The gates will hold against the Dark now.' Like the sound of the gates, Ingold's grainy voice was low, but it carried to the farthest corners. 'It may be that they will try to break in elsewhere tonight, but... I think the main danger is past.'

'You - foolish - old - bastard!' Alwrr's resonant voice grated over the words like a file. 'Opening the inner doors could have been the death of us all!'

They would never have held if the Dark Ones had forced the spells on the outer,' the wizard returned mildly. His face was very white, and his hair was matted dark

with sweat, but only Gil stood close enough to him to see that his hands were not altogether steady. Quietly, she returned his staff to him and stood close by his elbow.

Alwir spoke as cuttingly as a flaying whip. 'And is that something else that you, as a wizard, speak of with sole authority? As the only wizard in the Keep, do you feel justified in every crackpot scheme you care to pursue?'

Ingold raised heavy-lidded blue eyes to meet Alwir's. 'Not the only wizard,' he replied softly. 'Ask your court mage Bektis.'

Alwir swung around. 'Bektis!'

The word was snapped in the way a dog-handler might crack a whip on his boot to bring his dog belly-down to heel. The court mage disengaged himself with great dignity from the crowd that had formed itself before the western doors and came forward, the jumping torchlight salting fire over the bullion embroidery of his velvet sleeves.

'Whether the gates would have broken or not,' he said, stroking his waist-length silvery beard with delicate fingers, 'it would have been perhaps better, had you consulted with others before any course was decided upon.' He looked haughtily down his nose at Ingold. Rudy could see his high, domed forehead all pearled with sweat.