Maia

Ogma came into the garden to clear away the plates.

"Ogma," said Maia, "Miss Ne

Ogma looked startled and somewhat confused. "Why, yes, that's right, miss: he came up and spoke to me."

"It didn't cross your mind that I might be interested to know he was back?"

"Why, no, miss; I can't say as that occurred to me at all," replied Ogma, in a tone of defensive indignation. "Why, I didn't even know as you knew him!" Then, as Maia remained silent, she added, "I hope you're not thinking as I acted wrong, miss, in not telling you? It never

even entered my head. He didn't look-well, to tell you the plain truth, miss, and I don't want to speak out of turn, but he didn't look at all like someone as you'd-that's to say-" Conscious of Ne

Maia laid a hand on her arm. "No, it's all right, Ogma. You weren't to know I knew him, and nobody's cross. Just forget all about it. I think Miss Ne

"You know," said Ne

"No, I won't get rid of Ogma," said Maia. "She was with us at Sencho's and she knows my ways."

"I'm not suggesting you should get rid of her," replied Ne

"Well, I'll think it over, Nan, honest; and I'll think it over 'bout Sednil, too, and help if I can."

The truth was that sixteen-year-old Maia had no wish for an older, more experienced woman to tell her her own business. Club-footed, dull, dependent Ogma suited her very well and she had no intention of looking for someone like Sessendris, who had advised her against trying to help Tharrin and been proved abundantly right.

"Brero," said Maia, "d'you reckon you might be able to find me a particular man in the lower city, and get him up here without anyone taking any particular notice of it?"

It was two days after Ne

had left, was now (with a certain amount of inward trepidation) putting it into effect.

Brero frowned, scratched his head and seemed about to reply, but Maia forestalled him.

"I'll tell you as much as I know. His name's Sednil and I suppose he's about twenty-one." She went on to describe him as she remembered him. "He's in lodgings somewhere near the Tower of the Orphans. He's been out and about looking for work, so likely he's been talking to people round there who'll remember him. And he's a branded man, Brero: crossed spears on the back of his hand. But he's finished his sentence: he's free now."

"A branded man, saiyett?"

"Well, but he's got a release token. Anyway, he hadn't really done anything."

"Oh, none the more for that, saiyett: that's nothing to me. Only you said you didn't want anyone taking any notice, and it won't b amp; possible to take a branded man through the Peacock Gate without the guards wanting to know who he is and where he's going."

"And yet I've got to see this man, Brero; and secretly, too. I've had instructions."

"I understand, saiyett." It did not surprise Brero to learn that Maia had had instructions. After all, she had had instructions to cross the Valderra, hadn't she?

"Well, for a start let's see whether you can find him, Brero. And if you do, don't say anything about me, understand? Give him this box-there's some money in it- and say it's an advance for a special job of work as'll be well-paid, and that if he's interested there's someone as wants to talk to him about it."

"He wouldn't take the money, saiyett," said Brero, "but he says he's ready to talk about the work."

It had taken him less than a day to find Sednil. The area along the banks of the Monju brook, between the two great thoroughfares of the Sheldad and the Kharjiz, was a comparatively quiet and respectable district; quite unlike, for example, the teeming alleys and warrens further west, between the Khalkoornil and the Tower of Sel-Do-lad; and inquiries among its taverns and lodging-houses had SQon put Brero on the right track.

"How did he act, like?" asked Maia. "Did he seem surprised?"

"Well, more kind of suspicious, saiyett, really," replied Brero. "First of all he made me swear black and blue that 'twasn't anything to do with the Sacred Queen. He seemed real frightened of her."

"Isn't everyone?" asked Maia.

"Well, yes, I suppose so, saiyett, in a ma

"Oh, he's got his reasons, Brero," said Maia. "Well, now what?"

"Well, what I was thinking, saiyett, if you're agreeable, we might make a little arrangement like this, seeing as you have to see the man secretly. I'll go down tomorrow night after sunset, and meet him by arrangement. We'll wait together in a jekzha wherever it suits you: perhaps the Monju bridge in the Sheldad would be a convenient place. Then I'd suggest that you follow in another jekzha about half an hour later-veiled, of course, saiyett. When you come to the bridge, you simply get into the other jekzha with this young man. He needn't show himself at all. Then the two of you can ride up and down the Sheldad-or anywhere-while you talk as long as you want. I'll keep your jekzha by the bridge, and as soon as you're ready you can simply come back, change over again and go home. It just struck me that that might be better than meeting in a house: I mean, in a house there's always bound to be someone who sees you come and go, isn't there?"

"Brero, they ought to make you a tryzatt, that they ought."

"Well, one day, perhaps, saiyett. But I hope you won't go recommending me, for I'm in no hurry to change this job just now. Why, they might send me to Chalcon or the Valderra, mightn't they?"

' "Oh, great Gran!" said Sednil. "It's you!"

Maia laughed and lowered her veil again. "Who'd you

reckon it'd be, then?" He was looking far better, she thought, than ever he

had in the temple. Indeed, she would hardly have known

him. Darkness had almost fallen, but there was enough

light from the lamps and flaring torches of the shops and booths still open along the Sheldad to show her a spruce, alert-looking young man with a trim, black beard, dressed in a new veltron and leather breeches. More striking than his actual appearance, however, was the entire alteration in his ma