole in the 
ground where he lives.'
全plendid, dear sister mine,' Zelana said sweetly. 選'm sure all your fat 
servants will be delighted to see you bow down right here in your own 
temple - assuming, of course, that it's still standing after he arrives on 
that silly thunderbolt he always rides.
It's a nice enough thunderbolt, I suppose, but the noise it makes when 
it passes shakes down buildings sometimes. Putting your temple back 
together should give your fat servants something to do while they're 
pondering the fact that the supreme goddess of the universe just bowed 
down to somebody who looks for all the world like some shaggy bear.'
塑ou never bow down to him, Zelana,' Aracia accused.
前f course I don't,' Zelana replied. 選 don't have to, because I don't 
demand - or expect - anybody to bow down to me. That's the way it 
works, Aracia. Had you forgotten about that? It's time to shed your 
cocoon, my butterfly sister. The dreams have begun, and the Vlagh could 
be on our doorstep before the week's out. Let's go talk with Dahlaine 
while there's still time.'
Zelana took her sister's hand and they rode the wind toward the 
northwest. It was early autumn now, and the land far below was ablaze 
with color. The rivers sparkled in the autumn sun, and the mountains to 
the north of Aracia's Domain gleamed white beneath their eternal snow.
Actually, the sisters were rather looking forward to the meeting. There 
hadn't been a general family get-together for almost a dozen eons. 
There'd been occasional squabbles among them, of course. No family 
lives in absolute harmony forever, but in times of crisis the family was 
able to set their differences aside and work together to reach a solution.
選sn't that Dahlaine's mountain?' Aracia asked, pointing at the land of 
the North lying far below.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zelana glanced down. 鮮o,' she replied 閃ount Shrak's quite a bit 
taller.'
選've never looked at Father Earth from this high up before,' Aracia 
said. 践e looks different from up here, doesn't he?'
禅ry looking at him from the edge of the sky sometime, dear sister.' 
Zelana suggested.
薦dge of the sky?' Aracia sounded puzzled.
繕p where it isn't blue any more. After Eleria told me her dream, I 
needed to tell Dahlaine what she'd seen, but when I went looking for a 
wind that was blowing in his direction, the only one I could find was up 
at the outer edge of the air. You can even see the curve of the world from 
that high.'
船oes it really curve?' Aracia asked. 膳eltan told me that if you look at 
Father Earth from the moon, he looks like a round blue ball.' She 
frowned. 選 never did understand just why it was that Mother Sea exiled 
Veltan to the moon for all those eons. Did he do something to offend 
her?'
Zelana laughed. 選ndeed he did, Aracia. He told her that she bored 
him.'
践e didn't!'
前h, yes he did. He told her that she'd be much more interesting if she 
varied her shades of blue now and then. He even went so far as to suggest 
stripes. He kept pestering her about it until she lost her temper and told 
him to go away. That's why our baby brother spent ten thousand years on 
the moon.'
羨nd he passed the time cataloging shades of blue,' Aracia added. 
禅hat seems to be his major preoccupation.'
践ow many shades of blue has he found so far?'
全omething in excess of thirteen million that last time I spoke with 
him. That was about an eon or so ago, though, so he's probably found 
more by now.'
禅here's Mount Shrak,' Zelana told her sister, pointing toward the 
earth far below. 銑et's go and see if Dahlaine's managed to track Veltan 
down yet.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They descended through the lambent air toward the craggy peak of 
Mount Shrak, startling a flock of geese as they went. Zelana rather liked 
geese. They were silly birds most of the time, but their migrations marked 
the change of the seasons very precisely, and that added a certain stability 
to an unpredictable world.
The sisters came to earth near the mouth of Dahlaine's cave, and 
Zelana led Aracia down the long, winding passage toward their brother's 
underground home.
践ideous,' Aracia observed, looking around. 船id he put all those 
icicles on the ceiling himself?'
禅hey aren't ice, dear sister,' Zelana replied 禅hey're stone. They grow 
the same way icicles grow, but they take quite a bit longer.'
践e'll starve to death if he lives here in the dark for too long,' Aracia 
observed.
践e has a little sun that follows him here in his cave,' Zelana said. 選t's 
like a puppy, and it gives him all the light he needs.'
践e's manufacturing suns now?' Aracia seemed a bit startled. 選 tried 
that once, but the silly thing flew apart as soon as I started to make it 
spin.'
塑ou probably didn't make it heavy enough. The balance of a sun has 
to be very precise - too light and it flies apart; too heavy and it collapses 
in on itself.'
Aracia looked around cautiously. 糎here's Dahlaine's Dreamer?' she 
whispered.
羨shad? Dahlaine told me that he was out playing with the bears. We 
all seem to have our favorite animals, don't we? I love my pink dolphins, 
Dahlaine loves bears, Veltan's fond of sheep, and you're attached to the 
seals who nest along your coasts.'
Aracia shrugged. 禅hey gave us something to play with while we were 
waiting for the man-creatures to grow up,' she said. She peered back into 
the dim cave. 選t seems that Dahlaine hasn't found Veltan yet,' she noted. 
選 don't see them anywhere. How far back does this cave go?'
閃iles and miles, I think,' Zelana replied. 銑et's wait. I'm sure they'll 
be along soon. Has your Dreamer told you any interesting stories yet?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

鮮o,' Aracia replied. 選 don't think she's quite ready. From what 
you've told me, I'd say that your Dreamer might be the first. The story of 
the world sort of sets things up for the other Dreamers. Did she really see 
it right from the beginning in her dream?'
選t came very close to what really happened,' Zelana replied. 糎hat's 
your child's name?'
銑illabeth,' Aracia replied fondly, 疎nd she's the most beautiful 
creature in all the world.'
禅hey seem to do that to us, don't they?' Zelana said.
船o what?'
船istort our perceptions, dear sister,' Zelana replied. 選'd imagine that 
Dahlaine and Veltan feel the same way about their Dreamers. I know that 
I have exactly the same feelings about Eleria. It's probably very simple. 
We love them because they are ours'
舛ould you be a bit more specific about this dream your Eleria had?' 
Aracia asked.
銑et's wait for Dahlaine and Veltan. There were some complex things 
happening when Eleria began to dream, and I think Dahlaine's the best 
qualified to interpret them.'
禅hat's assuming that he ever gets here,' Aracia added.
It was probably late afternoon outside when a pair of shattering 
thunderclaps shook the air for miles around. 禅hat is so childish,' Aracia 
noted. 船o they really have to do that?'
禅hey're still little boys, dear,' Zelana replied, 疎nd showing off is part 
of their nature. Riding a lightning-bolt is a sure way to get everybody's 
immediate attention.'
腺ut they look so silly after they do that - glowing and with their hair 
standing on end the way it does.'
選 think lightning does that,' Zelana said. 選t is a very fast way to travel, 
but I think I'll stick to riding the wind. It's almost as fast, and it doesn't 
make nearly so much noise.'
A few moments later their brothers emerged from the twisting

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passageway that led down from the surface.
糎hat kept you?' Zelana asked mildly.
選 had a little trouble locating our baby brother,' Dahlaine replied 
sourly.
践e can be such a grouch sometimes,' the tall, fair-haired Veltan noted.
選 wouldn't be nearly so bad-tempered if you'd stop trying to hide from 
me,' Dahlaine said. 船id you tell our sister about Eleria's dream, Zelana?'
鮮ot in any great detail, no,' Zelana replied. 羨 number of her servants 
were there, and I didn't think they needed to know the full extent of what 
was happening just yet.'
禅ell us all, then, my fishy sister,' Veltan said, grinning at her 
outrageously.
前f course, moon-boy,' Zelana replied tartly, and she proceeded to tell 
them all; the whale, the pearl, the dream.
塑ou're just making this up, Zelana,' Veltan scoffed.
鮮o, baby brother, I'm not. The pearl - and quite probably that whale 
as well - aren't what they seem to be.'
前ur sister believes that Mother Sea's starting to tamper with things,' 
Dahlaine said them, 疎nd I think she might be right.'
鮮ow we come to the interesting part, big brother,' Zelana said 
brightly. 遷ust exactly who and what are these children you so generously 
gave us a few years ago?'
禅he Dreamers, of course, Zelana.' Dahlaine replied just a bit too 
quickly.
羨nd?' she pressed.
羨nd what?'
糎hat else are they, Dahlaine? You're so obvious most of the time that 
the rest of us can see right through you.'
塑ou didn't!' Veltan exclaimed, his eyes almost popping out as he 
stared at Dahlaine.
選 don't quite -' Aracia began. Then her eyes bulged out as well.

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船ahlaine!' she gasped.
糎ell,' he floundered, 訴t was a kind of emergency, wasn't it?' he 
asked plaintively.
羨re you insane? Veltan demanded. 禅hey can't be present during our 
cycle. The world can't bear that much weight!'
禅hey aren't very heavy right now,' Dahlaine replied defensively. 選 
was careful to blot out their previous memories before I woke them, and I 
modified them slightly to make them more closely resemble new-born 
man-creatures. They sleep and breathe and eat food instead of light. Their 
minds are still infantile, and they have no idea of who - or what � they 
really are, so their presence during our cycle won't make the world 
collapse. They're really nothing more than children, and our cycle will 
come to a close before they're fully mature and realize just who they 
actually are.'
塑ou've put the whole world at risk with this idiocy!' Aracia flared.
舛alm yourself, Aracia,' Zelana said. 鮮ow that I've had time to catch 
my breath, I'm beginning to see what Dahlaine had in mind. If the 
hideous thing in the Wasteland is on the verge of moving against us, 
we'll need all the help we can get, and the others have as much to lose as 
we do. Besides, we've never gotten to know them, have we? They're 
really very sweet. I didn't particularly like them before, but now that I've 
gotten to know Eleria, I love her. That was sort of what you had in mind 
when you came up with this scheme, wasn't it, Dahlaine? If we know 
them and love them, we can trust them. Isn't that the short and the long of 
this grand plan of yours?'
全ometimes you're so clever you make me sick, Zelana,' he said 
sourly.
践e's brighter than I thought he was,' Veltan told his sisters. 選f we 
awaken the others before the end of our cycle, we can raise them as if 
they were our children and prepare them for anything that might happen 
after we've gone to our rest.'
羨nd then they can return the favor at the end of their cycle,' Zelana 
added. 選 get to mother Eleria this time, and then she mothers me next 
time.'
選t sounds fair to me,' Veltan said. Then he paused. 糎e've been 
strangers to the others for far too long, I think. We all have the same 
responsibilities, so a bit of cooperation might be in order. I'm still not too

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

happy that you didn't tell the rest of us what you had in mind, Dahlaine, 
but we can set that aside for now. What's next?'
詮irst off,' Zelana said, 選 don't think we want to get too specific about 
what's happening when we're speaking with our Dreamers. They're still 
children, and children are impressionable, no matter what their species. 
We don't want to contaminate their dreams by explaining what these 
dreams really mean. Mother Sea might not like that very much, and she 
might decide to exile all four of us to the moon, not just Veltan.'
塑ou're probably right, Zelana,' Dahlaine agreed. 銑et's keep the 
dreams as pure as we possibly can.' He scratched at his chin 
speculatively. 糎e've got a problem now,' he said. 禅his first dream is 
likely to bring the creatures from the Wasteland swarming across the 
mountains, and our people won't be a match for them. I think we'll have 
to bring in the outsiders.'
羨bsolutely out of the question!' Aracia exclaimed. 前ur people are 
pure and innocent. The outsiders are barbaric monsters. They're almost as 
bad as the creatures of the Wasteland.'
鮮ot quite, Aracia,' Dahlaine disagreed. 糎e can manipulate them if 
we need to. The only problem I can see is linguistic. The outsiders don't 
speak the same language our people speak.'
禅hat's not a problem, Dahlaine,' Veltan told him. 選've looked in on 
several of the outsider cultures. Their babbling didn't make any sense at 
first, but I found a way to get around that.'
前h?' Dahlaine said. 選'd like to hear about that.'
羨ll you have to do is step around language and go straight to thought.'
践e has a point, Dahlaine,' Zelana said. 選t didn't take me much more 
than a week to learn the language of my dolphins. If you listen with your 
mind instead of your ears, it comes very fast.'
選nteresting notion,' Dahlaine mused. 繕nfortunately, I don't think 
people could do that.'
Veltan shrugged. 選'll do it for them, then.'
糎ould you like to clarify that, Veltan?' Aracia asked.
選t's a little complicated, dear sister,' he replied. 羨re you sure you 
want all the details?'

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Aracia shuddered. 全pare me that, please. Just tell me what the results 
are likely to be.'
禅he outlanders will babble in their own language, and our people will 
babble in ours. Neither group will hear babbles, though. They'll think that 
they're listening to their own language, so they'll understand each other 
perfectly.'
糎ould it work that way between different groups of outsiders as 
well?' Dahlaine asked. 糎e'll probably be bringing in several different 
cultures.'
鮮o problem,' Veltan said. 糎e'll have to decide how far out we want 
to take it, is about all. We might want to limit it to the Land of Dhrall, 
though. The outlanders all speak different languages, and maybe we 
should keep it that way. If they can communicate with each other, they 
might start forging alliances, and that could cause trouble down the line.'
塑ou may have a point there,' Dahlaine conceded. 銑et's try it and see 
how it works.'
選'm against the whole silly notion!' Aracia said adamantly. 糎e can't 
bring those murdering barbarians here to the sacred land!'
践ow sacred do you think it'll be after the unholy monsters of the 
Wasteland sweep over the mountains?' Dahlaine asked her pointedly. 
禅he outsiders are a little crude, I'll admit that, but they are mostly 
warriors. Our people haven't even discovered iron yet, so they're still 
using stone tools. The people of the outside world have no idea of the 
significance of Dhrall, but they do know how to fight. They spend most 
of their time practicing on each other. I think maybe we'd all better visit 
those outlands and find the various warrior people. There are several 
tricks we can use to get them here to Dhrall, and once they're here, we 
can wave gold in their faces to get their interest.'
賎old? It isn't very useful, Dahlaine,' Veltan objected. 選t's sort of 
pretty, but it's too soft for any practical uses. It's much like lead, when 
you get right down to it.'
禅he outlanders seem to like it, and if they hear about mountains of 
gold in the Wastelands of the interior, we won't be able to drive them 
away with whips. I don't think we've got much choice. Our people are 
too simple and gentle to face the armies of the Vlagh. We need large 
numbers of what Aracia calls howling barbarians, and we need them in a 
hurry. Let's go to the outer world and find warriors. It's the only way we

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

have to save Dhrall from the forces of the Vlagh.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4
Zelana rode the wind westward from the coast of Dhrall for many, 
many leagues across Mother Sea. She knew that there was land far to the 
west - at least there had been before she'd become so enamored of the 
pink dolphins of the Isle of Thurn. Perhaps it had wandered off again.
Night was settling over Mother Sea when Zelana saw something rather 
peculiar far below. There seemed to be a small fire floating on the surface 
of the water. Fire and water do not usually mix well, Zelana knew. 
Overcome with curiosity, she descended to investigate.
She drifted down through the twilight air, and as she came closer to the 
face of Mother Sea, she saw what at first she thought might be a floating 
house. Then she realized that it was probably a larger version of the 
canoes the people of her Domain used when they went out on the water to 
hunt fish. The fire she had seen appeared to be burning in a small glass 
box near the back of the oversized canoe.
She settled quietly onto the water and tiptoed closer. The floating 
object was obviously more advanced than anything the people of Dhrall 
could build, but it had probably been constructed for the same reason that 
the people of Dhrall made canoes. The outlanders were most likely 
fishermen. The pink dolphins of the Isle of Thurn ate fish, and Eleria had 
said that fish tasted quite pleasant - as long as they were fresh.
The oversized canoe Zelana had found was very large, long and 
narrow, and the outlanders had even built low-roofed houses on it to 
shelter them when the weather went bad. For some reason, they'd seen fit 
to put a large tree-trunk in the center. As Zelana approached, she noticed 
that there was a distinctly unpleasant odor hanging over the entire canoe.
Then a couple of man-creatures with hairy faces came out of the low, 
flat-roofed structure near the back of the alien canoe. They were both 
very tall and muscular, and their clothing was an odd mix of cloth and 
leather. They also had what appeared to be weapons of some sort belted 
to their waists, and that aroused Zelana's immediate attention. If these 
man-things were merely fishermen, they wouldn't need to carry weapons 
all the time. That strongly suggested that these two weren't out here on 
the face of Mother Sea looking for fish. Zelana stepped back out of the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

light and adjusted her hearing as Veltan had suggested to make the speech 
of the outlanders understandable.
銑ooks to be a fair night, Cap'n,' one of the creatures was saying.
羨ye,' the other rumbled in a harsh voice, 疎nd it's none too soon to 
suit me. I've had me a belly-full of foul weather here lately.'
Zelana was a bit surprised to discover that Veltan's theory actually 
worked the way he'd said it would. Veltan's experiments seldom turned 
out exactly the way he wanted them to. She was having no trouble 
understanding these two outlanders, though.
塑ou'd better get a look-out aloft, Ox,' the one called Cap'n suggested. 
鮮ow that the weather's settled down, other ships might be underway 
hereabouts. We're not sailing the Seagull out here for entertainment, you 
know.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' the huge one called Ox replied. 禅he Trogite vessels 
usually hug the coast, but the storm might have swept a few of them out 
here to deeper water. If our luck's running good, we might be able to 
harvest a fair amount of Trogite gold while they're still floundering 
around out of sight of land.'
塑ou're starting to think like a real Maag, Ox,' Cap'n said with an evil 
grin. 禅he notion of picking Trogite vessels like apples off a tree lights a 
warm fire in my belly. Come morning, put the crew to work patching the 
sails and clearing away the wreckage that storm made out of most of the 
rigging. It well-nigh drove us under a few times.'
Zelana sat cross-legged on the surface of Mother Sea considering some 
interesting possibilities. The two outlanders, Ox and Cap'n, had referred 
to their canoe as 疎 ship', and there were obviously other ships in the 
vicinity as well. It was fairly clear that these man-creatures who called 
themselves 閃aags' were not out on the face of Mother Sea in search 
offish. Evidently they searched for the ships of other outlanders in order 
to take gold from them. Apparently, Dahlaine's assessment of the 
outlanders had been correct. They were interested in gold, though Zelana 
could not quite understand why. The Seagull, it seemed, might be too 
good an opportunity to pass by. Now that Zelana could understand the 
speech of the outlanders, and if things went as the one called Cap'n 
seemed to hope they would, Zelana would be able to observe the 
outlanders who called themselves Maags in action. Should they prove to 
be suitable, their ship would make things very easy. A word or two with

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Mother Sea could produce a current which would sweep the Seagull to 
the west coast to the Land of Dhrall almost as fast as the wind could carry 
a mote of dust.
The more she thought about it, the more Zelana came to believe that 
these Maags might be exactly what she was seeking. She would need to 
watch and listen, though, and that suggested that she'd probably need to 
be somewhere inside the floating house called Seagull. That wouldn't be 
a problem of any magnitude. There were ways she could make herself 
inconspicuous while she watched and listened. Then, if these Maags 
proved to be suitable .. .
They all seemed to have peculiar names that were descriptive, though 
not always flattering. The one they respectfully called 舛aptain', or 
舛ap'n', was Sorgan Hook-Beak. Zelana, walking fly-like across the 
ceiling of the low-roofed structure at the rear of the Seagull, noticed that 
Sorgan did have a nose that was much like the beak of an eagle - or 
maybe a vulture. The one known as 前x' had shoulders like a bull, and 
there was another who gave orders who was called 銭ryda Ham-Hand,' 
although 腺ear-Paw' might have served as well. 践am-Hand,' Zelana 
noticed, gave orders with his fists, and nobody seemed inclined to ignore 
him.
Among those who took orders from Cap'n, Ox, and Ham-Hand were 
奏he Fat Man', who prepared their food, 羨do the Slow', who appeared to 
be almost as bright as a tree-stump, and 銭aldo Tree-Top', who was very 
tall. There was also a 腺ig-Feet', a 腺uck-Teeth', a 遷ug-Ears', and a 
small, wiry one known only as 然abbit'.
The tree that grew up out of the middle of the Seagull was called a 
僧ast', and the sheet of heavy fabric the Maags attached to the mast was 
called a 壮ail'. Zelana didn't quite grasp the significance of the sail until 
she saw the Maags raise it to catch the morning breeze the next day. The 
Maags, it appeared, were clever enough to let the wind do most of their 
work for them. Zelana was fond of the wind herself, so she approved of 
the notion.
It was about mid-morning of that day when Ox shouted. 全ail ho, 
Cap'n!' and there was an immediate flurry of activity. The Maags 
brought out their weapons - metal knives with long blades they called 
壮words', large axes, spears, and various other implements that appeared 
to have been designed to hurt people.
The Seagull raced across the water and soon overtook another ship,

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and the Maags stood along the Seagull's rail brandishing their weapons 
and howling threats at the men on the other ship.
The ship that seemed to be of great interest to the Maags was larger 
than the Seagull, and it seemed to be wide and slow. The man-things on 
that ship were clothed mostly in cloth, and there seemed to be more of 
them than there were on the Seagull.
Then, much to Zelana's surprise, the man-things on the other ship all 
jumped into Mother Sea and tried to swim away as fast as they could.
The Maags quickly tied the Seagull to the side of the other ship and 
began to carry all sorts of things across to their floating home. When they 
had finished, they cut the ropes that bound the two ships togther.
全hould we burn her, Cap'n?' Ox asked Hook-Beak hopefully.
選 don't think so,' Sorgan replied. 銑et the Trogites have their ship 
back. We've got what we wanted. Maybe they'll go back and fill her up 
once more. Then we can chase them down and rob them again.'
Zelana considered some options at that point. The Maags of the 
Seagull had spoken of a number of times when they'd attacked various 
coastal settlements, so it appeared that they knew how to fight on the 
ground as well as out on the face of Mother Sea. They also seemed to be 
in the habit of bragging about their various adventures. If a sudden sea-
current 阻ust happened' to carry the Seagull to the Land of Dhrall, and the 
crew also 蘇appened' to come across a great deal of gold and then went 
home to brag about their good fortune, it wouldn't be long before 
hundreds of Maag ships would descend on the coast of Dhrall. Once they 
were there, a bit of manipulation would be all it should take to get them to 
attack the forces of the Vlagh. The word 組old' did seem to get the 
immediate attention of the Maags.
Zelana sent her thought out to Mother Sea and made a brief suggestion. 
Mother Sea thought it might be sort of amusing.
Not long afterward, the Seagull was placidly quartering the wind and 
moving in a generally southeasterly direction. Then a sudden swirling 
turbulence caught the ship and swept it sideways toward the east. Hook-
Beak, Ox, and Ham-Hand started bellowing conflicting orders, and their 
underlings tried to do several different things all at the same time, but 
nothing they tried - and probably nothing they could have tried - made the 
slightest bit of difference. The Seagull continued to move easterly, 
sometimes sideways, sometimes front first, and sometimes backward.

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Mother Sea's grip was very, very firm.
Zelana rode the wind high above and watched with a certain 
satisfaction as the Seagull moved inexorably toward the Land of Dhrall. 
Whether they liked it or not, Hook-Beak and his crew had just joined the 
forces of good in the eternal struggle with the evil of the Vlagh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE SEAFARERS
1
Though he would deny it with his dying breath, if the truth were to be 
known, it was sheer coincidence that led to the discovery of the Land of 
Dhrall by Captain Sorgan Hook-Beak and the crew of his ship, the 
Seagull.
As all the world knows, Sorgan Hook-Beak of the Land of Maag is the 
greatest sea-captain of all time. No man yet born can match him in the 
prediction of wind, weather, tides, or the probable value of the cargo of 
any ship unlucky enough to encounter the Seagull on the high seas.
The men of the Land of Maag are bigger than the men of lands farther 
to the south, and they took to the sea early in their history. The mountains 
of Maag march down to the sea, and their slopes seem almost to point 
seaward, mutely saying, 賎o there'. Mountains are fine for hunting, but 
not too good for farming, so the men of Maag farmed the sea instead, and 
her crops were bountiful. Fish-hooks are much easier to hammer out of 
iron than plows, and fish-nets harvest bigger crops than scythes. Then 
too, the men who harvest the sea aren't obliged to spend all those tedious 
months waiting for their crops to grow. The crops of the sea are always 
there, and they can be harvested in any season.
The people of the Land of Maag developed a quaint custom early in 
their history. They frequently used descriptions rather than names. Thus 
there could be several 腺ig-Foots' or 腺uck-Teeth' in a Maag village, 
along with assorted 全lim-Wits', 詮ats', and 善igeon-Toes'. More 
conventional names came along later, after the Maags had made contact 
with the more refined peoples to the south. Sorgan Hook-Beak was proud 
of his name, since it suggested that others considered him to be an eagle, 
that noblest of all birds.
He went to sea early in his life, and his first captain was the legendary 
Dalto Big-Nose, a man whose very name struck terror into the heart of

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every Trogite sea-captain who sailed the northern sea.
Now the Trogites are an avaricious race, eager to snatch things that 
rightfully belong to others. At some time in the remote past a Trogite 
explorer in search of deposits of tin or copper which might prove 
profitable had discovered a peculiar region far back in the western 
reaches of the Land of Shaan, which stands to the west of the Land of 
Maag. The Maags grudgingly conceded that the Trogite explorer was a 
courageous fellow, since the natives of the Land of Shaan felt a moral 
compulsion to eat everything - or everybody - they killed. Being killed is 
one thing, but being eaten is quite another.
The Trogite explorer purchased the friendship of the savages of Shaan 
with a few worthless trinkets, and they led him to that region where the 
rivers had sandy bottoms. Many rivers have sandy bottoms, but the sand 
in the rivers of interior Shaan is comprised mostly of flecks of pure gold. 
Word about the gold in the rivers of Shaan soon got out, and adventurers 
from all over the known world rushed there to claim their rightful share. 
After a few seasons, though, the word got out that adventurers who went 
to the Land of Shaan never came back.
The enthusiasm dropped off noticeably.
The source of the Trogite gold was well known; the perils involved in 
seeking it were even better known. Gold, however, isn't worth much 
unless the owner can take it someplace where he can spend it. The 
Trogites came up with a quick solution to that problem. They started 
building ships to carry their wealth back to the Land of Trog. They were 
large ships, wide of beam and deep of hull, and they tended to wallow 
rather than sail. Maag vessels were narrow and swift. Moreover, the 
wealthy Trogites tended to be miserly, so they neglected to hire warriors 
to guard their treasure ships.
The Maags more or less abandoned fishing at that point. The Trogites 
winnowed gold from the rivers of Shaan, hauled it down to the coast, and 
put it aboard their wallowing treasure ships. Then the treasure ships 
sailed out to the northern sea, where the Maags waited for them.
Sorgan Hook-Beak had received an extensive education from Captain 
Big-Nose in the fine art of relieving Trogite treasure ships of all that 
excess weight. As a young man he'd squandered away his earnings in 
revelry, naturally; young sailors are enthusiastic revelers. But after a few 
seasons, Sorgan realized that the captain's share of the ship's earnings 
was much, much larger than the share of an ordinary seaman. So he began
to religiously set aside half of all his earnings, and he had soon saved

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

enough to be able to buy his own ship, the Seagull.
The Seagull was not particularly seaworthy when Sorgan bought her 
from the crusty old pirate he'd happened to meet in a seaside tavern in the 
Maag port of Weros. Her sails were ragged, and she leaked quite 
noticeably. She was about the best Sorgan could afford at that time, 
though. Had the old man who owned her been completely sober during 
their negotiations, he'd have probably held out for more money. But his 
purse had just come up empty, and Sorgan had shrewdly delayed making 
his final offer until the poor old fellow's tongue had been hanging out. He 
also shook his purse frequently while they were haggling, pretending that 
it was nothing more than an absent-minded habit.
The musical jingle of money played no small part in the tipsy old 
man's acceptance of Sorgan's final offer.
After he'd bought the Seagull, Sorgan had persuaded two of his former 
shipmates, Ox and Kryda Ham-Hand, to join him as first and second 
mates. Their rank hadn't meant all that much just then, though. What 
Sorgan had really needed at that point had been their help in making the 
Seagull more seaworthy.
It had taken the three of them more than a year to finish the repairs, 
largely because they'd frequently run out of money. Whenever that had 
happened, they'd had to suspend operations and take to the streets near 
the waterfront in search of drunk sailors whose purses still had a few 
coins left in them.
Eventually, the Seagull had been restored, and then the three had been 
obliged to haunt the waterfront again - to find a crew.
The Seagull was a full-sized Maag longship, a hundred and ten feet 
long and twenty-five feet wide at the beam, so she needed a full-sized 
crew. Sorgan had done his best to keep the size of his crew down to a 
minimum, but eighty men had been about as low as he could go. He'd 
given a bit of thought to reducing the number of oarsmen, but Ox and 
Ham-Hand had protested violently, pointing out that fewer oarsmen 
would mean slower speed, and a faster ship would bring in more money.
And so it was that now the Seagull roamed the waters of the Northern 
Sea, looking for targets of opportunity.
It was about mid-summer of an otherwise unimportant year when the 
Seagull encountered one of those summer squalls that seldom last very 
long - two days, perhaps, no more than three. This one lingered longer, 
however, and the SeagulFs crew endured bad weather for almost a week,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

helplessly watching as the howling gale tore away the rigging and ripped 
the sail to shreds.
When the gale moved off, the Seagull's crew labored long and hard to 
make her even marginally seaworthy again.
Captain Hook-Beak took it in stride. No ship ever sails on a 
perpetually sunny sea, so bad weather was simply something that had to 
be endured. Of course, the captain of a ship is seldom required to repair 
the rigging or patch the sail. Those chores are the duties of ordinary 
seamen, so Captain Hook-Beak retired to his cabin to catch up on his 
sleep.
It didn't quite turn out that way, though. Despite the fact that the 
Seagull was many leagues from land, a pesky fly had somehow found its 
way into Hook-Beak's cabin, and the buzzing sound of its wings was just 
enough to keep the captain awake. The times when it was not flying were 
even worse. He could actually feel its eyes on him, watching his every 
move, and that was much worse than the brainless buzzing. Try though he 
might, Sorgan Hook-Beak couldn't sleep.
Nothing at all seemed to be going right this season. 

*        *       *
After her rigging and sail had been repaired, the Seagull got underway again, and 
she was running before the wind some distance out from the coast of Maag when Ox 
spotted a Trogite merchant vessel hull-down on the horizon. 全ail ho, Cap' n!' he 
roared in a voice that might well have shattered glass a league or so away.
糎here away?' Hook-Beak demanded.
禅wo points off the starboard bow, Cap'n!' Ox shouted.
Hook-Beak relinquished the tiller to Kryda Ham-Hand and hurried forward to join 
Ox in the bow. 全how me,' he told his burly first mate.
Ox pointed.
賎oodly distance,' Hook-Beak said dubiously.
禅he oarsmen are getting fat anyway, Cap'n,' Ox replied. 羨 good run might sweat 
some of the lard off 粗m, even if we don't catch that ship.'
塑ou've got a point there, Ox,' Sorgan agreed. 羨ll right, let's take a run at that

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ship and see if we can catch her. She looks to be Trogite, so it'll be worth the trouble.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Ox agreed. Then he raised his voice. 前arsmen to your places!' he 
bellowed.
There was a bit of grumbling, but the burly oarsmen hauled in their fishing lines, 
put away their dice, and went to their stations below the deck.
閃ore sail!' Ox shouted to the top-men aloft. Then he squinted forward. 選 make it 
to be about a league and a half, Cap'n,' he said, 疎nd no Trogite vessel afloat can 
match the Seagull for speed when she's under full sail and the oarsmen are earning 
their keep. We should close on 粗m afore the sun goes down.'
糎e'll see, Ox. We'll see.' Sorgan always enjoyed a good run anyway, and the 
wallowing Trogite vessel gave him an excuse to stretch the Seagull out a bit. If 
nothing else, an invigorating run might clear away the memories of that cursed 
summer squall and the irritation that pesky fly on the ceiling of his cabin had caused 
him. Hook-Beak was not particularly superstitious, but the prickly feeling of being 
watched had made him edgy.
The Trogite vessel put on more sail, a clear indication that her crew had seen the 
Seagull's approach. But the broad-beamed merchant ship was no match for her long 
and slender pursuer, so by late afternoon, the Seagull was closing fast. Then the 
crewmen not otherwise occupied began to bring weapons up onto the main deck, and 
they stood at the rail swinging their weapons and practicing their war-cries.
As usual, the Trogites abandoned ship at that point. It was so much 疎s usual' that 
it was almost a ritual. The Seagull paused briefly to give the Trogite seamen time 
enough to bail over the side and to swim out from between the two ships. Then the 
Maags tied up alongside and stole everything of value, then they carried their loot 
back aboard the Seagull and pulled away so that the Trogites could climb back aboard 
their ship before anybody drowned. It was a civilized sort of arrangement. Nobody 
got hurt, no damage was done to either vessel, and they all parted almost friends. 
Hook-Beak smiled faintly. During the previous summer, he'd robbed one Trogite 
vessel so many times that he'd gotten to know her captain by his first name.
全hould we burn her, Cap'n?' Ox asked hopefully. Ox always seemed to enjoy 
burning ships, for some reason.
選 don't think so,' Hook-Beak replied. 銑et them have their ship back. We've got 
what we wanted. Maybe if we don't burn her, they'll go back to Shaan and reload. 
Then we can chase them down and rob them again.'
After the Maags had left the Trogite vessel far behind, the Seagull was quartering 
the wind and moving off to the southeast - and that was when coincidence stepped in 
to alter the 疎s usual' part of the whole affair. Every seaman alive knows that there are 
rivers in the sea, but unlike land rivers, the rivers of the sea are largely invisible. 
Water is water, after all, and the surface of the sea looks much the same, whether it's 
simply lying there or running fast just below the waves.
The Seagull was placidly moving southeast, and the crew was busily sorting 
through the loot when there was a sudden surge, and the Seagull was abruptly swept

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

sideways toward the northeast. First Mate Ox fought with the tiller, bending it almost 
to the breaking point. 糎e're in trouble, Cap'n!' he shouted. 羨 current just grabbed 
us!'
前arsmen to your posts!' Hook-Beak shouted even as Ham-Hand started 
bellowing, 全lack sail!'
There was a great deal of scrambling about, but nothing seemed to have any effect. 
選t's no good, Cap'n!' Ox cried. 選t's got us, and it won't let go. The tiller's gone 
slack!'
閃aybe it'll slow down when the tide changes,' Ham-Hand suggested hopefully.
選 wouldn't make no big wagers on it,' Ox replied, working the tiller back and 
forth to get the feel of the current. 禅his one's moving faster than any current I've 
ever come up against. I don't think the tide's got much to do with it. The seasons 
might, but it's a long time 奏ill autumn, and we could end up a thousand leagues from 
home afore winter gets here.'
糎e're making purty good time, though,' Ham-Hand noted.
羨re you trying to be funny?' Ox demanded angrily.
選 just thought I'd mention it,' Ham-Hand replied. 塑ou want I should tell the 
oarsmen to stand down, Cap'n?'
鮮o. Have them swing her so that she's going bow-first. If she keeps going 
sideways like this, a good ripple could swamp her. Then have the oarsmen ship their 
oars, but keep them in place. If we swirl in behind an island or a reef, I'll want them 
to dig in and pull us clear.'
羨ye, Cap'n, if that's the way you want it,' Ham-Hand replied, tugging his 
forelock in a salute of sorts.
It didn't happen that way, though. The Seagull continued to fly in a northeasterly 
direction for the next several days, moving farther and farther into unknown waters. 
The crew was growing more apprehensive as the days slid past. They'd been out of 
sight of land for more than two weeks now, and some tired old stories involving sea-
monsters, the edge of the world, demons, and vast whirlpools began to surface. Ox 
and Ham-Hand tried to stifle those stories, but they weren't very successful.
Then on one bright summer afternoon, the current slowed without any warning, 
and then it stopped, leaving the Seagull placidly sitting on a flat, empty sea.
糎hat's our plan, Cap'n?' Ham-Hand asked.
選'm working on it,' Sorgan replied. 船on't rush me.' He looked at Ox. 践ow 
much water have we got left?' he demanded.
閃aybe a week's worth - if we ration it.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

践ow about food?'
選t's a little skimpy, Cap'n,' Ox reported. 禅he Fat Man's been complaining about 
that for a couple of days now. The Fat Man's not the best cook in the world, but he 
does know how to pad up the beans and salt pork with seaweed if things get tight. I'd 
say that water's our main problem.'
閃aybe it'll rain,' Ham-Hand said hopefully.
�"Maybe" don't drink too good,' Ox said in a gloomy voice. 糎e'd better find 
some land, and we'd better find it fast. Otherwise ...' He left it up in the air, but the 
others got his drift.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2
The crew of the Seagull was on short rations for the next few days, but 
then on a steel-grey morning before the sun rose, Kaldo Tree-Top, the 
tallest man aboard, shouted 銑and ho!' from the top-mast. A shorter man 
might have missed the low-lying smudge on the eastern horizon, but 
Tree-Top, well-nigh seven feet tall, saw it quite clearly.
羨re you sure?' Ham-Hand shouted up to the gangly lookout.
然eal sure.' Tree-Top called back. 禅wo points off the port bow, and 
three - maybe four - leagues away.'
賎o wake Ox,' Ham-Hand told Rabbit, the small, wiry crewman 
standing nearby.
践e don't like to get woke up this early,' Rabbit replied. 選t makes him 
real grouchy.'
遷ust kick his foot and then run,' Ham-Hand suggested. 践e'll never 
catch you. That's how you got your name isn't it?'
選 can outrun my own shadow,' Rabbit boasted, 礎ut if I happen to trip 
and fall, old Ox'll tromp on me for the rest of the day.'
全hinny up the mast,' Ham-Hand advised. 前x don't climb none too 
good. I need to let him know that we're about to make a landfall.'
選'd really druther not, Ham-Hand.'
Ham-Hand clenched his huge fist and held it in front of Rabbit's nose. 
選'd do a quick turn-about on my druthers, if I was you, Rabbit,' he said 
ominously. 鮮ow quit complaining and do as you're told.'
船on't get excited,' Rabbit said, backing away. 選'm going.'
Ox, however, surprised Rabbit with a sudden burst of enthusiasm. Of 
course, Ox required a great deal of food and drink because of his size, so 
an unexpected landfall brightened his entire day.
The Seagull was at least as fast as her namesake, and by the time the 
sun came up, the coast ahead was clearly visible. 賎o tell the Cap'n that

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

we've made a landfall, Rabbit,' Ox commanded.
糎hy me?' Rabbit whined.
腺ecause I said so. Don't stand around and argue with me, Rabbit. Just 
go.'
羨ye,' Rabbit replied sullenly.
践e spends a lot of his time complaining, don't he?' Ham-Hand 
observed.
践e runs fast, though,' Ox replied. 践e's sort of timid, that's all. He's 
got a real wide streak of cautious that runs down his back, but if you lean 
on him some, he'll do like you tell him -sooner or later.'
Captain Hook-Beak came forward immediately and he had a relieved 
look on his face. 践as anybody happened to see any towns on that 
coast?' he asked.
鮮one so far, Cap'n,' Ox replied. 選f we want anything to eat, we'll 
probably have to chase it down without no help.'
腺etter find a river or a creek first,' Hook-Beak decided. 銑et's get the 
water-casks filled before we go hunting. Hungry's bad, but thirsty's 
worse.'
鮮ot by very much,' Ox said. 選f my belly starts growling any louder, 
the people here abouts will probably think there's a thunderstorm coming 
their way.'
糎ould you look at the size of them trees!' Ham-Hand exclaimed, 
staring at the thickly forested shoreline. 選 ain't never seen trees that big 
afore!' Ham-Hand was perhaps a bit overly excitable, but this time 
Sorgan could see his second mate's point. The forest stretching up from 
the beach consisted of huge trees that were twenty to thirty feet through at 
the butt and rose like huge pillars to a height of at least a hundred feet 
before they sprouted a single limb.
禅hey do seem a bit overgrown, don't they?' Ox agreed.
羨 bit'?' Ham-Hand said. 塑ou could carve two Seagulls out of one of 
them trees and still have enough wood left over to cook breakfast.'
糎e can't eat trees,' Sorgan told him. 銑et's get the water-casks filled 
and then go hunt up something to eat before Ox starts chewing up the 
sails or the anchor.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Seagull sailed south along the forested coast for a league or so 
until Ox spotted a wide creek that emptied out into a small bay. Ham-
Hand swung the tiller over hard and beached the ship on a sandy strip 
nearby. Then most of the crew went to work filling the water-casks while 
Ham-Hand led a small party back into the forest in search of game 
animals.
The hunting party returned empty-handed along about sundown. 糎e 
seen some tracks, Cap'n,' Ham-Hand reported, 疎nd some pretty heavy-
traveled game-trails, but we didn't jump nothing worth wasting no arrows 
on.'
糎e can get by this evening, I expect,' Sorgan told him. 禅he Fat Man 
put out some set lines right after we beached the Seagull, and he brought 
in some pretty good-sized fish.'
選 ain't all that fond of fish, Cap'n,' Ham-Hand said.
選t beats eating leaves and twigs,' Sorgan said, shrugging. 船id you 
happen to run across any signs of people back there in the woods?'
鮮othing I could swear to, Cap'n. Nobody's been chopping down trees 
or building bridges or such. There might be folks hereabouts, but they 
ain't left no sign. I don't know as it'd be a good idea to leave the Seagull 
beached overnight. Might be better if we anchored a ways out - just to be 
safe. If there do happen to be folks living around here, maybe we should 
get to know a little about them afore we let down our guard. I sure don't 
want to be the main course at no dinner party.'
賎ood point there,' Sorgan agreed. 全ee to it.'
The Seagull moved carefully southward along the coast for the next 
few days. The crew found game animals - wild cows and a very large 
variety of deer - but they didn't encounter any people. That made the 
crew of the Seagull just a little edgy.
禅here's got to be people here someplace, Cap'n,' Ox said one 
afternoon about a week after they'd first made landfall.
糎hy?' Hook-Beak said.
禅here's always people, Cap'n - even along the coast of Shaan.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

銑et's hope they ain't like the Shaans - if there are people here,' Ham-
Hand put in. 選 could go for a long time without meeting folks who eats 
other folks.'
選t might just be that we made landfall too far to the north,' Sorgan 
said. 選t's still summer, so we don't really know what winters here are 
like. It might just be that any people hereabouts live farther south.'
The Seagull continued south along the empty coast, but an hour or so 
later Tree-Top called down from the top-mast. 践o, Cap'n,' he shouted. 
禅here's a village up ahead. I don't see no people, but there's smoke 
coming from some of the houses.'
塑ou see, Ox,' Sorgan said. 塑ou worry too much.' He looked up at 
the top-mast. 践ow far off is that place, Tree-Top?' he shouted.
遷ust on t'other side of that sand-spit on ahead,' Tree-Top called back. 
選 kin see some skiffs hauled up on the beach, but nobody's any place 
near them.'
糎e must have scared them off,' Hook-Beak said. 選 think we might 
want to go in slow and easy. We don't want to irritate anybody.' He 
turned. 践o, Rabbit!' he called.
羨ye Cap'n?' the little man replied.
賎o get that horn of yours and blow it a few times. There's a village 
just ahead, and I'd like for the people there to know that we're coming 
and that we're peaceable.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Rabbit said. He went below for a moment and emerged 
with a large, curled cow-horn. He put it to his lips and blew a long, 
mournful-sounding bleat that echoed back into the dark forest.
Hook-Beak and the others listened intently, but there was no 
immediate reply.
禅ry again, Rabbit,' Sorgan said. 全ee if you can make it sound a little 
more cheerful this time.'
Rabbit blew a high-pitched note that ended with an off-key squeak.
選 think maybe Rabbit should practice some,' Ox said critically. 禅hat 
one sounded like a cat who just got her tail stepped on.'
Then from somewhere back in the forest there came an answering note

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

that was quite a bit more mellow than Rabbit's squeak.
鮮ow we're getting somewhere,' Hook-Beak said. 銭eep blowing, 
Rabbit,' he instructed. 禅ry to make it sound a little friendly, if you can.'
選'm doing my best, Cap'n,' Rabbit whined. 鮮obody on board likes it 
when I practice tooting, so I'm sort of rusty.'
The Seagull rounded the tip of the sand-spit, and the crew gathered 
near the bow to look at the village crouched at the head of a shallow inlet.
鮮ot too fancy,' Ox observed. 閃ostly sticks chinked with grass.'
塑ou weren't expecting palaces, were you, Ox?' Sorgan asked. 選'm 
just as happy not to see stone walls and such. We're only one ship, so we 
don't really want to find folks with all kinds of civilization to back them 
up. It looks to me like we might have found this place before the Trogites 
did. Tell the crew not to start waving swords and spears. We don't want 
to make these folks nervous. Those woods are pretty close to the edge of 
that village, and I'd rather not sprout a dozen or so arrows while I'm 
trying to talk to the head-man of the village. Take the Seagull on into the 
bay, Ox, but we'll drop anchor a little ways out from the beach. I'll take 
the skiff and go a little bit closer and then stop. I expect the villagers'll 
get my point. I want to talk, not to pick a fight.'
Ox grunted and eased the Seagull into the inlet. When she was about a 
hundred yards from the beach, he ordered the crew to drop anchor, and 
several crew-men lowered Hook-Beak's skiff.
選'll stay within bow-shot,' the captain said to Ox, 礎ut tell the crew to 
keep their weapons out of sight - unless things start getting sticky.' Then 
he climbed over the side and lowered himself into his skiff. He set his 
oars in place, rowed in a ways, then stopped and waited.
Several people from the village came down to the beach, and they 
seemed to be holding some kind of discussion. Then a tall lean man with 
long blond braids and wearing leather clothing got into a kind of canoe, 
and the other villagers pushed the canoe into deeper water. Then the 
blond man paddled out to where Hook-Beak waited. He seemed to be 
very skilled at it. As he came closer and the men on the Seagull could see 
him more clearly, Sorgan felt a brief chill. This was obviously a man to 
be taken seriously. He was quite lean, and his face was hard. It was his 
eyes, however, that had so chilled the captain of the Seagull. There was a 
sort of determination there that Sorgan had seldom seen before. When 
this particular native wanted something, he would obviously go to any 
lengths to obtain it. Sorgan was fairly certain that it was time to tread

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

very carefully.
糎hat do you want?' the stranger asked. He didn't sound particularly 
belligerent, and Hook-Beak took that to be a good sign. He was just a bit 
surprised that the other man spoke the language of the Maags. That 
should make things a lot easier. 糎e aren't here to cause any trouble, 
friend,' he said. 糎e're strangers in these parts, and we don't know 
exactly where we are.'
禅his is the Land of Dhrall,' the other man replied, 疎nd this is the 
Domain of Zelana of the West. Does that answer your question?'
選 don't believe I've ever heard of Dhrall before,' Sorgan said. 前f 
course, we're a long way from home, and that might explain why. Is this 
Zelana your king, or something along those lines?'
鮮ot exactly. You'll be meeting her before long, I expect. You're 
Sorgan Hook-Beak, aren't you?'
践ow did you know that?' Sorgan was startled.
岨elana of the West told us that you were coming. She said you 
wouldn't know much about Dhrall, so I'm supposed to answer any 
questions you might have.'
践ow could she have possibly known that we were coming?' Sorgan 
demanded. 糎e certainly didn't intend to wander off this far from the 
Land of Maag.'
腺ut a sea-current caught you and brought you here. Wasn't that what 
happened?'
塑ou seem to know a great deal about us, stranger, and I don't even 
know your name yet.'
選 was just getting to that, Sorgan Hook-Beak,' the tall man said. 選 am 
Longbow of the tribe of Old-Bear, and Zelana of the West instructed me 
to direct you to the village of White-Braid, Chief of the village and the 
tribe of Lattash. There are three tribes between here and Lattash, and 
they'll build fires on the beach to guide you. You can count as far as 
three, can't you?'
前f course I can.' Sorgan was more than a little offended. 践ow is it 
that you came by the name "Longbow"?'
選'm somewhat taller than the other men of Old-Bear's tribe, so my 
bow's longer.' He held up his bow to let Sorgan see it. He didn't move it

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

very fast, there was no arrow anywhere in sight, and he was not holding it 
as if he intended to use it. Both Longbow and Sorgan were being careful 
not to make any quick moves, since there were probably several dozen 
arrows pointed at them right now.
鮮icely crafted bow,' Sorgan observed.
選t does what I want it to do,' Longbow said modestly. 選t hasn't yet 
missed at any range.'
Sorgan assumed that the blond man was boasting, but he sounded so 
sincere that it wasn't entirely certain. 遷ust how far south is this Lattash 
place?' he asked.
羨s far as a man can walk in ten days,' Longbow replied. 羨fter you 
pass the fires on the beach, you'll come to a narrow inlet that leads into a 
fairly large bay. Lattash stands at the head of that bay, and Zelana awaits 
you at Lattash.'
Sorgan squinted at the water, making some calculations in his head. 
選'm just guessing, but I'd say that the Seagull - that's my ship over there 
- should make it in three days.'
選 wouldn't take much longer, if I were you,' Longbow advised. 
岨elana's impatient, and you don't want to irritate her. I'm supposed to 
ask you if the word "gold" has any meaning for you.'
前h, yes!' Sorgan replied fervently.
選 wouldn't know myself, but Zelana told me to say "gold" to you. 
Have you enough food and water for three days? I don't think Zelana will 
let you stop again on your way south.'
践ow's she going to stop me?'
選 don't think you really want to know, Sorgan Hook-Beak. We'll 
probably meet again, but for right now you'd better move along as 
quickly as you can. Things will go better if you do.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3
Did he have any weapons aside from that bow, Cap'n?' Ox asked when 
Sorgan returned to the Seagull.
践e had a bundle of arrows, and a spear in the bottom of the canoe,' 
Sorgan replied. 践e didn't touch it, but it was right out in the open where 
I could see it. I'm pretty sure he wanted me to know it was there. The 
funny thing about it was that the spear-point wasn't iron. It'd been made 
from stone instead.'
禅he people who eat other people in the Land of Shaan make their 
tools and weapons out of stone, too,' Ox said. 禅hat don't make me feel 
none too comfortable, Cap'n. Just the idea of getting et makes me go cold 
all over.'
選 don't think these people are that kind, Ox,' Sorgan said. 禅he fellow 
in the canoe seemed to be almost friendly. He knew my name, and he 
wanted to be sure we had enough food and water on board. There's a 
place called Lattash about three days south of here, and there's a woman 
named Zelana there who wants to talk with us. Longbow told me that 
there might be gold involved in the discussion. That sort of suggests that 
the Zelana woman wants to hire people who know how to fight, and 
she'll pay good gold to get them.'
選 ain't about to start taking no orders from no woman, Cap'n,' Ham-
Hand protested.
船on't worry about it, Ham-Hand,' Sorgan told him. 塑ou'll take your 
orders from me, just like always. I'll be the one who deals with this 
Zelana woman. Hoist up the sail, and let's go south. There's a lady down 
there who wants to talk to me about gold, so let's not dawdle.'
Once the Seagull was clear of the inlet, a good following breeze came 
up, and Sorgan's ship was soon skimming lightly over the waves a league 
or so out from the coast of Dhrall. By evening the Seagull was a goodly 
distance south of Longbow's village, and Sorgan prudently hauled in on 
the leeward side of a small islet and dropped anchor. Nobody in his right 
mind sails through strange waters after dark.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorgan rose at first light and went up on deck to have a look at the 
weather. He found Ham-Hand and Rabbit leaning over the rail on the 
starboard side. 糎hat's afoot?' he asked them.
禅here's some real strange critters in these here waters, Cap'n,' Rabbit 
replied. 選've seen dolphins and porpoises afore, but I ain't never seen 
any of them as was pink.'
塑ou're not serious!' Sorgan said.
全trike me dead iff'n I ain't,' Rabbit said. 選 heered them splashin' an' 
gigglin' out there afore it got light, an' I couldn't believe my eyes once it 
got light enough for me to take a good look.'
践e's right, Cap'n,' Ham-Hand said. 禅he little rascals is as pink as a 
new sunrise and they're skipping around out there on the water like little 
children having a good time.'
禅here's one right now, Cap'n,' Rabbit said, pointing off to starboard.
Sorgan stared. The creature was definitely a dolphin, and it really was 
pink.
Then there were others swarming around the Seagull, leaping and 
splashing and giggling as they frolicked about. 禅his is the strangest 
place,' Sorgan muttered, half to himself. 禅he next thing we know, we 
might come across purple sharks or bright green whales. Rouse the crew, 
Ham-Hand. The weather looks good, so let's get under way.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Ham-Hand replied.
The Seagull continued south, but she was no longer alone. The pink 
dolphins accompanied her, racing along ahead of her bow and chattering 
to the crew on both the starboard and port side. 選t's almost like we got an 
escort, ain't it, Cap'n?' Ox suggested. Then he squinted speculatively at 
the creatures playfully leaping out of the water on all sides. 選 wonder 
what dolphin meat tastes like,' he said.
鮮o!' Sorgan said sharply. 前ur luck's running good, Ox. Don't 
tamper with anything. You might bring down a squall or even a water-
spout, and it's a long swim back to Maag.'
禅hose things splashing around out there don't have anything to do 
with the weather, Cap'n,' Ox scoffed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

閃aybe not, but I'm not about to take any chances. Don't fool around 
with things, Ox. Just leave them exactly the way they are.'
And so the Seagull proceeded south at a goodly rate with dolphins 
leaping along in front of her bow as rosy dawn tinted the eastern sky.
禅here's a fire on the beach, Cap'n,' Tree-Top called down from the 
top-mast.
銭eep your eyes peeled,' Hook-Beak called up to him. 禅here'll be two 
more farther on south. After we pass the third one, we'll need to keep a 
sharp eye out. There'll be an inlet that leads into a fair-sized bay. That's 
the place we're looking for.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Tree-Top called back.
The Seagull passed the third bonfire in the early afternoon of the third 
day after Sorgan's meeting with Longbow, and Hook-Beak ordered the 
crew to keep a sharp eye off to port.
They rounded a headland, and just beyond there was what appeared to 
be a narrow channel stretching back between two rocky promontories.
選'll take her, Ox,' Sorgan said, laying one hand on the tiller. 賎et the 
oarsmen in place and drop the sail. Let's not run her aground this close to 
the rich lady's home village.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Ox agreed.
Hook-Beak considered his options as he steered the Seagull through 
the channel and into the sizeable bay lying beyond. He was fairly sure 
that Longbow hadn't been trying to deceive him, but it might be better to 
take things a little slow and steady here. He didn't know these people, 
and they didn't know him. He glanced at the sky. It was mid-afternoon 
now, and it'd probably take some time to locate the village and row up 
the bay to wherever it was. That could possibly bring them to this Lattash 
place at sundown or even later. It might be safer to drop anchor a ways 
out from shore and wait until morning. That way they'd arrive in broad 
daylight, and everybody could see what everybody else was doing.
全hinny up the mast, Ham-Hand,' he told his second mate. 全ee if you 
can spot that village, and then find us a place to anchor for the night. 
We'll sit tight until morning, and then we'll go talk with the rich lady.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

羨ye, Cap'n,' Ham-Hand agreed. 銑et's not rile up the natives if we 
don't have to.'
They anchored the Seagull off a rocky shore where there was no 
discernable beach. Hook-Beak didn't want anybody to come creeping up 
to his ship in the dark. He stationed look-outs aloft and others in the bow 
and on the stern, just to be on the safe side.
The night passed quietly, and everything seemed to be all right the next 
morning. The look-outs had seen several fires near the broad, sandy 
beach at the head of the bay during the night, and Sorgan called the crew 
of the Seagull to the aft deck for a little conference. 選 want you men to 
mind your manners when we go into that village,' he told them. 船on't 
start getting any ideas about their women-folk or trying to grab any 
trinkets from the men. We're probably going to be outnumbered by about 
ten to one, so let's all be real polite. These people seem to need some help 
from us, and there's been talk of gold as payment, so behave yourselves. 
Don't start waving your swords and spears around, and don't snarl or 
shake your fists at anybody. We could be talking about a lot of gold here, 
and I'll be very unhappy with anybody who does anything to upset the 
apple-cart. Have I made myself clear?' He looked around at his crew with 
bleak eyes and an even more grim expression.
They all seemed to get his point almost immediately.
They raised anchor as the sun was just coming up, and the oarsmen 
slowly rowed the Seagull up to the head of the bay where the nighttime 
lookouts had seen the fires.
禅ake her in until we're about a hundred yards from shore, Ox,' Sorgan 
instructed. 糎e'll drop anchor and wait to see how the natives behave. If 
they seem peaceful, fine. If they act belligerent, we'll turn the Seagull 
around and go someplace else.'
選 get your drift, Cap'n,' Ox agreed.
Sorgan noted that the village of Lattash was quite a bit larger than the 
one where he'd met Longbow, and there were many canoes on the sandy 
beach, and fish-nets drying on poles near the canoes. It appeared that the 
natives of Lattash were primarily fishermen. The houses, if they could be 
called that, were made for the most part of tree-branches tightly woven 
about dome-shaped frames, and though they appeared to be a bit crude, 
Hook-Beak was fairly sure that they kept the weather at bay. There was

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

nothing in the village that could really be called a street, since the 
individual huts appeared to have been randomly placed.
There was also a well-packed ridge - or berm - between the village and 
the river which came down out of the mountains just there, and that 
strongly hinted at the possibility that the river sometimes overflowed its 
banks.
It wasn't long before a dozen or so canoes were paddled out from the 
beach by leather-clad natives. Sorgan noted that they were all fairly well-
armed. Their arrows and spears had stone points, but a well-sharpened 
stone point could probably find a man's vitals almost as well as an iron 
one could.
The canoes drew up in a half-circle between the Seagull and the beach, 
but a single one was paddled up to within a few yards of Sorgan's ship. 
There were only two natives in the canoe. The one who was doing the 
paddling appeared almost as burly as Ox, and he had a flaming red beard 
that reached half-way to his waist.
The other native was much older, and he had snowy hair that he wore 
in braids.
The red-bearded native skillfully brought the canoe to a stop, and his 
older companion rose to his feet. 糎elcome to Lattash, Sorgan Hook-
Beak,' he said in a deep, rolling voice. 銑ong have we awaited your 
coming.'
選 am honored by your greeting,' Sorgan replied. A certain formality 
seemed to be in order here.
選 am White-Braid of Lattash,' the man in the canoe introduced 
himself, 疎nd the younger men of this village even heed my advice - 
every so often.' The old man smiled faintly.
Sorgan had noticed that Longbow had also seemed to have a similarly 
dry sense of humor. He straightened. 選 have been told that the Lady 
Zelana would have words with me, Chief White-Braid,' he said.
選 have heard so myself,' White-Braid replied. 禅his is my nephew, 
Red-Beard,' he said, gesturing toward the native who'd paddled the 
canoe. 践e will escort you to the cave where she dwells. I shall remain 
here so that your men need have no concern about your continued well-
being. In time, these precautions may no longer be necessary, but we are 
strangers still, so let there be no possibility of deception.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

塑ou are wise, Chief White-Braid,' Sorgan said, 疎nd I shall be guided 
by you in this matter.' If White-Braid wanted formality, Sorgan was 
ready to pile formality on him until he was hip-deep in it.
The two of them rather carefully changed places. White-Braid came on 
board the Seagull, and Hook-Beak climbed down into the canoe. 禅reat 
our friend well, Ox,' Sorgan called up to his first mate.
羨ye, Cap'n,' Ox replied respectfully, as the canoe moved away from 
the Seagull.
糎hy does the lady called Zelana live in a cave instead of in the village 
with the rest of the tribe?' Sorgan asked the red-bearded native who was 
paddling smoothly toward the beach.
全he doesn't really belong here, Sorgan Hook-Beak,' Red-Beard 
replied, 疎nd she isn't very fond of us.'
選 thought that she was the queen of this part of Dhrall,' Sorgan said.
鮮ot exactly,' Red-Beard replied. 前ur legends say that she's lived 
forever, but that she doesn't care for people very much. She went away a 
long, long time ago. She came back just recently, and now she's staying 
in that cave at the edge of the village. My uncle tells us that she's very 
powerful, and that if she wants something to happen, it will happen. 
Uncle White-Braid gets a little strange when he talks about her. I think 
he's afraid of her, which is strange, because he's not really afraid of 
anything. She never comes out of that cave, and the only servant she has 
is a little girl. The child comes out of the cave to tell us what Zelana 
wants us to do.'
糎hat does she look like?' Sorgan asked.
Red-Beard shrugged. 選've only seen her twice, and she keeps her face 
covered. I overheard my uncle once when he was talking with some of 
the other old men of the village, and he was telling them that she changes 
every so often.'
舛hanges?'
全he doesn't always look the same,' Red-Beard stopped paddling. 
糎hen we get to the beach, I'm supposed to lead you along at the edge of 
the water. Uncle White-Braid told me to be careful to keep you in plain 
sight all the way to the cave of Zelana so that your men won't have any 
cause for concern.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

塑our people seem to be very cautious, Red-Beard,' Sorgan observed.
繕ncle White-Braid seems to prefer it that way. Old men are like that 
sometimes.'
禅hat might explain how they lived long enough to get old.'
塑ou're probably right,' Red-Beard conceded, taking up his paddle 
again. 糎e'll have to go ashore just ahead. There's some sharp rocks just 
below the surface of the water farther down the beach, and I'd rather not 
rip the bottom out of my canoe.'
践ow far is it to this cave?' Sorgan asked.
Red-Beard pointed with his paddle. 選t's in the side of that hill near the 
end of the beach.'
選t's quite a ways from the village,' Sorgan observed, noting that the 
hill was oddly dome-shaped, and its sides were mostly bare rock with 
scant vegetation.
禅he one called Zelana doesn't seem to like the way we smell.'
羨m I supposed to bow down to her or anything like that?' Sorgan 
asked.
選 don't think so. Uncle White-Braid would have mentioned it. Just tell 
her who you are. She'll probably know already, since she's been 
describing you ever since she first got here.' Red-Beard drove the prow 
of his canoe up onto the beach, and then he and Sorgan pulled it clear of 
the water. Then they walked down the beach, being careful to stay in 
plain sight of the Seagull.
践ave you heard anything about some kind of trouble that might be 
coming this way?' Sorgan asked.
禅here's always trouble in this part of the world, Sorgan Hook-Beak,' 
Red-Beard replied. 禅he tribes can go to war about almost anything. Here 
lately, though, we've heard some stories about the creatures of the 
Wasteland.'
糎here's that?'
前ff beyond the mountains,' Red-Beard replied vaguely. 選 don't know 
much about it, because the old men don't like to talk about the 
Wasteland. The creatures who live there are supposed to look sort of like 
people, but I don't think they are people. Zelana can probably tell you

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

more about them. I think that's why she wants to talk to you. There's the 
mouth of her cave right over there.' He pointed at an irregular opening in 
the rocky hillside. 閃y uncle told me to make some noise before we go 
on inside. He said that we don't want to startle Zelana.'
They approached the cave-mouth with a certain caution. 岨elana of the 
West,' Red-Beard called into the echoing cave, 選 am Red-Beard of the 
line of White-Braid the Chief, and I have brought an outlander named 
Sorgan Hook-Beak to speak with you.'
They waited for a few moments, and then a beautiful little girl with fair 
hair came out of the dark cave. 糎hat kept you so long, Hook-Beak?' she 
asked Sorgan. 禅he Beloved was starting to worry about you. Come 
along, but wipe your feet before you come inside. She gets peevish when 
anybody tracks mud into her cave.'
Sorgan and Red-Beard followed the little girl through the irregularly 
shaped opening and on through a twisting, narrow passageway into a 
large chamber where a small fire burned some distance back from the 
cave mouth. A woman with dark hair and wearing a filmy gauze garment 
was seated near the fire with her back to them. 選t's about time you got 
here, Hook-Beak,' the woman said. 践as the Seagull gone lame?'
選t is a fair distance from Longbow's village,' Sorgan replied, feeling 
more than a little offended.
禅hat didn't bother her very much when she was chasing down that 
Trogite treasure ship a little while back.'
践ow did you know about that?' he demanded.
禅he Beloved knows everything, Hook-Beak,' the little girl told him. 
薦verybody knows that.'
禅hat'll do, Eleria,' the woman in gauze said. Then she turned to look 
at Sorgan.
Sorgan's knees went weak at that point. She was by far the most 
beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
船on't stare, Sorgan,' she said primly. 選t isn't polite.'
詮orgive me,' he said, flushing slightly. 塑our appearance startled me. 
You must be used to that by now, though.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選t does happen every so often,' she admitted. 羨t least you're strong 
enough not to swoon at the sight of me. That can be so irritating. I see 
you've brought Red-Beard with you.'
羨ctually, he's the one who brought me,' Sorgan replied, his voice still 
trembling a bit. 践e showed me the way.'
禅hen you know each other. Good. He'll be going with us when we 
return to Maag. We'll have to stop and pick up Longbow as well, but we 
can go into the details later. Let's get down to business here. I need 
warriors, and I pay in gold. Are you interested?'
禅he word "gold" is very interesting,' he replied. 糎ho do you want 
me to kill, and how much gold will you give me after he's dead?'
塑ou're a blunt man, Sorgan,' she said.
選t saves time,' he said with a shrug. 羨re we talking about some kind 
of war here?'
糎ell, sort of. How much do you know about the Land of Dhrall?'
選'd never even heard of it until I met Longbow about three days ago. 
Red-Beard here was telling me something about some people that live 
over beyond the mountains. I gather that they're the ones you'd like to 
have me kill. Is this some sort of tribal squabble? That sort of thing 
happens in Maag all the time.'
選t goes a long way past "squabble", Hook-Beak,' she said. 禅he 
people of Dhrall dwell mostly along the coastline where the fishing's 
good, but there are other creatures who dwell in the Wastelands of the 
interior. They're starting to grow restless, and we want you and your 
warriors to persuade them to go back home where they belong. That's 
why I sent for you. I want you to enlist your fellow Maags to come here 
and help us drive the creatures of the Wasteland back across the 
mountains. We'll tell the Maags that I'll give them gold if they come here 
and help us.'
選t's easy to say gold, Lady Zelana,' Sorgan said, 礎ut I think I'll need 
to see gold before I'll be very convincing when I talk with the other 
Maags.'
禅hat sounds reasonable.' Zelana turned to the little girl. 禅ake him 
back to where the gold is, Eleria,' she said. 銑et him see how much there 
is.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

前f course, Beloved,' the little girl replied. 選t's back in the cave a 
ways, Hook-Big,' she told Sorgan.
禅hat's "Hook-Beak",' he corrected her.
羨h,' she said. 禅hat does make a little more sense, doesn't it? I must 
have misunderstood the Beloved when she told me your name. It seemed 
to me that it was backward, but 腺ig-Hook' wouldn't make sense either, 
would it? How much of this gold did you want to look at?'
羨s much as possible,' Sorgan replied eagerly.
選 don't think we have that much time,' Eleria said. 禅he Beloved's in 
sort of a hurry.'
Then the gauze-draped Zelana made a kind of squeaking sound, and 
Eleria responded in the same fashion. Sorgan gathered that it must have 
been some sort of foreign language.
Then Zelana reached out and took a glowing lump of fire out of the 
empty air and handed it to Eleria. 選t's dark back in the cave,' Eleria told 
Sorgan. 禅his little sun will light our way. You should feel honored, 
Hook-Beak. The Beloved was going to have this for lunch.' She held out 
the glowing lump of fire. 践ere,' she said. 塑ou can carry it, if you like.'
Sorgan put his hands behind his back. 鮮o, that's all right,' he said, 
perhaps a bit too quickly. 塑ou can carry it.' So far as Sorgan was able to 
determine, the lump was not enclosed in glass - or anything else, for that 
matter. It appeared to be raw fire, but the little girl seemed very casual 
about the whole thing.
羨ll right. Come along, then.' She led him back into the cave, holding 
up the fire to light the way.
船oesn't that burn your hand?' Sorgan asked Eleria as they went back 
into the rocky passageway.
鮮o,' she replied. 禅he Beloved asked it not to.'
糎hy do you keep calling her "the Beloved"?' he asked curiously.
禅hat's what the pink dolphins call her,' Eleria replied. 選 used to play 
with the pink dolphins when I was younger.'
糎e saw some of those when we were coming here from Longbow's 
village,' he said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選 know. The Beloved asked them to show you the way. She didn't 
want you to get lost. The gold you want to look at is right around this 
corner.'
Sorgan followed her, but then he stopped suddenly, his eyes almost 
starring out of their sockets. The rocky passageway he and Eleria had 
been following was blocked by a solid wall of what appeared to be gold 
bricks.
糎ill this much do for now?' Eleria asked him. 禅he Beloved can send 
for more, but it might take Red-Beard and the rest of the villagers a while 
to carry it here.'
践ow far back does this passage go?' Sorgan asked in a trembling 
voice.
選'm not sure,' Eleria replied. 漸uite a long way, I think. Hold me up in 
the air and I'll take a look.'
Sorgan picked her up and sat her on his shoulder. She held out her ball 
of fire and peered back into the cave. 禅he light doesn't reach all the way 
back,' she reported, 礎ut there's gold back as far as I can see. It's nice 
enough, I suppose, but it'd be prettier if it was pink instead of yellow. 
Yellow's sort of tiresome, don't you think?'
選t doesn't tire me out much,' Sorgan disagreed.
銑et's go back,' Eleria suggested. 禅he Beloved's sort of impatient.'
糎ould it be all right if I took a couple of these bricks to show my 
men?' Hook-Beak asked her.
選'm sure it would,' she said with a sunny smile. 禅here are lots of 
them here, aren't there?'
前h, yes,' Sorgan said fervently.
They went back to the front of the cave.
糎as there enough gold there to suit you, Hook-Beak?' Zelana asked.
選t looks about right to me,' he replied. 選 could probably buy the 
whole Land of Maag with that much. I'll have to take some of it with me 
to show to the other Maags, though. They probably won't believe me 
when I tell them about it.'
鮮ot too much, Sorgan,' Zelana told him. 禅he Seagull isn't built to

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

carry a lot of weight, and we don't want her to sink out from under us 
when we sail back to Maag, do we?'
糎e?' Sorgan asked sharply.
薦leria and I'll be going with you, and so will Red-Beard and 
Longbow.'
塑ou don't really have to come along, Lady Zelana,' Sorgan protested.
選 think I do, Hook-Beak,' she disagreed. 糎e need to hurry, and I can 
persuade the Seagull to go faster - and make sure that you don't forget 
about your obligation to return.'
腺ut -' he started weakly.
鮮o "buts", Sorgan,' she cut him off. 糎e sail on the afternoon tide. 
Go back to the Seagull and get her ready. I'll have Red-Beard make the 
arrangements to put some gold on board before we leave. Take Eleria 
with you. I'll have to talk with my brother before we leave.'
選 haven't agreed to any of this yet,' Sorgan protested.
糎ere you going to say no?'
糎ell . ..' His objection dribbled off as he remembered that solid wall 
of gold bricks.
選 didn't think so,' Zelana said smugly. 鮮ow go.'
He looked longingly toward the back of the cave.
漸uickly, quickly, Sorgan,' she said, snapping her fingers at him. 禅he 
day runs on, and we want to be well on our way before the sun goes to 
bed.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE LAND OF MAAG
1
Now Old-Bear was the chief of the tribe, and though he seldom spoke, 
Longbow's parents had told their son when he had been but a child that 
Old-Bear was very wise. Longbow had been busy being a child at that 
time, so he had accepted what his parents had told him without question 
and had continued his childhood with great enthusiasm.
The village of Old-Bear's tribe at that time had been located atop a 
high bluff where the deep forest lay at its back and the shining face of 
Mother Sea stretched from the foot of the bluff to the far western horizon. 
Longbow had been certain that there could be no better place in the entire 
world to be a child.
It had been in the late summer of Longbow's fifth year when many 
members of Old-Bear's tribe had been overcome by a strange illness that 
had first burned them with fever and then had wracked them with chill. 
Their skin had been marked with purple splotches, and they had seen 
things which had not really been there - things so horrible that they had 
screamed for many days, and then they had died.
Now One-Who-Heals was the shaman of Old-Bear's tribe, and he was 
very skilled in the healing arts, but the pestilence which had crept out of 
the night resisted his every attempt to conquer it, and fully half of the 
tribe of Old-Bear had been carried off. And among those who had been 
lost had been the parents of Longbow and the mate of Chief Old-Bear. 
And One-Who-Heals, realizing that the pestilence had defeated him, had 
gone to the lodge of Old-Bear and had urged his chief to gather up those 
members of the tribe who still lived and to flee.
In sorrow, Old-Bear had agreed and had commanded the survivors to 
burn their lodges, and then he had led them to a new location near the 
shore of Mother Sea where they could build lodges on uncontaminated 
ground, and he had taken the orphaned Longbow into his new lodge and

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

had reared him as if he were his own son.
Now Old-Bear had a daughter named Misty-Water, but the children 
had not, as children often do, contended with each other for Old-Bear's 
attention, but rather had joined together in their grief. Though they had 
grown up together in the same lodge, Misty-Water and Longbow had 
never thought of each other as brother and sister - perhaps because Old-
Bear had always referred to Longbow as their 組uest'.
Even as a child, Longbow had been very perceptive, and it had seemed 
to him that Old-Bear's use of the word 組uest' had been his way to 
carefully manipulate the thinking of the two children in his lodge. The 
ultimate goal of the clever chief had been fairly obvious, but as Misty-
Water had matured, Longbow had seen no reason to complain. Misty-
Water had grown up to be the sort of girl who made men stop breathing 
as she walked by. Her long hair was as black as raven's wings, and her 
skin was as pale as the moon. Her eyes were large, and her lips were full. 
She was quite tall and slender, and as she began to mature, other 
interesting aspects emerged as well. Longbow had found it difficult to 
take his eyes from her.
The fathers of attractive girls are frequently edgy as young men begin 
to gather in large numbers about their daughters, but Old-Bear remained 
tranquil, because Longbow was attending to the matter. Even as a young 
man scarcely past his boyhood, Longbow was quite tall and well-
muscled, and he could be very persuasive. After only a few incidents, the 
other young men of Old-Bear's tribe came to understand that the pursuit 
of Misty-Water could be most hazardous.
Misty-Water appreciated Longbow's actions, since she had concerns of 
her own that required her undivided attention. She had observed that 
several of the other young women of the tribe viewed Longbow with a 
great deal of interest, and it seemed to her that it might be prudent to 
encourage disinterest. It didn't take Misty-Water long to persuade those 
other young women that Longbow wasn't really available. In most cases, 
she had accomplished this with a few hints, but a couple of the young 
women of the tribe had required a more direct approach. There had been a 
few bruises involved, but very few serious injuries.
Old-Bear had watched their little games. He hadn't said anything, but 
he had frequently smiled.
The other young men of the tribe viewed Longbow with a kind of awe. 
He had taken up his bow very early, and he had never been able to

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

explain exactly how it was that every arrow he loosed from his long, 
curved bow went precisely where he wanted it to go, even at incredible 
distances. He had tried to explain the sense of oneness he felt with every 
target that his arrows unerringly found. The unity of hand and eye and 
thought lies at the center of every archer's skill, of course, but Longbow 
had realized very early that the target must be included in that unification. 
It was that sense of joining that lay at the core of Longbow's unerring 
accuracy. He believed that his target seemed almost to draw his arrow, 
and that is a very difficult concept to explain.
Misty-Water, however, had no difficulty understanding Longbow's 
point. She had been unified with her target since early childhood.
Everyone in Old-Bear's tribe knew by now that it wouldn't be too long 
before a certain ceremony would take place, but exactly when was 
entirely up to Chief Old-Bear, and the chief didn't seem to be in any great 
hurry.
Longbow and Misty-Water were fairly certain that the chief's delay 
was no more than his way of teasing them. They didn't think it was funny 
at all.
It was in the early summer of Longbow's fourteenth year that Old-Bear 
finally conceded that the children of his lodge were probably mature 
enough, so with some show of reluctance he agreed that Misty-Water and 
Longbow could go through the ceremony which would join them for life.
The celebration began immediately. The young couple were popular in 
the tribe, and their joining promised to be the happiest event of the 
summer. The young women of the tribe gave Misty-Water little gifts, and 
their gatherings around her were often punctuated with giggles.
The young men gave Longbow well-made arrowheads, spear-points, 
and knives, all chipped from the finest stone, and they helped him build 
the lodge where he and Misty-Water were to dwell.
Finally the day of their joining arrived, and in keeping with tradition, 
Misty-Water arose at dawn to go alone to a quiet pool in the nearby forest 
to bathe and then to garb herself in the soft white deerskin garment she 
was to wear during the ceremony.
Longbow was not supposed to look upon her that day until the time of 
the ceremony, and so he kept his eyes tightly closed as he lay on his pallet 
while Misty-Water gathered up her ceremonial garment and quietly left 
her father's lodge. 践urry back,' he said softly as she went out into the 
morning light, and she laughed a pearly little laugh that touched his very

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

heart.
The sun rose above the deep forest to the east, and the blue shadows of 
morning gradually faded as that most special of days plodded slowly 
along. Longbow garbed himself with some care, and then he waited.
But Misty-Water did not return.
By mid-morning Longbow was frantic. Misty-Water was as impatient 
as he was to go through the ceremony of their joining, and nobody could 
take this long to bathe. Finally Longbow cast custom and tradition aside 
and ran out of the village along the path that led to the quiet pool in the 
forest. And when he reached it, his heart stopped.
His mate-to-be, garbed all in white deerskin, was floating face-down in 
the still water of the pool.
Desperately, Longbow rushed into the water, gathered her in his arms 
and struggled back to the moss-covered edge of the pool. He laid her face 
down on the moss and pressed her back as One-Who-Heals had instructed 
the young men of the tribe to do to revive a drowning victim, but despite 
everything Longbow tried to revive her, Misty-Water showed not the 
faintest sign of life.
In agony Longbow raised his face and howled as all meaning faded 
from his life.
When Longbow, insensible with grief, carried the still body of Misty-
Water back to the village, Chief Old-Bear wept, but in time he sent for 
the shaman of the tribe, One-Who-Heals. 全he could not have drowned, 
could she?' the sorrowing chief demanded. 全he swam very well, and that 
pool in the forest is not deep.'
全he was not drowned, Old-Bear,' One-Who-Heals replied grimly. 
禅he marks on her throat are the marks of fangs. It was venom that took 
her life.'
禅here are no poisonous snakes in this region,' Old-Bear protested.
One-Who-Heals pointed at the marks on Misty-Water's throat. 鮮o 
snake of any size has fangs this large. It is my thought that these are the 
fang-marks of one of the servants of That-Called-the-Vlagh. There are 
many stories about the servants of the Vlagh. Old stories seldom have 
much truth to them, but it seems that the stories about the creatures of the 
Wasteland might well be true. It was That-Called-the-Vlagh that made

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

them, and we are told that the Vlagh gave them venom so that they would 
need no weapons.'
糎hy would a servant of the Vlagh kill our beloved Misty-Water?' 
Old-Bear demanded in a voice filled with grief.
禅here are rumors in the air which tell us that the Thing-Called-the-
Vlagh grows restless and that it sends its servants out of the Wasteland 
into the coastal domains to watch us so that the Vlagh might come to 
know of our weaknesses. Those servants do not wish to be seen, I think, 
so they will most probably kill any of us who happen to see them so that 
they may continue to watch us and to carry what they have seen back to 
the Vlagh.'
選t might be well then if none of the servants of the Vlagh return to the 
Wasteland with this knowledge,' Old-Bear said grimly. 選 will speak with 
my son Longbow of this. His grief may be a well-spring for eternal 
hatred, and I think That-Called-the-Vlagh may come to regret what its 
servants have done this day.'
全end him to me before he goes to the hunt, my chief,' One-Who-
Heals suggested. 銑et him grieve first, though. He'll think more clearly 
after his grief has run its course. And while he grieves, I will do what I 
can to gather more information about the servants of the Vlagh, so that I 
can advise him of their peculiarities.'
It was late in the winter of the following year when Old-Bear decided 
that it might well be time to take the still-grieving Longbow to the lodge 
of One-Who-Heals, for Longbow's grief showed no signs of fading, and 
so he bleakly commanded his despairing son to accompany him.
And so they trudged through the melting snow to the shaman's lodge, 
and when they entered, One-Who-Heals opened a bundle of dried bones 
and spread them out upon a blanket for them to see. 全ince little is known 
of the creatures of the Wasteland who serve That-Called-the-Vlagh, I 
thought it might be well if we had a dead one to examine so that we might 
better understand its peculiarities,' he told them.
糎here did you find this dead one?' Longbow asked in a flat, 
unemotional voice.
選 didn't really find it, Longbow. After the death of Misty-Water, I 
went out to trap one of them. They know little about the forest, so it's 
easy to conceal a trap from them. I found tracks which told me where I

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

might have some luck with a trap, and then I dug a pit and concealed it 
under fallen leaves and twigs. It was a fairly deep pit, and I lined the 
bottom with sharpened stakes and then, when it was well-concealed, I 
waited. It took a while, but finally one of the Vlagh's servants fell into 
my trap, and the stakes at the bottom greeted it. Everything worked out 
quite well - except that it took the creature two days to finish dying. Then 
I pulled it up out of the pit and boiled all the meat off its bones so that we 
might better see its peculiarities.' One-Who-Heals shrugged. 羨fter we've 
learned what we need to know, you might want to take the skull to Misty-
Water's grave as a gift to her spirit.'
Longbow's eyes, which had seemed almost dead, suddenly brightened. 
禅hat might please her spirit,' he conceded, 疎nd more of these heads 
might please her spirit even more.'
選t's quite possible, my son,' Old-Bear agreed.
鮮ow, then,' the shaman said, picking up the skull, 創otice that this 
creature's fangs are folded back to keep them concealed -much in the 
same way that the fangs of a venomous snakes are hidden. The fangs 
spring forward when the creature strikes. This is how it hides its weapons 
until it attacks.' He set the skull aside and picked up the bones of one of 
the creature's arms. 羨s you can see, the creature has sharp spines along 
the outer sides of its arm from the wrist to the elbow. The spines are 
much like the stings of wasps or hornets. The spines, like the fangs, are 
venomous, and they also remain out of sight until the creature wishes to 
attack. Then they spring forward. Be wary when you approach one of 
these creatures, Longbow, for they can move very fast. That-Called-the-
Vlagh has made a very effective killer, but it has to be close to kill. It 
cannot kill from any great distance.'
禅hat's a useful thing to know,' Longbow said, his voice coming to life 
now. 船oes this venom cause pain?'
One-Who-Heals nodded. 繕nbearable pain, I think.'
羨nd is it even able to kill creatures of its own kind?' Longbow 
pressed.
選'm certain that it can.'
禅hen if I were to smear the venom of one of them on the point of my 
arrow, it would carry pain and death to any other one I happened to meet, 
wouldn't it?'
One-Who-Heals blinked. 糎hy would you need to do that? I've been

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told that you don't know how to miss when you shoot one of your 
arrows.'
禅he creatures of the Wasteland have caused me much pain, and I think 
I owe them a great deal of pain in return. An honest man always pays 
what he owes.'
腺e careful, Longbow,' the shaman cautioned. 禅hese creatures hunt 
by concealing themselves, and they strike only when their intended prey 
is close.'
選'm a hunter, One-Who-Heals,' Longbow reminded the shaman. 
鮮othing in the forest can hide itself from me. The servants of That-
Called-the-Vlagh have been sent into our lands because the Vlagh 
hungers for information. I think it will be my lifelong task to make certain 
that the Vlagh's hunger remains unsatisfied, for I will kill all the servants 
it sends here and deliver their heads to Misty-Water's grave as gifts to her 
spirit as a sign that I love her still.'
羨nd will you now go to the hunt, my son?' Chief Old-Bear asked.
選f it pleases you, my father.'
選t pleases me very much, Longbow.'
And so it was that Longbow of the tribe of Old-Bear vanished into the 
forest to seek out the venomous servants of That-Called-the-Vlagh. It was 
rumored over the next decades that the Vlagh sent many of its servants 
into the lands of the tribe, but few, if any, of its servants returned, for 
Longbow had become one with the forest, and the creatures of the 
Wasteland could neither see him nor could they hear him nor could they 
even catch his scent as death sprang upon them from his bow.
The return of the legendary Zelana of the West stirred great excitement 
in all the tribes of her Domain, and the people of Old-Bear's tribe felt 
greatly honored when word reached them that she would soon come to 
visit. Longbow, however, had felt no great need to meet with her, and so 
it was that when word of her approach reached the village of Old-Bear, 
Longbow simply faded back into the forest to continue his hunt.
She had sought him out, however, and he had found that to be 
disturbing. He had been certain that no one could find him in the forest if 
he did not wish to be found, but Zelana had unerringly come to the place 
where he was to ask him for his aid.

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選'm not interested, Zelana,' he had told her bluntly. 選 have a more 
pressing responsibility right now. I think you'd better choose someone 
else.'
禅his is very important,' she had pressed.
鮮ot to me, it isn't. There's only one thing that's important to me, and 
it's what I'm doing right now.'
塑ou don't like us very much, do you, Longbow?' the little girl who'd 
accompanied Zelana had asked shrewdly. 塑ou don't really like anybody, 
do you? You don't have any room inside you for "like," because you're 
all filled up with "don't like," aren't you?'
選t goes quite a bit further than "don't like," little one,' Longbow had 
told her, his voice softening slightly. 禅he servants of That-Called-the-
Vlagh killed she who was to become my mate, so now I kill them.'
禅hat sounds fair to me,' the little girl had said. 践ow many of them 
have you killed so far?'
He had shrugged. 践undreds, I suppose. I don't keep count any more. 
I've been doing this for twenty years now.'
選f that's all that matters to you, we know how you can kill thousands, 
don't we, Beloved?'
善erhaps even more than that, Eleria,' Zelana had replied. Then she 
had looked Longbow straight in the face. 糎e hate the creatures of the 
Wasteland almost as much as you do, Longbow, and if this turns out the 
way I want it to, we'll kill them all, and then we'll go into the Wasteland 
and kill That-Called-the-Vlagh. How does that sound to you?'
選t's interesting enough to make me want hear more,' he had conceded.
Longbow had been dubious when Zelana had assured him that the ship 
of the Maag called Hook-Beak would come across the face of Mother Sea 
to the Land of Dhrall, and even more skeptical when she'd told him that 
the Maags would do anything for gold. But when the long, narrow ship of 
Hook-Beak arrived at the village of Old-Bear almost exactly when she'd 
told him that it would, Longbow's skepticism began to fade. Moreover, 
Sorgan Hook-Beak had responded to the word "gold" even as Zelana had 
suggested that he would.

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Zelana had been right twice so far, and if the Maags would be as useful 
as she seemed to believe, the long voyage to their homeland could be 
worth his time and trouble.
Longbow had not killed a servant of the Vlagh for many days now, and 
that made him a bit ashamed. Misty-Water had always been patient, 
though, so he was fairly sure that her spirit would be willing to wait while 
he gave Zelana of the West the assistance she needed to bring the men of 
Maag to the Land of Dhrall to help Longbow kill all of the servants of the 
Vlagh - and ultimately, of course, the Vlagh itself.
Longbow was quite certain that the spirit of Misty-Water would be 
pleased when he brought the head of the Vlagh to her grave and laid it 
there as a present for her.

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2
The Seagull returned to Old-Bear's village late one blustery afternoon, 
announced somewhat in advance by the booming sound of her sail. 
Longbow immediately saw the advantage of the sail, but when the wind 
was just right, a sail could be very noisy.
糎ill you leave now, Longbow my son?' Chief Old-Bear asked when 
the Maag ship hove to a short way out from the pebbled beach.
選t may be that it will be in the best interest of the tribe, my father,' 
Longbow replied. 岨elana of the West has told me that the Maags can 
show us ways to kill more of the creatures of the Wasteland, and that may 
please the spirit of your daughter Misty-Water.'
禅hen it is proper for you to go, my son,' Old-Bear agreed. 船o not be 
concerned about your absence. I myself will attend to the grave of Misty-
Water while you are gone.'
選 would appreciate that, my father,' Longbow said. 選t may be that in 
time you and I will be able to bring the head of the Vlagh itself to the 
grave of your daughter, and that should please her spirit.'
選 know that it will please mine,' Old-Bear said approvingly. 賎o then, 
my son, and may the spirit of Misty-Water watch over you.'
選t shall be as you have said, my father,' Longbow said quite formally. 
He went down through the village to the pebbled beach, pushed his canoe 
out from the shore, and took up his paddle to cross the choppy water to 
the Seagull. The village and his forest were fading behind him, but he 
didn't look back.
鮮ice little skiff you got there, friend,' a fellow with enormous hands 
observed, leaning over the rail of the Seagull.
全kiff?' Longbow was puzzled by the word.
禅hat skinny little boat you got there. It goes real fast, don't it?'
選t takes me where I want it to go.'

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塑ou want we should bring it on board?'
選t might be best. I don't know the tribe of the Seagull as yet, and if it 
happens that I don't get along very well with them, I might need the 
canoe to take me back to where I belong.'
The man with the big hands laughed. 禅here's been a few times when 
maybe I could have used a skiff of my own for the same reason. I've been 
at sea for most of my life now, and every so often I've had trouble my 
very ownself getting along with my shipmates. You're Longbow, aren't 
you?'
禅hat's what they call me.'
禅hey call me Ham-Hand,' the man at the rail said. 選t's not much of a 
name, but I guess I'm stuck with it now. Come on board, Longbow. The 
Cap'n wants to see you. I'll take care of your canoe for you.'
選 should tell Zelana of the West that I'm here,' Longbow said.
全he's with the Cap'n in the cabin back at the stern,' Ham-Hand 
advised. 全he took his cabin away from him back at the place called 
Lattash. He wasn't none too happy about that, but she's the one who's 
paying us, so he didn't argue with her. He still uses the cabin for business 
during the daytime, but he bunks with me and Ox after the sun goes 
down.'
Longbow handed the braided thong attached to the front of his canoe to 
Ham-Hand and climbed smoothly aboard the Maag ship. 遷ust exactly 
where's the stern?' he asked.
禅he back end of the ship,' Ham-Hand explained.
糎ho's this one you call "Cap'n"?' Longbow asked. 選'm not familiar 
with that word.'
塑ou talked with him the last time we passed through here,' Ham-
Hand replied. 践is name's Sorgan Hook-Beak, and he owns the Seagull 
here.'
禅hat clears things up a bit. We Dhralls would probably call him "the 
Chief". It means about the same thing, I guess. I'll talk with him and let 
Zelana know that I'm here.'
選'm not sure you should take that there bow with you,' Ham-Hand 
said dubiously. 選t might make the Cap'n a little nervous.'

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選t goes any place where I go,' Longbow said curtly. 選f that bothers 
the people here on the Seagull, I'll go back to the forest where I belong.'
船on't get excited,' Ham-Hand told him. 糎e're all on the same side 
here.'
Longbow grunted and walked toward the back of the ship.
There was a burly Dhrall with a flaming red beard leaning against the 
low structure at the rear of the boat. 選 am Red-Beard of the tribe of 
White-Braid,' he introduced himself rather formally.
羨nd I am Longbow of the tribe of Old-Bear. I was told that Sorgan 
Hook-Beak wished to speak with me and that Zelana of the West is with 
him.'
禅hey are in there, Longbow of Old-Bear's tribe,' Red-Beard said, 
pointing at a rectangular opening in the front of the low-roofed structure.
糎e will speak again, Red-Beard of White-Braid's tribe,' Longbow 
said. The formalities might fade as he and Red-Beard became better 
acquainted, but for right now formality was probably the more proper 
way to go.
The child Eleria leaned through the opening Red-Beard had indicated. 
践e's here, Beloved,' she called back over her shoulder. 選t's that one 
who spends all his time killing those he doesn't like.'
選t's not right for you to say that, child,' Longbow chided her.
選t's the truth, isn't it?'
善erhaps, but it isn't polite to come right out and say so.'
前h, poo,' she said. Then she held her arms out to him. 舛arry me,' she 
said.
船id you forget how to walk?'
鮮o, but I like to be carried, that's all.'
Longbow smiled faintly, picked her up, and carried her into the place 
that smelled of tar and had a low roof.
糎elcome, Longbow,' Zelana said. 糎hy are you carrying Eleria?'
全he wanted me to,' Longbow replied, 疎nd it didn't particularly bother

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me.'
践e's very nice, Beloved,' Eleria said. 践e didn't object in the least 
little bit to carrying me.' Then she kissed Longbow's cheek. 塑ou can put 
me down now,' she said.
践e's not a dolphin, Eleria,' Zelana chided.
選 know,' Eleria agreed, 礎ut he'll do until we go back home. I need to 
kiss things every now and then. You know that.'
Zelana sighed, rolling her eyes upward. 前h, yes,' she said. 禅his is 
Sorgan Hook-Beak of the Land of Maag, Longbow. I believe you've met 
him before.'
塑es,' Longbow replied. He looked at Sorgan. 禅he man called Ham-
Hand told me that you wanted to speak with me,' he said.
選t's not all that important, Longbow,' Sorgan said. 選 just wanted to let 
you know that we'll make you as comfortable as we can during our 
voyage. Is there anything you'll need?'
Longbow shrugged. 羨 little time every day to fish, is about all. I get 
hungry now and then.'
塑ou can eat with the crew, Longbow. We can talk more later. Right 
now I'd better go get us underway.' Sorgan rose to his feet and went out.
践e isn't speaking in our language, is he, Zelana?' Longbow asked.
She blinked. 践ow could you possibly know that?'
践is lips are not shaping the words which are coming from his mouth. 
Something seems to be changing the language he speaks into ours even 
while he talks.'
Zelana laughed with obvious delight. 禅his will embarrass my brother 
no end,' she chuckled. 選 probably should have noticed that myself. 
You're very observant, Longbow.'
選sn't that why we have eyes?'
塑ou're going to take a bit of getting used to. Do you always jump 
right to the point like this when you speak?'
He shrugged. 選t saves time. Now will you tell me exactly why you 
sought me out to come with you? What is it that I'm supposed to do to

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help you persuade the Maags to come to the Land of Dhrall to kill the 
servants of the Vlagh for us?'
選 want you to shoot arrows, Longbow.'
糎ho or what do you want me to kill?'
選 don't need to have you kill anything yet, Longbow,' she replied. 
糎e're going to the Land of Maag to fetch warriors to help us fight the 
creatures of the Wasteland. I want you to shoot arrows at things which are
a long way away from where you're standing and to hit as many of them 
as you can. The Maags need to know that the warriors of Dhrall can be as 
dangerous as the warriors of Maag are. We need their help, but we also 
need their respect.'
Longbow considered it. 賎eese, I think,' he suggested.
選 beg your pardon?'
善eople always seem to be startled when they see geese falling down 
out of the sky with arrows sticking out of them,' Longbow explained. 
禅hey don't seem to realize that arrows can hit things up in the air as well 
as down on the ground.'
舛an you actually do that, Longbow?' Eleria exclaimed. 選 mean, can 
you really bring geese down from way up in the sky with your bow?'
選t's not very difficult, little one,' Longbow said. 賎eese fly in straight 
lines, so it's easy to know where they'll be when your arrow reaches 
them. They're good to eat, too, so I won't be killing them for no reason. 
It's not right to do that.'
選 think we should keep this one, Beloved,' Eleria said. 選f you don't 
want him, can I have him?'
That startled Longbow just a bit.

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3
Red-Beard sleeps with the Maags Sorgan calls "the crew",' Zelana told 
Longbow later that afternoon. 践e's a jovial sort of fellow, but he's 
observant, too. We need to know more about the Maags, so Red-Beard's 
taking care of that for us. I think you should sleep in here with Eleria and 
me, though. We'll tell the Maags that you're here to guard me so that 
nobody gets any improper ideas. The real reason is that I'd like to keep 
you separate from the Maags, if possible. In a little while, you'll be doing 
some fairly spectacular things with your bow, and it might be useful if the 
Maags of the Seagull have a certain amount of awe in their voices when 
they tell other Maags about you.'
Longbow shrugged. 糎hatever seems best to you,' he replied. 践ow 
long is this likely to take?'
鮮ot too long,' she replied. 全organ's bringing gold back to Maag with 
him. When he starts showing it to the other Maags, they'll probably flock 
to him like vultures.' She frowned. 禅hat didn't come out exactly right, 
did it?' she said.
選t's a possibility we should keep in mind, though,' Longbow 
suggested. 選'll watch them. If they seem to be getting too hungry, there 
are ways to persuade them to go eat somebody else.' 

*        *       *
Longbow arose at first light the following morning, and he was a bit surprised to 
find that Zelana was awake. 塑ou don't sleep much, do you?' he asked her.
選t isn't necessary for me, Longbow,' she replied. 糎hy are you up so early?'
選 thought it might be useful for me to get to know these Maags. The more a hunter 
knows about the creatures he hunts, the more successful he is.'
塑ou aren't here to kill them, Longbow,' she chided.
鮮o,' he agreed, 礎ut "capture" is sometimes more difficult than "kill", isn't it?'

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He took up his bow and went out into the grey light of morning.
There was only the faintest hint of a breeze, but there was enough to tell Longbow 
that it was coming from the east, and that was very unusual for this time of year. 
Evidently, Zelana was tampering with things.
There was a faint ringing sound coming from the front of the Seagull, and 
Longbow went forward to see if he could determine the source of that sound.
A small Maag was standing near the front of the Seagull, and he was pounding on 
something that glowed almost as if it had fire deep inside of it.
糎hat is that?' Longbow asked curiously, 疎nd why are you pounding on it?'
選t's called iron,' the little Maag replied, 疎nd I'm shaping it with my hammer. 
Ham-Hand broke his knife the other day, and he wants me to make him a new one. 
He's clumsy, so he breaks things all the time.'
糎here is it that you find this iron?'
選 haven't got no idea where it comes from, but all I have to do is work with it. I 
don't have to go out and find it. You're the one called Longbow, aren't you?'
禅hat's what they tell me. Does this iron glow like that all the time?'
鮮o. I have to heat it up in my fire first. That makes it soft and easier to work with. 
They call me Rabbit, by the way -probably because I forgot to grow up sometime way 
back when. Anyway, we make all our tools and weapons out of iron. One of my 
chores here on the Seagull is hammering fish-hooks out of iron. I'm glad you came 
along, though. The Cap'n told me that maybe I ought to hammer out some 
arrowheads for you.'
全tone arrowheads are customary in the Land of Dhrall,' Longbow told him. 
禅hey've worked well for us in the past. I don't see any reason to change.'
舛ould I see one of your arrows?'
前f course.' Longbow took an arrow from his quiver and handed it to the small 
man.
Rabbit carefully examined the arrow. 船o you make these your very own self?' he 
asked.
鮮aturally. If I'm going to be the one who shoots them, I want to be sure that 
they've been made correctly.'
選t must take quite a while to chip one out,' Rabbit observed, 疎nd they wouldn't 
all have the same weight, would they?'
禅hey're close enough.'
糎hy don't I hammer a few out of iron, and you can look them over. I think they 
might surprise you. That lady who orders everybody around told me that someday

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soon you're likely to need a whole lot of arrows, but she didn't come right out and tell 
me how come.'
選'm going to shoot some geese for the entertainment of your people,' Longbow 
told him.
禅hat explains why you'll need so many,' Rabbit said. 塑ou must lose a lot of 
arrows when you start whanging them up in the air that way.'
禅hey're easy to find again, Rabbit. The dead geese float, so I don't have any 
trouble finding my arrows.'
糎hat about the ones that don't hit no geese?'
禅hat doesn't happen.'
羨re you trying to tell me that you don't never miss?'
選t wouldn't be useful to miss. How do you go about making arrowheads from this 
iron?'
銑ike I said, I heat it up in a fire until it starts to glow. That means that it's soft 
enough to pound into the shape I want.'
羨 soft arrowhead wouldn't be very useful, Rabbit.'
選t don't stay soft. After I hammer it into the right shape, I dunk it in cold water, 
and it gets hard again.'
Longbow looked at the beach sliding slowly past as the Seagull moved west. 選f 
we're going to make arrows, we'll need arrow-shafts. I don't think it'll be much 
longer before the Seagull leaves the Land of Dhrall behind, so you and I should 
probably go to the beach and cut saplings before we begin making arrowheads. I'll 
speak with Sorgan, and tell him what we need to do.'
禅hat makes sense,' Rabbit agreed. 糎e'll have plenty of time to hammer out 
arrowheads once we get out on the open sea. It's a long ways between Dhrall and 
Maag - a whole lot farther than the Cap'n seems to realize.'
腺ut you realize how far it is, don't you?' Longbow said shrewdly.
Rabbit looked around quickly to make sure there wasn't anybody close. 選 think I'd 
rather you didn't say anything about that to the Captain, Longbow,' he said quietly. 
践e doesn't pay too much attention to the sky after the sun goes down, and if you 
know what you're looking for, you can tell by the location of certain stars just where 
you are. When that sea-current took hold of the Seagull, it took her a whole lot farther 
east than the captain - or anybody else - seems to have realized.'
塑ou're a very clever man, Rabbit,' Longbow observed. 糎hy do you go to so 
much trouble to conceal it?'
Rabbit shrugged. 選t makes my life easier,' he said with a sly little grin. 選f the 
Captain and Ox and Ham-Hand don't realize that I've got something beside air in my

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head, they won't expect too much from me. If they happen to find out that I can tell 
my right hand from my left, they might start ordering me to do things that aren't quite 
as easy as the things I have to do now. I've always believed that "easy" is a lot nicer 
than "hard", don't you?'
塑our secret's safe with me, Rabbit. Someday, though - and I don't think it's very 
far off - you and I might have to explore the land of "hard". And our lives may 
depend on how well we do it.'
塑ou just had to go and say that, didn't you, Longbow?' Rabbit said sourly.
選 just thought I'd warn you, that's all.'
The Seagull turned westward a few days later, and the Land of Dhrall receded 
behind her, soon dropping below the eastern horizon. The open sea made Longbow a 
bit edgy. He had always been a creature of the forest, and the vast emptiness of 
Mother Sea disturbed him.
He also felt twinges of guilt, since he was avoiding his lifelong task.
He was supposed to be in the forest killing the servants of the Vlagh, or at the 
burial ground tending to Misty-Water's grave.
His memory reached back to his meeting with Zelana of the West and child Eleria. 
Zelana held dominion over the west, and her command to him should have been the 
law, but it hadn't been the word of Zelana which had made him agree to go with her 
to the Land of Maag; it had been the clever word of child Eleria. Her suggestion that 
the Maags could provide a way to kill more servants of the Vlagh in a short time than 
he'd be able to kill by himself during a lifetime of hunting had moved him to come on 
board the Seagull.
The more he considered that, the more curious it seemed. Had Zelana come to him 
alone, he could easily have refused her request and continued his hunt. Eleria, 
however, was quite another matter. In some ways, Eleria could be far more persuasive 
than Zelana herself, and that raised some interesting possibilities. It might not be a 
bad idea to pay closer attention to both Zelana and Eleria. There was something 
peculiar going on here.
践ook-Big doesn't believe her, Longbow,' Eleria said a few days later when they 
were alone in the tar-smeared cabin at the stern of the Seagull. As usual, Eleria was 
sitting on Longbow's lap. She had not as yet tried to sit on his lap while he was 
standing, but he was fairly certain that the day would come when she would. Close 
contact seemed to be important to Eleria. 糎hen the Beloved told him that your 
arrows always go where you want them to go, he said that nobody could do that.'
践ook-Big?' Longbow asked curiously.
践e seems to be terribly full of himself,' Eleria replied with a naughty little grin.

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糎hen I call him "Hook-Big", it takes a lot of that away from him.'
禅hat's a bit unkind, little one.'
選 know,' she admitted. 詮un, though.'
Longbow laughed. Eleria was an absolute delight, and it was that, perhaps, that 
made her even more dangerous than Zelana herself.
詮un isn't a bad thing, Longbow,' she said, nuzzling at his cheek like a small 
kitten.
糎hy don't you speak with Zelana?' Longbow suggested. 禅his might be a good 
time for a flock of geese to fly over the Seagull. Let's brush away Hook-Big's doubts 
so that they won't concern him anymore.'
禅hat would be nice,' Eleria said. And then she giggled.
It was not a large flock, Longbow observed as the geese came out of the north just 
before the sun sank into a red-flushed bank of clouds low on the western horizon - six 
or seven birds at most. It should be enough, however, to make a believer out of Hook-
Beak. Longbow took up a handful of his new iron-tipped arrows and his bow and 
went to the stern of the Seagull where Sorgan, Ox, and Ham-Hand spent most of their 
time. 選'm growing a bit tired of eating fish, Sorgan-Captain,' he said politely. 糎ould 
you find it offensive if I bring us something different to eat?'
糎hat did you have in mind?' Sorgan asked.
禅hose,' Longbow replied, pointing at the incoming geese. 選 haven't made any 
contribution to what we eat here on the Seagull, and that isn't proper. I think that 
geese might be a welcome change for you and your men.'
禅hem geese are pretty high up in the air,' Ham-Hand suggested dubiously.
鮮ot quite high enough,' Longbow assured him.
Ox squinted off to the west, the fiery sunset painting his face red. 禅he sun's going 
down, Longbow,' he said. 塑ou might be lucky enough to hit one or two of them 
geese, but finding them floating in the water won't be very easy, will it?'
選'll do what I can to make it easy,' Longbow promised.
It took a bit of careful calculation, but Longbow had chosen his time quite 
deliberately. Killing the geese with his arrows would be simplicity in itself. Making 
certain that they all fell on the deck of the Seagull instead of into the water would be a 
bit more difficult - but hardly impossible.
It rained geese onto the deck of the Seagull not long after Longbow had spoken 
with Hook-Beak, and Sorgan and his crew began to treat Longbow with a great deal 
of respect - tinged with a certain amount of awe. Longbow was accustomed to that. 
The men of Old-Bear's tribe had been looking at him with a similar expression

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since.he'd been very young.

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4
全he's a lot older than she looks, Longbow,' Rabbit was saying the 
next morning. 詮rom what I've heard, she was a pretty battered-up old tub
when the Cap'n bought her from the old Maag who owned her before. It 
took the Cap'n, Ox, and Ham-Hand better than a year to fix her up. About 
the first thing they did was to add this.' Rabbit stamped one of his feet on 
the deck. 繕p till then, she was a lot like an open row-boat. They decked 
her over and built in those long, narrow ports for the oars. I guess part of 
the idea was to protect the oarsmen from foul weather, but the main 
reason for adding the deck was to give them as was going to do the 
fighting some running room. If you're going to jump from one ship to 
another when the water's choppy, you need to be moving pretty fast. If 
you're not, you'll probably get wet.'
選t does make some sense, I suppose,' Longbow conceded. 腺ack in 
Dhrall we don't fight out on the face of Mother Sea. It's not a good idea 
to irritate her.'
糎e get along with her pretty good,' Rabbit said. 羨nyway, the notion 
of decking over a longship's fairly recent. It was - oh - maybe twenty 
years ago when a ship-builder down in Gaiso came up with the notion - 
probably because some ship-cap'n wanted to have his own cabin so that 
he wouldn't have to sleep with his crew. Ship-cap'ns get kind of uppity 
sometimes.'
選sn't it difficult for the oarsmen to steer when they can't see where 
they're going?' Longbow asked.
禅hat's where the tiller comes in. If you look back toward the stern 
you'll see Ox standing there holding onto a long handle that's attached to 
a post. The post runs all the way down into the water, and there's a big 
flat board built out from the bottom of the post. It's called "the rudder", 
and it makes the ship turn this way or that way when Ox pulls the handle 
to one side or the other. The oarsmen do the rowing, but Ox does the 
steering.' Rabbit grinned. 選 don't get stuck with that chore too often. It 
takes a pretty beefy man to steer a ship as big as the Seagull. Ox is pretty 
good at it, though. He's got muscles on top of muscles from his neck 
down to his toenails. He could probably pick up something that only had

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one end if he really wanted to.'
選 haven't seen many things with only one end,' Longbow noted.
禅hey are just a bit rare,' Rabbit agreed.
糎e like to think that it's the prettiest place in the world,' Rabbit was 
telling Longbow and Eleria a few days later when the three of them were 
sitting near the bow of the Seagull. 前f course, I grew up there, and 
everybody I've ever met seems to think that no place in the whole world 
is half as nice as the place where he grew up.' 選t's proper for you to be 
loyal to the home of your childhood, Rabbit,' Longbow told him. 
銑oyalty to place and people is the beginning of honor. I feel much the 
same way about the forests of Dhrall.'
選'm not all that big on honor, Longbow,' Rabbit confessed. 鮮o matter 
where I go or who I hook up with, I'm always the runt of the litter. Every 
Maag I've ever known seems to think that bigger is better, so they always 
think that I'm not worth much because I'm short and scrawny.'
腺ut you like it that way, don't you, Bunny?' Eleria said shrewdly. 
塑ou want them to think that your mind is just as teenie-weenie as your 
body is. That's why you always talk so sloppy around them, isn't it?'
腺unny?' Rabbit protested.
選t's a friendlier sort of name,' Eleria told him from her usual place on 
Longbow's lap, 疎nd I feel friendly about you, since you're almost as 
teenie-weenie as I am. Longbow here is one of the biggies, so he doesn't 
understand us teenie-weenies. I do love him, but he has a few flaws. But 
then, nobody's perfect -except the Beloved, of course.'
薦leria's very quick, Rabbit,' Longbow told the small Maag, 疎nd you 
should probably know that sometimes she can make you do things that 
you'd prefer not to do. I'd still be back in the forest if Zelana hadn't 
brought Eleria with her when she sought me out. I had "no" half-way out 
when Zelana turned Eleria loose on me. I swallowed "no" not long after 
that.'
Eleria stuck her tongue out at Longbow, but then she laughed. 塑ou 
have to be careful around this one, Bunny,' she cautioned. 践e watches 
all the time, and he sees things that others are trying to hide. I guess 
everybody has things they want to hide, but they don't have much luck 
when they try to hide them from Longbow.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選've noticed,' Rabbit said drily. 選've been pretending to be stupid 
since I was just a boy, and it's always worked before, but he saw through 
me before I'd turned around twice.' He paused and one of his eyebrows 
went up slightly. 羨s long as it's come up anyway, maybe you ought to 
know that Longbow and I aren't fooled by your little game of silly. You 
grin and giggle a lot, but Longbow and I both know that you're as hard as 
iron underneath. You always get what you want.'
糎hy, Bunny,' Eleria said in mock chagrin, 層hat a thing to say! I'm 
shocked at you. Shocked.'
糎e're not going to spread this around, though, are we?' Rabbit said to 
both of them. 羨ll three of us have peculiarities that other people here on 
the Seagull don't really need to know about, do they?'
選f they can't see this for themselves, they probably wouldn't believe 
us if we told them,' Longbow agreed.
禅here's somebody coming,' Eleria warned in a soft whisper.
糎hat's the name of this place where you grew up, Rabbit?' Longbow 
asked, speaking a bit louder.
禅he folks over there in Maag all calls it Weros,' Rabbit replied, 
lapsing back into his usual slovenly speech-pattern, 疎nd they're all just 
jumping up and down to go there and have theirselves a real bang-up 
good time. A real Maag'll go a long ways to have hisself a good time.' 
He glanced casually over his shoulder at the seaman who was busy tying 
off a rope. Then the sailor turned and went back toward the main-mast. 
Rabbit lowered his voice. 選f I'm reading the position of the stars right, 
we should sail into the harbor of Weros on the day after tomorrow - 
which doesn't seem possible, since we were a lot farther from home than 
Sorgan and the rest of the crew seemed to realize.'
選 wouldn't spread that around, Bunny,' Eleria told him. 選t isn't 
necessary for them to know how far it is from Maag to Dhrall, and the 
Beloved doesn't really want them to find out. She needs an army, and the 
people she wants might not want to go that far away from home.'
践ow did we get there so fast?' Rabbit demanded.
禅he Beloved can make things happen when she wants them to happen, 
Bunny,' Eleria replied. 船o you really want to know exactly how she 
does that?'
That seemed to jerk Rabbit up short. He swallowed hard. 羨h -' he

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

faltered, 創o, I don't think so.'
選sn't he nice?' Eleria said to Longbow. Then she squirmed down from 
the big Dhrall's lap and approached the small Maag. 銭iss-kiss, Bunny,' 
she said.
糎hat?' Rabbit sounded confused.
選t's one of her habits,' Longbow told him. 選t's not too painful, and it 
makes her happy, so we put up with it.'
全hush, Longbow,' Eleria said. Then she wrapped her arms about 
Rabbit's neck and kissed him soundly. 塑ou ought to take a bath, 
Bunny,' she told him, wrinkling her nose.
選 washed off no more than a month ago,' he protested.
選t's time to do it again, Bunny. Soon. Please.'
The weather turned sour, and it was blustery and rainy for the next two 
days as the Seagull doggedly pushed her way west. Longbow was 
accustomed to rain, since the northwest coast of the Land of Dhrall was 
the native home of rain. The Maag sailors seemed dispirited by the 
weather, though, and the mood on board the Seagull was gloomy until the 
coast of Maag, hazy and indistinct in the steady drizzle, appeared low on 
the western horizon.
The Maag town of Weros stood at the head of a narrow inlet, and the 
Seagull's oarsmen took their places without the usual grumbling, despite 
the weather. Coming home after a long time seemed to brighten things for 
sailors.
Weros was a sizeable town, though the houses all seemed jammed 
tightly together, almost as if the inhabitants were afraid to be alone. The 
muddy streets wandered about aimlessly, strongly suggesting that the 
people who lived there had made it up as they'd gone along. Most of the 
buildings were constructed of squared-off logs, and they appeared to be 
more substantial than the lodges of Old-Bear's tribe back in Dhrall. Iron 
tools, it appeared, made better houses. A pall of smoke drifted out from 
the town, obscuring the nearby fields. Long piers extended from the 
water's edge, and there were many Maag longships tied to the piers or 
anchored some distance out into the harbor.
As the Seagull approached the town, an eddy in the wind carried a 
rancid smell out across the water. Longbow's nostrils were very acute

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

because he was a hunter, and he hoped that they wouldn't have to stay in 
Weros for very long.
The sailors dropped heavy iron anchors off both ends of the Seagull, 
and Eleria came looking for Longbow. 禅he Beloved asked me to find 
you,' she told him. 践ook-Big wants to tell us how he intends to persuade 
other Maag ship-captains that it might be nice to visit the land of Dhrall. 
The Maags will do almost anything to get their hands on as many square 
lumps of gold as their ships can carry.'
前wning things seems important to the Maags?' Longbow observed.
禅hat makes things easy for us. They'll do what we want them to do so 
that they can own gold, but we end up owning them instead. Let's go see 
what Hook-Big has to say.' Eleria held out her arms to him. 塑ou can 
carry me, if you'd like.'
前f course,' Longbow said, taking her up in his arms. Close contact 
with others seemed to play an important part in persuading people to do 
what Eleria wanted them to do he reflected. Zelana commanded, but 
Eleria charmed. The intent and results were usually the same, but Eleria's 
approach was more pleasant.
Longbow carried Eleria to Sorgan's cabin at the stern of the Seagull. 
Ox and Ham-Hand were already there, as was Red-Beard. 禅he best way 
I know of to get people's attention in a hurry is to show them gold,' 
Sorgan was saying, 疎nd this is the way we're going to do that. Ox, I want 
you and Ham-Hand to spread the word that the Seagull's got stacks and 
stacks of gold blocks down in her hold. They probably won't believe you 
- which is right down at the core of our little scheme. As soon as some 
ship-captain says that he thinks you're lying, tell him that you'll be happy 
to show him, if he'd like. Don't bring more than two or three to the 
Seagull at any one time, and let it get spread around that those of us here 
on board won't look kindly on uninvited guests. Don't bring any ordinary 
seamen or tavern loafers out here, and don't waste my time on the ones 
who call themselves captains but only have an oversized row-boat and 
fifteen or twenty men. We only want the captains of full-sized longships 
with full crews. If somebody doesn't have eighty men at his command, I 
don't want to see him. Now then, don't forget, just to keep things from 
getting rowdy, we only want two or three at a time.'
選 get your drift, Cap'n,' Ox said. 閃e and Ham-Hand'll take care to 
keep our visitors from turning into a crowd that the crew can't handle.'
船o your people really have little boats, Hook-Big?' Eleria asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorgan made an indelicate sound. 禅hey're leeches for the most part,' 
he replied. 禅hey call themselves Maag sea-captains, but their boats are 
nothing more than old fishing sloops, and the men who make up the crew 
don't know the first thing about fighting. A real Maag longship's better 
than a hundred feet long, and she's got at least eighty men on board - fifty 
oarsmen, twenty-five to deal with the sail, three officers, a cook, a smith, 
and a carpenter.' He looked at Zelana. 践ow soon do you want the fleet 
we'll put together to reach your country?' he asked.
糎e have a bit of time, Sorgan,' she replied. 禅he creatures of the 
Wasteland aren't in position to attack us as yet.'
禅hat gives us until next spring, doesn't it? Nobody in his right mind 
tries to march an army across a range of mountains in the dead of winter.'
禅he Vlagh has a different kind of mind, Sorgan. It doesn't care how 
many of its servants die along the way when it wants something. I want 
the Maag fleet standing off the coast of Dhrall before the snow starts to 
pile up.'
禅hat's only two months or so, Lady Zelana,' Sorgan protested. 選 
won't be able to gather that many ships in so short a time. The ships 
aren't all in one place, so I'm going to have to chase them down. I might 
be able to have a fair-sized advance fleet there by then, but it'll probably 
take a while longer to bring the main body across. I'm just scraping a 
number off the wall here, but I think six hundred ships should be about 
right. With eighty or so men on board each one, you'll have a good-sized 
army - fifty thousand or so. The main problem's going to be getting the 
word out to all those sea-captains. A lot of them are cruising deep water, 
looking for Trogite treasure ships.'
船oesn't that mean that they're between us and the Land of Dhrall?' 
Red-Beard asked.
選 suppose so. Why?'
糎e'll encounter them along the way then, won't we?'
禅hat's open water out there, Red-Beard. If those ships aren't right in 
our path, we won't even see them.'
羨re there paths in Mother Sea now?' Red-Beard asked mildly. 選 
hadn't heard about that. Is there some reason that I don't know about that 
all the ships of the fleet absolutely must trail along behind the Seagull? 
Wouldn't it be better if they spread out as they sailed to the Land of 
Dhrall? I've fished the waters of Mother Sea many times, and over the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

years, I've found that my luck's much better if I fish in waters that 
haven't been recently worked by other fishermen.'
糎ell . . . Sorgan began, but whatever he'd intended to say dribbled 
off.
選t will still be your fleet, Sorgan Hook-Beak,' Zelana assured him. 
羨ll the Maags on all the ships will know that you command. Do you 
really have to have them clinging to your tail-feathers all the way to 
Dhrall?'
Sorgan looked a bit sheepish. 選've never had a whole fleet to follow 
me,' he admitted. 選 really wanted to see all those ships massed up in one 
place and to know that it was my fleet. I was being childish, wasn't I?'
選t's all right to be a child, Hook-Big,' Eleria told him. 銑ook at all the 
fun I've been having lately.'
Sorgan sighed. 選 guess it'll be all right if the fleet spreads out to bring 
in those other ships,' he said regretfully. 禅hat's a good boy,' Eleria said 
affectionately.
糎hat's this all about, Sorgan?' A lean Maag sea-captain who was 
among the first group Sorgan had invited to visit the Seagull in the harbor 
of Weros - asked as he climbed up the rope ladder to the deck of the 
Seagull.
舛ome back to my cabin, and I'll explain it,' Sorgan replied, glancing 
at the two Maags in the skiff Ox had just rowed out to the Seagull.
Longbow drifted along behind them as they went aft.
Zelana and Eleria were up near the bow of the Seagull looking at the 
town of Weros, so the cabin was empty at the moment.
糎ho's he?' the other Maag asked, pointing at Longbow.
禅his is Longbow, and he works for the lady that's paving me to gather 
up a fleet.'
選s it safe to talk in front of him?'
践e knows what this is all about, cousin Torl,' Sorgan replied. 船idn't 
Ox tell you about all the gold we've got piled up down in the hold?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lean Maag snorted. 塑ou didn't really think I'd believe him, did 
you?'
糎e'll go look in just a minute. There's a war in the works over in a 
place called Dhrall, and the lady who sort of runs things over there needs 
men who know how to fight to join up with her people. And she pays in 
gold. I brought about a hundred bars here with me to prove to the ship-
captains I come across that it'll be worth their while to join up.'
選 think you might have lost your mind, Sorgan. Nobody with his head 
on straight starts waving gold in front of Maag ship-captains.'
禅hat's why we're having this little talk, Torl.' Sorgan replied. 選 think 
I'd feel a lot more comfortable if I had a fair number of my kinsmen close 
by when I start showing off all that gold.'
禅hat makes a certain amount of sense, I guess. Just where is this 
Dhrall, Sorgan?'
選t's a fair distance off to the east.'
選 take it that this lady who's got all the gold hasn't got any kind of real 
army to work with?' Torl asked.
選 think it might surprise you, Torl. This is Longbow, and I've never 
seen anybody who could even come close to him when it comes to 
shooting arrows. But Lady Zelana doesn't have enough people to fight 
off her enemy. That's where we come in. Right now, though, I want to 
get the word out to as many kinsmen as I can locate. Do you happen to 
know where Malar and Skell are right now?'
Torl scratched the side of his face. 禅he last I heard, Malar was 
whooping it up with his crew down in Gaiso. They had a stroke of luck 
here recently, so they're celebrating. You know how our cousin is. Once 
he starts to party, it goes on until he runs out of money.'
船o you think you could get word to him that I want to talk over a 
business opportunity with him?'
選'll see what I can do. We'll have to wait until he's sober, though.'
糎here's Skell?'
繕p the coast in Kormo. His ship needed repairs after he came up 
against a Trogite ship that rammed her off the northeast coast. That's 
something you should know about, Sorgan: the Trogites have taken to

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

reinforcing the bows of their ships, and they've added what they call a 
"ram". It's a real thick pole with the front end cased in iron. It sticks out 
in front of the Trogite ship, and it's right at the waterline. The Trogites 
don't give up and jump over the sides of their ships when they see one of 
us coming any more. They row their ships right into us now, and that ram 
puts a hole a man could walk through right in the side of any ship it 
smashes into. From what I hear, the Trogites have already sunk a half-
dozen or so Maag longships with those cursed rams.'
禅hat's terrible!' Sorgan exclaimed.
禅rogites have always been terrible, Sorgan. I thought you knew that. 
Now, you promised to let me and the other captains look at all this gold 
you've managed to pick up.'
羨ll right, but then we'll need to start getting word out to the rest of 
our family. I'll sleep better if I've got a dozen or so ships that belong to 
people I can trust anchored around the Seagull. After you see what I've 
got stacked up in the hold, you'll understand why.'
Longbow considered what he had just heard. The Maags, it appeared, 
had a very primitive culture. Their technology was more advanced, 
certainly, but their social structure had a long way to go.
At first light a few days later, Longbow came out of the cabin at the 
stern of the Seagull to take a look at the weather, and he saw Red-Beard 
leaning against the railing at the bow. 塑ou're up early, Red-Beard,' he 
said as he joined the man of White-Braid's tribe.
Red-Beard shrugged. 践abit, I guess. I like to look at the sky before the 
sun comes up. Do you fish much, Longbow?'
前nce in a while. I prefer hunting.' Longbow hesitated. 選 noticed 
something the other day when Hook-Beak was talking with one of his 
relatives. You've spent quite a bit of time with the ordinary Maag sailors. 
Does it seem to you that family's more important to them than tribe?'
選 don't think they even have tribes, Longbow. As far as I've been able 
to discover, there's no such thing as tribe - or customs, or rules, or chiefs. 
Their weapons are better than ours, but aside from that, they're absolute 
savages.'
選 sort of saw things much the same way. Customs might be a bit 
tedious, but they do seem to hold a tribe together.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選 don't know if you're aware of this, Longbow,' Red-Beard said then, 
礎ut you're quite famous in the Domain of our Zelana.'
選 don't get around much, Red-Beard. I've been busy for the past 
several years.'
禅hat's what I've heard. You can tell me that it's none of my business, 
if you want to, but why do you spend all of your time killing the creatures 
of the Wasteland?'
Longbow hesitated, but Red-Beard was about the closest thing to a 
friend he had here. 選t was something that happened a long time ago,' he 
explained. 禅here was a young woman in our tribe named Misty-Water, 
and she and I had decided that we should mate. On the day of the 
ceremony, she went into the forest to bathe and dress herself in the 
customary garb. While she was alone in the forest, one of the creatures of 
the Wasteland killed her. Since that day, I live only for vengeance.'
選'm sorry, Longbow,' Red-Beard apologized. 選 didn't mean to pry 
like that. I understand now, though. You want to kill them all, don't you?'
選f I possibly can,' Longbow admitted. 鮮o day is really complete for 
me if I haven't killed at least one of those beasts. That's what finally 
persuaded me to join Zelana and come here to the Land of the Maags. 
Little Eleria suggested that if I had Maags to help me, I could kill 
thousands of the servants of the Vlagh - or maybe even kill them all.'
禅hat might take some doing, from what I've heard about those 
beasts,' Red-Beard suggested. 糎ould it offend you if I kill a few dozen 
of them? Just as a sign of friendship, of course. It's courteous to kill the 
enemies of one's friends, isn't it?'
Longbow smiled briefly. 選t wouldn't bother me in the least, Red-
Beard. Enjoy yourself. One thing, though. When we reach the Wasteland, 
remember that That-Called-the-VIagh is mine. It's my thought that the 
spirit of Misty-Water might be pleased if I placed the head of the Vlagh at 
the foot of her grave as a sign of my continued love for her.'
選 wouldn't dream of interfering, friend Longbow,' Red-Beard 
declared. 糎ould it be all right if I held your cloak for you while you 
chop That-Called-the-Vlagh into small pieces?'
選 think I could stand that, friend Red-Beard,' Longbow replied with 
mock solemnity.
Then they both laughed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5
Sorgan managed to gather several of his relatives about the Seagull as 
he continued to recruit unrelated Maag ship-captains in the harbor of 
Weros. Longbow had been called upon several times to demonstrate his 
proficiency at archery, and the Maags all treated him with a great deal of 
respect by the time the growing fleet left Weros to move south along the 
coast of Maag.
The Seagull hove to each time she came to a coastal village where 
there were more than two or three ships anchored in the harbor. 選've got 
some of my kinsmen scouring the towns to the north of Weros for more 
ships and men,' Sorgan advised Zelana one evening a few days later 
during the customary meeting after supper in his former quarters. 禅he 
word's getting out that I'm hiring and that the pay's good, and that's 
making things go a lot faster than I'd expected. We'll probably have our 
fleet put together before too much longer.'
選 certainly hope so,' Zelana replied. 禅he way things stand right now, 
western Dhrall's in great danger.'
選'll be sending the advance fleet to Dhrall in just a little bit,' Sorgan 
assured her. 選've been holding off until my cousin Skell joins us. He's 
more reliable than some of my other relatives.'
践ow's Skell going to find Lattash, Cap'n?' Ox asked. 禅hat coast 
stretches on for a long way, as I recall.'
選 could go with them and show them the way,' Longbow offered.
Sorgan shook his head. 選 need you here, Longbow,' he said. 塑ou're 
the only man I know who can shoot arrows through knot-holes from a 
hundred paces away, and that's one of the things that I use to persuade 
others to join us.'
選 could go with them, though,' Red-Beard suggested. 選'm not doing 
anything here but growing longer whiskers, and I don't imagine that my 
beard - splendid though it is - has persuaded many to join us.'
選t makes sense, Sorgan,' Zelana said, 疎nd if your cousin follows Red-
Beard's advice and spreads his fleet out, they'll encounter other Maag

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ships out on the face of Mother Sea. Then they can say the magic word 
"gold" to the captains of those other ships, and we could very well have 
twice as many ships approaching the coast of Dhrall as we sent from the 
coast of Maag.'
禅hat's the way we'll do it, then. You're paying, so we'll dance to your 
tune - but not until Skell joins us. He's a lot more responsible than some 
of the other ship-captains, so he'll be able to prevent any enthusiasts from 
raiding the coastal villages instead of preparing to meet the army of the 
Wasteland. That would irritate your people, and I could lose half of my 
army before I even get there if the other Dhralls are even half as good 
with their aim as Longbow here is.' 

*        *       *
It was foggy the next morning, and Longbow stood near the bow of the Seagull 
listening to the voices coming out of the fog from nearby ships. Sounds, he had noted, 
always seemed to carry farther in the night or in dense fog. Perhaps there was some 
sort of agreement between the eyes and the ears involved.
Red-Beard came along the deck from the stern and joined Longbow. 閃urky,' he 
observed.
選 noticed that myself,' Longbow agreed. 選 don't think this would be a good day 
for hunting.'
禅he fishing might be good, though.' Red-Beard looked around and leaned closer. 
岨elana wants to have a word with you,' he said quietly. 全omething happened during 
the night that's bothering her.'
選'll go right away,' Longbow replied in a similarly quiet voice. Then he spoke a 
bit louder. 船o you suppose you can watch the fog without any help, Red-Beard?' he 
asked. 選 should probably go find out if Zelana has anything she wants me to do 
today.'
選 think I can manage here by myself,' Red-Beard replied. 選'll have somebody 
fetch you if it gets to be more than I can handle.'
膳ery funny,' Longbow muttered.
選'm glad you liked it,' Red-Beard said with a broad grin.
Longbow went aft toward the stern of the Seagull. Red-Beard was from a different 
tribe, but Longbow liked him anyway. The present crisis was altering many of 
Longbow's preconceptions in ways which would probably have been impossible no 
more than a year ago.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He tapped lightly on the door to the aft cabin.
舛ome in, Longbow,' Zelana's voice responded.
He went in and quietly closed the door behind him. 然ed-Beard said that you 
wanted to speak with me,' he said. 選s there trouble of some kind?'
選 think there may well be,' she replied. Then she looked him full in the face. 全it 
down Longbow. I believe that the time's come for us to clear something away. Have 
you ever heard of "the Dreamers"?'
Longbow shrugged as Eleria climbed into his lap. 選t's a very old story. It tells us 
that the coming of the Dreamers will be a sign that the elder gods will soon go to 
sleep.'
選t goes quite a bit further than that, Longbow. Time tends to distort things, and old 
stories don't always come out the same as they did originally. The story of the 
Dreamers deals with the current situation, and it's ultimately the Dreamers who'll 
confront the Vlagh.'
羨nd defeat it?' Longbow asked.
糎ell, we can hope, I guess.' She looked at him in a peculiar kind of way. 塑ou 
already see where I'm going with this, don't you, Longbow? Yes, as a matter of fact, 
Eleria is one of the Dreamers, and she's already stolen you away from me.'
選 did not!' Eleria protested.
船on't try to deceive me, Eleria,' Zelana accused the child. 塑ou've been just a 
little obvious.'
選 like him, Beloved, that's all. I wouldn't steal anything from you.'
禅hat's a lie, and you know it,' Zelana said angrily. 塑ou stole my dolphins, and 
now you're trying to steal my most trusted servant.'
閃aybe if you were nicer to them, they wouldn't be so eager to come to me,' Elena 
declared. 塑ou've turned mean and hateful lately, Beloved. What's the matter with 
you?'
Longbow lifted the little girl off his lap and put her down on the floor. Then he 
stood up. 選'll come back some other time,' he told them in a flat, unemotional voice. 
銑et me know when you've settled your differences.' He started toward the door.
塑ou come back here!' Zelana screeched.
選 don't think so. If you two want to scream at each other, I'll just be in your way.' 
Then he left the cabin, softly closing the door behind him.
The silence corning from the cabin was louder than thunder.
Longbow went over to the rail and stood looking out at the fog while he waited.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eleria came out of the cabin even sooner than he'd expected. 薦verything's all 
right again, Longbow,' she said. 禅he scream-ing's all over now.'
禅hat was quick,' he observed.
塑ou frightened us. The Beloved isn't used to people who walk away from her the 
way you just did. We made up and quit arguing right after you left. We cried for a 
while and hugged each other, and everything's all right now. It's safe for you to come 
back.'
賎ood. Did you want me to carry you?'
閃aybe we'd better not,' she said regretfully. 銑et's not get her started again.'
They went back inside the cabin, and Zelana appeared to have regained her 
composure. 糎e were talking about the Dreamers, Longbow,' she said as if nothing 
had happened. 禅hey have some unusual abilities when they dream. They can look 
back into the past, and occasionally they dream about the future. That's what 
happened last night. Eleria had a dream about the future, and we'll need to take steps 
to make sure that it doesn't come true.'
舛an we do that?' Longbow asked her. 選've heard all the old stories about the 
Dreamers, and they all say that those dreams lock the future in stone.'
禅he old stories are wrong. Eleria's dream last night told us what might happen, 
not what will really happen. It was more in the nature of a warning. Tell him about 
your dream, Eleria, and about your pearl.'
選f you want me to, Beloved,' Eleria replied obediently. The little storm of 
screaming seemed to have passed. Eleria came to Longbow and held her arms out to 
him. He picked her up and seated her on his lap. 践ave you ever heard of the Isle of 
Thurn, Longbow?' she asked.
選t lies off the west coast of Dhrall, I've been told,' Longbow replied, 疎nd we're 
forbidden to go there.'
禅hat's probably the Beloved's idea. She lives there, and she doesn't care for the 
idea of having neighbors. Anyway, there are pink dolphins in the water around the 
Isle, and the Beloved's fond of them. She speaks their language, and they talk to her 
often. When I was a very small child, the younger dolphins were my playmates.'
羨nd you also speak their language then, don't you?'
選t's the language I spoke first. It was only a little while ago when the Beloved 
taught me how to speak her language.'
禅hat's odd. Most mothers teach their children to speak their own language.'
Eleria laughed a sparkling little laugh. 糎hat in the world ever gave you the 
absurd idea that the Beloved is my mother?' she asked. 選 think we're related in some 
way, but she's not my mother, certainly.'

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糎e can talk about that some other time,' Zelana said quite firmly. 禅ell him about 
the pearl, Eleria.'
選 was just getting to that, Beloved. It was last year when I was out playing with 
the younger dolphins off the coast, Longbow, and an old cow whale came to where 
we were playing, and she told me that she wanted to show me something. I followed 
her down to a huge oyster, and the cow whale touched the oyster with one of her fins, 
and the oyster opened its shell.' Eleria climbed down from Longbow's lap, went to 
the narrow bed where she slept, and rummaged around under the blankets. Then she 
drew out something about the size of an apple. 禅his is what the oyster was hiding 
inside its shell,' she said, holding it up for Longbow to see. 選t's called a pearl, and 
the cow whale told me that I was supposed to have it.'
Longbow was startled by the size of the pink pearl. He had seen pearls before, but 
never one so large.
禅he pearl controls Eleria's dreams, Longbow,' Zelana said, 疎nd I think the dream 
she had last night was a warning. Tell him about it, Eleria.'
前f course, Beloved,' Eleria agreed. 選 guess that other people have dreams too, 
Longbow,' she said, 疎nd most of the time my dreams are probably like theirs, but the 
one I had last night wasn't at all like the dreams I usually have. I seemed to be 
floating up in the air above the Seagull. She was anchored in the harbor of some little 
Maag town, and it was night-time. There were five other ships sitting around her to 
protect her, but some of the little boats the Maags call skiffs came paddling up to 
them, and then all ships around the Seagull caught on fire. The Maags were running 
around trying to put the fires out, and that's when five other ships came out of the 
dark and tied themselves to the Seagull. There was a big fight, and everybody on the 
Seagull was killed. Then the strangers went down into the place where Hook-Big 
keeps those gold blocks he likes so much. After they'd taken them all, they set fire to 
the Seagull and rowed away. It was then that I saw someone with a hood up over his 
head watching from the beach, and he was laughing. Then I woke up and told the 
Beloved what I'd just dreamed, and that's when she sent Red-Beard to find you and 
ask you to come here.'
践ow big was the one on the beach who was laughing?' Longbow demanded 
intently.
鮮ot nearly as big as the other Maags,' Eleria replied. 選t was only about as big as 
Bunny.'
舛ould you see what color its hood was?'
全ort of grey, I think. Is it important?'
選 think it might be. The servants of the Vlagh aren't very large, and they all wear 
grey hoods. There seems to have been more in your dream than you might have 
realized. It would seem that a few of the creatures of the Wasteland have found some 
way to follow us here, and now they're trying to keep us from bringing an army of 
Maags to the Land of Dhrall.' He looked at Zelana. 選s there some way we can 
prevent this from happening?' he asked her.

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選 think we've already begun to change things, Longbow,' she replied. 遷ust 
knowing about it is the first step.'
Longbow had grown tired of the endless procession of Maag sea-captains coming 
to the Seagull to look at Sorgan's gold blocks. It seemed that they couldn't accept the 
word of others, so they just had to see for themselves. Eleria's dream, however, 
changed Longbow's attitude immediately. If the dream meant what it seemed to have 
meant, five of the ship-captains had - or would have - little interest in the Land of 
Dhrall.
Longbow was a hunter, and hunters learn early to watch and to listen - and to be as 
unobtrusive as possible when they do so. Most of the visitors to the Seagull were 
genuinely enthusiastic about the opportunity Sorgan was offering. Others made some 
show of a similar enthusiasm, but something about them didn't ring quite true.
Longbow continued to watch and listen, but he said nothing.
It was in the harbor of a coastal village called Kweta that Sorgan's lean and sour 
cousin Skell joined them, and after some discussion, Sorgan and Skell agreed that it 
was time to send a portion of what they called 奏he fleet' eastward to the land of 
Dhrall with Red-Beard to guide them. 閃y cousin Skell's a dependable man, Lady 
Zelana,' Sorgan declared as the advance fleet prepared to depart. 践e'll have about a 
hundred and twenty ships and almost ten thousand men to deal with any surprise 
attacks by your enemy, and if there's a major invasion of the coastal region of your 
Domain, he'll be able to hold the enemy off until we get there.'
践ow much longer do you think it's going to be until the rest of us sail to Dhrall?' 
Zelana asked him.
鮮ot too much longer. The word's out now, and just about every ship-captain in 
Maag's eager to join us. The only problem is that they all want to see the gold for 
themselves before they make any final decisions.' Sorgan made a rueful face. 選 hate 
to admit it, but maybe we brought too much gold back to Maag. When you get right 
down to it, a dozen blocks would probably have been enough. Most people here in 
Maag would take my word if I'd said "a dozen". When I tell them that I've got a 
hundred in the hold, they want to see them to make sure I'm not lying to them. I think 
I might have over-baited my fish-hook.'
鮮obody's perfect, Hook-Big,' Eleria said.
践ook-Beak,' Sorgan absently corrected her.
糎hatever,' she said with mock indifference.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6
選've already shown you the gold, Kajak,' Sorgan said to a bone-thin 
Maag the next morning when a group of visitors came on board the 
Seagull. 船idn't you believe what you saw?'
選'm helping you, Sorgan,' the lean Kajak replied. 選 sent out word to a 
whole lot of my kinfolks and promised to introduce them to you when 
you hauled into the harbors of their home ports. If things work out the 
way I think they will, I should be able to bring a couple dozen more ships 
to join your fleet.'
全plendid, Kajak,' Sorgan said. 選t looks like you can see past the end 
of your own nose. I keep coming across men who can't quite see why we 
need more ships and men. They seem to be afraid that more ships means 
smaller shares for everybody who's already joined the fleet. They can't 
quite understand how much gold we're talking about.'
禅here's some out there that have trouble with big numbers, Sorgan. 
Would it be all right if I take my cousins here down into the SeagulPs 
hold and show them your gold?'
腺e my guest, Kajak,' Sorgan replied.
Longbow had been sitting off to one side in Sorgan's cabin while 
Sorgan and Kajak had been talking, and he noticed that Kajak's four 
cousins had seemed just a bit edgy as they stood behind Kajak in the aft 
cabin. Eleria, as always, was sitting in Longbow's lap. 禅hose might be 
the ones I saw in my dream,' she whispered in his ear.
禅he number's right,' Longbow agreed, 礎ut number alone isn't quite 
enough to be certain that these are the ones we have to watch out for. 
Climb down, child. I think I'll drift along behind when they go down to 
look at Sorgan's gold.'
Longbow followed Kajak and his four kinsmen at some distance. They 
seemed nervous, but there were several of Sorgan's heavily armed 
crewmen close by, and that would explain their apparent apprehension.
When they came back up out of the hold, they all had that look of awe 
that had become quite common. They hadn't done anything out of the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ordinary yet, but Longbow wasn't ready to dismiss the possibility that 
these were the five ship-captains in Eleria's dream.
選t's a family that hasn't got the best reputation here in Maag, 
Longbow,' Rabbit said later that day when Longbow privately asked him 
about Kajak and his cousins. 禅here've been times when other Maag 
ships sailed along with a few of them to go hunting Trogite treasure 
ships, and those other Maags never came back. If they've got any ideas 
along those lines this time, though, they aren't likely to try anything just 
yet. Skell and the other captains in the advance fleet are still provisioning 
their ships for the voyage to Dhrall, so there are a lot of Maag ships 
nearby.'
腺ut SkelFs fleet won't be here for much longer, Rabbit,' Longbow 
reminded him. 禅hey'll be sailing off to Dhrall within the next few days, 
and then there won't be very many ships here to guard the Seagull?
禅hat's when we might need to start worrying,' Rabbit conceded. 
全organ's going to be sending ships away, and Kajak's going to be 
calling ships in. I think maybe I'll go visit a few taverns this evening. 
Maag sailors do a lot of drinking when they're in port, and drunk sailors 
talk a lot. Sometimes they say things they wouldn't say if they were 
stone-cold sober. If I set my mind to it, I can look a whole lot drunker 
than I really am, so people don't pay too much attention to me. I'll let you 
know what I find out.'
禅hat might be useful, Rabbit,' Longbow agreed. 選'll tell Zelana about 
our suspicions, but I don't think we need to tell Sorgan about them just 
yet. We'll need to know more before we get him all worked up.' He 
turned and went aft to Zelana's cabin.
糎hat have you been doing, Longbow?' Zelana asked him when he 
came in.
銑ooking for sign,' he replied.
糎hat a peculiar term.'
選t has to do with hunting. The animals of the forest leave marks on the 
forest floor and on the trees and bushes that a hunter can follow if he 
knows how to recognize them. Rabbit's helping me.'
塑ou like him, don't you?' Eleria asked.
践e's clever, but he hides his cleverness well. He's going to the beach

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this evening to look for sign in the taverns where the Maag seamen drink 
the juice that makes them foolish. It's possible that some seamen of 
Kajak's tribe will become foolish enough to say things that Kajak would 
rather that they didn't. If Kajak is really the one you saw in your dream, 
the ordinary seamen of his ship and those of his cousins will know about 
it. Rabbit's going to be off in some corner pretending that he's far gone in 
drink. Kajak's people will think that he's asleep, and they'll talk to each 
other as if he wasn't there.'
塑ou've changed, Longbow,' Zelana observed. 塑ou wouldn't have 
done this sort of thing back in Dhrall.'
選t's not all that much different from what I did back in the forest, 
Zelana,' he disagreed. 選 still hunt. But the hunting ground has changed, 
that's all. My eventual target is still a creature of the Wasteland, but I 
may have to kill several shiploads of the kinsmen of the one called Kajak 
before I can get a clear bow-shot at the servant of the Vlagh. In good 
time, however, I will find it, and then I'll kill it. That's what hunting is all 
about.'
選t turns out that you were right, Longbow,' Rabbit said very quietly 
when the two of them met in the bow of the Seagull at dawn the 
following morning. 羨 fair number of Kajak's crewmen were falling-
down drunk last evening, and their mouths were running a mile a minute. 
I was lucky enough to catch a few bits here and some pieces there, and 
it's starting to come together.'
塑ou're a good hunter, Rabbit,' Longbow congratulated his little 
friend. 糎here does the trail you found go?'
禅hat's a woodsy way to put it,' Rabbit noted, 礎ut down at the bottom 
it comes fairly close. Kajak's sailors were all agreed that the idea of 
letting any gold get away from him makes Kajak want to break down and 
cry. Cap'n Sorgan told him about all that gold over in Dhrall, but that was 
only words. Kajak saw real gold here on board the Seagull, and he wants 
it. He'll worry about the gold in Dhrall after he steals the gold here in 
Maag. You were also right when you said that Kajak and his cousins 
won't do a thing until after Skell leads most of the fleet off toward the 
east. They said that so many times that I got a little sick of hearing about 
it. They don't know exactly when Skell's planning to sail away, but 
they're hoping that he won't do it for several more days. They've got five 
ships here in the harbor of Kweta, but there's more on the way. They 
aren't too thrilled about taking on the ships that guard the Seagull when

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there's an even match. They'd be a lot happier if they could make their 
move when they outnumber us by about three to one. The way they seem 
to see it is that they'll have to make their move during the night after the 
day when Skell moves out. The word's out all over Maag about what the 
Cap'n's doing and how much he'll pay, so more ships are coming here 
every day. If they hold off too long, they'll be outnumbered again. If 
Skell sails before their friends get here, they'll have to move whether they 
like it or not. They have come up with an idea that might give them an 
edge, though.'
羨nd it involves fire, doesn't it?' Longbow suggested.
塑ou knew that all along, didn't you?'
選t was just a guess. It needed some confirmation before I could base 
any plan on it.'
糎e'd better warn the Cap'n,' Rabbit said gravely.
禅hat won't be necessary. The captain and the rest of the crew would 
only get in our way.'
羨re you trying to tell me that just the two of us are going to fight off 
five Maag longships all by ourselves?' Rabbit demanded incredulously.
前f course not, Rabbit,' Longbow replied with a faint smile.
岨elana and Eleria will help us. That's all the help we're going to 
need.'
践ave you been drinking?' Rabbit asked suspiciously.
然abbit's visit to the local taverns confirmed our suspicions, Zelana,' 
Longbow reported a little later. 選t will be Kajak who'll come bearing fire. 
That's going to be our first enemy. Can you make it rain?'
選'll speak with Mother Sea about it. I'm sure she'll be happy to oblige. 
What did you have in mind?'
糎hen Kajak's men row their skiffs up to the ships of Sorgan's 
kinsmen and throw their torches, rain would put out the fires before they 
could spread. Then Kajak's going to have to fight five ships when he only 
wants to fight one. He might give up at that point and try to sail away 
from here.' Longbow paused and thought for a moment. 選 don't think we 
should let him get away. There are a lot of Maag ships nearby, and

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Kajak's not the only greedy one. Other Maag ship-captains might find his 
plan very interesting. If he's dead, he won't be able to tell his plan to 
others here in the world of the living. I don't think we'll need to worry 
about what he says in the world of the dead, but I'm no expert. If you 
think it might cause us some problems, you might want to look into it.'
塑ou're teasing me, aren't you, Longbow?'
選 wouldn't even consider doing something like that, holy Zelana,' he 
replied with an absolutely straight face. 選've given this a great deal of 
thought, and I don't think we'll want to bring this to Sorgan's attention. 
Rabbit and I can deal with it by ourselves, and Sorgan would just be in 
the way.'
塑ou've been in the Land of Maag too long. You seem to have picked 
up their habit of boasting. You don't really believe that you and Rabbit 
can attend to Kajak all by yourselves, do you?'
銭ajak's only got five ships, Zelana. That shouldn't be much of a 
problem.'
践e said that as if he believes it, Beloved,' Eleria noted.
選 know. And that's starting to worry me.'
Sorgan's cousin Skell was finishing his preparations to set sail for the 
Land of Dhrall with the Maag ships that had been gathered so far, and 
Longbow spoke privately with Red-Beard. 選t's not a matter of any great 
concern,' he told his friend. 選'll see to it that Kajak doesn't live to see the 
sun come up on the morning after he comes to visit the Seagull. One or 
two of his kinsmen may see that things aren't going well, and they might 
decide to leave here in a hurry. If they should happen to try to join Skell's 
fleet, you might want to let Skell know what they tried to do here in the 
harbor of Kweta. I don't think Skell's going to want people like that in 
his fleet.'
選'll do that,' Red-Beard promised. 全hould I warn Skell that the 
servants of the Vlagh are venomous?'
Longbow considered it. 善robably not until his fleet reaches Lattash,' 
he decided. 銑et's get him there before we tell him the whole truth. The 
Maags are much bigger than the creatures of the Wasteland, so they have 
a much longer reach. Their swords and spears should give them an 
advantage when the fighting starts.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

糎e'll do it that way, then,' Red-Beard agreed. 船o you want me to 
carry some message to your chief, Old-Bear?'
選f you happen to be near him at any time after you return to Dhrall, 
you might tell him that I'm well and that I'll rejoin the tribe before the 
snow grows too deep, and that we're now almost ready to fight a war.'
選'll do that, friend Longbow.'
塑ou're a dependable man, friend Red-Beard.' Longbow smiled 
faintly. 禅hese are unusual times, aren't they? I've never called a man of 
another tribe my friend before.'
選t's a rare thing,' Red-Beard agreed. Then he flashed a quick grin at 
Longbow. 詮un, though,' he added in an imitation of one of Eleria's 
favorite expressions.
Longbow burst out laughing, and the two of them clasped hands in an 
age-old gesture of friendship.

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7
How can you be so certain that it's going to rain, Long-bow?' Rabbit 
asked as the two of them crouched well out of sight near the bow of the 
Seagull, watching as the five skiffs approached the ships of Sorgan's 
kinsmen.
塑ou wouldn't believe me if I told you, Rabbit,' Longbow replied. 選t 
will rain when it's necessary, and the ships guarding the Seagull won't 
burn. Now then, this is the way we're going to do this. I want you to stay 
low and hand me arrows just as fast as you can. My right hand's going to 
stay in one place - very close to the bowstring - and you're going to put 
the arrows right between my fingers. If we do it like that, we'll be able to 
put out twice as many arrows as I could shoot without your help.'
禅here's going to be five shiploads of unfriendly people out there, 
Longbow. No matter how fast you can shoot, that's still an awful lot of 
people to kill off.'
糎e don't have to kill them all, Rabbit,' Longbow patiently explained. 
羨 ship won't go where its captain wants it to go unless there's somebody 
at the tiller to point it in the right direction. We'll only have five targets to 
shoot at, and between us, we can have five arrows in the air all at the 
same time.'
全o that's why you're so convinced that you and I can do this all by 
ourselves, isn't it? A ship without a steersman at the tiller's likely to 
wander around all over the harbor for the rest of the night.' Rabbit 
squinted across the dark water. 禅hat's going to take some pretty fancy 
shooting, Longbow,' he observed.
鮮o more difficult than shooting geese out of the sky, my little friend,' 
Longbow said. It occurred to him that he'd been calling a goodly number 
of people 素riend' here lately. It seemed appropriate, but it was very odd. 
Longbow hadn't called anyone 素riend' for at least a half-dozen years.
舛an you hear me, Longbow?' He heard what seemed to be a whisper 
in his left ear.
膳ery clearly,' he soundlessly replied.

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選'll need to know exactly when those people throw the torches at the 
ships around us. I don't want to worry you, so you should know that this 
rainstorm won't be very big. It'll rain on those ships, but it won't rain any 
place else, and it's only going to rain long enough to put out the fire 
coming from the torches. We don't want the crews of those five ships 
hiding from the rain in the cabin or down in the hold. They need to be 
where they can protect their own ships.'
選f you're going to do a rain-dance or something, you'd better start 
now,' Rabbit said urgently. 禅he men in those skiffs just fired up their 
torches.'
禅he rain's going to start after they throw the torches, Rabbit,' 
Longbow told him. 糎e'll want to be sure that they've thrown every 
torch they have before we bring down the rain.'
塑ou're cutting it a little fine, Longbow,' Rabbit said in a worried tone.
禅rust me.' 

選 hate it when somebody says that to me,' Rabbit complained. 船o you want me to 
blow out that lantern at the bow?'
糎hy?'
全o that your arrows will be coming out of the dark. I've seen how fast you can 
shoot arrows, and if between the two of us we can put out twice as many arrows as 
that, those people out there won't have any idea of how many people are shooting at 
them. That'll probably scare them silly, and maybe they'll just give up and run away.'
鮮ot a bad idea, Rabbit,' Longbow conceded. 選f they run, we won't have to waste 
arrows killing so many. Go blow out that lantern.'
Rabbit scampered forward and extinguished the lantern at the Seagull's bow. 
禅here go the torches, Longbow!' he called in a hoarse whisper, running back to his 
place.
然ain, Zelana! Rain!' Longbow's thought crackled.
選 thought you'd never ask,' she replied mildly.
There was a sudden flash of lightning and a sharp crack of thunder, immediately 
followed by a roaring downpour of rain.
The rain stopped as quickly as it had begun, but Longbow was certain that nothing 
would be able to set fire to the five ships now, since water was pouring down their 
sides in rushing sheets.
鮮ow, Rabbit!' Longbow said sharply, and he began loosing arrows as fast as he 
could, dropping the Maags in the skiffs first and then concentrating on the steersmen

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of each of Kajak's vessels.
There was much dimly heard shouting coming from the five floundering ships, and 
Longbow felt a certain grim amusement when the seamen aboard those ships chose to 
leap over the sides rather than rush to take the tillers when the captains commanded 
them to. The oarsmen were in place, of course, but with no one at the tillers, the five 
ships wandered about the harbor like lost puppies, and every time someone was brave 
enough - or foolish enough - to rush to the tiller, an arrow came out of the darkness to 
welcome him.
It was most probably the terror inspired by silent arrows coming out of the 
darkness with deadly accuracy that ultimately sent all the seamen aboard all five ships 
over the sides to swim through the chill, choppy waters of the harbor to the safety of 
the beach. Longbow added to that terror by placing his arrows where they would be 
the most visible. An arrow in the heart will kill a man, certainly, but in most cases few
men will see the fatal arrow protruding from the dead man's body. Longbow, 
therefore, carefully took aim at foreheads rather than chests, and of course he never 
missed. Three or four dead men with arrows protruding from their foreheads convey a 
message too clear to be misunderstood.
Rabbit, crouched low in the darkness, fed arrow after arrow into his friend's right 
hand, and Longbow fed arrow after arrow to the men of Kajak's ships.
Finally, all hope aboard the five ships fluttered and died when Kajak, screaming 
orders and curses, broke off quite suddenly when his forehead sprouted a single 
quivering arrow. Everybody went over the sides of the ships at that point.
糎e won!' Rabbit exclaimed. 糎e actually won!'
鮮ot quite yet,' Longbow said, carefully taking up one of his old stone-tipped 
arrows. He rose to this feet, his eyes searching the beach. 禅here,' he said, drawing 
his bow and loosing his arrow all in a single move.
The arrow arched high over the dark water of the bay, and it unerringly found the 
grey-hooded figure which had been howling in frustration since the rain had 
extinguished the fires on the five ships surrounding the Seagull.
The hooded figure shrieked in agony as the venom-tainted arrow buried itself in its 
chest. Then it fell writhing on the sand, stiffened, and went limp.
糎hat was that all about?' Rabbit demanded.
禅hat one was the true enemy, my little friend,' Longbow replied. 選t's gone now, 
though, so we don't need to worry about it any more.'
禅here were enough enemies out here to suit me, Longbow,' Rabbit said. 選 can't 
believe that we actually came out on top. There were only two of us, so I wasn't about 
to place any large bets on this. I still can't hardly believe that only two people could 
win a fight with the crews of five ships.'
禅he fight wasn't really all that serious, Rabbit. Our arrows were coming out of the 
dark, so no one on Kajak's ships could be certain just exactly where we were, and as 
long as nobody was steering the ships of the man who used to be called Kajak, the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seagull was in no real danger.'
塑ou've got a very peculiar way of looking at the world, Longbow. 選f they used to 
call him Kajak, what do they call him now?'
Longbow shrugged. 船ead, probably,' he replied.
禅he one on the beach isn't laughing any more,' Longbow briefly advised Zelana 
and Eleria a short while later.
賎ood,' Zelana replied. 選 told you that those iron arrowheads would be better than 
the stone ones.'
善erhaps,' Longbow admitted, 礎ut I saved a few of the old ones for special 
occasions.'
糎hatever for?' Eleria asked.
閃y stone arrows had all been dipped in venom,' Longbow explained. 選t seemed 
proper to me that the creature of the Wasteland who was behind what happened here 
tonight received something special.'
選'm sure it appreciated that,' Zelana said dryly.
禅he shouts it was making after my arrow reached it were not exactly shouts of 
joy, Zelana,' Longbow said with a faint smile.
Then Sorgan. Ox, and Ham-Hand came bursting into Zelana's cabin. 糎hy didn't 
tell us what Kajak was up to, Longbow?' Sorgan demanded, his voice shrill.
選t wasn't necessary,' Longbow replied. 然abbit and I were able to deal with it. It's 
always best in such situations to use as few warriors as possible. The more that we 
involve, the more confusion's likely to turn up.'
腺ut Rabbit?' Ox exclaimed. 然abbit's never been any good in a fight. He's too 
small.'
践e did what was necessary,' Longbow pointed out. 践e's as quick with his hands 
as he is with his feet. He passed arrows to me faster than any other man on the 
Seagull could have, and that's what I needed. Everything came out the way we 
wanted it to, so why are you so excited now that it's over?'
塑ou're a cold one, Longbow,' Sorgan observed. 鮮othing rattles you at all, does 
it?'
選'm a hunter, Sorgan. A hunter who gets excited at the wrong time doesn't eat 
regularly.'
羨bout all that saved us was that freak rain-storm,' Ham-Hand declared 
accusingly. 選f that hadn't come along, we'd have been in a lot of trouble. How did 
you know it was coming?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Longbow touched his nose. 選 smelled it,' he lied glibly. 践ave you been at sea for 
all these years without learning how to recognize the smell of approaching rain?'
Sorgan looked directly at Zelana. 選f you've got an army of men like Longbow 
working for you, why do you need us?' he demanded.
腺ecause I don't have that many Longbows, Sorgan,' she replied. 践e's unique. 
There's nobody else like him in the whole world. He shoots arrows very fast, but he 
thinks even faster. The time will come - before very long, I believe - when he'll make 
certain suggestions. If you want to go on living, pay close attention to what he says, 
and do exactly what he tells you to do.'
Eleria came to where Longbow was sitting and held out her arms to him. He 
picked her up and seated her on his lap. 選'd do as the Beloved tells you to do, Hook-
Big,' she said.
禅hat's Hook-Beak,' he absently corrected her.
She shrugged. 糎hatever. Longbow's the best in the world, and the Beloved says 
that he's mine, so you'd better be awfully nice to me, don't you think?'
薦very time I turn around somebody else is trying to give me orders,' Sorgan 
complained.
選t does seem to be working out that way, doesn't it?' Eleria said, yawning. 選f 
we've said everything that needs to be said, I think I'll take a little nap. I didn't get 
much sleep last night because of all the shouting and running back and forth. Do me a 
favor and try to fight quieter battles, Hook-Big. I really need my rest.' Then she 
kissed Longbow, snuggled down in his arms, and immediately went to sleep.

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THE JOURNEY OF VELTAN
1
舛harity?' The ragged beggar said in a tentative sort of voice as Veltan 
of the South passed him on a quiet street near the forum of the Trogite 
city of Kaldacin on a blustery winter morning.
前f course,' Veltan replied, fumbling around for his purse. Veltan was 
still having some problems with the concept of money. He had to admit 
that it was much more convenient than barter, but he kept losing track of 
the relative valve of coins made from different metals. He gave the 
beggar a few brass coins and continued down the street toward the forum.
It was winter now, and Veltan didn't care much for winter, since his 
Domain in the Land of Dhrall was largely given over to farming, and 
farmers much prefer spring and summer. The winter sky was perpetually 
overcast, the bare trees all seemed dead, and there were no flowers. The 
Trogites of Kaldacin, however, appeared to be immune to the innate 
melancholy of winter. Trogites in general had very high opinions of 
themselves, no matter what part of the Empire they called home, but the 
Trogites of Kaldacin seemed to believe that their city was the precise 
center of the universe, and that simply living inside the walls of the city 
automatically elevated them far above not only the people of other lands, 
but also above those Trogites unfortunate enough to live in some other 
city or village.
The city itself was magnificent, of course. Quite obviously an 
unimaginable amount of labor had gone into its construction, but Veltan 
could not quite grasp the 層hy' of the entire thing. Nobody really needed 
houses that big. The towering walls around the city might possibly have 
been necessary - assuming that there were enemies in the vicinity - but 
Veltan had a strong suspicion that the walls were merely for show.
The Trogites favored stone for their houses and other buildings, and 
that certainly made sense to Veltan. Wood burns, but stone usually 
doesn't. The marble sheathing was decorative, certainly, but hadn't the

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Trogites of Kaldacin had anything better to do with their time?
The 叢ublic buildings' made no sense whatsoever at first, but as Veltan 
had come to know the Trogites a bit better, he had begun to realize that 
they all seemed to need grand displays to prove to others - and probably 
to themselves even more - that they were very important. Any hint of a 
lack of importance seemed to gnaw at the soul of the average Trogite.
Thus it was that there were enormous, marble-sheathed palaces, 
meeting halls, temples, and mercantile establishments, usually perched 
atop the hills within the city walls.
Grandest of all, of course, was the imperial palace, the home of the 
glorious Emperor Gacian. The palace teemed with assorted servants, 
counselors, and other miscellaneous hangers-on, all vying for the exalted 
emperor's attention. After a few hints, Veltan managed to buy his way 
into an audience with His Imperial Majesty, but exalted Gacian turned out 
to be a brainless incompetent with little or no understanding of the 
meaning of the word 疎rmy.'
塑ou're wasting your time here, you know,' an elderly mantle-clad 
counselor in the palace of Gacian had advised Veltan after the two of 
them had become acquinted. 禅he real authority here in Kaldacin lies in 
the hands of the Palvanum. They make the laws and decide what course 
the Empire will take.'
羨nd where will I find them?' Veltan asked.
選n the forum at the center of the city. If you tell the Palvani what you 
want and what you're willing to pay, I'm sure you'll be able to strike an 
accord with them.'
It hadn't turned out that way, however. The individual Palvani were all 
quite willing to accept Veltan's money in return for vague promises to 
礎ring the matter to the attention of my colleagues.' But the matter never 
seemed to come up in the august chamber where most of the Palvani slept 
through the endless orations of their fellow members.
Veltan of the South wasted yet another afternoon in the forum trying to 
find somebody - anybody - with enough authority to have control over the 
Trogite army.
As the cloudy sky to the west flamed with the incipient sunset, Veltan 
gave up and went back toward the south gate of Kaldacin. There were 
lodgings available within the city, of course, but Veltan was immune to 
the weather and he didn't need sleep. He much preferred to spend his

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

nights out in the fields. The air was sweeter, and he could see the moon 
more clearly. Veltan was fond of the moon, and he missed her.
He hadn't felt that way when Mother Sea had first banished him to the 
moon, he recalled. He still felt a certain resentment about Mother Sea's 
peremptory response to his joking suggestion that she might be prettier if 
she wore stripes. Mother Sea seemed to have no sense of humor at all. 
She took everything so seriously. Veltan obviously hadn't been serious 
when he'd gone on at great length about the beauty of contrasting shades 
of blue, and how lovely Mother Sea would look if she adorned her 
surface with carefully blended stripes ranging from pale, pale blue all the 
way across the spectrum to royal purple. He'd intended to simply amuse 
her, but she hadn't laughed. Instead, she had pointed at the moon and 
said, 賎o there, Veltan! Go now!'
腺ut -' Veltan had protested.
賎o!'
And so it had been that Veltan had spent the next ten eons camped out 
on the pocked face of the world's baby sister, staring longingly down - or 
up - at the round blue ball he'd once called home. He'd ventured out 
among the stars a few times, but that was even worse. There was a 
dreadful emptiness between the stars that filled Veltan with an 
overwhelming loneliness. At least he could look at the earth from the 
surface of the moon. It had made him homesick, of course, but it was 
better than the vast blackness of the universe.
In time he'd grown fonder of the moon, and she'd evidently sensed his 
growing affection for her, and she had finally spoken to him. 禅hat was a 
silly thing to say, you know,' had been her first words to him. 全tripes, 
Veltan? You're lucky that she didn't feed you to her fish.'
選 was only joking,' he'd protested.
選 know that,' the moon had replied, 礎ut the Sea doesn't know how to 
laugh. Everybody knows that. I'll speak with her and see if I can persuade 
her to relent.'
全he never listens,' he'd replied in a gloomy voice.
塑ou're wrong, Veltan. She always listens to me. I can disrupt her tides
any time I choose, and she absolutely hates that.' Then to Veltan's 
astonishment, the moon had giggled. They'd gotten along quite well after 
that. Unlike Mother Sea or Father Earth, the moon definitely had a sense 
of humor, and Veltan had passed the endless centuries telling her

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

outrageous jokes.
Even after Mother Sea had relented and allowed him to come home 
again, Veltan had continued to maintain contact with the moon, and he 
frequently visited her.
舛harity?' It was that same ragged beggar Veltan had seen the previous 
morning.
選s this your customary place of business?' Veltan asked him.
The beggar shrugged. 選t's fairly well-protected from the wind, and if it 
starts to rain, I can take shelter under that archway. You seem troubled, 
stranger. What's bothering you?'
Veltan sat down on the curbstone beside the beggar. 選 thought this city 
was the center of power here in the Trogite Empire, but I can't seem to 
find anybody here who has any kind of authority. I've been trying to find 
somebody here who'll rent me an army, but I can't find anybody who's 
willing to even discuss it.'
船id you speak with the soldiers themselves?'
選 didn't think that was permitted. Don't I have to go through someone 
in authority? I thought that the army of the Empire takes orders from the 
government.'
The beggar laughed. 禅hat hasn't been true for years, stranger. The 
imperial government found it inconvenient to give the soldiers full pay in 
peacetime, and before long, beggars such as me were better off than the 
average soldier. It was at that point that the soldiers went into business 
for themselves. There are little wars breaking out all the time - usually 
between the various noblemen who rule the provinces - so the assorted 
armies can find steady work. Why do you need an army?'
禅here's trouble in the wind at home,' Veltan replied evasively. 選t's a 
little complicated, but it looks as if we're going to need professional 
soldiers to help us deal with it.'
A young Trogite in tight black leather clothing came into the narrow 
street. He was wearing a metal helmet, and he had a long spear in one 
hand. 選 need to talk with you, Commander Narasan,' he said 
apologetically to the beggar.
糎hat is it now, Keselo?' the beggar demanded, 疎nd don't call me

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"Commander". I threw that away on the day when I broke my sword.'
禅hings are really falling apart on us, sir,' the young man reported. 
糎on't you please reconsider your decision? Nobody knows what to do 
any more.'
賎ive them some time, Keselo. They'll learn.'
糎e don't have time, sir,' the youthful Keselo said. 禅he seventh 
cohort's completely out of control. They've gone outside the city and 
they've been raiding manor houses and robbing travelers out on the high 
road. We sent orders to them to come back where they belong, but they 
ignored us.'
賎o kill them,' the beggar said bluntly.
銭ill?' Keselo gasped. 糎e can't do that! They're our comrades. It's 
not right to kill one's comrades.'
禅hey're operating outside the rules, Keselo, so they're not your 
comrades anymore. They've broken off from the army, and that's a 
violation of the oath they swore when they joined us. If you don't punish 
them, other cohorts will do the same thing, and the army'll disintegrate. 
You know what has to be done, Keselo. Go do it, and stop bringing these 
silly problems to me. Was there anything else?'
鮮o, sir.' The young man's face grew desperate. 糎on't you please 
reconsider and come back to our headquarters?'
鮮o. You do grasp the meaning of "no", don't you, Keselo? And you 
should know me well enough by now to know that I mean what I say. 
Now go away.'
Keselo sighed. 塑es, sir,' he said. Then he turned and left.
践e's a good boy,' the beggar told Veltan, 疎nd if he lives, he might go 
far.'
選t appears that you're not what you seem to be, my friend,' Veltan 
noted.
羨ppearances can be deceiving. I'm exactly what I seem to be. That 
won't change just because I used to be something else. Narasan the army 
commander is now Narasan the beggar.'
糎hy did you decide to change careers?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Narasan sighed. 選 made a stupid decision and got several thousand of 
my men killed. That's hard to live with, so I decided not to do what I used 
to do any more. Time's running out anyway, so in a little while it won't 
make any difference what I do.'
塑ou aren't that old, my friend.'
選 wasn't talking about me,' Narasan said in a gloomy voice. 選 was 
talking about the world. It's just about to come to an end, you know. It 
won't be long before it's gone.'
選 doubt that,' Veltan disagreed. 糎hat led you to this gloomy 
conclusion? Is it perhaps one of the tenets of the Trogite religion?'
Narasan made an indelicate sound. 然eligion's nothing but a bad joke 
filled with lies and superstition,' he declared scornfully.
禅he priests in the temple use it as an excuse to rob the gullible so that 
they can live in luxury in those fancy temples. I came to understand 
what's happening on my own. Time's running out. It'll stop any day 
now.' There was a hopelessness in the ragged man's voice.
選 think you've seen what very few others have,' Veltan said, 礎ut you 
didn't go quite far enough. The world's approaching the end of a cycle, 
not the end of time itself. One cycle nears its end, but another will begin, 
and time, as she always does, will continue. Don't despair, Narasan. Time 
has no end - nor beginning either, if the truth were known.'
羨nd just how do you know that?' the beggar demanded.
選've seen the cycles change before,' Veltan told him, 僧any, many 
times. The seasons turn and the years pass. The young grow old and long 
for sleep, and the sleeping ones awaken to resume their tasks. This is the 
natural order of things.'
塑ou're not from here, are you? You don't see the world as we do. 
You come from someplace else, I think.'
選 already mentioned that. I'm looking for an army, and I'm ready to 
pay, but I haven't been able to find anybody yet who was willing to talk 
about it.' Veltan's face took on a rueful cast. 選 think my mind must be 
shutting down. I've walked past the man I need to talk with dozens of 
times and scarcely even saw him.'
前h? Who's that?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

塑ou, my friend. It's time to set aside your sorrow and your gloomy 
speculation about the end of time and of the world. Time will continue 
her stately march, and the world will abide, no matter what we do to 
destroy her.'
塑ou're not at all like other men,' the beggar observed in an awed tone. 
選 don't think you're really a man at all. You're something entirely 
different from man, aren't you?'
禅he differences aren't all that great, my friend. I've been to places 
where you couldn't go, and I can see things that you can't, but I still love 
and serve my homeland, and that's all that's really relevant, Commander 
Narasan. I need your army, and I'll pay gold for its services. The war will 
be difficult, I'm sure, but if we arrive in good time, we'll probably win, 
and winning's all that really matters, whether it's war or dice.'
禅hat's a practical sort of approach,' Narasan said. He stood up. 選t 
looks like my holiday's over. It was sort of nice to sit around doing 
nothing, but it'll be good to get back into harness again. The army 
compound's over by the west wall. Shall we go?'
糎e might as well,' Veltan agreed, also rising to his feet.
The winter evening was settling over the city of Kaldacin as Veltan 
and Narasan walked through the shadowy streets. Workmen in shabby 
smocks and carrying the tools of their assorted occupations hurried past 
in the chill air.
禅he only honest men in the whole corrupt city,' Narasan noted. 選t's 
the same everywhere, though, isn't it?'
選 don't think I quite follow you,' Veltan admitted.
選 suppose you wouldn't, at that,' Narasan conceded. 塑ou've got 
money, so you don't have to get your hands dirty, do you?'
Veltan laughed. 践ave you ever tried farming, Narasan? Farmers get to 
know dirt pretty well. The people of my region are mostly farmers, and 
I've worked alongside them many more times than I can remember.'
塑ou're an unusual sort of fellow, then. Most landowners here in the 
Empire would sooner die than go out into the fields. That's the main 
reason we have money. A man with money can pay other people to do the 
hard, dirty work.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

糎e don't use money, Narasan. We have a barter economy. It works 
out quite well.'
践ow did you plan to hire an army, then?'
船oes the word "gold" have any significance here?'
選ndeed it does. Gold means money to most Trogites.'
全o I've noticed. When I first arrived here, I had several gold bricks, 
and I found a fellow who almost broke down and cried when he saw 
them. He gave me bags and bags of coins for them. I still haven't quite 
determined the relative value of those coins. They're made of various 
metals, and some of the metals must be more valuable than the others.'
Narasan laughed. 選 think you might have been swindled, Veltan. If 
somebody gave you copper and bronze and silver for your gold bricks, he 
was only giving you about a tenth of the real value of your gold.'
Veltan shrugged. 選t doesn't really mean anything, Narasan. There are 
mountains of gold not far from where I live. I can get as much of it as I 
need.'
選 wouldn't mention that here in the Empire, Veltan,' Narasan 
cautioned. 禅he word "gold" tends to make Trogites come unraveled in 
the head.'
選'll bear that in mind. How much farther is it to where your army 
lives?'
鮮ot too far. We're on the other side of the forum. It's an old imperial 
barracks that our forebearers commandeered after they decided to go into 
business for themselves.'
船idn't the government object?'
前f course. It didn't do them any good, though. They didn't have any 
army to put our forebearers out, remember?'
糎hy didn't those independent armies just seize power and take over 
the whole Empire?'
羨nd take on all the tedious chores involved in governing? Why 
bother? We're making more money this way, and the high-ranking idiots 
in exalted positions get to do all the worrying. That suits us right down to 
the ground.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The compound of Commander Narasan's army was a no-nonsense 
place where everything was laid out in straight lines. Straight lines, it 
appeared were dear to the military mind. Veltan much preferred curves, 
himself. They were softer and less rigid. Of course, no military man had 
viewed Father Earth from the moon, so soldiers weren't aware of the fact 
that straight lines were an unnatural imposition of a human concept upon 
a far more complex entity. Veltan smiled faintly. The assertion by rigid 
humans that the world was obliged to do what they told it to was an 
absolute absurdity, but Veltan had always seen a certain whimsical charm 
in absurdity.
Though Commander Narasan was still unshaven and dressed in his 
beggar's rags, his soldiers recognized him immediately, and the 
compound seemed to heave a vast sigh of relief. Order had been restored, 
and all was right with the world again.
選 take it that this compound's reserved for your army, Commander,' 
Veltan observed as the two of them entered a large stone building in the 
center of the enclosure.
選t works out better that way, Veltan,' the commander replied. 糎hen 
you put two armies in the same compound, fighting usually breaks out 
after a few days. If we want to look the truth right in the eye, we'll have 
to admit that wars between the various armies aren't that uncommon. We 
work for pay, not for idealism, so every now and then one army's 
working for one side, and another army's working for the other. Blood 
gets shed, and old grudges lurk in the shadows. That's one of the reasons 
our compounds are walled in. We can defend them if we need to.'
They entered a large room where a goodly number of Trogites in tight-
fitting black leather clothing lounged in comfortable chairs, talking and 
drinking from metal tankards. There were heavy drapes at the tall 
windows, assorted weapons hanging on the walls, and animal skins with 
thick fur on the polished floor. Veltan felt a sense of ease and 
camaraderie in the room. Evidently, this was the place where the higher 
ranking Trogite soldiers came to relax when they had nothing better to 
do. Everyone in the room stood up as Narasan came through the door.
前h, stop that,' Narasan told them irritably. 塑ou know it's not 
necessary here. That's just for public show.'
船id the weather finally drive you in off the streets, Narasan?' a 
balding man of middle years asked, grinning.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選've been rained on before, Gunda, 鮮arasan replied. 選t was 
opportunity that brought me home. This is Veltan of the Land of Dhrall, 
and he needs an army. Since we're not doing anything else at the 
moment, I thought we might accommodate him. Put your tankards aside, 
gentlemen, and let's go to the war-room.' Then he led the way through 
the large room where the soldiers had been lounging, and the others fell 
in behind him.
They trooped down a wide corridor to the other end of the building and 
entered a cluttered room with iron-tipped spears and other weapons 
stacked in the corners, what appeared to be models of various war-
engines on a large central table, and white walls with extensive drawings 
on them - drawings that reached as high as the ceiling. Veltan examined 
the drawings. They had no color, and there didn't seem to be any central 
point to draw the beholder's eyes. 糎hat are these pictures supposed to 
represent, Narasan?' he asked curiously.
銑and,' Narasan replied. 糎e call them maps, and they're supposed to 
look more or less like the ground of various regions.' He pointed at one 
of the larger drawings. 禅hat's the Trogite Empire.'
Veltan went closer to the drawing. 選t's not very accurate, you know.' 
He pointed at the upper part of the drawing. 選f that's supposed to be the 
north coast, it doesn't even come close to the real thing.'
選t looks close enough to me,' the balding Gunda objected. 閃y family 
lives in that district, and I don't see many mistakes.'
禅hat might explain some of the errors,' Veltan said. 糎e all tend to 
overemphasize our ancestral home.' He pointed at a jutting peninsula on 
the representation of the north coast. 塑our family lives here, doesn't it, 
Gunda?'
践ow did you know that?'
禅he picture shows it to be at least twice as big as it really is.'
禅hat's our Gunda,' another soldier laughed. 践e seems to think that 
everything about him is twice as big as it really is.'
選s this big enough to suit you, Padan?' Gunda asked, holding up his 
clenched fist.
羨ll right,' Narasan said wearily, 奏hat's enough of that. Just exactly 
where is this Land of Dhrall you were telling me about, Veltan?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Veltan looked around the room at the various maps. 選t's not on any of 
these,' he replied. 選t's about five hundred leagues to the north of 
Gunda's home territory.'
禅here's nothing up there but ice,' a bone-thin officer called Jalkan 
scoffed.
選t's beyond the ice,' Veltan told him. 禅here's a sea-current that 
comes down from the far north, and it carries those large ice floes down 
from the eternal ice. The ice floes form a barrier of sorts. The fishermen 
of the south coast of Dhrall know all about them, and they know how to 
avoid them.'
舛ould you draw us a map?' Narasan asked.
前f course.'
選 think it'll be too risky, Narasan,'Jalkan warned. 鮮o Trogite vessel 
I've ever heard of has made it through those floating ice mountains in one 
piece.'
禅he Maags don't seem to have much trouble, Jalkan,' the soldier 
named Padan said. 禅hey've been raiding our north coast for years now.'
禅heir ships aren't as big as ours, and they're faster,' Jalkan pointed 
out. 禅hey can get out of the way if an ice mountain's bearing down on 
them. Our ships are bigger and slower. We'll lose at least half of our 
army if we try to go through that zone of floating ice.'
糎e're going to have to work out a few details, I think,' Narasan told 
Veltan, 疎nd it's likely to take us a while. For right now, why don't we 
talk about payment? How much are you prepared to give us for our help?'
践ow much do you want?'
糎hy don't you make me an offer?'
糎hy don't you tell me how much you expect?'
践ow does one gold crown per man strike you?' Narasan asked 
tentatively.
選t fills me with confusion,' Veltan replied. 糎e don't have what you 
Trogites call "money" in the land of Dhrall. I picked up a few brass and 
copper coins when I first came here, but that's about the extent of my 
familiarity with your money. Just what exactly is "a gold crown"?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選t's one ounce of pure gold,' the young soldier Keselo supplied.
羨nd what exactly is an ounce?'
全omebody show him a crown,' Narasan said.
The soldiers all sorted through the leather purses each one of them 
carried at his belt, and eventually the one called Jalkan managed to find a 
gold coin. 選'll want this back,' he told Veltan as he handed the coin over.
前f course,' Veltan replied. He bounced the coin thoughtfully on the 
palm of his hand. 羨ll right,' he said, handing the coin back to Jalkan, 
層e have gold in Dhrall, but we usually store it in the form of bricks. As 
closely as I can determine, each brick would weigh as much as five 
hundred or so of those coins. How many men do you have in your army, 
Narasan?'
選 can field a hundred thousand.'
Veltan made a quick computation. 禅hat would be two hundred 
bricks,' he said. 禅hat seems to be a reasonable number.'
塑ou're taking a lot of the fun out of this, Veltan.' Narasan 
complained. 船on't you want to argue with me just a little?'
糎hat's there to argue about?'
鮮obody ever pays the first price we ask. You're supposed to tell me 
that I'm asking too much. Then we bicker back and forth until we come 
to the real price.'
糎hat a waste of time,' Veltan murmured. 選 need to speak with my 
elder brother anyway, so I'll bring some of the bricks with me when I 
come back.' Veltan squinted at the map. 糎hich one of those coastal 
towns will you sail from.'
糎hat do you think, Gunda?' Narasan asked.
舛astano,' Gunda replied immediately. 選t's the biggest town on the 
coast, and it's got the most protected harbor.'
膳ery well,' Veltan said. 選'll meet you gentlemen in Castano in three - 
maybe four - weeks. I think we'd better move your army to Dhrall by 
spring - sooner if we can manage it. We've all got work to do, so I'll get 
out from underfoot so that you can do yours. My work might take a bit 
longer, but please be ready to sail from Castano when I come back. 
Hopefully, I'll have a better idea of when the war's likely to start when I

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

return.' Then he turned and walked briskly from the war-room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2
The night sky was clear and the stars bright when Veltan left the city of 
Kaldacin. The pale moon had not yet risen, but Veltan knew her well, so 
he was certain that she'd soon put in an appearance. He walked out across 
the brown-stubbled, sleeping winter farmland beyond the walls of 
Kaldacin before he summoned his pet thunderbolt. She always seemed a 
little bad-tempered when he was obliged to awaken her after the sun went 
down, and she made more noise at night than she did in the daytime. It 
was highly unlikely that the Vlagh had agents here in the Trogite Empire, 
but Veltan didn't think that announcing his presence with a shattering 
crash of thunder immediately outside the walls of Kaldacin would be 
prudent.
He was several miles from the city when he stopped and looked up at 
the night sky. 選'm sorry to have to wake you, dear,' he apologized, 礎ut I 
need to go home.'
The thunder grumbled off in the distance.
前h, don't do that,' he chided her. 選t's not all that far, and you can go 
back to sleep as soon as we get home.'
She grumbled some more, but he could hear her stirring, and there 
were flickers of light along the eastern horizon.
Then there was a sudden crash, and she was at his side.
賎ood girl,' he said, patting her fondly. Then he mounted. 銑et's go 
home, baby,' he said.
She obediently arched up toward the north, leaving the Trogite Empire 
behind in the blink of an eye and flashing across the northern sea in a few 
heartbeats. They flew over the wide strip of ice floes that separated the 
Trogite Empire from the southern coast of the Land of Dhrall, and Veltan 
considered that barrier as his thunderbolt carried him over it. The ice-belt 
had been his sister Aracia's idea, and she'd put it in place while Veltan 
had been living in exile on the moon. The notion had come to Aracia 
when she'd realized that the various outlanders had begun to build ships 
that were much more advanced than the simple rafts that'd been prevalent

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at the beginning of the current cycle. Aracia had reasoned that it might be 
well to put some sort of barrier in place to keep the outlanders3 ships 
away from the coast of Dhrall. The barrier had made good sense in the 
past, but it was likely to cause problems in the current situation. 選'll have 
to work on that,' he mused.
His thunderbolt crackled inquiringly.
鮮othing, dear,' he replied. 選 was just thinking out loud.'
She muttered something as they reached the coast of Dhrall.
選 didn't quite catch that, dear,' Veltan said as the thunderbolt put him 
down on the doorstep of his own house somewhat farther up the coast.
She repeated what she'd just said, shaking the very ground under his 
feet.
禅hat wasn't nice at all,' he scolded. 糎here in the world did you pick 
up that kind of language?'
She said a few things that were even more colorful, and then she 
streaked off into the darkness to sulk.
Veltan smiled faintly. It was a little game he and his pet had been 
playing since the beginning of time. She would shower him with assorted 
profanities, and he'd pretend to be shocked. They both enjoyed the game, 
so they played it all the time.
He opened the massive front door of his house and went inside. Unlike 
his sister Aracia, Veltan had made his own house, and he suddenly 
realized that he probably shouldn't bring Narasan's Trogites here. The 
various buildings in Kaldacin had been constructed out of squared-off 
stone blocks, much as Aracia's temple had been. When Veltan had made 
this house, he'd made it with a single thought, willing a huge rock into 
existence in the shape he wanted. It definitely kept the weather out, but it 
might be difficult to explain to Narasan's people. The conversion of 
thought into reality in a single act of will was obviously something the 
Trogites wouldn't comprehend, and that might cause some problems.
All in all, though, it was good to be home again. Traveling about the 
world was nice enough, but home was much more comfortable. Veltan 
reached the end of the central corridor and then started up the stairs to the 
tower where he and Yaltar spent most of their time. 選'm back,' he called 
up the stairs.
The door to the tower room opened, and Yaltar stood waiting for him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yaltar was a slender little boy dressed in an ordinary peasant smock. He 
had dark, dark hair and huge eyes. 船id you have any luck, uncle?' he 
asked.
禅hings turned out rather well,' Veltan replied. 選t took me quite a 
while to find the man I needed to talk with, but once I found him, we 
came to an agreement in almost no time at all. Has anything been 
happening here?'
鮮othing that I've heard about. Omago's wife Ara was nice enough to 
feed me while you were gone.'
全he's a treasure,' Veltan agreed. Then he noticed something. 糎hat's 
that you have around your neck, Yaltar?' he asked.
前mago tells me that it's an opal, uncle. I found it just lying on the 
ground outside our front door a few days after you left.' The boy untied 
the leather thong which held the opal as a pendant about his neck and 
raised the milky stone up for Veltan to see. 選sn't it beautiful?' he said 
proudly.
選t is indeed. Yaltar,' Veltan agreed, trying his best to sound casual. He 
could feel the enormous power of the fiery jewel from half-way down the 
stairs. It was obviously time to step very, very carefully. Veltan knew for 
a fact that there weren't any deposits of opals in his Domain, and if Yaltar 
had found it just outside the front door, it had obviously been put there 
specifically for the boy to find. The jewel was quite large, somewhat 
bigger than an orange. It was oval-shaped, with multi-colored fire 
flickering deep within it. Worse yet, Veltan could feel its awareness even 
as he looked at it. It was a peculiar sort of awareness, but still very 
familiar.
前h, before I forget,' Yaltar said, tying his pendant back around his 
neck, 前mago asked me to tell you that he'd like to talk with you when 
you come home.'
選'll go see him tomorrow,' Veltan said as he reached to the top of the 
stairs.
They went into the tower room. Although Veltan's house was large, he 
and his young charge had spent most of their time in this room since 
Yaltar had been an infant. It was large enough to serve their purposes, 
and it had the feel of home to them. There was a fire on the hearth, as 
usual, and the clay pots nearby suggested that Yaltar had been trying his 
hand at cooking. The room was none too tidy, but Yaltar had been alone 
for several weeks, and 祖leaning up' was an alien concept for the little

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boy.
選've missed you, uncle,' Yaltar said gravely. 選 get lonesome when 
you aren't here, and I've been having a bad dream. It's always the same, 
and it seems to come back every night.' Yaltar was a serious little boy 
who seldom smiled.
前h?' Veltan said, trying to sound casual. 糎hat does it involve?'
善eople are killing each other,' Yaltar replied with a shudder. 選 don't 
really want to watch, but the dream forces me to see everything.'
船id the surroundings look at all familiar?'
選t's not anywhere around here, uncle. There are mountains that're very 
close to Mother Sea. The sun comes up from behind the mountains, and it 
goes down somewhere beyond Mother Sea herself.'
禅hat would put it somewhere in Zelana's Domain,' Veltan mused.
選sn't that where Balacenia lives?'
Veltan almost chocked at that point. 糎here did you hear the name 
Balacenia, Yaltar?' he asked, trying to sound casual.
Yaltar frowned. 選'm not sure, uncle. It just seems to me that I know 
someone named Balacenia, and she lives in the western Domain. Maybe 
it's part of that dream that keeps coming back over and over again.'
禅hat's altogether possible, I suppose.' Veltan glossed over Yaltar's 
use of a name he could not possibly have heard about.
船id anybody in your dream put a name to any mountains or rivers that 
might possibly have given you some landmarks?'
選 heard some people talking about "Maags" once, and others said 
some nasty things about somebody called "the Vlagh", but I don't think 
those words had anything to do with rivers or mountains.' Yaltar 
frowned. 鮮ow that I think about it, though, sometimes the people in my 
dream said things about "Lattash". I think that might be a place because 
of the way they talked about it. If somebody says, "I just came here from 
Lattash", he almost has to be talking about a place, doesn't he?'
選t sounds reasonable to me, Yaltar. Did your dream give you any idea 
what time of year it was?'
糎ell, sort of, maybe. There wasn't any snow on the ground, so that

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rules out winter, doesn't it? It wouldn't mean too much around here, 
because we don't get much snow in the winter, but the snow really builds 
up in the mountains during that time of year, I've heard.'
禅hat it does, Yaltar. Were you ever able to get any idea of why the 
people in your dream were killing each other?'
鮮othing very clear, uncle. Some of them were coming west across the 
mountains, and others seemed to be trying to stop them. Does that make 
any sense at all?'
Veltan forced a gentle smile. 船reams aren't supposed to make sense, 
dear boy. If they made sense, they wouldn't be fun, would they?'
選'm not having much fun with this one that keeps coming back, uncle. 
It's awful!'
禅ry not to think about it, Yaltar. If you ignore it, maybe it'll go away. 
I need to go talk with my big brother. I hate to have to keep leaving you 
alone like this, but there's a sort of family emergency right now. 
Hopefully, we'll put it behind us before long, and things should return to 
normal.'
舛ould you see Omago before you leave, uncle? He seems to think it's 
important, and he even said that he wouldn't mind if you woke him up to 
hear what he has to say.'
鮮ow that's very unusual. Once Omago goes to sleep, not even a 
thunderstorm can wake him. Is there anything else you think I should 
know before I leave?'
Yaltar snapped his fingers. 選 almost forgot something, uncle. After the 
last time I had that awful dream I was telling you about, I drew a picture 
of the ravine where it seemed to be happening. If you're at all interested, I 
could show it to you.'
禅hat would be nice,' Veltan replied blandly, resisting a sudden 
impulse to jump up and dance on the table.
Omago was a sturdy farmer with fertile fields and an extensive 
orchard. The other farmers of Veltan's Domain frequently sought his 
advice, and during their discussions with him they almost always passed 
on gossip, observations, and other tidbits of information. It was widely 
believed in Veltan's Domain that if a stray dog trotted down a village 
street anywhere in the region, Omago would know about it before the sun

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went down. Omago was a good listener, and many times people would 
tell him of things they might have been wiser to keep to themselves.
Veltan liked him, and he'd come to rely on him for information.
The sun had not yet risen when Veltan reached Omago's solidly built 
house and rapped on the door. Ara, Omago's slender and beautiful wife, 
opened the door. Ara had long, dark auburn hair, and she was by far the 
loveliest woman in the village.
As was her custom, she wore no shoes, and she had very pretty feet.
Her kitchen was quite large and warm, and it was filled with the lovely 
fragrance of her cooking. Veltan had no need for food, of course, but he 
always enjoyed the smell of cooking.
賎ood morning, Ara,' he greeted the lady of the house. 選s Omago 
awake yet? Yaltar tells me that he wants to have some words with me.'
践e's stirring a bit, dear Veltan,' she replied. 塑ou know Omago. He 
can sleep through almost anything - except the smell of breakfast. Come 
in. I'd offer you something to eat if I thought you'd accept.'
禅he smell of your cooking is tempting, dear Ara, but no, thanks all the 
same.' He followed her into the warm golden light of her kitchen. 選'd 
like to thank you for looking after Yaltar while I was away, Ara,' he said, 
seating himself at the table. 全ometimes I forget that he needs food quite 
regularly -probably because I don't.'
塑ou're missing one of the better parts of life, dear Veltan.' She looked 
at him. 選've always wondered if light has any sort of flavor,' she said 
curiously.
選 don't think "flavor" is exactly the right term, Ara,' Veltan replied. 
船ifferent colored lights have a different feel to them. I taste things with 
my eyes, not with my tongue. Could you see if Omago's awake yet? I'm 
a little pressed for time right now.'
選'll fetch him for you, dear Veltan.' She took a generous slice of 
warm, fresh bread and went back to the place where her husband slept, 
her long blue dress swirling about her ankles as she moved.
A few moments later she returned, leading her night-shirt-garbed 
husband by the simple expedient of holding the fragrant piece of bread 
just out of his reach.
賎ood morning, Omago,' Veltan greeted him. 選 see that Ara's

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

managed to get your attention.'
全he does that every morning, Veltan. I swear that she could wake the 
dead with that wonderful smell.' Omago took the piece of bread from his 
wife and wolfed it down.
船on't eat so fast,' Ara cautioned. 塑ou'll choke.'
塑altar said that you wanted to tell me something,' Veltan said. 践e 
seemed to think it might be important.'
選t could be, Veltan,' Omago replied. 選've been hearing about a fair 
number of strangers drifting around in your Domain here lately. They're 
pretending to be traders from the Domain of your sister Aracia of the 
East, but they can barely speak our language, and all other traders from 
that part of Dhrall speak the same language we do. They don't seem to 
have anything of value to trade, and all they're really doing is asking 
questions.'
糎hat sort of questions?'
禅hey seem to be curious about how many people live up near the Falls 
of Vash. Why in the world would anyone want to live there? It's all rock, 
and so steep that a man'd have to tie himself to a tree to harvest anything 
that might sprout. The thing they seem to be most curious about is how 
much contact there is between the people here and the tribes of your sister 
Zelana's Domain and just how close you and Zelana are to each other. 
I've been catching some hints that they'd be much happier if you hated 
her.'
禅hat's absurd!'
選'm just passing on what I've heard, Veltan. I thought you should 
know about it.'
選'll look into it when I come back from my brother's Domain, Omago. 
I need to talk with him about a little family matter. Eat your breakfast 
before it gets cold.'
選'll see to it that Yaltar gets enough to eat,' Ara promised. 糎e 
wouldn't want him to start wasting away, now would we?'
選sn't she a treasure?' Omago said fondly.
選ndeed she is,' Veltan agreed.
舛ome back soon, dear Veltan,' Ara said.

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禅hat I will, treasured one,' Veltan promised with a broad smile.
船oes this look at all familiar to you?' Veltan asked his older brother 
later that morning in the cave under Mount Shrak. He handed over the 
picture Yaltar had drawn on a sheet of parchment. 選 get the feeling that 
it's somewhere in Zelana's Domain.'
塑our boy's quite gifted, Veltan,' Dahlaine observed. 践e's got a good 
eye for perspective.'
鮮otice that he hasn't included any sign of snow. I didn't want to make 
too big an issue of it, so I didn't press him too hard, but he told me that 
there wasn't any snow on the ground in his dream. Of course that might 
not be all that significant. The war had already begun at the beginning of 
his dream, I think. He did mention the name "Lattash". Isn't that a village 
somewhere in Zelana's Domain?'
塑es, it is,' Dahlaine agreed, studying the drawing. 禅here,' he said, 
pointing at a twisted tree in the middle distance on Yaltar's drawing. 閃y 
thunderbolt did that quite a long time ago, and Zelana scolded me about it 
for years. Notice the way it's all twisted and bent over that ravine. I 
recognize that tree, and I know exactly where it is. This is that ravine that 
comes down out of the mountains above Lattash.'
前f course!' Veltan said, snapping his fingers. 羨ll right then, Yaltar's 
dream put the battle in that ravine, and he overheard people talking about 
the Maags. Hasn't Zelana been trying to persuade the Maags to help her 
fight off the creatures of the Wasteland?'
Dahlaine nodded. 禅hey're pirates, so I don't know how dependable 
they are, but your boy's dream suggests that Zelana's winning them over. 
This could be very useful, Veltan.'
閃aybe,' Veltan replied, 礎ut can we be sure that this will be the first 
attack? Dreams aren't too specific, Dahlaine. Isn't it possible that the 
attack on Zelana's Domain will come sometime after attacks on the other 
Domains - yours? Mine? Aracia's? For all we know, Yaltar's dream 
could be taking place long after the war's begun.'
禅hat wouldn't make much sense, Veltan. The Dreamers are here to 
help us, not to add to the confusion.' Dahlaine frowned. 禅here could be a 
problem there, though. We don't know much about the Dreamers, or if 
there's any kind of logic or sequence to their dreams. If the dreams are 
just popping up at random with no connection to-sequence, they could

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give us more trouble than help.'
前h, before I forget, when I told Yaltar that his dream was quite 
probably taking place in Zelana's Domain, he asked me if that was the 
region where Balacenia lives.'
践e said what?
践e called Eleria by her true name, brother.'
禅hat's not possible!'
践e called her by name. Vash and Balacenia have always been very 
close, so evidently he's aware of her presence, and he doesn't think of her 
as Eleria. The young ones are at least as perceptive as we are, Dahlaine, 
and Yaltar - or Vash - has somehow managed to slip around the barrier 
you set up when you arranged their premature rebirth. I think we'd better 
start being more careful. Our cycle hasn't run its full course yet, and if we 
break the pattern, everything could start falling apart.'
鮮ow I've got something else to worry about. Thanks a lot, Veltan.'
船on't mention it.' Veltan frowned. 船o you have any idea what sort 
of creatures we'll be facing when this all starts?'
羨 few - and they're not pretty. The Vlagh tampers and experiments, 
and it has very little understanding of what we look upon as natural 
development. We've always permitted the creatures - and plants, for that 
matter - to develop and grow as their innate nature and their surroundings 
dictate. There's a certain harmony in our Domains. But there's'no 
harmony in the Wasteland. The Vlagh seizes on certain characteristics 
and it crossbreeds to bring those to the fore. It seems to be most attracted 
to venomous reptiles and stinging insects.'
禅here is a certain practicality there, Dahlaine,' Veltan pointed out. 
善oisonous creatures wouldn't need any weapons, would they? Their 
weapons are built right into them.'
禅hat's true, I suppose,' Dahlaine conceded.
禅he only problem I can see with that is that insects and reptiles are 
dormant during the winter, aren't they?'
選t seems that That-Called-the-Vlagh steps over that problem,' 
Dahlaine responded. 選ts crossbreeds also involve warmblooded 
creatures. Insects are enormously strong, snakes have deadly venom, and 
warm-blooded creatures remain active in the winter. As closely as I've

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

been able to determine, the dominant traits derive from certain insects - 
bees and ants, for the most part. Have you ever examined the colonizing 
activities of those kinds of bugs?'
Veltan shuddered. 鮮ot so that you'd notice it, big brother. Bugs are 
hideous - or were you aware of that?'
禅hey're well-designed, though. Their skeletons are on the outsides of 
their bodies, and they serve as armor as well as something that maintains 
their shapes.'
善erhaps, but they're stupid beyond belief.'
羨s individuals, maybe, but there seems to be a sort of group 
awareness involved in the behavior of some varieties. The group is wiser 
by far than the single individual.'
Veltan squinted at his older brother. 糎hat on earth ever persuaded 
you to take up the study of bugs, Dahlaine?' he asked.
Dahlaine shrugged. 選 was bored, Veltan. You might not remember it 
too well, but cycle after cycle sort of ambled along before any creature 
with anything remotely resembling intelligence came along. Bugs were 
all that there was, so I studied bugs.'
Veltan frowned. 選 think there might be a hole in your theory, though. 
I've heard that there have been men - beings who look like men - who've 
been roaming around in my Domain nosing around and asking questions. 
If they can communicate with my people, they almost have to be smarter 
than bugs, don't they?'
糎hat sort of questions are they asking?'
禅hey're curious about how many of my people live near the Falls of 
Vash, and if there's much contact between Zelana's people and mine. 
From what I gather, they hope that Zelana and I hate each other.'
Dahlaine frowned. 選 hadn't anticipated that,' he admitted. 禅he Vlagh 
might just be more clever than we'd thought it was. Evidently it's not 
going to rely on sheer brute force if it's sending spies into our Domains. 
This might turn out to be a more interesting war than we'd expected. 
Have you managed to locate any warriors yet?'
選t took me a bit longer than I'd expected, Dahlaine. I went down into 
the Trogite Empire, thinking that all I'd have to do would be to wave gold 
in front of some high official. But it doesn't quite work that way. Once 
I'd located the right man, though, it went more smoothly.' Veltan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

snapped his fingers. 選 nearly forgot something. Are you likely to be in 
contact with Aracia any time in the near future?'
善robably. Why?'
舛ould you tell her that I'm going to cut a channel through her ice 
zone? I'm hiring a Trogite army, but it won't do us any good unless I can 
get it here to the Land of Dhrall. Aracia created that ice zone to keep the 
Trogites away, but the circumstances have changed. We want the 
Trogites here now.'
糎hy don't you tell her?'
全he won't listen to me, Dahlaine. You should know that by now. 
She's older than I am in this cycle, and she seems to think that she 
outranks me. You're the only one she'll listen to this time, because you're 
the only one who's older than she is. I'm really not looking forward to the 
next cycle, when she'll be the eldest. Maybe I'll just go back to the moon 
and wait her out.'
塑ou can't do that, Veltan. You know you can't.'
選t was just a thought. Have you managed to find your army of 
outlanders yet?'
選'm still working on them. Have you ever heard of Malavi?'
羨ren't they the ones who sit on the backs of some sort of cattle?'
閃alavi call them horses, and they don't exactly think of them as 
cattle. There aren't any horses here in Dhrall, so the creatures of the 
Wasteland are going to be in for a nasty surprise if they decide to come 
north.'
選s Aracia working on anybody in particular?'
全he's negotiating with some people off to the east. She wasn't very 
specific about who they are.'
選'd better go see if I can find Zelana,' Veltan said. 禅hings seem to be 
coming to a head, and since there's a strong possibility that the first 
confrontation's likely to take place in her Domain, I think it's time for her 
to come home. Do you think you have time to go warn her people about 
the possibility that the creatures of the Wasteland might be coming to call 
before very long?'
選'll see to it, Veltan,' Dahlaine promised. 賎o warn Zelana, and I'll let

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

her people know what's afoot.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3
選 need you again, baby,' Veltan silently summoned his pet underbolt 
as he left Dahlaine's cave under Mount Shrak.
As always, she grumbled a bit, and the flickers of light and distant 
rumbles of her discontent came to him from far to the south. 前h, quit,' 
Veltan chided her. 糎e've hit a busy season, that's all. Things should go 
back to normal in a while, so don't be so bad-tempered.'
There was a sudden flash of light and a crash that shook the very earth, 
and she was there.
賎ood girl,' Veltan said fondly. 糎e need to find Zelana. Dahlaine 
says that she's somewhere off to the west. We may have to jump about a 
bit to find her, but it's important. If you're extra, extra good, maybe we 
can have a bit of fun a little later. There's a band of ice mountains 
floating off the south coast of Dhrall, and I'm going to need an open 
channel through them before too much longer. I think that if you and I 
concentrate a bit, we'll be able to smash our way through, don't you?'
The lightning bolt skittered around enthusiastically.
選 thought you might like the idea, dear heart. For right now, though, 
let's go find Zelana. And please don't make too much noise when we 
cross Mother Sea, We don't want to irritate her, now do we?'
The thunderbolt rattled her agreement, Veltan mounted, and they were 
off.
It was the dead of winter, and the face of Mother Sea was clouded and 
stormy. Veltan shuddered. Mother Sea's face was much as it had been on 
that awful day when she'd banished him to the moon. He'd probably be 
there still if the friendly moon hadn't interceded for him.
His thunderbolt reached the coast of a land far to the west of the Land 
of Dhrall much earlier in the day than it had been back in Dhrall. That 
was one of the advantages of going westward. If a traveler moved right 
along, he could pick up hours of extra time.
全et me down here, baby,' Veltan told his pet when they were a mile or

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

so out from the coast. 選'll walk in from this point. Let's not disturb the 
aliens if we don't have to.'
She muttered something.
選 won't be long, dear. Stop all your grumbling.' He smiled then. 羨s 
soon as we find Zelana and tell her what's going on, you and I can go 
amuse ourselves by smashing that floating ice. Won't that be fun?''
She crackled enthusiastically. Lightning was a simple natural force, 
and it wasn't too hard to entertain her.
She set Veltan down on the stormy face of Mother Sea, and he walked 
the rest of the way to shore. He was just a little surprised when Mother 
Sea calmed her surface to make the going easier for him. Either she'd 
recovered from her bout of bad temper, or she realized just how serious 
the present situation really was. He stepped right along and reached rocky 
shore in short order. 禅hank you, Mother,' he said politely to the source 
of all life.
船on't mention it,' she replied silently within his mind. 岨elana and 
Eleria are farther south,' she added helpfully.
羨h. Could you give me some sort of landmark?'
禅he coast along here's fairly level, Veltan, so there isn't anything that 
stands out. Just go south until you come to a place where there are quite a 
few floating trees gathered near the shore. The man-things call them 
"ships" and they ride on them when they visit me.'
選've seen a few of those, yes.' Veltan squinted at the alien land he'd 
just reached. 選 think I'll nose around a bit, Mother. The man-things here 
won't know that Zelana's my sister, so they might tell me things they 
wouldn't mention to her. If we can come here, it's possible that the 
creatures of the Wasteland can as well, and if they do happen to be here, I 
think we should know about it.' He hesitated. 禅here's something you 
should probably be aware of, Mother,' he added. 腺efore very long, I'm 
going to have to open a channel through Aracia's ice zone that lies off the 
south coast of Dhrall. I'm sure that Aracia received your approval before 
she put it there, but now I'll need to push it aside so I'll be able to move 
the army I just hired to our homeland. Is that going to offend you?'
鮮ot particularly, no. Aracia didn't bother to ask me before she put it 
in place, so it only seems fair for you to brush it aside without her 
permission as well. Actually I could do it for you, you know. All you had 
to do was ask.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選 didn't want to bother you, Mother. I learned quite some time ago that
it's not a good idea to offend you.'
選'd forgotten all that silly "stripes" business a long time ago, Veltan. I 
thought you'd realized that by now.' She paused. 糎hy did you remain 
on the moon for so long?' she asked curiously.
禅he moon told me that you were still angry with me.'
羨nd you actually believed her? Oh, Veltan, you should know me 
better than that by now. You could have come home after a month or so. 
You didn't have to remain on the moon for ten thousand years.'
A dark suspicion intruded on Veltan's awareness. 薦vidently the moon 
was feeling just a bit lonely,' he muttered. 全he kept telling me that you 
hated me.'
全he lied. She does that all the time. Everybody knows that you can't 
trust the moon.'
選 didn't. She seemed so sincere.'
前h, Veltan, what am I going to have to do with you to make you grow 
up? You're so gullible sometimes. The moon enjoyed your company, so 
she lied to you to keep you there. Your responsibilities are here, not out 
there.'
糎hen all this business with the Vlagh and the creatures of the 
Wasteland is over, I think I'll go have a nice long chat with the moon,' he 
said darkly.
糎hatever entertains you, Veltan. She won't listen, of course, but if 
scolding her will make you feel better, I suppose it's all right. Don't hurt 
her, though, and don't offend her too much. My tides depend on her, so 
step around her rather carefully. If you think that silly business about 
"stripes" made me angry, you'll come face to face with real anger if 
something disrupts my tides.'
選'll be careful, Mother,' Veltan promised. 

*        *       *
Veltan modified his clothing and quickly pushed out facial hair to make himself

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

look much like an ordinary Maag, and then he went on into a coastal town the Maags 
called Weros. He drifted unobtrusively around the narrow, muddy streets near the 
waterfront listening, but saying little. Since he was listening to thought rather than 
speech, he could hear whispered conversations from a long ways away.
選t was a good enough plan, I guess,' he heard someone off to his left saying to 
someone else, 礎ut it went all to pieces when Kajak and his men tried to set fire to the 
ships Sorgan had anchored around the Seagull.''
薦xactly what went wrong?' The voice that asked the question chilled Veltan all 
the way to his core. It was a rasping sort of voice that could not have come from a 
human mouth.
選 wasn't there to see it personally,' the first speaker replied. 閃y hive-mate had 
been controlling Kajak from the beginning, but I guess the thought of all that killing 
excited it more than it should have, so it was down on the beach - far too close, as it 
turned out. One of the man-creatures killed it from a great distance away. By the time 
I got there, most of the survivors had scattered to the winds. I managed to get my 
hands on the arrow that killed my hive-mate, and the arrowhead was made of stone - 
like the ones we've encountered back in the Land of Dhrall, and it'd been dipped in 
venom in the same way. The Dhrall who's been killing my hive-mates for all these 
years is here, and he's still killing us.'
The one with the chilling voice began to swear.
選 feel the same way,' the first speaker agreed. 選 think you'd better go advise the 
Vlagh that our scheme didn't work. The Maag fleet's on the way to Dhrall, and 
there's nothing we can do to stop it. Our war in the west won't be as easy as we 
thought, I'm afraid.'
選 am not foolish enough to be the one who takes that message to the Vlagh,' the 
one with the rasping voice replied. 腺ad news angers the Vlagh, and those who tell it 
things it does not wish to hear seldom live long enough to watch the sun go down.'
選've noticed that. I'd say that you've got a problem. Your scheme was clever 
enough, but Kajak was a poor choice to carry it off.'
Veltan sauntered past the muddy little alleyway where the two had been speaking, 
and they both tried to shrink back into the shadows to stay out of sight, but Veltan had 
already seen enough. The one who'd brought the news looked much like any other 
Maag on the streets of Weros - fur-clad, hooded, bearded, and dirty - but he was much 
smaller than an ordinary Maag. The other one was also wrapped in a hooded cloak, 
and Veltan caught a single glimpse of a face with huge, bulging eyes, a mouth 
surrounded by mandibles, and two long antennae sprouting from the top of an oval 
head.
Veltan strolled on past the alley as if he hadn't seen or heard anything out of the 
ordinary, but he was quickly revising a few preconceptions. Given the general tone of 
what he'd just heard, it was fairly obvious that the insect outranked the human in the 
social structure of the Wasteland. They were both far more intelligent than Veltan had 
expected, however. The term 蘇ive-mate' hinted at an insect-like mentality, and that 
raised the possibility that That-Called-the-Vlagh might be 奏he queen-bee of the

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Wasteland.'
The intelligence of the two in the alley sort of confirmed a notion that Veltan had 
reached during his sojourn on the moon. It had seemed to him that intelligence might 
be a characteristic driven by necessity. If your enemy was large, size would be 
important, so each generation would be larger than the preceding one. That had 
suggested to Veltan that a clever enemy would virtually demand the expansion of 
one's mind in response. The alternative would be extinction.
薦nough,' he muttered, walking purposefully through the rest of Weros to the edge 
of the town. He crossed the stump-dotted field to the west of Weros, and once he was 
in the woods, he called out to his thunderbolt. 銑et's get out of here, dear one. I've 
heard - and seen - enough. It's time for me to have a talk with my sister.'
It didn't take Veltan long to find Sorgan's fleet. There were a few ships in the 
harbor of each village he and his pet passed as they flew south along the coast of 
Maag, but Mother Sea had implied that there would be many ships at the place where 
Zelana was. The difference between 素ew' and 僧any' wasn't too precise, but Veltan 
was fairly certain that two or three didn't exactly qualify as 僧any,' so he kept going 
south.
Then his pet carried him to a shabby village far to the south of Weros where 
dozens of Maag ships were anchored. 選 think this is the place, dear,' he told his pet. 
善ut me down a little ways out, and I'll walk on in. You're lovely beyond words, but 
we don't want to attract attention. You'll be able to crash and boom to your heart's 
content when we go back to Dhrall and start smashing ice.'
She flickered affectionately at his cheek and then set him down at the edge of a 
large grove of trees a little way to the west of the village.
Since Zelana had come to Maag to recruit an army, Veltan was fairly certain that 
the one the aliens had called Sorgan was the one he should try to find, and that his 
sister would probably be on board the ship called the Seagull.
The weather was unpleasant as Veltan walked across the open field toward the 
village. A gusty wind swept in from the east, and a steady drizzle of rain swirled in 
from the harbor, wreathing like fog and half obscuring the shabby buildings.
When he reached the village, he found it teeming with sailors, despite the chill 
drizzle. It didn't take him long to locate a small group of men who served on board 
the Seagull, since every seagoing man he spoke with pointed them out to him. They 
were down near the waterfront loading barrels and big, bulky sacks into several small 
boats. A large fellow with a neck like a bull seemed to be in charge.
薦xcuse me,' Veltan said politely to the big man, 選'm looking for a lady named 
Zelana. Do you happen to know where I might find her?'
全he's on board the Seagull' the sailor replied. 選s it important?'
選 believe it is. She's my sister, and I've got some information for her that's 
probably quite significant. Things are heating up in the Land of Dhrall, so it's time for

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

her to come home.'
然abbit!' the big man barked. 禅his is Lady Zelana's brother, and he needs to talk 
with her. Row him out to the Seagull.''
腺ut it's raining,' the small sailor whined.
糎hat's that got to do with anything?'
舛ouldn't we wait a bit? It could clear up before long.'
羨lmost any day now, but you're not going to wait, Rabbit. You're going right 
now.' The big man's voice was hard, and the look he gave the smaller man was 
threatening.
羨ll right, all right. Don't get excited. I'm going.' The little man grumbled as he 
led Veltan out onto a rickety dock, and he continued to mutter as the two of them 
climbed down into one of the small boats.
践ow's my sister been lately?' Veltan asked as the little man rowed them out into 
the rain-swept harbor.
全he was sort of worried up until a few days ago,' the little fellow replied. 禅hings 
brightened up for her after me and Longbow killed a whole bunch of people who 
were planning to cause trouble.'
禅he one you call Longbow's the archer, isn't he?'
禅hat he is, and he's the best there is in the whole wide world. Me and him are real 
close friends.' The little man stopped rowing and wiped the accumulated water off his 
nose with his sleeve.
選s Eleria with my sister?'
禅hey don't never get too far apart. That's one sweet little girl, ain't she?'
選ndeed she is,' Veltan agreed. 選t was Longbow who shot arrows into the enemy 
sailors, wasn't it?'
糎ord about that seems to have gotten out. Where did you hear about it?'
選t was in a town up the coast a ways. I happened to overhear a conversation 
between a pair who'd really wanted Kajak to succeed. They were both terribly 
disappointed, and more than a little afraid. The one they work for doesn't take bad 
news very well.'
糎hat a shame,' Rabbit said with a sly grin. Then he turned and looked over his 
shoulder. 禅hat's the Seagull just ahead. Once we get on board, you'll be able to tell 
your sister what's afoot back home.'
全he lied to me, Zelana. Can you believe that?' Veltan said to his sister in the snug

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

cabin at the aft end of the ship while Rabbit went back to his skiff to return to the 
little village on the beach. 閃other Sea told me that I could have come back home 
after just a few months, but the moon deceived me, and I stayed there for ten eons.'
前h, Veltan!' Zelana exclaimed. 薦verybody knows that the moon isn't to be 
trusted.'
選 didn't. Actually, though, it wasn't all that bad. The moon can be a delightful 
companion when she wants to be. Let's get down to business here. Where's this 
Sorgan that everybody keeps talking about?'
践e's off somewhere in the harbor talking with the other ship-captains. He should 
be back before too much longer.'
銑et's hope so. I've arranged to bring a Trogite army to Dhrall. If all goes well, 
they'll be landing in my Domain in late winter or early spring.'
践ow big an army are we talking about?'
羨bout a hundred thousand men, dear sister.'
禅hat should carry quite a bit of weight.'
糎e can hope, I guess. Now things start to get interesting. When I returned home, 
Yaltar was wearing a beautiful fire-opal as a pendant, and he told me that he'd found 
it lying on our doorstep one morning. Then he told me that he'd been having a 
recurrent nightmare. It's fairly obvious that his opal is having the same effect as 
Eleria's pearl, wouldn't you say?'
選t's entirely possible, I suppose, and if the pearl is the voice of Mother Sea, 
wouldn't that suggest that the opal might very well be the voice of Father Earth?'
Veltan blinked. 選 hadn't thought of that,' he admitted. 選t would seem that we 
have some powerful friends, wouldn't it? Anyway, Yaltar's nightmare involved a 
war, and Dahlaine and I were able to pin-point its location. It's going to take place in 
your Domain, dear sister, and most of the fighting's going to be in a river gorge that 
leads down to a place called Lattash.'
践ow fortunate. As it happens, I've already got an advance force of Maags in the 
harbor of Lattash.'
塑ou knew this was coming, didn't you?'
前f course I did, Veltan. I just didn't know exactly where or when. Now that 
we've pin-pointed where, all we need to know is when.'
全pring, maybe. I questioned Yaltar - without being too obvious about it - and 
there wasn't any snow in the ravine that leads down to Lattash during the battle he 
kept dreaming about. I wouldn't lock "spring" in stone, though. Yaltar's dream 
started in the middle of the war, so we can't be sure just when it started. The Vlagh's 
keeping an eye on us, and it might try an early strike to catch us off guard. There have 
been strangers wandering around in my Domain asking questions. They're curious 
about how many people live in the vicinity of the Falls of Vash, and whether you and

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I are on speaking terms.'
選t should know that we're close, Veltan. We are brother and sister, after all.'
禅he Vlagh wouldn't understand that, Zelana. It doesn't have a family, so it knows 
nothing about love. You had a bit of excitement here recently, didn't you?'
前h, yes - very exciting. There was a Maag named Kajak who was very interested 
in the gold Sorgan was using for bait to attract other Maags to go to Dhrall and fight 
our war for us.'
選t went further than that, dear sister. The Vlagh has people - and things - here in 
Maag as well as in Dhrall, and they encouraged this Kajak to attack your Maag, 
Sorgan. I happened to overhear a couple of the Vlagh's agents talking in an alley up 
in Weros, and they weren't happy about the way things turned out. The Vlagh's 
agents were a very odd pair, let me tell you. One of them appeared to be an ordinary 
Maag - except that he was only about half as big - but the other one was a very large 
insect.'
塑ou're not serious!'
選'm afraid so. Dahlaine told me that the Vlagh's been experimenting, and it's 
tampering with the natural order of things by crossbreeding assorted species. The 
insect I saw in that alley in Weros was as tall as a man, and it could talk - and think. 
As I understand it, their scheme fell apart because of a Dhrall you brought with you.'
Zelana smiled. 選ndeed it did, Veltan. His name is Longbow, and he never misses 
when he shoots an arrow at something.'
選 thought that little Maag who rowed me out to this ship was exaggerating, but he 
might have been actually telling me the truth.'
禅hat was probably Rabbit. He and Longbow are good friends. You've been busy, 
haven't you, Veltan?'
選 haven't quite met myself coming around a corner yet, but that may happen in a 
week or so. How big an army have you managed to gather so far?'
糎e're approaching fifty thousand men. I wish I could get more, but the Maags 
spend most of their time at sea robbing Trogite treasure ships.'
選'd heard about that. The Trogites dislike the Maags intensely. That could cause a 
few problems, but I think we'll be able to work our way around them. When I go back 
to pickup my army, I think I'll send you some help. Trogites are good soldiers, so 
they might be useful.'
糎hat a nice person you are, Veltan,' Zelana said, smiling fondly at him.
詮amily obligation, sister.' Veltan looked around 選s Eleria anywhere nearby?' he 
asked quietly.
鮮o, she's out on the deck playing in the rain.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

全he's what?'
全he loves water. Longbow's keeping an eye on her.'
禅here's something else you should know about, sister mine,' Veltan said very 
quietly. 糎hen Yaltar was telling me about his dream, I made a quick guess and 
suggested that the battle he'd dreamt about would take place in your Domain. Then he 
said, "That's where Balacenia lives, isn't it?" I can't for the life of me understand 
how, but it seems that he knows her real name.'
禅hat's impossible!'
船ahlaine said the same thing, but Yaltar definitely said "Balacenia" when he 
spoke of her. Our big brother may think he's put a wall between our Dreamers and 
their past, but I think that wall may have a few holes in it.'
Eleria and the archer Longbow came in out of the rain a little while later. Eleria 
was dripping wet, but Longbow had evidently been watching her from a sheltered 
place on the deck. 船id you have a nice time, dear?' Zelana asked.
選t was sort of nice,' Eleria replied. 鮮ot as nice as swimming, but Hook-Big's 
people get all excited when I jump off the rail, and the water here's awfully dirty.'
賎o dry yourself off and change clothes, dear,' Zelana told her. 塑ou're dripping 
all over the floor.'
塑es, Beloved,' the little girl replied, going to the place where she slept and taking 
up a thick cloth.
Veltan was more than a little startled by Zelana's Dreamer. She was by far the 
most beautiful child he'd ever seen, and he sensed a towering, though not fully 
developed, intelligence in her.
銑ongbow,' Zelana said to the tall, silent Dhrall, 奏his is my brother, Veltan of the 
South, and he's brought us some news about what's been happening at home.'
選t's an honor to meet you, Veltan,' Longbow said. 践as Zelana's Domain been 
attacked as yet?'
鮮ot as far as I know,' Veltan replied, 礎ut I'm afraid it won't be too much longer.'
糎e'd better go home, then, Zelana,' Longbow suggested.
選 think you're right,' she agreed. 全organ's cousin should be in the harbor of 
Lattash by now, but if the creatures of the Wasteland come now, Skell could be badly 
outnumbered. We might have more time than I originally thought we would, but I'd 
rather not take any chances. As soon as Hook-Beak returns, I'll talk with him.'
選t could just be that the advance fleet of Trogites I'll be sending will reach Lattash 
before Sorgan's fleet does,' Veltan suggested. 禅hat could be useful in the event of a

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

sudden emergency.'
禅hat's assuming that the Maags and Trogites don't kill each other before the war 
even starts. They aren't fond of each other.'
糎e're the ones in charge, Zelana, and we're the ones who'll pay them. I don't 
think you fully understand the power of money, dear sister. They won't have to like 
what we tell them to do; they just have to do it. If they decide that they'd rather not, 
we just tie the purse shut. That river that comes down the ravine to Lattash has two 
sides, though. If we deploy the Maags on one side and the Trogites on the other, we 
should be able to keep the bloodshed to a minimum.'
Eleria came back from changing clothes and climbed up into Longbow's lap. 
Veltan gave his sister a questioning look.
選t'd take much too long to explain, Veltan,' she said with a sigh.
Captain Sorgan returned to the Seagull as the rainy afternoon was moving on 
toward evening, and the crewmen who'd been loading supplies for the long voyage to 
Dhrall made their final trip of the day at about the same time. Zelana sent word to the 
Maag ship-captain that she needed to talk with him and with two other sailors as well 
- one she called Ox, and another known as Ham-Hand. Maags, Veltan noted, had 
peculiar names.
Veltan immediately saw that Sorgan, like most of the other Maags he'd 
encountered, was about half again the size of an ordinary man, and he and his friends 
seemed to be very grubby and dirty. Maags evidently didn't bathe very often. If 
Zelana was anywhere close to being right, though, the Maags were clever. Veltan 
smiled faintly. Zelana's Maags and his Trogites probably weren't going to get along 
very well.
禅his is my brother Veltan,' Zelana introduced him to the oversized Maags, 疎nd 
he's brought us some interesting news about certain events in the Land of Dhrall.'
選t's always good to know what's going on,' Sorgan said. He looked at Veltan. 
糎hat's afoot over there?' he asked.
糎e had a stroke of luck here recently,' Veltan told him. 糎e managed to discover 
exactly where our enemy's planning to make its initial attack, and as luck has it, it's 
going to take place in the vicinity of a spot you're familiar with - and better yet, a part 
of your fleet's already bound for that region.'
禅he enemy's going to attack Lattash?' Sorgan demanded shrewdly. 全o that's 
what this has been about, right from the start, hasn't it?'
選 don't think I quite follow you,' Veltan confessed.
銑attash is the place where Lady Zelana keeps all her gold. Didn't you know that? 
Now this war's starting to make sense.'
選 think we'd better haul anchor and put on full sail, Cap'n,' the burly Ox said. 選f

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

we don't get to that Lattash place afore the enemy does, we'll come up empty when 
pay-time rolls around.'
践e's got a point Cap'n,' the Maag named Ham-Hand chipped in. 全kell might get 
there in time to hold the enemy off, but "might" is pretty shaky ground to stand on 
right now. You've been hiring just about every Maag ship along this coast with 
promises about the gold in that cave, and if the cave's empty when we get there, you 
ain't going to be none too popular.'
禅he enemy knows that you're coming, Captain Sorgan,' Veltan told him, 疎nd 
they're doing everything theyI can to delay you. I was coming through the town of 
Weros a few days ago, and I happened to overhear a conversation between a couple 
who don't care much for you. They were unhappy about what had happened to a 
fellow named Kajak. They wanted you dead with all their hearts, but as I understand 
it, Longbow sank their scheme without so much as a ripple. Kajak wanted your gold, 
but those strangers wanted your life. Without you, Lattash lies helpless before the 
enemy.'
銑et's haul anchor, Cap'n,' Ox repeated his suggestion.
選'd really like to gather up more ships and men,' Sorgan said, 礎ut I think you 
might be right, Ox.'
選sn't your kinsman Torl still here, Sorgan?' the archer Longbow asked. 舛ouldn't 
he stay behind and gather more ships and men?'
選 suppose he could,' Sorgan conceded, 礎ut he might have trouble persuading 
other ship-captains to join us if he doesn't have any gold to show them.'
Longbow shrugged. 銑eave the gold with him, then.'
Sorgan blinked. 糎ell, I'll have to think about that a bit,' he said dubiously.
船on't you trust your cousin, Hook-Big?' Eleria, still nestled on Longbow's lap, 
asked. 選t's not like the gold really means anything, does it? You saw how much of it 
there is in the Beloved's cave, didn't you?'
選t's something to think about, Cap'n,' Ham-Hand said. 禅orl's going to need that 
gold a lot more than we are. He's going to have to have something to show any new 
ship-cap'n who might be interested. When you get right down to it, all that gold is 
really bait, and Torl's the one who'll be fishing after we leave.'
選t just seems unnatural? Sorgan said. 賎iving gold away really goes against my 
grain.'
糎e'll give you more, Hook-Big,' Eleria told him. 塑ou worry too much.' Then 
she yawned. 選'm a little sleepy,' she said. 選f it's all right with everybody, I think I'll 
take a little nap. And even if it's not all right, I'll do it anyway.' Then she snuggled 
down in Longbow's arms and promptly fell asleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4
Veltan's thunderbolt enjoyed herself enormously as she 
enthusiastically blasted a channel through the mountainous mile-long ice 
floes lying to the south of the Land of Dhrall. She seemed to take 
particular delight in the steam that came boiling out, and the huge 
fragments that went flying each time she shattered an ice mountain. 
Veltan felt that she was probably overdoing things, but she was having so 
much fun that he didn't have the heart to rein her in, so he leaned back 
and let her play.
Her first pass at Aracia's arbitrary zone of ice left a path of slush a 
half-mile wide. Her next pass doubled the width of the path, and the 
steam she generated was very much like a fog bank.
薦nough, Veltan!' Mother Sea said sharply.
全he's not really hurting anything, Mother.'
前h, yes she is. The water's starting to boil, and it's killing all the fish. 
Make her stop.'
塑es, Mother,' he replied obediently. 舛ould you perhaps push the 
slush aside, though? Ice seems to bother the Trogites, for some reason. 
Their ships are slow enough to begin with, and if they start being overly 
cautious, it could be mid-summer before they reach the coast of Dhrall.'
選'll take care of it, Veltan, and I'll add a little current behind them to 
hurry them along.'
禅hat would be very nice, Mother,' Veltan thanked her. He hesitated. 
糎ould it be all right if I let my pet smash a few more of these ice 
mountains? I won't let her boil the water, but she's having so much fun 
that I hate to make her stop just now. She'll get tired soon, and then I'll 
put her to bed. I've been running her a little hard lately, so she needs a bit 
of play-time.'
前h, all right, I suppose, but be sure you don't let her boil the water 
any more.'
選 promise,' he replied.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Castano was a large seaport on the north coast of the Trogite Empire, 
and the harbor was filled with broad-beamed vessels that were obviously 
designed to carry a great deal of cargo. The city itself was surrounded by 
thick, high walls, and what Veltan could see of it raised some memories 
of the town of Weros, over in the Land of Dhrall. For some reason, the 
more civilized people of the world seemed to be afraid of open space, 
since their houses were all tightly crowded together. Unlike the houses in 
Weros, however, most of the houses of Castano were made of stone. That 
made them sturdy, of course, but they were probably cold and damp in 
the winter. Like the Maags, the Trogites appeared to believe that the 
streets of their towns were the most convenient place to dispose of their 
trash.
Veltan saw a large encampment just to the south of the city. He 
assumed that Narasan's army was there, but he didn't stop. He was fairly 
sure that Narasan wouldn't move until he received at least a token 
payment, so he passed over Castano and went on to a small fishing 
village of perhaps a dozen houses a few leagues off to the west. There he 
rather carefully examined several fishing sloops to get a general idea of 
how they were constructed. Then he moved on to a deserted beach and 
built one of his own with a single thought. It was faster to do it that way 
than it would have been to duplicate Trogite coins and then spend the rest 
of the afternoon haggling with some smelly old fisherman.
The sloop he'd just built appeared to be a fair duplicate of the ones 
he'd seen in the harbor of the village, so he pushed her off the beach. It 
took him a little while to determine which of the ropes raised, lowered, or 
turned the single sail, but it wasn't really all that complicated, so his 
sloop was soon running before a good following breeze back along the 
coast in the general direction of Castano. He found it to be quite 
exhilarating, and he wondered why he'd never tried sailing before. Of 
course, the weather wasn't bad, and the breeze was going in the right 
direction, so things weren't too difficult.
When he reached Castano he sent out a searching thought and located 
the soldier named Gunda, whom he'd met in Narasan's compound back 
in Kaldacin. He eased his little sloop up to the pier where Gunda was 
conferring with several other Trogites. 践o, Gunda,' he called.
選s that you, Veltan?' Gunda sounded startled.
選t was the last time I looked. Is Commander Narasan anywhere 
nearby?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

践e's over in the encampment just south of town. What in the world 
are you doing in that rickety little sloop?'
選 thought it might be easier to come here from Dhrall by boat than it'd 
be to walk.'
膳ery funny, Veltan. Did you actually sail all the way from Dhrall in 
that rickety thing?'
選t wasn't too bad. We've had a stroke of luck, and I think we should 
take advantage of it while we can. Some freakish ocean current just 
opened a channel through the ice floes, and if we hurry, we should be 
able to get through before it closes up again. Could you send for Narasan, 
please? You might mention the word "pay" in your message. That should 
bring him running.'
塑ou've got that much gold in that broken-down sloop?' Gunda 
demanded incredulously.
船o I look that stupid, Gunda? Let's just say that I've got enough with 
me to get Narasan's attention. I'll give him the rest when we reach Dhrall.
You'd better start things moving. I think we'll want to leave here first 
thing tomorrow morning. That channel through the ice won't last forever, 
so we'd better get cracking.'
Veltan made some show of tidying up his little sloop after Gunda had 
left, squaring away the sail, coiling ropes, and generally making her 
presentable. He stayed at it long enough to bore any curious onlookers, 
and then he went up to the bow and ducked down out of sight. He reached
back over his shoulder and took a gold brick out of nowhere. He set it at 
the very bow. Then he took another brick and put it behind the first one. 
When there were ten of them, he stood up and covered them with a bit of 
canvas. If his calculations were correct, he had roughly the equivalent of 
five thousand Trogite gold crowns to get Narasan's attention, and if 
Narasan wanted to see more, the channel through the ice was open now, 
so taking him to the Land of Dhrall should be fairly easy.
Narasan had discarded his beggar's rags, and he looked quite imposing 
in his tight-fitting black leather uniform and heavy metal helmet and 
breastplate. He was also wearing a sheathed sword belted at his waist, and 
the heavy-looking handle suggested that the sword was for business, not 
for show. 糎here in the world did you get that tub, Veltan?' he demanded 
from the pier, looking at Veltan's sloop with a certain disdain.
Veltan shrugged. 選 bought her from a fisherman. I needed a boat. She

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

doesn't look like much, but she sails well.'
選s that a Dhrallish boat?'
Veltan shook his head. 選t's a Trogite fishing sloop. Dhralls don't build 
sloops, and I didn't feel up to paddling a Dhrall canoe all the way here. I 
have something I'd like to show you, and then we'll need to talk.'
羨ll right,' Narasan agreed. 全ee if you can hold your sloop steady. I 
don't swim very well - particularly not in full uniform.' He gingerly 
climbed down the ladder that was attached to the pier while Veltan 
snugged his sloop up against the ladder with a long-handled hook. 
Narasan awkwardly dropped the last few feet into the sloop. 糎hat was it 
you wanted me to see?' he asked Veltan.
選t's up in the bow. Drag that canvas out of the way.'
Narasan went forward and turned the canvas back. 糎ell, well, well,' 
he said, staring at the gold bricks, 疎ren't they pretty?'
選 thought you might like them.'
禅hat's hardly two hundred, though.'
選 know. I didn't really want to sink my sloop with all that weight. 
Let's just call it a demonstration of good faith. The rest of the gold's back 
in Dhrall. These should give you some idea of the size and weight of the 
standard block.'
Narasan hefted one of the bricks. 践eavy,' he noted. 践ow can you buy 
anything with something this bulky?'
糎e don't use them for money, Commander,' Veltan reminded him. 
禅hey're mostly just for decoration - ceilings, bracelets, door-handles, 
and the like. Now, we'll need to move at least part of your army to Dhrall 
immediately. We've discovered that the enemy forces will attack very 
soon. We have other soldiers that are already in place, but you'll probably 
have to reinforce them. My sister's been hiring an army off to the west, 
and she's sent a part of that army to her Domain. She has more on the 
way, but they might not reach Dhrall in time.'
Narasan's eyes narrowed. 禅he only people I've ever heard of that live 
beyond the Western Sea are the Maags.'
全o?'
糎e don't get along very well with the Maags.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選've heard about that. This war doesn't really have anything to do with 
friendship. You don't have to like the Maags, Commander Narasan, you 
just have to fight alongside them. The only thing you and the Maags need 
to concern yourselves about is the gold we're paying you and whether or 
not you'll live long enough to spend it.'
禅hat's blunt enough, but it gets your point across.'
選 don't have time for diplomacy, Commander. I must help my sister 
ward off an invasion. You'll be meeting a Maag sea-captain who goes by 
the name of Sorgan Hook-Beak before long. My sister believes that he's 
competent, but I'll let you make your own judgment about that when the 
fighting begins.'
Narasan grunted. 塑ou're paying the bills,' he conceded. 船id you 
happen to remember that map you promised to draw for us?'
前f course,' Veltan lied. 選'll go get it for you.' He went off toward the 
stern of his sloop, conjuring up a picture of Dhrall as he went. It occurred 
to him, however, that the map didn't need to be too accurate. There might 
be times in the not too distant future when he'd need to move soldiers 
from one place to another in the Land of Dhrall in a hurry, and if the real 
distances between here and there were represented accurately on the map, 
the Trogites might begin to realize that more was happening than he'd 
told them. Some people in this world have no difficulty with the notion of 
miracles, but Veltan was fairly certain that Trogite soldiers weren't very 
likely to fit into that category. The map he created sort of resembled the. 
Land of Dhrall, but it was a much smaller version.
He rolled it up and took it to the bow of the sloop where Narasan was 
fondling the gold bricks. 禅his is about as close as I can come, 
Commander,' he apologized, handing the map to the soldier. 全ome of the 
distances aren't especially accurate.'
禅hat's all right, Veltan,' Narasan said. 羨ll I need is a general layout 
of the territory.' He studied the map for a few moments. 船o your people 
have any kind of army that might be of any use at all?' he asked.
Veltan smiled faintly. 閃y people don't even know what the word 
"army" means, Commander,' he confessed. 岨elana's people have 
occasional squabbles with each other, but they have a tribal society, and 
that means that all the men pick up their weapons and go out in a 
disorganized mass to meet the enemy tribe. After a dozen or so men are 
killed, they usually suspend hostilities and enter into extended 
negotiations. Most of their weapons are fairly crude and ineffective. The

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only exception to that is the archers. There's a Dhrall in my sister 
Zelana's Domain named Longbow who doesn't seem to know how to 
miss, and he can have four arrows in the air all at the same time.'
鮮ow that I'd like to see.'
選'm sure you'll meet him before too long. The people of the northern 
Domain of my brother Dahlaine are pretty much the same as the people of 
the west. The Domains of my sister Aracia and mine are mostly farmland, 
and our people are primarily farmers. They don't fight people; they fight 
the soil and the weather instead.' He paused. 践ow many men can you 
put to sea right now?'
Narasan squinted at the sky. 善robably about twenty thousand. The 
bulk of my army's still marching here from Kaldacin. You arrived here 
about a week early, so we aren't quite ready.'
禅wenty thousand might be a little light, but I guess it'll have to do.' 
Veltan looked at the Trogite ships. 選 don't think your ships will move 
very fast, so you and I should go on ahead.'
選n this thing?' Narasan demanded.
全he may not look like much, commander, but she's very fast. Your 
second in command's Gunda, right?'
Narasan nodded.
選 think we'd better go have a talk with him. There's an open channel 
through the ice zone right now. It's one of those seasonal things. Gunda 
shouldn't have any trouble reaching the coast of Dhrall, but he needs to 
know exactly where to put your advance force ashore. We'll be several 
days ahead of him, and that should give you and Sorgan Hook-Beak time 
to work out some details. There's snow up in the mountains now, but the 
weather could break at any time, and as soon as it does, the enemy army 
will invade my sister's Domain, and we'll have to be ready to meet them.'
Narasan shrugged. 塑ou're the one who's financing all this, Veltan,' 
he said, 壮o we'll do it your way.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LATTASH
1
Rabbit still had mixed feelings about the Kajak affair as Sorgan's fleet 
set sail from the harbor at Kweta. His sudden celebrity as 奏he little fellow 
who helped Longbow that night' had given his ego quite a boost, there 
was no question about that. But celebrity was the last thing Rabbit really 
wanted. Inconspicuousness had been his goal since the day he first joined 
the crew of the Seagull. The standard Maag conviction that 礎igger is 
better' had made the pose fairly easy, and his mock simple-mindedness 
had convinced Sorgan and the others that a few easy tasks were about all 
he was good for. It had made his life less exhausting, and that was all that 
mattered.
The only significant task that had ever been laid on his shoulders had 
involved the Seagull's smithy, and that had worked out rather well. If he 
happened to be standing at his anvil tapping on a piece of iron with his 
hammer, Ox and Ham-Hand would find other sailors to attend to the 
more tedious chores.
He was required to stand watch, of course. No sailor can escape that 
task, and Rabbit much preferred night-watch when the captain was 
asleep. When things were going well, Rabbit could go for weeks on end 
without once seeing Sorgan.
That didn't particularly bother him.
Most sailors find the night-watch at sea unbearably tedious, but Rabbit 
had the stars for company, and once he had seen that they weren't always 
in the same place in the night sky, he even began to volunteer to stand 
watch at night. In time he came to realize that it wasn't just that the stars 
were moving. So was the Seagull, and the distance of certain stars above 
the horizon at certain times, in certain seasons, was a fair indication of the 
Seagull's location. The computation of distances was the next logical 
step.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the current had seized the Seagull and swept her off to the Land 
of Dhrall, Rabbit had almost discarded his entire set of computations, but 
now that he knew that Zelana could alter things to suit her purposes, he 
dropped the term 訴mpossible'. When Zelana was involved, nothing was 
impossible.
Sorgan's fleet left the harbor at Kweta at first light on a blustery winter 
morning, and once they were at sea, the wind seemed almost to die. Then 
it came up again, but now it came out of the west. Most of the crew of the 
Seagull viewed the change of the wind as a stroke of good luck. Rabbit, 
however, was fairly certain that luck had nothing to do with it.
Despite the fact that it was winter now, Sorgan's fleet made good time, 
and they rounded the northern end of the Isle of Thurn after little more 
than two weeks at sea. Had the sky been clear, Rabbit might have been 
able to keep better track of their progress, but the clouds hid the stars 
from him.
He didn't think that was very nice at all.
船oes she really need to blot the stars out like that?' he complained to 
Longbow one evening as the fleet made its way down the forested west 
coast of Dhrall.
賎o ask her,' Longbow suggested.
羨h - no, I don't think I'll do that. I wouldn't want to irritate her.'
賎ood thinking,' Longbow said without so much as a smile.
It was the middle of a chill, grey day when the fleet turned into the 
narrow inlet that opened out into the bay of Lattash, where the fleet of 
Sorgan's cousin Skell lay at anchor. The sky was cloudy, so there were 
no shadows, and it seemed to Rabbit that the village huddled in the cold 
with the snowy mountains looming ominously above it.
Rabbit noticed that the village had more than doubled in size since 
he'd last been there, but most of the additions appeared to be temporary. 
The new huts were along the edges of the old village, for the most part, 
and there were even several of them standing atop the berm that separated 
the original village from the river. The smoke from the huts seemed to 
hang in the chill air, and what few natives were out in the open wore 
thickly furred capes, and they stepped right along. Rabbit knew that 
winter was an unpleasant time almost anywhere, but it seemed even

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

worse here in the Land of Dhrall.
A narrow canoe came skimming out across the bay from the village. 
Red-Beard was in the rear of the canoe, and Sorgan's cousin Skell, a lean, 
sour-faced man in a heavy fur cloak, was seated in the bow. Rabbit laid 
his hammer down on the anvil to watch and listen.
塑ou must have picked up a good following wind, Sorgan,' Skell 
called when the canoe came to within shouting distance.
Sorgan shrugged. 銑ucky, maybe,' he called back. 践ow have things 
been going here?'
鮮ot all that great,' Skell replied. 塑ou and I can keep our men pretty 
much under control, but some of these ship-captains you saddled me with 
seem to have no idea of the meaning of the word "discipline", and 
they've got barrels and barrels of grog on board their ships. As soon as 
we got here, a fair number of the men in the fleet went on a rampage. I 
guess they thought that every hut here in Lattash had walls of solid gold, 
and they all seemed to get those kinds of ideas about the women-folk 
here. That caused a lot of trouble. The Dhralls killed a few dozen of the 
rowdier ones, and things were real nervous for a while. I had a few sailors 
- and a couple of captains - flogged, and things quieted down after that.'
Sorgan winced. 糎asn't that a little extreme?'
糎e were right on the edge of open war, Sorgan,' Skell replied. 選 had 
to do something to get back on the good side of the Dhralls.'
践ave you seen any sign of the enemy yet?'
選 haven't personally,' Skell said as Red-Beard pulled his canoe 
alongside the Seagull, 礎ut the Dhralls were scouting up on the rim of the 
ravine that river comes down through, and they told us that the invaders 
were coming downriver and that they had us pretty well outnumbered. 
The weather turned foul on them, though, and I don't think they'll be 
moving for a while. They're bogged down in about fourteen feet of snow 
right now.'
選t sounds like luck's on our side for a change,' Sorgan observed.
選 wouldn't reach for my dice just yet,' Skell said, standing up and 
grabbing for the rope ladder hanging down the side of the Seagull. 禅he 
weather around here can change in the blink of an eye.' He climbed up 
the ladder to the Seagull's forward deck, and he and Sorgan gravely 
shook hands off to one side of Rabbit's anvil.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorgan looked across the harbor to the village. 禅here seem to be quite 
a few more huts than there were when I came here last summer,' he said.
前ld-Bear's tribe came here right after the local Dhralls saw the enemy 
coming down the ravine,' Skell reported. 禅he two biggest tribes in 
western Dhrall are here, and there are more on the way.'
船id you get any of your men up into the ravine before the weather 
turned bad?' Sorgan asked.
漸uite a few. We had to scout up on the north side of the ravine 
because a snowslide had blocked off the side closer to the village, but I 
picked the narrowest spot I could find and put a couple dozen ship-crews 
to work building a fort across it. I doubt that they got much of it done 
before that snowstorm came out of nowhere. I haven't been able to get 
anybody up there to find out, though. The snow's too deep.' Skell looked 
out at Sorgan's fleet. 選t looks a little skimpy to me, Sorgan. Was that the 
best you could manage?'
禅hings got a little wild back in Kweta right after you left, Skell. Do 
you remember Kajak?'
Skell made an indelicate sound.
禅hat comes close to what he really was,' Sorgan agreed. 践e came up 
with a scheme to get his hands on all that gold I had on board the Seagull, 
but he came up against Longbow and Rabbit here. You wouldn't believe 
how many people the two of them killed in short order. Anyway, after 
that, I went back to hiring more ship-captains, but then Lady Zelana's 
brother came by and told her that things were starting to heat up over 
here, and that her people were going to need us before too much longer. I 
left your brother Torl back there to recruit more ships and men. He should
be along in a couple of weeks.'
糎e'll probably need him,' Skell said, 礎ut the way things stand right 
now, I don't think anybody's going to move around much until the snow 
melts.'
糎e'd better start making plans for what we'll need to do after that 
happens,' Sorgan said. 禅he snow might hold the invaders off for a while, 
but it won't last forever. When it does melt, we'd better be ready to deal 
with them without too much more help from the weather.'
禅hat's what we're getting paid for, I guess,' Skell agreed.
糎here's Longbow?' Red-Beard asked Rabbit quietly as Sorgan and

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skell continued their discussion.
践e's back in Lady Zelana's cabin,' Rabbit replied. 船o you need to 
talk with him?'
禅here are a few things he should probably know about. You might as 
well come along too, Rabbit. That way, I won't have to tell the story 
twice.'
They went on back to the stern of the Seagull, and Rabbit tapped 
lightly on the door of Sorgan's old cabin.
塑ou can come in if you want, Bunny,' Eleria called, 礎ut don't forget 
to wipe your feet.'
Rabbit sighed, rolling his eyes upward.
船oes she say that often?' Red-Beard asked.
薦very single time,' Rabbit said, opening the door.
As usual, Eleria was sitting on Longbow's lap, but the tall man firmly 
put her down on the floor and stood up. 践as there been any trouble 
between the tribes?' he asked Red-Beard.
然ight at first I guess there was,' Red-Beard replied with a faint smile. 
禅he younger men didn't get along with each other too well - you know 
how that goes.'
前h, yes,' Longbow agreed with a note of resignation.
禅hings had quieted down by the time I came back here with Skell's 
fleet, though. My chief, White-Braid, and your chief, Old-Bear, spoke 
very firmly with the young ones of the two tribes, and everyone's 
behaving now.'
船oes that sort of thing happen often here in Dhrall?' Rabbit asked.
羨ll the time,' Red-Beard said with a shrug. 塑oung men seem to need 
the attention of others, and as soon as one of them says, "my tribe's better 
than your tribe," the fights begin.'
禅hat has a familiar ring to it,' Rabbit said with a faint smile. 禅avern 
brawls over in Maag break out for almost exactly the same reason. I guess 
that the only good thing about being young is that you'll get over it - 
eventually.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

糎here did Chief Old-Bear set up his lodge?' Longbow asked Red-
Beard. 選 should probably speak with him before too long.'
践is lodge is near the berm,' Red-Beard replied. 践e spends quite a bit 
of his time with your tribe's shaman, doesn't he?'
Longbow nodded, 禅hey get along with each other quite well. One-
Who-Heals is very wise - and very practical. He explained many things to 
me before I went to the hunt.' He paused. Rabbit got the distinct 
impression that they were approaching a subject they weren't supposed to 
mention in his presence. 禅here seems to be more snow on the ground 
than there was when we left,' Longbow continued quite smoothly. 践ow 
long did the storm last?'
禅en days or so, actually,' Red-Beard said. 選t was a very unusual kind 
of snowstorm, though. I can't remember the last time I saw snow falling 
out of a clear blue sky.'
禅hat would be a bit peculiar, wouldn't it?' Longbow agreed.
全torms that come out of nowhere seem to be turning up fairly often 
here lately,' Rabbit observed.
The three of them looked inquiringly at Zelana.
羨ll right,' she said. 選 cheat a little bit now and then. Don't make a big 
issue of it. I just wanted to be sure that nothing serious got underway until
Sorgan's fleet reached Dhrall. Snow isn't quite as cold as ice, but if 
there's enough snow, it pretty much freezes everything in place.'
舛ouldn't we just leave all that snow up there in the mountains, 
Beloved?' Eleria suggested. 禅he bad things won't be able to move until 
it melts, and if it never melts, they'll have to stay right where they are.'
Zelana shook her head. 詮ather Earth wouldn't permit that, Eleria. A 
year without a summer would kill too many plants and animals, and 
plants and animals are as dear to him as people are. We can keep that 
snow up there for a few weeks longer, but then we'll have to let it melt 
off. If Veltan can get here before the snow melts, everything should be all 
right. If he's delayed, things might start to get interesting.'
塑our brother's bringing help?' Red-Beard asked.
Zelana nodded. 禅rogite soldiers.'
禅rogites?' Rabbit exclaimed. 塑ou expect Trogites to help Maags?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's not very likely, you know. Trogites hate us like we were some 
kind of disease.'
膳eltan's paying them not to hate you,' she told him. 塑ou can go back 
to hating each other after the war's over and you've all gone home.'
Rabbit shrugged. 選t's your war, Lady Zelana, so we'll do things any 
way you want us to, but I think there might be trouble before the war's 
over.'
禅here's all the trouble we're likely to need camped up at the head of 
the ravine right now, Rabbit,' Red-Beard said.
船id any of those rampaging sailors happen to find Lady Zelana's 
cave,' Rabbit asked him.
鮮o,' Red-Beard answered. 舛hief White-Braid told the young men to 
cover the cave-mouth with bushes and tree-limbs and then put a couple of 
huts in front of it. There were guards, but they weren't too obvious.'
選 think it's time for Eleria and me to go back to the cave,' Zelana 
decided.
選'll take you there,' Red-Beard offered.
禅hat would be nice,' Zelana said. 然abbit, go tell Hook-Beak that he 
can have his cabin back now.'
選'll need to get my canoe out of the forward hold,' Longbow said to 
Zelana. 船o you want me to bring Rabbit to the cave?'
選 think so, yes. See what Sorgan has to say about it first, though. Let's 
not ruffle Hook-Beak's feathers if we don't have to.'
Rabbit was surprised by Zelana's decision to include him in the rather 
select society of the cave. Despite what had happened in Kweta, Rabbit 
still didn't think of himself as one of any inner circle. He gave it some 
thought as he went forward to the cabin Hook-Beak had been sharing 
with Ox and Ham-Hand since late in the preceding summer. 銑ady 
Zelana's going ashore now, Cap'n,' he reported. 全he says you can have 
your cabin back.'
糎ell finally,' Sorgan said. 禅hings might go back to being normal 
now. Has she left yet?'
全he's on the way, Cap'n. Red-Beard's taking her and Eleria ashore in 
his canoe. Longbow's hauling his canoe up out of the forward hold as

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

well, so we'll have the Seagull to ourselves for a change.'
選 think maybe you should go stay in that cave with Lady Zelana, 
Rabbit,' Sorgan said with a thoughtful squint. 全he likes you, so keep her 
happy. Let's not lose sight of the fact that a lot of the gold in that cave's 
going to be ours when this is over. Make sure that it's well guarded.'
選'll do the best I can, Cap'n,' Rabbit promised. Then he went back out 
on deck and helped Longbow lower his canoe into the water.
船id he argue with you about it?' Longbow asked as they both settled 
into the canoe.
Rabbit grinned at his friend. 選 didn't even have to ask. He really, 
really wants somebody he knows near all that gold stacked up in the 
cave.'
Longbow nodded and then pushed his canoe away from the Seagull 
with his foot, picked up his paddle, and started them toward shore. 選t's 
larger than our village,' he observed as they approached the beach.
全ome of that's probably because the people of your tribe moved here 
while we were off in Maag trying to pick up a lot of ships,' Rabbit 
suggested. Then something occurred to him. 塑ou've never been down 
here, have you, Longbow?' he asked.
糎e usually avoid the villages of other tribes, Rabbit,' Longbow 
explained. 禅he chieftains of the various tribes occasionally meet, but 
usually in open meadows where there's not much chance of surprises.'
塑ou folks here in Dhrall are kind of nervous, aren't you?'
舛autious, Rabbit, cautious. It's rare for the people of one tribe to 
completely trust the people of other tribes.' Longbow beached his canoe, 
the two of them pulled it up farther onto the sand, and then they trudged 
up toward the cave-mouth.
Eleria was waiting near the front of one of the huts Red-Beard's people 
had erected to conceal the cave-mouth. 糎hat kept you?' she asked. 
糎e've got company. The Beloved's big brother came here a little while 
ago, and they're talking right now back in the cave.'
膳eltan again?' Rabbit asked her.
鮮o, Bunny, it's Dahlaine. He's the oldest one in the family, and he 
thinks he's the most important creature in the whole world. He tries to 
order the Beloved to do things, but she doesn't pay too much attention to

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him.' Eleria giggled. 禅hat drives him absolutely wild.'
塑ou live with a strange group of people, baby sister,' Rabbit said.
選 know, and it's loads of fun.'
Rabbit and Longbow followed her through the empty hut and back into 
the cave, where Rabbit saw Zelana speaking with a large burly fellow 
dressed in bear-skins. He had piercing eyes and an iron-grey beard.
膳eltan told me that he might be able to lend me some of his Trogite 
soldiers,' she was saying, 礎ut I suppose that would depend on how soon 
he can get them here to Dhrall.'
選'll talk with him,' the grey-bearded man promised. 膳eltan's a bit 
overly polite sometimes. Are the Dhralls of your Domain gathering to 
meet the invaders?'
舛hief White-Braid was dealing with that while Eleria and I were busy 
over in Maag. I hate to admit this, Dahlaine, but I should have paid more 
attention to what's been going on here in the west. There are some serious 
animosities between several tribes that I might have been able to smooth 
over if I hadn't spent all those years swimming with my dolphins. 
Fortunately, when White-Braid and Old-Bear joined together, they were 
fairly intimidating. Some tribes still didn't want to join with the others, 
but they were prudent enough not to say so.'
践ave you told your Maags about the true nature of the servants of the 
Vlagh yet?' the bearded Dahlaine asked his sister.
船o we really want to go into the details before Veltan's Trogites 
arrive, Dahlaine?' she asked dubiously. 前nce our outlander armies are 
here, we can keep them here, but if the word gets out too soon . . .' She 
left it hanging.
塑ou could be right, dear sister,' Dahlaine conceded. He looked sternly 
at Rabbit. 舛an we trust this one?' he asked.
選 think so. He's more clever than he appears to be, and he and 
Longbow are fairly close. There are still a few things he doesn't need to 
know quite yet. Why don't we let Longbow decide when to tell the 
outlanders what they'll be coming up against?'
選 think we should let One-Who-Heals describe our enemies to the 
Maags and the Trogites,' Longbow suggested. 践e trapped one of them 
when I was just a boy, and after it died, he boiled all the meat off so that 
only the bones were left. Then he showed me all of the creature's

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

peculiarities. They aren't especially hard to kill, but one needs to be 
cautious. I'll be speaking with Chief Old-Bear soon, and I'll ask him to 
speak with One-Who-Heals about this.'
禅hat might be the best way to handle this, Dahlaine,' Zelana said.
Rabbit looked at them suspiciously. There was something ominous 
about all this, and it was making him distinctly uneasy.
Just then Red-Beard entered the cave. 塑ou wanted to speak with me, 
Zelana?' he asked.
塑es,' she replied. 選 think you and Longbow should show the 
members of the other tribes your new arrowheads and give them a few 
demonstrations. Sometimes people object to new things. Show them how 
well the new arrowheads work. Rabbit, I want you to go tell Hook-Beak 
that I want every loose bit of iron on every ship in his fleet, and I'll need 
the use of everybody who knows the least bit about working with iron. 
We're going to need as many iron-tipped arrows as possible.'
Rabbit sighed. 全omehow I knew that something like this was going to 
turn up. Pounding out arrowheads day after day's likely to get tedious 
after a while.'
腺ut you're the expert, Bunny,' Eleria reminded him. 羨fter you show 
the other iron-pounders how it's done, you'll spend all your time 
watching and telling them if they're doing it wrong.'
禅hat's true, I suppose. When you get down to it, I'll be the captain of 
the smiths, won't I?' The notion of giving orders instead of taking them 
lit a warm little fire in his heart.
船on't let it go to your head,' Zelana advised.

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2
Rabbit set up his arrow shop on the beach near Zelana's cave, and 
there was trouble right from the start. The smiths from the other Maag 
ships objected violently when Rabbit told them that they'd be required to 
contribute every scrap of iron on board their ships, and they really didn't 
care much for the notion of working from dawn to dusk for weeks on end. 
A sea-going smith normally has life fairly easy. He might occasionally 
have to repair a pot for the ship's cook or sharpen a few swords and axes, 
but that was usually the extent of his labor.
選 don't see the point of this,' Hammer, the bull-shouldered smith from 
the Shark, the ship of Sorgan's cousin Skell, declared. 糎e're the ones 
who'll do all the fighting, aren't we? If these natives are too timid to fight 
their own wars, they won't be of much use when the fighting starts.'
選'm not so sure about that, Hammer,' one of the iron-smiths who'd 
been in the harbor of Kweta during Kajak's failed attempt on the Seagull 
said. 選've seen what that tall one they call Longbow can do with arrows 
when he sets his mind to it, and every enemy the Dhralls kill from a long 
way off is one less that we'll have to kill up close.'
選'll still think it's a waste of time and good iron,' Hammer declared 
stubbornly.
Longbow came out of the cave just then, and Rabbit saw a quick way 
to put an end to all the complaining. 羨re you busy right now?' he asked 
his friend.
鮮ot really, Rabbit. Why?'
践ammer here doesn't quite see the point of what we're doing. I think 
this might go smoother if you show him and some of the others what you 
can do with your bow. Why don't you prove it to them?'
鮮o trouble at all,' Longbow agreed. He looked around the beach and 
then went down to the water's edge and picked up a clam-shell. Then he 
came back and handed it to Hammer. 糎hy don't you take this on down 
the beach?' he said. 選'll show you what a well-aimed arrow can do.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

禅hat's a pretty small target,' Hammer said dubiously.
選've got good eyes. Hold it up over your head as you go so that I can 
see it.'
Hammer grumbled a bit, but he started down the beach holding the 
clam-shell up over his head. 羨bout here?' he called back after he'd gone 
a hundred paces.
詮arther,' Longbow replied.
Hammer kept walking. 践ere?' he called at two hundred paces.
詮arther,' Longbow called back.
禅his is silly!' Hammer shouted as he marched down the beach.
船o you think that might be far enough to persuade them?' Longbow 
asked Rabbit.
選f you can hit it from here, I don't think we'll get any more arguments 
about this.'
銑et's find out,' Longbow agreed, drawing his bow.
羨ren't you going to tell him to lean it up against a log or something?'
選 can see it well enough where it is,' Longbow replied, loosing his 
iron-tipped arrow.
The long, slender bow sang, and the arrow arched up and over the 
sandy beach. Then it began its descent.
The clam-shell shattered into a thousand pieces when Longbow's 
arrow smashed it out of Hammer's hand.
Hammer danced around, swearing and shaking his hand. 塑ou almost 
tore my fingers off!' he shouted.
塑ou were holding it too tight,' Longbow called. 全hould we break up 
more shells, or would you rather make arrowheads?'
Things went more smoothly after that. The iron-smiths of Sorgan's 
fleet hammered out arrowheads by the score, and the Dhralls of Lattash 
brought bundles of slender shafts. Soon there were dozens of arrows 
stacked in neat piles near the front of Zelana's cave. Rabbit felt a real 
sense of accomplishment as the sun settled slowly in the west.

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The work proceeded rapidly for the next several days, and then the 
weather turned sour again, with rain along the coast and more snow up in 
the mountains. Rabbit had to suspend operations while the Dhralls of 
Lattash erected well-roofed sheds over the anvils and forges to keep the 
rain from putting out the fires.
It had been raining for three days, and the sheds were still under 
construction when Eleria came out of the cave and walked down to where 
Rabbit was sourly looking up at the murky sky. 践ow much longer are we
going to have to put up with all this rain, baby sister?' he asked her.
羨s long as the Beloved thinks we need it, Bunny,' she replied. 選 need 
a hug,' she said then, holding her arms out to him. 薦verybody's so busy 
that they don't have time for me any more.'
Rabbit embraced her, and she kissed him soundly. 禅hat's better,' she 
said with a sunny smile. 船on't say bad things about the rain, Bunny. It's 
rain here, but it's snow up there in the mountains. The bad people can't 
move when it's snowing. Are you busy right now? The Beloved wants 
you to go fetch Hook-Big. There's somebody coming that she wants him 
to meet.'
選'll go get him,' Rabbit agreed, and he turned and hurried down the 
rain-swept beach to find somebody who could paddle a canoe without 
tipping it over.
Red-Beard wasn't doing much except watching the rain, so he agreed 
to paddle Rabbit out to the Seagull.
Sorgan was in his cabin sourly looking out at the dismal rain. 禅his is 
the soggiest place in the whole world,' he growled as Rabbit joined him.
選t's that time of year, Cap'n,' Rabbit reminded him. 銑ady Zelana 
wants you to meet somebody in her cave.'
舛an't she bring him out here?'
選 suppose I could go ask her, Cap'n, but I don't think you'd like her 
answer very much.'
Sorgan sighed and pulled on his heavy fur cape. Rabbit smiled, being 
careful not to let it show. His position on board the Seagull had 
noticeably changed over the past few weeks. Captain Hook-Beak, Ox, 
and Ham-Hand no longer ignored him or treated him like some feeble-
minded errand-boy. His position as Longbow's assistant that night back 
in Kweta had rather immediately changed everybody's opinion of him.

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Rabbit was of two minds about that. His new status definitely boosted 
his ego, but he was certain that he'd no longer be able to slip back into his 
previous anonymity. Whether he liked it or not, he did have a certain 
prominence now.
Captain Hook-Beak led the way out of his cabin to join Red-Beard on 
the rain-swept deck. 船oes it rain like this every year?' Sorgan asked the 
leather-clad Red-Beard as they climbed down into the canoe.
選t's not unusual,' Red-Beard replied. 選t isn't cold enough to snow 
here on the coast, but the snow's really piling up in the mountains above 
us. That's not a bad thing, you know. The enemy can't attack through 
deep snow.'
禅here's that, I suppose,' Sorgan conceded grudgingly. 遷ust who is it 
Lady Zelana wants me to meet, Rabbit?'
薦leria didn't say, Cap'n. Maybe Lady Zelana wants to surprise you.'
選 can live without too many surprises,' Sorgan grumbled.
Red-Beard smoothly beached his canoe not far from the mouth of 
Zelana's cave. There was an odd-looking boat anchored near the beach 
some distance to the south. Rabbit was almost positive that it hadn't been 
there when Eleria had come out of the cave to tell him what Zelana 
wanted. 糎hat kind of tub's that, Cap'n?' Rabbit asked curiously.
選 think it's what they call a fishing sloop, Rabbit,' Sorgan replied. 
善eople on to the south of Maag have lots of them out on the water at 
certain times of the year when the fish are running. I'm not all that fond 
of dried fish myself, but southerners seem to like them.'
The three of them pulled Red-Beard's canoe above the high-water 
mark and then climbed the hill to the rickety-looking hut that concealed 
the mouth of Zelana's cave. Longbow, Chief White-Braid, and Chief 
Old-Bear were waiting for them, and they led the way into the cave.
羨h, there you are, Sorgan,' Zelana said. 鮮ow we can get started. 
You've already met my brother Veltan. The antique over there is our 
older brother, Dahlaine, and the overdressed lady is my big sister, Aracia. 
They've come to watch you destroy the invading force.'
選'll try not to disappoint them, Lady Zelana,' Hook-Beak said. Then 
he looked inquiringly at the stranger standing beside Zelana's brother 
Veltan. The man had dark hair touched with silver at the temples, and he 
wore tight-fitting, glossy, black leather clothing. His upper body was

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

encased in a sort of iron vest, and he had a rounded iron helmet under one 
arm. There was a sheathed sword belted to his waist, and it reached 
almost down to his ankles. The hilt of the sword was quite heavy and 
long, suggesting that it was commonly wielded with both hands.
禅his is Commander Narasan of the Trogite Empire, Captain Hook-
Beak,' Veltan introduced the soldier. 践e's bringing a sizeable force here 
to aid you during the current unpleasantness.'
舛aptain,' the Trogite said with a brief nod.
舛ommander,' Sorgan responded, also nodding. Then he straightened. 
選 guess we'd better get this right out in the open,' he said. 繕p until a 
little while ago I made my living robbing Trogite trea-sure ships, and I 
was good at it. Lady Zelana persuaded me that I could earn much more 
gold if I gathered up a fleet and came here to fight this war for her. I 
know that it seems unnatural, but that puts you and me on the same side, 
and Maags and Trogites have never gotten along particularly well. Is this 
going to give you any kind of problems?'
選'm a soldier, Captain Hook-Beak,' the Trogite replied, 礎ut I fight 
wars for gold, not for patriotism. I've fought wars in the past against men 
I've called friends, beside people I didn't like. Then too, I don't have 
much use for the greedy Trogites who swindle the natives of Shaan. 
Those poor savages don't even realize what gold's worth, so they're 
willing to trade it for worthless trinkets. Rob as many of those swindlers 
as you want to, Hook-Beak. It doesn't hurt my feelings in the slightest. 
There's plenty of gold here in the Land of Dhrall, and we'll earn every 
ounce we'll get by fighting this war. We won't cheat each other, and we 
won't cheat the people who pay us.'
糎e'll get along fine, then,' Sorgan said with a faint smile. 選 haven't 
seen the enemy myself, but the Dhralls tell me that I'm probably going to 
be seriously outnumbered when the snow melts and the enemy comes 
down through that river valley. How many men can you bring, and how 
long do you think it'll take them to get here?'
選 have twenty thousand men on the way, Sorgan. They should be here 
in a week or so.'
選 can probably hold out at least that long,' Sorgan assured him. 選 sent 
my cousin here with an advance fleet, and he had his people building 
fortifications a ways on up the ravine that'll probably be the enemy's 
invasion route. Everything stopped a few weeks ago, though. A 
snowstorm buried everything in the ravine, so nobody's moving at all.' 
Sorgan scratched his cheek. 選 really wanted to gather more ships and

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

men back in Dhrall, but Lady Zelana ordered me to get here as soon as I 
could. I've got another cousin back home who's gathering up more ships 
and men, but I can't be certain sure when he'll get here. If things start to 
get tight, you and your army might just save the day for us. The way 
things stand right now, though, the enemy's buried up to his ears in snow 
up at the head of the ravine, and it looks like there's more snow on the 
way. We may not have to do any serious fighting until mid-summer.'
禅his promises to be an interesting war, doesn't it?' the Trogite 
Narasan observed mildly. 禅hat's assuming that we don't kill each other 
before the real war starts.'
糎e'd rather that you didn't, Narasan,' Veltan said with a faint smile.
The Trogite's expression grew thoughtful. 選t occurs to me, Captain, 
that even though we've both fought wars in the past, we probably don't 
fight in exactly the same way. As long as we're both here anyway, and 
since there's nothing of any urgency in the wind, wouldn't it be useful to 
pool our experience and get to know each other better? Is there anything 
in particular that you need right now?'
Sorgan squinted and scratched his cheek. 鮮ot that I can think of off-
hand.'
繕h - Cap'n,' Rabbit said a bit hesitantly, 選 need more iron.'
践ave you used up all we gave you when we first got here, Rabbit?' 
Sorgan asked, sounding surprised.
糎e're getting down to the bottom of the barrel, Cap'n. I've got a lot 
of smiths working on this, and if the rain ever lets up, we'll go through 
what's left in a hurry.'
糎hat are you building that needs so much iron, Sorgan?' Narasan 
asked.
羨rrowheads for the Dhralls. This tall one here is Longbow, and he's 
the only man I know of who can thread needles with his arrows from a 
half-mile away. But he and the rest of the Dhralls chip their arrowheads 
out of stone. Iron's better, so we started making iron arrowheads for them 
when we got here. I've talked it over with Longbow, and we pretty much 
agree that when the time comes, I'll lead my men up the bottom of the 
ravine, while the Dhralls move along the rim on both sides. If there's a 
steady downpour of arrows out in front of my men, it'll cut down on the 
number of enemies we'll have to fight.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

全hrewd,' Narasan said. 糎ho's your smith?'
然abbit here,' Sorgan replied. 践e's not big, but he knows how to work 
with iron.'
羨re you familiar with other metals as well, Rabbit?' Narasan asked.
選 can work with copper if I have to,' Rabbit told him, 礎ut it's too soft 
to make anything useful.'
Narasan reached into a leather pouch at his belt and took out a handful 
of large round coins. 舛ould you make arrowheads out of this?' He 
handed one of the coins to Rabbit.
Rabbit bounced the coin on the palm of his hand. It wasn't as heavy as 
iron, but it seemed harder and denser than copper. 選t's possible, I 
suppose. What kind of metal is this?'
選t's called bronze. Trogites use bronze coins to buy things that aren't 
very expensive. I've got a fair-sized fleet coming along the coast, and 
there'll be thousands of those coins on those ships, as well as assorted 
tools and ornaments. The fleet should be here before long, and once it 
arrives, you'll probably have all the bronze you'll need.'
Rabbit thoughtfully snapped his fingernail against the bronze coin. 
践ow hot a fire does it take to melt this?' he asked.
Narasan smiled. 選 haven't the faintest idea. Why?'
糎e've got forges as well as hammers and anvils,' Rabbit explained. 
選f we can stoke up the fires in the forges and get them hot enough to melt 
this bronze, we could make molds out of clay while we're waiting for 
your fleet to get here. We'll bake the molds to make them hard, and pour 
melted bronze into those molds. That'd be a lot faster than hammering 
them into shape on our anvils. We'll turn out arrowheads by the 
thousands instead of hundreds.'
羨h - Commander?' Zelana's brother Veltan said then, 祖orrect me if 
I'm wrong, but aren't the anchors on your ships made of bronze?'
Narasan blinked, and then he started to laugh. 選 guess I overlooked 
that,' he admitted. 選 wasn't alone, though. If I remember correctly, the 
anchor on your sloop's also made of bronze. That should give our little 
friend here enough for some experimentation, wouldn't you say?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3
The steady drizzle continued for the next few days, and Rabbit brought 
his forge into Zelana's cave so that he could continue his work with 
Veltan's bronze anchor. Things went much faster, he discovered, if he 
chopped the anchor into chunks instead of trying to melt it down all at 
once.
The first few bronze arrowheads he produced were not quite heavy 
enough to satisfy Longbow, so he made his mold larger and then larger 
again. Once he'd produced one Longbow found satisfactory, he used it to 
produce clay molds with the help of the village potters. There was quite a 
bit of trial and error involved, but he finally got the procedure smoothed 
out, and then he concentrated on making more and more of the hard-
baked clay molds. He was certain now that when Narasan's fleet arrived 
with all that bronze, he'd be ready. Once he'd produced several 
arrowheads that Longbow found to be satisfactory, his friend went off to 
the lodge of his chief. It seemed that Longbow and Old-Bear were very 
close, and the two of them conferred frequently with the scrawny old 
fellow they called 奏he shaman'. Rabbit wasn't exactly sure what the tide 
meant. It seemed to be an odd mixture of religion, healing various 
illnesses, and tending to wounds and injuries.
Narasan was staying in Zelana's cave, awaiting the arrival of his fleet, 
and Sorgan Hook-Beak came by every day so that they could confer. 
They spent many hours poring over Veltan's roughly sketched map of the 
ravine above the village of Lattash while Rabbit was dressing off the 
bronze arrowheads.
選 wish this had more details,' Narasan complained one morning, 
pushing the map aside.
Sorgan shrugged. 選t's all we've got, so it'll have to do, won't it?'
Red-Beard and Longbow escorted their chiefs into the cave about then.
羨h, Red-Beard,' Narasan said. 塑ou're just the man we wanted to 
see.' He reached for the map. 禅his is a sort of picture of that ravine 
where we'll probably meet the enemy. Take a look at it and tell us what 
you think. Is it anywhere at all close to the real ravine?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red-Beard briefly examined the map. 禅his won't help you much,' he 
said, handing the map back. 選've been involved in a few tribal wars in 
the past, and war's like hunting - except that the one I'm hunting is also 
hunting me. You can't hunt well if you base your decisions on a flat 
drawing. You need to look at the real ground.' 
選t's buried in snow right now,' Sorgan reminded him.
塑our picture doesn't show you where the hills and gullies are, how 
much is covered with trees, or where the steep places are. If you're going 
to fight this war up in that ravine, your life could depend on those 
details.'
選 would listen closely, Sorgan Hook-Beak,' old Chief White-Braid 
advised in the stiffly formal manner which Longbow had told Rabbit was 
common among tribal chieftains. 然ed-Beard has hunted that ravine since 
he was but a child, and he knows every tree and rock personally. We must 
win this war, since the creatures of the Wasteland will show us no mercy 
if we should lose.'
禅hat's blunt enough,' Sorgan replied. 腺ut how can anybody draw a 
picture that isn't flat?'
Rabbit set his whetstone aside and carefully ran his thumb across the 
edge of the arrowhead he'd been sharpening. It was probably sharp 
enough to shave with, he concluded. The molds he'd made to cast the 
bronze arrowheads seemed to be working out pretty well.
Two things seemed to come together in his mind just then. 選 think 
there might be a way to make a picture that isn't flat, Cap'n,' he said.
銑umpy ink maybe?' Sorgan replied in a sarcastic tone of voice.
鮮ot exactly, Cap'n. Why not use wet clay instead? Red-Beard knows 
that ravine like the back of his hand, and the potters who helped me make 
the arrowhead molds told me that there's a huge clay-bank down by the 
river that they've been using for generations. If they bring basket-loads of 
that clay here to Lady Zelana's cave, maybe Red-Beard could make a 
lumpy picture out of clay somewhere in here out of the rain.'
糎hat do you think, Red-Beard?' Sorgan asked.
選 don't know very much about making pots,' Red-Beard said 
dubiously, 疎nd my fingers are a little thick for fine details, I think.'
禅he potters have tools for that,' Rabbit told him. All you'd have to do

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

would be to tell them what shape you want. They can add clay or shave it 
off until they get it right.'
羨lmost like sculpture,' Narasan mused. 選t's got possibilities, Sorgan. 
Even if it's not absolutely accurate, it'll be much better than the rough 
sketch we've been using.'
選t's worth a try, I guess.' Sorgan agreed. Then he looked at Chief 
White-Braid. 践ow much longer is it likely to be until all that snow up in 
the mountains melts off?' he asked. 閃y people need to finish the forts 
they're building up in the ravine, but they can't get much work done 
when they're hip-deep in snow.'
The silvery-haired old chief looked a bit startled. 践ow much snow 
falls in the Land of Maag?' he asked.
前h, we get snow, right enough, but nothing like these three-week 
storms you get here, and it usually melts off before the next snowstorm 
arrives.'
羨h,' White-Braid said. 禅hat might explain your lack of 
understanding of certain dangers here in the Land of Dhrall. Winter is 
old, and he patiently builds his snow-banks in the mountains over many 
long nights; but spring is young, and she's sometimes enthusiastic. Her 
breath is warm, and the snow which patient old winter laid upon the 
mountains inch by inch will disappear overnight when she breathes upon 
it. Melted snow is water, and water yearns to rejoin Mother Sea. It is most 
unwise to be -in one of the ravines when this happens. The river will 
overflow its banks, and like some huge wave, it will rush down to the sea, 
tearing all that stands in its path from the place where it was.'
選 would listen closely here, Sorgan Hook-Beak,' Longbow's Chief, 
Old-Bear, said firmly. 禅here is much snow in the mountains this year, 
and when winter's grip loosens, the water rushing home to the sea will rip 
rocks away from where they now rest, and it will uproot trees as if they 
were no more than twigs. No one with any sense lingers in a ravine at this 
time of year.'
全o that's the purpose of that berm along this side of the river,' 
Narasan observed. 選t didn't seem to make any sense when I first saw it, 
but it does now. Does it keep the water back?'
White-Braid nodded. 糎e put it there to make it easier for the water to 
go down to the sea rather than to wander around in our village. Do not, as 
Chief Old-Bear warned, remain in the ravine when the warm wind begins

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

to blow, for if you do, you'll be washed away.'
禅hat gets right to the point, doesn't it?' Sorgan said. 選 think my 
cousin had better get word to his men up there. It's time for them to leave 
their forts and find some place where their feet won't get wet.'
船oes this same sort of thing happen all along the coast, Chief White-
Braid?' Narasan asked. 選've got about twenty thousand soldiers on board 
ships that are coming up from the south, and we need those soldiers here, 
not fifty leagues out to sea.'
Longbow had been standing off to one side, listening, but not saying 
anything. 選 think we might be overlooking something,' he said finally. 
前ur enemies live in the barren Wasteland where there are few streams, 
so they probably know little or nothing about these spring floods. I've 
spent many years hunting the creatures of the Wasteland, and I've seen 
very few of them in the winter. It's difficult to move through the 
mountains when they're covered with snow, and even if That-Called-the-
Vlagh does send its servants here during the winter, it's my guess that 
most of them will freeze to death up in the mountains or drown during the 
spring flood. That suggests that the Vlagh has no knowledge of these 
yearly floods, doesn't it?'
糎ell, maybe,' Sorgan agreed. 糎here are you going with this, 
Longbow?'
然ed-Beard's scouts tell us that the invaders are camped among the 
snowdrifts right on the banks of the river that runs down through the 
ravine, and that's not a safe place in the springtime. But if the Vlagh 
doesn't know about these spring floods, those who serve it wouldn't 
know either, would they? Isn't it quite possible that the spring flood will 
come as a complete surprise to them? Their march down the ravine might 
go quite a bit faster than they'd planned, but I don't think they'll stop 
when they reach Lattash. They'll invade Mother Sea instead, and not 
many people who live in deserts know how to swim. It might turn out that 
we'll win this war without even raising a hand. The seasons and Mother 
Sea might just win it for us.'
糎e'll still get paid, though, won't we?' Hook-Beak demanded in a 
slightly worried tone of voice.
選 think you'd better take a look at this sculptured model of the ravine 
that Red-Beard and the village potters are putting together, Skell,' Sorgan 
was telling his cousin as the two of them trudged up the beach in the

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drizzling rain to Rabbit's arrow shop. 禅he time's going to come before 
much longer when you'll have to get your men up out of the ravine in a 
hurry. If old Chief White-Braid's right about these spring floods, you're 
going to have something like a tidal wave coming down on you without 
much warning.'
選 think I should have held out for more gold, Sorgan,' Skell said 
sourly. 禅his isn't turning out to be anything at all like I expected.'
Rabbit trailed along behind them as they entered the cave.
禅he Beloved's busy right now,' Eleria told them.
糎e won't need to bother her,' Sorgan replied. 選 just want to show my 
cousin here Red-Beard's model of the ravine. How's he doing, by the 
way?'
践e was talking with Longbow this morning,' Eleria replied. 践e said 
that things are going a lot faster now, and that the potters should finish up 
by tomorrow. They don't need so much clay now.'
前h?' Sorgan said. 糎hy not? I thought they'd need even more the 
farther uphill they go.'
然ed-Beard was complaining about that, too,' she said. 選 made a little 
suggestion, and now they don't need nearly so much clay.'
糎hat suggestion was that, baby sister?' Rabbit asked.
禅hey didn't really have to pile clay up in those great big heaps. We've 
got all those yellow blocks in that long passage, so I told them to stack 
the blocks up on the cave floor where they're building that model of the 
ravine and then slather clay on top of the blocks to make only the surface. 
It seems to be working quite well.'
塑ou're slopping wet clay all over those gold bricks?' Sorgan almost 
screamed.
選t'll wash off after the war's over, Hook-Big,' Eleria assured him. 選t 
was just sitting there not doing anything, so I thought we might as well 
put it to work.'
Sorgan spluttered a bit, but then he threw his hands in the air. 選 give 
up,' he said.
選sn't he nice, Bunny?' Eleria said with a fond smile.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red-Beard was standing near the foot of his sculptured map, carefully 
inserting spruce twigs into the damp clay that represented the south side 
of the ravine.
選s the forest there really that dense, Red-Beard?' Commander 
Narasan, who was standing nearby, asked.
船enser,' Red-Beard replied. 選t thins out farther up, but the forest near 
the bottom of the ravine is so thick that the only way to get through is to 
follow the game trails.'
禅hat might give my soldiers some trouble,' Narasan mused. 糎e 
aren't used to fighting wars in thick brush. We like open fields where we 
can see the enemy.'
Red-Beard shrugged. 選f we can't see them, they can't see us. If 
Longbow's right about how stupid the servants of the Vlagh are, we 
probably won't encounter many of them near the bottom of the ravine. 
The spring flood should thin them out for us. We might start seeing a few 
of them father up the ravine, but the trees up there are much farther 
apart.'
践ow are things going, Narasan?' Sorgan asked.
腺etter than any of us had anticipated, Sorgan. I think map-making just 
grew up. Red-Beard's sculpture here makes every map I've ever seen 
look like the scribblings of a child.'
舛an you point out the place where your men were building their fort 
before the snow came, Skell?' Sorgan asked his cousin.
Skell peered down into the imitation ravine. 選t's right about here, I 
think,' he replied, pointing at a spot some distance upstream. 禅he river 
banks are narrow, and that makes things a lot easier. That wasn't the main 
reason I picked that spot, though. The walls of the ravine are straight up 
and down there, and if I butt walls right up against those flat faces, I'll be 
able to block off the whole ravine. Nobody's going to get past me, 
Sorgan.'
践ow far along had your men gone before the snow came?'
糎e had the north bank fairly well blocked-off by then. The south 
bank should be simpler. Four or five big boulders are about all it's going 
to take. Then we'll start on the walls that'll block off the benches.'
船o you think your fort down by the river's going to stay put when that

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

spring flood comes down the ravine?'
選t should, cousin. We didn't build it out of pebbles. We levered large 
boulders off that shelf that runs along both sides of the river. Things went 
faster that way, and if a boulder's so big that it takes a hundred men to 
budge it, it'll probably stay put no matter how much water comes down 
the ravine. I wasn't really thinking about floods when we picked the spot, 
though. I was just looking for a place that'd be easier to defend.'
践ow did you learn so much about land warfare, Skell?' Narasan asked 
curiously. 選 thought you Maags did your fighting at sea.'
Skell smiled. 糎hen Sorgan and I were only boys, we joined the crew 
of a Maag ship-captain called Dalto Big-Nose, and Big-Nose was famous 
for going after gold, no matter where it was - at sea or on land. His crew 
learned about fighting on land the hard way. We know which kind of 
barricades are the most difficult to get across because we used to have to 
climb over all kinds of them to get at the gold Big-Nose wanted. A man 
can learn a lot about barricades when he's standing behind one, but he 
learns a lot more when he's trying to get over them.'
塑es,' Narasan said. 禅hat would be educational.'
Zelana quietly came into the torch-lit chamber and glanced at Red-
Beard's handiwork. 膳ery nice,' she observed.
賎ood morning, Lady Zelana,' Sorgan greeted her. 選 was hoping that 
you'd stop by. Is it possible that the river used to be a lot wider than it is 
now? Those rocky benches about half-way up the sides of the ravine look 
to me like they might have been gouged out a long time ago.'
禅hey were,' she replied. 禅here was once a vast inland sea where the 
Wasteland is now, but Father Earth shuddered and shifted, and that sea 
broke loose and ate its way down out of those mountains.'
選'd say that we might want to use those benches when we go upriver, 
Narasan,' Sorgan suggested. 選t looks to me like it'd be faster that way 
than it'd be down along the river banks. The benches seem to be wider 
and not so cluttered up with boulders and thick brush. But that'll come 
later - after that spring flood's over. Right now, I think our main 
problem's going to be getting Skell's men up out of the ravine without 
alerting the enemy. I'm sure they've got scouts watching everything we 
do. If Skell's men pack up and move out, won't that let the enemy know 
that it's dangerous down at the bottom of the ravine? We're hoping that 
the spring flood's going to take them by surprise, but if Skell's men run

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

away, won't they get a little suspicious?'
選'm afraid you might be right, Sorgan,' Narasan said, frowning, 疎nd I 
can't see any way around the problem.'
Rabbit was carefully examining the model of the ravine. 糎hat are all 
these little cuts that run down from the rim?' he asked Red-Beard.
全mall streams,' Red-Beard replied. 禅hey're dry for most of the year, 
but they fill up during the spring runoff, and over the years they've eaten 
their way down to the main river.'
舛ould a man get up to the rim if he followed one of them?'
選've hunted deer in many of them. They're steep and narrow, but a 
man can make his way to the top through them if he really thinks it's 
necessary.'
禅hen if Skell's men got some sort of warning that the flood was about 
to start, they could get out of the ravine in a hurry if they went up through 
those cuts, couldn't they?'
選t's possible,' Red-Beard conceded, 礎ut who's going to warn them in 
time for them to escape the flood.?'
糎hich direction does that warm wind usually come from?'
詮rom across the sea to the west, and there's no "usually" involved. 
The spring wind always comes from the west.'
禅hen it'll blow through Lattash quite a bit sooner than it'll go on up 
the ravine, won't it?'
糎hat are you getting at, Rabbit?' Sorgan asked.
選f it's that hot wind that sets off the flood, then Skell's men can stay 
right where they are until the wind starts to blow, but it might cut things a 
bit tight if they wait until it gets that far up the ravine. They won't really 
have to wait, though. There are a lot of Maag ships anchored out in the 
bay, and if you anchored a few way out at the inlet that leads into the bay, 
that hot wind would hit them hours before it made its way up to Skell's 
fort.'
全o?' Sorgan asked.
禅here's at least one sailor on every Maag ship with a horn, Cap'n, and 
if I remember right, the Dhralls have horns, too. If Red-Beard and

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Longbow were to space out their horn-blowers up there on the rim of the 
ravine, they can blow their horns as soon as they hear ours blowing out in 
the bay. We could send Skell all the warning he's likely to need by 
passing toots from the bay all the way up to the fort, and the toots will get 
there quite a while before the hot wind does. That'll let Skell know that 
it's time to pack up and get out of the ravine.'
Skell gave Rabbit a hard, unfriendly look.
選t sounds like a good idea to me,' Sorgan said.
糎ould you like to wade through hip-deep snow to get up there and tell 
the men at the fort to start listening for toots, Sorgan?' Skell demanded.
選 couldn't really do that, Skell,' Sorgan replied with mock seriousness. 
禅hey're your men, after all, and it just wouldn't be right if I ran up there 
and started ordering them around, would it?'
The weather cleared off a couple of days later, and there was definitely 
a faint smell of spring in the air. Rabbit and the other Maag smiths were 
still hammering arrowheads from the last few scraps of iron they'd 
scavenged from Sorgan's fleet, but Rabbit periodically set his hammer 
aside and walked away from the loud banging noise of the arrow shop to 
listen carefully for the sound of the horns which were to announce the 
approach of the warm wind. Just about everybody in Lattash was 
listening for the horns. They all wanted that wind to arrive, but there were 
still many things that needed to be done first, so they were in two minds 
about it.
There was no sound of horns that day, but a fleet of lumbering Trogite 
ships sailed into the bay of Lattash about mid-afternoon. That definitely 
brightened Rabbit's day. His supply of bronze had finally arrived.
The Trogite Commander Narasan went down to the beach to greet his 
army, and after a bit of discussion, he came back up the beach 
accompanied by four other armored Trogites. They were quite a bit 
shorter than the Maags Rabbit was more familiar with, and like 
Commander Narasan, they all wore tight-fitting black leather clothing, 
iron vests, and helmets. Their heavy swords were belted to their waists, 
and their boots were sturdy and well-made.
Narasan paused as the Trogite delegation passed the arrow shop. 
糎ould you like to join us, Rabbit?' he asked. 糎e're going to discuss 
our strategy with Sorgan and the others, and you may have some

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contributions to make.'
選'll sit in if you want,' Rabbit agreed, 礎ut I don't know too much 
about strategy and the like.'
禅hat's what I'm hoping, Rabbit,' Narasan replied. 善rofessionals tend 
to have their concepts locked in stone, so we overlook possibilities that 
might occur to a clever but inexperienced fellow like you.'
Rabbit was a little dubious, but he joined the Trogite soldiers walking 
toward Zelana's cave.
選 don't want to be offensive,' a young Trogite soldier said to Rabbit, 
礎ut aren't you a bit small for a Maag? I've never encountered Maags 
before, but I've heard that most of them are about seven feet tall.'
塑ou wouldn't believe how many other people have noticed the same 
thing,' Rabbit replied sourly.
閃y name's Keselo, by the way,' the young fellow introduced himself. 
選s your name really Rabbit?'
禅hat's what they call me. I don't like it all that much, but up until a 
little while ago, the name served its purpose. My main goal in life was to 
sort of stay out of sight. Then Longbow came along and spoiled 
everything.'
銑ongbow?'
践e's a Dhrall archer who's so good with his bow that if we gave him 
enough arrows, he could probably win this war all by himself.'
塑ou're joking, of course.'
選 wouldn't be too sure,' Rabbit replied.
Rabbit and Keselo followed Narasan and the three other Trogites into 
the cave where Hook-Beak, Ox, and Ham-Hand were waiting.
閃y men have finally arrived, Sorgan,' Narasan said. 禅his bulky one 
who's going bald is Gunda. His lanky friend is Padan, the thin one is 
Jalkan, and the boy is Keselo. Gunda, Jalkan, and Padan have been with 
my army quite a while, and Keselo's sort of an apprentice.'
賎entlemen,' Sorgan said with a brief nod. 禅his is my first mate, Ox, 
and the other one's my second mate, Kryda Ham-Hand.'

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舛olorful names,' Padan observed.
選t's a Maag peculiarity, Padan,' Narasan said. 禅heir names tend to be 
descriptive.'
羨h,' Padan said. 閃y friends, Hairless Gunda, Scrawny Jalkan, and I 
are pleased to make your acquaintance, gentlemen.'
糎atch your mouth, Padan,' Gunda growled.
選'm glad your people made it, Narasan,' Sorgan said. 禅he weather 
could turn any time now, and once the snow melts off, things are likely to 
get exciting up in that ravine. I wouldn't want them to miss any of the 
fun.'
船id your cousin-manage to get back up to where his people are 
building that fort?' Narasan asked.
践e hasn't sent word back yet, but he's probably there. Once Skell sets 
his mind to something, he usually manages to pull it off. He's stubborn 
and bad-tempered, but I can always count on him to do what he's 
supposed to do. Something came to me last night that we might want to 
think about. You and I are professionals, Narasan, and when we're 
working for money, we don't let old dislikes get in the way. Some of our 
people get excited when they come across traditional enemies, though - 
the younger fellows for the most part. I think it's one of those things a 
man has to outgrow. If we're going to move up the ravine along those 
benches on either side of the river, I think maybe I'd better take one side, 
and you should take the other. That'll put the river between us. The 
young fellows can shout curses at each other, but that's about all.'
選 get your point, Sorgan,' Narasan agreed. 糎hich bench do you 
want? North or south?'
選'm going to move my ships away from yours anyway,' Sorgan 
replied. 糎e don't want them to be anchored side by side for the same 
reason that we don't want our armies on the same side of the river. That'll 
put me closer to the north bench, so I'll take that one, if it's all right with 
you.'
漸uite appropriate, Sorgan. Maags are northmen, and we Trogites are 
southerners.'
塑ou know, I've noticed the same thing myself,' Sorgan said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4
The day was cloudy and calm, and the smiths were busy melting down 
Trogite bronze to cast more arrowheads in the clay molds. It was about 
mid-afternoon when Longbow came out of Zelana's cave. 選 think you'd 
better come inside, Rabbit,' he said. 禅here's something you should 
probably know about.'
選s it important? I'm sort of busy right now.'
塑our friends here know what they're doing. You don't have to stand 
over them. This is a matter of some seriousness.'
践ammer,' Rabbit called out to the smith of Skell's ship, the Shark, 
奏ake over here. Lady Zelana needs to talk with me.'
選f you say so, Rabbit,' Hammer agreed.
Hammer's obedient attitude gave Rabbit a warm glow. He knew that it 
was childish, but his recent elevation among the ranks of the Maags was 
very satisfying, for some reason. 糎hat's afoot?' he asked Longbow as 
the two of them went toward the mouth of Zelana's cave.
Longbow smiled faintly. 選 wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you, 
my little friend.'
糎hy do you always have to be that way?'
詮or the fun of it, I suppose.'
塑ou've been spending way too much time with baby sister, 
Longbow,' Rabbit said sourly.
There seemed to be quite a crowd of people in Zelana's cave. Most of 
them were fairly important, and that suggested to Rabbit that there might 
be some sort of crisis in the wind. The two chiefs, White-Braid and Old-
Bear, were standing off to one side, along with the thin old man who 
seemed to have quite a bit of authority in Old-Bear's tribe. Sorgan and 
Narasan, along with several other Maags and Trogites were also there, 
and Zelana, her two brothers, and her older sister were at the back of the 
large chamber where Zelana. spent most of her time. Eleria was there as

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

well, along with three other children, a girl and two boys.
選 guess we'd better get started,' Zelana said. 善erhaps I should 
apologize, but I'm not good at that, so I don't think I'll bother. The spring 
flood that's going to come down the ravine almost any day now will 
probably take the servants of That-Called-the-Vlagh completely by 
surprise, and most of them in the ravine right now aren't likely to survive. 
That-Called-the-Vlagh has many, many servants, though, so after the 
flood subsides, the Vlagh will just send more. Sooner or later, our friends 
from the Land of Maag and the Trogite Empire will begin to encounter 
the creatures of the Wasteland, and those creatures have certain 
peculiarities that our friends need to be aware of, and that's why we're 
here today.'
賎et to the point, Zelana,' her bearded older brother told her.
船o you want to do this, Dahlaine?' she asked tartly.
選t's your Domain, Zelana,' he gave up. 船o it any way you want to.'
禅hank you.' Her tone was flat - even unfriendly. There seemed to be 
quite a few tensions in Zelana's family. 鮮ow, then,' she continued, 
糎hen Veltan and I first spoke with our outlander friends, we may have 
glossed over a few things they should probably know about, now that 
they're here.'
前h?' Sorgan said. 糎e know that the enemies are fairly primitive, but 
it won't hurt if we know a bit more about them. Do they happen to have 
some exotic weapons or something?'
糎ell - sort of,' Zelana replied. She looked at Longbow. 善erhaps you 
should introduce them to One-Who-Heals,' she suggested.
He shrugged. 選f you wish,' he replied. He gestured at the thin old 
Dhrall standing near Chief Old-Bear. 禅hat is our shaman, One-Who-
Heals,' he told them. 羨s some of you know, I've been hunting and 
killing the servants of the Vlagh for twenty years now, but before I began, 
One-Who-Heals told me many things about those I wanted to kill.' There 
was a flat, unemotional quality to Longbow's voice that sent chills 
through Rabbit. 選 have spoken with our shaman, and he has agreed to tell 
you things you should know before you meet our enemies.'
選 will do the best I can, Longbow,' the old man replied. He squinted 
dubiously at the Maags and Trogites. 糎hat I am about to tell you may 
seem quite strange and unlikely,' he told them, 礎ut it would be wise of 
you to take seriously what I say. That-Called-the-Vlagh holds dominion

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over the Wasteland, and it tampers with its servants in many peculiar 
ways, so that they may better serve it. They who rightfully hold dominion 
over the Land of Dhrall - East and West, North and South - do not tamper 
with living creatures as does That-Called-the-Vlagh, so we have become 
what we are in response to the world around us. Life has many forms, and 
each form remains true to its orgins. That-Called-the-Vlagh, however, 
crosses the boundaries between the various forms of life, mingling 
characteristics to build creatures which often have most unnatural 
capabilities. When you see one, it will look like a small man wearing a 
hooded garment made of cloth. That is not what it is, however. It is only 
partially a man, and its garment is spun out from its own body - even as 
the web of a spider is.'
羨re you saying that they're part bug?' Gunda exclaimed.
One-Who-Heals nodded. 腺ut they are also part man and part reptile. 
That-Called-the-Vlagh, it would seem, ignores the boundaries which 
separate the various creatures in the Wasteland, and it joins them in ways 
which are most unnatural. Those which we have seen here in the Domain 
of Zelana have snakelike fangs in their mouths and insectlike stingers 
above their wrists. They have no weapons of the kinds we carry because 
they have no need for them. Their weapons are a part of their own bodies, 
because their fangs and stingers are venomous, and their venom kills 
almost instantly.'
塑ou seem to have neglected to tell us about this, Veltan,' the Trogite 
Commander observed in a cool, unfriendly voice.
選f you take some care, it's not a serious problem,' Longbow said 
calmly. 選've been killing them by the hundreds for twenty years now.'
鮮aturally,' Sorgan said, 礎ut not too many of us are good enough with 
a bow to stick arrows into somebody who's a half-mile away.'
Longbow shrugged. 選t's not that big a problem, Sorgan. The venom in 
their fangs and stings will kill anything - even others of its own kind. I've 
had quite a bit of success by simply sticking my arrowheads into the 
venom sacs of those I've already killed. The enemy has to be close 
enough to bite or sting you. A long spear with its point dipped in venom 
should keep you fairly safe.'
禅hat's very interesting, Longbow,' Sorgan said, 礎ut just where are 
we going to be able to get our hands on that much poison?'
選n just a few days a flood should be coming down the ravine, 
Sorgan,' Longbow reminded Rabbit's captain. 選t'll carry all sorts of

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things down the river- trees, branches, old logs, dead enemies, bushes, 
and twigs. If we fish the dead enemies out of the river and drain their 
venom sacs, we should have more than enough poison to treat every 
spear, sword, and arrowhead we'll be using to kill the servants of the 
Vlagh.'
糎ell, maybe,' Sorgan said dubiously.
Rabbit suddenly remembered something. 禅hat strange-looking little 
fellow you killed with one of your old stone arrows back in Kweta was 
one of the things we're going to have to fight, wasn't it?'
前f course,' Longbow replied. 禅hat's why I used one of my old 
arrows. They'd already been dipped in poison.'
選 think we'll have to fort up, Commander,' Gunda suggested. 糎e 
don't want to get too close to those things, do we? If they have to climb a 
wall to get to us, we should be able to poke them off that wall with 
poisoned spears, and after a while they'll get the point and go play 
someplace else.'
禅hey will not do that,' One-Who-Heals disagreed. 前nce they have 
been told to attack, they will keep coming at you until they swarm over 
you - or until the last one has been killed. They are not intelligent enough 
to be afraid.'
Narasan was frowning. 選 think this changes quite a few things, Sorgan. 
We'd better take a long, hard look at our plans, If this spring flood clears 
the ravine of all the enemies, we should probably hurry right along and 
get to the head of the ravine just as quickly as we can and build a strong 
fort up there to hold the enemies back.'
糎hat if they don't all get drowned?' Sorgan asked.
禅hen we might have to go as far as your cousin's fort and stop there. 
If we start getting involved in little hand-to-hand skirmishes, we could 
lose half of our men, and neither of us would like that very much, would 
we?'
鮮ot even a little bit,' Sorgan agreed. He scratched at his cheek. 鮮ow 
that I've had a bit of time to digest this business of the snake-men, I don't 
know that it really changes all that much. All we have to do is stay a little 
ways away from them. If we do most of our fighting with long spears, the 
snake-people won't get close enough to bite us, and since they don't have 
any weapons except their teeth and those stingers along the sides of their 
arms, they should be fairly easy to defeat, wouldn't you say?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

塑ou've got a point there, Sorgan,' Narasan conceded. 羨nd, if we can 
gather up enough of the venom to poison all of our spear-tips, all that our 
people need to do is scratch a charging enemy or give him a little poke 
with the spear to kill him right there in his tracks. He'll be too busy dying 
to come any closer. This might turn out to be an easy war after all.'
羨nd the nice part of it is that the enemy supplies us with the poison 
we'll use to defeat him,' Sorgan added.
選 know,' Narasan said with a broad grin. 選 think that's terribly 
generous of him, don't you?'
糎ake up, Bunny. It's time to toot.'
Rabbit struggled up out of sleep to stare at the strange little girl who'd 
just roused him. 塑ou're Lillabeth, aren't you?' he asked. 禅he little girl 
who came here with Zelana's sister, Aracia?'
禅hat's me,' the dark-haired little girl replied. 岨elana asked me to 
wake you. You're supposed to go outside and blow your horn.'
選 don't understand.' Rabbit was still only about half awake, and his 
mind seemed a little foggy.
選t's very simple, Bunny. Take up your horn, go outside, pucker up, 
and blow.' She pointed at the cave-mouth. 賎o! Now!'
Rabbit didn't care much for her attitude, but he struggled to his feet, 
took up his horn, and went out into the night.
It was still dark outside, but the wind blowing in from the bay was 
quite warm, and it seemed that every Maag with a horn in the fleet out 
there in the bay was responding to a signal from farther out. Rabbit 
climbed up to the shoulder of the hill above the cave-mouth to make sure 
that the sound of his horn would carry up to the rim of the ravine. Then 
he raised his horn and blew a long, mellow-sounding note. He stood 
listening intently for a response. After a few moments, a mournful-
sounding reply came down from out of the mountains above Lattash. The 
reply was coming from some distance off, and the echos resounded from 
the nearby hills and crags. A few moments later, Rabbit heard yet another 
reply that was much fainter, but nonetheless stirred its own echoes. 
Fainter and fainter responses, each trailing echoes, faded back up into the 
mountains. 禅hat should do it,' Rabbit muttered to himself. 選 hope 
somebody's awake in Skell's fort.' He turned and climbed back down the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

hill.
When he re-entered the cave, he found that Zelana's relatives and the 
children were all there. The young Trogite, Keselo, was standing 
somewhat behind Veltan with a look of bafflement on his face.
Everybody in the cave was watching Eleria intently as she lay sleeping 
on a fur robe near the fire, with what appeared to be a pink ball in her 
hand.
船id the warning reach Sorgan's cousin?' Zelana's elder brother, 
Dahlaine, asked.
禅hey were passing it along,' Rabbit replied. 選 listened for a while, 
and the sounds of the horns were getting fainter and fainter as they moved 
up the ravine. I'd say that the word's reached Skell by now.'
践ow warm is the wind?' Zelana's sister asked him.
糎arm enough, I'd say. If it's still that warm when it reaches the head 
of the ravine, the snow up there - and in the surrounding mountains - 
won't last very long. Why are we all watching Eleria like this? Is she sick 
or something?'
全he's dreaming, Bunny,' the little girl who'd awakened him replied.
薦verybody has dreams. What's so unusual about hers?'
践ow much does this one know, Zelana?' Dahlaine asked.
善robably quite a bit more than he's supposed to,' Zelana replied. 
践e's a member of the crew of Sorgan's ship, and Longbow found him to 
be useful. He's caught me tampering with things on several occasions 
already. I don't think we'll be able to hide very much from him. Eleria's 
fond of him, and Longbow's his friend.'
船oes he know enough not to tell everybody he encounters just who 
and what we are?'
選 think so, yes.'
糎hat about this other one?' Dahlaine asked, pointing at the young 
Trogite, Keselo.
践e's young and inexperienced,' Veltan replied, 礎ut Commander 
Narasan believes that he has a great deal of potential - assuming that we 
don't get him killed.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A sharp sense of apprehension came over Rabbit. He was almost 
positive that Dahlaine was about to tell him and the young Trogite some 
things that they didn't really want to know.
羨ll right then,' Dahlaine said, turning a stern eye on the pair of them. 
糎e'd take it as a kindness if the two of you keep what I'm about to tell 
you strictly to yourselves. Of course, nobody from the outlands would 
believe you anyway, but let's not start circulating rumors and 
exaggerations if we can avoid it. As you heard last night, there's trouble 
in the wind here in my sister Zelana's Domain, and Eleria's currently 
dealing with it.'
腺aby sister?' Rabbit exclaimed. 糎hy don't you or Lady Zelana take 
care of it?'
禅hat's not permitted,' Dahlaine told him.
銑ady Zelana tampers with things all the time,' Rabbit protested. 全he 
can do anything.'
鮮ot anything that kills people,' Dahlaine disagreed. 禅hat's one thing 
that we aren't permitted to do.'
腺ut Eleria is?' That doesn't make any sense at all.'
全he isn't doing it. It's her dream that kills. The dream brings natural 
forces into play. In this case, it's going to be a very warm wind, I think - 
probably quite a bit warmer than is usually the case. Mother Sea controls 
the weather, but Eleria's dream can override Mother Sea's preferences. It 
gets just a bit complicated. To put it in the simplest of terms, Mother Sea 
wants to preserve all life - even the lives of the monstrous slaves of That-
Called-the-Vlagh. Eleria's dream will unleash a hot wind that will cause a 
flood that's going to be much more savage than the usual spring flood, 
and that flood will do a lot of your job here. It will kill most of the enemy 
creatures currently in the ravine above Lattash, so That-Called-the-Vlagh 
will be obliged to gather up more of its servants and command them to 
invade Zelana's Domain again. That will take time, and we hope that 
extra time will give you outlanders the chance to occupy the ravine and 
hold back that second incursion.'
選 think you should take this up with Commander Narasan, Sir,' Keselo 
protested. 選'm not experienced enough to put this information to good 
use.'
選'm sorry, young man,' Dahlaine said firmly. 全omebody in each of 
our hired armies needs to know what's really happening. That person

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should be close enough to the army commander to persuade him to do 
what needs to be done. Narasan listens to you, and Hook-Beak listens to 
Rabbit.'
糎hy do I always get saddled with these chores?' Rabbit complained.
腺ecause you're quick, clever, and inventive,' Zelana told him, 疎nd 
because Longbow and Eleria both like you. That might become important 
later on. Quit sniveling, Bunny. Just smile and do as you're told.'
選 wish all you people would get off the "Bunny" business.'
薦leria calls you Bunny all the time,' Lillabeth said. 選t's a sign of her 
affection.'
選f you people are going to keep on babbling like this, take it outside,' 
Zelana's older sister Aracia told them pointedly. 選f you happen to 
interrupt Eleria's dream, all our plans are going to fly out the window.'
糎e're almost done, Aracia,' Dahlaine told her. He turned back to 
Rabbit and Keselo. 禅his is only the first war,' he told them. 禅here'll be 
three more, and your people will be involved in all of them. I've observed 
Sorgan and Narasan, and I'm quite certain that they'll stay here and fight 
if we offer them more gold. We'll also be bringing in the Malavi 
horsemen and the women warriors from the Isle of Akalla to join us in 
our struggle. Eventually, we'll probably have to march our armies into 
the Wasteland and deal with That-Called-the-Vlagh permanently. Now 
the two of you know what's really happening here. You're both clever 
enough to lead your chieftains - or whatever you want to call them - down
the proper path. We'll be close enough to keep you advised if the 
Dreamers are about to unleash any other natural disasters, so you'll be 
able to warn your leaders.'
全organ and Narasan are coming along the beach,' Zelana warned 
them. 然abbit, you and Keselo had better stay here. The rest of you go 
back in the cave. Let's not alert them to what's really happening.'
Her brothers and sister took the children back toward the passageway 
where Zelana kept her gold, and a moment or two later, Sorgan and 
Narasan entered, along with Ox, Ham-Hand, Gunda, Jalkan, and Padan. 
Longbow, the two chiefs, and Red-Beard weren't far behind them, and 
they all had serious, businesslike looks on their faces.
禅hat wind out there is gusting,' Sorgan reported, 疎nd it's as warm as 
mid-summer. Chief White-Braid here tells us that the river's going to 
start to rise before morning, and it'll run out of its banks by noon. He's

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

fairly sure that dike his people built will protect the village. We've talked 
it over, and we all agree that it might be best if all of us outlanders went 
back on board our ships out in the bay and sat out the flood there. That 
way, we won't get scattered, and we'll see when the flood begins to 
subside. Then we'll come back ashore and move up the ravine.'
禅he plan seems sound, Hook-Beak,' Zelana approved. 選'll keep 
Rabbit and Keselo here, just in case I need to send messages out to you. 
The Dhralls will be up on the rim, so they'll keep an eye on the river. 
When it returns to its banks, they'll sound their horns again, and Rabbit 
and Keselo can pass the word to you gentlemen out in the bay.'
禅his is turning out even better than I'd hoped,' Narasan said. 禅his 
annual spring flood's likely to do about half of our job for us.'
糎e'll see,' Sorgan replied cautiously. 選t's all going to hinge on 
whether or not the invaders stay down at the bottom of the ravine. If they 
recognize the danger and make a run for higher ground, we'll have to face 
their whole poison-fanged army, and we might be just a bit short-handed 
for that.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5
The warm wind was still coming in from the sea when the sun rose the 
next morning, and Rabbit and Keselo climbed the hill above the cave 
mouth to keep an eye on the river.
選 don't see all that much difference, do you?' the young Trogite said.
選t'll need to do a lot better than that if it's going to do our job for us,' 
Rabbit agreed. Then he looked curiously at Keselo. 選t's probably none of 
my business, but what made you decide to take up soldiering? Is the pay 
really that good?'
Keselo shrugged. 鮮o, but we eat regularly, and we don't have to sleep 
in the street. I wasn't interested in politics or buying and selling, so my 
father, bought me a commission in Commander Narasan's army.'
糎hat's a "commission"?' Rabbit asked curiously.
選'm an officer instead of an ordinary soldier. I'm supposed to tell the 
ordinary soldiers what to do - "dig a ditch." "Build a wall." "Kill those 
people over there." Things like that.'
羨h,' Rabbit said. 塑ou'd be sort of like Ox and Ham-Hand, then. 
They're the first and second mates on board the Seagull. The Cap'n tells 
them what he wants done, and then they tell us ordinary seamen to do it 
and hurry. It sounds to me like being a soldier isn't all that much different 
from being a sailor. We all take orders, don't we?'
選 suppose I hadn't thought of it that way,' Keselo admitted. 践ow did 
you Maags get involved in this war?'
銑ady Zelana took the Cap'n into the back of her cave and showed him 
about ten tons of gold bricks. Then the Cap'n took a hundred or so of the 
bricks back to Maag and showed them to just about everybody who 
owned a ship. We didn't have too much trouble gathering up a fleet to 
come across and fight this war.'
Keselo smiled. 膳eltan did much the same thing when he hired us. Of 
course, he had to find Commander Narasan first.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

前h? Was he lost?'
鮮ot really. We all knew where he was, but he didn't want to be a 
soldier any more. We'd been involved in a war that hadn't worked out 
well, and Commander Narasan blamed himself, threw his uniform away, 
and set up shop as a beggar. The army was right on the verge of falling 
apart after he left. We tried everything we could think of to persuade him 
to come back, but he wouldn't listen to us. Then Veltan came along, 
talked to him for a little while, and Commander Narasan came back 
home. It could have been the promise of gold that persuaded him, but I 
think it might have been something a little more than that. For some 
reason, it's awfully hard to say no to someone in Veltan's family.'
塑ou've got that right,' Rabbit agreed. 羨nd if one of them can't bring 
us around, they turn the children loose on us. It's impossible to say no to 
one of the children. Longbow's made out of solid iron, and he didn't want 
any part of this war.
Zelana turned Eleria loose on him, and that little girl wrapped him 
around her finger in no time at all.'
選s Longbow really as good an archer as everybody claims he is?' 
Keselo asked curiously.
Rabbit shrugged. 践e doesn't know how to miss, that's all.'
羨re the other Dhralls that good as well?'
舛lose, maybe, but nobody in the world's as good as Longbow.'
Zelana's brother Veltan came up the slope to join them on the hilltop. 
羨nything unusual yet?' he asked.
鮮ot as far as we've seen,' Keselo replied.
選t's coming. You can be sure of that.'
選 wish it'd get on with it,' Rabbit said. 糎e've got a lot hanging on 
this flood business. Is baby sister still sleeping?'
Veltan nodded. 糎hy do you call her that?' he asked.
Rabbit shrugged. 選t's sort of silly,' he admitted. 選t just popped into 
my head when she came up with that "Bunny" business. She says 
"Bunny" and I say "baby sister".' It's sort of childish, I know, but she is a 
child, after all, and she seems to like it. Wait until she starts climbing up

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and sitting in your lap.'
塑ou love her, don't you?'
薦verybody loves Eleria. You just can't help yourself.'
岨elana's much the same,' Veltan said. 選'm sure that she taught Eleria 
all the little tricks.'
Keselo was staring at the mouth of the ravine. 選 think the river's 
starting to rise,' he observed.
Rabbit looked quickly at the mouth of the ravine. The river was higher, 
and its surface was littered with broken tree-branches and other debris 
from the mountains. 選 was expecting something a bit more spectacular, 
Veltan. If it just rises slow and steady like it's doing now, the snake-
people are going to have lots of time to get out of the way.'
禅his is only the beginning, Rabbit,' Veltan told him. 薦leria's still 
sleeping and dreaming. She isn't finished yet.'
The sun was well above the horizon by now, and the wind from the 
west was still brisk and warm, but the river at the mouth of the ravine 
remained well within its banks. Then Rabbit heard a faint roaring sound 
echoing down from the ravine. 糎hat's that noise?' he curiously asked 
Veltan.
選t's what we've been waiting for, my little friend,' Veltan replied with 
a broad grin. 禅here's a winter's worth of snow coming down that ravine 
all at once.'
The roaring sound grew louder and louder until it was much like 
thunder, and then a solid wall of water burst out of the mouth of the 
ravine. As closely as Rabbit was able to determine, it was at least fifty 
feet high, and it was tearing trees up by the roots as it blasted out into the 
open. The crest of the huge wave curled forward, and the thunderous 
sound shook the very earth.
糎hat was holding it back before?' Keselo asked curiously.
Veltan shrugged. 選t probably hadn't built up enough pressure to break 
through. The hot wind turned the snow on the mountainsides to slush, and 
the slush slid down into the river to form a sort of dam. The water backed 
up behind the dam and then broke through all at once. Nice little flood, 
isn't it?'
選t looks good to me,' Rabbit agreed. 践ow long do you think it'll take

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

for the river to go back where it belongs?'
詮our or five days at least. A week might come closer.'
Large logs were tumbling over the crest now, and mixed with the 
debris were a goodly number of limp, dead creatures - deer, wild cows, 
and smaller animals as well. There were also quite a few tiny, oddly 
dressed men among the animals. 禅he flood seems to be doing its job,' 
Keselo observed. 選'd say that there probably aren't too many invaders 
left up there in the ravine.' 
糎hat a shame,' Veltan said.
The water continued to rush out of the mouth of the ravine for the rest 
of the day, flooding the low-lying ground on the north side of the river. 
The coastal village of Lattash had been built on the slightly higher ground 
on the south side of the river, but is was still the earth-berm that the 
Dhralls of White-Braid's tribe had built between the river and the village 
that held the flood at bay.
Rabbit and Keselo came down the hill above the village and joined 
Longbow and Red-Beard on the berm.
践as the spring flood ever come over the top of the berm?' Keselo 
asked Red-Beard.
Red-Beard shrugged. 羨 few times,' he admitted, 礎ut no more than a 
few feet. It's a little inconvenient, but it doesn't do any serious damage. 
I've heard that once, a long time ago, the flood broke through the berm 
and destroyed most of the village. When the people here rebuilt the berm, 
they used rocks instead of dirt as a base, and that kept the river away 
much better.'
選 think we should speak with our chieftains, Red-Beard,' Longbow 
suggested. 糎e need quite a few people up here on the berm to drag in 
those drowned enemies. They have something that we're going to need 
before too much longer.'
選 think you're right, my friend,' Red-Beard agreed. 選've been trying 
to forget about that venom business. It makes me go cold all over.'
糎e'll bring in as many of the dead ones as we can and pile them up 
here on the berm. Then we can use our canoes to gather up the ones that 
get past us and we'll pile those on the beach.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

践ow do you go about getting the venom out of the dead ones?' Red-
Beard asked curiously.
選'm not entirely sure,' Longbow confessed. 羨ll I've done in the past 
has involved stabbing my arrows into the venom sacks on a dead one and 
then leaving the body in the forest for the vultures.'
選 don't think that'll work too well here, Longbow,' Red-Beard said. 
糎e'll have thousands of them stacked up on the beach, and things here 
in Lattash might start to get fragrant along about mid-summer.'
腺urn them,' Rabbit suggested. 薦leria's wind should carry the smoke 
on up the ravine, and that might make life unpleasant for any enemy 
snakemen left up there.'
糎ouldn't it be better if we had some way to store the venom in jugs or
something like that?' Keselo asked. 選f we need to re-poison our spear-
points later on, we should have a supply of venom handy.'
選t's not a bad idea, Longbow,' Red-Beard agreed. 禅he potters here in 
Lattash could make jugs for us, but I don't want to go fooling around 
with something that'll kill me if I happen to get a drop of it into any 
scratch I happen to have on one of my fingers.'
選 think that maybe I should have a little talk with One-Who-Heals,' 
Longbow said. 選f anybody can come up with a safe way to do this, it'll 
be him.'
糎ise move there, Longbow,' Red-Beard agreed. 

*        *       *
The river continued to rise for the rest of that day, but it crested late the following 
afternoon, and then the flood slowly began to subside.
Skell's brother Torl arrived with about seventy more Maag ships about noon on 
the following day. Rabbit was fairly sure that Captain Hook-Beak had expected more 
ships, but Torl was at least as sour as his brother, so his disposition might have put 
some people off. Torl's ships anchored near Sorgan's fleet, and the harbor of Lattash 
was now choked with ships. All that was left to do was to wait for the river to go 
down.
Longbow conferred with the old healer of his tribe at some length, and the old man 
gathered a sizeable number of young men of both tribes and began to train them in the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

process of draining the venom from the bodies of the dead enemies that were 
beginning to pile up along the berm and the beach at the river mouth. The procedure 
was moderately revolting, but it did produce dozens of jugs of the deadly venom. 
One-Who-Heals firmly instructed his pupils to smear lard on their hands before they 
went to work, and that seemed to provide enough protection.
The bonfires on the beach sent a thick cloud of black smoke up the ravine, and 
Rabbit was profoundly thankful that he wasn't upriver at Skell's fort.
Rabbit and Keselo stayed in Zelana's cave for the next several days, periodically 
going down through the village to have a look at the water level. A wary friendship 
began to grow between them as time inched its way along, and Rabbit came to 
understand the Trogites a bit better. They weren't as rowdy as Maags, but then who 
really was?
Longbow had gone up to the rim above the ravine to keep an eye on the flood, and 
time seemed almost to stand still as everyone waited for the flood to subside. That, of 
course, would be the signal to start.
選 need to talk with the Cap'n,' Rabbit called up to Ham-Hand, easing Red-Beard's 
canoe up alongside the Seagull in the steel-grey light of dawn several days later.
践e's still asleep, Rabbit.'
禅hat's too bad. I just got the word that it's time to go to work. You want to toss 
that rope ladder over the side? I'd better wake him up myself. Longbow told me a few 
things that the Cap'n needs to know about.'
Ham-Hand pushed the rolled-up rope ladder over the rail. 選 hope Longbow knows 
what he's talking about,' he said dubiously. 選f another one of those big waves comes 
down the ravine, we could get washed out to sea.'
禅he Dhralls know a lot more about these spring floods than we do,' Rabbit 
replied, nimbly climbing the ladder, 疎nd they've got a lot at stake here. Longbow's 
not going to take any chances. You might want to hear this too.'
羨ll right,' Ham-Hand agreed as they started aft. They went into Sorgan's cabin, 
and Ham-Hand touched Hook-Beak's shoulder. 然abbit's here, Cap'n. He's got some 
news for you.'
Sorgan sat up yawning. 糎hat's afoot?' he asked Rabbit.
銑ongbow came back from up on the rim, Cap'n,' Rabbit replied. 践e says that the 
water's going down, and the benches on both sides are clear now, so it'll be safe for 
us to start up the ravine. We'll need to pick up our swords and spears before we head 
upriver, but the Dhralls have dipped them all in that poison, so they're ready to go 
now.'
禅hat still makes me go cold all over, Rabbit,' Ham-Hand complained. 選 didn't 
hire on to fight no wars with poison.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

禅hat wasn't our idea to begin with, Ham-Hand,' Sorgan told him, 礎ut if our 
enemy wants to play that way, we just about have to play along.' He looked over at 
Rabbit. 践as the river gone down enough for Skell's people to get back into their 
fortifications?'
銑ongbow said it'll be another day or so before the river goes back to where it 
belongs, but he wants us to be in place on those benches on the off-chance that the 
invaders realize that the benches would be the easiest way to come down river. Zelana 
doesn't think they're that clever, but Longbow doesn't want to risk it.'
選'm with him on that,' Sorgan agreed, pulling on his boots. 塑ou'd better send 
word to Narasan, Ham-Hand.'
銭eselo's already taken care of that, Cap'n,' Rabbit reported. 践e stood on the 
beach waving a stick with a piece of cloth tied to it. He told me that the Trogites came 
up with that notion a long time ago. If two Trogites can see each other - no matter 
how far away they are - they can talk by waving flags at each other. He'll be going up 
the north bench with us when we start up the ravine. Narasan thinks it might be a 
good idea if you two can talk to each other even if you're on opposite sides of the 
ravine.'
禅hem Trogites are just full of ideas, aren't they?' Ham-Hand said.
禅hey spend a lot of time fighting wars,' Rabbit told him, 壮o they think about 
ways to make it easier. We sort of do the same thing by blowing horns, but I think 
their flag-waving might be quite a bit more complicated.'
船o you and Keselo get along?' Hook-Beak asked with a speculative look in his 
eyes.
善retty good, Cap'n. He's sort of young, but he's got a good head on his shoulders. 
He likes to talk, so I'm learning a lot more about the Trogites than he might realize 
he's passing on to me.'
全tay close to him, Rabbit,' Sorgan suggested. 全ee if you can learn this flag-
waving language. Even if we never use it ourselves, it might be useful later on when 
we go back to robbing Trogite treasure ships for a living. Ham-Hand, go tell Ox to 
rouse the crew and get word to the other ships in the fleet. We want to hit the beach 
by sunup.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Ham-Hand replied, turning and leaving the captain's cabin.
船id Longbow tell you anything about what the enemy's up to, Rabbit?' Sorgan 
asked.
詮rom what he says, I guess they're pretty confused, Cap'n. Of course, there aren't 
too many of them left. They didn't know about these spring floods, so most of them 
were down by the river when it came boiling down the ravine. Longbow says that it'll 
take a while for them to replace the army that washed out to sea.'
選s he certain that they won't just give up?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

践e might not be, but Zelana is. Every now and then she lets something slip. I 
guess that this Vlagh thing out in the Wasteland has a long-standing grudge against 
Zelana's family, so it'll keep throwing armies at us until it runs out of people.'
塑ou're just full of good cheer, aren't you, Rabbit? Maybe I should have held out 
for more gold. Why do they keep calling this Vlagh a "thing" instead of a chief or a 
king?'
選'm not sure, Cap'n. Zelana and her kin never say "him" or "she" when they talk 
about the Vlagh. All they ever say is "it". Maybe it hasn't decided what it is yet. For 
all I know, it's some kind of animal - or maybe even a bug. Whatever it is, as long as 
it's still in the Wasteland, the Dhralls won't be safe.'
禅hat's where we come in, I guess,' Sorgan said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE RAVINE
1
Keselo of Kaldacin came from a distinguished Trogite family, and he 
was certain that his choice of a career in Narasan's army had greatly 
disappointed his parents. His eldest brother was a member of the 
Palvanum, the ruling body of the Empire, and his next-to-eldest brother 
was a merchant who was well on his way to becoming the wealthiest man 
in Kaldacin. Keselo, however, had elected to attend the University of 
Kaldacin, although he had felt no great longing to spend his time in the 
pursuit of knowledge. He admitted to himself that his years as a student 
were really nothing more than a convenient way to put off an unalterable 
career decision. His brothers, of course, knew exactly what he was doing, 
and their sneering condescension played no small part in his decision to 
choose a military career. After some grumbling, his father finally gave in 
and purchased him a commission in Commander Narasan's army.
His childhood had taught him the value of keeping his thoughts and 
opinions to himself, and this had served him well during his first few 
years in the military. Many junior officers felt the need to assert 
themselves and to boast about their meager accomplishments. Keselo, 
however, preferred to do exactly as he was told without comment.
Commander Narasan, he discovered, approved of that. Evidently a 
junior officer who knew how to keep his mouth shut was a rarity in the 
Trogite military.
Keselo had participated in a few military campaigns during his early 
years, and it was probably through sheer luck that he'd modestly 
distinguished himself. He seldom took chances, so few of his men were 
seriously injured, and even fewer were killed. Commander Narasan 
approved of that even more than he approved of Keselo's lack of 
boasting, and Keselo's men became very attached to him.
Then there had come the disastrous campaign in the south of the 
Empire when Commander Narasan had seriously underestimated the size

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of the opposing army, and twelve cohorts had been slaughtered as a 
result. Commander Narasan, seized by despair, had cast off his uniform 
and taken to begging. To Keselo's way of looking at things, this was an 
even greater blunder than that which had cost the army those twelve 
cohorts. Without Narasan to lead it, the army rapidly began to 
disintegrate.
And then, almost like a miracle, the Dhrall named Veltan had come to 
Kaldacin, banished Narasan's guilt and shame, and restored order in the 
very teeth of chaos.
And so now they were in the Land of Dhrall, inappropriately joined 
with the pirates of Maag in what promised to be a hopeless war with an 
enemy the Dhralls called the Vlagh. Keselo determined that he would do 
whatever duty called upon him to do, but he had little hope that he - or 
anyone else in Narasan's army - would survive.
As usual, though, he kept that opinion to himself. 

*        *       *
Keselo was none too happy about his detachment from Commander Narasan's 
army to serve as signalman for the pirate Hook-Beak, but he was not surprised. For 
some reason, his commander frequently found unusual things for Keselo to do - 
almost as if he were testing his junior officer to determine the limits of his 
capabilities. It was flattering, perhaps, but Keselo privately wished that the 
commander would go find someone else to test.
The weather had turned warm. It wasn't summer by any stretch of the imagination, 
but it was most unlikely that there'd be any more snow in the mountains to the east of 
Lattash.
As the Maags began their march up the north bench, Keselo noticed that they 
weren't very well organized. Each ship-captain commanded his own crew in a rough 
equivalent of a platoon, but there were no middle-grade officers to form a functioning 
chain of command. Keselo briefly considered making a few suggestions, but he 
decided against it. The Maags were temperamentally unsuited to rigid chains of 
command, apparently, so it would probably be better for him to just keep his mouth 
shut.
Keselo found the terrain of this river gorge a bit intimidating. There were 
mountains in the Empire, of course, but they didn't even approach the size of the 
mountains here, and the trees growing on the sides of the ravine were enormous. 
Nothing had prepared Keselo for trees that were thirty feet through at the butt and 
rose a hundred and fifty feet into the air before sprouting any limbs. He moved

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

through that day in a state of bemused awe.
Just before sunset, Sorgan squinted off to the west. 選 think we'd better stop here 
for the night,' he decided. 選f any of those snake-men survived the flood, they'll 
probably be creeping around in the dark, so we're going to have to fort up. Keselo, go 
signal your commander so that he knows that this is as far as we're going today. I 
don't think it'd be a good idea for him to get too far ahead of us.'
塑es, sir,' Keselo replied, smartly straightening and clashing his fist against his 
iron breastplate. He was fairly certain that Hook-Beak found his strict adherence to 
military formality a bit irritating, but since this would probably be his last war, Keselo 
was determined to do everything by the book.
He went to the edge of the bench, unfurled his red delete flag and rapidly signaled 
to the Trogite force on the other side of the river.
His fellow Trogites halted and began to set up camp for the night, and Keselo 
rolled up his flag and returned to report to the pirate Sorgan.
船id they get the message?' Sorgan inquired.
塑es, sir. They're starting to set up camp.'
賎ood. Ham-Hand, grab some of the closer ship-crews and put them to work 
setting up a good stout barricade across this bench, and then put out a night-watch. 
We don't want any surprises after the sun goes down.'
Rabbit went over to the edge of the rocky bench and looked down at the river. 
全he's back in her banks, Cap'n,' he reported. 選'd say that Skell's most likely back in 
his fort now.'
糎e'll see.' Sorgan replied. 選 want to be absolutely certain sure that Skell and 
Torl are in those forts before we go too much farther upriver. Longbow thinks that our 
poisoned spears are going to solve the problem, but I want to have a good safe place 
to fall back to if he happens to be wrong.'
Several crews of Maag sailors threw together a rough sort of barricade, and 
Sorgan's army settled down for the night around large fires. The night passed quietly, 
and they were up at dawn to continue their march up the ravine.
By noon of that day, Keselo noticed that the ravine was narrowing significantly, 
and the sloping walls above the benches were growing steeper.
They rounded a bend late that afternoon, and Sorgan's sour-faced cousin Skell was 
waiting for them. 糎hat kept you, Sorgan?' he asked.
船on't try to be funny, Skell,' Sorgan told him. 践ave you got your ship-crews 
back down in your forts yet? I don't want to go much farther upriver until those forts 
are finished.' He hesitated, but then went on. 禅here's something you should know, 
Skell. As it turns out, the enemies we're going to be coming up against aren't quite as 
helpless as Lady Zelana led us to believe back in Maag. It seems that she somehow 
forgot to tell us that they're part snake.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

塑ou said what?' Skell replied in a flat, unfriendly tone of voice.
禅hey don't have swords or axes or bows, since they don't need them. They've got 
poisoned fangs instead.'
選 think I'll go home now, Sorgan.'
船on't get all worked up, cousin,' Sorgan told him. 銑ongbow gave us an easy way 
to deal with the problem. The slick part is that he uses their own poison to kill them. 
He dips the points of his arrows into the poison sacs of dead ones and then shoots 
poisoned arrows at any live ones he comes across. We talked it over, and we're fairly 
sure that poisoned spears will do the job almost as good as poisoned arrows will - 
long spears, if you get my drift.'
糎here am I going to find any dead ones to get the poison from?'
Sorgan grinned at his cousin. 選 just happen to have a fair supply of the poison, 
Skell - jugs and jugs full of it. Since you're my cousin, I'll only charge you half-price 
for a dozen or so jugs.'
漸uit trying to be funny, Sorgan. Did Torl manage to get here yet?'
践e hauled in right after the flood came down the ravine. He should be here by 
mid-morning tomorrow.'
賎ood. I'll put him to work over on the south river bank. How many more ship-
crews can you spare us?'
禅hirty, maybe,' Sorgan replied. 選 don't want to be short-handed if we come up 
against a major enemy army.'
禅hirty should do it. I'd say that the forts down on the river banks will be pretty 
much complete by tomorrow evening. Then we'll start expanding up from there to 
block off the benches. Give us another ten days and we'll have a wall stretching all 
the way across. If the enemy gets past you, we'll be here to stop him, and you'll have 
a safe place to hide after the enemy bites half your men to death.'
膳ery funny, Skell,' Sorgan said dryly.
遷ust looking out for the family, Sorgan. Once Torl and I finish building this fort, 
nobody, and I do mean nobody, is going to go any farther down the ravine without my 
permission.'
選'd say that you're earning your pay, then. You're going to be the anchor for this 
whole campaign, so make your forts as strong as you can and hold them at any cost.' 
Sorgan looked around. 糎e'll camp here for the night. I need to hammer out a few 
details with Narasan. Have you bridged the river yet?'
鮮o, we just swim across,' Skell said sarcastically. 選t isn't too hard - unless the 
boulder you're carrying weighs more than a ton or so.'
選 wish you'd stop trying to make a joke out of this.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

禅hen stop asking stupid questions. Of course we've got a bridge, Sorgan. How do 
you think Torl and his people are going to get to the Trogite side to build his part of 
the fort?'
Sorgan let that pass. 糎e'll probably move up the ravine at first light tomorrow,' 
he said. 禅he Trogites and I'll hold back any snake-men until your fortifications are 
all in place. As soon as you're finished, send word upriver to Narasan and me. If this 
goes the way I think it's going to, we'll be in total control, so the enemy's going to 
have to dance to our tune.' He turned his head. 銭eselo, go signal Narasan. Tell him 
that we need to talk before we go any farther upriver.'
塑es, sir!' Keselo replied smartly, clashing his fist against his iron breastplate. He 
was a little surprised at the level of sophistication involved in Hook-Beak's plan. The 
Maags seemed to be unthinking savages, but evidently they knew exactly what they 
were doing.
Captain Hook-Beak and Commander Narasan met just upstream from Skell's 
partially completed fort early the following day. 鮮ice job,' the commander noted, 
礎ut won't the river cause some problems down the line?'
鮮ot for Skell,' Sorgan replied. 選f he and Torl do this right, this'll be part fort and 
part dam. The snake-men don't swim very well, and if there's ten feet of water 
standing in front of the fort, they'll have lots of trouble attacking. Torl should get here 
later today, and then things'll go faster. Right now, there's only about half a fort, but 
that turned out to be sort of lucky, since that flood would have torn it to pieces if 
Skell's men had finished. When Skell and Torl finish up down here, they're going to 
extend the walls on both sides to block off the benches. Once that's done, we'll have 
a safe place to fall back to if things get wormy farther on up the ravine. I think our 
job's going to involve holding back any enemy forces until Skell and Torl finish 
building this fort.'
Narasan shook his head. 鮮o, Sorgan, our job is getting up to the head of the 
ravine before the enemy sends people here to replace all the ones that were drowned 
in the flood. If we can hold our ground at the head of the ravine, no enemies will ever 
get this far downstream.'
閃aybe,' Sorgan conceded, 礎ut this enemy's been springing surprises on us just 
about every time we turn around. I think we'll all sleep better if we know that we've 
got a safe place to hole up if things go to pot.'
糎ould it be all right if I suggested a compromise, sirs?' Keselo asked them.
糎e'll listen, Keselo,' Commander Narasan agreed.
然ed-Beard's model showed a narrow gap at the very head of the ravine. If we 
were to send a sizeable advance force up there at a fast march, we should be able to 
block off that gap within three or four days. In the meantime, we could put a goodly 
number of men to work building a temporary barricade across the ravine about a mile 
upstream from these more permanent forts - just in case the enemy's already got 
people coming down toward Lattash. Of course, if that's the case, our advance force

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

won't have much chance of reaching the gap anyway, and the barricade would give 
them some cover in an emergency.'
禅his young fellow spoils a lot of good arguments, doesn't he?' Sorgan suggested. 
塑ou and I could have yelled at each other for quite a while, Narasan, and now Keselo
took all the fun out of it.'
羨h, well,' Commander Narasan said with mock regret, 創obody's perfect, I 
guess.'
選'll peel off a fair number of my men to set up the barricade,' Sorgan added. 銑ogs 
aren't quite as solid as boulders, but they'll probably keep the snake-men back - 
particularly if we line the front with sharp stakes dipped in poison. I noticed down at 
Lattash that the snake-men that got drowned weren't wearing any shoes or boots, and 
walking barefoot across a field of poisoned stakes wouldn't be a good way to get any 
older, would it?'
選'll make a special point of not doing that, Sorgan,' Commander Narasan 
promised with a perfectly straight face.
About mid-morning the following day, Keselo and Rabbit were a short distance in 
front of the main army, and Rabbit suddenly stopped. 選s that a village over there on 
the other side of the river?' he asked curiously.
糎here?' Keselo-asked his little friend.
繕p near the top of the ravine - under that rock overhang.' Rabbit pointed.
Keselo peered across the river. There did appear to be structures of some kind 
under the overhanging rock. 羨h,' he said. 選t's abandoned. We come across ancient 
ruins all the time down in the Empire. They're places where people used to live, but 
nobody's ever been able to come up with a reason for why everybody who lived there 
just packed up and left.'
閃aybe they didn't, Keselo. There might have been a war or a pestilence that 
killed them all off.'
禅hat's possible, I suppose. Those ruins across the river appear to be quite a bit 
more sophisticated than the houses down in Lattash. If we weren't so busy, it might 
be interesting to explore that place.'
選t doesn't interest me enough to make me want to swim across the river to get 
there.' Rabbit said flatly.
Longbow had been up on the rim of the ravine, but he came down to the north 
bench late that afternoon. 選t seems that the servants of the Vlagh were all washed 
down the river during the flood,' he reported to Sorgan. 糎e haven't seen a single one 
yet.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

閃aybe they're hiding in the bushes,' Sorgan suggested.
Longbow shook his head. 鮮ot from me, they aren't. If there were any of them in 
the ravine, I'd have seen them. I've spotted a few deer, but no enemies.'
禅hey aren't any too bright, then, are they?' Rabbit said. 船idn't they know how 
dangerous it was to sit alongside that river when the snow started to melt?'
禅hey live in a desert, Rabbit,' Longbow replied. 糎ater's very rare in the 
Wasteland.' He turned to Sorgan. 選t won't hurt to take a few precautions,' he 
advised, 礎ut I'm fairly sure that the ravine is clear. We'll keep watch from up on the 
rim of the ravine, and we'll warn you if we see any of the Vlagh's servants. Your 
army - and Narasan's - should reach the head of the ravine without any problems.'
禅hat was the only shaky part of our whole scheme,' Sorgan noted. 選f Narasan and 
I can reach the head of the ravine before that Vlagh thing can get any replacements 
here, we'll have won us a war.'
禅hat was what we had in mind,' Longbow said mildly.
As evening settled over the scattered, disorganized camp of the Maags, Keselo 
moved out of the firelight to put some distance between himself and the rowdy 
pirates.
糎hat seems to be the problem, Keselo?' Longbow's voice came out of the 
darkness.
Without even thinking, Keselo reached for his sword-hilt.
船on't do that,' Longbow chided him.
塑ou startled me, that's all,' Keselo apologized.
禅here's something bothering you, isn't there?'
禅his all seems so unnatural,' Keselo admitted. 選'm not used to fighting battles in 
the deep forest like this. There aren't any roads, and the trees make it impossible for 
me to see anything that's more than five feet away.'
禅he enemies can't see you either, Keselo. When night falls, everybody is 
invisible. There's something that goes just a little deeper, though, isn't there?'
選'm afraid,' Keselo blurted out the admission. 選've always been afraid of snakes, 
and now I'm facing the prospect of fighting enemies that are part people and part 
snake. What sort of weapons can I possibly use to defend myself?'
塑ou already have the weapon, Keselo. It's called "your mind". The servants of 
the Vlagh have very little in the way of intelligence. The Vlagh doesn't encourage 
that. It wants to do all of the thinking. I do know quite a bit about them, but 
sometimes their stupidity even surprises me. The only weapons they have are parts of 
their bodies, so they don't even realize what a sword or a spear or a bow is. I once 
killed thirteen of them in a single place. I'd have killed more, but I ran out of arrows.

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The ones who were still living just stood there - wondering why the others were all 
falling down, probably.'
塑ou're not serious!' Keselo exclaimed.
前h, yes. Always remember what One-Who-Heals said back in Zelana's cave. The 
servants of the Vlagh aren't intelligent enough to be afraid. If the Vlagh tells a 
thousand of them to attack, the last one that's still alive will continue to attack until 
you kill it as well. The death of all its fellows will have no meaning for it. The 
creatures of the Wasteland don't realize that every living thing dies eventually, so 
they're not aware of the fact that they won't live forever. They always seem to be 
surprised when death overtakes them.'
禅hey aren't very big, are they?' Keselo asked.
膳ery small - even smaller than Rabbit. But they're quick.' Longbow smiled 
faintly. 禅ry not to waste the poison on your sword-tip. A small jab, any place on their 
bodies, will kill them almost instandy. You don't have to drive your sword 
completely through them.'
鮮ow I'll have to learn how to use my sword all over again,' Keselo said ruefully.
Longbow reached out and tapped Keselo's iron breastplate with one knuckle. 禅his 
should prove quite useful,' he observed. 羨fter one of diem breaks off its fangs and 
the spurs on its arms on your iron shirt, it won't be dangerous any more.'
They moved farther and farther up the ravine for die next several days, and die 
pirate Hook-Beak kept Keselo busy maintaining contact with Commander Narasan. 
The fact that as yet there had been no contact with enemy forces seemed to worry 
both Sorgan and Narasan. Keselo noticed that Hook-Beak had started to carry his 
heavy sword in his hand rather than leaving it sheathed at his side, and the rest of the 
crew of the Seagull soon followed his example.
As they moved up the ravine, Keselo noticed that the trees were thinning out and 
the underbrush was not quite as dense. He definitely approved of that. If the forest 
thinned out a bit more, things might be more normal. The notion of venomous 
enemies lurking in thick brush all around him had made him very jumpy. As his 
nerves settled down, his curiosity began to mount, though. 禅his doesn't look at all 
like the lower part of the ravine, Longbow,' he said to his friend one afternoon. 糎hat 
happened to the trees and undergrowth up here?'
詮ire, probably,' Longbow replied. 選f a dry summer comes along, all it takes to set 
the forest on fire is a lightning strike. Then, too, we're quite a bit higher up in the 
mountains now, and the higher you go, the shorter the growing season is. That tends 
to stunt the trees and bushes.'
選 know that you're fond of the deep woods, my friend,' Keselo said, 礎ut I'm 
much more comfortable with open space around me. Now that I can see more than ten 
feet, certain anxieties that were bothering me are starting to go away.'

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選'm so happy for you,' Longbow said with a faint smile.
On the morning of their sixth day out from Lattash, Hook-Beak sent scouts on 
ahead toward the clearly visible gap at the head of the ravine.
閃aybe the snake-men who got drowned in that flood was their whole army, 
Cap'n,' Ox suggested about noon. 銑ongbow ain't seen no survivors yet.'
選f that's all there were, Lady Zelana wouldn't have gone to all the trouble and 
expense of hiring us, Ox,' Sorgan disagreed. 禅here's got to be more enemies 
somewhere.'
Then Keselo looked up the bench toward the head of the ravine, and he saw Rabbit 
running toward them as fast as he could. It was easy to see at that point how the little 
Maag had got his name.
He was gasping for breath when he reached them. 糎e seen 粗m, Cap'n!' he 
wheezed.
糎here?' Hook-Beak demanded sharply.
禅hey're still a good ways off,' Rabbit replied. 銑ongbow was up there just on this 
side of the gap. He told us to keep low, and then we went on up. There's a big, flat 
plain on the other side, but it's way down below, and there's a slope that leads right 
up to the gap. The enemy soldiers are gathering at the foot of the slope.'
践ow many?' Ox demanded, tightening his fist around the handle of his heavy 
battle-axe.
選 can't count that high, Ox,' Rabbit confessed, 礎ut I think we might be in a whole 
lot of trouble.'

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2
践old the men right here, Ox,' Sorgan commanded. 糎e don't want a 
whole crowd up there just yet.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Ox replied.
Then Sorgan and Keselo followed Rabbit up to the head of the ravine. 
The river there was a narrow trickle of sparkling water that seemed 
almost to giggle its way over the stones. The trees were stunted, and there 
were still a few patches of dirty snow back under their sheltering limbs. 
The air was clean, and Keselo could see for miles and miles out over the 
mountains of Western Dhrall.
Commander Narasan had evidently just arrived. He'd removed his iron 
helmet, and he and Longbow were quietly talking near the narrow gap 
that marked the head of the ravine.
然abbit tells us that we've finally located some snake-men,' Hook-
Beak said.
遷ust a bit more than "some", Sorgan,' Narasan replied glumly. 選 think 
we're going to be working for short pay this time out.'
禅hat's what Rabbit told us. Are there really that many?'
舛ome and look,' Longbow said. He turned and led the way up toward 
the narrow gap between two tall peaks. Keselo saw that his commander 
had been right. The gap -would be a perfect place to erect a fort. No more 
than a few of their enemies could attack at any one time.
They passed through the gap, and Keselo stopped and stared in awe at 
the rock-strewn sea of sand lying a thousand feet below and stretching 
out to the eastern horizon. It wasn't just empty desert, however. A horde 
of tiny figures was coming across the barren land to the east, and the 
horde stretched across the Wasteland from horizon to horizon.
選t's easy to see why the people who live there would rather find a 
more pleasant place to set up shop,' Commander Narasan observed. 選 
can't for the life of me see how they manage to survive out there.'

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選t is a bit bleak,' Sorgan agreed. 禅he next question is how are we 
going to keep them from resettling in Lady Zelana's part of the country.'
船on't rush me,' the commander said. 選'm working on it.'
Keselo had been staring down the slope, and he saw what appeared to 
be faint ridges that were far too evenly spaced to be the result of ordinary 
wind and weather. Idly, he scuffed at the sand at the top of the slope with 
his boot. The rock beneath the sand was flat, and there appeared to be a 
straight edge where that rock butted up against the one beside it. He 
kicked away more sand. There seemed to be a straight line of squared-off 
rocks at the front of the gap. He dropped to his knees and pushed the sand 
away from the front of the flat rocks he'd just exposed. About a foot 
down, he came to another line of flat rocks. He raised his head and stared 
down the long slope. 禅hat's impossible!' he exclaimed.
糎hat's impossible, Keselo?' Commander Narasan asked.
選 don't think this slope is any sort of natural formation, sir,' Keselo 
replied. 選t looks to me as if it might be a stairway.'
塑ou're not serious!' the commander scoffed.
銑ook for yourself, sir,'
They all began clearing sand away at that point, and more and more 
stone steps were exposed. 選f this goes all the way down to the desert 
floor, it would have taken an army centuries to build it,' Narasan said in 
an awed voice.
禅he Vlagh's very patient,' Longbow told him. 禅his is the lowest 
place in the wall that separates the Wasteland from the Domain of Zelana, 
so if the Vlagh was thinking about paying us a call, it needed some way 
for its army to reach the top of the ravine - a way that wind and weather 
and time couldn't destroy. I'd say that this invasion's been in the works 
for a long, long time.'
糎ell, that's just too bad,' Sorgan said with a broad grin. 禅hey might 
have built this silly stairway, but we'll tear it apart. Life's going to get 
pretty exciting for anybody who tries to come up the stairs when we start 
rolling blocks down.'
銑et's not be too hasty, Sorgan,' Narasan said. He went a short distance 
down the stairs, kicking dirt off the steps as he went and stopping every 
so often to turn and look back up at the gap. 選t'd be a shame to waste all 
this perfectly good building material, don't you think? This stairway's at

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

least four or five times wider than the gap, so there'd be enough stone 
blocks to build an even bigger fort than I'd originally intended. I wasn't 
really thinking about anything much higher than an ordinary barricade. 
Now that we've got all these building blocks, though, I should be able to 
block off the gap completely. That would give the enemies a pretty stone 
wall to look at while they're charging up the stairway. I rather think 
they'll get the message, don't you?'
禅hey should,' Sorgan agreed, 叢articularly if we leave little holes in 
the wall to poke our spears through if they try to climb up over it. Are 
your people any good at building? My cousin Skell's got every Maag in 
the fleet who knows the least bit about that sort of thing working on the 
forts near the bottom of the ravine.'
Narasan came back up the stairs. 禅rogite soldiers spend more time 
building fortifications than they do fighting, Sorgan. If your men tear the 
stairway apart and carry the blocks up to the gap, my men can put the fort 
together in short order. Our advance forces should be joining us before 
the day's out, so we've got time to work out the details.'
Something occurred to Keselo. 薦xcuse me,' he said politely. 
糎ouldn't it be better if the enemies down below can't see what we're 
doing up here?'
船o all the work at night, you mean?' Sorgan asked.
糎ell, no, not really,' Keselo replied. 禅he prevailing wind comes up 
the ravine from the west, and smoke goes where the wind takes it. A few 
bonfires with fresh evergreen boughs piled on top of them would put out 
enough smoke to conceal us from the enemy down below, wouldn't you 
say?'
選t would, wouldn't it?' Hook-Beak mused. 禅his is a clever young 
man you've got here, Narasan.'
践e earns his pay,' Narasan agreed.
選t comes with being a sailor,' Rabbit explained the next morning when 
Keselo noted how smoothly the Maags were taking the top of the 
stairway apart and passing the stone blocks from man to man. 羨 ship's 
crew learns early that they've got to cooperate. We row the ship when the 
wind's not right, and the ship won't go anywhere if the oars aren't 
working in unison, and when we raise the sail, we have to pull together.' 
He looked down at the Maags working just below the gap, and then over

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

at the steadily growing stacks of building blocks behind the gap. 選f every 
Maag working on this just picked up a block and carried it all the way to 
those stacks, they'd be falling all over each other.'
禅hey would, wouldn't they?' Keselo agreed.
It was about mid-afternoon when Ox came up the center portion of the 
stairway - the part the Maags were leaving intact to facilitate the chore of 
passing the stone blocks up to the gap. 塑ou want we should put on a 
fresh crew and work on through the night, Cap'n?' he called up to Hook-
beak. 禅hose bonfires should put out a fair amount of light, so we'll be 
able to see what we're doing after it gets dark.'
糎e might as well, I guess,' Hook-Beak agreed. 禅he sooner we get all 
those blocks up here, the sooner the Trogites can start building the front 
wall of the fort.'
船o you people actually work after the sun goes down?' the balding 
Gunda demanded incredulously.
糎hen you're out at sea, you have to keep working,' Sorgan replied. 
禅he tides and wind don't stop just because the sun goes down.' He 
looked over at Narasan. 選t's something to think about, you know,' he 
said. 禅he rest of our people - both yours and mine - should be joining us 
tomorrow, so we'll have fresh men to take over the chores. If we both put 
fresh men to work on this even after it gets dark, we'll finish up in half 
the time it'd take if we only work when the sun's out.'
賎ood point,' Narasan agreed. 羨bout how much longer do you think 
it'll take your men to finish?'
選f they stick right with it, I'd bet that they'll have that top fifty feet 
cleared away by noon tomorrow,' Hook-Beak replied. 禅hen the rest is up 
to you. My people tear things apart. Your people have to build things.'
塑ou're all heart, Sorgan,' Commander Narasan replied sardonically.
Keselo was fairly sure he'd just be in the way if he stood watching the 
Maags dismantling the top of the stairway, so he went back through the 
gap to the little glade at the top of the ravine. The bulky Dhrall known as 
Red-Beard was seated beside a small fire near the sparkling brook that 
seemed to be the source of the river that'd carved out the ravine.
閃aybe you can explain something for me, Red-Beard,' Keselo said.
選f I happen to understand it myself, maybe,' Red-Beard said,

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scratching his hairy cheek.
船id your tribe live up here in the ravine at some time in the past? 
When we were coming up the north bench, Rabbit and I saw several 
abandoned villages over on your side of the river.'
禅hey're not important. As far as we know, nobody's lived in them 
since long before our tribe came to this part of Zelana's Domain.'
選s that why you left them out when you were building your map back 
in Zelana's cave?'
鮮ot entirely,' Red-Beard conceded. 禅hose places make the old men 
of the tribe edgy, for some reason. Chief White-Braid didn't come right 
out and tell me not to put them in my model, but I know him well enough 
to be fairly sure it wouldn't have made him too happy if I had.'
選s there something about them that frightens him?'
選'm not sure if "frightened" is the right word, Keselo. Maybe it's just 
some old superstition. Those of us who live here in the Land of Dhrall 
take our superstitions very seriously. We avoid graveyards, and we 
always apologize to any animals we kill during the hunt. I'm not sure if it 
does any good, but it's the polite thing to do, and it doesn't cost anything. 
The cliff-villages were here when our tribe first came to this part of 
Dhrall. Whoever built them was obviously not of our tribe. We don't 
build our lodges out of stone, and we choose places that're more 
convenient. Why all this sudden interest?'
舛uriosity, I guess,' Keselo admitted. 糎e have many ancient ruins 
down in the Empire, but they're usually located on land more suitable for 
farming. Have you ever explored one of those villages?'
Red-Beard laughed. 糎hy would I want to do that? I'm a hunter, and 
I'm supposed to chase animals - or fish - to keep the tribe eating 
regularly. I don't waste my time wandering around in ancient, empty 
villages or in all the caves under these mountains.'
塑ou have caves here as well?' Keselo was a bit startled about that.
羨ll mountains have caves, Keselo,' Red-Beard told him with a faint 
smile. 薦verybody knows that. I have a theory, if you want to hear it.'
前f course.'
閃ountains could be what happens when Father Earth eats something

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that doesn't agree with him. When he burps, mountains pop up.'
禅hat's absurd,' Keselo said, trying not to laugh.
選f you've got a better theory, I'd be happy to hear it,' Red-Beard said 
mildly. 羨nyway, a burp isn't anything but air that boils up out of a 
man's stomach, so Father Earth's mountains have chunks of empty air in 
the middle of them - burps that didn't quite manage to make it to the 
surface, you understand.'
糎ould you please be serious, Red-Beard?'
� "Serious" isn't much fun, Keselo. All right, then, if you're going to 
insist, the old men of the tribe tell us that those old villages are cursed 
and that we're not supposed to go near them or even talk about them. Old 
men get peculiar sometimes. Whoever it was that built them or lived in 
them isn't around anymore. Either they all died or they packed up and 
left. If they died, the villages are probably haunted, and if they ran away, 
something quite awful must have frightened them off. In either case, the 
old men of our tribe seem to think that staying away from the ruins might 
not be a bad idea.' He shrugged. 禅here's probably nothing in them that's 
worth much, so I don't waste my time exploring. I've got better things to 
do.' He squinted down the ravine. 閃ost of us in the tribe more or less go 
along with what the old men tell us, but every now and then, somebody 
gets an overpowering urge to snoop around in the ruins, and he almost 
never comes back again.'
船oesn't that suggest that the old men of your tribe might know what 
they're talking about?' Keselo suggested.
鮮ot necessarily,' Red-Beard disagreed. 前ur tribe's been at Lattash 
for hundreds of years, and even places made of stone start falling apart 
after that long. Walls fall down, ceilings collapse, and for all I know, 
whole villages that used to be there fell down into those burp-holes under 
the mountains. It's not always ghosts or curses that kill the snoopers, 
Keselo. It's more likely that it's just natural decay.'
羨re the villages only on the south side?' Keselo asked. 然abbit and I 
didn't see any of them on the north side as we were coming up here.'
塑ou wouldn't have,' Red-Beard told him. 選t's always seemed to me 
that those old villages were built in places where they couldn't be seen 
from the bench on the same side of the ravine. The people who used to 
live in the village probably did that on purpose. There were most likely 
unfriendly people back in those days, too. Unfriendliness has been around 
for a long, long time. The closest one of those villages is only a few miles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

back down on the north side of the ravine. It wouldn't be hard to find if 
you were on the north bench. There's an old dead tree-snag just above it 
on the rim of the ravine, and that snag sticks out so much that if you 
happened to be on the north bench, it should be clearly visible.'
閃aybe if there's a lull in this war, I'll go have a look,' Keselo mused.
糎hat for? There won't be anything there but some tumbled down old 
buildings, and it might be dangerous.'
舛uriosity again,' Keselo confessed. 選t's a failing of mine.'
Work continued on through the night, and by morning the Maags had 
nearly removed all the stone blocks on either side of the steadily 
narrowing central stairway.
Keselo and Rabbit were standing unobtrusively off to one side when 
Narasan joined Sorgan at the front of the gap. 選'd say that's about 
enough,' he said to Hook-Beak. 選 think it's time to start building the fort, 
don't you agree?'
選'll go along with you there,' Sorgan agreed. 選f the snake-men down 
below start charging up the stairway now, we won't be ready for them, so 
you'd better get your people to work on that fort.' He peered through the 
smoke at the work crews below. 践o, Ox!' he shouted.
The bull-necked Maag who was supervising the work crews climbed 
up one of the dozen or more rope ladders Sorgan's men used to stay clear 
of the increasingly crowded central stairway. 羨ye, Cap'n?' he responded 
when he was about half-way up the ladder.
禅he Trogites have all the building blocks they need,' Sorgan told him. 
舛all in the look-outs, and send most of the men back up here. Then tear 
what's left of the stairway apart. Throw the blocks down the slope. If the 
snake-men are trying to sneak up through the smoke, that might just make 
them a little nervous.'
糎e'll do 粗r that way, Cap'n,' Ox called back with an evil grin.
糎hat do you think?' Hook-Beak asked Commander Narasan. 全hould 
we let those bonfires go out?'
糎hy don't we keep them going until the fort's finished?' Commander 
Narasan replied. He smiled faintly. 選t's an old Trogite saying. "Don't let

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the customer see the product until it's finished."�
選'm hoping that the customer won't care much for the looks of our 
product, Narasan. Then maybe he'll go shopping someplace else.'
銑et's go find Longbow,' Rabbit suggested to Keselo. 糎e should 
probably fill him in.'
賎ood idea,' Keselo agreed.
Longbow was coming down from the north rim, and Keselo and Rabbit 
climbed up to meet him. 禅he Maags have finished, Longbow,' Rabbit 
told his friend. 鮮ow Narasan's people can start on the fort.'
賎ood,' Longbow said. 糎ill they let the fires go out now?'
鮮ot until the fort's finished,' Keselo replied. 舛ommander Narasan 
wants to hide what we're doing from the enemy.'
選t works both ways, Keselo. They can't see us, but we can't see them 
either.'
糎e've noticed that too, Longbow,' Rabbit agreed, 礎ut the Cap'n 
didn't want to argue with Narasan about it. When you've got Maags and 
Trogites living together in the same camp, everybody needs to walk 
softly. Oh, I almost forgot. The Cap'n sent word to his cousins, and Skell 
and Torl should be joining us in a few days.'
禅hat might not be such a good idea, Rabbit,' Longbow said dubiously. 
選f the creatures of the Wasteland find some way to get around us, the 
Domain of Zelana will lie unprotected.'
塑ou really think a lot of her, don't you?' Keselo suggested.
選 live to serve her, Keselo. When I was younger, I thought I could 
spend my life in the hunt for the creatures of the Wasteland, but when she 
called, I found that I couldn't refuse her.'
全he does seem to have that effect on people,' Keselo agreed.
全ome people rule by force, but Zelana rules by love. Love can be 
crueler than force, but it works better,' Longbow observed.
選've noticed,' Rabbit added, 疎nd the little girl's even worse.'
Longbow smiled. 前h, yes,' he agreed, 礎ut delightful still, isn't she? 
How long's the building of the fort likely to take?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選 can't say for sure, Longbow,' Keselo replied, 礎ut I'd guess that 
they'll probably be finished by late tomorrow afternoon if they work 
through the night. Then we can let the fires go out, and come morning on 
the day after tomorrow, the enemies will be able to see what we've done 
up here. I don't think they'll like it very much.'
Gunda, Jalkan, and Padan supervised the construction of the fort, and, 
as was his habit, Jalkan bullied the soldiers under his command 
outrageously. When he wasn't cursing them, he was slashing at them with 
a limber switch.
禅hat one wouldn't last a week on board a Maag ship,' Rabbit told 
Keselo. 禅he crew would probably band up and feed him to the sharks.'
繕nfortunately, sharks are a little hard to find out on dry land,' Keselo 
replied.
糎hat is it that makes him so unpleasant? His men are working as hard 
as all the rest are.'
践e used to be a priest,' Keselo explained, 疎nd the priests of Amar 
seem to enjoy flogging those who are beneath them.'
選f he was having so much fun as a priest, why did he join the army?'
選t's a long story,' Keselo said shortly.
糎e've got all kinds of time right now, Keselo,' Rabbit said. 禅hat 
Jalkan fellow sort of rubs me the wrong way. If he started switching me 
the way he's doing to those soldiers under him, he'd get a knife in his 
belly. Why does your commander let him get away with that?'
選 don't think Jalkan will be with us much longer,' Keselo said. 
舛ommander Narasan's reprimanded him a few times already. Jalkan's 
family was once quite prominent in Kaldacin, but they became very 
corrupt. Jalkan couldn't bear the idea of doing honest work, so he 
eventually joined the priesthood of the Amarite faith - the last refuge of 
the scoundrel. He won't talk about his years in the church, but there are a 
few rumors floating about. If those rumors come anywhere close to what 
he was really up to, he should have been imprisoned - or even executed. 
Evidently, he became involved with some professional criminals, and he 
was making tons of money. When the head of the church found out about 
his little enterprise, and about the fact that Jalkan wasn't sharing his 
profits with the church, the "most holy one" expelled him from the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

church and even went through the "Damnation Ceremony". That put 
Jalkan back out on the street again, and he used the last of his profits 
from the brothel to buy himself a commission in Commander Narasan's 
army. We'd all be much happier if he'd move on, but he doesn't seem to 
want to leave.'
選f it bothers you all that much, why don't you have a little chat with 
Longbow?' Rabbit suggested. 糎e've got lots and lots of arrows now, so 
we wouldn't miss just one all that much. I'd say that your Jalkan fellow 
would look a whole lot nicer with one of Longbow's arrows sticking out 
of his forehead.'
鮮ow that you mention it, he probably would,' Keselo agreed. 糎e'd 
all be terribly sorry, of course, but we could give him a nice funeral - and 
maybe even wait for a half-hour or so before we started to celebrate.'
羨 half-hour sounds about right to me,' Rabbit agreed with a wicked 
grin.
The fort went up rapidly, and, following Sorgan's example, 
Commander Narasan's men worked through the night by the light of the 
bonfires on either side of the gap.
When the sun rose, Narasan put fresh men to work, and as Keselo had 
surmised, the Trogites were finishing up as the setting sun painted the 
western sky.
賎o tell Sorgan that we're finished, Keselo,' Narasan said. 践e might 
want to have a look.'
塑es, sir,' Keselo replied smartly. He went down the back stairs of the 
fort and found Sorgan in the Maag encampment at the head of the ravine. 
禅he fort's completed, Captain Hook-Beak,' he reported.
禅hat was quick,' Sorgan said. 糎here's Narasan?'
繕p on top,' Keselo replied. 践e seems pleased with the way it turned 
out.'
選 suppose I'd better go offer my congratulations.'
選 think he'd appreciate that, sir.'
選 wish you'd learn to relax, Keselo,' Sorgan told him. 塑ou don't have 
to call me "sir" every time you walk past.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

践abit, I suppose,' Keselo admitted.
The two of them went up the stairs at the back of the fort and joined 
Commander Narasan at the top of the front wall. The fort was fifty feet 
high, twenty feet thick, and it fit snugly against the walls of the gap.
鮮ice job, Narasan,' Sorgan said. 選'm glad I'll be on this side of it 
instead of the front side. I'd hate to have to lead an assault against it.'
善ractice, Sorgan,' Narasan replied modestly. 閃y men have built a lot 
of walls and forts over the years.' He surveyed the construction. 糎e 
were a little pushed for time on this one, but good or bad, it'll have to do.'
漸uit worrying, Narasan. Those little holes your people put in that 
front wall give us a way to poke the snake-men in the bellies while 
they're trying to climb up to get at us, and if Longbow's right about how 
good that poison is, we'll see a lot of "poke-poke, die-die" going on. And 
if the snake-men are as empty-headed as everybody claims they are, 
they'll just keep coming, and we'll be able to play "poke-poke, die-die" 
all day long for weeks on end.' 選'll have to remember "poke-poke, die-
die",' Commander Narasan said with no hint of a smile. 選 think we might 
want to include that in the soldiers' manual - probably someplace near 
"parry" and "thrust".'
The bonfires had died out by the following morning, and the pall of 
smoke no longer obscured the view of the desert floor far below. The 
hordes of the Vlagh were gathering some distance back from the foot of 
the stairway, waiting, it appeared, for some signal or command.
Keselo, Rabbit, and Longbow stood atop the wall in the early morning 
light. 選 don't think they like what they see very much,' Keselo said. 選t 
must have taken them centuries to build that stairway, but we changed the 
top of it in about a week. It's a stairway to noplace now. They can run up 
those stairs as fast as they can, but once they reach the place where the 
stairs end they'll come face to face with a blank wall and they'll be easy 
targets for the Dhrall archers, won't they?'
禅hey won't be hard to hit,' Longbow agreed, 疎nd our outlander 
friends can shower rocks on them from up here. I don't think this is going 
to be one of their pleasant days.'
糎hat a shame,' Rabbit said in mock sympathy. 禅his just about ends 
the war, doesn't it? We might have to spend the summer here, but come

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

fall, we'll still be here, and what's left of them will still be down there.'
選t looks that way to me,' Longbow agreed.
From far below there came a thunderous sound, much like the deep-
throated roar of an angry bull, and the hordes of the Vlagh shrieked their 
response. Then, almost like an incoming wave, the enemy force surged 
forward.
薦nemy to the front!' Keselo reported sharply to alert the Trogite 
soldiers and Maag pirates stationed atop the fort.
The Maags and Trogites, their ancient enmities laid aside now, came to 
the front wall of the fort to watch the now-futile charge of the enemy.
Longbow watched and waited as the enemy force charged up the broad 
stairway.
全houldn't your archers be alerted, Longbow?' Keselo asked.
禅hey're watching,' Longbow replied. 禅he enemy isn't quite in range 
yet. We wouldn't want to waste our new arrows.'
塑ou've got no idea of how much I appreciate that, Longbow,' Rabbit 
said with a tight grin.
The enemy charge continued to swarm up the stairway. Oddly, there 
were no shouts or war-cries. That seemed very unnatural to Keselo.
禅hat should be close enough,' Longbow said. He lifted his horn and 
blew a long, mournful note.
A cloud of arrows arched out over the stairway from either side of the 
gap. The arrows seemed almost to hang in the air for an interminable 
moment, and Keselo saw a certain beauty in the perfect symmetry of that 
arch.
The enemy charge faltered as the front ranks went tumbling lifelessly 
back down over the top of the following ranks.
Rabbit chuckled. 選 think their day just turned sour,' he said, 疎nd the 
sun's barely over the eastern horizon.'
Longbow, however, was frowning with a slightly puzzled expression. 
全omething isn't right,' he said. 禅hey rush toward the foot of the stairs 
by the thousands, but only hundreds come up. Where are the others 
going?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rabbit peered down toward the foot of the stairway. 選t does look odd, 
doesn't it?' he admitted. 選t's hard to see from way up here, but it almost 
looks like better than half of that army vanishes when it reaches the 
stairway. Where are they going?'
A cold certainty suddenly struck Keselo. 舛ould the stairway be a 
diversion?' he suggested.
羨 what?' Rabbit demanded.
全omething that's supposed to attract our attention away from the real 
attack,' Keselo explained.
腺ut where's the real attack going to come from?' Rabbit asked. 
禅hey're down there, and we're up here. They have to come up that 
stairway to get to us. As far as I can tell, most of the enemies just vanish 
when they reach the foot of the stairs. They're kicking up a lot of dust 
down there, but that shouldn't change the numbers, should it?'
腺urps?' Keselo mused, half to himself as he remembered Red-Beard's 
humorous description.
選 didn't follow,' Rabbit admitted with a puzzled expression.
選t's something Red-Beard told me a few days ago,' Keselo explained. 
選 was asking him about those ancient ruins we saw up on the sides of the 
ravine, and he happened to mention the fact that there are quite a few 
caves running through these mountains. If he was right, isn't it possible 
that the creatures of the Wasteland have been moving toward Lattash 
through those caves instead of down the ravine?'
糎hat's that got to do with what's happening down there at the bottom 
of the stairway, Keselo?'
銑et's say that there's a cave mouth somewhere on the face of this 
cliff,' Keselo continued, 双r maybe even down at the foot of the cliff, for 
that matter. And suppose that the cave went through the mountains here 
to someplace further back down the ravine. If the enemies wanted to hide 
that cave from us, this stairway would be the perfect way to conceal it. 
First, they'd build a kind of corridor that'd lead to the cave, and then 
they'd cover the corridor by building this stairway right over the top of 
it.'
銭eselo, you're talking about something that would have taken 
hundreds of years to build,' Rabbit scoffed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

銑et him talk, Rabbit,' Longbow said. 禅ime doesn't mean anything to 
the creatures of the Wasteland, and this notion of his does explain what's 
happening down there. Go ahead, Keselo.'
羨ll right,' Keselo continued. 禅he stairway hides the corridor - or 
tunnel - that leads to the cave mouth. The next question is where does that 
cave go.' He snapped his fingers. 前bviously! It goes right straight 
through the mountain and comes out somewhere down the ravine - where 
the enemies could come out between our fort here and Lattash.'
銑ike maybe right behind those old villages that nobody seems to be 
living in?' Rabbit suggested.
前f course!' Keselo exclaimed. 然ed-Beard told me that every now and 
then somebody in his tribe gets curious and tries to explore one of those 
ruins, but those people almost never come back.'
選 think that maybe we'd better go have a look,' Longbow said bleakly. 
践ow close is the nearest one of those ruins?'
然ed-beard said that there's one a few miles down on the north side of 
the ravine,' Keselo replied. 践e told me that there's a dead tree-snag on 
the rim just above it and that the snag sticks out far enough that we'd be 
able to see it if we were on the north bench. Rabbit and I saw several on 
the south side while we were coming up the ravine, but they all seemed to 
have been built in places that wouldn't be visible if you happen to be 
directly under them.'
選 think we'd better go have a closer look,' Longbow said. 糎e've had 
some very interesting notions here, but they're just guesswork. Let's see 
if we can find anything to back those guesses up.' Longbow's face was 
bleak, and his tone of voice seemed tense.
船id Red-Beard give you any idea of how extensive these caves might 
be?' Longbow asked Keselo as they started down the north bench in the 
bright spring sunshine.
践e didn't go into too much detail,' Keselo replied. 選 got the feeling 
that he's not really curious enough about caves to go exploring - or 
possibly the caves make him nervous. I've heard that some people have 
problems with enclosed places. I got the impression from what he said 
that the caves are quite extensive. From what we've seen so far, I'd say 
that there's a strong possibility that the enemies are using the caves to

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

slip behind us so that they can block us off.'
糎ell, all we know for certain is that a sizeable number of our enemies 
disappeared when they reached the foot of the stairway,' Longbow 
replied. 禅hese ruins are a possibility. We may have to come up with 
others, but let's look into this possibility first.'
Keselo looked down the ravine. 選 think that might be the dead tree-
snag Red-Beard told me about,' he told the others, pointing up toward the 
rim.
銑et's stop here,' Longbow said. 選f there are enemies in that ruin, we 
don't want to come up right below them.'
The wall of the ravine was steep, certainly, but it wasn't a sheer rock 
face such as the cliff at the edge of the Wasteland. They climbed slowly 
to avoid making noise that might alert anyone -or anything - in the 
ancient stone ruins.
They angled up the side of the ravine until they were a short distance 
from the overhanging ledge above the village. Longbow stopped, his eyes 
searching. 禅here,' he whispered, pointing at a grassy protrusion that lay 
between them and the ancient ruin. 選f we move carefully, we can take 
cover in the tall grass without alerting anyone that we're there.'
They climbed carefully up the back side of the knoll, and as they 
neared the top, Keselo motioned to the others and crawled through the 
grass until the ruins were in plain sight. Then he crawled back to rejoin 
Rabbit and Longbow. 糎e'll be a bit above and to one side,' he 
whispered. 選f there's anybody there, we should be able to see them if 
they come out into the open.'
銑et's go watch,' Longbow whispered back. 選f our suspicions turn out 
to be right, it won't be long before there'll be too many enemies in the 
village to hide.'
They crawled through the rustling grass until they could see most of 
the village lying slightly below them.
選t looks almost like a fort instead of a village, doesn't it?' Rabbit 
suggested quietly. 禅hat front wall's fairly flat - except for the places 
where part of it crumbled away and rolled down the hill. Maybe it really 
was a fort, and part of that front wall got knocked down during a war.' He 
frowned. 腺ut if that flat front wall was solid, how did the people who 
lived there get down to the river for water?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選f my suspicion is anywhere close to what that fort really is, nobody 
ever actually lived there,' Keselo said. 禅he only purpose it serves is to 
conceal the mouth of the cave. Red-Beard said that the Dhralls avoid 
those ruins because they believe that they're cursed - or maybe haunted. 
If it was never a real village, there wouldn't have been any need for water 
or for any level ground for growing food.' Then Keselo saw a brief 
flicker of movement in the ruin below. 禅here!' he whispered, 前ver near 
the west side of the ruin.'
As the three of them watched, more and more of the furtively moving 
figures came out of the shadows at the rear of the ancient ruin. The 
figures were all cloaked and hooded, and very small, but many of them 
moved awkwardly, half bent over, as if standing erect was strange for 
them. Then one of them barked a command in a raspy voice that sent a 
chill through Keselo. The hooded figures all stopped, and four of them 
gathered atop one of the ruined buildings.
The one which had previously spoken reached up and pushed back its 
hood with a gleaming black appendage that looked much like the claw of 
a crab. The face of the creature was rounded at the top, it had two waving 
things protruding from its forehead, and its large eyes bulged.
選t's a bug!' Rabbit hissed.
全o it would seem,' Longbow replied tensely.
Another of the tiny enemies pushed back its hood to reveal a pale 
human face, and it spoke at some length with the insect. A third enemy 
joined them, and that one had a flickering, forked tongue and scaley skin. 
The last one had a furry face and long, sharp teeth, and it wasn't much 
bigger than a dog.
糎hat kind of army is that?' Keselo demanded in a hoarse whisper, 
礎ugs, snakes, animals, and people all mixed together and talking to each 
other?'
薦vidently some of the old stories had more truth to them than I'd been 
ready to believe,' Longbow mused. 禅his promises to be a very 
interesting war.'
More and more of the hooded creatures emerged from the shadows 
behind the ruins until the entire village was crawling with them.
選 think you were right, Keselo,' Rabbit said somberly. 禅hose things 
almost have to be coming out of a cave at the rear of that place. There 
isn't room enough for that many of them in those ruins. Hadn't we better

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

get back up to the head of the ravine to warn Sorgan and Narasan?'
選n a minute,' Longbow replied, studying the ruin and the surrounding 
slope. 選t has some possibilities,' he said thoughtfully.
糎hat has?'
糎e know that the enemies are here in the ravine, and we know that 
they're concealed in these imitation towns. We could attack them before 
they attack us and keep them penned up in the ruins long enough for our 
friends' armies to get past these ruins - either down in the ravine or up 
along the rims. Sorgan and Narasan will have to abandon their fort and 
pull back. If they stay where they are, they're doomed.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3
They carefully climbed back down to the north bench, and then they 
ran back up to the gap. Keselo and Rabbit were gasping for breath when 
they reached the Trogite fort at sunset, but Longbow wasn't even 
breathing hard. Ham-Hand was standing near the back of the fort. 糎here 
have you three been?' he demanded. 選've been looking all over for you. 
The Cap'n wants to see you.'
糎here is he?' Longbow asked.
繕p topside,' Ham-Hand replied, gesturing toward the fort. 銑ady 
Zelana's brother stopped by, and he wants to talk to you.'
禅hat might make things a bit easier,' Rabbit said. 糎e just saw some 
things that might be a little hard to explain. Which one of Zelana's 
brothers is here?'
禅he younger one. You'd better get on up there, Rabbit. The Cap'n 
ain't none too happy with you right now.'
選 think we just saw something that'll make him even unhap-pier,' 
Rabbit said as he followed Longbow and Keselo toward the fort, where 
Hook-Beak was standing with Narasan and Zelana's brother Veltan.
糎here have you been, Rabbit?' Sorgan demanded.
銭eselo and I saw something peculiar on our way up the ravine, 
Cap'n,' Rabbit explained. 糎e told Longbow about it, and we all went up 
to have a closer look. I don't think you're going to like this one little bit, 
Cap'n.'
糎hat did you see, Keselo?' Commander Narasan asked.
禅here's an enemy army behind us, sir,' Keselo replied. 選t appears that 
the ones who've been charging up the stairs are just a ruse to get our 
attention. The main force is already behind us.'
糎hat are you talking about, Keselo?' Sorgan demanded. 糎e didn't 
see a single snake-man on our way up here.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

羨h - may I, Captain?' Zelana's brother Veltan stepped in. 遷ust what 
led you to this conclusion, Keselo?'
糎hen the enemy attacked this morning, Longbow noticed that more 
than half of the enemy force just vanished when they reached the foot of 
the stairway,' Keselo explained. 選t didn't make any sense until I 
remembered something Red-Beard told me about some fairly extensive 
caves in these mountains. Longbow, Rabbit, and I put a few things 
together, and we came up with an answers that none of us liked very 
much: that stairway's nothing but a hoax. Some of our enemies were 
charging up the stairway, but most of them went someplace else when 
they reached the bottom of the stairs. They had to be going someplace, 
and the notion of caves seemed to answer the question.'
糎here do those caves go?' Sorgan demanded.
選 was just getting to that, Captain. When we were coming up the 
ravine, Rabbit and I had seen several very ancient ruins high up on the 
side of the gorge. Red-Beard told me that the men of Lattash avoid those 
ruins because of some old superstitions - which might even have some 
basis in fact. Anyway, to cut this short, Longbow, Rabbit, and I went 
back to the nearest of those ruins. Normally we wouldn't have known 
where it was, but Red-Beard had told me that there was an old dead tree-
snag sticking out from the rim, and that the village was right below the 
snag.'
Veltan suddenly burst out laughing.
糎hat's so funny?' Narasan asked him.
薦very time I turn around, that snag seems to come popping up,' 
Veltan replied. 糎hen Dahlaine and I were trying to pin-point the 
location of this ravine, he mentioned that snag. Evidently, his thunderbolt 
was what had killed it quite a long time ago, and that irritated Zelana to 
no end. Sorry, Keselo. Go on with your story.'
糎ell, anyway,' Keselo continued, 層e hid in some tall grass near the 
ruin, and it wasn't long before our enemies began to come creeping out of 
the shadows. I'd say that the bulk of the enemy force is behind us already,
and they've rather effectively cut us off. We're trapped up here, and if we 
try to go back down the ravine to Lattash, I'm fairly certain that the 
enemy forces hidden in those ancient ruins will attack us just about every 
step of the way.'
Hook-Beak started to swear. 糎e should have known about those

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

caves, Narasan. We spent a lot of time in Lady Zelana's cave down in 
Lattash while we were waiting for the spring flood. If there are caves 
under one hill, there are bound to caves under others as well. I think 
we've been had. The enemy was there all the time, but he just laid low 
and let us charge up that ravine until we got all the way up here, and now 
he's slammed the door behind us.'
鮮ot quite all the doors,' Longbow disagreed. 禅he rims of the ravine 
on both sides are still open, and there aren't any of those old villages up 
there. We can go around the enemies and leave them sitting in the ravine 
waiting for us.' He scratched his cheek, squinting thoughtfully. 前n the 
other hand,' he added, 訴f this clever game they played irritates you as 
much as it irritates me, we could probably come up with something to 
make life unpleasant for them. Red-Beard knows exactly where all those 
cliff-villages are located, so we could conceal bowmen on both sides of 
each one of them. If we were to send a small force down each bench, the 
enemy would almost certainly rush out to attack them. As soon as the 
enemies are out in the open, the bowmen could make life very exciting 
for them, wouldn't you say?'
鮮ow that has some interesting possibilities, doesn't it Sorgan?' 
Commander Narasan said enthusiastically. 選 hate it when an enemy 
outsmarts me, and Longbow's idea gives us a way to get back at them.'
羨nything's better than sitting here starving to death,' Sorgan agreed.
践ere, here, here, and here,' Red-Beard said, putting his finger on 
several spots on the representation of the north side of the ravine on 
Narasan's carefully drawn copy of the sculpture back in Zelana's cave. 
禅he ones on the south side are here, here, here, and here,' he added, 
pointing out the others. 選'm not sure about the one near the place where 
the river bends. The side of the ravine appears to have collapsed a long 
time ago, and it took most of the village with it.'
薦ight, then - or possibly nine,' Commander Narasan said. 羨re you 
absolutely certain that there aren't any more, Red-Beard?'
選've been hunting this ravine for more than twenty years now, 
Commander, so I'm very familiar with it.'
選t's not quite as bad as I thought, then,' Hook-Beak said with obvious 
relief. He looked at Longbow. 塑ou said that you had an idea that might 
keep our enemies penned up in those ruins so that they won't be able to

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

interfere while we're running away.'
然etreating, Sorgan,' Narasan corrected in a pained tone. 選t's called 
retreating.'
選t's the same thing, isn't it? What's this idea of yours, Longbow?'
塑our armies came up here along those benches on both sides of the 
ravine, Hook-Beak,' Longbow replied, 疎nd it appears that those imitation
villages Red-Beard just pointed out to us were built in places where the 
enemies could watch anyone moving in the ravine. It would seem that the 
idea of people moving along the rims hadn't occurred to them. The 
benches are easier and more convenient, but people can move along up 
on the rims, if it's necessary.'
塑ou and your people would know more about that than we would, 
Longbow,' Commander Narasan said. 糎e came up along the benches.'
羨nd I'm certain that the Vlagh had serpent-people hiding in all those 
imitation towns high up in the sides of the ravine watching while you 
did,' Longbow added. 鮮ow, if a fair number of your men started to go 
back down the ravine along those benches, the enemy would believe that 
your armies were returning to Lattash by the same route they used to 
come up here to the head of the ravine, wouldn't they?'
禅hat sounds logical,' Narasan admitted.
禅he imitation towns that conceal the cave-mouths are tucked back 
under overhanging ledges,' Longbow continued, 壮o Commander 
Narasan's men weren't able to see the ones above them when they came 
up along the south bench, but Captain Hook-Beak's men on the north 
bench could, isn't that right?'
選 think I see where you're going, Longbow,' Commander Narasan 
said. 薦vidently, the enemies who built those forts didn't realize that 
eventually we'd develop ways to communicate with each other over long 
distances. When my people up on the south rim see one of the enemy 
forts on the north side of the ravine, they can signal Keselo, and when 
Hook-Beak's people see one on my side, Keselo can signal me. Even 
though we won't be able to see the forts, we'll know exactly where they 
are.'
然ight,' Longbow said. 鮮ow, when Rabbit, Keselo, and I climbed up 
the north side of the ravine to have a closer look at that first cluster of 
buildings, we found a spot that was slightly above it and a little way off 
to one side. We could see almost all of the village from there, and I

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

noticed a similar place over on the other side of the village. If I position 
well-hidden bowmen on both sides of the ruin, they'll wait until the 
enemy charges down the slope to attack your imitation army on the 
bench, and then they'll shower arrows down on them from behind. A few 
enemies might roll down as far as the bench, but they'll already be dead, 
so they won't cause too many problems.' He paused, tugging 
thoughtfully at one earlobe. 選 think we might want to position a fair 
number of your soldiers armed with poison-tipped spears between the 
bowmen and the enemies,' he added. 糎e wouldn't want our enemies to 
interfere with the bowmen while they're busy. Then, after the bowmen 
have eliminated most of the enemies, your soldiers can charge into the 
village from both sides and kill off the rest. Then we can pull down all the
imitation buildings and block off the cave so that any enemies hiding 
back in there won't be able to come out and cause us any problems.' 
然emind me never to get involved in a war when you're on the other side, 
Longbow,' Commander Narasan said.
選t's not really too complicated, Rabbit,' Keselo explained early the 
following morning as the two of them hurried along the north rim, well in 
advance of Sorgan's army. 禅here are about twenty signals, and most of 
them are concerned with dangers of one kind or another. If I wave my 
flag from side to side over my head, it means "danger". Then the next 
signal tells the one who's reading my signals exactly where the danger's 
located. If I wave the flag up and down on my right side, the enemy force 
is off to the right, and if I wave it to the left, the danger's there.'
禅hat makes sense,' Rabbit said.
禅hen, if I want my friends to stop right where they are, I wave the flag 
back and forth at about the level of my knees. You need to exaggerate 
quite a bit if you're some distance away, because once you get more than 
a half-mile off, your friend's going to have trouble seeing you.'
禅hat might be all right in the daytime, Keselo,' Rabbit said, 礎ut after 
the. sun goes down, you're out of business, aren't you?'
Keselo laughed. 羨ctually, it's easier at night. We use torches when 
it's dark, and torches are very visible. Stick close, Rabbit. I'm sure we'll 
be passing a lot of signals back and forth across the ravine, and I'll 
translate them for you as we go along.'
選sn't it dangerous to use these signals during a war?' Rabbit asked. 選 
mean, if the signalers in every army know exactly what each signal 
means, won't you be giving things away that you'd rather they didn't

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know about?'
禅hat's no problem, Rabbit. There are only so many signals, but each 
Trogite army has its own set of meanings. I might see an enemy soldier 
waving a flag, but I'd have no idea at all about what he's saying, and we 
usually change the meanings of the signals every week or so.'
塑ou Trogites just love complications, don't you?'
選t makes life more interesting, Rabbit. Doing things the same way, 
over and over, gets sort of boring after a while.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4
A very tall Maag was standing beside the white tree-snag Keselo knew 
to be just above the enemy's village. 糎hat are you doing up here. Tree-
Top?' Rabbit asked the lanky sailor.
禅he Cap'n told me to run on ahead,' Tree-Top replied. 選'm supposed 
to keep a look-out for Trogite flag-wavers on the other side of the ravine. 
There's one over there right now, and he's flopping that flag back and 
forth about something. Maybe your young friend here can figure out what 
he's trying to tell us.'
Keselo shaded his eyes with one hand and peered across the ravine. 
践e's trying to tell us that the ruins are directly below us,' he explained.
糎e knew that already,' Rabbit said. 禅hat dead tree-snag's right here.'
塑es, I know,' Keselo said, still peering across the ravine, 礎ut we need 
to know where the edges are.' He raised his flag and pointed inquiringly 
to the west with it.
The signalman across the ravine turned to face the west and jabbed a 
few times with his flag.
Keselo began to pace off some distance to the west, keeping a close 
eye on his counterpart across the ravine. When the signalman on the 
south rim sharply struck the ground with his flag, Keselo stopped. 閃ark 
this spot, Rabbit,' he instructed. Then he went back to the tree-snag and 
moved east until the signalman on the other side told him to stop.
閃ark this place, too, Rabbit,' he instructed. Then he passed his flag 
back and forth between his hands.
糎hat's that supposed to mean?' Rabbit asked curiously.
選 was thanking him,' Keselo explained. 選t's a way to let him know 
that I've received his message and that I'm ready if he wants to tell me 
anything else.'
塑ou can say a lot more with that flag than I thought you could,' 
Rabbit observed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

禅hat depends on who's waving the other flag,' Keselo replied.
禅he man across the ravine was my teacher, Sergeant Grolt. He was a 
bit rough, but when he teaches, you learn. A few cuffs along the side of 
your head tend to get your attention.'
選 can imagine,' Rabbit replied. 践ere comes Longbow and the Cap'n.'
Keselo turned and saw the archer and the pirate coming down the rim 
of the ravine.
選s this it?' Hook-Beak called.
禅his is the place, sir,' Keselo replied. 禅he eastern edge of the village 
is directly below this marker, and the western edge is below the marker 
on past the dead snag.'
塑ou're sure?'
禅he man across the river is, and he can see the village from over 
there.'
Sorgan went to the edge of the ravine and peered down. 選 don't think 
we'll be able to go down right here, Longbow,' he said. 選t's too steep. 
We'll have to find a place a bit farther back up the rim.'
Longbow nodded. 全ee what the man on the other side has to say, 
Keselo,' he suggested.
Keselo raised his flag and made several signals. Then he added a sort 
of circular motion.
糎hat's that one mean?' Rabbit asked.
選t tells him that I'm asking a question,' Keselo replied. 閃y teacher 
over there invented the signal himself, and I always try to use it at least 
once during every conversation. It doesn't cost me anything, and it makes 
him feel good.' Keselo was carefully watching the signals Sergeant Grolt 
was passing over to him.
践e tells me that there's a place where we can go down the bank about 
a hundred paces to the east, Captain Hook-Beak,' Keselo advised. 践e 
says that we should be able to slip into position without alerting the 
enemy.'
糎hy don't you go on down to the west marker and see if he can spot a 
good place for our people to go down on that side, too?' Hook-Beak

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

suggested.
然ight,' Keselo agreed.
然abbit,' Hook-Beak said then, 組o back up the rim a ways and then 
drop down to the bench. Tell Ox to hold up. We don't want him to come 
into sight until we're all in place. Then get back up here, I'll need you 
with us.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Rabbit agreed.
The pirate Hook-Beak led his men along the narrow creek-bed 
Longbow and his archers were following to reach the position the 
signalman across the ravine had chosen for them. Keselo stayed close to 
Hook-Beak and intently watched Sergeant Grolt for further instructions. 
As he moved along, he realized that the term 叢irate' might not really be 
appropriate in this particular situation, but all throughout his childhood 
and early years in Commander Narasan's army, he'd heard the word 
叢irate' in all references to the Maags. Hook-Beak had some rough edges, 
there was no question about that, but he did care for his men and did all 
that he could for them. That was the mark of a true leader, as Commander 
Narasan always said.
銑et's hold up here,' Sorgan said quietly. 銑et Longbow's archers get 
into place first. Then we'll move into a good position to protect them. 
Our job here's to keep the enemy soldiers away from the archers, since 
they're the ones who'll do most of the killing - right at first, anyway. 
Keselo, I want you, Rabbit, and Longbow to stay close to each other. 
We're going to be passing messages back and forth between several 
groups over here and probably some from this side of the ravine to 
Narasan's flag-man over on the other side. So I want you three all in one 
place where I can find you in a hurry. Ham-Hand's in charge on the other 
side of this enemy fort, and we'll want the arrows to start flying all at the 
same time. When everything's ready here, I'll give you the word and you 
can wave your flag for our friend across the ravine, and somebody over 
there will give Ox a toot. Narasan and I worked that out before we 
started. We don't want any toots coming from this side until we attack. 
When Ox hears the horn, he'll come marching down the bench like he 
didn't have a care in the world. That should set off the enemy charge. 
We'll let Longbow decide when to start shooting arrows, and if your 
friend over across the ravine sees any enemies charging in our direction, 
he can signal you, and we'll be ready for them. Have you got all that 
straight?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

羨ye, Cap'n,' Keselo said in a fair imitation of Rabbit's usual response 
to Hook-Beak's commands.
Sorgan flashed him a quick grin.
They all seemed to have lost most of their fear of the poison-fanged 
servants of That-Called-the-Vlagh. Their long, poison-tipped spears 
provided an almost perfect defense, and their growing realization of the 
severely limited intelligence of the venomous creatures of the Wasteland 
had given them a growing confidence that this war would turn out to be 
one of the easy ones.
Keselo was dubious about that, however. He was almost certain that 
there might still be a few unpleasant surprises awaiting them.
Keselo and Rabbit moved ahead to join Longbow at the head of the 
Dhrall archers quietly moving down the dry stream-bed, and it wasn't too 
long until the flag-man across the ravine made a chopping motion with 
his flag. 禅his is the place, Longbow,' Keselo whispered.
Longbow signaled for a halt and then moved quietly up the side of the 
stream-bed to look. Then he came back down. 詮amiliar spot,' he 
murmured. 糎e've been here before.'
塑ou mean it's the place where we went to have a look last time?' 
Rabbit asked-quietly.
Longbow nodded. 選'll move my bowmen up around to the back side 
of the knoll on the east side of this stream-bed where we looked down at 
the enemy position, and Sorgan and his men can stay hidden here in the 
stream-bed. The tall grass up on the knoll should conceal my bowmen, 
and Sorgan's men can stay hidden here in this dry wash. We'll all be out 
of sight - until Ox comes down the ravine. Then the enemies will start 
seeing more of us than they're really ready to see. Let's get into 
position,' he added. 糎e still have work to do.'
A horn sounded from the far side of the ravine to give the burly Ox his 
marching orders, and Sorgan led his men farther down the dry wash.
禅his is the place, Cap'n,' Rabbit said quietly. 銑ongbow's archers are 
moving around to the backside of this knoll just behind us, and when Ox 
comes into sight down there on the bench, the enemies are most likely

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

going to charge down the slope to try to kill everybody down there. I 
don't think they'll go very far before Longbow's arrows start raining 
down on them, though. Then they'll see all those archers up on the rise, 
and they'll probably change their minds and try to charge Longbow 
instead of Ox. That's where we come in. This creek-bed's between the 
enemies and Longbow's archers, so the enemies have to get past us 
before they can get to Longbow.'
Sorgan grunted, squinting down the wash. 禅his is one fine position,' 
he observed. 塑our friend on the other side of the ravine's got a good eye 
for this sort of thing, Keselo.'
全ergeant Grolt's a veteran, Captain,' Keselo replied. 践e's been 
through more wars than he can even count.'
Sorgan waved his men on in. 銭eep the noise down,' he said quietly to 
one of the bulky ship captains who led the first detachment. 禅hat enemy 
fort's not too far to the west of us, and we don't want them to know that 
we're here.'
選 know what I'm doing, Hook-Beak,' the Maag replied. 塑ou don't 
have to lead me around by the hand.'
禅hen go do what you're supposed to do and get out from underfoot,' 
Sorgan told him.
Keselo suppressed a sudden urge to laugh. Military courtesy seemed to 
be an alien concept to the Maags.
選 think you two need to be someplace where you can see what's 
happening just a little better,' Sorgan suggested. 選 want you to be able to 
see your friend across the ravine, Keselo; and Rabbit needs to watch the 
enemy charge. I want to know as soon as they change direction, so sing 
out.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Rabbit replied, squinting at Longbow's knoll just behind 
the stream-bed. 禅here, I think,' he said, pointing at a rocky outcropping 
about halfway up the knoll. 糎hat with the tall grass and those boulders, 
we should be pretty much out of sight, but we'll still see most everything, 
and it's well within shouting distance.'
Sorgan shrugged. 糎hatever works best,' he said.
Rabbit led Keselo a ways back up the creek-bed until the rock shelf 
that loomed out over the enemy fort concealed them, and then they 
crawled back through the tall grass on the side of the knoll until they

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

reached the rocky outcropping that stood midway between Sorgan and 
Longbow. 糎hat do you think?' Rabbit whispered to Keselo. 舛an you 
see everything you need to?'
Keselo raised his- head slowly up out of the grass. 選t looks good,' he 
replied. 選f I need to signal, I can slip around the rocks until I'm out of 
sight of the enemy.'
禅his is the place, then,' Rabbit said. 羨ll we have to do now is wait.'
糎hat else is new and different?' Keselo replied. 

*        *       *
There was a bend in the river at the bottom of the ravine just below the enemy fort, 
which may have had something to do with the positioning of the imitation village. Ox 
came striding around the bend on the north bench, and Keselo noted that the Maags 
trooping along behind them were probably the biggest men in Sorgan's army and they 
were all armed with twenty-foot-long spears. There was a certain logic there, but 
Keselo wasn't really certain that the servants of the Vlagh would even notice the size 
of the men they'd been ordered to attack.
He looked quickly at the enemy fort, but there weren't any enemies in sight. He 
was certain that they were watching, but they weren't making any moves as yet.
糎hat's keeping them?' Rabbit demanded tensely.
禅hey're probably holding back until there are more Maags just below them,' 
Keselo replied. 禅hey wouldn't want too many of Hook-Beak's soldiers to escape.'
Then Keselo saw some movement back in the shadows under the overhanging rock 
ledge that concealed the enemy fort. 選 think they're coming out,' he said.
糎ell, it's about time,' Rabbit replied.
Then a thunderous roar echoed out from the shadows at the back of the fort, and a 
mass of small, hooded enemies burst out of the shadows, spilled through the ancient 
ruins, and began to pour through the breaks in the front wall to charge down the steep 
side of the ravine toward the bench.
銑ongbow!' Rabbit shouted.
選 see them,' Longbow replied, rising to his feet.
全hoot!'
鮮ot quite yet. We want as many of them out in the open as possible.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rabbit muttered a few curses. 践e does that every time,' he told Keselo. 
全ometimes I think he's got ice-water for blood.'
Longbow waited, intently watching the charge of the hooded enemies. 禅hat 
should do,' he said, raising his curled horn to his lips.
The single note from his horn seemed to have mellow quality as it echoed back 
from the far side of the ravine. Then, almost as one man, the archers raised their 
bows, drew them back, and then waited as the echo from Longbow's horn faded down 
the ravine.
Then Longbow sounded a sharper note, and the bowmen released their arrows in 
unison. The sheet of arrows rose up to meet the sheet coming from Ham-Hand's 
position on the other side of the village.
Then the arrows fell down upon the enemy force, and a vast sigh rose from the 
ravine as hundreds of hooded enemies let out their final breath and rolled limply 
down the steep slope.
Longbow's archers loosed arrows by the hundreds, shooting as fast as they could, 
even as the Dhralls on Ham-Hand's side of the village matched them arrow for arrow.
The deadly rain falling on the slope swept the enemy force, and so far as Keselo 
could determine, there were almost no survivors.
The enemies rushing out of the village, however, did not even hesitate, but 
continued their charge down through the rain of arrows.
禅hat's stupid!' Rabbit exclaimed. 践aven't they got any brains?'
薦vidently not,' Keselo replied. 選 think this is what that old shaman told us back 
in the cave, Rabbit. Those enemy soldiers aren't really people, so they have no sense 
of fear. Even when there's only one of them left, he'll keep on charging.'
禅hat's a quick way to lose a whole army,' Rabbit said. 選 hope we made enough 
arrows.'
禅hat's another thing that's puzzling,' Keselo continued. 選 don't think they 
understand how the Dhralls are killing them. They don't seem to know what our 
weapons are or how dangerous they can be.'
Rabbit grinned. 銑ike the old saying goes, a stupid enemy is a gift from the gods,' 
he said.
The senseless enemy charge continued for almost an hour, but then a hollow-
sounding voice thundered from back in the shadows beneath the overhang.
The enemies suddenly veered off in response and charged along the side of the 
slope toward Longbow's knoll, and, Keselo surmised, toward Ham-Hand's position 
as well.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選t looks like somebody finally woke up,' Rabbit observed.
Longbow's archers turned and sent a fresh arrow-storm into the teeth of the enemy 
charge, and the dead began to pile up in rows much like freshly mown wheat. The 
servants of the Vlagh, however, continued to charge, and a few of them even reached 
the dry creek-bed where Hook-Beak's Maags were concealed.
The Maags came to their feet and met the charge with long poisoned spears.
The mindless charge continued for perhaps another quarter of an hour, and Keselo 
observed that fewer and fewer enemy soldiers were coming out of the ruins. 選'd say 
that he's running out of people,' Keselo said to Rabbit with a tight grin. 糎hat a 
shame,' Rabbit said with a smirk.
禅hat's not possible!' Longbow exclaimed suddenly.
禅here aren't many of them left, Longbow,' Keselo said. 禅he Vlagh may have 
more of them, but they're back in the Wasteland.'
禅hat's not what I meant,' Longbow said tersely. 船own there - just above the 
bench - one of the creatures is moving.'
Keselo shaded his eyes and peered down the slope. 選 don't see any -'
禅o the left of that up-rooted tree,' Longbow told him.
Keselo caught a faint nicker of movement, and then he saw one of the hooded 
creatures crawling slowly over the limp bodies of the dead.
Rabbit was also staring down the slope. 前h, there he is,' the little sailor said. 
禅here must have been a weak dose of the poison on the arrow that dropped him.'
選t doesn't work that way, Rabbit,' Longbow disagreed.
閃aybe he was just playing dead, then - hiding out among the carcasses so that he-
could sneak up behind Ox.'
Longbow shook his head. 禅hey aren't clever enough to do that.'
禅here's another one!' Keselo said sharply. 羨 little to the right of the first one. It 
seems to be crawling out of some kind of a hole in the side of the hill.'
羨nd another one!' Rabbit hissed. 禅hey're coming up all over down there!'
One of the hooded snake-men suddenly dashed down to the bench, ducked under 
the overly long spears and bit one of the tall Maags who were following Ox. The 
sailor stiffened and fell even as the hooded creature slashed another Maag with the 
stingers along its forearm. It half-turned and then collapsed when another burly Maag 
split its head with a heavy war-axe.
禅hey're coming up out of the ground all over the slope down there!' Rabbit

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

shouted.
Longbow began loosing arrows as fast as he could, but more and more of the 
hooded creatures came out of their hidden burrows to rush down the short slope to 
attack the startled Maags on the bench. The creatures that Hook-Beak called 奏he 
snake-men' did, in fact, behave much like snakes, creeping slowly into positions very 
close to the north bench and the Maags and then striking so fast that their 
unsuspecting victims had no time to react or to defend themselves. The deadly venom 
brought screams from the dying Maags and hideous convulsions as the snake-men 
struck again and again.
Ox began bellowing orders, and his men began to regain their senses and to form 
up - in small clusters at first, fending off the attackers with their long spears, and then 
in more coherent groups moving purposefully to kill all of the servants of the Vlagh. 
By then, however, Ox had lost more than half of his men.
Then, even as the bull-shouldered Ox and his men cleared away the last of their 
attackers, another bellow came from the shadows at the rear of the ancient ruin and 
the snake-men who'd been attacking Sorgan's position abruptly turned and ran back 
to the ruin. 
*        *       *
Sorgan, almost inarticulate with rage, came storming up the slope to the knoll, 
spitting curses with every step. 糎hy didn't you tell us about those cursed mole-
holes?' he shouted at Keselo.
糎e didn't see them, Captain Hook-Beak,' Keselo said. 禅hey're completely 
hidden, and we were concentrating all of our attention on the village. We thought that 
would be the place where the snake-men would be hiding. The notion of burrows 
never occurred to us.'
選t's my fault, Sorgan,' Longbow said tersely. 禅he signs were there, and I should 
have seen them.'
禅his is starting to get real familiar, isn't it?' Rabbit suggested. 詮irst we find a 
stairway that doesn't really go any place, because all it was there for was to hide the 
caves that led to that imitation village, and now we find out that the village doesn't 
mean much either, because the snake-men made their main attack from those mole-
holes down by the bench. Every time we turn around, that Vlagh thing seems to 
outsmart us.'
禅o make things even worse, they all just stayed in their holes and let us go on up 
to the head of the ravine,' Sorgan added. 鮮ow we're trapped up here, and the snake-
men are between us and Lady Zelana's territory. I don't think we're earning our pay. 
Keselo, why don't you hustle on up to the rim and wave your flag? I've got to talk 
with Narasan. I think we're in a whole lot of trouble here.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

船o you think we should chase them, Cap'n?' Rabbit asked.
選 don't see much point to that,' Sorgan replied. 銑ike you said, that village doesn't 
really mean anything. Narasan and I've got to come up with some way to get live men 
back down the ravine, and things don't look too promising right now.'
*        *       *
Keselo and Rabbit moved very cautiously as they made their way back up to the 
rim, shying away from any depression or patch of raw dirt. The speed of the snake-
men who'd attacked the Maags down on the bench had been most alarming, and 
Keselo and his little friend were both quite jumpy.
Sergeant Grolt was standing on the south rim of the ravine, and his first signal was 
very colorful. It roughly came out as 層hy haven't you been watching?' but there 
were some slight flares and wiggles involved, and they carried a strong suggestion 
that Grolt was inventing swear-words as he went along. The fact that Commander 
Narasan was standing by his side might have restrained the sergeant's eloquence to 
some degree.
Keselo signaled 粗mergency' and then 祖onference'. Then he pointed his flag at the 
bottom of the ravine. It probably hadn't been necessary, since Commander Narasan 
had almost certainly seen what had happened on the north bench, and most likely he'd 
ordered Sergeant Grolt to make the same suggestion. Grolt signaled 訴mmediately' 
several times and then furled his flag to cut off any further discussion.
糎ell?' Rabbit asked.
禅he commander was way ahead of us,' Keselo replied. 賎rolt was signaling for a 
conference almost before I was. Let's get back to Captain Sorgan. Commander 
Narasan wants to confer with him right now.'
選 hope they can come up with some solution,' Rabbit said as they started on back 
down the slope. 禅he way things stand, we're in deep trouble.'
塑ou noticed,' Keselo replied dryly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5
Sorgan's Maags were busily erecting a barricade along the front ledge 
of the dry creek-bed where they'd concealed themselves to protect 
Longbow's archers.
選t keeps them busy,' Sorgan said a bit deprecatingly. 選 don't know 
that it'll do much good, though. I've never come up against an enemy 
who charges my position from under the ground before. What did 
Narasan have to say?'
全ergeant Grolt was signaling "conference" almost before I'd shaken 
the wrinkles out of my flag, Captain,' Keselo replied. 舛ommander 
Narasan agrees that it's time to talk.'
選 was fairly sure he'd see things that way. Let's go find out if he can 
come up with some way to get us out of this mess.'
舛arefully, though,' Longbow added. 禅ry not to step into any hidden 
burrows.'
選'll make a special point of that,' Sorgan replied.
The need for extreme caution made for slow going, and it was late 
afternoon before they reached the bench where Ox had put his men to 
work draining more venom from the numerous dead enemies piled in 
heaps on the bench. 選 sort of stole an idea from you, Cap'n,' Ox 
confessed. 禅hat notion you had down near Skell's fort about sharp stakes 
dipped in poison come poppin' back to me when I saw that my people are 
right out in the open here and they ain't got enough time to build no fancy 
forts. I figured that stakes might slow 粗m down a bit.'
善oisoned stakes are probably a good way to even things up,' Sorgan 
agreed. 禅ell your men to keep at it, and then you'd better come along 
with us. Narasan and I've set up a meet, and you were a lot closer to those 
mole-holes than anybody else. I'm hoping that you might be able to tell 
the rest of us what we should be looking for. We're not going to move 
very fast if we've got to probe every inch of ground with our spears.'
禅hat's for certain, Cap'n,' Ox agreed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They crossed the rock-strewn bench to the brushy slope that led down 
to the narrow stream that was the headwaters of the sizeable river farther 
on down the ravine.
Just then from deep within the earth there came a deep booming sound 
such as Keselo had never heard before, and it was followed by a sharp 
crack. Then the ground beneath their feet seemed to shudder.
糎hat was that?' Rabbit demanded, his voice shrill.
Longbow dropped to his knees and put his ear to the ground. When he 
rose again he had a broad grin on his face, 選 think life for our enemies 
just got very exciting,' he said. 選'd say that we're getting some help.'
選 don't quite follow you, Longbow,' Keselo said.
禅hat was an earthquake,' Longbow explained, 創ot a very big one, but 
it was probably just the beginning. I'd imagine that there'll be more of 
them as time goes by. They won't bother us very much, but we're out in 
the open air. The creatures of the Wasteland are down below in caves and 
tunnels and burrows, and being down under the ground isn't a good idea 
when the earth starts to rattle and shake.'
船o you think it might be Eleria again?' Keselo suggested.
Longbow shook his head. 詮rom what little Zelana's said, I think 
Eleria and Lillabeth are more closely associated with the weather. This 
has to do with the earth, so it's probably Yaltar or Ashad.'
糎hat are you two talking about?' Hook-Beak demanded suspiciously.
糎e seem to be getting some help, Captain,' Longbow replied just a bit 
evasively.
選'll take all the help I can get,' Sorgan declared. 銑et's get on down to 
that little brook. Narasan and I need to talk, and it won't be long before 
the daylight fades. Snakes are bad enough in the daytime, but the notion 
coming up against them at night sends chills up my back.'
They chose a fairly clear stretch of the slope to follow down to the 
small stream, and they moved cautiously, shaking every bush they came 
across with their spears or swords. They didn't flush out any enemies, 
however.
禅hat's a big relief, Cap'n,' Ox declared when they reached the brook.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

禅hem snake-men are starting to make me real jumpy.'
全organ,' Commander Narasan called from the other side of the narrow 
stream, 層hat's all the delay here?'
遷ust taking a few precautions, Narasan,' Sorgan replied. He turned to 
Longbow. 船o the snake-men ever try to swim or lay quiet underwater?'
Longbow shook his head. 禅hey're snakes, Sorgan, not fish.'
賎ood. Let's get across while we've still got some daylight.'
Then he raised his head. 塑ou'd better have your people get a fire 
going, Narasan - a nice big one. We'll want lots of light after the sun goes 
down.' Then he started wading across the brook, kicking up large 
splashes as he went.
糎e couldn't see clearly from up on the rim, Sorgan,' Commander 
Narasan said as they gathered near the large fire Red-Beard, Gunda, and 
Jalkan had built. 羨s closely as we could tell, a fair number of the 
enemies who were running downhill toward the bench just fell down and 
played dead once Longbow and his Dhralls showered them with arrows.'
銑ongbow says that they aren't clever enough to do that,' Hook-Beak 
said. 前x here was the closest to them. Tell him what you saw, Ox.'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Ox replied. 糎ell, me and my men was all pretty happy 
when Longbow and his people showered arrows on them as was charging 
down the hill at us, and we pretty much figured that we'd won the day. 
Then a whole lot of other snake-men started creeping up out of mole-
holes that weren't no more than a few feet from where we was all 
standing around celebrating, and they was right on top of us, biting and 
stinging my people afore we could blink twice. I lost more than half of 
my men afore I could get my wits together and start shouting orders. We 
managed to clean out the snake-men, but it really cost us a lot of good 
men.'
禅hey crawl around under the ground?' Gunda demanded 
incredulously. 禅hat's no way to fight a war. I've never heard of any 
soldiers that do that.'
糎e've made a serious mistake by thinking of them as soldiers,' 
Longbow said. 全oldiers - or warriors - function in groups, but the 
creatures of the Wasteland don't think that way. They attack as 
individuals. They aren't strong enough to fight a well-armed soldier, but

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

they don't have to be strong - just fast. Most importantly, though, they 
have to be close to those they intend to kill. Without surprise, they stand 
no chance of winning.'
塑ou know the country around here better than any of the rest of us do, 
Red-Beard,' Sorgan said. 羨re there any passes back in the mountains 
that'd get us back to Lattash without going down this cursed ravine?'
Red-Beard squinted at the nearby peaks. 選 don't think so, Hook-
Beak,' he said dubiously. 選t's too early in the year. There are a few 
passes higher up in the mountains, but they're still clogged with snow.'
禅hat answers that, then,' Sorgan said glumly. 選t looks like we're 
going to have to wade through snakes all the way back to Lattash.'
薦verything the snake-men have done so far seems to be based on 
deception,' Narasan mused. 詮irst, there was that stairway that was only 
there to hide those tunnels, and now we come across those imitation 
villages that don't really mean anything either. I'd say that it's entirely 
possible that both sides of the ravine are honeycombed with those 
burrows. We could very well have one of those snake-men lurking within 
five feet of every one of us no matter where we go in this ravine. This 
whole thing's nothing but a death-trap.'
腺urrowing is natural behavior for serpents,' Longbow explained 奏he 
burrow is both a shelter from the weather and a hidden place from which 
to strike. It's instinctive - which is about as far as the intelligence of a 
serpent will go.'
選f they're that simple-minded, how did they manage to come up with 
the ideas of the stairway and these ruined villages?' Narasan demanded.
選'd imagine that the idea of stairways and villages originated with 
That-Called-the-Vlagh,' Red-Beard suggested. 選n a peculiar way, it's 
been behaving much like a fisherman. It baits its hooks with stairways 
and villages.'
羨nd we're the ones who took the bait,' Rabbit added. 鮮ow we've got 
to find some way to break that thing's line.'
舛an anybody think of some way to flush those snake-men out of those 
burrows?' Gunda asked. 糎ater, maybe, or possibly smoke?'
禅hat might be a possibility,' Narasan agreed. 全moke would probably 
be better. Even if it doesn't kill them, it would reveal the locations of their
burrows.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just then another of those deep booming sounds exploded from deep 
within the earth, and the shuddering of the ground this time was more 
violent than it had been previously. Large boulders, unseated by the 
earthquake, came rolling down the sides of the ravine.
There was a sudden, deafening crash of thunder and a brief, blinding 
light. Then Veltan was there. His eyes were wild, and his face was 
deathly pale. 賎et up out of this ravine!' he almost screamed. 塑our lives 
are in danger'
糎hat's the matter?' Commander Narasan demanded.
閃ove, Narasan!' Veltan shouted. 選f you stay here, you'll die! Run! 
And when you get up to the rim of the ravine, pull your people back until 
you're at least five miles back up into the mountains! You're standing 
right in the middle of the most dangerous place in the world! Get out of 
here as fast as you can!'
From deep within the earth there came another series of sharp cracking 
sounds, and the ground beneath their feet began to shake again, but this 
time it convulsed so violently that it was almost impossible to remain 
standing.
Then, from off to the east there came a sound that went beyond sound, 
and a vast pillar of smoke and debris shot miles up into the sky.
詮ire-mountain!' Red-Beard exclaimed. 然un!' He spun and ran up the 
river bank.
鮮ow!' Longbow said sharply as the shuddering of the earth beneath 
their feet subsided. 然un before it starts again.'
With Hook-Beak in the lead they splashed through the shallow stream 
to the other side of the river even as Commander Narasan and Red-Beard 
scrambled up the river bank toward the south bench.
然abbit!' Sorgan said sharply when they reached the north river bank, 
壮camper up to the bench just as fast as you can and tell all those men 
who were following Ox to get up to the rim of the ravine before the sides 
collapse and bury them alive!'
羨ye, Cap'n,' Rabbit replied, already running.
Hook-Beak, Keselo, and Longbow had just reached the north bench

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

when the ground began to violently shudder again.
Longbow looked up the slope. 禅his way!' he told Hook-Beak and 
Keselo, already running toward a large boulder jutting up out of the 
center of the bench.
Rocks were rolling and bouncing down the north side of the ravine to 
spill across the bench in a thunderous landslide. The three men huddled 
behind their protective boulder, listening to the sharp crashing sound of 
large rocks slamming into the other side of their shelter.
糎hat were Veltan and Red-Beard talking about, Longbow?' Hook-
Beak demanded. 糎hat's a fire-mountain?'
選t's a mountain that spews out melted rock,' Longbow explained. 選've 
seen a couple of them up in the lands of Old-Bear's tribe.'
然ocks don't melt, Longbow,' Sorgan scoffed.
禅hey will if the fire under them's hot enough,' Longbow disagreed, 
疎nd melted rock will run downhill just like melted ice will. That's why 
Veltan told us to get up out of this ravine.'
The trek up to the rim of the ravine involved a series of short dashes 
from one slightly protected spot to another, with short pauses during the 
recurring earthquakes to permit the accompanying landslides to rush past.
Keselo was winded by the time they reached the rim, and he paused to 
catch his breath.
賎reat Gods!' Sorgan gasped, staring toward the east in stunned 
disbelief.
Keselo turned and saw dark smoke boiling up out of the twin 
mountains that formed the gap. Then there came another earthshaking 
explosion, and sheets of flame came spewing out of the two peaks in twin 
geysers of liquid fire reaching up and up toward the sky and spattering 
the sides of nearby peaks with globs of molten rock.
然un!' Sorgan bellowed to his men. 賎et back away from the edge!'
The Maags were all gaping at the explosion at the head of the ravine.
選 said run!' Sorgan roared. 然un or die!'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keselo leaned out over the edge to look briefly at the ancient ruin just 
below. A fountain of fire came spurting out of the hidden cave-mouth, 
and it blasted the walls and towers far out over the river. The molten rock 
poured down the steep slope, and a vast cloud of steam boiled up into the 
air when the liquid rock reached the brook.
Keselo bolted, running as hard as he could toward the nearby 
mountains.
The twin eruptions continued for the rest of the day and on through the 
night. Hook-Beak's forces gradually gathered together on the steep, north 
slope of a nearby mountain, quite obviously in the hope that the mountain 
might shield them from the molten rock still spewing out of the twin 
mountains at the head of the ravine. Along toward morning, Ox, who'd 
been out gathering the straying Maags who'd survived the encounter with 
the snake-men and the sudden violent eruption, came wearily up the 
slope. 禅his was about as many as I could find, Cap'n,' he reported. 選'm 
pretty sure there's more of them, but they're probably way back in the 
mountains by now.'
船id you happen to come across any of the snake-men?' Sorgan 
demanded.
鮮ot so much as a single one, Cap'n,' Ox replied. 全ince they ain't 
none too smart in the first place, I'd say they probably tried to hide out in 
them nice safe caves and tunnels and burrows, and those are the last 
places anybody with any brains wants to be along about now. I'd say that 
the war's over, Cap'n. All our enemies just got theirselves tossed into the 
cooking pot.' He frowned slightly. 選 really hate to see all that fresh-
cooked meat go to waste, but I don't think I'd care much for fried snake.'
選 could probably get along without it myself,' Sorgan agreed with a 
grin. 銑ook on the bright side, though, Ox. As hot as rock has to be to 
start melting, all those dead snakes are probably way over-cooked.'
禅here is that, I suppose,' Ox conceded.
Longbow was standing off to one side, and he motioned to Keselo and 
Rabbit and led them some distance away from Sorgan and Ox. 岨elana 
wants to speak with us,' he told them quietly.
選t's quite a long way back to Lattash,' Rabbit protested.
全he came up here,' Longbow explained. 全he's waiting back in the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

forest a little ways.'
践ow did she get word to you?' Keselo asked. 塑ou've been right out 
in plain sight ever since we came up out of the ravine, and I didn't see a 
sign of her.'
銑ongbow and Lady Zelana can talk to each other without anybody 
else hearing them,' Rabbit explained. 羨 lot of that was going on in the 
harbor at Kweta when Longbow and I killed off some Maags who were 
trying to steal the Cap'n's gold blocks. That was a very exciting night, let 
me tell you.' Then Rabbit looked sharply at Longbow. 践ow far down the 
mountains will that melted rock go?' he demanded.
善robably all the way down to Mother Sea. Why?'
糎on't that destroy Lattash?'
善robably, yes. I think Chief White-Braid's tribe might have to find 
someplace else to live.'
善robably so, but Lady Zelana has her gold stacked up in that cave just 
outside of town, and if this liquid rock happens to run into her cave, the 
gold will melt and get all mixed up with the rock, and the Cap'n won't 
get paid, will he?'
漸uit worrying so much, Rabbit,' Longbow said. 岨elana's probably 
already moved her gold,' He looked around. 全he's right over there in 
that clump of trees. Let's go see what she has to say.'
Zelana and Eleria sat side by side on a moss-covered log in the center 
of a clearing in the middle of the grove. 選s everybody all right?' Zelana 
asked as Keselo and Rabbit followed Longbow into the clearing.
羨s far as we know, they are,' Longbow replied. 船id your younger 
brother happen to remember to warn Sorgan's cousin Skell? Sorgan's 
been worrying about that since yesterday.'
膳eltan warned Skell on his way up here, Longbow,' Zelana said. 禅ell 
Sorgan that he worries too much.'
塑our younger brother cut things a little fine, Zelana,' Longbow 
declared. 践e should have warned us earlier.'
禅hat was Yaltar's fault,' Eleria told him. 選 think his volcano got away 
from him. Vash tends to overdo things now and then.'
糎ho's Vash, baby sister?' Rabbit asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

船id I say Vash?' Eleria asked. 選 meant Yaltar, of course.'
塑altar was angry, Eleria,' Zelana excused Veltan's little boy. 禅hose 
caves and burrows took us all by surprise, and Yaltar doesn't like 
surprises, so he overreacted.'
禅hen the earthquakes and all of that melted rock were sort of like 
Eleria's warm wind?' Rabbit suggested.
閃y wind wasn't nearly as nasty as Yaltar's volcano, Bunny,' Eleria 
sniffed. 腺oys are so noisy. They just have to show off when they do 
something.'
践is liquid rock did seal up the Vlagh's caves and burn up all the 
snake-men in the burrows, baby sister,' Rabbit reminded her.
糎e were in a lot of trouble before those twin peaks up at the gap 
exploded.'
禅here's something I don't quite understand, Ma'am,' Keselo said to 
Zelana. 選f you and your family are able to unleash these catastrophes, 
why did you go to all the trouble and expense of hiring armies to fight 
this war for you? Why didn't you just go ahead and deal with your 
enemies by yourselves?'
選t's just a little complicated, Keselo,' Zelana replied. 禅hat-Called-the-
Vlagh created its servants by the thousands, so they vastly outnumber the 
people of the four Domains, and they're very savage. Our people are 
quite gentle, and they aren't nearly as numerous as the creatures of the 
Wasteland. When we learned that the Vlagh was about to unleash the 
monsters of the Wasteland on our Domains, we knew we were going to 
need help, so my brothers, my sister, and I went out to other lands to buy 
that help with gold. We didn't understand at that time just how far the 
Dreamers could go. My family and I are limited by certain constraints. 
I'm sure that none of us could have unleashed that volcano the way 
Yaltar's dream did, or caused the flood that Eleria's dream set in motion. 
Our minds don't work that way. The dreams don't have limitations. 
They're based on imagination, not reality.' She paused. 選s this making 
any sense to you at all, Keselo?' she asked him.
鮮ot entirely, Ma'am,' he admitted.
禅he Beloved sometimes complicates things that are really very simple,
little brother,' Eleria told Keselo, absently toying with her pink ball.
銑ittle brother?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

薦leria likes to give people pet names, Keselo,' Rabbit explained. 全he 
pinned "Bunny" on me almost as soon as we first met.'
前h, shush,' Eleria said. 全it down, little brother,' she told Keselo. 
塑ou need to know some things, and I can explain them in a nicer way 
than the Beloved can. We all love her, of course, but sometimes she goes 
too fast when she explains things. I always have to come along behind her
and tidy things up.'
選 wish you wouldn't do that, Eleria,' Zelana complained.
選t's all right, Beloved,' Eleria said sweetly. 選 don't mind at all. I'll tell 
little brother what's happening here in a nice way so his eyes won't pop 
out.' She tucked her little toy away, climbed up into Keselo's lap, and put 
her arms around his neck. 銭iss-kiss, little brother,' she said.
塑ou might as well do as she says, Keselo,' Rabbit advised. 全he'll 
badger you until you give her what she wants.'
Keselo rather tentatively kissed Eleria's cheek.
糎e're going to have to work on that,' she said, 礎ut no matter for right 
now, I guess. It goes something like this, little brother. The bad thing out 
in the Wasteland hates the Beloved and her family, so the Beloved's big 
brother brought us here to undo all the bad thing's plans with our dreams. 
Sometimes those dreams are really awful. I know that the flood my warm 
wind brought down the ravine almost made me sick, and poor little 
Vash's volcano will probably haunt him for years and years. We 
absolutely had to do it, though, because it was the only way we could 
keep some people we really loved from getting killed.'
禅he people of Lattash, you mean?' Keselo asked.
鮮o, silly,' she replied. 糎e had to protect Longbow and Bunny and 
you.'
閃e?' Keselo was startled.
前f course. Haven't you been paying attention? We love you, little 
brother, and that's why Vash had to make that mountain go boom. There, 
doesn't that make things all nice and clear for you?'
He laughed helplessly. 選 suppose so,' he said.
賎ood,' she said. 鮮ow you owe me another kiss-kiss.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

糎hatever makes you happy, baby sister,' he said, kissing her again.
禅hat's a little better. You see? All it takes is some practice. Bunny's 
fairly good at it, but Longbow's still the best.' Then she nestled down in 
his arms and promptly fell asleep.
Eleria was still snuggled down in Keselo's arms, sleeping soundly. The 
little girl's rapid changes were more than a little confusing. Most of the 
time she seemed very childish, but every so often, Keselo caught a brief 
glimpse of an entirely different personality. On the outside, she seemed 
all soft and sweet, but within there was something harder than iron. 
Keselo had encountered a few people in the past who'd behaved in a 
somewhat similar manner, but compared to Eleria, they'd been the 
rankest of amateurs. Dahlaine had told him and Rabbit that the children 
were not exactly what they appeared to be, but it occurred to Keselo that 
it was quite possible that the children were deceiving their elders even 
more than they were deceiving the outlanders. Veltan had seemed almost 
dumfounded by Yaltar's extreme response to the invasion of the west, 
and Zelana appeared to be totally unaware of Eleria's more mature side. 
Keselo was almost positive that the dreams of the children were not 
completely uncontrolled. At the deepest level, he was certain that the 
children knew exactly what they were doing.
禅hings got a little exciting there for a while,' Rabbit was saying to 
Zelana. 糎e were all fairly certain that we were up against a bone-stupid 
enemy, but they're not nearly as ignorant as we'd thought. If it hadn't 
been for that fire-mountain, we'd have been in some real trouble.'
選t's easy to underestimate the intelligence of the creatures of the 
Wasteland, little man,' Zelana replied. 羨s individuals, they're stupid 
beyond belief, but as a group, they have a surprising intelligence. They 
have many ways to communicate with each other. Some of them speak, 
but others are more elemental. Unlike you man-creatures, they tell each 
other everything they've encountered, and those who receive that 
information share it with still others. Everything that any one of them has 
seen or experienced becomes the possession of all members of the group, 
and the group is wiser by far than the individual members. The ultimate 
decisions are made by That-Called-the-Vlagh, but I think that the Vlagh 
itself is to some degree susceptible to the dictates of that overmind. They 
will most probably surprise you many times. I know they've surprised me 
quite a few times already, and that hasn't made me very happy.'
糎hat we really need, then, is some way to disrupt their

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

communication with each other, wouldn't you say?' Keselo suggested. 
銑oud noise, maybe, or dense smoke, or possibly odors of some kind.'
前dors is something we should really investigate,' Zelana agreed. 選f 
something smells bad enough, it might very well interfere with their 
ability to communicate with each other. I'll speak with my brothers and 
my sister about it.' She paused, and then moved on. 禅he servants of the 
Vlagh have been blocked in my Domain, but there are still three more 
Domains that need protecting. I'm almost positive that Dahlaine and 
Aracia will need help as much or more than Veltan and I. What I'm 
getting at, gentlemen, is that I'm sure that we'll need Hook-Beak and 
Narasan for much longer than we'd originally anticipated.'
選'm not too sure that the Cap'n will buy into a long war,' Rabbit said 
dubiously. 践e'll help Commander Narasan because the Trogites helped 
us, but that might be about as far as he'll be willing to go. Once we win 
Narasan's war, the Cap'n might decide to take his gold and go home.' 
The little fellow paused reflectively. 糎e Maags aren't all that good at 
land wars,' he admitted. 羨ll this slogging around in the mud, sleeping on 
the ground, and eating cold food sort of goes against our grain. We like 
short, noisy wars that're over by suppertime.'
Zelana shrugged. 禅he offer of more gold will probably persuade 
Hook-Beak that land war's not all that bad.'
賎old's nice,' Rabbit countered, 礎ut you've got to live long enough to 
spend it. I'm not sure how Keselo felt about what happened in the ravine, 
but it scared me silly.'
選t sort of made my hair stand on end as well,' Keselo admitted. 選've 
been on the opposite side of the ravine from Commander Narasan for 
quite some time now, so I'm not exactly sure exactly how he feels about 
what happened here, but he might be starting to have second thoughts. 
Those serpent-men who were trying to kill us aren't intelligent enough to 
be afraid. Usually, we Trogites feel that a stupid enemy is a gift from the 
gods, but if the stupidity goes far enough to eliminate fear, it might have 
caused the commander to have second thoughts about this whole 
arrangement. A key element in any war-strategy is undermining the 
enemy's morale. A frightened man will usually give up and run away. An 
insect or a serpent doesn't know how to be afraid, though, so many 
standard Trogite tactics just won't work.'
選 want you gentlemen to think very hard about this,' Zelana said 
firmly. 塑ou need to come up with some way to persuade your leaders to 
stay here and help us. If you can't, I might have to burn all their ships to

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

keep them here, whether they like it or not.'
糎e should get back,' Longbow told Keselo and Rabbit. 践ook-Beak 
might miss us, and I don't think we want any Maags to come looking for 
us. They don't really need to know anything about this discussion, do 
they?'
鮮ot if we're going to keep talking about burning ships, they don't,' 
Rabbit agreed.
Keselo was profoundly troubled as he lay wrapped in his blankets 
some distance from the fires in the encampment of the Maags. The 
thunderous eruption of the twin volcanos at the head of the ravine was 
subsiding, and there was much cheer in the ranks of Hook-Beak's army. 
The Maags continued to marvel about 奏he greatest stroke of good luck in 
history' as if the eruption had been nothing more than sheer coincidence.
Keselo, however, knew better, and he profoundly wished that he 
didn't. Zelana's coldly brutal evaluation of the situation here in the Land 
of Dhrall chilled Keselo to the bone. Although she was beautiful beyond 
belief, there was a rock-hard practicality at her center which only Eleria 
could soften.
And Eleria, when-the situation required it, was even worse.
The Dreamers could unleash natural disasters far worse than the 
ordering of armies into hopeless struggles and threatening to burn the 
ships which were the only hope of escape those armies had.
Worse yet, the soldiers, ignorant of what was truly happening, were 
cheering.
Keselo, however, had gradually come to perceive the true nature of 
That-Called-the-Vlagh. Driven by an uncontrollable need to possess the 
entirety of the Land of Dhrall and surrounded by countless non-human 
servants, the Vlagh would pursue its need despite defeat after defeat after 
defeat, giving no thought to the vast number of servants it would 
inevitably lose Even worse, perhaps, was the fact that the Vlagh did not 
function solely on instinct. There was an evil cunning there which in the 
end might very well overcome them all - either human or divine.
And now the Maags and Trogites were effectively trapped here in the 
Land of Dhrall, doomed to fight a dreadful war which they could not 
possibly win.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Worse yet, Keselo knew that there was no possible way for him to 
warn his commander about the reality lurking in the shadows.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE PINK GROTTO
1
The chaos was unbearable, and finally, without so much as saying a 
word to her brothers or sister, Zelana of the West took her beloved 
Dreamer Eleria in her arms and fled.
糎hat are we doing, Beloved?' Eleria cried, clinging to Zelana in 
fright as they rose up and up through the smoky midnight air toward the 
pale moon.
践ush,' Zelana told her as she searched with her mind and senses for 
an eastward flowing wind.
Far below them, Zelana could see Yaltar's cursed volcano spewing 
molten lava high into the air and the glowing river of liquid rock surging 
down the ravine toward the village of Lattash. 選diocy!' Zelana fumed, 
still rising and searching.
善lease, Beloved!' Eleria cried, 選'm afraid!'
薦verything's all right, dear,' Zelana told the child, trying her best to 
sound calm.
糎here are we going?'
践ome,' Zelana replied. 選've had about enough of all this, haven't 
you?'
船o we have to go up so high?' Eleria cried, clinging desperately to 
Zelana.
践ush, Eleria. I'm trying to concentrate.'
It was hardly more than a fitful breeze, but it was moving in the right 
direction, so Zelana. seized it, and they moved haltingly through the 
spring night, away from the horror below them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once they had moved out beyond the west coast of the mainland, the 
breeze grew stronger, and it carried them across the straits to the coast of 
the Isle of Thurn. Zelana thanked the breeze, and she and Eleria drifted 
south through the moonlit air toward the stark cliffs on the southern 
margin of the Isle.
禅he world looks different from up here, doesn't it, Beloved?' Eleria 
said. She seemed a bit more calm now, and she relaxed her desperate grip 
somewhat. 禅his is a lot like swimming, isn't it?'
羨 bit, yes,' Zelana agreed. 塑ou do know why we absolutely had to 
come away, don't you?'
糎ell, not entirely, Beloved,' Eleria admitted. 選s something wrong?'
薦verything was wrong, Eleria. Things weren't supposed to happen the 
way they did.'
糎e won, didn't we? Isn't that what matters?'
鮮o, dear, dear Eleria,' Zelana replied, tightening her embrace about 
the child. 糎e lost much more than we won. The Vlagh stole our 
innocence. We did things we weren't supposed to do, and nothing will 
ever be the same again.' She peered down at the south coast of Thurn. 
禅here it is,' she said when her eyes found a familiar beach glowing in 
the moonlight. 銑et's go home.'
They settled quietly through the cool night air to the calm surface of 
Mother Sea, and then, as one, they dove deep into the dark water to the 
hidden mouth of their grotto.
The pink light of the grotto seemed pale and soft under the gentle 
touch of the moon, and Zelana clung to that light, pushing the horrid 
memories away.
選t's nice to be home again, Beloved,' Eleria said. 禅hings were kind of 
exciting in Lattash, but I've had enough excitement for a while, haven't 
you?'
閃ore than enough, dear,' Zelana agreed. 羨re you hungry?'
鮮ot really,' Eleria said. 選 think I'd like to sleep now. I wasn't 
sleeping very well back there, and it seems to be catching up with me 
now.'
賎o to bed, child,' Zelana told her fondly. 糎e're back where we're

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

supposed to be, and the world can't hurt us here.'
銭iss-kiss,' Eleria said, holding her arms out.
Zelana took the child in her arms and kissed her. 賎o to bed, Eleria. 
Nothing can bother you here, and I'll watch over you.'
Eleria sighed contentedly and went to her bed, nestling down with her 
pink pearl in her hand. She drifted off to sleep, and Zelana of the West 
envied her, even though she could scarcely remember sleep. Idly, she 
wondered what it might be like to sleep away a part of every day and then 
to rise and eat food rather than light. Because of their unique situation, 
the Dreamers were experiencing things Zelana and her family had never, 
nor would ever, experience.
Zelana's thoughts wandered and circled almost like hungry birds as she 
sat, lost in contemplation in the glowing pink light of her grotto. But 
inevitably they returned once more to the horror of what had taken place 
in the ravine above the village of Lattash.
Why had Veltan's Dreamer gone to such extremes? Yaltar had seemed 
to be a solid, sensible little boy, but at the first hint of a threat to Zelana's 
Domain, he'd gone absolutely wild.
Except, she reminded herself, it wasn't her Domain Yaltar had sought 
to defend. It was the Domain of his sister, Balacenia.
That thought jerked Zelana sharply around. Dahlaine had assured them 
all that the Dreamers would have no memories of their previous 
existence, but both Yaltar and Eleria had occasionally referred to each 
other by their real names. Could it be that Dahlaine's assurances had been 
nothing more than bald-faced lies, designed to gain their approval? 
Dahlaine was obviously capable of lying. Zelana had caught him lying to 
her innumerable times, and she was fairly certain that Veltan and Aracia 
had also seen their elder brother wandering away from the truth.
That thought raised a disturbing possibility. If Yaltar knew that Eleria 
was really Balacenia, did he also know that he was Vash? had all four of 
the Dreamers been quietly deceiving their elders? If Vash and Balacenia 
had been engaged in this deception, wasn't it entirely possible that -
What were their names? Zelana knew the real names of Lillabeth and 
Ashad, but when she searched her memories of the countless eons that lay 
behind, she could not for the life of her bring those other two names to 
the surface. It was maddening! The names were right on the tip of her 
tongue, but they absolutely refused to come out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She pushed that away. The names would probably surface as soon as 
she stopped worrying at the problem.
Longbow had definitely been the proper choice as the man to lead the 
Dhralls of her Domain. The outlanders had stood in awe of him, not only 
because of his unerring accuracy with his bow, but also because he 
seemed able to come up with answers to impossible problems. Had it not 
been for Longbow, Zelana was certain that the outlanders might have 
viewed the Dhralls as ignorant savages, ripe for plundering, or even for 
enslavement.
That notion brought Zelana up short. Her encounters with the 
outlanders hadn't been very extensive, but she'd occasionally caught 
hints that the more advanced cultures of the world beyond the shores of 
the Land of Dhrall routinely gathered up the people of more primitive 
societies and sold them as slaves. Zelana's eyes narrowed. Let them try 
that here. There were all sorts of things Zelana could do to them to 
persuade them to give up that particular notion.
Not all of the outlanders were evil, however, she realized. Eleria 
herself had unerringly found two at least who could be trusted. The child 
had chosen the Maag known as Rabbit and the earnest young Trogite 
Keselo, and had somehow managed to persuade Dahlaine that those two 
were the ones who should be made aware of the real situation here in the 
Land of Dhrall. There were times when Eleria went far beyond what 
Dahlaine had assured them would be the limitations of the Dreamers. 
Child Eleria pretended to be simple and sweet, but the more Zelana 
thought about it, the more it seemed that the kissing and lap-sitting were 
means to an end far more serious than demonstrations of childish 
affection. Could it be that the volcanic eruption that had so effectively 
destroyed the servants of the Vlagh in the ravine above Lattash had not 
been the desperate response of Yaltar? Could the eruption possibly have 
been Eleria's idea?
Zelana shuddered back from that unthinkable notion.
Hideous though it was, however, Zelana was forced to admit that 
pouring molten rock into the caves of the servants of the Vlagh had been 
far and away the most effective solution to an otherwise unsolvable 
problem. Earthquakes might have killed all of the invaders, but the 
possibility that a few of the caves could have remained intact would have 
left doubts. Molten lava, however, left no doubts. The servants of the 
Vlagh were gone, and Zelana's Domain was safe.
Zelana corrected that notion. It had not been her Domain that Yaltar's

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

dream had saved; it was the Domain of Balacenia.
She was almost certain that the Maags and Trogites had taken ship - or 
would very soon - to sail down along the coast to Veltan's Domain. There 
was no absolute certainty that the servants of the Vlagh would attack 
Veltan's domain in the foreseeable future. It might well be that Yaltar's 
volcano had so decimated the creatures of the Wasteland that it would 
take many generations for them to propagate replacements. Then again, 
perhaps not. That-Called-the-Vlagh could produce countless offspring in 
virtually no time at all, and Zelana's brother Veltan knew that as well as 
anybody. The servants of the Vlagh would almost certainly attack each of 
the four Domains. The Vlagh wanted - or needed - the entire continent, if 
it were to have any chance at all to expand its swarm.
What were their names? It was infuriating! The names were right there. 
Why couldn't she remember them?
Zelana yearned for sleep. The endless eons of her cycle weighed down 
upon her, and she was glad that the cycle was almost over.
But Eleria wasn't ready to take up the burden of Dominion yet. There 
were so many things she had to know, and there was so little time left to 
teach her. The changing of the cycles had posed no real problems in times 
past. The man-things had been little more than animals during 
Balacenia's previous cycle, but they had come so far now, and it seemed 
that they were growing and developing faster and faster with each passing 
year. Zelana shuddered back from the thought of what they might be 
when Balacenia's cycle had run its course and Zelana awakened once 
more to begin her next cycle.
She smiled faintly. Maybe Veltan had come up with the best solution 
after all, and the moon was still there.
Zelana pushed that thought away.
The lovely village of Lattash was doomed, of course. Yaltar's idiocy 
had seen to that. Even now the lava from the twin peaks was flowing 
inexorably down the ravine, consuming all it its path. The people of 
White-Braid's tribe would have to leave their homes and find some new 
place and build a new village. The loss of Lattash caused Zelana an 
almost physical pain.
禅he gold!' she suddenly exclaimed. 選 forgot all about the gold in that 
cave! I'll have to go back and move it to a safer place. How could I 
possibly have forgotten that? I must be even older than I'd thought. First I 
forget my gold, and now I can't remember names.' She looked at the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

sleeping child. 善lease wake up, Balacenia,' she pleaded softly. 選 just 
can't carry all of this any more. I'm so tired, so very, very tired.'
If Yaltar was aware of Eleria's true identity, and Eleria was aware of 
Yaltar's could it be possible that they knew other things as well? Zelana 
searched back through her memories to see if she could find any evidence 
whatsoever that the children had - no matter how briefly - used their 
dormant abilities to alter reality in any small way. Their dreams were one 
thing, but if they'd been using their gifts consciously, the very fabric of 
reality could be in danger.
There seemed to be nothing overt. The only peculiarity Eleria had 
shown was her overwhelming need for the affection of the mortals. Her 
遡iss-kiss' game with Longbow, Rabbit, and finally even the stuffy young 
Trogite Keselo had seemed on the surface to be no more than some 
childish game, but what if it went much further? For obvious reasons, 
Zelana had never actually witnessed Balacenia's methods to control the 
man-things of the Western Domain. Could it possibly be that she'd just 
kissed them all into submission? It had certainly worked with the pink 
dolphins when Eleria'd been no more than a baby. Zelana almost 
laughed. What a clever way to rule that would be, and, by extension, it 
might explain why Yaltar had gone to such extremes to protect 
Balacenia's Domain. A few of those 遡iss-kiss' encounters would have 
rendered poor Vash helpless. Then, with Vash wrapped around her finger, 
Balacenia could have turned to -
What were their names? It was maddening! Why couldn't Zelana 
remember their names?

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THE TIME OF SORROW
1
It was early summer now in the Domain of Zelana of the West, but this 
summer was unlike any other that Red-Beard had ever seen. Summer is 
usually a time of beauty, but this one was haunted by the twin fire-
mountains at the head of the ravine. Each sunrise seemed to be smeared 
with blood as the fire mountains continued to belch forth smoke and ash, 
and a perpetual gloom hung over the village of Lattash.
A few of the women of the tribe had gone through the motions of 
planting the customary gardens, but what was the use of that? The village 
was almost certainly doomed, and in all probability it wouldn't even be 
here by next autumn at harvest time.
Lattash still looked much the same as it had for years. The bay was still 
blue, the sandy beach was still white, and the forest to the east was still 
dark green as it mounted up the foothills toward the snow-covered peaks. 
The tides continued to rise and fall as they had since the beginning of 
time. The only noticeable difference lay in the river that had always come 
joyously down the ravine to join the waters of the bay. Now it was no 
longer a river; it was hardly even a brook. The cursed fire-mountains had 
obviously sealed off the source of the river, and it was now no more than 
a scant trickle that would almost certainly dry up by mid-summer.
That, of course, would mark the end of Lattash. Without fresh water, 
the gardens of the women of the tribe would die out, and there would be 
no food to eat next winter. The mood in the village was somber, and a 
cloud of melancholy seemed to hang over Lattash.
Red-Beard sighed. There was no getting around the fact that it was 
time to seek out another home for the people of White-Braid's tribe. That 
was where the problem lay. Red-Beard's uncle, Chief White-Braid, was 
so overwhelmed with sorrow by the inevitable loss of the village which 
had been the home of the tribe for many centuries that he couldn't 
function any more. The tribe had to find a suitable new location, build

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new lodges, and grow food before winter came again, but Chief White-
Braid refused to even talk about it. No matter how much Red-Beard 
cudgeled his brain, he couldn't for the life of him come up with a way to 
bring his uncle back to his senses.
Muttering curses under his breath, Red-Beard went looking for 
Longbow.
選 don't see that you've got much choice, Red-Beard,' his friend said 
gravely as the two of them stood on the protective berm looking down at 
the tiny trickle of muddy water that was all there was left of the river. 
禅he fire-mountains killed the servants of the Vlagh, certainly, but it 
looks to me like they've also killed the village of Lattash. Without water, 
your tribe will either have to find a new place to live - or stay here and 
die.'
選 know that, Longbow,' Red-Beard replied. 選 can see it as well as you 
can, but how am I going to pound the idea down uncle White-Braid's 
throat? Every time I even so much as hint at the notion, his eyes go blank 
and he starts talking about something else. He refuses even to think about 
relocating the tribe. Lattash is so much a part of him that he won't 
consider moving.'
塑ou'll probably have to step around him and take charge of the tribe 
yourself, then.'
選 can't do that!' Red-Beard exclaimed. 践e's the chief. If I start 
showing that kind of disrespect, the whole tribe will turn their backs on 
me. They won't follow any orders I give them.'
禅hey will if your uncle tells them to.' Longbow looked at the 
clustered lodges of the village and the fish-nets hanging from poles along 
the beach. 選'm sure this was a good place to live in the past, my friend, 
but the past is over, and "now" came along when the river started to dry 
up. "Then" went away, and your tribe's living in the world of "now." If 
they don't move very soon, they'll die for lack of food and water. If you 
put it to them in those terms, I'm sure they'll listen to you. If your chief 
isn't willing to give the necessary commands because of his sorrow, he'll 
have to step aside and hand the authority off to someone else - you, most 
likely.' Longbow smiled faintly. �"Chief Red-Beard" has a rather pleasant 
sound to it, don't you think?'
鮮ot to me, it doesn't,' Red-Beard objected. 船o you have any idea of 
how stuffy and tedious the life of a chief must be? I don't think I could

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stand that.'
腺e brave, Chief Red-Beard,' Longbow said with mock sen-
tentiousness. 選f something is for the good of the tribe, you can't just turn 
your back on it, can you?'
塑ou had to go and say that, didn't you?' Red-Beard grumbled sourly.
Longbow shrugged. 選t's time for you to face reality, my friend. Sooner 
or later you will have to assume the authority in your tribe if your uncle 
can no longer function. This might give you some practice in the fine art 
of being stuffy. Right now, though, we've got a more pressing problem to 
deal with.'
禅he sky is falling, maybe?'
糎ell, not today, probably, but we've got a goodly number of unhappy 
people in those ships out in the bay. In her infinite wisdom, Zelana of the 
West saw fit to leave the village without bothering to pay Sorgan Hook-
Beak and the other Maags for their services during the recent 
unpleasantness.'
禅he gold's stacked up in that cave of hers outside the village,' Red-
Beard reminded his friend. 糎hy don't they just walk into the cave and 
pay themselves?'
禅hey've already tried that, but they can't get into the tunnel where the 
gold's piled up.'
糎hat did Zelana do, make the ceiling fall down or something?'
鮮o, it's completely intact, but there's a solid wall blocking off the 
tunnel that's filled with all those pretty yellow blocks. It's a very unusual 
sort of wall. The Maags can see through it, but it's harder than any stone. 
That means that they can look at the gold as much as they want, but they 
can't reach it. Ox took his axe into the cave and chopped at the wall for 
the better part of a day, but he didn't so much as knock a chip out of it. 
He did manage to destroy his axe, though. Now Sorgan's absolutely 
positive that our Zelana's trying to cheat him.'
全he wouldn't do that.'
塑ou and I know that, but Hook-Beak doesn't know her as well as we 
do. Lying, cheating, and stealing are part of the Maag culture, so 
honesty's an alien concept for them. If Zelana doesn't come back here 
fairly soon, we might just have another war on our hands before long.'

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鮮ow I've got something else to worry about.' Then Red-Beard 
remembered something. 然abbit told me that you and Zelana can speak 
with each other without making a sound. He said you two did that back in 
the Land of Maag when trouble broke out in the harbor at Kweta. Could 
you possibly reach out to her from here?'
選've already tried it a few times. Either she's too far away, or she 
refuses to listen to me.'
船o you think that maybe Eleria could hear you? If anybody could 
bring Zelana to her senses, it'd be Eleria. If nothing else, the little girl 
could probably kiss Zelana into submission. She had you and Rabbit and 
that young Trogite, Keselo, wrapped around her little finger in no time at 
all.'
禅ell me about it,' Longbow said. Then he squinted at his friend. 全he 
never tried that on you, did she?'
Red-Beard laughed. 前nce,' he replied. 閃y beard tickled her cheek, 
though, so she never tried it again. You should have seen the look on her 
face that day. Her clever little "kiss-kiss" trick fell apart on her, and she 
didn't like that one little bit.'
糎hy don't we go out to the Seagull and have a talk with Sorgan?' 
Longbow suggested. 選f he realizes that we're trying to get word to 
Zelana that it's time to come back and give him the gold she promised 
him, maybe he won't come ashore and burn the village of Lattash right 
down to the ground.'
銑et's not rush into anything here, Longbow,' Red-Beard said in mock 
seriousness. 選f the Maags come ashore and burn Lattash to the ground, it 
might persuade my uncle that it's time to pack up and move on. Then I 
won't have to do anything except obey his orders - or sneak off to 
someplace where he can't find me. He'll go back to being the chief, and I 
won't have to grow up.'
船on't hold your breath, Red-Beard. Let's go see Sorgan Hook-Beak.'
The sun peeking through the gloom seemed almost bright as Red-
Beard deftly drove his canoe toward the Seagull with long, smooth 
strokes of his paddle. It was early summer now, and Red-Beard was sure 
that the fishing would be good. He pushed that thought aside. Despite the 
hints of sun sparkling on the water, there wouldn't be any fishing today. 
He was almost positive that he and Longbow would have to waste a

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perfectly promising day listening to Hook-Beak's complaints.
塑our canoe moves smoothly,' Longbow noted.
選 got lucky when I put this one together,' Red-Beard replied modestly. 
選 finally managed to get the right curve on the ribs. The one I built 
before was sort of skittish. Every time I sneezed, she'd roll over and 
dump me into the bay.'
選've had the same thing happen to me a few times,' Longbow 
admitted. 全ometimes I think canoes have a warped sense of humor.'
践ave you managed to come up with a way to pacify Sorgan yet?' 
Red-Beard asked.
銑et's try "emergency".'
塑ou missed me there, I'm afraid.'
Longbow shrugged. 岨elana left in a hurry. Doesn't that hint that there 
might be a crisis somewhere that needed her immediate attention?'
糎e can try it, I suppose,' Red-Beard said dubiously. 禅rying to 
persuade Hook-Beak that there's something in the world more important 
than he is might be a bit difficult, though.'
糎e'll see,' Longbow replied as Red-Beard eased his canoe in against 
the Seagull.
船id she finally decide to come home?' Rabbit called down to them 
from the Seagulfs deck. 選f the Cap'n doesn't get the gold she promised 
him pretty soon, he might just start a whole new war.'
糎e'd really rather that he didn't, Rabbit,' Longbow called back. 然ed-
Beard and I've come to see if we can calm him down.'
Rabbit pushed the rolled-up ladder off the rail, and it unwound its way 
down to the canoe.
Longbow took hold of the ladder. 選t's time to go to work, Chief Red-
Beard,' he said with a faint smile.
選 wish you'd stop that, Longbow.'
遷ust trying to help you get used to it, friend Red-Beard,' Longbow 
replied with feigned innocence.

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Sorgan Hook-Beak of the Land of Maag was in a foul temper when 
Red-Beard and Longbow entered his cluttered cabin at the stern of the 
Seagull. 糎here is she?' he demanded in a harsh voice. 選f I don't start 
handing out the gold I promised all these people back in Maag, things are 
going to start getting ugly around here. We did what she wanted us to do, 
and now it's time to settle up.'
糎e really can't be certain just where she went, Sorgan,' Longbow 
replied. 践er Domain is huge, and there might just be an emergency 
somewhere off to the north of here. You know how it is: When a fire 
breaks out somewhere, you don't have time to be polite before you rush 
off to put it out. I'm sure that as soon as she gets things under control, 
she'll come right back.'
選 guess that makes sense,' Sorgan grudgingly conceded. 践ave you 
got any idea at all of where this new trouble might be?'
Longbow shrugged. 全he didn't bother to tell me. You know how that 
goes.'
前h, yes,' Sorgan said sourly. 全he's an expert when it comes to not 
telling people things they should know, I've noticed.'
践ow perceptive of you,' Longbow murmured. 選'm sure she'll be back 
as soon as she's dealt with whatever it was that pulled her away from 
here. But we've got another problem that's a bit more pressing.'
前h?'
禅he fire-mountains up at the head of the ravine are still spouting, and I 
don't think Lattash will be a safe place for anybody when the liquid rock 
comes boiling down the ravine. A flood of water's bad enough, but a 
flood of liquid rock might be a lot worse, wouldn't you say?'
選'd say that it'll go a long way past "might," Longbow. What should 
we do about it?'
践ow does "run away" sound to you?'
鮮arasan tells me that the proper term is "retreat", but "run away" 
sounds close enough to me.'
糎e do have a problem, though,' Longbow continued. 然ed-Beard's 
uncle, Chief White-Braid, can't quite accept the idea that the tribe will

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have to move away from Lattash. Red-Beard and I are sort of sneaking 
around behind his back right now, so we'd appreciate it if you didn't 
mention what we're doing if you happen to speak with him.'
前ld men get strange sometimes, don't they?' Sorgan observed.
船on't worry, Red-Beard. Your secret's safe with me. When are you 
planning to pull off your mutiny?'
閃utiny? I don't think I've ever heard that term.'
選t's something that happens on a ship when the crew gets unhappy 
with the captain. They either kill him or set him adrift in a small skiff. 
Then the leader of the mutiny takes command of the ship.'
糎e don't do that sort of thing here, Hook-Beak,' Red-Beard said 
firmly.
閃aybe you should give it some thought, Red-Beard,' Sorgan 
suggested. 選f your chief is starting to lose his grip, somebody's going to 
have to take charge before that boiling rock comes rushing down the 
ravine.'
糎e can hope it doesn't come to that,' Longbow stepped in. 然ight 
now, Red-Beard and I need to find a suitable place for a new village. 
Most likely, it'll be somewhere down the bay - or even out beyond the 
inlet. It has to have fresh water, open land for farming, and some 
protection from the wind and tides.'
選 gather that once you find it, you'd like to borrow my fleet to move 
the tribe to their new home?'
選f it's not too much trouble,' Red-Beard agreed.
Sorgan shrugged. 選t'll give the other ship-captains something to do 
beside coming here to the Seagull to complain about not getting paid. 
Besides, your people and their bows helped us a great deal in the ravine, 
so we're more or less obliged to lend you a hand when you -' Sorgan 
stopped suddenly. 禅he gold!' he exclaimed. 銑ady Zelana's gold's still 
in that cave! If that melted rock pours down over Lattash, it'll fill up the 
cave, won't it?'
禅hat's not very likely, Sorgan,' Longbow disagreed. 船idn't Ox 
shatter his axe when he tried to chop down that wall Zelana put up to 
protect the gold?'
全o that's why she put that wall there,' Sorgan said. 糎e thought she'd

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put it up to keep us away from her gold, but it's really there to keep the 
melted rock from oozing in and swallowing it, isn't it?'
選t seems like the sort of thing she'd do,' Red-Beard agreed. 船on't 
worry so much, Hook-Beak. The gold's perfectly safe, and I'm sure 
you'll get paid the minute Zelana returns. You might want to pass the 
word to the ship-captains who spend all their time complaining. They will 
get paid, but right now Zelana's off someplace in her Domain dealing 
with some new emergency.'
禅hat might be the answer to your problem right there, Red-Beard,' 
Sorgan suggested. 糎hen she comes back, you can tell her that your 
uncle's not quite right in the head, and then she can set him aside and put 
you in charge. That'd be a lot better than a mutiny, wouldn't you say?'
選t's something to consider, Chief Red-Beard,' Longbow agreed.
Red-Beard scowled at him.
糎hat's the problem, Red-Beard?' Sorgan asked. 禅he word "chief" is 
a lot like the word "captain," and I've always thought that had a pleasant 
sound to it.'
鮮ot to me it doesn't,' Red-Beard declared.

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2
The wind coming in from Mother Sea was quite gusty, and that didn't 
bode too well for Red-Beard's plans to relocate the tribe. The village of 
Lattash was well-sheltered from foul weather, and Red-Beard could 
almost hear the steady chorus of complaints he was certain the villagers 
would hurl at him every time he passed by if they were obliged to move 
out here.
The sun was already low over the western horizon, but due to the 
prevailing wind, Red-Beard and Longbow were only about half-way 
along the north side of the bay.
Longbow squinted toward the west. 糎e're about to run out of 
daylight,' he noted. Then he looked at the shoreline. 選sn't that a river just 
ahead?' he asked.
Red-Beard looked at the beach. 選 think you're right, Longbow. The 
brush sort of hides it, but brush usually means fresh water. Let's go have 
a look.' He turned his agile canoe toward the beach with a single back-
stroke.
羨re you at all familiar with the coast on this side of the bay?' 
Longbow asked as they smoothly paddled the canoe toward the beach.
鮮o. The fishing's so good off the beach at Lattash that I've never had 
any reason to come this far out. Besides, I didn't want to offend the local 
fish at Lattash by trying my hand somewhere else. Fish are sensitive 
about that sort of thing, you know. They get miffed if you ignore them, 
and sulky fish don't bite. Everybody knows that.'
塑ou've got a warped sense of humor, friend Red-Beard.'
践ow can you say that, friend Longbow? I'm shocked at you! 
Shocked!'
前h, quit.' Longbow peered at the brushy beach. 禅he river's larger 
than I thought. We might want to explore this area.'
選 don't think the people of the tribe would care for the wind very 
much,' Red-Beard said dubiously. 銑attash is sheltered, but this area's

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right out in the open.'
糎ind isn't as bad as melted rock,' Longbow reminded him as they 
drove the canoe up onto the beach. 銑et's have a look at this river. If the 
water's brackish, this wouldn't be a good place for the new village, and 
we'll have to move on. If it's fresh, though, we might want to explore the 
surrounding countryside.'
銑ead the way,' Red-Beard agreed, and they fought their way through 
the wind-whipped brush toward the slow-moving river. 選sn't it odd that 
the sun was going down just as we reached this place?' Red-Beard 
suggested.
Longbow shrugged. 舛oincidence, probably.'
禅here's no such thing as coincidence, friend Longbow. That's why we 
have gods. They make everything happen. If you happen to stub your toe, 
it's because some god knew that you'd be following that trail someday, 
so just as a joke he put a rock in the middle of that trail along about the 
beginning of time. Gods are like that. They play tricks on us all the time.'
糎ill you stop that, Red-Beard?'
善robably not. I like absurdity. It makes life a lot more fun.' Red-Beard 
ducked under a stout limb that jutted out from a substantial bush. 羨ll this 
clutter's going to have to go if we move here,' he grumbled. 禅he women 
of the tribe will get grouchy if they have to fight their way through this 
every time they go to the river for water.'
They reached the bank of the slow-moving river, and Longbow bent 
and scooped up a handful of water and tasted it. 鮮ot as bad as it looks,' 
he said. 選t's a little muddy, but it should clear up later in the summer. 
When morning comes, we might want to explore the ground upstream. If 
there happens to be a meadow nearby, we should give this place some 
serious consideration.'
閃aybe so,' Red-Beard agreed, 礎ut we should probably see if we can 
find some other places as well. That way, the tribe will be able to choose 
- and to argue. Arguments are good for people, did you know that? They 
stir up the blood, and lazy blood isn't good for anybody.' He looked 
around. 選'll put out some set-lines,' he said. 選f we're going to dawdle 
around here on dear old "windy beach", we'll need something to eat.'
全ound thinking,' Longbow agreed.

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As the sun came up the next morning, it turned the cloud of smoke 
hovering over distant Lattash a bleary shade of red, almost as if 
reminding Red-Beard that Lattash wouldn't be there much longer. That 
had been happening every morning since the twin mountains at the head 
of the ravine had ended the war, but Red-Beard was still unhappy about 
the whole thing.
He fought his way back through the brush to the river and pulled in the 
set-lines he'd put out the previous evening. He was surprised at the size 
of the fish the unattended lines had hooked.
鮮ot bad at all, friend Red-Beard,' Longbow said when Red-Beard 
carried his catch back to the campfire. 糎e might want to mention that 
when we get back to Lattash. If the fishing's good around here, it might 
take some of the sting out of leaving the old village.'
糎e'll see. Why don't you build up the fire while I clean these? Then 
we'll have fish for breakfast.'
全ounds good to me,' Longbow agreed, piling more limbs on the fire. 
禅he wind seems to have backed off,' he observed.
糎hat a shame,' Red-Beard said. He held up the iron knife Rabbit had 
made for him. 禅his makes cleaning fish go a lot faster,' he observed. 
選ron makes good tools. Let's hope that Zelana will let us keep them after 
we've won all these wars and the Maags go home.'
糎hy would she tell us to throw them away?'
選 don't know - purity, maybe. She might not like the idea of 
contamination. Gods are strange sometimes.'
塑ou know, I've noticed that myself,' Longbow replied with no hint of 
a smile.
The fish were of a different variety than the ones that were common 
out in the bay, and they tasted very good. Red-Beard hoped that might 
help to persuade the members of the tribe that this would be a good place 
to live despite a fair number of drawbacks. It would never be as pretty as 
Lattash, and the constant wind would irritate the tribe almost as much as 
the thick brush and muddy river would.
After they'd eaten, Longbow stood. 銑et's have a look around,' he 
suggested. 全o far we've found fresh water and good fishing. Let's see 
what else this place has to offer.'

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The morning light had a bluish tint to it as the two of them entered the 
forest that lined the upper side of the sandy beach. The trees were large, 
and they blocked off the perpetual wind that had made the beach so 
unpleasant.
船eer,' Longbow said quietly, pointing off to the right.
Red-Beard turned slowly. Quick movements usually startle deer.
It seemed to be a fairly large herd - two dozen or so, at least -and there 
were quite a few spotted fawns grazing with the adult deer. 禅hey look to 
be in fairly good shape.' Red-Beard noted.
選'd say so, yes. Let's ease on past them. There's no point in disturbing 
them while they're busy eating.'
The two of them moved on quietly through the damp forest. After 
about a half-mile, the light ahead seemed to grow brighter, a fair 
indication that there was a clearing in that direction.
When they reached the edge of the trees, Red-Beard saw that 
祖learing' was a gross understatement. The meadow beyond the trees 
extended for miles, and the stream they'd seen on the beach the previous 
day seemed to wander aimlessly through that meadow. The grass was 
very tall, and there was a sizeable herd of bison out there grazing in the 
gentle light of the morning sun.
禅hat answers that question, doesn't it?' Longbow said. 選t looks to me 
like there might be about five times as much land for farming as the 
women of your tribe will need right here.'
羨t least five times,' Red-Beard agreed. 禅hose bison might be a bit of 
a problem, but we should be able to come up with a way to keep them out 
of the gardens.' He looked around with a certain satisfaction. 糎e might 
as well go back to Lattash, friend Longbow. I don't think we'll find any 
place that's better than this one.'
薦xcept for the wind,' Longbow added.
禅he tribe can learn to live with the wind, I think. Good fishing, good 
hunting, and good farmland are the important things. This is the place.'
塑ou never know, friend Red-Beard. Perfection might lie just a few 
miles farther ahead.'
選'm not in the mood for perfection right now, friend Longbow. This

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place is good enough for me.'
全poilsport,' Longbow accused mildly.
It was about mid-morning when they put Red-Beard's canoe back in 
the choppy water of the bay, and the wind which had slowed them on the 
previous day was behind them now, so they made good time.
Red-Beard felt a certain satisfaction. The constant wind and the thick 
brush along the river bank were drawbacks, certainly, but the advantages 
of the location far outweighed them. The one thing that might help Chief 
White-Braid get over his sorrow was the lack of any serious mountains in 
the general vicinity. From what Red-Beard had seen, there was nothing 
that could really be called a mountain anywhere near the beach. There 
were rounded hills, but hills usually don't catch on fire, and their gentle 
slopes wouldn't encourage the spring floods which were such a nuisance 
in Lattash. All in all, it was a very good location, and if he could persuade 
his uncle that the tribe should move here, Chief White-Braid might set his 
sorrow aside and start making decisions again. That was Red-Beard's 
main concern right now. Just the thought of being forced to accept the 
tedious responsibilities of chieftainship made him go cold all over. He 
enjoyed his freedom far too much to find much pleasure in the possibility 
of leadership.
It was late in the afternoon when they reached the harbor of Lattash. 
and Longbow looked back over his shoulder from his place in the bow of 
the canoe. 羨s long as we're here anyway, let's swing south a ways. I 
think we might want to have a word with Narasan.'
糎e might as well, I guess,' Red-Beard agreed, veering his canoe 
toward the anchored Trogite fleet.
The sun was low over the western horizon, and it was turning the sky a 
rosy pink when they reached Commander Narasan's wide-beamed ship. 
The young Trogite, Keselo, was standing at the rail with a worried 
expression on his face. Keselo was very bright, Red-Beard had noticed, 
but he always seemed to take everything much too seriously. 選s there 
some sort of problem?' he called down to them as Red-Beard pulled his 
canoe in alongside the Trogite ship.
前h, nothing really all that serious,' Red-Beard replied, trying to sound 
casual. 禅he fire-mountains are still belching, the village of Lattash is 
doomed, and it hasn't rained for ten days. Aside from that, everything

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seems to be all right.'
選 really wish you wouldn't do that, Red-Beard,' Keselo said with a 
pained expression.
選 think we should talk with your commander, Keselo,' Longbow said. 
糎e seem to have a problem, and he might be able to come up with a 
solution.'
閃ore trouble up there in the ravine?' Keselo asked in a tense tone of 
voice.
薦verything's fine up there,' Red-Beard replied. 前ur problem's quite 
a bit closer - right out here in the bay, actually.'
全organ Hook-Beak and the other Maags haven't been paid yet,' 
Longbow explained, 疎nd they're not happy about it. We're hoping that 
your Commander can come up with a way to pacify them.'
践ave you considered beer?' Keselo asked with a faint smile. 銑ots and 
lots of beer.'
選nteresting notion,' Red-Beard said, 礎ut eventually they'd sober up, 
and trying to argue with a Maag who has a screaming headache wouldn't 
be all that much fun, I'm afraid.'
選t was just a thought,' the young Trogite said. 舛ome on board, 
gentlemen. I'll take you back to the commander's quarters.'
Red-Beard led the way up the ladder to the broad deck of the Trogite 
ship with Longbow close behind, and they followed Keselo back toward 
the rear of the ship.
塑es?' Narasan replied when Keselo politely rapped on the door. Red-
Beard had noticed during the war up in the ravine that the Trogites had a 
tedious sort of formality about them and that very few of them had 
anything even remotely resembling a sense of humor.
塑ou have visitors, Commander,' Keselo reported.
Narasan opened the door to his rather spacious quarters. 賎ood 
evening, gentlemen,' he greeted Red-Beard and Longbow. 選s there 
something I can do for you?'
善erhaps,' Longbow replied. 塑ou and Sorgan Hook-Beak get along 
with each other fairly well, don't you?'

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践e doesn't automatically reach for his sword every time he sees me,' 
Narasan replied. 選s he giving you trouble?'
践e's been spending a lot of his time complaining lately,' Red-Beard 
said. 岨elana left here without giving him the gold she promised him, and 
he doesn't like that one little bit.'
践e's mentioned that to me a time or twelve, too,' Narasan replied with 
a slight smile. 羨ctually, it's just about the only thing he ever discusses. 
He seems to believe that Lady Zelana's trying to cheat him out of the 
gold she's supposed to pay him.'
全he wouldn't do that,' Longbow declared firmly.
糎here is she, then?'
糎e don't know for sure,' Red-Beard admitted. 選'm just guessing 
here, but I don't think she fully understood what's involved in a war. The 
killing part of war seems to have disturbed her quite a bit. "Kill" is just a 
word. Seeing it happen was probably more than she was prepared for.'
選s she really that innocent?' Narasan asked with some surprise.
全he's been somewhat isolated for a long time,' Longbow replied, 
glossing over a few realities that Red-Beard was sure Narasan wasn't 
ready to accept just yet.
糎e've got a problem, gentlemen,' Narasan said with a slightly 
worried frown. 全organ gave me his word that he'd bring his people 
down to the southern part of Dhrall to help me in the war that I'm getting 
paid to fight, but he won't leave Lady Zelana's Domain until she pays 
him. I think I'm going to need him down there, but the way things stand 
right now, he won't move until he gets paid for this.war.'
Longbow scratched thoughtfully at his cheek. 糎hy don't you just sit 
here and wait, then?' he suggested.
選 didn't follow you, Longbow,' Narasan admitted.
糎e need somebody who can persuade Zelana to come back here and 
pay Sorgan, right?'
禅hat gets right to the bottom of things, yes.'
岨elana's brother needs you to go fight the war down in his Domain, 
doesn't he?'

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禅hat's what he's paying me for,' Narasan conceded.
選f you don't arrive there when he expects you, he'll most likely come 
here to find out what's delaying you, won't he?'
羨lmost certainly.'
膳eltan's probably the only one who can persuade his sister to do what 
she's supposed to do, and if we all just sit here and refuse to move, he'll 
have to go find Zelana and drag her back here. Then she'll pay Sorgan, 
and the Maags will celebrate a bit. Then, when they sober up, they'll join 
your fleet and you can all sail south to fight Veltan's war for him. That 
should just about solve all of our problems, wouldn't you say?'
塑ou can be a devious fellow when you set your mind to it, 
Longbow,' Narasan observed.
Longbow shrugged. 糎hatever works,' he replied.
禅hen all we have to do now is practice sitting still,' Red-Beard said.
前nly after we've moved your tribe to their new home, friend Red-
Beard,' Longbow reminded him. 糎e'd better go back to Lattash and see 
if your uncle's come to his senses yet. If he hasn't, we might have to 
rearrange a few things.'
選s Chief White-Braid sick or something?' Narasan asked.
選 don't know if "sick" is the right word,' Red-Beard replied. 禅hose 
fire-mountains have dried up the river that comes down through the 
ravine, and if they happen to spout out more of that melted rock, Lattash - 
and the whole tribe - will get cooked. Longbow and I found a safer place 
for the tribe to live, but we'll have to get my uncle's permission before 
we can start moving people, and I'm not sure that he'll agree.'
選s there any way that I can help?' Commander Narasan asked.
鮮o, thanks all the same,' Longbow said. 選 think Chief Red-Beard 
here can take care of it.'
糎ill you please stop that?' Red-Beard growled.
善robably not,' Longbow said. 塑ou'd better start getting used to it, my 
friend. I think "Chief Red-Beard" is something you won't be able to 
dodge much longer.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3
One-Who-Heals was the shaman of Longbow's tribe, and he'd always 
made Red-Beard a little nervous. An ordinary shaman could deal with 
broken bones and treat minor ailments with assorted herbal concoctions, 
but One-Who-Heals appeared to have a much greater knowledge than the 
average shaman, and he was not above a certain amount of 
experimentation.
Darkness had fallen over the village of Lattash when Red-Beard 
beached his canoe, and then he and Longbow went up through the quiet 
village to the lodge of Chief White-Braid. One-Who-Heals was there, and 
he was sitting beside the fire-pit in the center of the lodge, carefully 
watching the sleeping chief. He touched one finger to his lips when Red-
Beard and Longbow entered. 船on't wake him,' he whispered.
選s he sick?' Red-Beard asked quietly.
鮮ot exactly,' the old shaman replied. He rose to his feet. 銑et's go 
outside,' he suggested. 禅here are some things you should know.'
They all went out of the lodge and walked a few yards away. 塑our 
chief's been having some problems, Red-Beard,' One-Who-Heals said 
gravely.
選've noticed that. Can you make him well again?'
選n time, perhaps, but not immediately. Some things happened during 
the recent war that your chief can't accept. The village of Lattash is a part 
of him - so much a part that its loss is more than he can comprehend.'
選 know. Is there any way ...' Red-Beard left it up in the air.
禅here's a powerful potion - a mixture of certain roots, leaves, and a 
rare mushroom - that dulls the awareness and quiets the more powerful 
emotions. I seldom use this potion, but it seemed necessary this time. I 
made certain suggestions to him before he went to sleep - and several 
others after he dozed off. The burden of leadership will be most 
unpleasant for him when he awakens, and he'll willingly hand over his 
authority to someone he knows that he can trust - you, most likely. He

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

trusts you, so you're the obvious choice.'
塑ou planned this all along, didn't you, Longbow?' Red-Beard 
demanded accusingly. 禅hat's why you kept throwing "Chief Red-Beard" 
in my teeth, wasn't it?'
禅he choice was fairly obvious, friend Red-Beard. It's time that you 
grew up anyway. You have talent, but you've been trying to conceal it in 
order to avoid responsibility. Your tribe needs you, and you can't turn 
your back on that need.'
禅hat's a rotten thing to say, Longbow,' Red-Beard flared. 塑ou're 
jamming "duty" right down my throat.'
塑ou might as well swallow it, my friend,' Longbow replied, 礎ecause 
I'll pick it up, dust it off, and stuff it back down your throat every time 
you spit it out.'
選 hate you!'
鮮o, you don't. You're just grouchy because your childhood's over 
now and you've grown up. It might take you a while to get used to it, but 
you'll probably do all right. If it'll make you feel better, I can stand 
behind you and cuff you across the back of the head when you do 
something wrong.'
糎hat if I make mistakes?'
薦verybody makes mistakes, Chief Red-Beard,' the old shaman told 
him. 禅hat's one of the ways we learn things - not the best way, perhaps, 
but it's there if you need it.'
It was very late, and Red-Beard was tired, but he forced himself to 
remain awake as he sat cross-legged beside his uncle's pallet. Chief 
White-Braid appeared to be sleeping soundly, so Red-Beard's vigil didn't 
really seem to make much sense, but the presence of the elders of the 
tribe in White-Braid's lodge obliged him to stay awake.
His mind seemed to wander, though, and he had to keep jerking it back 
to the business at hand. His eyes seemed sandy, and he really wanted to 
get some sleep.
The vigil in his uncle's lodge was quite peculiar. It wasn't as if White-
Braid was dying, but the elders, one by one, had come unsummoned, and 
had quietly seated themselves in the lodge without so much as saying a

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

word.
Red-Beard was catching a strong odor of collusion here.
Then Chief White-Braid's eyes opened.
船id you sleep well, uncle?' Red-Beard asked him.
鮮ot really, my son. No matter how much I sleep, I seem to be tired all 
the time now. Things here in Lattash are not as they should be, and my 
sleep is much troubled. I am burdened with cares, and it seems that I am 
no longer able to bear those cares.' He sat up, smiling faintly. 選t had been 
my thought that sleep might allow me to set those cares aside and return 
to Lattash when it was a good and pleasant place in which to live, but it 
has not been so. The fire-mountains hover always at the edge of my mind 
- even when I sleep.' He sighed and shook his head.
Then he straightened, and his voice became stronger and his eyes more 
alert. 選 think it is time for a change, my son. What is old is going away, 
and what is new approaches fast, and I do not like what is new. Lattash is 
old, and I am old. It is my thought that you should be the new, and you 
should find some new place for the tribe to call its home.'
Red-Beard winced. He'd been hoping that this wouldn't happen. 
銑ongbow and I looked at a new place yesterday, uncle,' he ventured. 
選t's not as pretty as Lattash, but I think it might be safer. There's a 
stream there, but it moves sluggishly, since it comes down to the bay 
through rounded hills rather than tumbling down out of mountains. 
Longbow and I saw no signs of spring floods, which isn't a bad thing; 
some years the river that comes down out of the mountains here at 
Lattash is just a little too frisky. It's a nice enough river I guess, but 
spring excites it too much. The hunting and fishing in the place Longbow 
and I found should be good, and there's much open land for planting.'
選t would seem that you have chosen wisely, my son. In time, the 
memories of Lattash will fade, I think, and the new village will make the 
tribe content.'
禅here's much promise there, uncle,' Red-Beard replied, glossing over 
the stiff winds that were likely to cause a few problems. 禅he best thing 
about it is probably those rounded hills. Mountains are pretty to look at, 
but they seem to get excited every so often, and they start belching fire.'
選've noticed that myself, my son. Mountains are young, and they 
sometimes feel the need to show off. Rounded hills are older, and they 
have more sense.' Chief White-Braid rose to his feet. 選t would seem that

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"old" is not as good as it was once,' he said to the tribal elders. 選t is my 
thought that it might be best for the tribe if we were to look to "young" 
for leadership.'
The elders all nodded gravely.
選t is good that we all agree,' Chief White-Braid declared. 選 will make 
one last suggestion, and then I will speak no more of this matter. Red-
Beard is the son of my younger brother, who died many years ago. You 
all may have noticed that Red-Beard laughs often and finds life most 
enjoyable. It is my thought that he will laugh less often if we lay the 
burden of leadership on him.' There was not the slightest hint of a smile 
on the old chief's face.
The tribal elders, however, were all grinning broadly.
Red-Beard wasn't amused though. No matter which way he'd turned, 
Longbow had been ahead of him.
Red-Beard moved about the village of Lattash the next morning 
advising the men of the tribe that he and Longbow had found a suitable 
location for a new village. His status in the tribe had changed, of course, 
but he didn't want to strut around waving it in everybody's face. Most of 
the men of the tribe seemed to be interested when he described the place, 
but there were those who voiced certain objections when he admitted that 
the new place would not be identical to the place where the tribe now 
dwelt. The notion of change seems very disturbing to some men. Red-
Beard patiently kept reminding them about the distinct possibility that the 
fire-mountains would spew forth more molten rock and engulf the village 
and everybody in it. The ones who objected responded with 僧aybes' -- 
閃aybe the fire-mountains will go back to sleep,' or 閃aybe Zelana will 
come back and put out the fires,' or - the most absurd of all, 閃aybe a 
good rainstorm will blow in and put out the fire.' The dim-wits seemed to 
feel that if they talked about something long enough, the problem would 
go away.
Sometimes the objectors made Red-Beard want to scream.
選 think you might be going at it the wrong way, friend Red-Beard,' 
Longbow suggested along about noon. 船on't ask; tell.'
塑ou lost me there, Longbow.'
塑ou never want to ask a fool for his opinion about a decision that's

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

already been made, because he'll give you his opinion, and that usually 
takes the rest of the day.'
選'm new at this, friend Longbow,' Red-Beard reminded him. 選'm 
feeling my way along right now. It doesn't seem that it'd be polite to just 
bull my way around giving everybody orders.'
選t doesn't work that way, friend Red-Beard. You don't have time to be 
polite. The growing season's already started, so the women of your tribe 
should be planting. If the women don't plant, nobody will eat when 
winter comes.'
Red-Beard blinked. 選'd forgotten about that, I guess,' he admitted 
sheepishly.
閃eat and fish are only a part of the food that keeps the people of the 
tribe alive, Red-Beard. Hunters forget that sometimes. If I happened to be 
the one who was doing this, I'd be talking with the women instead of the 
men. Never offend the ones who cook the food. If you do, you might get 
boiled dirt for supper.'
選'll have to see the meadow,' the stout, middle-aged woman named 
Planter told Red-Beard that afternoon. Red-Beard had asked around, and 
almost everybody in the tribe had told him that the women of Lattash 
took all their problems to Planter, and she usually solved them. In an odd 
sort of way Planter was the actual chief of the women of the tribe, largely 
because she knew more about growing food than anyone else.
She also had a bad temper when things didn't go the way she wanted 
them to go, so Red-Beard stepped around her rather carefully. 糎e'll talk 
with my friend Longbow,' he said. 践e might have noticed some things I 
didn't. I'll be honest with you, Planter. This new place isn't nearly as 
pretty as Lattash, but "safe" is way ahead of "pretty". The tribe must 
move away from here, or we'll be drinking melted rock instead of water 
before long.'
塑ou speak plainly, Red-Beard,' Planter observed. 禅hat's a rare thing 
for a chief.'
選'm still new at it,' Red-Beard confessed.
塑ou'll do,' Planter said a bit cryptically. 銑et's go speak with this 
friend of yours. If time's as crucial as you seem to think, we'd better 
hurry.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red-Beard and Planter found Longbow in the lodge of his chief, Old-
Bear, and Planter cut across the usual courtesies rather abruptly. 践as this 
meadow ever been worked?' she asked.
選 don't think so,' Longbow replied. 然ed-Beard and I didn't see any 
signs that any tribe had ever lived there.'
践ow high was the grass?'
糎aist-high or so, wasn't it, Red-Beard?'
羨t least that high,' Red-Beard agreed.
塑ou'd better find someplace else, then,' Planter declared.
糎hat's wrong with that one?' Red-Beard asked her.
禅all grass means thick sod,' Planter explained, 疎nd we'll have to 
clear the sod away before we can plant. That'll take too long. Summer's 
almost here, and we should have planted already. If the women of the 
tribe have to spend half the summer clearing the sod away before they 
plant, the crop won't have time enough to grow before the first frost, and 
there won't be anything to eat this coming winter.'
Old-Bear squinted at her thoughtfully. 選t is my thought that we should 
find some way around certain traditions,' he said gravely. 選f the tribe of 
White-Braid is to have food to eat after the seasons turn, we will need 
many hands to remove the sod so that the women of the tribe can plant.'
禅here aren't really that many women in our tribe, Chief Old-Bear,' 
Red-Beard reminded him.
禅hen perhaps those who are not women should help.'
Red-Beard laughed. 禅hat might be the quickest way for me to get out 
from under something I didn't want in the first place,' he said. 選f I order 
the men of this tribe to do women's work, they'll find themselves a 
different chief almost immediately.'
選 am not familiar with the customs of your tribe, Chief Red-Beard,' 
Old-Bear admitted, 礎ut in my tribe, the building of lodges is men's work. 
Is it also men's work in your tribe?'
選t's customary,' Red-Beard conceded. 糎here are we going with

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

this?'
糎hen I was much younger and adventurous, I traveled far to the north 
into the Domain of Zelana's older brother Dahlaine, and I came upon a 
place where there were no trees. It was a land of grass only. The region 
had much game - large deer and wild cows - for there was much grass for 
them to eat. The hunting was very good, but the absence of trees made the 
building of lodges difficult. The people of the place with no trees gave 
the matter much consideration, and one clever young man had a thought. 
Since there were no trees, the tribe would be obliged to build the lodges 
from something that was not trees.'
選 don't think a lodge made of grass would be very good in the 
wintertime,' Red-Beard said dubiously.
選t seemed that way to me also,' Old-Bear said, 礎ut I was wrong. The 
clever young man saw that grass is not stems only, but it is also roots, and 
the roots of grass cling quite firmly to the dirt from which the grass 
grows. The result is that which we call sod, and it was sod which the 
clever young man used to build his lodge. The other men of his tribe saw 
the wisdom of what he had done, and they also built their lodges of sod. I 
visited several of those lodges and found that no wind - however strong - 
can blow into a lodge made of sod, and the winter cold cannot penetrate 
such a wall. The lodges were strong and warm in the coldest of winters, 
and the people of the tribe were content. It is my thought that if the men 
of your tribe were told to build their lodges of sod, they would clear much 
ground for planting without feeling shame that they were doing women's 
work.'
塑ou are fortunate to have so wise a chief, Longbow,' Planter said with 
a broad smile.
禅he next problem is how to persuade the men of the tribe that sod will 
make better lodges than tree-limbs and bushes,' Red-Beard said a bit 
dubiously.
羨s I remember, the beach near that river was very windy,' Longbow 
mused.
選t seemed that way to me, too,' Red-Beard agreed.
羨 lodge made of tree limbs might not be a good idea in such a windy 
place. It would be embarrassing to have one's lodge blown down in the 
middle of winter, wouldn't you say?'
� "Embarrassing" might not be the right word, Longbow,' Red-Beard

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

said. 選 think it might go quite a bit past that. Winter winds are much 
stronger than summer winds, though. If we want to the men of the tribe to 
start cutting sod now to clear the meadow for planting, I don't think we 
should depend on the summer wind to persuade them that it's the best 
thing to do.'
塑ou and I might need to help the summer wind, friend Red-Beard,' 
Longbow replied. 選'm sure she'd appreciate that. If every lodge the men 
of your tribe have built collapses some breezy night, sod should start to 
look attractive, wouldn't you say?'
塑ou people of Old-Bear's tribe are devious, aren't you?' Planter 
suggested.
選ndeed they are, Planter,' Old-Bear said with a broad grin, 疎nd that 
makes life much, much easier for me.'
禅here's something I've been meaning to ask you, Chief Old-Bear,' 
Red-Beard said a bit hesitantly.
選 will answer you as best I can, Chief Red-Beard.'
選s it really necessary for a chief to speak so formally?'
選t's a part of the pose that goes with the position, Chief Red-Beard,' 
Old-Bear responded in a somewhat more relaxed manner. 詮ormal speech 
makes a chief sound as if he knows what he's doing. When you speak 
formally, the men of your tribe will usually do what you tell them to do. 
Formal speech will make you sound wiser.'
腺ut it's so tedious to talk like that,' Red-Beard complained.
禅ell me about it,' Old-Bear replied sardonically. 選t's tiresome and 
pompous, and about half the time you'll forget what you're trying to tell 
them before you finish talking. The important thing's that it makes you 
sound wise - even when you're telling them to do something that's 
foolish.' The old chief paused. 選f I were you, Red-Beard, I'd keep that to 
myself. It's one of the secrets of the trade. If you pay close attention to 
the outlander chieftains, you'll notice that they do things in more or less 
the same way. If you sound like you know what you're doing, the men of 
your tribe will believe that you do - even when you don't.'
選t's all really a deception, then?' Red-Beard demanded.
選 thought I just said that,' Old-Bear replied.

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選t's not nearly as well-protected as the old village was,' Sorgan Hook-
Beak observed as the Seagull approached the beach at the new village site 
a week or so later.
禅here aren't any fire-mountains nearby, though,' Longbow reminded 
him. 糎hite-Braid's tribe can stand a bit of wind and weather. It's much 
better than trying to wade through melted rock.'
禅hat's true, I suppose,' Sorgan conceded. 糎hat have the people we 
brought here last week been doing? They haven't even started building 
huts yet.'
禅hey're back a short way from the beach,' Red-Beard explained. 禅he 
men are gathering sod, and the women are planting beans.'
糎hat do you need with sod?'
糎e're going to build our lodges with it.'
糎hy not use tree-limbs - like you did back in Lattash?'
全everal of the young men tried that when they first arrived,' Red-
Beard said. 羨 wind came up one night, though, and their lodges fell 
down.'
禅hat must have been some wind,' Rabbit said.
銑ongbow and I helped it along,' Red-Beard admitted. 選f you know 
where to push, it isn't too hard to make a lodge collapse.'
糎hat did you do that for?' Rabbit asked curiously.
糎e needed to persuade the young men that sod would be much 
stronger than tree-limbs.' Red-Beard made a sour face. 羨ctually, even 
that was a deception. The young men think they're digging up sod for 
building lodges, but what they're really doing is opening up the dirt 
below the sod so that the women can plant beans and yams. We'll need 
that food when winter comes, so it's important to get the seeds into the 
ground.'
糎hy did you have to lie to them?' Rabbit sounded a little baffled.
善lanting is women's work. Young men feel insulted if you tell them to 
plant. Building lodges is men's work, though, so when all the lodges just 
"happened" to fall down one gusty night, Longbow and I suggested sod

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

houses instead. Now they're out in the meadow doing what they think is 
men's work. Everybody's happy, and the tribe will have plenty to eat 
when winter comes along.'
塑ou people have one complicated set of rules,' Sorgan observed.
選t makes life more interesting, Sorgan,' Longbow said. 船ancing 
around the rules gives us something to do when the fish aren't biting.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4
Veltan's little sloop came through the inlet a few days later, and 
Zelana's younger brother seemed to be just a bit upset. 糎hat are you 
people doing?' he shouted as he beached his sloop.
閃oving,' Red-Beard explained. 糎e didn't think Lattash would be 
safe any more, so we're setting up a new village.'
糎here's Narasan?'
善robably on his boat out there in the bay.'
践e's supposed to be on his way down to my Domain,' Veltan fumed.
選 think he might be waiting,' Red-Beard replied. 全omething that was 
supposed to happen hasn't happened yet, and I think Narasan's going to 
stay here until it does.'
糎hat's this all about, Red-Beard?'
塑our sister promised to give Sorgan a big pile of those yellow blocks 
for helping us up there in the ravine. She hasn't done it yet, and I think 
Narasan wants to find out if your family keeps its promises.'
糎ell, of course we do!'
塑ou'd better find your sister and remind her about it, then,' Red-
Beard advised. 選 don't think Narasan will move until he sees Sorgan 
getting paid. That's up to you, though. I've got enough problems of my 
own to keep me busy.'
糎here's Longbow?' Veltan asked with a slightly worried look.
禅he last time I saw him, he was showing the young men of my tribe 
how to cut sod. The sod-blocks need to be all the same size, and the 
young men weren't cutting them right.'
糎hat do your people need sod for?'
選t'd take much too long to explain,' Red-Beard said with a weary sigh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

遷ust exactly where is this place?' Red-Beard asked as Veltan sailed his 
sloop out through the inlet that led into the bay of Lattash.
鮮ot too far from here,' Veltan replied a bit evasively.
糎e've both seen the sort of things the members of your family can do 
when it's necessary, Veltan,' Longbow said. 選 think we might be just a 
little pressed for time, so Red-Beard and I won't be particularly upset if 
you cheat.'
糎e don't look upon it as cheating, Longbow,' Veltan replied almost 
apologetically. 糎e try to avoid waving certain capabilities in the faces of 
the outlanders, that's all. It gets to be a habit, I guess. You and Red-Beard 
are both natives of the Land of Dhrall, though, so I don't really need to be 
secretive. We'll go around the southern end of the Isle of Thurn. Zelana's 
grotto's not too far up on the west side.' He gave the two of them a sly 
look. 選f you think that speed's really essential, I suppose I could call my 
pet. She could take us there in the blink of an eye. She's terribly noisy, 
though.'
禅hat was how you came popping out of nowhere up in the ravine 
when you came to warn us about the fire-mountains, wasn't it?' Red-
Beard suggested.
Veltan nodded. 選 didn't have much in the way of alternatives. Yaltar's 
dream took us all by surprise, and we had to get our friends out of that 
ravine in a hurry.'
糎hat causes mountains to do that?' Red-Beard asked curiously.
禅hat particular eruption was the result of Yaltar's dream,' Veltan 
replied. 禅he Dreamers can break all sorts of rules when they think it's 
necessary.'
腺ut sometimes that sort of thing happens even when there isn't a 
Dreamer around to make it happen, doesn't it?'
Veltan nodded. 選t's a natural phenomenon,' he said. 禅he core of the 
world is molten rock, and it's under enormous pressure. Every so often, it 
breaks through the crust, and the pressure sends it spurting up into the sky 
for miles.' He pointed toward the west. 禅here's the coast of Zelana's 
isle,' he told them.
践ow far have we really come from the inlet?' Longbow asked

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

curiously.
前h,' Veltan replied, squinting thoughtfully, 疎bout half as far as it is 
from Lattash to the head of the ravine. It won't take us too much longer to 
reach Zelana's grotto.' He scratched his chin thoughtfully. 選 think that 
maybe the best way for us to do this would be to speak with Eleria first. 
She knows Zelana even better than I do, and she can manipulate my sister 
in ways I couldn't even imagine. Balacenia's always been the most 
devious of the younger ones.'
糎ho's Balacenia?' Red-Beard asked curiously.
禅hat's Eleria's real name.' Veltan paused. 選 wouldn't spread that 
around, if I were you,' he told them. 前ur big brother Dahlaine came up 
with the idea when we realized that the Vlagh had decided to annex our 
Domains. The Dreamers look like children, but they aren't children. 
They're our alternates, and they'll take over when we go to sleep. That's 
something else you don't need to mention to the outlanders - they don't 
need to know about the cycles. Actually, the less they know about what's 
really happening, the better. If they find out who and what we're facing 
here, they'll probably turn and run.'
選've heard a few of the old stories,' Red-Beard said, 礎ut they've 
never made much sense to me. Every now and then somebody mentions 
something called "the overmind". Just exactly what is that.'
然ed-Beard's the chief of his tribe now,' Longbow reminded Veltan. 
選t might not be a bad thing for him to know more about the thing out in 
the Wasteland.'
塑ou could be right, Longbow,' Veltan agreed. Then he looked at Red-
Beard. 践ow much do you know about bugs?' he asked.
禅hey have more legs than we have, and some of them can fly. That's 
about all I've managed to pick up. I've always concentrated on things that 
I can eat, and I don't think I'd care to eat a bug.'
禅his may take a while,' Veltan mused. 羨ll right, then. Some bugs are 
solitary. They have little contact with others of their species - except at 
mating-time. Spiders are about the best example of those particular bugs. 
There are other kinds, though - various bees and ants, for the most part. 
As individuals, they're almost totally mindless. They're too stupid even 
to be afraid. You probably noticed that up in the ravine.'
禅hey didn't seem very clever,' Red-Beard agreed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

禅hey don't need to be clever, Red-Beard. It's that "overmind" you've 
heard about that does the thinking.'
禅he Vlagh, you mean? I've always sort of wondered how anybody 
ever managed to find out what that thing's name was. Bugs don't usually 
have names, do they?'
膳lagh isn't exactly a name, Red-beard,' Veltan explained. 選t's more 
in the nature of a title. The creatures of the Wasteland refer to it as "the 
Vlagh", sort of in the same way that the people of your tribe call you "the 
chief". The Vlagh has certain advantages, though. The creatures that 
serve it know exactly what it's thinking all the time, because they all 
share the awareness of what's called "the overmind". Every one of them 
is aware of what any of the others has seen or heard, and all of that 
information lies in the mind of the Vlagh.'
禅hat would be useful, I suppose,' Red-Beard conceded. 禅hat the 
Vlagh doesn't have to give orders, because everybody in the tribe knows 
exactly what he's thinking every minute of the day.'
禅he Vlagh isn't a "he", Red-Beard,' Veltan corrected. 羨ctually, it's a 
"she". It lays eggs, and nothing called a "he" does that.'
糎e're at war with a woman? Red-Beard exclaimed.
選 wouldn't think of the Vlagh as a woman, Red-Beard. Laying eggs is 
only part of what the Vlagh does. What it's doing right now is attempting 
to expand its territory. It wants more food for its servants. The more food 
that's available, the more eggs it can produce; and the more servants it 
has, the more complex the overmind becomes. For now, it wants the 
entire Land of Dhrall, but that's only a start. The ultimate goal of the 
Vlagh is the entire world. If it has the world, there won't be any limits on 
the overmind.'
羨re you saying that it wants to rule people as well as bugs?' Red-
Beard demanded incredulously.
善robably not,' Veltan replied. 閃ost likely, people will just be 
something to eat. More food; more eggs. That's the way the overmind 
works.'
糎e have to kill that thing!' Red-Beard exploded.
選 rather thought you might see it that way,' Veltan agreed. 禅he 
outlanders think that they're working for gold, but what they're really 
working for is survival. If we don't win, the servants of the Vlagh will

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

have us all for lunch.'
It was about mid-morning when Veltan's sloop rounded the southern 
tip of the Isle of Thurn. Red-Beard had been keeping a close eye on the 
coast of the Isle, and it didn't seem that the sloop was moving all that 
fast.
船on't think about it, Red-Beard,' Veltan told him. 選'm tampering just 
a bit. If you happened to see what's really happening, it might disturb 
you. Time and distance aren't quite as rigid as they might seem to be.'
選 think I'd be more comfortable if you didn't tell me what you're 
really doing, Veltan,' Red-Beard agreed.
糎e'll do it that way, then. Zelana's grotto's just ahead. Excuse me for 
a moment, gentlemen. I want to let Eleria know that we're here.' He 
frowned slightly, and then he smiled. 全he's coming out,' he advised.
前ut of where?' Red-Beard asked, looking around.
禅he grotto.' Veltan pointed at the surface of the water. 禅he entrance 
is down there.'
繕nder the water?' Red-Beard demanded incredulously.
羨ctually, it's a cave, but it's not much like those caves we came 
across up in the ravine to the east of Lattash.' Veltan laughed. 船ahlaine 
went wild when Zelana told him that Eleria was swimming up out of the 
grotto to play with the pink dolphins when she was only about five years 
old.'
Just then the beautiful child Eleria rose to the surface. 選s there 
something wrong?' she asked Veltan.
糎ell, sort of,' Veltan replied. 選s my sister all right?'
鮮ot really,' Eleria replied. 禅he Beloved's having a lot of trouble with 
some of the things that happened up there in the ravine. I don't think she 
realized exactly what the word "war" really means. Killing things and 
people seems to be something she didn't completely understand.'
選t was necessary, little one,' Longbow reminded her.
糎ell, maybe, but the Beloved didn't expect it to go quite so far. She 
absolutely had to get away and come back home.'

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選s she settling down at all?'
糎ell, a little bit, maybe. Just being back home in the grotto helps her.'
全he shouldn't have left quite so fast,' Veltan said. 全he forgot 
something that was fairly important.'
前h?'
全he didn't give Sorgan the gold she'd promised him, and he's very 
unhappy about that. She can stay here in her grotto if she thinks it's 
necessary, but she's going to have to come back to Lattash and pay the 
pirates what she owes them. The delay's making Narasan suspicious, and 
he won't move until he knows that my sister kept her promise. If Sorgan 
doesn't get paid, Narasan won't come south to my Domain, and I think 
I'm going to need him there before too much longer.'
選'll go back down to the grotto and tell the Beloved that you're here, 
Uncle Veltan. I might be able to persuade her to come out, but I'm not 
making any promises.' Then the little girl arched gracefully over and 
plunged back down through the water.
It seemed almost like forever as the three of them sat in Veltan's gently 
bobbing sloop, but it was probably only about a quarter of an hour before 
Eleria and Zelana came to the surface no more than a few yards from the 
sloop.
糎hat's this all about, Veltan?' Zelana demanded, smoothly treading 
water.
塑ou seem to have neglected something, dear sister,' Veltan suggested. 
選 know that you've got a lot on your mind right now, but you seem to 
have overlooked certain obligations.'
賎et to the point, Veltan,' she said irritably.
塑ou neglected to pay the Maags for their services during the recent 
unpleasantness,' Veltan reminded her.
選'll get around to it one of these days.'
�"One of these days" is a little vague, wouldn't you say, dear sister?'
全organ doesn't need the gold right now. There's no place here in the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Land of Dhrall where he could spend it.'
践e may not need it, Zelana, but he wants it.'
禅hat's just too bad.'
羨nd it's getting worse every day. Sorgan's discontent's starting to 
spread. Narasan's starting to have some doubts about the honesty of our 
family. I hired him with promises - just like you hired Sorgan. If you 
don't pay Sorgan, Narasan won't believe that I'll pay him. He's sitting on 
board his ship in the bay of Lattash waiting for a demonstration of good 
faith. You gave Sorgan your word, sister mine, and if you don't make 
good on your word, the outlanders will probably steal everything they can 
lay their hands on and then set sail for home. Without Narasan's 
assistance, there's no way that I can defend my Domain, and if I lose, 
we'll all lose, and the Vlagh will win dominion over the entire Land of 
Dhrall. Was there any part of that you didn't understand?'
塑ou're hateful, Veltan.'
選 do my best, dear sister. Are you going to keep your word or not?'
前h, all right!' She almost spat her response at him. 選'll go back to 
Lattash and pay that greedy pirate, but that's as far as I'll go. I will not 
get involved in any more of this savagery!'
The face of the child Eleria hardened. 禅hat's all right, Beloved,' she 
said in a sugary sweet tone. 塑ou can stay here and play with your pink 
dolphins, strum your harp, and compose bad poetry, if that's what it takes 
to make you happy. I'll go in your place. I may not be as skilled as you 
are, and I might make a lot of mistakes, but at least I'll be there when my 
people need me.'
Zelana's eyes went very wide. 塑ou can't do that, Eleria,' she 
exclaimed. 選 won't permit it.'
禅hen I'll just have to go without your permission, won't I, Beloved? 
Either you go, or I go, and that's all there is to say. The choice is yours, 
Beloved. It's either you or me. Make up your mind, Zelana. We don't 
have all day, you know.'
Red-Beard was stunned. The sweet child suddenly wasn't sweet any 
more. Red-Beard glanced at Longbow to see if his friend was as shocked 
as he was.
Longbow's expression, however, showed no signs of shock. He

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

placidly returned Red-Beard's gaze.
And then he slyly winked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5
They moved smoothly down the west coast of the Isle of Thurn, and 
Red-Beard carefully watched Zelana and Eleria, trying his best not to be 
too obvious about it.
Now that she'd jerked Zelana back to normalcy, however, Eleria had 
reverted back to her previous sweetness, and Zelana seemed to be her old 
self again. She spoke at some length with Veltan back at the stern of the 
sloop and then she joined Red-Beard and Longbow near the bow. 閃y 
brother tells me that Chief White-Braid's having some problems,' she 
said. 糎hat seems to be the trouble?'
禅he fire-mountains at the head of the ravine blocked off the river,' 
Longbow replied, 層hich means Lattash isn't a good place for Chief 
White-Braid's tribe to live any more. The notion of leaving Lattash 
disturbs White-Braid so much that he can't seem to make decisions any 
more. Red-Beard here has been taking care of things, and he hasn't made 
too many mistakes yet.'
禅hanks, Longbow,' Red-Beard said in a flat, unfriendly tone.
船on't mention it,' Longbow replied blandly. 羨nyway,' he continued, 
然ed-Beard and I found a suitable place down the north side of the bay, 
and Sorgan's fleet's been moving the tribe there.'
禅hat was nice of him,' Zelana observed, 疎nd "nice" is something I 
wouldn't really have expected from somebody like Sorgan.'
践e's not that bad, Zelana,' Red-Beard disagreed. 選t seems that 
sometimes wars bring out the best in people. We helped him up in the 
ravine, so now he's helping us. He'll be going south with Narasan to help 
out during the war in your brother's Domain, too.'
選sn't that sweet, Beloved?' Eleria said.
閃aybe I underestimated him,' Zelana confessed. 践e hides it well, but 
there might be a certain amount of decency lurking behind that rough 
exterior. Are those fire-mountains still belching smoke?'
禅hey were when we left,' Red-Beard replied. 糎e were hoping that

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

they'd just roll over and go back to sleep, but they're still grumbling up 
there.'
選t was probably a wise decision to move your tribe, Red-Beard,' she 
said gravely. 前nce a mountain starts spitting fire, it can go on for years, 
and you don't really want to be downhill from one of them while that's 
happening.' She turned. 選 think we'd better hurry, little brother. Let's get 
all of our friends away from that ravine. That might be a dangerous place 
for the next several years.'
選 thought so myself, dear sister,' Veltan agreed.
Red-Beard braced himself. 禅here's something you should probably 
know, Zelana,' he said. 閃y uncle told the elders that he wanted to step 
aside, and that I might be the best one to replace him. It wasn't my idea, 
and I don't like it very much, but I guess I'm the chief of the tribe now.'
塑our uncle's very wise, Red-Beard,' Zelana assured him. 塑ou were 
the proper choice. Sometimes old ones become confused when things 
start moving too fast for them.' She smiled faintly at Eleria. 禅hat's when 
younger ones have to step over them.'
糎ould I do something like that, Beloved?' Eleria asked with wide-
eyed innocence.
糎hy don't we talk about that some other time, little one?' Zelana 
replied. 然ight now, I've got more important things to consider.'
Red-Beard's heart sank when Veltan's sloop reached the inlet that led 
back into the bay of Lattash. The fire-mountains were spouting red-hot 
liquid miles up into the air again. He'd been hoping against hope that 
somehow his boyhood home might still be there to look at, but now that 
was obviously out of the question.
選'm sorry, friend Red-Beard,' Longbow said.
選t wasn't your fault, friend Longbow,' Red-Beard replied. 鮮othing 
we hope for comes to us without a cost, I guess. We won this war, but the 
winning cost us our home. It used to be a nice place, but nothing lasts 
forever, I suppose.'
Sorgan Hook-Beak appeared to be in a state of near-panic when Veltan 
pulled his sloop up alongside the Seagull. 糎here have you been?' he 
demanded of Zelana in a shrill voice. 禅hat molten rock's coming down 
the ravine faster than any man could run. It'll probably swallow up the

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

village before the sun goes down, and we'll never be able to save all the 
gold in that blasted cave.'
舛alm yourself, Hook-Beak,' she told him. 然abbit, why don't you hop 
into that skiff of yours and go fetch Sorgan's cousins - Skell, Torl, and 
the rest of them? If we try to load all the gold in the cave on the Seagull, 
we'll sink her.'
塑es, ma'am,' Rabbit agreed, hurrying forward toward the bow of the 
Seagull.
糎e'll go on ahead, Sorgan,' Zelana continued. 選'll need to remove 
the barriers I set up earlier before your men can start carrying the gold 
out.'
船o you think maybe you could widen that tunnel where the gold is, 
Lady Zelana?' Hook-Beak asked her. 選t's awfully narrow, and things 
would go faster if I could put more than two lines of men to work in 
there.'
禅hat wouldn't be a good idea, Sorgan,' she told him. 禅he walls of 
that tunnel support the roof, and if I push them out much farther, the 
ceiling could collapse. Just tell your men to work faster and not to spend 
so much time fondling the gold bricks. Let's clear out the cave before the 
lava hits the bay.'
選t can slop down into the bay all it wants to,' Sorgan said. 選 want to 
keep it out of the cave, is all.'
前nce it hits the water, you and your men won't be able to see what 
you're doing, Sorgan. The clouds of steam will be thicker than any fog 
you've ever encountered.'
選 guess I hadn't thought of that, Lady Zelana,' he conceded.
The Maags followed the procedure which had been so successful when 
they'd dismantled the top of the stairway at the head of the ravine during 
the recent war, passing the gold bricks from man to man along twin lines 
of sailors. The rocky passageway that led back to the gold from the large 
chamber near the mouth of the cave was narrow, so there wasn't enough 
room for more than two lines, but the sailors moved rapidly, so things 
seemed to be going quite well.
Red-Beard drifted back into the side chamber to take one last look at 
the imitation ravine he'd constructed before the war in the real ravine had

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

started, and for some reason, Eleria followed along behind him. 前ops,' 
she said. 糎e forgot something, didn't we?'
選 didn't quite follow that,' Red-Beard admitted.
禅here are quite a few of those yellow blocks buried under the clay, 
remember?'
Red-Beard suddenly burst out laughing. 選'd forgotten about that,' he 
admitted. 閃aybe we should remind Sorgan that there's gold here as well 
as in the back of the cave.' He squinted at the model of the ravine. 選t 
might take a while to dig it out, though. The clay we piled on top of those 
blocks has had enough time to dry by now, so the Maags are going to 
have to dig if they want this gold too.'
選t'll be good for them. I've noticed that sailors get sort of lazy when 
there's nothing exciting going on.'
Red-Beard left the cave to the sweating Maags and began to climb up 
the steep slope behind the village, but he met Longbow coming down. 
践ow much time do we have left?' he asked his friend.
羨 few hours at least,' Longbow replied. 禅he flow isn't moving quite 
as fast as it was before. That narrow place in the ravine where Skell built 
his fort seems to have slowed it somewhat. I think we'd still better get 
Sorgan's people off the beach as quickly as possible, though: the lava 
flow's behaving very much like Eleria's flood did.'
船o you think the berm might hold it back?'
選 doubt it. It kept the water from flooding the village, but water isn't 
as heavy as molten rock, and it follows the course of least resistance. The 
berm was built to hold back water, not liquid rock.'
Red-Beard sighed. 閃aybe it's for the best,' he said. 選f even a little bit 
of the village was still here, just the sight of it would keep bringing back 
memories - particularly in the minds of the old men of the tribe. I think 
it'll be better if there's no trace left of Lattash. The tribe needs to move 
on, and memories of the past would only be a burden.'
塑ou're getting better, Chief Red-Beard,' Longbow noted. 塑ou seem 
to be able to think past tomorrow now.'
選 didn't ask for this, Longbow,' Red-Beard complained.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選 know, my friend,' Longbow said, 疎nd that's what's going to make 
you a good chief. Your tribe's lucky, you know. You happened to be in 
the right place at the right time.'
選'd still much prefer to spend my time fishing or hunting.'
糎ouldn't we all?'
選f it hadn't been for those cursed fire-mountains, I'd have left that 
gold right where it was,' Sorgan told Commander Narasan the following 
morning in the cabin at the stern of the Seagull. 選f I pay the other ship-
captains now, they'll sail for home on the afternoon tide. I think we're 
going to need them when we fight your war off to the south, but I don't 
think they'll be very interested after they've got their hands on all that 
gold.'
塑ou're probably right, Sorgan,' the Trogite commander agreed. He 
smiled faintly. 全ometimes gold can be an enormous inconvenience, can't 
it?'
腺ite your tongue,' Sorgan suggested. 禅he real problem's going to be 
that there's no possible way for me to keep the fact that the Seagull and 
the ships of several of my relatives are loaded with gold a secret. 
Ordinary sailors talk too much - particularly after they've had a gallon or 
so of beer to loosen their tongues. Sooner or later I'll be looking another 
one of those "Kajak affairs" right in the face.' He looked at Longbow. 
践ow are your arrows holding out?' he asked wryly.
禅here aren't quite that many, Hook-Beak,' Longbow replied.
糎hat it all boils down to is that I need a safe place to hide all this 
gold, but no matter where I try to hide it, sooner or later somebody on one 
of these ships will get drunk and start bragging.'
糎hy don't you let me take care of it, Sorgan?' Zelana suggested.
全houldn't you give the various sea-captains in your fleet a part of the 
gold you promised them, Captain Hook-Beak?' the young Trogite, 
Keselo, suggested. 選f you don't pay them anything at all, they're likely to 
be very unhappy. If you give each one a quarter of what you promised 
him and tell him that the war isn't over yet, he may not be wildly happy, 
but at least he won't try to set fire to the Seagull.'
禅hat's something you might want to consider, Sorgan,' Narasan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

agreed with the young Trogite. 禅he war you hired the Maags to fight 
isn't really over yet. Our campaign up in the ravine was really only the 
first battle in a war that's still going on, wasn't it? We won that battle, but 
I'm fairly certain that there'll be three more. So far, they've only earned a 
quarter of what you promised to pay them. Give them quarter payment, 
and tell them that they still have to earn the rest.'
禅hat might just work, Cap'n,' the small Maag, Rabbit, agreed. 善art 
pay's better than no pay, and they'll probably decide to stay here so that 
they can earn the other three parts.'
選t might work,' Sorgan conceded a bit dubiously. 全ome of them 
might think that I tricked them, though, and they'll just take their quarter 
pay and set sail for home.'
銑et them,' Zelana suggested. 禅he ones who turn and run won't be of 
much use anyway, will they? The good ones will probably stay, and those 
are the ones we want.'
糎here are you going to hide the rest of my gold, Lady Zelana?' 
Sorgan asked.
塑ou don't really need to know that right now, dear Sorgan,' Zelana 
replied sweedy. 選 might consider telling you - but only if you give me a 
firm promise that you won't touch a single drop of beer until this all 
over.'
禅hat's not fair at all!' Sorgan objected.
塑ou didn't really expect life to be fair, did you, dear Sorgan?' she 
replied with a sly smile.
Red-Beard carefully covered his mouth until he managed to get his 
broad grin under control. Zelana was still as sharp as any knife when she 
put her mind to it. He'd been worried when she'd fled back to her hiding-
place on the Isle of Thurn, but now that she'd regained her senses, tilings 
were looking better and better.
践ow in the world did you come up widi this idea?' Zelana asked Red-
Beard when he showed her the sod lodges in die new village.
銑ongbow's Chief, Old-Bear, told us diat the tribes of the far nordi in 
your brother's Domain build their lodges out of sod because there aren't 
that many trees up there. It's windy here, so sod lodges give the people 
more protection. That's not really why we decided to do it this way,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

though. The women of the tribe needed open dirt so they could grow 
food. The men believe that growing food is women's work, and that 
helping the women is beneath them. They all agree that building lodges is 
men's work, though, so Longbow and I slipped around in the dark one 
windy night and pushed the lodges made of tree-limbs over. After that, 
the men of the tribe decided that sod lodges would probably be a lot 
better in a place as windy as this is. Planter thought that was awfully nice 
of them.'
糎ho's Planter?'
選 suppose you could say that she's the chief of the women of the 
tribe,' Red-Beard explained. 全he knows more about growing food than 
anybody else I've ever known. Anyway, after the men of the tribe did all 
that men's work, there suddenly seemed to be all kinds of open dirt in the 
big meadow just beyond those trees at the upper side of the beach. Isn't 
that peculiar? The young men were very proud of their sturdy sod lodges, 
and they didn't even realize that the whole idea had been to trick them 
into helping the women of the tribe get the planting done.'
塑ou're a very devious man, Red-Beard,' she observed with a faint 
smile.
選'm glad you approve,' he replied with a sly smirk. 選t all worked out 
quite well. Everybody got what they needed, and nobody was offended. 
Old customs and ideas can get in the way sometimes, but if you're quick 
on your feet, you can usually come up with a way to step around them.' 
He looked around at the new village. 選t's not as pretty as Lattash was,' 
he observed rather sadly, 礎ut Lattash is gone now, so this village will 
have to do, I suppose.'
鮮othing lasts forever, Red-Beard,' Zelana said gently. 羨fter a while 
you learn to accept your losses and move on.'
選 don't particularly like that very much, Zelana,' Red-Beard admitted.
塑ou don't have to like it, Red-Beard,' she said sweetly. 塑ou just have 
to do it.'
銑et's talk about gold, gentlemen,' Zelana suggested to the gathering 
of Maags and Trogites later that day in the large cabin at the stern of the 
Trogite ship that served as Commander Narasan's place of business.
選 could talk about gold all day long,' Sorgan Hook-Beak said with a

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

broad smile.
糎e've noticed,' Longbow observed.
羨s you may have realized,' Zelana continued, 双ur war here in the 
Land of Dhrall isn't over yet. Actually, it's only just begun. As you 
gentlemen have probably noticed, Veltan and I didn't provide too many 
specific details when we offered to give you gold for your help. Now that 
we've all come to know each other a little better, I think we might want to 
reconsider some of the terms of our original agreement.'
塑ou're going to cut our pay in half?' Sorgan asked, his eyes 
narrowing.
鮮o. I thought we might double it instead. You people turned out to be 
about twice as useful as we'd originally thought you'd be, so twice as 
much gold would only be fair, wouldn't it?'
選 like the way Lady Zelana thinks,' Ox said with a broad grin.
選'll go along with you there Ox,' Gunda agreed.
羨re you going to follow your sister's example, Veltan?' the Trogite 
Narasan asked with a certain enthusiasm.
選 never argue with my sister,' Veltan replied blandly. 鮮ow that 
you've gotten to know her, I'm sure you can see why.'
糎hy, yes,' Narasan said. 鮮ow that you mention it, that does seem to 
be the wisest course.'
選s there really all that much gold here in the Land of Dhrall?' the 
bone-thin Trogite, Jalkan, asked in a tense voice.
閃ountains of it,' Veltan said with an indifferent shrug. 前ur older 
sister Aracia will quite probably have her next temple made out of the 
silly stuff. It's sort of pretty, I guess, but it's too soft to be of much use. 
Iron's not as pretty, but it's much more useful.'
A strange - almost hungry - expression came over Jalkan's face. Red-
Beard didn't particularly like the Trogite, Jalkan. He seemed to spend 
most of his time trying to impress Narasan, and he didn't treat the men 
under him very well.
Narasan looked at Sorgan. 選 take it that you'll be coming south with us 
then?' he asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

選 might even get there before you do, Narasan,' Sorgan boasted. 糎e 
could make a wager on that, if you'd like.'
選'm not a betting man, Sorgan.' Narasan looked at Veltan. 践ow much 
time do you think Sorgan and I have before trouble breaks out in your 
part of this land?'
Veltan squinted. 選 couldn't say for certain, Commander. The servants 
of the Vlagh are probably a bit confused right now. It'll take them a while 
to change direction.'
選 don't think you should delay,' Longbow said. 塑our ships will have 
to come back here after they've delivered your armies down there.'
糎hy's that, Longbow?' Sorgan asked.
塑ou didn't really expect the tribes of Zelana's Domain to walk, did 
you?'
羨re you saying that you and the other archers plan to join us, 
Longbow?' Narasan asked with a certain amount of surprise.
前f course. Zelana owes her brother for bringing you and your men 
here, and we're the ones, who take care of those responsibilities. You 
helped Sorgan, so Sorgan's going to help you. Veltan helped Zelana, so 
it's only right for her to help him. There's more, though.'
前h?' Narasan said. 糎hat's that?'
Longbow grinned at the Trogite. 塑ou didn't really think that we were 
going to let you two have all the fun, did you?' he demanded.