Under a nose keen as a bird's beak, his thin lips framed well-kept teeth marredby a chip off the right upper front molar. He was lean and obviously verystrong, for he was turning over a chest that must weigh a hundred pounds and hisbiceps were scarcely bulging.

'Scroll?' he said softly, setting down the chest. 'What scroll?'

It was very hard for Jarveena to reply. She felt her heart was going to stop.The world wavered. It took all her force to maintain her balance. Distantly sheheard the sergeant say, 'She didn't mention any scroll to us!'

And, amazingly, she was able to speak for herself again.

'That's true, commander,' she said. 'I had to lie to those men to stop themkilling me before I got to you. I'm sorry.' Meantime she was silently thankingthe network of informers who kept Melilot so well supplied with information thatthe lie had been credible even to these strangers. 'But I think this morning youmislaid a scroll...?'

Nizharu hesitated a single moment. Then he rapped, 'Out! Leave the boy here!'

Boy! Oh, miracle! If Jarveena had believed in a deity, now was when she wouldhave resolved to make sacrifice for gratitude. For i that implied he hadn'trecognized her.

She waited while the puzzled sergeant and soldier withdrew, mouth dry, palmsmoist, a faint singing in her ears. Nizharu slammed the lid of the chest he hadbeen about to overturn, sat down on it, and said, 'Now explain! And theexplanation had better be a good one!'

It was. It was excellent. Melilot had devised it with great care and drilled herthrough it a dozen times during the afternoon. It was tinged with just enough ofthe truth to be convincing.

Aye-Gophlan, notoriously, had accepted bribes. (So had everyone in the guard whomight possibly be useful to anybody wealthier than himself, but that was by-theby.) It had consequently occurred to Melilot - a most loyal and law-abiding