'Still, once they were ashore, I could see they were men not greatly differentfrom us, so I stepped forth from my place of concealment and went to meet them.'

This brave deed that Hakiem took on himself had been born of a mixture ofimpatience, curiosity, and drink ... mostly the latter. While the storytellerhad indeed been at his watchpost since midday, he had also been indulging allthe while, helping himself to the wines left untended in the wharfside saloons.Thus it was that when the boat tied up at the wharf he was more sheets to thewind than its mother vessel had been.

The party from the boat advanced down the pier to the shore; then, rather thanproceed into town, it had simply drawn up in a tight knot and waited. Asminutes stretched on and no additional boats were dispatched from the fleet, itbecame apparent that this vanguard was expecting to be met by a delegationfrom the town. If that were truly the case, it occurred to Hakiem that theymight well still be waiting at sunrise.

'You'll have to go to the palace!' he had called without thinking.

At the sound of his voice, the party had turned their glassy-eyed stares on him.

'Palace! Go Palace!' he repeated, ignoring the prickling at the nape of hisneck.

'Hakiem!'

A figure in the group had beckoned him forward.

Of all things he had anticipated or feared about the invaders, the last thingHakiem had expected was to be hailed by name.

Almost of their own volition, his legs propelled him shakily towards the group.

'The first one I met was the one I least expected,' Hakiem confided to hisaudience. 'None other than our own Hort, whom we all believed to be lost at sea,along with his father. To say the least, I was astonished to find him not onlyamong the living, but accompanying these invaders.'