Nakar relaxed. They came and they came but he devoured them all. "I shouldhave suspected." He chuckled. "Cado has been unnaturally lucky."

"Not my doing, wizard. Cado's genius, your failings, and human frailty."

The sorcerer sneered. "The fire is come. It will scour away the weakness ofAram. Herod's triumph will turn in her hands, like an adder. Gorloch willstand forth in his glory again. Come. I grow impatient. I will destroy themafter I finish you." He laughed. "Come, little dog of the desert. Let it bedone between me and yours. You are the last."

"No." The man's slow advance did not falter. "There is another trainingalready. Always there will be another somewhere, hidden from your eye, tillyou are driven from the world and torment it no more." A dagger flashed in hishand. It radiated power.

Fear touched the sorcerer for an instant. Then the rage came. He would sweepthem out of the path of destiny. "Gorloch, attend me!" He hurled himselftoward his challenger. They met before the great idol, beside the altar wherethousands had screamed their last that Gorloch might be pleased and hisapostle Nakar might live forever.

The Witch entered the temple as the men met. She gasped, unable to believeeven now that she saw it. How had the man gotten through the citadel'sdefenses? What man could have earned such great power?

Clouds of light and shadow contended. Larger than life, figures turned in analmost formal, elegant dance around the slice and dart of flashing mysticblades.

The shadow was overpowering the light slowly, consuming it, but she did notsee that in her fear for the man she loved. She saw only that an enemy wastrying to kill him and that enemy was a great enough wizard to have penetratedthe citadel's impenetrable defenses. She screamed, all reason fled before theprospect of loss. "Nakar!"

Startled, the shadow turned her way.

The light struck its blow.

Nakar's bellow shook the fortress. He lurched into his enemy, clawing at hisattacker's throat. Their struggle flung them against the altar.