The woman cleared her throat as they strolled down the broad corridor, gazing at the shops to each side. "And where have you traveled from?"

"Oh, far to the south. Very far." Ann took note of the woman's focused attention as she leaned in a bit. "My sister lives here," Ann said, giving the woman something more to chew on. "I'm here to visit my sister. She advises Lord Rahl on important matters."

The woman's eyebrows lifted. "Really! An advisor to Lord Rahl himself.

What an honor for your family."

"Yes," Ann drawled. "We're all proud of her."

"What does she advise him on?"

"Advise him on? Oh, well, matters of war."

The woman's mouth fell open. "A woman? Advising Lord Rahl on warfare?"

"Oh yes," Ann insisted. She leaned over and whispered, "She's a sorceress. Sees into the future, you know. Why, she wrote me a letter and told me she saw me coming to the palace for a visit. Isn't that amazing?"

The woman frowned a bit. "Well, that does seem rather remarkable, since here you are and all."

"Yes, and she told me that I'd meet a helpful woman."

The woman's smile returned, it again looked forced. "She sounds to be quite talented."

"Oh, you have no idea," Ann insisted. "She is so specific in her forecasts about the future."

"Really? Had she anything else to say about your visit, then? Anything specific?"

"Oh yes indeed. Why, do you know that she told me I would meet a man when I came here?"

The woman's gaze flicked around the halls. "There are a lot of men here. That hardly seems very specific. Surely, she must have said more than that… I mean, if she is so talented, and an advisor to Lord Rahl and all."

Ann put a finger to her lip, frowning in feigned effort at recollection. "Why, yes, she did, now that you mention it. Let's see if I can remember…" Ann laid a hand on the woman's arm in a familiar manner.

"She tells me about my future all the time. My sister is always telling me so many things about my future in her letters that I sometimes feel as if I'm having trouble catching up with my own life! I sometimes have trouble remembering it all."

"Oh do try," the woman said, eager for the gossip. "This is so fascinating."

Ann returned the finger to her lower lip as she gazed at the ceiling, pretending to be engaged in deep thought, and noticed for the first time that the ceiling was painted like the sky, with clouds and all. The effect was quite clever.

"Well," Ann finally said when she was sure she had the woman's full attention, "my sister said that the man I would meet was old." She returned the hand to the woman's arm. "But very distinguished. Not old and decrepit, but tall-very tall-with a full head of white hair that comes all the way down to his broad shoulders. She said that he would be clean-shaven, and that he would be ruggedly handsome, with penetrating dark azure eyes."

"Dark azure eyes… my, my," the woman tittered, "but he does sound handsome."

"And she said that when he looks at a woman with those hawklike eyes of his, their knees want to buckle."

"That is precise," the woman said, her face getting flushed. "Too bad she didn't know this handsome fellow's name."

"Oh, but she did. What kind of advisor to the Lord Rahl would she be if she wasn't talented enough to know such things."

"She told his name, too? She can really do such tellings of the future?"

"Oh my yes," Ann assured her.

She strolled along for a time, watching people making their way up and down the hall, stopping at some of the shops that were still open, or sitting on benches, gossiping.

"And?" the woman asked. "What is the name your sister foretold? The name of this tall distinguished gentleman."

Ann frowned up at the ceiling again. "It was N something. Nigel or Norris, or something. No, wait-that wasn't it." Ann snapped her finger and thumb. "The name she said was Nathan."

"Nathan," the woman repeated, looking almost as if she had been ready to pluck the name off Ann's tongue if she didn't spit it out. "Nathan."

"Yes, that's it. Nathan. Do you know anyone here at the palace by that name? Nathan? A tall fellow, older, with long white hair, broad shoulders, azure eyes?"

The woman peered up at the ceiling in thought. This time it was Ann leaning in, waiting for word, watching intently for any reaction.

A hand seized Ann's dress at her shoulder and brought her to an abrupt halt. Ann and the woman turned.

Behind them stood a very tall woman, with a very long blond braid, with very blue eyes, wearing a very dark scowl and an outfit of very red leather.

The woman beside Ann went as pale as vanilla pudding. Her mouth fell open. Ann forced her own mouth to stay shut.

"We've been expecting you," the woman in red leather said.

Behind her, back up the hallway a short distance, spread out to block the hall, stood a dozen perfectly huge men in perfect leather armor carrying perfectly polished swords, knives, and lances.

"Why, I think you must have me mistaken for-"

"I don't make mistakes."

Ann wasn't nearly as tall as the blond woman in red leather. She hardly came up past the yellow crescent and star across her stomach.

"No, I don't suppose you do. What's this about?" Ann asked, losing the timid innocent tone.

"Wizard Rahl wanted us to bring you in."

"Wizard Rahl?"

"Yes. Wizard Nathan Rahl."

Ann heard a gasp from the woman beside her. She thought the woman was going to faint, and so took hold of her arm.

"Are you all right, my dear?"

She stared, wide-eyed, at the woman in red leather glowering down at her. "Yes. I have to go. I'm late. I must go. Can I go?"

"Yes, you had better go," the tall blonde said.

The woman dipped a quick bow and muttered "Good night" before scurrying off down the hall, looking over her shoulder only once.

Ann turned back to the scowl. "Well I'm glad you found me. Let's be off to see Nathan. Excuse me… Wizard Rahl."

"You won't be having an audience with Wizard Rahl."

"You mean, not tonight, I won't be having an… audience with him tonight."

Ann was being as polite as she could be, but she wanted to clobber that troublesome man, or wring his neck, and the sooner the better.

"My name is Nyda," the woman said.

"Pleased to meet-"

"Do you know what I am?" She didn't wait for Ann to answer. "I am Mord-Sith. I give you this one warning as a courtesy. It is the only warning, or courtesy, you will receive, so listen closely. You came here with hostile intent against Wizard Rahl. You are now my prisoner. Use of your magic against a Mord-Sith will result in the capture of that magic by me or one of my sister Mord-Sith and its use as a weapon against you. A.

very, very unpleasant weapon."

"Well," Ann said, "in this place my magic is not very useful, I'm afraid. Hardly worth a hoot, as a matter of fact. So, you see, I'm quite harmless."

"I don't care how useful you find your magic. If you try to so much as light a candle with it, your power will be mine."

"I see," Ann said.

"Don't believe me?" Nyda leaned down. "I encourage you to try to attack me. I haven't captured a sorceress's magic for quite a while. Might be…

fun."

"Thank you, but I'm a bit too tired out-from my travels and all-to be attacking anyone just now. Maybe later?"

Nyda smiled. In that smile Ann could see why Mord-Sith were so feared.

"Fine. Later, then."

"So, what is it you intend to do with me in the meantime, Nyda? Put me up in one of the palace's fine rooms?"

Nyda ignored the question and gestured with a tilt of her head. Two of the men a short way back up the hall rushed forward. They towered over Ann like two oak trees. Each grasped her under an arm.

"Let's go," Nyda said as she marched off down the hall ahead of them.