'The swordsmen will be out on the practice ground by now,' Ritsem Caid said briskly. 'Let's go and see how those slaves Taisia brought are faring against Moni Redigal's offerings.' He didn't give Kheda the chance to demur, leading the way off the landing stage. 'What particular qualities are you looking for in your body slave?' Caid asked as they took the convoluted path towards an island where long wooden huts roofed with palm thatch surrounded an expanse of hard-packed sandy ground. 'You'll be wanting someone good with children, obviously. I'm sure Taisia took that into account. Ask her any questions you might have as to the provenance of each slave.'

The dew on the planks of the swaying walkways had dried apart from a few patches where the shadows from the nut palms fell.

Caid continued talking. 'If you find you're not happy with your choice, you can always trade him on. We won't take offence and I'm sure Redigal Coron won't either. There

were some likely prospects in Jahal Luso's household according to Ganil.'

'I'd be honoured to advise you, my lord Chazen,' offered the slave following behind them.

Kheda glanced over his shoulder. 'How long have you been with your master, Ganil?'

'Sixteen years, my lord,' the burly slave replied.

'Telouet served me for more than twenty years,' Kheda said quietly. 'More than half my life. I find it difficult to imagine anyone else at my back.'

'You have to look to each day and its omens, Kheda.' Ritsem Caid stopped and gave him a hard look. 'And to the future above all else.' The warlord started walking again, picking up the pace.

As they arrived at the practice ground, the Chazen swordsmen were emerging from their wooden huts, bare-chested and wearing mismatched cotton trousers.

Kheda did his best to gather his thoughts. 'Ganil, tell me about the two you brought here.'

'Kiba was traded out of the Seik domain by my lady Trya.' The slave followed Kheda and his master into the dappled shade of a flame tree. 'He had been body slave to Soi Seik until she married into the Mahaf domain and decided to choose herself a new attendant. He was with her for three years.' He pointed to a mature man with a wiry beard. Heavily built, his dark eyes were alert as he scanned the other swordsmen making practice swings with empty hands.

'My lady Taisia acquired Aitu from Masoal last year,' Caid chipped in, pointing to a solidly muscled young man with fine black hair slicked back with oil and a beard precisely shaved along the line of his determined jaw. 'We've been training him up. It won't be long before our daughters are looking for slaves of their own,' he added ruefully.

'I wonder sometimes where the years have gone.' Kheda searched the sandy expanse for unfamiliar faces. 'Where are the slaves Redigal Coron is offering?'

'Over there, my lord.' Ganil nodded to three men standing a little apart from the Chazen men.

Kheda eyed the trio. 'What do you know of them?'

Ganil frowned. 'I think Haro—'

'They are called Luri, Haro and Capai.' Ridu appeared at Kheda's side. The young guard captain had shed his armour for faded blue cotton trousers and a sleeveless oarsman's tunic. 'Luri's originally from the western reaches.' Ridu pointed to the closest, whose ancestry was obvious in his dark complexion and the sparse hair dotting his skull with tight black curls. 'His father's crimes saw the whole family enslaved and he became attendant to a Galcan daughter who married into Tabril. He was traded on to Yava a few years later, then on to Calece and Viselis.'

'If I were you, I'd want to know why so many warlords and ladies were happy to see the back of him,' Ritsem Caid observed.

'Haro was slave-born in the northern domains,' Ridu continued. 'He came to Redigal through my lady Moni's sister who married into Kithir.'

Kheda studied the man whose raw-boned frame and paler skin spoke of barbarian blood somewhere in his line. 'I don't recall him ever serving Redigal Coron.'

'Those unlamented zamorin counsellors can't have considered him suitable,' the Ritsem warlord said dryly. 'Which could be a recommendation.'

'Capai is from the Aedis domain.' Ridu pointed to the youngest of the trio, who had the coppery complexion and lithe build of a fisherman. 'He gave himself up to Aedis Harl after his village was overwhelmed by a tempest and nearly everyone drowned.'

'That's hardly the best of portents.' Ritsem Caid frowned.

'He survived,' Kheda pointed out.

'And had the courage to give up mastery of his own life in hopes of escaping further misfortune.' Ridu studied the youth critically.

Or just gave up, when no portents or soothsayer could make any sense of the troubles that beset him. I could sympathise with that.

'Their skills are more important than their pasts,' Kheda said tersely. 'Let's see what they could offer me.'

'Yes, my lord.' Ridu strode out onto the practice ground, adjusting swords thrust throngh his doubled belt of plaited cords.

'He's certainly grown into the role, your young captain of warriors,' mused Caid.

'He proved himself against the wild men and then against the dragon.' Kheda watched Ridu directing the swordsmen into pairs. 'As for his youth, well, we lost nearly all the domain's experienced warriors to those savages and their wizards.'

'Chazen Saril lost them,' Ritsem Caid corrected Kheda firmly. 'You saved this domain.'

'My lord.' There was a warning note in Ganil's soft words.

Kheda turned to see the unwelcome sight of Ulla Safar approaching the practice ground, massive in mossy green robes, with his brutish attendant and two unknown slaves following behind him.

'I didn't expect to see him here.' The Ritsem warlord

scowled,

'Nor I.' Kheda made sure his own expression was suitably opaque as Ulla Safar arrived.

'My lords.' This morning, Ulla Safar was smiling broadly, his pale eyes keen. 'I've brought two of my own

swordsmen for your consideration, as you look for a new body slave.'

'I didn't know you had slaves in your guard.' Ritsem Caid frowned again.

Ulla Safar's smile hardened. 'Every day we discover things that we don't know.'

Whereas we all know you show scant consideration for the niceties distinguishing free islanders from slaves. These men know better than to protest or they'll see their whole families clapped in irons. Do they hope they can win a place in Chazen and bring all their loved ones beyond Ulla's malign reach? If they buy them back by spying on me.

'Let's see their paces,' Kheda said neutrally as he gestured towards the practice ground.

Each visiting slave faced a Chazen warrior. At Ridu's command, every sword flashed from its scabbard, the lethal tips of the leading blades just touching, secondary swords held low by each man's off side. At Ridu's second shout, every warrior slid into practised routines of thrust and sliding parry, counter-thrust and hard block. Kheda found himself counting the steps while Ritsem Caid shifted beside him, following the drill once, twice and then a third time.

'Cease!' Ridu's voice cut through the slither and smack of steel and all the men stood motionless.

'They've barely broken sweat.' Caid studied the Ritsem slaves with satisfaction.

'Indeed.' Kheda noted that the Redigal and Ulla slaves were equally unwearied by this brief exercise.

'Turn about,' barked Ridu.

This time the Chazen warriors who had played the attacker waited for the visiting slaves to launch the first thrust before side-stepping out of the line of danger. Some came closer than others to rolling their own leading sword up and over their foe's killing blade to threaten his throat. The swordsmen on the defensive withdrew a

pace to retaliate with murderous side-swipes of their secondary blades. Each man repeated his moves and the drill ended in a rattle of clashing steel.