Maia

The admiration of the young officers was warm. They began eagerly asking Zirek and Meris how they had contrived the killing and about their escape. After a little, however, and before Elleroth had had time to inquire about Zen-Kurel or Maia, Bayub-Otal interposed, "U-Elleroth, what I would like to suggest, if I may, is that we should go to our quarters now and make ourselves pre-

sentable; and then, after we've had something to eat-if that's not hoping for too much-I'll tell you how we all come to be here."

"Well, then, you must be sure to break off at the most exciting point," replied Elleroth, "and I'll be delighted to provide you with a bowl for people to put their melds in before you go on. But come along, let me show you the way. The water must be hot by now."

As she followed them out, Maia heard Bayub-Otal saying to Elleroth in a low voice, "… in private, really… few things need to be explained.",

"Of course," answered Elleroth. "No questions until you're ready, then."

Outside, a woman of about thirty, with black hair and a missing front tooth, was waiting, evidently to take charge of Meris and herself. The excellent wine, on an empty stomach, had rather gone to Maia's head and she felt quite content to be shepherded along in a not unpleasant haze of evening air, failing light, wood-smoke and the shouts and calls of children, until they came to the shelter prepared for them.

"My name's Tekordis," said the woman chattily. "I was two years at Orthid, but now I've taken up with a tryzatt on the general's headquarters. How do you come to be here?"

"Oh, we're refugees from the Leopards," answered Maia, happy to be stripped off and sitting rather muzzily in a tub of warm water. "We were coming through the forest and had the good luck to run into Captain Mollo."

The woman, who was obviously impressed at their having been received personally by Elleroth, asked no more direct questions, but was plainly hoping to learn more if she could. Both girls, however, felt that it might be more prudent not to oblige her. Maia, changing into the rough but clean clothes she was given, nevertheless took care to retain her travel-stained tunic, with the money and valuables in its pockets. Tekordis having found them a comb (which they were obliged to use for their nails as well as their hair), they felt they had done as much as they could by way of preparing for supper.

Walking back towards Elleroth's headquarters, they passed a group of soldiers throwing dice on the grass, who, as they went by, made their approval plain enough. Maia,

well accustomed to this sort of thing, acknowledged them with a smile and a wave.

"Maia," asked Meris a few moments later, "have you got any money?"

Maia, never one to cavil at a little stretching of the strict truth in a good cause, shrugged her shoulders.

"Lend you ten meld if you like."

"We could make a damned sight more than that in a place like this," said Meris. "Or I could, anyway."

" 'Tain't for me to tell you what's what, Meris, but we're supposed to be guests of this Elleroth, and anyway Anda-Nokomis wouldn't-" ›

"Oh, balls!" said Meris. "You're a fine one to talk, Saiyett Serrelinda, aren't you? D'you think I don't remember you tickling up old Sencho and enjoying every minute of it? Give me that shit-"

"Shut up!" cried Maia angrily. "Haven't you made enough trouble already, without going looking for more here? Great Cran, 's far as I can make out you've only to hang on till you get to Erketlis to be set up for the rest of your life, and now you want to start working this place on your back! Anyway, here's that young Tolis coming to meet us. El-leroth's sent him to hurry us up, I s'pose."

Elleroth was as good as his word to Bayub-Otal. During the meal (too many damned flies! thought Maia: in the upper city, she'd forgotten how bad they could be at this time of year) he asked no questions, but talked instead of the Chalcon campaign, SantiFs victory on the Thettit-Ikat road and the dash he had made afterwards to take the Orthid slave-camp.

"Dear me, we did proceed rapidly," he remarked, stabbing with his knife at a lump of cheese. "I sincerely trust I'll never be required to do anything so energetic as that again."

"But did Santil order it, or did you dream it up by yourself?" asked Zen-Kurel.

"Well, he-er-he may have mentioned it to me in passing as a sporting possibility," replied Elleroth. "I honestly find it difficult to have any very clear recollection: that march-I began to fear that creation would expire before we got there. I was praying ardently to be struck down with sunstroke, but I confess with no very lively hope of success. And the dried meat and bad water kept on making me sick. Digestion is the great secret of life, after all. Do

have some more cheese; then you can at least console yourselves by eating while I talk. That may not only comfort you a little for the quality of the conversation but also increase our mutual confidence."