Nothing like starting out on a walk of more than fifteen hundred miles with only two hours' sleep, he thought tiredly and prepared to turn into the barracks to see to his

packing. But another thought crossed his mind, and he stopped. 'Hey, Gil?'

Her attention came back from other things. The pale schoolmarm eyes turned to him.

'What would you think of somebody who - who'd leave someone he loves, to go after something he wants?'

Gil was silent for a moment, considering. 'I don't know,' she said finally. 'Maybe that's because I don't understand love very well. I see people act out of what they say is love, but it's like watching someone act from a really deep religious conviction -it's incomprehensible to me. My parents - my mother - wanted certain things for me and couldn't understand that all I wanted was to be a scholar.

Couldn't see that I'd rather live in a crummy little office in the history department of UCLA than in the classiest hundred-thousand-dollar home in Orange County. And she said she loved me. Over and over and over. So I'm the wrong expert to ask about love, Rudy. But as for leaving someone to go after something you want... Leaving them for how long? How badly do they need you to stay? It's all situational. Everything's situational.'

Manlike, Rudy shied from the specific. 'Well, like if you had only a short time together and had a choice of spending it with this person you loved or being separated from them because of - of something you wanted. Something you wanted more than anything in the world, except them.'

Gil shook her ravelled braid back over her shoulder. 'What makes you think you have a choice?' Rudy gulped. 'Hunh?'

Her voice was as chilly and neutral as her eyes. 'Only a wizard can find the City of Quo, Rudy. Ingold's got the Dark Ones on his trail, God only knows why. He needs another wizard to back him up. If you hadn't volunteered to go looking for the Archmage with him, Rudy, you'd probably have been drafted.'