And now in the courtyard she and Burel stepped through stroke and counterstroke, while dark-eyed men stood in the shadows and glared at the unveiled yellow woman and her red-headed outlander man, the cloaks of these disapproving observers bearing the sigil of a clenched fist.

The nighttide swept over the land, and Egil and Arin bade all good night and, holding hands, headed upstairs for their bed. Somewhere above, water splashed in the bathing chamber and a big man laughed and a female voice called out, "Bukotsomono!" but laughed as well. In the lanternlight of the veranda, Ferret, uncertain, glanced at Delon, and he smiled and gently took her hand and kissed her fingers and whispered, "I love you, my sweet Ferai." Tears trembling on her lashes, she clasped him to her.

Dawn came to Aban, and once again Alos awakened to the sound of singing and the skirl of steel on steel. Groaning, he rose from his bed and stumbled to his balcony. Below, Aiko and Burel were practicing, and even more dark-eyed strangers watched the drill, stirring and muttering among themselves.

"Hoy!" yelled Alos. "We're trying to sleep up here." Not waiting to see what his shout accomplished, the old man lurched back to his bed and fell asleep once more.

After another day of fruitless discussion, at last Egil sighed and looked across at Arin. "I suppose we'll just have to attempt it on our own, Dara. I mean, Alos is determined he's not going back." Egil turned to the oldster. "You'll have to tell us all you know about the town and the cove, especially about the way to get past the Serpent's Fangs."

The seven sat in long shadows at evening meal on the veranda, the last of the sun nearly sunk, the western sky orange, the eastern deep violet.

"Can't we make anchor elsewhere and go in overland?" asked Delon.

"That's a damnfool suggestion," barked Alos.

Ferret reached out and took Delon's hand and glared at the oldster.

But Alos ignored her and stabbed a finger at the bard. "Didn't you listen when I said the whole coast is fanged in that region? For decades of miles upshore and down it'll pierce any hull, sink any ship whose captain is fool enough to sail nigh."

Arin also reached out and took a hand-Alos's. "We cannot and will not force thee to guide us safely past the shoals. Yet heed, I deem that this is why thou art a one-eye in dark water, for this is thy hidden purpose in the rede. And without thee, we shall fail."

Alos looked down at the small hand gripping his, and then at the Dylvana. With his chin atremble he opened his mouth to say something, but at that very moment, Khuri Ustaz strode quickly onto the porch and, staying in the shadows and glancing left and right, hissed, "Burel!"

Burel looked up, but before he could say aught, Ustaz said, "The Fists of Rakka, they're coming to get you and your kalb w nafs, Lady Aiko. Blasphemers, they name you both. They come to punish you, to batter you to death in the public square."

Aiko growled and leapt to her feet. "If they want a fight, they'll get it," she sissed through gritted teeth, then turned to Burel and snapped, "Swords," and started for her room, all others springing to their feet to follow, all but Arin and Alos, the Dylvana standing and calling out "Wait!" while the old man shrank down in his seat.

They turned and looked at Arin. She pointed at Burel and declared, "We have what we came for-the cursed keeper of faith in the maze. The Fists of Rakka can wait."

Now Arin turned to the 'alim. "How soon will they be here?"

"A candlemark. Two at most," he replied.

"Then I say we get to the ship and leave."

Aiko growled in protest, but Burel said, "She is right- the green stone comes before all." He stepped to Khuri Ustaz and embraced him. "Thank you for warning us. Now you must go, else they will find you here."

As Burel stepped back from the 'alim, Egil looked at Alos still cowering in his chair and asked, "What about you, Alos?"

Before the old man could reply, Ustaz said, "The Fists will kill anyone left behind."

"Eep!" squealed Alos, and jumped to his feet. Then he whined at Aiko, "This is all your fault! Dragging me off on a damnfool-"

"Aru shizukana!" Aiko spat, and spun on her heel and headed for her room.

They collected their weapons and clothing, and Egil settled the innkeeper's bill. Then, with Aiko and Burel bringing up the rear, and with Alos squeaking in fear in the lead, they hied along the streets in the dusk, pressing through the throngs for the docks, Alos's trembling voice crying out, "Make way! Make way!" At last they came down to the river proper, its yellow-orange waters black in the oncoming night. Reaching the wharves where the Brise was moored, Alos scrambled over the wales to the tiller, all the while hissing, "Hurry, hurry,"as the others clambered aboard. Egil and Delon began raising the sails, while Aiko and Ferret cast off. Even as they pushed away to be carried downcurrent, in the yellow light of street lanterns men in dark robes could be seen striding through the crowd, the masses parting before them as they marched toward the jetties. Yet the sloop was well away ere the Fists of Rakka reached the abandoned slip. Finding it empty, they milled about in thwarted frustration, tulwars and scimitars slashing the remnants of the twilight air while the men called down curses upon the blasphemers and all their ilk. And even innocent believers drew back into the darkness and out of sight of these tyrannical followers of yet another intolerant one true way.

Tacking by the light of the glimmering stars, in twelve candlemarks they reached the wide lower part of the River Ennil. The tide began to flow against them as they tacked and hauled through the estuarial waters, and it took awhile ere they crossed the marge into the bay. Behind them a waning half moon slid above the horizon, adding its light to the gleam of the stars.

Finally the sloop reached deeper waters, where it could make good headway, and Alos brought the Brise around from her northwesterly heading to beat into the eye of the wind, her overall course now westerly.

After a while, Arin said, "Where shall we drop thee off, Alos?"

The oldster looked long at her, sighing and shaking his head. At last he said, "Not anywhere in these waters, but somewhere else instead. Somewhere after you've escaped Kistan."

"Escaped Kis-?"

"I'm a bedamned fool for pledging this, but I'll sail you past the shoals at Serpent Cove." He raised a trembling hand to his forehead to wipe away sudden sweat, and his voice quavered as he added, "I'll take you there and get you back out."

"You mean you'll go with us?" blurted Delon.

"Masani?" Aiko's eyes flew wide.

The oldster stuck out his chin and glared at the Ryodoan. "I said I would, didn't I?" Even so, he was gasping as if he couldn't get enough to breathe.

"But I won't go ashore to fight no Mage. And if you get caught, I'll not stay around. But if we sail out of there together, you can drop me off at the first friendly port, for then I'll be quit of this damnfool venture, you hear?"

"Well and good," cried Egil. "Let's give him a cheer."

And as Delon and Ferret and Burel and Egil and even Aiko sounded three hip, hip, hurrahs, Arin reached over and took the frightened old man's hand and simply said, "I thank thee."

Still trembling, Alos leaned back against the stern thwart. As if suddenly aware that all eyes were still upon him, he glared at the sails and snapped, "What are you, a bunch of lubbers? Look at those sails and the lubberly sheets. Trim up, you hear me, trim up."