"My going away..." he finally said. "That didn't have anything to do with it--did it?"

Marakas put a hand on his shoulder.

"No, of course not. "

"You never appreciate... Till they're gone."

"I know."

"That's why the place is--not the way it used to be?"

"It's no secret I've been drinking a lot. Yes. My heart hasn't been in things around here."

Mark nodded, dropped to one knee, touched the stones.

"We could work the place together, now you're back," Marakas said.

"I can't."

"They've got another smith now. New fellow."

"I didn't want to do that either. "

"What will you be doing?"

"Something new, different. That's a long story, too. Mother--"

His voice broke, and he was silent for a long while.

Finally, "Mark, I don't think too clearly when I've been drinking," Marakas said, "and I don't know whether I ought to tell you this now, later or never. You loved her and she loved you, and I don't know ..."

"I guess a man should know, sometime, and you're a man now, and things 'd of been a lot different without you. We wanted a kid, see?"

Mark rose slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not your father. She's not your mother. Natural-like, I mean."

"I don't understand ..."

"We never had any of our own that lived. It was a sad thing. So when we had a chance to make a home for a baby, we took it."

"Then, who were my natural parents?"

"I don't know. It was right after the war--"

"I was orphaned?"

"I don't think so. I couldn't understand all the wizard's fancy talk. But they couldn't bring themselves to kill old Devil Det's lad, so they sent him someplace far away and got you in exchange. He called you a changeling. That's all I know. We were so glad to take you. Mel's life was a lot happier than it would have been otherwise. Mine, too. I hope that doesn't change anything between us. But I felt it was time for you to know."