“Captain!” I heard. “Captain!” It was Thurnock. I could hear running feet behind him, the gathering of members of the household.

“What is it?” I heard Luma ask.

“Captain!” cried Thurnock.

I”I must see him m immediately!” said another voice. I was startled. It was the voice of Samos, first slaver of Port Kar.

They entered, carrying torches.

“Put torches in the rings,” said Samos.

The hall was lit. Members of the house came forward. Samos appeared before the table. At his side was Thurnock, a torch still uplifted inhis hand. Luma was present. I saw, too, Tab, who was captain of the Venna. Clitus, too, was present, and young Henrius.

“What is wrong?” I Asked.

Then one other stepped forward. It was Ho-Hak, from the marshes, the rencer. His face was white. No longer about his throat was clasped the collar of the galley slave, with short dangling chain. He had been a bred slave, an exotic.His ears were large, bred so as a collector’s fancy. But he had killed his master, breaking his neck and escaped. Recaptured, he had been sentenced to the galleys, but had escaped, too, killing six men in his flight. He had, finally, succeeded in making his way into the marshes, in the Vosk’s vast delta, where he had been taken in by rencers, who live on islands, woven of rence reeds, in the delta. He had become chief of one such group, and was much respected in the delta. He had been instrumental in bringing the great bow to the rencers, which put them on a military parwith those of Port Kar, who had hitherto victimized and exploited them. Rencerbowmen were now used by certain captains of Port Kar as auxilaries.

Ho-Hak did not speak but cast on the table an armlet of gold.

It was bloodied.

I knew the armlet well. It had been that of Telima, who had fled to the marshes, when I had determined to seek Talina in the northern forests.

“Telima,” said Ho-Hak.