Maia

all. He might have been sent away-brought up as a peasant-and no wrong would have been done either to his mother or himself. But she was a great beauty and a much-admired and very charming woman-to say the least. The High Baron loved her passionately-more than he loved his wife, for that was nothing but a political marriage between baronial families. Bayub-Otal's mother was a Suban dancing-girl. When she died-well, never mind how she died-the High Baron was heart-broken. That's why Bayub-Otal's always been treated as though he were a legitimate son. And if it had remained under Urtan dominion, he'd have stood to inherit Suba. He'd been promised Suba: that was what his father intended for him."

This last was of little interest to Maia: but what she had actually seen was.

"That other man-he was cutting up his meat for him?"

"Bayub-Otal has a withered hand. It was-injured, when he was a boy."

As they walked back down the corridor Maia was silent. At length she asked, "What-what sort of a man is he?"

"That I can't tell you, Maia: I've had very little to do with him. They say, though, that he's full of resentment and that he's no fool."

"And I'm to deceive him?"

Elvair-ka-Virrion stopped short and turned to face her.

"Who said that? Not I!"

Half-child as she was, she gave way to a touch of impatience.

"Reckon you did!"

"I did not. Maia, understand, you're simply to make him like you, talk to you, want to see you again-nothing more than that."

"But why, my lord? I mean, what for?"

"Never mind. Trust me, it'll all turn out very much to your advantage. Now I'm going to leave you. Wait here a minute or two, then go down this staircase and Sessen-dris-you know, my father's saiyett-will be waiting for you. Go in and have supper with the Urtans. Remember, I hardly know you-I've only seen you at Sencho's. Sail your boat well, pretty Maia! I'm sure you can. Thank you for my pleasure. It was much the best I've ever had in my life! I'm not going to spoil it by giving you a lygol, but believe me I'll do far more for you than that one day."

He kissed her unhurriedly, tilting her face between his hands, smiled and was gone.

Sessendris, seated in a cushioned recess opposite the foot of the staircase, looked up at her as she came down the stairs.

"You're becoming quite a regular visitor, Maia."

"Thank you, saiyett. Come to that, I'm beginning to feel quite at home."

She'd best start acting her part directly, she thought. For all that this woman wassupposed to know, she had no reason to feel nervous. Rather, indeed, the reverse, for had she not just received a favor with which any slave-girl in Bekla would have been overjoyed?

Sessendris evidently felt this too, for she showed every intention of keeping on the right side of a girl who was so clearly on the way up.

"Is there anything you need before you go in? There's a nice, big mirror in that room over there; and you're welcome to use this comb, if you like-it's my own."

As they walked across the lobby together she went on rather archly, "Well, and which do you like best-the son or the father?"

Maia, turning her head for a moment to look her in the eye, gave her a smile which meant "You surely don't expect me to answer that?"

"No preference?" persisted Sessendris teasingly.

Maia tossed her head. "Spring's nice. So's summer, isn't it?"

The polished silver wall-plaque was, if anything, bigger than the one at the High Counselor's. She surveyed herself in it with no little satisfaction. She was wearing a dress of soft, fine wool-blue flecked green, with an open weave. The effect of the pale-green satin under-skirtwas to make the wool above it appear of a different shade, lighter and greener than the bodice. Her only jewelry was a necklace of the creamy, dusky-streaked beads of semi-precious stone called eshcarz, which the Ortelgans dived for in the Tel-thearna and traded in Bekla, together with their rope and feathers.

Sessendris obligingly held a towel for Maia to dry her hands.

"I expect you're feeling pleased, aren't you? I wouldn't be surprised if you received some more favors tonight."

"I'll need to eat something first, saiyett," answered Maia.

"I'm that sharp-set, I'd say no to Shakkarn himself until I've had some supper."

"Of course: you're used to plenty of that at the High Counselor's, I dare say." Sessendris spoke as pleasantly as ever. "I notice your black friend's putting on a little weight, isn't she?"

"Urtans seem to like her, anyway," replied Maia.

"Really?" Sessendris seemed surprised. "How do you know?"

Maia bit her lip. Here was a fine start to a career of adroit deception! And Sessendris must, of course, know of the existence of the upstairs room overlooking the hall.

"Well, Lord Elvair-ka-Virrion said to me as the Urtans had told him they'd heard of her from someone in Thettit, that's all. That's why he asked the High Counselor to let her come tonight."

To this the saiyett replied with a nod, and Maia could only hope that it had sounded convincing.