Sgailsheilleache and Osha returned with walnuts and berries. Sgailsheil-leache looked ill and would not raise his eyes to anyone. Brot'an'duive pitied him. Sworn guardianship or not, Sgailsheilleache would not rest easy in Magiere's presence-nor would Frethfare.

Neither would Brot'an'duive.

He reached out and took walnuts and berries with both hands. "Both of you stay with En’nish and the others. Frethfare will return soon."

Sgailsheilleache finally looked up. Before he objected, Brot'an'duive gave his assurance.

"I will serve your guardianship as if it were my own. Take your ease for a time. When we return to Crijheaiche, Most Aged Father will advise us wisely."

These last words stuck in his throat, but the pretense was necessary.

Sgailsheilleache glanced toward Magiere, and a hint of revulsion resurfaced. He nodded and turned away with young Osha following.

Brot'an'duive stepped off through the trees toward the separate gathering of Sgailsheilleache's charges. He had not met the small one called Wynn, who now sat against a large cedar, bare of branches at its base. She had torn a strip of cloth from some garment to make a bandage for the shallow slash on Leshil's forearm. Beside her was the majay-hi, Chap, who Sgailsheilleache and Leshil had both spoken to in the clearing-a strange moment.

majay-hiand human stared off through the forest, and Brot'an'duive caught a glimpse of the pack among the trees. Now and then, a white female ranged closer.

The fact that the pack and a clhuassas had aided a human in finding

Cuirin'nen'a was perplexing. Against their long-standing protection of this land from outsiders, they found nothing to fear from this little one called Wynn.

Brot'an'duive did not believe in portents, yet it was a strange sign. The doubts he had harbored over the years for Eillean's plan lessened a little more. The touched creatures of his people's land appeared to find Most Aged Father's ways unacceptable.

Magiere lay upon the ground away from the cedar's far side, looking weary and spent from her sudden fury. Leshil now crouched beside her.

Brot'an'duive knelt at Magiere's feet and began splitting the walnut shells with a stiletto.

"Do not strain Sgailsheilleache further," he said plainly to Leshil. "Your actions thus far have placed him in a difficult position. Frethfare will now seek any reason to execute Magiere."

Leshil stared at him. Wynn shifted around the cedar's side, followed by Chap, to listen in.

Magiere did not move. "Wynn, what were you thinking? Running off like that?"

The little human frowned. "How else would we get around Most Aged Father's coercion? Or should we just let him dangle Nein'a in front of Leesil?"

Chap nosed Wynn with a growl, and she put a hand on his head.

"I am sorry, Magiere," Wynn continued but without a hint of regret. "Chap was leaving with the majay-hi, and I… knew where he was going. There was no time to tell you."

Brot'an'duive remained silently attentive.

Most Aged Father tried to bend Leshil to his will-but for what? Aside from the custom to never spill the blood of their own, the only reason the patriarch had for keepingCuirin'nen'a alive was to learn of any others who aided her. The purpose for Leshil's safe passage became quite clear.

Brot'an'duive turned to Leshil. "You cannot free your mother… not without Most Aged Father's consent. He holds sway over the place of her confinement. If you still wish to free her, then you must return to Crijheaiche and bargain for it."

Magiere rolled up onto one elbow with a frown.

"What do you care?" Leshil spit out. "She's here because you dragged her back!"

"If I had not," Brot'an'duive replied, "then another of my caste would have done so… or worse."

"I thought elves didn't kill their own," Magiere said.

"Their own… are not always a matter of blood or even race," Brot'an'duive returned. "I was Eillean's confidant and friend. Yes, true. So who better to assure Cuirin'nen'a wasreturned unharmed?"

He turned back to Leshil. "You know our word… tru?"

"It means 'traitor'," Leshil answered coldly.

"Simplistically, yes.It also means outcast, outlawed, beyond the protection of a society. Our law against spilling the blood of our own is based in custom and tradition, not words or decrees as written down by humans."

"How convenient," Magiere said."So much easier to twist."

Brot'an'duive ignored her and kept his attention on Leshil. "There are those who consider a traitor beyond the shield of custom and society-and not one of their own. As did Groyt'ashia when he tried to take your life for interfering with my mission in Venjetz."

It was only half of the truth, but it served his purpose.

"And what about Leshil…Leesil?" Wynn asked. "What happens to him for killing one of yours? It was self-defense."

The young one eyed Brot'an'duive with a studied interest that left him wary.

"I will bear witness in Leshil's favor," he answered. "I know the truth of it, should it come to that."

"Truth?" Leesil spit."In your mouth? Have any more sick jokes?"

"That, and the safe passage of humans in our land, is why the elders gather in Crijheaiche.Now Frethfare will give them something of greater concern to my people."

Brot'an'duive turned his eyes upon Magiere.

Magiere hurt for Leesil, despite her own pain. For all the trouble Wynn had caused, finding Nein'a had done little good.

She had lost control in front of their enemies, revealing her nature. They didn't truly understand what she was-but an explanation wouldn't gain her much. The child of a vampire would be viewed as little better than an un-dead.

Even worse, after all of Leesil's efforts, the loss and bloodshed, Nein'a wouldn't even speak to him.

Magiere avoided looking at the trees. Every time she did, they conjured images of the blotched dead marks her own touch had left on the birch. The ones no one else seemed to have noticed. Her vision of undead slaughtering an encampment still plagued her.

Elves, short and stoutdwarves, and humans had fought side by side as allies, though it didn't seem possible.Certainly not in any part of her world. Wynn spoke at times of elves near her homelandwho were far different from those here.

If it were real-if it had happened-then where and when? And how and why had she seen it upon touching the birch?

Wynn shivered in the cooling air and clutched at Chap for warmth. Even Leesil huddled up as if chilled.

"We should start a fire," Magiere said. "Brot'an… help me find firewood."

"I'll go," Leesil demanded, though he kept his eyes down, unwilling to look at Brot'an. "You need rest."

Brot'an seemed about to object to either option. Magiere shook her head slightly at him, and then tilted it toward Leesil. Brot'an remained silent in puzzlement.

"Stay here," she told Leesil. "Have Wynn tell you about trying to walk Nein'a out of the clearing. Maybe there's something we've missed."

She got up and started off, and Brot'an followed. When they were far enough away not to be heard, he spoke up first.

"What is on your mind?"

"You saw me change when we fought in the crypt, but you didn't tell your… kind about me?"

After a pause, he replied, "It was not their concern."

"Does anyone else know that Leesil killed Darmouth?"

He stopped walking, forcing her to face him. "I reported my purpose as complete. No questions were asked, so I did not elaborate."

"Yet you did tell them he killed Groyt?"

"A body does require explanation," Brot'an replied passively. "I returned Groyt'ashia to his family and kin. He was Anmaglahk, and his throat had been slashed open. Only the truth… only another trained in our way, was a believable explanation."

Magiere hated it when any of these butchers referred to Leesil as one of them.