Maia

The soldiers' clothes were rough, torn and anything but uniform. Several, however, were wearing the corn-sheaves emblem of Sarkid.

"We're with Elleroth of Sarkid," said the captain shortly. "Will that satisfy you?"

"Indeed it will," said Bayub-Otal, speaking for the first time. "In that case, you will be glad to know that my name is-"

"I'm not interested in your names," interrupted the captain. "I want to know who's upstream? How many and how close?"

"There's no armed force at all upstream," replied Zen-Kurel. "The forest's empty and as far as I know there's nothing between you and Bekla."

This plainly had a considerable effect on the soldiers standing round. There was a buzz of talk and some of the men began calling to others further off.

"Well, at that rate what were you trying to get away from? Must've been something pretty bad to make you risk that." He jerked his thumb towards the falls.

"I was about to tell you who I am." Bayub-Otal spoke with icy dignity. "I am Anda-Nokomis, son of the High Baron of Urtah, and Ban of Suba."

"Anda-Nofcomis? Are you sure?"

Maia could not restrain a slightly hysterical gurgle of laughter. The captain looked round at her angrily, then turned back to Bayub-Otal.

"I heard you were dead."

"Then you heard wrong."

By this time both Bayub-Otal and Zen-Kurel, soaking wet and dressed in torn sacking, had evidently begun to strike the captain as people of rather more weight than he had originally supposed.

"Well, I'm sorry, my lord; only the times are every which way just now, that's it, and you must admit you don't look like the Ban of Suba, now do you? Put yourself in my position. We're the pioneer group of Lord Elleroth's company, across the Zhairgen on our own. We don't know the first thing about the forest ahead, the whereabouts of the Leopard army or anything else. We're just clearing the bank when suddenly you come floating down like a lot of

blasted turtles. What am I supposed to do-guess who you are or just salute you on sight?"

Maia laughed again. She was beginning to like this man.

"For all I know you could be reconnoitring, couldn't you?"

"Do people generally go reconnoitring unarmed," said Zen-Kurel, "and take a couple of girls with them?"

"Leopards? They never go anywhere without girls, I'm told. Shearnas on the blasted battlefield, that's it-"

"We're not Leopards, curse you!" cried Zirek suddenly. "I'm the chap as killed Sencho-me and this girl here. Santil knows me well enough."

At this there was another buzz of excitement among the soldiers. They were crowding round so closely now that Maia, still sitting on the ground at their feet, was beginning to feel shut in and oppressed.

"Captain," she said, "could we go somewhere less crowded? This is making me feel btd."

He stared at her, apparently surprised at a girl speaking up for herself at all. After a moment he looked at Bayub-Otal, who nodded.

"Everyone back to work!" shouted the captain. "Go and get on with what you were doing! You'd better stay here with us," he added to Tolis.

The men dispersed. Maia now saw that what they were engaged in doing was felling the saplings and undergrowth along the bank. Downstream of the falls a narrow, recently-cleared track wound away out of sight.

"You were lucky," said the captain to Bayub-Otal. "If you'd come down an hour earlier you wouldn't have found us above the falls."

"But how is it we didn't see your men on the bank?" he asked.

"The men were taking a break under the trees. We heard you shouting. Now look," he went on, "Elleroth will certainly want to see you and I shall have to make a report to him. Tell me how you come to be here."

Bayub-Otal proceeded to do so. Mollo and Tolis listened attentively.

"Well, you'd better take them back to camp, Tolis," said Mollo at length. "Tell Elleroth I'll be back myself before sunset." And thereupon he walked away to where the men had resumed work.

"Is it far?" asked Maia apprehensively, as Tolis began

conducting them downstream. She felt almost too tired to take a step.

He shook his head. "Less than a mile: just across the Zhairgen. We've got a raft on ropes. It'll carry away in the rains, of course, but it's all right for now."

The path Mollo's men had cleared was narrow, but the job had been done very thoroughly and it was easy walking. As they went on in single file, the sound of the falls gradually receding behind them, Tolis asked over his shoulder, "Have any of you met Elleroth before?" As no one answered, he said "No?"

"What's he like, then?" asked Zirek. '

"Well, obviously we all like him," answered Tolis, "or we wouldn't be here. But he may not be quite what you're expecting." He laughed. "You'll be all right, though."

With this enigmatic remark he continued on their way.

Maia noticed a flask attached to his belt. She touched his shoulder.

"Can I ask you what's in that?"

"Djebbah," he answered. "D'you want some?"

"No, but that cut on Captain Zen-Kurel's leg ought to be cleaned. Could turn nasty else."