Chan glanced over at Wess. 'Do you understand anything that has happened sincewe entered the city's gates?'

'It is curious,' she said. 'They have strange customs.'

'We can puzzle them out tomorrow,' Aerie said.

A young woman carrying a tray stopped at their table. She wore odd clothes,summer clothes by the look of them, for they uncovered her arms and shouldersand almost completely bared her breasts. It is hot in here, Wess thought. That'squite intelligent of her. Then she need only put on a cloak to go home, and shewill not get chilled or overheated.

'Ale for you, sir?' the young woman said to Chan. 'Or wine? And wine for yourwives?'

'Beer, please,' Chan said. 'What are "wives"? I have studied your language, butthis is not a word I know.'

'The ladies are not your wives?'

Wess took a tankard of ale off the tray, too tired and thirsty to try to figureout what the woman was talking about. She took a deep swallow of the cool bitterbrew. Quartz reached for a flask of wine and two cups, and poured for herselfand Aerie.

'My companions are Westerly, Aerie, and Quartz,' Chan said, nodding to each inturn. 'I am Chandler. And you are -?'

'I'm just the serving girl,' she said, sounding frightened. 'You could not wishto be troubled with my name.' She grabbed a mug of beer and put it on the table,spilling some, and fled.

They all looked at each other, but then the tavern-keeper came with platters ofmeat. They were too hungry to wonder what they had done to frighten the barmaid.

Wess tore off a mouthful of bread. It was fairly fresh, and a welcome changefrom trail rations - dry meat, flatbread mixed hurriedly and baked on stones inthe coals of a campfire, fruit when they could find or buy it. Still, Wess wasused to better.

'I miss your bread,' she said to Quartz in their own language. Quartz smiled.

The meat was hot and untainted by decay. Even Aerie ate with some appetite,