“So he doesn’t bother to look. Smart of him, I suppose, but does that work both ways? Are Darash women forbidden to warriors?”

He grinned quite unrepentantly as he said, “No.”

“It figures,” she said with disgust. Then, watching the servant head back toward the stable, she noticed those other hataari again. “Tell me something, Challen. You had to come here anyway, didn’t you, to check in or whatever?”

“It was necessary I come here, yes.”

“Couldn’t you have just said so?”

“You seemed to prefer making bargains, kerima. ”

“Sneaky as well as a jerk,” she mumbled, only to get another chuckle out of him as he took her elbow and escorted her up the stairs.

Neither of the two sentinel warriors moved to open the double doors, but this proved unnecessary, for one side was opened from within before they were reached. The two warriors must have recognized Challen, since they didn’t question his business for being there or anything. They didn’t say a word, but, like the servant, offered him a smile and a nod. Unlike the servant’s, their eyes were all over Tedra until she passed through the doorway, making her feel things were back to normal. Then every thought went right out of her mind with her first look inside the castle. Castle? Maybe the place looked like one from the outside, but inside it was more like a farden palace.

She was in a very wide, very high-ceilinged entrance hall that was as bright and airy as the outside. A blue carpet ran down the center, about a dozen feet wide, and on either side of it were shining, white marblelike floors. Walls that were barely walls but great open archways were also on both sides of this hallway, revealing rooms beyond spread with long, backless couches, low tables, small flowering trees in great urns, and tall open windows accounting for the airiness and light. Dining or gathering areas, she guessed, but the reason they were divided? Segregation of the classes-or the sexes?

Tedra was about to ask Challen when she became aware that he was being greeted by the man who had opened the door for them. With a warrior’s height and dress, but much older than any she had so far seen, he bore a marked resemblance to Challen and was as incredibly tall; he had the same aggressive chin, the same strong nose and dark eyes, eyes so dark she still wasn’t sure if they were brown or black. Only the hair was different, shorter, and not Challen’s rich gold, but a chestnut hue.

“Then all has been peaceful?” Challen was asking the older man.

“As well as can be with so many women under one roof, yet here you bring us another.” There was frank disapproval in this warrior’s expression, and he went on to add, “Best to see to the disposition of-”

“I know, Lowden, I know,” Challen interrupted with a sigh. “And it will be seen to when there is time for such things. But this woman is special and not to be treated like the others. She is a challenge loser.”

“A-”

That was as far as Lowden got before the rumbling laughter started. An exact copy of Tamiron’s mirthful reaction forced down Tedra’s throat again. She stood there tapping one foot and wondering how much wallop her bound hands would give if she used them as a club. The very idea that this fellow should think she was being gifted to the shodan. And her grinning warrior hadn’t said anything to the contrary, except that she was to be treated differently. If he dared…

“I’m going to get mighty tired of being the butt of this particular joke-”

“He laughs at me, woman, not you,” Challen said before she could work up a good steam. “To be a challenge loser, challenge had to be accepted. This is what amuses him, that I would accept.”

Well, that was all right, and she was even magnanimous enough to point out, “What choice did you have after I tossed you over my head?”

Lowden stopped laughing abruptly, but Challen picked it up after seeing his incredulous expression. “Best-best you explain-”

Challen couldn’t get it out, but she caught his drift. “I think he wants me to admit that I took him by surprise,” she told the older warrior, then lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Of course, it takes a real lummox to get caught by that particular move-”

“Woman!”

That from both of them, although only Lowden seemed indignant over what she’d said. There was still laughter in Challen’s eyes, and as Challen was the only one she cared to worry about just now, she widened her eyes at him before asking, “Was it something I said?”

He tried to look stern, he really did. “You know exactly what you implied. What has happened to the respect you promised?”

“It’ll be there when you-Stars!” she gasped. “He’s not your shodan, is he?” She turned her wide-eyed look on Lowden, who in turn looked even more indignant.

“Me?” Lowden snorted. “Woman, it was the shodan whose skill you belittled.”

“Now how do you figure that, when I was talking about-” She paused, swinging back to Challen, her eyes narrowing the tiniest bit, not much indication of the temper about to erupt. “I hope I’m drawing the wrong conclusion here, babe. You wouldn’t neglect to tell me you were the shodan if you actually were the shodan, now would you?”

“The matter was of no import to our dealings, kerima, ” he stated calmly.

“Don’t kerima me, you son-of-a-cracked-tube!” The rage broke free. “How dare you not tell me who you were when you knew I had business with the shodan, knew I’d eventually be seeking him? You even had me promise my best behavior so I could meet him! Well, that’s off, if you hadn’t noticed. In fact, I farden well ought to challenge you again!”

He stood there taking her abuse, but when she paused for breath before continuing, he grasped her bound wrists and bent to place them over his head.

When he straightened, she was pretty much locked in place against him, with no way to get her arms out of that forced embrace around his neck. It was no position to rant and rave in, which was what he had probably counted on, and in fact, she was done yelling. But she wasn’t in the least bit cowed by this new restraint.

“There’s something you should know, warrior,” she said quietly now, looking up at him without expression. “When we fought, I didn’t take advantage of certain moves because I felt, you being a man and me being a woman, it wouldn’t have been sporting. I’ve changed my mind.”

That was all the warning he got. Her knee came slamming up between his legs, instantly freeing her as he doubled over in pain. Lowden, watching this, quickly grabbed her arm, thinking she had done it to escape. But since she had no intention of going anywhere, nor could she if she meant to honor her challenge loss, which she still did, she objected to being restrained by another warrior, one to whom she owed no obedience or anything else. And just as Challen had been easy to surprise before he knew what she could do, so too was this Lowden.

With a sharp twist and a foot placed behind his knee, that knee collapsed, bringing him enough off balance in her direction that she was able to send him the rest of the way simply by his hold on her arm. He went down, but didn’t stay down, was back on his feet almost instantly and facing her again. He might be older, but he was still a warrior, and still as big and brawny as Challen. And the look on his face said he’d like to see her try that again. She wasn’t that dumb.

“Tell him to back off, Challen. I’m not going anywhere, and I don’t kick a man when he’s down, so he had no need to restrain me.”

Challen had straightened partially, but was still experiencing a good deal of discomfort. “My uncle… did not see it…so.”

“Is that my fault?” she retorted. “And by the way, if I had challenged you, I’d say you just lost.” A well-satisfied smile came with that remark. “Be glad I only said ‘ought to’ and leave it at that.”