Prologue The girl squirmed on her seat, and the old woman cast her a quick, angry glance. She quieted, and the woman turned back to her customer.

Well, lad, she said, what would you have of me?

The boy hesitated.

I'm... I'm Kelder of Shulara, he said.

I know, she replied, nodding.

It was a lie, of course; she hadnt known anything of the sort. In fact, it struck her suddenly that the name might be false, and instead of looking omniscient she might look foolish if she believed it. Kelder of Shularawell, really, that probablywas a lie! And not a very original one, at that.

Smoothly, so that the boy saw no pause, she winked at him and continued, in a mysterious tone, I know all Ineed to know.

The lad looked suitably confused and impressed. Behind him, the little girl rolled her eyes upward and mouthed somethingit looked like, Oh, comeon, Grandma!

So, Kelder of Shulara, the woman went on, a bit hurriedly, you have come to Zindré the Seer to learn your futureand I see it laid out before me, vast and shining. There is too much to tell you all of it, my child, for your life will be long and rich; you must ask me specific questions, and I shall answer them all...

The girl cleared her throat. Her grandmother glared at her and continued,...at the cost of merely three bits apiece.

Kelder, fortunately, didnt notice any of the byplay between Zindré and her granddaughter; he was staring intently at the crystal bowl on the table before him, as if he expected to see something in it himself.

Thatwas an uncomfortable thought; Zindré did not like the idea of a customer who hadreal magic.

But surely the boy couldnt have any magic; he was just a peasant.

He cleared his own throat, and asked, Will Iever get out of Shulara?

That was an easy one. Oh, yes, Zindré said. You shall go, and you shall go far, beyond the hills and into strange lands, and you shall return safely. He probably wouldnt, but she knew what he wanted to hear.

Return? Ill come back?

Zindré suppressed a frown and silently cursed herself for not listening more carefully to the boys tone and phrasing. Oh, yes, she said. You will return, covered in glory, to tell those who remained behind of the wonders you saw.

To stay? Kelder asked; then something registered, and without waiting for an answer he asked, Wonders? What wonders?

Many wonders, Zindré said quickly, hoping to distract the boy from the question of exactly where he was going to wind up. Great cities and vast plains, strange beasts and beautiful women, and much mighty magic. She usually threw in something about mountains, rather than plains, but in a place as hilly as Shulara she thought that plains would be more exotic and intriguing.

Magic? But what will I do? Where will I go?

Zindré gestured broadly and stared into the bowl before replying, The magic is strange, of a kind I have never seen, and that neither wizards nor witches know. It will both be yours and not be yours. You will roam free, unfettered, and you will be a champion of the lost and forlorn, honored by the dead and those yet unborn. That should sound vague and mysterious enough to suit anyone.

From the corner of her eye she saw her granddaughter clearly signing to ease up a little; Zindré reviewed what she had just said and decided the girl was right, she had been getting carried away. As for where, she said, I see a long road stretching before me, but just which road it might be I cannot say.

Kelders disappointment showed on his face. The granddaughter broke in.

Excuse me, she said, but that makes fifteen bits, and you only paid a single round; Ill need another before you ask my grandmother any more questions.

Kelder turned, startled, and stared at her, open-mouthed.

She held out a hand.

Abashed, Kelder dug in the purse at his belt and pulled out another copper round. Thats all I have, he said.

That leaves one bit, the girl said. Do you want change, or one more question?

My grandmother will answer one more at discount.

Another question, Kelder said immediately.

Think well before you speak, then, Kelder of Shulara, Zindré intoned.

Kelder thought.

Tell me about the girl Ill marry, he said at last.

Zindré nodded. She will be bright and beautiful, with a laugh like birdsong, she said, with a magic all her own. You will bring her to your home in pride and delight, and spend your life with her in joy. That one was easy; it was a standard question, and she had used that standard reply a hundred times, at least.

Children? Kelder asked.

Money? the granddaughter demanded.

Woebegone, Kelder admitted, I dont have any more.

It matters not, Zindré said quickly. The vision dims; the spell is fading away. I could tell you little more in any case. She picked up a green cloth and dropped it neatly over the crystal bowl.

Oh, Kelder said. Reluctantly, he stood.

The granddaughter gestured toward the door of the hut, and Kelder, with a polite little bow, departed. The girl escorted him out, and closed the door behind him.

When the door was shut the girl said, I guess he believed it.

Of course he did! said Zindré, bustling about, adjusting the hangings on the walls and straightening candles that had slumped as the wax melted unevenly.

Are there any more?

No, the girl said. You know, Grandma, I still dont understand how we can get away with thiscantanybody tell real magic from lies?

Those that can, Zindré said complacently, dont come to us in the first place.

Outside, in the gathering dusk, Kelder found two of his sisters chattering with the smiths daughter, near the forge. Where haveyou been? Salla demanded, as her little brother ran up.

Talking to the seer, he said.

All three girls turned to stare at him. Oh, Kelder, you didnt, Edara said.

Didnt what? Kelder asked defensively.

You didnt spend all your money on that charlatan!

No, I didnt! Kelder replied angrily.

How muchdid you spend? Salla asked.

Not that much, he said.

Howmuch?

Two rounds, he admitted.

Oh, Kelder! Edara sighed.

Magic is expensive! he protested.

Kelder, Salla told him, she doesnt have any more magic thanI do! Shes an old fake! A liar!

No, she isnt!

Yes, she is! Shes here every year, and none of her predictions have ever come true.

Notyet, maybe, Kelder said.

Never,Kelder. Shes a fake. None of what she told you is going to come true.

Yes, it will, Kelder said. You just wait and see! He turned away, hurt and angry, and muttered to himself, Itwill come true.

A moment later he added, Illmake it come true.

Chapter One

Kelder sat down on the grassy hilltop and set his pack down beside him. The gods were pouring darkness across the sky, now that the sun was below the horizon, and it was, in his considered opinion, time to stop for the night.

This would be the third night since he had left homeand by the feel of it, the coldest yet. Which was quite unfair; this was spring, after all, and the days were supposed to be getting warmer, not colder.

He looked down the slope at the road below, still faintly visible in the gathering gloom as a pale strip of bare dirt between the dark expanses of grass on either side. On the near side that grass was at the foot of the hill he sat upon, while on the opposite side, the north, the land flattened out remarkably.

He was beyond the hills, at any rate.

This was cattle country, so there were no tilled fields to be seen, and at this hour all the livestock had gone home, wherever home might be. The road below was the only work of human origin anywhere in sight.

Kelder was pretty sure that that road was the Great Highway. He stared at it in disappointment.

It was not at all what he had expected.

He had imagined that he would find it bustling with travelers, with caravans and wandering minstrels, escaping slaves and marching armies, as busy as a village square on market day. He had thought it would be lined with inns and shops, that he would be able to trot on down and find jolly company in some tavern, where he could spend his scrupulously-hoarded coins on ale and oranges, and then win more coins from careless strangers who dared to dice with himand the fact that he had never played dice before did not trouble his fantasies at all. He had envisioned himself watching a wizard perform wonders, and then escorting a comely wench up the stairs, flinging a few bits to a minstrel by the hearth as he passed, making clever remarks in half a dozen languages. Everyone would admire his wit and bravery, and he would be well on his way to fulfilling the seers prophecy.

Instead he saw nothing but a long, barren strip of hard-packed dirt, winding its way between the hills on either side, and utterly empty of life.

He sighed, and pulled open the flap of his pack.

He should have known better, he told himself as he pulled out his blanket.

Life was not what the seers and storytellers made it out to be. Much as he hated to admit it, it looked just about as drab and dreary as his sisters had always said it was. It wasnt just the family farm that was tedious, as he had always thought; it was, it now appeared, the entire World.

And he should have guessed that, he told himself, from his previous expeditions.

The first time he had run away had been the week after his visit to Zindré the Seer at the village market. He had only been twelve.

That had been rash, and he had been young; Zindré had never implied that he would begin his journey so young.

Kelder had had reasons, though. His father, determined to keep the family farm in the family and having let all three of Kelders older sisters arrange to marry away, had adamantly refused to arrange an apprenticeship or a marriage for Kelder; Kelder was going to inherit the farm, whether he wanted it or not, and settling the legacy on him meant no apprenticeship, no arranged marriage.

It had meant that Kelder was expected to spend the rest of his life on that same piece of ground, seeing nothing of the World, learning nothing of interest, doing no good for anyone, but only carrying on the family traditions. That was hardly roaming free and unfettered, as the seer had promised, or being a champion of the lost and forlorn.

Kelder had notwanted to spend the rest of his life on that same piece of ground carrying on the family traditions.

So, frustrated and furious, he had left, convinced excitement and adventure must surely wait just across the ridge. He had wandered off that first time without so much as a stale biscuit in the way of supplies, and had crossed the ridge, only to find more dismal little farms much like his own familys.

He had stayed away a single night, but his hunger the following morning had driven him back to his mothers arms.

The next time he left, when he was thirteen, he had packed a lunch and stuffed a dozen bits in iron into his belt-purse, and had marched over not just one ridge, but a dozen or morefour or five miles, at least, and maybe farther. He had known that soldiers were said to march twenty or thirty miles a day, but he had been satisfied; he hadnt hurried, had rested often, and the hills had slowed him down.

And when darkness had come spilling over the sky, he had spent the night huddled under a haystack. He had continued the following daybut around noon, when his lunch was long gone and he had still seen nothing but more ridges and more little farms, he had decided that the time of the prophecys fulfillment had not yet come, and he had turned back.

The spring after that, at fourteen, he had plotted and planned for a month before he set out to seek his fortune. He had carried sensible foods, a good blanket, three copper bits and a dozen iron, and a sharp knife.

He had made it to his intended destination, Shulara Keep, by noon of the second day, and he had done so without much difficulty. But then, after the initial thrill of seeing a genuine castle had faded somewhat, and the excitement of the crowds in the market square had dimmed, he had found himself unsure what to do next. He had not dared to speak to anyonethey were all strangers.

Finally, when the castle guard had shooed him out at sunset, he had given up and again headed home.

At fifteen he had decided to try again. He had again gone to Shulara Keep, and then continued to the west, until on the morning of the third day he had come to Elankora Castle. Elankora was beyond the hills, and while it wasnt any place particularly interesting, it was a strange land in that it wasnt Shulara, so it was a step in the right direction.

There he had encountered a problem that had never occurred to him. Most of the people of Elankora spoke no Shularan, and he, for his own part, knew only a dozen words in Elankoran. Realizing his mistake, and frustrated by the language barrier, he had turned homeward once more.

That was last year. This time he had prepared for that. He had found tutorswhich had not been easyand had learned a smattering of several dialects, judging that he could pick up more with practice when the need arose.

Old Chanden had taught him some Aryomoric and a few words of Uramoric. Tikri Tikris son, across the valley, had turned out to speak Traders Tongue, and Kelder had learned as much of that as he couldit was said that throughout the World, merchants who spoke Traders Tongue could be found in every land.

Several neighbors spoke Elankoran and Ressamoric, but he could not find anyone willing to waste time teaching him; he had to settle for picking up a few bits and pieces.

Most amazing of all, though, Luralla the Inquisitive, that bane of his childhood, spoke Ethsharitic! Her grandmother had taught herthough why her recently-deceased grandmother had spoken it no one seemed to know.

It had even been worth putting up with Lurallas teasing to learnthat! After all, it was said that the Hegemony of Ethshar was bigger than all the Small Kingdoms put togetherso it was said, and he had never heard it contradicted, so he judged it to be the truth.

And if he was to see great cities and vast plains, that could well mean Ethshar.

Kelder had discovered, to his pleased surprise, that each language he attempted was easier than the one before. He had feared that his brain would fill up with words until he could fit no more, but instead he had found patterns, similarities between the different tongues, so that learning a third language was easier than a second, and the fourth was easier still.

Even so, a years spare time, given the distractions caused by all his chores on the farm, was not enough to really become fluent in any of them. He felt he could get by well enough in Traders Tongue, and knew enough Ethsharitic to avoid disaster in the event no other tongue would serve. In Aryomoric he was, he judged, about on a par with a three-year-old, while in Uramoric and Ressamoric and Elankoran he knew only scattered phrases.

But then, he didnt intend to need Uramoric or Ressamoric or Elankoran, or even Aryomoric. He had decided to strike out to the north, all the way to the Great Highway, where his Traders Tongue and Ethsharitic could be put to useto the Great Highway that ran between the legendary bazaars of Shan on the Desert to the east, and the huge, crowded complexity of the Hegemony of Ethshar, with its ancient capital, Ethshar of the Spices, to the west. The seer had said she saw a road stretching before her that he would travelwhat other road could it be, but the Great Highway?

So he had set out, his pack on his shoulder, and for three days he had marched north, through pastures and meadows, past farms and villages, through most of Shulara into Sevmor, and then from one end of Sevmor to the other.

At least, he thought he had passed beyond Sevmor, because he had never heard of any highways that ran through Sevmor. The Great Highway ran through Hlimora, and he therefore now believed himself to be in Hlimora.

What else could that road be, but the Great Highway?

And what was it, but a long strip of dirt?

Three days of thirst, sore feet, and backache had taken much of the glamor out of his plans, and the sight of that empty road was the pebble that sank the barge. This trip, like the others, was a failure.

Maybe his sisters had been right all along, and Zindré the Seer was nothing but a lying old woman. He would never see the great cities she had promised him, the strange beasts and beautiful women, the mighty magic.

He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, then plumped up the pack to serve as a pillow. His food was gone; he had eaten the last at midday. He would need to use his precious handful of coins to buy food from now on, whether he went on or turned back.

And in the morning, he promised himself as he lay down, in the morning he would turn back. He would go home to the family farm, to boring old Shulara, and he would stay there, dismal as that prospect was. He would listen to his family and give up his belief in the seers prophecy.

After all, what need did he have of the wonders she had promised? He had a safe, secure position. With all three of his sisters married he would one day own the farm himself, the green pastures and the rich cornfields and the thirty head of cattle. He would undoubtedly marry someoneprobably not the magical beauty the seer had predicted, but someone boring, like Inza of the Blue Eyes from across the valley. They would settle down and have children.

That was just what his family had always said would happen, and they were right after all. He wouldnt see any wonders, wouldnt be an honored championall he would do would be to keep his parents happy by working the farm.

How horribly dull!

He opened his eyes and peered down through the darkness at the highway. The greater moon was rising, casting a pale yellow glow, so he could still see the road, faintly.

It looked horribly dull, toothat was the problem. All of life, all the World, seemed to be horribly dull, with no wonders or beauty anywhere.

Maybe he was just tired, he thought. Maybe everything would look better in the morning.

Even if it did, though, he would go homenot covered in glory at all.

He sighed, and closed his eyes, and slept.

Chapter Two

He awoke twice during the night, shivering with the cold; each time he curled himself up into a tighter ball, pulled the blanket more closely about him, and went back to sleep. The third time he awoke the sun was squeezing up out of the ground, far to the east, and he blinked at it unhappily.

With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes and sat up, remembering just where he was.

He was facing north atop a low hill, and below him lay the legendary and very disappointing Great Highway. To his left both moons were low in the west, and to his right the sun was just rising, and the combination cast long, distorted, and colored shadows across the hills. The sky was streaked with pink and gold and feathered with bits of cloud. The morning air was cold and sharp in his nostrils, carrying the smells of wet grass and morning mist.

A dawn like this was a sort of wonder, at any rate, but no more so than he might have seen back home.

He got to his feet and stretched, trying to work some of the stiffness out of his joints, and stared down at that disappointing strip of dirt below.

At the very least, he told himself, he should go down and walk a few paces on it, just so he could honestly say, when he got home, that he had traveled on the Great Highway. After all, wasnt that part of the point? Wasnt he trying to do things that he could brag about when he got home? He didnt really think he had ever seriously wanted to stay away forever, and the seer had said he would return. He couldnt quite imagine not going back home sooner or later.

He just hadnt intended it to be quite so soon.

He had learned years ago, in the face of his sisters mockery, to keep his mouth shut about Zindrés predictions; still, he had secretly harbored hopes of someday making them all come true.

Now he was finally convinced it would never happen. The World was just not an exciting place. There were no wonders to be seen.

He would just go home and be a farmer.

Something moved in the corner of his eye; he looked up, startled. The movement had been off to the left; he turned and looked, trying to spot it again.

At first, of course, he looked at the highway, and then at the fields to the far side, and then along the row of low hills along the near side. Only when the sparkle of something bright catching the morning sunlight drew his gaze upward did he spot it.

It was pale and gleaming and more or less cross-shaped, flying along above the highway, and initially he took it for a huge and unfamiliar bird. It swooped closer as he watched, gleaming in the dawn as he had never seen a bird gleam.

He stared, trying to make it out, and realized that it was no bird.

It was aperson, a person with wings, and it was coming toward him.

He hesitated, unsure whether to run or stand his ground. A person flying meant magic, and magic, much as he wanted to see it, could be dangerous.

The World might not be quite so dull as he had feared, but, he told himself, it might be more dangerous than he had thought.

Then the flying figure drew close enough for him to see the curve of breast and hip, the long sweeping flow of golden hair, and he knew it was a woman, a young woman, and like any lad of sixteen he wanted to see more of her. He stood his ground.

The figure drew closer and closer, her wings spread wide to catch the gentle morning breeze; they flapped occasionally, but she was gliding more than actually flying. Sunlight gleamed brilliantly from the wings, sparkling and iridescent; rainbows seemed to flicker across their silvery-white surfaces.

She was wearing a white tunic with colored trim, though he could not yet make out the details; below the tunic were fawn-colored breeches, rather than the skirt a woman should be wearingKelder supposed a skirt would be impractical in flight. Her dangling feet were bare.

He held his breath, expecting her to veer away or vanish at any moment, but she came closer and closer. He could see her face now, the high cheekbones and turned-up nose, the large eyes and mouth. She wasvery young, not so much a woman as a girl, his own age or even a year or two younger. The trim on her tunic was green and blue embroidery, depicting leaves and flowers.

He stared, utterly astonished, as with a final swoop she settled gently to the earth not ten feet away from him.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her face was heart-shaped and perfect, her eyes a deep, pure blue, her hair a flowing stream of gold.

Kelder had heard of blondes, and had even seen pictures, but he had never seen one in person before.

The wings that grew from her upper back were sleek and white, with every curve gleaming polychrome; the back of her tunic was slit on either side and hemmed to allow them through. In front her breasts filled the tunic out nicely.

As she landed her wings, which had spread at least five yards from tip to tip, folded about her sides, like a cape. The embroidery at her neckline and on her cuffs, he noticed, showed morning glory vines in full bloom. A bloodstone as big as the top joint of his thumb glowed at the base of her throat, catching the morning sun.

She was four or five inches shorter that he was, though he was scarcely a gianta shade below average height, in fact. She looked up at him with those deep blue eyes.

Hello, she said, speaking the single Ethsharitic word in a soft and velvety voice.

Hello, Kelder replied, when he had caught his breath. He was suddenly very, very glad that Lurallas grandmother had known Ethsharitic.

Whowas this miraculous creature? And why was she speaking tohim? Had Zindré told the truth after all? Was this one of the prophesied wonders?

Was she perhaps even more?

I'm Irith the Flyer, she said. Who are you?

I'm... I'm... He gulped and tried again. I'm Kelder of Shulara.

She studied him thoughtfully for a moment, and then pointed to the south.

Shularasthat way, isnt it? she asked, cocking her head prettily to one side.

Kelder nodded, staring down at her. She was unbelievably beautiful.

Then what are you doinghere? she asked, blinking up at him.

I... I wanted to see the Great Highway, Kelder replied, horribly aware that his answer sounded stupid.

She turned to look down at the road. Well, there it is, she said. Its not really much to look at, around here. She turned back and smiled at him. Of course, this is one of the dull parts, she said. The best parts are at the ends.

That was a fascinating bit of information, and Kelder was very pleased to have it. You have traveled on the Highway? he asked. The Ethsharitic words came to his tongue with difficulty; he feared that if the conversation went on he would soon be lost.

Irith grinned at him. Oh, Ive been back and forth along it ahundred times! she said. What about you?

I came here last night, he admitted. From Shulara.

Oh. She glanced southward. They dont speak Ethsharitic there, do they?

No, Kelder admitted.

I dont think I remember how to speak Shularan, she said, apologetically. Would you rather speak Traders Tongue?

Ah... it might be easier, yes, Kelder agreed, relieved. Traders Tongue shared rather more vocabulary with Shularan than did Ethsharitic, and the grammar came more easily. Besides, Tikri Tikris son had been a more knowledgeable and congenial teacher than Luralla the Inquisitive.

Irith nodded. All right, she said, in Traders Tongue. You came here cross-country all by yourself?

Kelder needed a minute to switch languages; then he replied, Well, therearent any roads in Shulara, not really. Traders Tongue was much easier, once he had made the adjustment.

Oh, I know, she said. I was there once, a long time ago. Its pretty, but not very exciting. She shrugged, then looked back up into his eyes. Is that why you left? she asked. To find somewhere more exciting?

Something like that, he agreed, marvelling at how she seemed to be equally fluent in both tongues. I wanted to seek my fortune, you know, like in the stories. My father wants me to just stay home and be a farmer like he did, and he... well, I didnt want to. Or at least, not yet. He made no mention of the prophecy, for fear she, like his sisters, would think it stupid and laugh at him.

She nodded. Grown-ups can be soboring, cant they? She giggled.

The sound, Kelder thought, was almost like birdsong.

Bright and beautiful, with a laugh like birdsong, with a magic all her ownthiswas the girl he was to marry! It had to be, beyond a doubt. He would bring her to his home in pride and delight, and spend his life with her in joy.

That was what the seer had said. Kelder swallowed.

Irith smiled at him, then abruptly sat down, cross-legged, on the grass. The movement exposed her ankles, and Kelder noticed something on one of them, several narrow bands encircling her leg.

Then she stretched her arms over her head and yawned, and Kelder stared at the display of curves elsewhere and forgot about her ankles. Wings aside, blonde hair aside, Irith was stillfar more interesting than Inza of the Blue Eyes.

I got up early this morning, she said casually, when the yawn was done. I wanted to do a little early flying, before anybody else was up.

Kelder settled to the ground himself, far more slowly and carefully, a few feet away from her. He stared at her, at the great shining wings, and wondered where she had come from. If he was going to marry her, he wanted to know something about her background. Was there a whole nation of winged people somewhere?

Thatwould be a wonder worth seeing!

Do you live around here? he asked.

Oh, I dont live anywhere in particular, she said with a wave of her hand. Just wherever I happen to land. She smiled at him again, an intoxicating smile. He smiled back without knowing why.

What about your family? he asked.

Dont have any, she said. Theyre all long gone.

Oh, I'm sorry, he replied.

She turned up an empty palm in a shrug.

They sat silently for a minute, each contemplating the sunlight on the grassy hillside and the road below. The place that Kelder had found so dismal the night before somehow seemed to be sparkling with beauties and possibilities now that Irith had appeared. Kelder wanted to say something to herhe wanted to impress her, to sweep her off her feet, to hurry along the process of courtship and marriage. Zindré had told him he would marry this creature, but she had never said how long it would take.

But Kelder found himself tongue-tied, unable to think of a word. Iriths beauty was overwhelming.

Then Irith asked, So, if youre off to seek your fortune, how old are you, anyway? The traditional age is still thirteen, right? You certainly dontlook thirteen.

I'm not, he admitted. I'm sixteen.

She nodded. I guess you left it a bit late, then?

He nodded. What about you? he asked.

I'm fifteen, she said.

He nodded again. That was just right, a year younger than himself.

Not that he would have minded if she werent.

After a moments hesitation, he gathered his nerve and said, I never saw anyone with wings before.

She giggleddefinitely birdsong, he thought.

As far as I know, she said, thereisnt anyone else with wings. Just me.

Oh. That answered that, and disposed of any notion he might have had of finding a land of winged people, but left her background a complete mystery.

Kelder tried to think of some clever way to phrase his next question, but couldnt. How did you come to have wings, anyway? he said. Were you born with them?

She giggled again. No, silly, of course not! She pushed playfully at his shoulder.

Startled and pleased by the unexpected familiarity, he asked, Then whered you get them?

She blinked at him, and then leaned over toward him as if she were confiding a secret. Well, she said, I was a wizards apprentice once, a long time ago. And I think I was pretty good at it, too. But my master was an old grouch, really stuffy about all these stupid rules and regulations and his precious guild and all my obligations as a wizard in training, and all that stuff, and I just got really fed up with it all, you know? So one day when hed been especially nasty to me, after I was done crying and while he was out at the market or somewhere, I borrowed his book of spellsor stole it, really, I guess, since hed told me never to touch it, but I gave it back. Anyway, I took it, and looked up a spell hed told me about that would give me wings, and I used it, and it worked! See? She preened slightly, flexing her wings so that they caught the sunlight and shimmered brightly.

Theyre beautiful, Kelder said, in honest admiration. He was tempted to reach out and touch them, but dared not.

He wondered what it would be like, taking a flying girl to bed. Would the wings get in the way?

She smiled as she peered over her shoulder at them. Arent they? And flying is suchfun!

He smiled back at her, sharing her delight, then asked, What happened after that? Did the wizard catch you?

She laughed. No, silly, she said. At least, not then. I just flew away and never came back. And the next time I saw him wasnt foryears, and by then nobody cared any more, and we just forgot about the whole thing.

Kelder nodded. So you never finished your apprenticeship?

No. Why should I? Ive got everything I need! She spread her wings wide, and the breeze they made blew the hair back from Kelders forehead. See? she said.

He stared in amazement. He wondered just what she meant when she said years, though. Shecouldnt mean it literally. After all, she must have started her apprenticeship at age twelvethat tradition was so ancient and sacred that Kelder couldnt imagine it being violatedand it must have taken her atleast a year before she learned enough magic to attempt something like a wing-making spell, and got fed up enough with her master to use it. He had always heard how difficult wizardry was, and he would have thought it would take at least a journeyman wizard to do something like that; the magicians hed seen mostly limited themselves to little stunts like lighting fires or making trees whistle. Nobody could have made journeyman before age eighteen, from what hed heardsixteen at the very least. And yet Irith claimed shed gotten her wings and run away years ago, and she was only fifteen now.

Of course, the wizards Kelder had encountered in a quiet nowhere like Shulara werent the best, but even so, she must have needed a year or two before she could have learned such a spell.

And shed talked about visiting Shulara, and travelling back and forth on the Great Highway hundreds of timesshe must just be prone to exaggerating, he decided.

Well, that was no big deal. Lots of the girls he knew liked to exaggerateand not just girls, either, for that matter. So what if she twisted the chronology a little?

Of course, it did make it harder to know just what had really happened. She must have been a good pupil, he thought, to learn a way to conjure her wings so young. She probably only ran away a few months ago.

Part of the prophecy ran through his headThe magic is strange, of a kind I have never seen, and that neither wizards nor witches know. It will both be yours and not be yours. His wifes magic would be his and yet not hiswere Iriths wings the strange magic that had been referred to?

But according to Iriths story this was a magic that wizards know, wasnt it?

Well, perhaps Zindré had gotten that one little detail wrong, or Irith had distorted something.

And the details didnt really matter, anyway, did they? He decided not to be nosy, and asked no further questions. When they were married he would have plenty of time to find out.

So where were you heading? she asked him. You said you came to see the Great Highway, right?

Thats right, he agreed.

Well, youve seen it; are you just going to go back home to your folks now?

Of course not! he said.

Actually, he had been planning to do exactly that, but he was not about to admit that in front of the girl he was destined to marry. He didnt want to look like a coward, or a fool, walking all this way for nothing.

Besides, her very presence proved that Zindré the Seer had not lied.

He had traveled far, beyond the hills and into strange lands; he had seen the road stretching before him; he had found the girl he was to marrybut he had not yet seen great cities or vast plains or strange beasts, he had not seen beautiful women in the plural. Iriths magic might qualify as mighty, or it might not, but the prophecy had saidmuch mighty magic. And he had not yet championed anyone lost or forlorn. It was not yet time to return safely home with his bride.

And he wasnt about to let Irith think he was a coward or a fool; if she spurned him, his entire destiny would be jeopardized.

Where are you going, then? Irith asked.

Where areyou going? he countered.

Oh, I havent decidedand besides, I asked first! She smiled brightly. So whereare you going?

That way, he said, choosing a direction more or less at random and pointing east along the highway.

Oh, good! She clapped her hands together in delight. All the way to Shan on the Desert?

He nodded. Why not? Why shouldnt he actually do it, go all the way to Shan on the Desert? It was a great city, wasnt it? The prophecy had said he would see great cities. And the Bazaar there was said to befull of wonders and magic.

I havent been there in thelongest time, Irith said. Could I come with you? We could get to know each other betterI get lonely sometimes, living by myself.

Sure, Kelder said, trying to sound nonchalant. Id be glad of some company myself.

That, of course, was an understatement. Kelder thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and given half a chance, hed have followed her wherever she wanted to go. To haveher followinghim was even better, since she couldnt very well consider him a nuisance in that case.

The prospects for a short courtship and swift marriage were looking better every moment.

There were obstacles, of course, like his limited funds, but he tried not to think about those.

Lets go, then, shall we? She got to her feet, and he caught another glimpse of the curious colored rings on her ankle as her breeches fell back into place.

She started down the hillside.

He started to follow, then stopped. Wait a minute, he said, flustered, I need to pack up my things here! He turned, and quickly gathered up his belongings, stuffing them into his pack as fast as he could.

When he was sure he wasnt leaving anything important he got up, slung the pack on his shoulder, and trotted down the hill to where Irith waited, smiling. It was only as he came up beside her that he realized her wings were gone.

Hai!he said, startled.

What is it? she asked, looking about.

Your wings, he said, feeling very foolish. Whered they go?

The thought occured to him that maybe she had never really had wings at all, maybe theyd been an illusion of some kindbut hadnt she said she had wings?

Oh! she said with a giggle, didnt I tell you that? Its part of the spell. I dont have wings all the time, only when I want to. And theyre kind of a nuisance when I'm walking, so I got rid of them.

But... Kelder began, then stopped. He really didnt know how to express his puzzlement, especially not in Traders Tongue.

Oh, dont worry about it, silly! Irith said. Come on!

She started walking, and he hurried to catch up. A moment later, he asked, But where do theygo?

She shrugged, a gesture he found wonderfully winsome.I dont know, she said.

Its magic, of course.

But when you want them back, where do you... I mean...

She sighed. Dont worry about it, all right? I'm a shapeshifter, thats all.

Thats what the spell really was. I can shift back and forth between being me with wings, and me without wings, just the way some wizards can turn themselves into cats or birds or other things.Thats all!

Oh, he said, trying to absorb this. Shape-changing or not, that something could exist sometimes, and not at other times, did not seem to make very much sense.

Then he decided not to worry about it. It was magic, and as far as he knew, magic didnt have to make sense, it justwas. If she could shift her shape, she could do it, and there wasnt any point in trying to figure out how, any more than in trying to figure out how that wizard had made a tree whistle.

Figuring out more about Irith herself was far more interesting, anyway.

And at least it meant that he neednt worry that the wings would be in the way.

They walked on, chatting occasionally and simply enjoying each others company the rest of the time, strolling on at a comfortable pace, eastward toward the rising sun and Shan on the Desert.

The question of just what Kelder was going to do in Shan, or anywhere else, of just how the rest of the prophecy would fulfill itselfor could bemade to fulfill itselflurked unheeded in the back of his mind.

Chapter Three

As they walked, a handful of people passed them eastbound, riding horses or heavily-loaded mules; one brown-clad man on foot ran past, panting. In the other direction they had as yet encountered only a single traveler, an old woman in a green robe who strode past at a pace belying her age. The two youths spoke to none of them, but Kelder was relieved to see that there actually were people using the Great Highway. They met no caravans, no marching armies, no minstrels or magiciansat least, not so far as Kelder could seebut at least the road was not deserted.

They had been walking for slightly less than an hour when they first came in sight of the forest. Kelder stared.

He had seen trees before, and groves, but the forest seemed to extend forever, all along the south side of the highway, while to the north there were only the familiar farms, a patchwork of cornfields and pastures, with occasional sheep and cattle scattered in the pastures.

Thats called the Forest of Amramion, Irith told him, even though most of its actually in Uramor, and this corner here is in Hlimora.

It is?

Sure. It means were getting close to the border between Hlimora and Amramion, but we havent reached it yet.

Oh, Kelder said. He stared at the forest for a moment more and then said, It certainly is big.

Oh, its nothing special, Irith said offhandedly. The forests in Derua are a lot more impressivethe trees are at least twice as tall.

They are? Kelder asked, turning to look at her face. It was more attractive than the forest anyway. For all the time they had been walking he had hoped she would speak, that she would say something that would give him an excuse to talk to her, a chance to develop a little more of a relationship. He wanted to get to know his future wife better.

He had thought that perhaps a traveler would greet them, or Irith would remark on something, or simply that some opportunity would occur to him to speak upbut now that he had that opportunity, he feared he was sounding like an idiot.

Yes, they are, Irith said. Ive seen them. And Ive heard that the woods in Lumeth of the Forest are even better, but I havent been there, and some people say that way up north in Aldagmor and Sardiron there are forests that make anythinganywhere in the Small Kingdoms look like nothing much.

Really? Kelder asked.

Idont know, Irith said. But thats what Ive heard.

They walked on silently for a moment after that, Kelder trying to think of something to say to continue the conversation. Finally, prompted by an emptiness in his belly, he asked, Have you had any breakfast?

Irith glanced at him. No, she said, but thats okay, I'm not hungry.

Iam, Kelder said. Do you think we can find something to eat around here?

Well, Irith said, a trifle reluctantly, there are inns in the village of Amramion, where the kings castle is.

How far is that?

Irith looked up the highway, then back the way they had come. Oh, she said, about three leagues. Hlimora Castles a lot closer, of course.

It is? Kelder asked, startled.

Sure, Irith said. Thats where I stayed last night. Where did you think I came from?

I dont know, Kelder said. I guess I thought youd camped out somewhere, same as I did.

She looked at him as if convinced he was insane. Why would I dothat? she asked. Its cold and wet and uncomfortable, sleeping outdoors.

But... Kelder was flustered, unsure what question most needed asking now. It didnt help any that he still had some difficulty thinking in Traders Tongue.

Finally, he managed, How far is Hlimora Castle?

About a league, maybe a little morejust out of sight of where we met. But its in the wrong direction, if youre going to Shan. And besides, its boring.

Oh. Kelder struggled to decide which was more important, going to Shan and not being boring, or getting something to eat. The three leagues to Amramion seemed like an awfully long distance to travel without his breakfast.

There were no other travelers in sight just now. Had there been, Kelder might have attempted to beg some food, but as it was he didnt have that option. He looked down the road ahead, where he could see nothing but cornfields and pasture and forest, and then he looked back toward Hlimora, where he could see nothing but hills and cornfields and pasture, and he thought about the difference between the hour or so it would take to reach Hlimora Castle, and the three hoursmore, really, as hed need to stop and rest somewhereit would take to reach the village of Amramion, and he thought about the emptiness in his stomach.

Then, when he thought hed decided, he looked at Iriths face and forgot about food.

Oh, he said, Ill be fine. He glanced around, and added, But if you see anything to eat anywhere, tell me. He eyed the corn growing in the fields, but as yet there were only green stalks, not even unripe ears to eat.

All right, she said.

They marched on, and the forest stretched on alongside. They met no other travelers on this stretch.

About twenty minutes later Irith pointed to a low plant growing by the roadside, almost in the shade of the forest. Those are strawberries, she said, but I dont know if any of them are ripe.

Kelder wasnt sure hecared if they were ripe, and picked a handful. After his first taste, however, he decided that ripening was important after all; he tossed the rest away. He and his stomach grumbled on.

An hour or so later, after silent encounters with two more horsemen and twice that number westbound afoot, they came to the border between Hlimora and Amramion, a border marked by a small tower of reddish stone. It looked deserted, but as they approached a man in a steel helmet leaned over a merlon atop the tower and shouted at them.

Neither could make out the words, but Irith waved cheerfully.

The two of them strolled on, Kelder growing nervous, Irith quite calm as they approached the watchtower.

The man shouted again, and this time Kelder understood him; he was speaking Traders Tongue.

Who goes there? he called.

Kelder looked at Irith, unsure what to say. She just waved gaily and called, Hello!

The guard squinted down at her.

Irith? he called.

She nodded.

Walking this time, are you? the guard called. What happened to your wings?

She grinned and stepped back away from Kelder for a moment.

When she stepped away she was just a girla very beautiful one, but a girl.

Then, suddenly, she had wings that unfolded behind her, those great glistening white wings he had seen before. Kelder revised his earlier estimate; her wingspan was more than fifteen feet, and might be a full twenty.

She folded her wings, and then they were gone again. Kelder started to ask something, then didnt bother.

Magic, he muttered to himself. Wonders and magic.

What about him? the guard called, pointing at Kelder.

I met him up the road, Irith called. His names Kelder.

That right, boy? the guard called.

Yes, sir, Kelder replied, Kelder of Shulara.

You a trader?

No, sir.

You of noble birth?

No.

You armed?

No, just a belt knife.

Doesnt count. You a magician?

No.

You swear that youve told me the truth?

Yes, sir.

Irith?

Oh,I dont know, I just met him, Irith replied, a bit flustered. But Ithink its all true. Its the same thing he toldme!

All right, go on, then, the guard said. And you, Kelder, you be careful of Irith.

Kelder blinked, and nodded. The soldier waved them on, and they walked on.

Kelder puzzled over the guards last sentence. His knowledge of Traders Tongue was still far from perfect, and he wasnt sure whether the guard had meant that he should defend Irith, or beware of Irith.

The latter didnt seem to make much sense. She might be a shapeshifter, but she was still just a girl. And the guard himself certainly didnt seem very worried about her; hed greeted her as an old friend.

So he must have been asking him to look after her.

Well, that sounded fine to Kelder. He was very interested indeed in looking after Irith indefinitely.

And the guard knew who and what Irith was, and had greeted her by name. He had seemed willing to take her word for Kelders identity. That implied, at the very least, that she really had traveled the Great Highway before, probably more than once. Kelder looked at his companion again, wondering how she had managed it. She must have started travelingawfully young!

Impressing her was going to be very difficult, he realized, if she had traveled so far and seen so much. He wished he knew more about her, and more about women in general. All the other girls he had associated with much were people he had known since childhood; he had had no practice in getting to know females, in attracting their interestand he needed Irith to be interested in him. She was so beautiful, so endearing, that just walking beside her was a constant blend of agony and delightdelight at her presence, and agony at the frustration of doing nothingbut walking beside her. He wanted to touch her, hold herbut he didnt have the nerve, yet.

The mere fact that she was there meant she liked him, since after all, she could fly away at any secondbut he had no way to judge howmuch she liked him, or what she wanted from him.

Boiling with indecision, he walked on, watching her.

They reached the town of Amramion a little over two hours after crossing the border.

It was quite a pleasant and interesting town, as far as Kelder was concernedthe largest he had ever seen, though the village surrounding Elankora Castle had come close. The castle that stood at its center, atop a low hill just south of the Great Highway, was rather larger and more sprawlingand less fortifiedthan the ones he had seen back in Shulara and Elankora. It had four small towers and no keep that Kelder could spot; it had a dozen half-timbered gables, and no curtain wall.

Around it were scattered scores and scores of houses and shopsthe shops of wheelwrights, wainwrights, blacksmiths, poultrymen, and more. And all along the highway there were carts and stalls where the locals offered for sale all their best producefine dyed wool, and smoky-scented hams, and early vegetables of half a hundred varieties, most of which Kelder had never seen before. The earthy smell of fresh produce and the tang of the hams reached his nose and set his mouth watering.

Irith seemed unaffected.

At either end of the town were inns, standing close by the roadside and marking the ends of what was, in effect, a long, narrow open-air market. Four inns stood at the west end, where Kelder and Irith entered; Irith told him there were three more at the far eastern end.

Kelder, now ravenous, didnt care to walk that far for his breakfast. He strolled perhaps a hundred feet along the market, weaving through the crowd and looking over the merchandise. He bought himself a slightly underripe orangeobviously imported, as the Amramionic climate was clearly unsuitable for orangesand headed for the nearest inn, hoping that the fantasies he had had about life along the highway might yet come true, at least in part.

Irith stopped him.

Not that one, she said. Its second-rate.This one!

She pointed to one of the others. The signboard depicted a robed man sitting cross-legged, holding a staff and hanging his head heavily. Its called the Weary Wanderer, Irith told Kelder. They make the best biscuits on the entire Great Highway here.

Kelder followed her inside.

Ten minutes later he was glad he had, because if the biscuits were not the best on the Great Highway, then Kelder had spent his life with some very wrong ideas about biscuits. He had never encountered any so tasty. In fact, his entire breakfast was phenomenally good.

Of course, hunger makes the best sauce; he knew that. Even so, the food at the Weary Wanderer was exceptional.

Although Irith had insisted she wasnt hungry, she, too, ate and drank eagerly.

Besides the famous biscuits, the specialty of the house was a thick, frothy lemonade which obviously contained more than just the usual water and lemons and honey, and Irith and Kelder each downed several mugs of the stuff.

Somehow, Kelder was not particularly surprised when the innkeeper greeted Irith by name. She didnt intrude on the meal, however; once she had delivered their breakfast she returned to the kitchen and left the travelers in peace.

The only drawback to the meal came at the end, when Kelder, who had offered to pay the bill, discovered that he owed about twice what he had expected. He had made the offer partly because to do so was the traditional male role when courting, and partly because he had seen no sign that Irith had any money.

Now, though, he almost regretted it.

Thats a lot, he said.

Irith shrugged. Only a fool sells the best for less, she quoted. Besides, prices are always higher along the highway.

Kelder grimaced, but he paid.

Thus fortified, the two of them continued on their way, strolling onward through the town of Amramion and out into open farm country again. Traffic was heavier now; they encountered an occasional wagon, and entire parties of travelers. One red-dressed woman had a dulcimer slung on her back, and Kelder brightened at this sighta minstrel, surely, the first he had ever seen.

It was about noon when they passed another isolated guard tower. Irith identified this one as marking the border between Amramion and Yondra, and this time the guard let them pass without comment.

Theyre Amramionic, Irith explained when Kelder asked why the guard had ignored them. They monitor the trafficinto Amramion, but notout. If it were a Yondran guard hed have asked us questions, but Yondra doesnt post guards at the borders.

They walked on.

Irith seemed tireless, and after a time Kelder found himself trudging wearily along while she scampered ahead, looking at flowers and butterflies. Stones and dust didnt trouble her at all, even though she was barefoot, and he marveled at that. His feet ached, and his own half-boots, new a sixnight before, were visibly worn, yet she was scampering about like a squirrel, her feet in nothing but her own skin.

Kelder wondered again just who she wasandwhat she was. Her story about being a wizards apprentice made sense enough on the surface, but no matter how he figured it, the times were all wrong. She was only fifteen; how could she possibly have done and seen everything she claimed?

There was a mystery here, and if Kelder was going to fulfill his destiny and marry Irith, he would have to unravel it.

How could a girl younger than himself have traveled so widely? Why was she roaming about by herself, with no family or friends, yet apparently known everywhere she went? How did she keep from tiring? Was that more magic, perhaps?

She was a marvel in many ways, certainlyher wings and her beauty were merely the most obvious. When he brought back to Shulara as his bride, when his family and his friends saw her, that would surely put an end to any teasing about his desire to see more of the World and his belief in Zindrés predictions. If there were creatures like Irith to be found, then obviously the World was worth seeing.

He was tempted to simply ask her, right now, to turn back and go to Shulara with him and marry him, but he didnt dare.

For one thing, she would almost certainly say no; while she was friendly enough, he didnt think she was so carefree, or so fond of him, that she would abandon her own planswhatever they might beto accompany him. And surely, she would have more sense than to marry a stranger she had just met. She had no reason to do so save to please him, and she had no reason to care that much about pleasing him.

Better to wait and let their relationship grow naturally.

And he didnt really want to go back home yet, anywaynot while there were more wonders to be found and the rest of his destiny to find. Great cities, vast plains, strange beasts, more magicthey were all out there, still waiting for him.

And now he had a guide to show him the way. He would never have found the Weary Wanderer and its almost miraculous food without Irith, and she might show him other marvels, as well. He wasnt sure whether those biscuits qualified as a wonder, but they certainly came close.

So for now he resolved to carry on, to try and impress Irith in any way he could, and to learn whatever he could about the World.

Another hour or so brought them to Yondra Keep, a small, old, vine-grown and weather-battered castle atop a hill, with a quiet little village clustered about its walls. Irith looked up at it, and a faintly worried expression crossed her face.

Kelder, she said suddenly, maybe we should stop here for the night.

But its scarcely mid-afternoon, he said, puzzled. Why stop so early?

Well, its a good four or five leagues yet to Angarossa Castle, thats why, she explained. We couldnt possibly get there before dark, or at leastyou couldnt, and I dont want to fly on ahead without you,that wouldnt be any fun. And Angarossa isnt... well, there are other places Id rather be after dark than on the road in Angarossa, lets just put it that way.

Oh, Kelder said. Ah... why? Are there dragons or something?

Dragons? Irith asked, startled, turning to stare at him. On the Great Highway?

she smiled, then giggled. Oh, Kelder, youre sosilly! No, of course there arent any dragons. Her smile vanished, and she said, quite seriously, But thereare bandits.

Oh, Kelder said again. While the prospect of meeting bandits might have seemed exciting once, right now, footsore as he was, it didnt have any appeal at all.

He looked up at Yondra Keep and its surrounding village. All right, lets stop here.

Good! Irith said, clapping her hands gleefully. I know just the place!

Chapter Four

The inn was not on the Great Highway itself, but tucked back in a corner of the village, behind a row of houses that was itself behind a row of shops. It was a very small inn, with only four rooms upstairs and one of those occupied by the innkeeper himself, and a dining room that held only a single large table, with seating for a dozen or so.

The food and accommodations were excellent, though. Kelder shuddered to think what the bill would be.

And of course, as he had half-expected, everyone knew Irith by namenot just the innkeeper, but the steward and the scullery boy and the other guests, as well. Irith introduced Kelder to them all. He bowed and nodded politely, quite sure he wouldnt remember all the names and faces.

The other guests, half a dozen in all, were traveling merchants, which was, when one thought about it, hardly surprising. Kelder sat and listened to them swap stories about remarkable deals they had made; the merchants found this endlessly amusing, but Irith politely excused herself and spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with the kittens in the kitchen, instead.

Kelder thought that Irith had probably made the better choice; half the time he didnt even know what the merchants were talking about, with their mark-ups and discounts and percentages.

At least everyone along the Great Highway seemed to speak Traders Tongue.

Kelder had heard other languages spoken, but only in the background; travelers and strangers always seemed to be addressed first in Traders Tongue.

Which, of course, was why it was called Traders Tongue, and why it was such an easy language to learnthis was what it wasfor.

It was after dinner that nighta good but unremarkable dinnerthat Kelder discovered one great advantage of staying in so small an inn. With only three rooms, he and Irith had to share.

And with just the two of them, they were given the smallest room, with only one bed.

Kelder thought about making some noble gesture like sleeping out in the stable, or at least on the floor, but then he looked at Iriths smile and realized that she must have known, when she led him to this out-of-the-way inn, exactly what the situation was and what she was getting into.

It would seem that he had, indeed, been courting, and more successfully than he thought. He had not seriously anticipated so quick a conquestif conquest it was. The question arose in Kelders mind, and was immediately suppressed, as to just who had conquered whom.

It didnt really matter; they were, he knew, fated for each other.

They talked for a long time about nothing in particularKelder learned a great many new words in Traders Tongue, and felt himself becoming more comfortable with the languageand in the end they did more than just talk.

It was wonderful.

It was very late indeed when Kelder finally fell asleep.

By the time they were up and dressed in the morning the other guests had eaten their breakfasts and departed. Kelder was in no hurry, but for once Irith seemed a little impatient, so they ate quickly and set out without dawdling.

At first he found himself wondering about little things he had noticed about Irith. She never removed the bloodstone choker, for example, not even when sleepingbut maybe the clasp was hard to work. He hadnt really gotten a good look at it, in the dimness of their shared room.

She also always wore six or seven narrow bands of some sort tight around her right ankle, none of them particularly attractive, and from what little he had seen Kelder was unsure if they were bangles, or bracelets, or possibly even tattoos. Three had designs involving feathers, and one gleamed like mother-of-pearl. He was determined to get a better look at them sometime.

There was no hurry, though.

After they had been walking for awhile, Kelders attention turned to the journey itself. They were meeting far fewer travelers now; traffic east of Yondra Keep was apparently less than traffic farther west. Also, the distance from the Keep to the Angarossan border was roughly three times as far as to the Keep from the Amramionic border, which seemed odd to him. Shouldnt the Keep be in the center of the kingdom?

Well, it obviously wasnt, so he trudged on and on, expecting every minute to cross the border into Angarossa.

Tell me, he asked Irith around mid-morning, as she danced on ahead of him, bare feet skipping lightly across the highways stones, golden hair flashing in the sun. Whats the route, exactly?

She turned and looked back, her hair settling to her shoulders like a flock of doves landing. You mean where the Great Highway goes?

He nodded, somewhat out of breath.

Irith pointed eastward. Through Yondra, and then Angarossa, and Sinodita, and Dhwerra, and then out across the desert to Shan, she told him.

And how far is that? To Shan on the Desert, I mean.

She looked ahead and considered.

About fifteen leagues, I guess, she said at last.

Oh, he said. He glanced back at empty roadway, and then asked, How far have we come? I'm not very good with distances.

Oh, four or five leagues, she answered, with a vague wave indicating that her reply was little more than a guess.

He stopped and looked back, and then at the road stretching endlessly on ahead. They had covered no more than a fourth of the journey?

That was a depressing thought.

Of course, hed come a good distance before even reaching the highway, and Irith wasnt counting that.

And in stories people journeyed for sixnights on end, or months, or even years.

And he wasnt really in any hurry to get to Shan, was he? He had no business there; it was just a convenient goal, an excuse for traveling. The real reason he was going to Shan, after all, was to fulfill the prophecy, and that spoke only of the journey itself. A longer journey also meant a chance to spend more time with Irith before proposing marriage, and that was a good thing, too.

So why hurry?

Hai,slow down! he called to Irith, who had not stopped when he did. Whats your rush?

I dont like bandits, she called back. Come on!

He sighed, and hurried to catch up.

They passed an empty, crumbling watchtower just before midday.

Were in Angarossa now, Irith said. You dont see too many robbers in Yondra, though theyll cross the border sometimes to catch people off-guard, but the hills of Angarossa are full of them. She peered warily to either side, and spoke in a tone far more serious than her usual chirping, cheerful manner.

Really? Kelder asked, a little more skeptically than he had intended. For one thing, the gently-rolling countryside hardly qualified as hills, by his standardsin Shulara or Sevmor such terrain would have been considered effectively flat.

Yes, really, Irith snapped back.

He looked about, studying their surroundings, then stopped and pointed ahead.

Look! he called. Whats that?

Irith followed his finger, and suddenly spread wings that, a second before, had not been there at all. She flapped, and Kelder was almost bowled over by the wind as she rose into the air.

What is it? he called. Whats the matter?

I'm getting a better look, she called down to him. Ill be right back.

He stood, watching helplessly, as she rose into the air, propelled steadily upward by the great iridescent wings. Then he turned his attention back to the spot on the horizon that had attracted his attention.

He still couldnt make out details; whatever it was was big, and its color not very different from the color of the highway itselfprobably, he supposed, because it was dusty. It was at the top of a rise, and disappearing slowly over that rise even as he watched.

Then Irith was settling back to the earth beside him, her wings folding away into nothingnesss. Its a caravan, she told him. A big one.

That? he said, pointing at the distant object. Thats a caravan?

She put her hands on her hips. Well, all you could see from downhere, silly, was the very last wagon!

Oh, he replied, feeling foolish.

Come on, Irith said, starting to run. If we can catch up with them, we can all travel together. Itll be safer.

It will? Kelder asked, breaking into a trot.

Sure! Irith said. Theyll have guards and everything!

Kelder was still unsure just why, but he ran after Irith. The girl seemed as tireless as ever, but long before they reached the caravan Kelder was panting and stumbling.

Wait, he called, I have to catch my breath!

With a worried glance at the caravanits nature now plain, as they had crossed another low ridgeIrith slowed to a walk. She danced impatiently as Kelder trudged along.

When he had stopped gasping and was fully upright again, she called, Come on!

and started running again.

You go on, he said, Ill catch up.

She frowned, and then nodded, and there were wings on her back once again. She spread them and leapt upward, soaring into the air.

Kelder trudged on.

He could see the caravan for what it was, now; he counted five wagons, and others were over the next hill, he was sure. There were people sitting in and on the wagons, and outriders on horses and oxen along either side, and a few people walking along on foot, as well. This was no casual grouping such as they had sometimes seen west of Yondra Keep; this was a serious expedition.

The wagons were big, solid things, brightly painted and almost the size of houses; the last in line was a saffron hue that happened to blend fairly well with the dust of the road, but the others were red and green and blue, with gilded or silvered trim that sparkled in the sun. They didnt bear much resemblance to the open farm wagons Kelder had seen back in Shulara, or the ox-carts the local merchants had used, or any of the other vehicles he had encountered previously. Each one was drawn by at least four oxen; two of the five he could see had six oxen apiece on their yokes.

With all those people and beasts the caravan, of necessity, moved at a slow walk. Kelder had no trouble in keeping up with it even while catching his breath, and could gain any time he was willing to pick up his pace a little.

He didnt bother to catch up, however. He was in no hurry.

Irith, on the other hand, flew directly up to the caravan and over it. People looked up as her shadow passed over them, stared and pointed and called to one another.

Kelder smiled. He couldnt hear what they were saying, but they probably all knew her by name. Maybe he and Irith would be able to ride on one of the wagons, or share a meal with the merchants.

Then someone walking alongside the third wagon from the end picked up a stone from the roadside and threw it at the winged girl. Someone else had drawn a sword; a third rummaged under the seat of the rearmost wagon and brought up a bow and arrow.

Hai!Kelder screamed, and broke into a run.

Irith veered off, away from the caravan, away from the highway. The stone had missed her completely. She flapped, turned, hovered for a second, and then turned again and came sailing back toward Kelder.

He slowed, and she landed before him, and he embraced her, hugging her tightly to him, relieved that she was unhurt.

Her wings had not vanished, which made the embrace somewhat awkward, so he released her quickly.

Are you all right? he asked.

I'm fine, she said. Areyou all right?

He nodded, then looked up. He had intended to ask why the caravans people were so hostile to her, but the words died on his lipsa horseman was approaching them. The caravan itself was moving steadily onward as if nothing had happened, but one of the outriders had peeled away and was trotting toward them. Irith saw Kelders face, and turned to face the horseman.

They stood and waited as the man rode up.

What do you want? Kelder called in Traders Tongue, in an angry attempt at bravado.

To give you an apology, and a warning, the horseman replied, in the same language.

Irith and Kelder glanced at each other, and then back at the horseman. Go on, Kelder said.

The horseman bobbed his head in acknowledgement. First, he said, the apology.

If you are no more than the innocent travelers you appear to be, then we regret our actions toward you.

He paused, but neither Irith nor Kelder answered.

And the warning, the horseman said. There are bandits in these hills...

Weknow that, Irith interrupted. Thats why we wanted to join your caravan!

The stranger nodded, and continued, unperturbed. There are bandits in these hills, and they have been known to use several tricks and ruses. Accordingly, we cannot trustanyone we meet hereand most particularly, not a person like yourself, who clearly has great magic at her command. So while we mean no harm to anyone, if you approach again the guards will do their best to kill you.

Killme? Irith squeaked. But I'm Irith the Flyer! Everyone on the Great Highway knows me! And this is Kelder, and hes harmless!

The horseman shrugged, palm up. Perhaps you are what you say, he said, but we will not risk it. I'm sorry.

Before Irith could say anything more, he turned and snapped the reins, sending his horse cantering back toward the departing wagons.

Irith blinked, then turned to Kelder, furious.

They cant treat us like that! she said.

Kelder shrugged. Why not? he asked. Almost immediately, however, he regretted the wordsa reaction like that was not going to impress anyone. He didnt want Irith to consider him a coward.

They dont own the highway! Irith shouted. We can pass them if we like!

Kelder reluctantly shook his headappearances or no, and even if it meant an accusation of cowardice, common sense was on the side of caution. Its not right, he said, nor fair, but I wouldnt try it. There are an awful lot of them.

Irith looked at the wagons for a moment, considering, and then stuck out her tongue. Who needs them, anyway? she said. And did you notice that weird smell?

What smell? Kelder asked, startled. The only odors he had detected were those of dust and horses.

That sour smell, Irith said. When the horseman rode up just now. The whole caravan smells like that. Didnt you notice?

I didnt smell anything, Kelder said, puzzled. Except horse, he added, for the sake of accuracy, and maybe sweaty leather.

Well, then your nose doesnt work, Irith retorted, because the whole caravan stinks.

I didnt smell anything, Kelder repeated.

Irith considered for a moment, then announced, They stink, anyway. Who needs them?

Relieved, Kelder smiled, and she smiled back, and the two of them walked on, following the caravan at a safe distance of roughly two hundred yards.

Chapter Five

How is it there are so many bandits in Angarossa? Kelder asked, as they trudged onward. They had been following the caravan for hours; it was still ahead of them, and in fact moving a little more slowly than they ordinarily did, but leaving the highway to pass it did not strike the pair as worth the effort. Instead, they had slowed down, giving Kelder more time to think. Why here, and not other kingdoms?

Because of King Caren, silly, Irith replied.

Kelder blinked. Who? he asked.

King Caren, Irith repeated. The king of Angarossa.

Oh, Kelder said, trying to see if he was missing some obvious explanation. He didnt see that he was. What does he have to do with it? he asked. Is he a bad king, or something?

Not as far as the bandits are concerned, Irith said with a grin.

Imean, Kelder said, slightly annoyed at the girls attitude, is he particularly bad at running the country?

AndI mean, Irith replied, still grinning mockingly, that it depends on whether you look at it from the point of view of a caravan master or a bandit.

Youre the one being silly, then, Kelder retorted. Its part of a kings duties to stop banditry. He might not know as much of the World as Irith did, but he knewthat much.

Well, in that case, Irith answered, turning more or less serious, King Carens an absolutely rotten king, because he doesnt see it that way.

He doesnt? Kelder said, startled.

No, he doesnt. As long as the bandits pay their taxes, King Caren doesnt bother them.

Taxes? This conversation was, in Kelders opinion, becoming very strange indeed. He wondered if Irith were teasing him somehow, but that didnt seem likely. He didnt think she could lie that well. Do bandits pay taxes? he asked.

In Angarossa, they do, Irith explained, if they dont want the kings men to hunt them down and kill them.

They pay taxes? The concept still didnt seem to make sense.

One-eighth of everything they steal, Irith assured him.

But... He groped for an intelligent response, and found none.

Pretty rotten, isnt it? Irith said, with a grin.

Its... its... It was plain that there were wonders in the World that had nothing to do with mysteries or magic, and were nothing hed care to brag about seeing when he got home. He struggled for something to say.

Yes, it is, isnt it? Irith said, smiling.

Kelder stopped trying to find words to express his appalled amazement, and Irith explained.

King Carens greedy, she said. I guess most kings are. Anyway, when he came to the throne, the kingdom was broke, so he tried to raise money. Angarossa hasnt got a lot going for itits not good farmland, the weathers pretty bad, theres nothing worth mining, and the army didnt amount to much. About the only thing in the kingdom thats worth anything is the Great Highway, so King Caren tried to impose tolls.

Kelder needed a moment to remember the word toll, but did eventually figure it out. That makes sense, he admitted.

Yes, Irith agreed, but only if peoplepay the tolls. The merchants wouldnt pay.

They all traveled in big caravans, like the one up ahead, and when two or three guards tried to stop them at the border and collect a toll, the merchants would just laugh and march right on past, and if the soldiers tried to stop them, the caravans own guards would beat the toll collectors to pulp.

So King Caren threatened to march his entire army out to the highway to collect the tolls.

What happened?

The merchants sent a delegation to Castle Angarossa to negotiate, and told King Caren that theyd never paid any tolls here before and didnt want to now, and they didnt pay any tolls in Yondra or Amramion or Sinodita, and why couldnt he make his money by taxing the innkeepers and farmers, like everybody else? And besides, at the time there was this bandit named Telar the Red who was causing trouble, and the merchants said that if they had to pay to use the highway, at the very least the king ought to make it safer to use, and get rid of Telar.

The story was not particularly fascinating, but watching Irith was, and listening to her voice was, as well. Kelder nodded encouragement, and Irith continued.

So King Caren got an agreement from the merchants that if he captured or killed Telar the Red, and got rid of his bandits, then the merchants would pay a toll, a small one. And he sent out his army, and they tracked down Telar and caught himand Telar offered them money to let him go again.

Did they take it? Kelder asked, since she seemed to expect a reaction.

No, Irith said. They were too scared of the king, because everybody knew he had a really nasty temper, and if the story got out he would probably have them all disemboweled. Instead they took Telar back to the king, and Telar offered King Caren the moneyand the king thought about it, and saw that the money was more than hed get in a year of collecting tolls from merchants, and that Telar was a lot easier to deal with than the merchants, so he took it.

And other bandits heard about this, and it looked like a good deal. Irith shrugged, fingers spread. So there still arent any tolls in Angarossa, but there are plenty of bandits.

Kelder thought this over for a moment, then said, Thats ridiculous. Why do the merchants put up with it?

Well, some of them dont want to, Irith admitted. Theyve been talking about building a new highway, south of Angarossa, through Shimillion and Omanon. It would be a lot longer, though, and so far most people settle for hiring guards, or bringing magicians along.

Couldnt they offer to pay tolls, if King Caren would get rid of the bandits?

Irith shrugged.I dont know, she said.

They walked on silently as Kelder considered the notion of a king who could be corrupted so easily by mere money. Kings were supposed to protect their people, werent they?

But then, the merchants werent really King Carens people, were they? They were foreigners passing through, while the bandits lived in the country. Did that mean that other kings were actually betraying their people by stamping out banditry?

No, that was sillybut why was it silly?

He struggled with the whole question for some time, mulling it over as the afternoon wore on and the sun descended to the west, and he finally worked it out.

Banditry helped thebandits, in the short run, but it hurt the innkeepers and the local merchants by stealing money that the caravans might have spent in town. And in the long run, it might mean re-routing the highway, which would hurteverybody, Angarossan or otherwise.

Besides, how could the king be sure that the bandits would only rob or kill foreigners?

So King Caren ought to stop the bandits.

Theres that smell again, Irith said, interrupting his thought.

What smell? he asked, startled.

That funny sour smell that the caravan has.

Kelder sniffed.

I still dont smell anything, he said.

Its there, Irith insisted.

Maybe the wind shifted, Kelder suggested.

Irith abruptly had wings, and flapped them tentatively.

No, she said. The winds still from the northwest.

Her wings vanished again.

You really dont smell it? she asked.

No, Kelder admitted, I really dont.

Its very strong now.

I dont smell it. Maybe its something magical? Something only girls can smell?

Irith frowned, an expression that Kelder found comic and endearing; he resisted the temptation to grab her and forget all about mysterious odors, hostile caravans, deranged kings, and so forth.

I dont know, she said. I never heard of anything like that.

Kelder could think of nothing more to say; he could smell nothing but dust and grass and the leavings of the caravans draft animals. He looked about, trying to think of another subject to take up and to distract himself from Iriths charms.

Something caught his eye, far out on the horizon.

Whats that? he said, pointing.

Iriths gaze followed his outstretched finger, but she didnt need to answer; it was plain now what Kelder had spotted.

A line of horsemen was charging down over the low ridge to the north of the highway, sweeping down toward the caravan.

Bandits! Irith exclaimed, and her wings were back. Before Kelder could say anything to calm her she was aloft, flying up out of danger.

Kelder had no such convenient escape, but he saw no need for one. He was no more than a neutral observer, after allneither the bandits nor the caravan had any reason to harm him. He stood his ground and watched.

The idea of watching a battle was both alluring and repulsiveit would certainly be something to tell everyone back in Shulara, but at the same time he didnt want to see anyone hurt or killed. They were going to be hurt or killed whether he watched or not, however, so he stared intently.

The horsemen had swords drawn, their blades glittering in the sun. They were shouting, though Kelder could make out no words. The caravan could hardly help but see them now, and the guards and merchants were running around madly, the horses whinnying in dismay at the excitement, the oxen plodding stolidly on undisturbed, or stopping if their drivers remembered to rein them in, or if they came too close to the wagon in front.

It seemed to Kelder, from what he had heard of such affairs, that certain things should be happening. The caravan guards should be forming a defensive line, or a ring, or something, while the merchants and other noncombatants should be taking shelterbut that didnt seem to be whatwas happening. Instead, people were rushing back and forth along the line of wagons, while others, including most of the guards, were gathering along the south side of the wagons, away from the approaching riders.

Look! Irith called from above, her word barely discernable above the hubbub of shouting, babbling voices, rattling equipage, and drumming hooves. She pointed.

Kelder looked.

A man in a black robe had climbed atop one of the big wagons, and was rising to his feet, standing on the wagons roof. He was shouting aloud, and even over the general din his voice seemed to cut like a hard wind.

The words, though, were like nothing Kelder had ever heard before. They were no language he recognizedand no language hewanted to recognize. They were harsh, alien sounds that had no right to emerge from a human throat.

The bandits were almost to the row of wagons now; their original neat line had broken as the faster horses pulled ahead and the slower lagged. The foremost attackers were reining in, rather than barreling straight on into the sides of the wagons, or charging past their objective entirely.

The battle was about to be joined when the first black thing popped out of the ground.

At first Kelder wasnt sure what he had seen, but then others appeared, so fast that he couldnt say where the second or third had emerged; there were none, there was one, and then there were hundreds, faster than he could react, a sea of them springing up from under the caravan. Like water from a fountain, they came from beneath the wagon where the man in black stood, still chanting.

They were shorter than people, perhaps three or four feet tall, but as broad across the shoulders as most men. Their limbs were crooked, but clearly powerful. Their bare skin and shaggy, unkempt hair were black or dark gray.

They wore no armor, and for that matter no clothing, but charged into the fray nakedbut not unarmed. Axes, swords, knives, sticks, weapons of every kind were clutched in their misshapen hands, the blades as naked as the creatures that wielded them.

And the creatures faces were truly hideous. Great staring white eyes, noses like blades or blobs or broken rock, mouths that gaped in enormous yawning grins, full of jagged yellow teethKelder was very glad he was no closer, and could not make out all the details. He had never seen anything so ghastly.

At least, not until the fighting began.

The creatures made no distinction between man and mount; it seemed they would gleefully hack at anything that moved that came within reach and was not a part of the caravan. Horses screamed in agony as the axes and knives chopped at their legs and flanks; they fell, and their riders screams joined their own.

Demons! Irith called from overhead. The man in blacks a demonologist!

That made sense to Kelder. It also sent a shudder through him, and he began backing away. He wanted to turn and run, but the idea of turning his back on those horrors was at least as bad as being this close to them.

Wasnt demonology illegal? Werent all demons banished from the physical world hundreds of years ago, when the Great War ended? How could this be happening?

He watched in horrid fascination.

One of the demon-things spotted a new target, but this one happened to be one of the merchants who had accompanied the caravan; the creature leapt toward her, then stopped, as if in mid-jump, and turned away, holding its nose.

Enlightenment burst upon Kelder. The smell Irith had insisted she smelledit was real, it was magical, and it protected the caravan from the demons!

But why could Irith smell it, and not himself? Was it because she was a creature of magic, like the demons, while he was a merely ordinary human being?

That had to be itbut this was no time to worry about it, when the hideous spectacle before him yet continued.

Some of the bandits had tried to turn and flee, but none had gotten more than a few yards before dozens of the creatures were upon them. Then the last of the bandits was down, but the demon-things did not stop; they continued hacking and hacking, knives and axes rising and falling, as blood sprayed and spattered. They gibbered and shrieked in an inhuman chorus as they chopped and stabbed, until the caravans own people were cowering in terror, retreating southward away from the highway, as the creatures reveled in the destruction they had wrought.

The entire battle had lasted only a few seconds. It had happened much too fast for the reality, the horror of it all to sink in.

Eeeww, Irith said loudly, somewhere above Kelders head. Gross!

Half a dozen of the demons heard that, turned toward her, and saw her.

And below her, they saw Kelder.

Chapter Six

Kelder began to back away more quickly; above him he heard a strangled squeak, and the beating of wings fading into the distance, and then nothing.

The demon-things were grinning at him, and making weird whooping noises. Then one began to run toward him, axe raised, and a second followed, waving a short sword. The black-robed man atop the wagon was waving his arms and chanting again, and Kelder took an instant to wonder why before he turned and started running for his life.

The demons came shrieking after him as he fled, the noise growing closer with every step he tookuntil it abruptly stopped.

The total silence was so astonishing that he stumbled and fell. His arms came up instinctively, shielding his face; he curled into a ball and rolled in the dust of the highway, waiting for the first blade to cut him, the first club to batter him.

Nothing happened.

Carefully, he opened his eyes, lifted an arm from his face.

There was the caravan; the man in black was climbing down from his perch, and the merchants and guards were returning to their places, preparing to move on.

There were no demons.

There was no sign of them anywhere.

The only evidence that any demons had ever existed was the mangled corpses of the bandits and their mounts.

Kelder slowly uncurled, and got cautiously to his feet.

There were no demons. The demonologist had presumably sent them back wherever they had come from, and they were completely, utterly gone.

One of the caravan guards on foot had drawn his sword and was whacking the heads off the corpses of the bandits. This was obviously not necessary to ensure that they were actually dead; even from this distance, Kelder had no doubt at all that they were all dead. The guard was presumably collecting trophies. The battle was undeniably over.

Kelder stood for a moment, considering, and then began stumbling toward the caravan. It was not that he particularly wanted a closer look at the corpses, or the wagons, or anything else, but he was afraid that if he turned and fled the demonologist might decide he was a bandit after all. Kelder looked up, seeking Irith, intending to urge her to join him.

She wasnt there. There was nothing above him but empty sky, clear and bright blue, with a few fluffy white clouds drifting here and there.

Kelder stopped dead in his tracks. Where had she gone?

He slowly turned, studying the heavens, and finally spotted her, far to the west; she was little more than a dark speck against the sun. For a moment he panicked; he didnt want to lose her. Hecouldnt lose her, that would destroy the entire prophecy! He waved and shouted, but then stopped, feeling foolish; she wouldnt be able to hear him from so far away.

He considered running after her, but the speck seemed to be growing; he stared, and decided that yes, it was definitely getting larger. She was coming back.

He stood and waited for her while, three hundred yards to the east, the caravan regrouped and moved on, ignoring him and the flying figure. By the time Irith dropped to the earth beside him the wagons were almost out of sight over a distant rise. Only by shading his eyes with his hand and staring hard could Kelder make out an upright pike at the back corner of the last wagon, and a bloody head impaled upon it.

Iriths wings fluttered, stirring Kelders hair, and he turned his gaze on her.

Whatwere those things? he asked.

Irith shrugged prettily.I dont know, she said.

You didnt learn about them when you were an apprentice? said Kelder.

She stared at him as if he had said something exceptionally stupid; when it sank in that indeed he had, she replied hautily, I was awizards apprentice, not a demonologists!

Her disdain was actually painful, and Kelder tried to recover by asking, But didnt you learn about the other kinds of magic? To keep up with the competition, as it were?

No, Irith said. Just learning wizardry was hard enough! Her tone softened.

Besides, nobody around where I livedknew anything about demonology back then.

Kelder blinked. She was doing it again, speaking as if her apprenticeship had ended years ago, when it couldnt possibly have. When was that? he asked.

She glared at him, obviously annoyed, but he was unsure why.

Agesago, she said. Then she turned away and pointedly ignored him for a few seconds.

Oh, he replied feebly, after a moment.

She turned back. Lets get going, she said.

He nodded, and they began walking. Iriths wings vanished after a few paces.

Five minutes later they reached the first of the dead bandits. Blood had sprayed across the highway and the neighboring grass, but it was already dry and brown, no longer red. The corpse was absolutely ghastlypieces were scattered about, while the main mass was unrecognizable.

And of course, the head was gone completely.

A score of other corpses, all equally mutilated, were scattered along the roadside ahead, interspersed with the carcasses of an equal number of horses.

Flies were settling on them all, crawling across the faces.

Kelders stomach cramped, and he fought to keep down his breakfast. He had seen death beforein farm animals, and sick old people who died at home in bed. He had never seen anything at all like this carnage.

Ick, Irith said, stepping carefully across one of the dried streaks of blood.

Ick? Kelder stared at her. Is that all you have to say?

She looked at him, startled. What else should I say? she asked.

Idont know, Kelder snapped, irritated, but something a bit more respectful than ick!

Respectful? She looked at him in honest puzzlement. How is ick disrespectful?

You dont think the dead deserve something a bit more... more... Words failed him. He was unsure he could have found the right phrase even in his native Shularan, and in Traders Tongue or Ethsharitic it was hopeless.

Oh, thedead? Irith said. I thought you meantyou!

Me? Kelder was taken aback. He had expected to earn Iriths respect eventually, but had hardly presumed he had it already. No, I didnt mean me, I meant the...

the corpses.

What dothey care? Irith asked. Theyre dead, they dont care if I say ick. And theyre really yucky. I dont like blood.

I dont either, Kelder said without thinking. Then he caught himself, and said, Cant you be a little more... more compassionate? I mean, these werepeople, with homes and families, probably.

Kelder was struggling with an internal conflict; Irith was so incredibly beautiful, so obviously magical, so widely knowledgeable, that he kept expecting her to be noble and pure and perfect in every way. Whenever she demonstrated that she wasnt, he balked at the incongruity.

Besides, he expected hiswife to be caring and compassionate, and Irith was destined to be his wife.

Irith shrugged. Well,I didnt kill them, she said.

Doesnt it bother you, seeing them like this? he asked, still hoping to restore her to her pedestal.

Her expression turned to outrage.

Ofcourse it bothers me! she yelled. Thats why I said ick!

Kelder felt as if he were trapped, somehow, in a web of wrong words and misunderstandings. He didnt want to argue with her; quite the opposite. In fact, looking at her, he was overwhelmed anew by her beauty, and found himselfunable to argue with her.

Maybe it washe who was imperfect.

I'm sorry, he said, surrendering. I just never saw anything like this before.

Its got me upset, and it seems as if you should be more upset than you are, too.

Oh, Irith said, looking around at the corpses. Oh, I guess I see what you mean, if this is your first time on a battlefield. But its not the first time forme ; I saw lots of dead people in the war, you know? I mean, this is really gross, but I used to see other stuff that was just about as bad.

You did? Kelder looked around and struggled to hold down his rising gorge.

Oh, yes, she said. There was one time when a spell backfired and these people got all ripped to pieces... She saw Kelders expression, and concluded apologetically, But I guess you dont want to hear about that.

No, he agreed, I dont think I do.

Well, then, she said reasonably, lets not talk about it, lets just get out of here.

Kelder nodded. When Irith did not immediately move he took the hint, turned away from her, and started walking.

Irith looked at the blood, the flies, the debris, and made a small noise of disgust. Then her wings reappeared, and she flew on ahead, avoiding the mess.

As Kelder stumbled past the last of the corpses he found himself wondering what war Irith had seen. There were always border wars going on somewhere in the Small Kingdomswars were inevitable when you had two hundred and some separate governments jammed into an area the size of the Small Kingdomsbut he hadnt heard about any particularly bad ones recently. And the kingdoms along the Great Highway reportedly tried harder than most to avoid fighting, since it cut down on traffic and therefore hurt business. Reportedly, the kingdoms along the road were generally significantly smaller than the regional average because of thisrulers were slower to put down secessions or to go empire-building here than elsewhere.

So what war had Irith been talking about? Had she studied under a master wizard in Korosa or Trothluria or some other land that had recently fought a war? Had she been involved in the war somehow, that she saw the battlefields?

Had that been part of why she fled?

But the Small Kingdoms didnt use magic in their warsat least, most of them didnt, though there were the stories about the new so-called Empire of Vond in the far south, where just last year some warlock had reportedly used his magic to conquer everything in sight. A wizards apprentice wouldnt be allowed near the battlefields in Korosa or Trothluria.

Irith had said a spell had backfired, though. Where couldthat have happened?

Vond?

Just where was she from? He still hadnt asked her directly; he suspected she wouldnt answer, would avoid the issue somehow. It was all very mysterious, and he wondered about it, but looking at Irith, who was waiting for him a hundred yards up the road, he decided not to ask her about it.

Not yet, at any rate.

And maybe, he admitted, never. She didnt look as if she wanted to talk about wars she had seen, and he wasnt sure that he did, either. He was interested in Iriths past, all rightbut he was much more interested in her future.

Forgetting about the dead bandits would probably be the best solution all around.

He trudged onward, intently not looking backbut then his steps slowed.

Had he heard something move? Did he feel someone watching him?

Irith had turned back and was watching him, waiting for him, tapping a foot impatiently, but even so he paused and glanced back over his shoulder.

Nothing was on the road behind him but dust and blood; nothing moved among the dead but flies. He glanced to either side, and saw nothing but rolling grassland. He looked harder.

Was that someone, on the northern horizon, crouched in the tall grass?

No, it wasnt, he decided. He was just spooked. He turned east again and marched ahead, calling unnecessarily to Irith, telling her to wait.

Chapter Seven

Castle Angarossa was low and broad, spreading out across the land; most of the market and town were actually inside the gates, making the community something midway between an ordinary castle and a walled city.

Kelder had had his first glimpse of it only minutes after leaving the battlefield where the slaughtered bandits lay. He had stopped to stare at its beauty as the setting sun lit the walls a warm gold and the rooftops a deep, rich red, the lengthening shadows highlighting every graceful line. The caravan that had destroyed the bandits was at the castle gates, inching in; he could see a pike on each wagon, a severed ahead atop each pike.

Come on, Irith had urged, and he had hurried on, eager to reach the place.

Irith was clearly nottoo annoyed with him, Kelder thought, or she would have flown on ahead; wanting to keep it that way, he was careful not to offend her, and the easiest way to do that was to say nothing, so they did not speak again until they arrived at the gates an hour later.

By then the sun was down, the sky dimming, and most of the light came from lanterns and torches. The shadows had grown, spread, and turned ominous, their edges blurred and their hearts impenetrable. Kelder hesitated, wondering if it was safe to enter the castle of a king who openly permitted bandits to roam his lands, but Irith told him he was being foolish.

This is theone place in Angarossa where youdont have to worry about bandits, silly! she explained. They know better than to cause any troublehere, where they might get the king angry!

Oh, Kelder said. He was annoyed at himself; his ignorance and excessive caution were both showing far more than he liked. He was looking like a fool in front of Irith. Resolving to do better hereafter, he followed her meekly into the marketplace. Do you know a good inn here? he asked.

Of course, Irith answered. But I want to look around the market first.

Kelder acquiesced, and trailed along as Irith looked over displays of fabrics and jewelry.

Most of the merchants were packing up for the night; people were reluctant to buy anything by torchlight, when flaws were so much harder to spot. Kelder was glad of that, as his feet were tired and sore. Irith would not be able to look much longer.

The caravan they had followed for most of the day was in town; he saw the wagons down a side-alley, pulled into a yard, recognizable both by the bright designs painted on them and by the gory trophies adorning them.

He considered pointing this out to Irith, or going to talk to the people there, but decided against it. He saw no one near the wagons, and besides, he didnt really want anything to do with that demonologist. At the thought of the black-garbed magician he shuddered slightly.

Is demonology legal? he asked, interrupting Iriths perusal of a bolt of black brocade.

Where? she asked, startled.

Anywhere, he said.

Sure, she said. Lots of places. All of Ethshar.

Hesitantly, Kelder said, I dont think it is in Shulara.

Probably it isnt, Irith agreed. Most of the Small Kingdoms arent big on demons.I'm not.

What about here? He gestured at the castle market about them.

She turned up an empty palm. Who knows? she said.

If it isnt legal, how could that caravan use it?

Banditryisnt exactly legal, either, Kelder, she said, with exaggerated patience. Even if the king doesnt stop it. Lots of people break laws.

That was hardly news, even to Kelder, but he persisted, his curiosity momentarily overcoming his desire to please Irith. I thought that the gates to Hell were closed off at the end of the Great War, so how can demonology still work?

Irith sighed and let the brocade drop. Kelder, she said, do I look like an expert on demonology to you?

No, Kelder admitted.

Then dont ask me all thesequestions about it, all right? She glared at him, and then added, But anyway, that just means demons cant enter the World unless theyre properly summoned. Demonologists can stillcall them. She turned back to the display of fabrics.

Oh, Kelder said, embarrassed.

He stood silently for a moment as Irith held the cloth up to the light, trying to see it properly; the merchant had already packed away most of her goods, but was waiting to see if this last customer might buy something.

As he stood, he felt, as he had on the battlefield, as if someone were watching him. He looked around the market.

He saw a handful of late customers, a score or so of merchants and farmers who had not yet departed, and a great deal of empty space. The castle wall curved along the far side of the square, and a bored soldier stood on the ramparts, leaning on a merlon and yawning as he gazed out over the countryside. Three or four children were chasing each other back and forth through the open gates; another child, a thin barefoot girl in a ragged blue tunic, was standing to one side.

She was staring at him, Kelder thought, or at Irith, or at the cloth merchant whose wares Irith was fondling. Was that what he had sensed?

Well, there was nothing to be feared from a little girl. He wondered, though, why she was staring like that. It was hard to tell in the evening gloom, but she appeared to have been crying.

Maybe her mother had beaten her, Kelder thought to himself. Maybe she was out here wishing she didnt have to go home, envying Irith her age and beauty.

Maybe she even recognized Irith; after all, as Kelder had discovered, the Flyer was well-known along the Great Highway. At the moment she had no wings, but how many white-clad blondes were there in Angarossa?

How many blondes were there in all the Small Kingdoms, for that matter?

It suddenly occurred to Kelder for the first time that Irith might not be from the Small Kingdoms at all. Perhaps she was from one of the distant, barbaric realms far to the northwest, beyond the Hegemony of EthsharTintallion, or Kerroa, maybe. It was said blondes were slightly more common in the north.

Wasnt Tintallion in the middle of a civil war, at last report?

That might explain a great deal. It could explain her references to a war, and perhaps the rules were different there, and she had been able to apprentice at a younger age than twelve, which would explain why she seemed to have done so much for a girl of fifteen. If that was it, then she must have fled to the Small Kingdoms because they were about as far away from her angry master as she could possibly get.

It all hung together.

So Irith was Tintallionese? He looked at her speculatively, listened to her chatting with the merchant in Traders Tongue, and wished he knew some Tintallionese himself.

He forgot all about the little girl by the gate and listened to Irith and the merchant, trying to spot clues to the Flyers origin. Her accent didnt sound particularly northwestern to him, but then, he had never actually heard anyone from Ethshar or beyond, only local people imitating them. There was no reason to think that barbarians would have accents much like the people of the northwestern Small Kingdoms.

Irith didnt seem to have any noticeable accent of her own at all, really; she spoke Traders Tongue with the sharp simplicity of an experienced traveler. She spoke Traders Tongue better than did the merchant she was haggling with, in fact.

Kelder considered. He could just ask her where she was from, of course. Asking where a person came from was a harmless and natural thing to do.

He would wait until the appropriate time, though, when he had a chance to bring it up in the course of the conversation; she was annoyed enough by his questions about demonology, and asking her out of the blue would be rude.

Irith turned away; the cloth merchant called a final offer after her, but she just laughed and walked away, with Kelder close beside her.

You never did plan to buy anything, did you? he asked.

She smiled and winked. Of course not, she said. What would I do with a bolt of black brocade on the road to Shan, carry it over my shoulder? She laughed again, then paused, and added, If I were staying in town it might be different. Its good fabric.

Kelder nodded.

The inn is down this way, Irith told him, pointing at a narrow alleyway.

Really? he said, dubiously.

Really, she replied. Its a shortcut, a back way. Ill show you.

She led the way, and he followed. A few feet into the passagefor it was little more than that, a corridor between buildings, not a streethe glanced back at the market.

That young girl who had been watching them from the gate was now standing near the cloth merchants stall, and still watching them. Something about her made him uneasy.

That girls watching us, he said to Irith.

She turned and looked, then shrugged and walked on. People do that sometimes, she said.

He took another look, and then he, too, shrugged and walked on.

The alleyway opened out into a small kitchen yard; to one side a bantam cock stared at them through the slats of his coop, a well and windlass occupied a corner, and a big gray cat slept on the sill of a candelit window beside a heavy black door. Irith marched directly across and rapped on the door.

A sliding panel opened, and a nervous face peered out.

Hello, Larsi, Irith said. Its me.

The Flyer? a womans voice asked.

Irith nodded.

The panel slid shut, and the latch rattled. The gray cat stirred slightly.

Kelder took a look back up the alleyway.

The girl in the blue tunic was running down the passageway toward them.

The door opened, and Irith stepped up on the granite threshold. The person she had addressed as Larsi, a plump woman of forty or so, beckoned for her to enter. I brought a friend, Irith said, gesturing at Kelder.

Kelder saw the expression on the little girls face as it caught the light that spilled from the open door, and on a sudden impulse he said, Two friends.

You will be a champion of the lost and forlorn, Zindré had said, and that child certainly looked lost and forlorn.

Startled, Irith turned and looked as the little girl panted into the dooryard.

The waif turned pleading eyes up toward the Flyer, and Irith corrected herself.

Two friends, she said.

Kelder smiled with relief. Irith could be compassionate toward the living, however callous she might have appeared toward the dead bandits, and Kelder was very pleased to see it. Maybe he could use this miserable creature to draw himself and Irith closer, as well as fulfilling the prophecy.

Well, come in then, both of you, Larsi said, beckoning. Kelder hastened to obey, and the girl scrambled after him.

They found themselves in a great stone-floored kitchen, surrounded by blackened oak, and black iron, and stone in a dozen shades of gray. A wooden cistern stood on an iron frame over a stone sink; stone-topped tables lined stone walls between wooden doors. Pale tallow candles shone from black iron sconces. The only touches of color in the entire place were the fire on the great hearth, and the vegetables spread on a counterorange carrots and pale green leeks and fresh red-skinned potatoes.

Go on, then, out with you, Larsi said, waving them toward one of the doors.

Youve no business in my kitchen, and Irith, I wish Id never shown you that back way!

Id have found it anyway, Irith retorted, grinning. You can see it from the air.

Larsi huffed, and herded the three of them through the door into the main room.

This was brighter than the kitchen, but not much more colorful; here the dominant hues were black and brown, rather than black and gray. Brown wood tables and chairs, wood-paneled walls, a black slate hearth, and a wooden floor were illuminated by a dozen lanterns and in use by a dozen patrons.

Youll have the stew, Larsi said, as she showed them to chairs at the near end of one of the two long tables that took up most of the space.

Irith nodded. And that beer you make, she said.

Larsi threw a significant glance at the blue-clad girl, and Kelder said, Shell drink water.

The girl nodded eagerly.

Larsi snorted, then turned back to the kitchen.

When the door was shut again Kelder commented, Doesnt look like much. He looked around himself at the complete absence of paint, brass, or brightwork of any kind.

Irith shrugged. It isnt, she admitted, but its the best food in Angarossa.

Then she turned to stare at the girl.

Kelder turned his attention to her, as well. Here was his chance to show Irith that he could be kind and understanding and firm, all at once. Now, he said, who are you, and why were you following us?

The girl blinked, hesitated, and then said, My name is Asha of Amramionand I think you killed my brother.

Kelder and Irith stared at the girl. That was not an answer they had expected.

She stared defiantly back.

Ive never killed anyone, Kelder informed her.

I dontthink I killed your brother, Irith said.

Something in the back of Kelders mind took note of the fact that Irith hadnt said, Neither have I. He was not happy about the implications of that, and fought down the entire subject, preferring to concentrate on Asha.

At least for the moment.

Well,somebody killed him, Asha said, and you were there.

We were? Kelder asked, startled.

Asha nodded.

Where? he inquired.

On the road this afternoon, a league west of here, she replied.

You mean your brother was one of those bandits? Irith asked.

Asha, somewhat reluctantly, nodded.

For a moment nobody spoke. Then Kelder said, We didnt kill anybody; some demons did.

Asha looked openly skeptical.

No, really, Irith told her. It was really gross, I mean, all these little goblin creatures popped up out of nowhere and started hacking away at everybody. It was really disgusting.

Where did they come from? Asha demanded, clearly not convinced.

Just pop, right up out of the ground! Irith said, gesturing broadly.

A demonologist summoned them, Kelder explained.

What demonologist? Asha asked. I didnt see any demonologist. Not unless it was one of you two.

Kelder grimaced, put a hand to his chest, and raised his eyebrows. Do I look like a demonologist? he asked.

Asha glared at him without answering, then pointed at Irith and said, She was flying, I saw it.

Sure, Irith said with a nod, I was flying. I can have wings if I want to; I'm a shapeshifter. But thats wizardry, not demonology. I dont know anything about demons.

Well, how do I know that it wasnt wizardry that killed my brother and all his friends? Asha demanded. All I have for it is your word!

Kelder looked at Irith and shrugged.

I dont know, he said. I guess youll just have to trust us.

Whyshould I?

Up until this point, Asha had spoken in a rational and fairly adult manner, despite her diminutive size and voice, but now her voice cracked, and she was obviously on the verge of tears.

Because we didnt do it, Kelder told her. Honestly, we didnt.

Well, then, whodid? Asha demanded. I was following Abden, but they were on their horses and I couldnt keep up, and when I got there they were all dead, and you two were standing there arguing right in the middle, and I watched and I followed and I never saw anybody there but you two...

Her voice broke completely, and she began to sniffle.

Kelder tried to think of something comforting to say, but before he could, Irith asked, What would you do if itwere us?

Ashas tears suddenly stopped, and her face twisted in anger. She reached down under the table and came up with a knifean ordinary belt knife, not any sort of fighting knife, but quite capable of doing serious damage.

Kelder grabbed her wrists, both of them.

We didnt killanybody, he insisted. We were walking behind a caravan, and the bandits attacked it, and rode right into a trapthere was a demonologist there, and I dont know much about magic, but he had demons appearing out of nowhere in less than a minute, so it must have been all set up in advance, it cant bethat easy to summon them.

Asha stared up at him and said nothing.

The caravan went on, and so did we, and we must have just gotten to the... the dead when you got there, so you saw us therebut it wasnt us, we didnt kill anybody.

What caravan? Asha said, fighting back sobs. I didnt see any caravan!

Drop the knife, girl, Larsis voice said, and the tip of a sword suddenly thrust up against Ashas throat.

The three travelers looked up, startled.

Larsi was standing over them with a laden tray, and beside her stood a young man with a naked sword. The young man was thin and pimply and had his sword against Ashas neck.

Asha stared, and refused to move; Kelder released one wrist and took the knife away from her. She didnt resist.

He threw the weapon on the table, and told Larsi, Its nothing, really. Shes just upset.

Larsi glared, then gestured.

The sword was withdrawn from Ashas throat.

Fine friends you bring in here, Irith, Larsi said, in a voice that dripped scorn.

Irith shrugged and grinned. Just a little harmless excitement, she said.

Traveling can be soboring!

I like it boring, Larsi said. She waved an arm at the other customers, and for the first time Kelder realized they were all staring at the little group at the end of the table. Mycustomers like it boring. They dont like kids screaming and people yelling and blades being drawn, any more than I do. Now, if you three can keep it boring, you can stay, but if theres any more excitement,out!

Yes, Larsi, Irith said, ducking her head in a sort of nod.

Agreed, mistress, Kelder said.

Asha glared.

Larsi glared back, and at last the little girl broke and said, All right, I promise.

Good, Larsi said.

The young man sheathed his sword and left, while Larsi lowered the tray, displaying three plates of stew, three mugs, and a few other implements.

When Larsi had served out the contents of the tray and departed Kelder took a good look around the room, which showed him that, except for an occasional nervous glance, the other customers had returned to their own affairs.

Thus reassured, he turned to Asha and said, All right, now, tell us the whole story. What were you doing out there following your brother? Why was he a bandit in Angarossa, if youre from Amramion?

Asha was shoveling stew into her mouth with a wooden spoon, and Kelder realized that she probably hadnt eaten all day. He waited until she paused before repeating his questions.

Amramion isnt exactly the other side of the World from here, Asha retorted.

Two days ago I was still living at home.

Kelder frowned. All right, then, he said, why arent you living at homenow?

Because I came after Abden.

Butwhy? Arent you a bit young to be out on your own?

Asha hesitated. She studied Kelders face, and then Iriths. I ran away, she said.

Go on, Kelder said.

I ran away, she repeated, and I didnt have anywhere else to go, I didnt have any family or friends to stay with, except Abden.

And he was one of those bandits?

She nodded. He ran away last year, she said, and he didnt know where else to go, so he went east, and he got stopped by bandits, and he didnt have any money, and he wasnt worth any ransom, but he was big and strong and knew how to fight, so they let him join. He sent me a message and told me about it.

And then they all got killed today, Kelder said.

Asha nodded again and sniffled.

But what wereyou doing?

I ran away the day before yesterday, she said. I couldnt... I mean, I wanted to see Abden and stay with him. I found him this morning, and he said that I couldnt stay there, that they didnt have any way to take care of me, but I hung around and tried to think of something, because I couldnt go back home.

And then the scout came back and said a caravan was coming, so they all rode out to meet it, and I ran after them, but when I got there they were all dead, and you two were there and nobody else was, and I didnt know what to do, so I followed you.

She looked up at him. And here we are, she said.

He looked down at her. How old are you, Asha? he asked.

She frowned. Not sure, she said. Nine, I think.

Not sure? Kelder started at that. How could she not know how old she was?

He pushed that aside and said, Nines too young to be out on your own.

Iknow that, she said. Thats why I came to stay with Abden! She sniffled. And hes gone now.

So shouldnt you go home, then? Irith asked.

No, Asha said flatly.

Kelder looked at Irith, who shrugged, tossing her hair delightfully.

Whatare you going to do, then? Kelder asked.

Asha looked down at the table. I dont know, she whispered.

What would youlike to do? Irith asked.

The child looked up again. Id like to find that caravan and kill everybody in it! They killed my brother, and he wasnt going to hurt anybody!

You dont know that, Kelder said. Or at leastthey didnt know that. And he was going to rob them, wasnt he? That might well hurt them; they make their livings trading, they could starve.

Asha glared at him and said nothing.

Being a bandit is a dangerous business, Kelder pointed out. Your brother must have known that.

She turned away.

Killing them wouldnt help your brother any, you know.

Nothing can help him now, Asha said bitterly. He wont even get a decent funeral.

Well, Kelder said, considering that, maybe we could do something about that, the three of us. We could go back and build a pyre for him. The prophecy was running through his heada champion of the lost and forlorn, honored by the dead. We dont have a theurgist or a necromancer to guide his soul, but at least we could set it free.

No, we couldnt, Asha said.

Why not? Kelder asked, puzzled.

Because, she reminded him, they took his head.

Kelder had completely forgotten that unsavory detail. Asha was quite correct; as he had noticed, the caravan had taken all the bandits heads, impaled on pikes as a warning to other would-be attackers. That was standard procedure for thieves, Kelder knew, but he had never before considered the religious consequences.

If someone died and nobody burned the body, the soul would be trapped for weeks, or months, or even years, unable to fly free and search for a way to the gods of the afterlife. It would be prey to ghost-catchers and night-stalkers and demonologists, who respectively enslaved souls, ate them, or used them to pay demons for their services. That wasnt just theory; there were enough ways for magicians to communicate with the dead that the exact nature of ghosts was well-established.

And one established fact was that you couldnt burn a body properly unless you had at least the heart and the head. It was better to have the whole thing, but the heart and head were the absolute minimum.

Cutting off a thiefs head and posting it suddenly seemed like a rather nasty custom.

It also, it seemed, offered an opportunity to do something that was a very clear and definite step toward achieving his promised destiny. If he were to champion Asha, who was undoubtedly lost and forlorn, by freeing her brothers soul, he would doubtlessly be honored by that dead soul; that was a good part of his fate right there.

It would also impress Irith, which he wouldnt mind at all. He could be a hero to this little girl and her dead brother, at any rate, and without slaying any dragons or doing anything else all that dangerous.

Maybe, he said hesitantly, maybe we could get his head back somehow.

Are youcrazy? Irith said, even as Asha looked up at Kelder with dawning hope in her eyes.

That was not the reaction Kelder had hoped for. I dont think so, he replied, a bit defensively. I mean, why couldnt we? They dont need themall, just for display!

Irith frowned, opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Youare crazy, she said.