He blinked his eyes open and felt a coldness sweep through his body. Where. . .?

"Taeven. You awaken."

It was Caradorian, his own tongue, and for a moment he thought it had all been a dream, that he might still be in Selarum preparing to leave on the Queen's business. Marileth still at his side.

But no. The words, though well spoken, were thick with the accent. And as his mind came back to him, distinguishing sight and sound, he felt the throbbing ache of his wounds and saw the furnishings of a comfortable room of white marble and heavy, patterned cloth.

"Marileth," he said. His voice sounded harsh, broken from his throat.

The man frowned, creases lining the leathern face. He wore his glossy black hair short, tied back in a small tail. The eyes were clear, dark and rich, but Taeven thought the man must be old. Fifty years at least. He sat beside Taeven's bed on a stool, his hands resting on a small table littered with vials and flasks.

"My master, Lord Kirshai, sent twenty men in search of her. But the bandits have a lead upon us." He reached forward and took up a wooden cup from the table, taking a long sip.

Taeven put his head back and let a shuddering breath escape him.

"Lord Kirshai," he said. "Then I am safe."

"Barely so. You were found by his men at the camp, bled half to death. We have spent some time in bringing you back to the lands of life." Taeven saw him smile grimly. "You and Lord Kirshai had unfinished business. He thought it would remain unattended to after you went in chase of your wife. But now it seems you have come back to us."

"Indeed. You must be the lord's physician, then. Tirin Shay. He told me of you when we were ensured of the security of his household."

"Security that seems to have failed you. It is a terrible shame upon him."

Taeven closed his eyes. The world was still swimming. He set himself to gathering his energies, stilling his perceptions.

"My lord?" spoke Tirin Shay.

"Hmm?"

"Tell me how you feel."

Taeven nodded. "Aching. A bit dizzy. More full of startled fear than anything. I thought myself dead."

"Your wounds are mystifying." He gestured with one hand toward Taeven's leg. "There you were cut. I have closed the wound, and set a tincture to quicken its healing. Your stomach was punctured, but only shallowly. It did not pierce the considerable layers of muscle you have cultivated there."

"And then this." Taeven reached one hand up and touched at his bare chest, where a small, thin wound had been tied shut with clear strings.

"An expertly made wound. Your opponent must have been very lucky or very skilled. The blade was held at the precise angle necessary to move between the ribs. But it was not aimed as well as it might have been -- the stroke, I believe, missed piercing your heart by the breadth of a hair."

"But I could feel it. I could feel the blade with each heartbeat."

"Perhaps the blade was pressing against the flesh of your heart. But you were not damaged there, or I fear you would not be alive."

Taeven nodded. He stretched out an arm and flexed his fingers. He felt good. Alive. Alive!  Then he frowned

"I need to go. I need to find Marileth."

The physician shook his head. "As I said, Lord Kirshai has twenty men after her. You, weakened, cannot accomplish such a task better than twenty men, do you think?"

Taeven managed a smile. "I'm known for never failing in my desires. It is said by my friends that if my mind is set upon something, the deities themselves couldn't stop me."

"Well enough," smiled the physician, "but I am charged with your health, and you shall not be up and about until I deem it time. Still," and he held up a hand as Taeven tried to speak. "There is something you can do to help Marileth."

"They want her as a slave."

"It is true. Our house did warn you against bringing any women. Especially those of fair hair or complexion. There are Rajahs here who would pay a man's life wages for such a woman in their harem. I know not if it is of any reassurance to you, but she is much too valuable to kill."

Taeven nodded grimly. "At least I have that. But tell me what you were speaking of.  How can I help?"

"Of course. I need to know everything that transpired. Tell me in detail. Lord Kirshai is even now attempting to solicit the aid of Rajah Saladar. When he returns, I will relate all you have told me, and if he has been successful, he will give them what information will aid in her return."

Taeven nodded again. "I'll see what I can remember."

"Good. I shall prepare a medicine for you as you do." He took up his cup once again and sipped another draught.

"Let's see," Taeven began. "You know, of course, that I was sent, officially, by Queen Lillian of Aranor on business of trading."

"Trading with the province which allows no trade. High hopes, I see, under the new regime."

Taeven gave him a smile. "Queen Lillian accepts nothing done under Goddard's old ruling. Now that she has come to power, everything is being examined. She thought it might benefit both our provinces if trade was established."

"And so you were chosen."

"Aye. I have training in just about everything. I've been a mercenary, a soldier, a shipwright, an actor -- even a court magician."

"You practice magic?"

Taeven smiled. The man sounded impressed. "Just sleight of hand. But I'd challenge anyone to tell the difference."

The physician laughed. "Now you are a diplomat."

"Indeed. Marileth's the one truly skilled in that arena, though. She's a specialist in exotica. She's been to seven provinces, and knows the rare goods of each one. And the common. She's good with words, too. If I weren't half delirious I'd resist telling you that I'm really just along for protection."

"Then you, like us, have failed."

"I can't fail. I won't. Not with Marileth. Mark my words on that one."

Tirin Shay looked solicitous. "Then you should go on with your story, for it is the best way you can aid her." He drank once again from his cup, then set it aside and took a vial from among the glassware. Into a small, black lacquered cup he carefully placed three drops.

"You're making me thirsty. I feel a bit parched."

"It is your tongue, not your body, wanting it. I have been setting water into your body as you slept." The physician gestured over to a long-necked glass jar. "There is water for you here, as well, but wait until you have had your medicine. It will work that much faster if your stomach is empty."

Taeven nodded, licking his lips and lying back once again before he spoke.

"We arrived excited. Japura has been a closed port for so long that it's sometimes said no one alive has been there. Marileth, of course, was ecstatic. We thought we would be in the city of Lirishaan, but our contact at the dock told us that we would be taken straight-away out of the city to the household of Lord Kirshai. I thought that well enough, but Marileth wanted so desperately to see the city. She was raving about the architecture. So you can imagine her delight when, after meeting the good lord and being well fed, he told us that he would like to take us, via palanquin, to see Lirishaan."

"It is a beautiful city, is it not?"

Taeven nodded. He watched as the physician took more vials and carefully measured out droplets into the black cup.

"It is," he went on. "I remember the feel of the palanquin, quite impossible to describe, and the look on Marileth's face as she peered out at all that passed by. People, goods, buildings - it mattered not, for she soaked it all in. The tall spires, the dark-haired people in colorful dress, the color and play of the women's cosmetics -- all such things are her passion, and I'm sure she was imagining what trade would mean -- an enhancement of our own culture with the exotic beauty of your own.

"Myself, I sat in the shadows and spoke with Lord Kirshai of trade. Your culture, of course, would not accept Marileth as the ambassador, so she listened while I spoke. I glanced out the window and saw a large, golden-sheathed temple."

Tirin Shay nodded and added a single drop of an amber-colored solid. He took up a small bone spoon and stirred.

"It was very sudden. The palanquin lurched violently to the side, and I came up heavily against the wall. The lord had fallen atop me, and as we scrambled to disentangle ourselves, the wooden door was ripped from its frame and hands grasped Marileth's hair. I can remember it plainly, the look on her face as she was dragged into the crowd. Surprise more than fear, I think."

The spoon clicked again and again against the sides of the cup. "What did the men look like?"

Taeven laughed. "To tell the truth, it's still difficult for me to distinguish one from the other. You've all got deep olive skin and black hair, about the same height. Where I come from, everyone looks totally different - different colored hair, different builds. But they were dressed in clothes that mimicked the rest of the populace, I remember that. And wearing short, curved blades."

Tirin Shay nodded softly. The spoon stopped clicking. "There," he said. "It must settle for a few moments, and then you can drink. It will ease the pain, kill any festering of the wounds, and speed your healing tenfold." He smiled thinly. "A medicine of my own creation."

"Good," Taeven said. "The aches grow."

"Please, go on."

"Well, I leapt from the palanquin and knocked aside those in my way. I've experience enough with crowds, as I fought in the War of Aranor. On the wrong side, but that's another story altogether. At any rate, they were going up toward the temple, and two of them turned at the head of the stairs as their companions tried to shut the temple doors. I guess they didn't think I'd be through those two men so quickly. You see, I'm renowned as a swordsman, and my rapier has superior reach. Of course, I thought I'd be hung for sure if I killed anyone, so I stabbed one man's hand and took the other in the thigh. The door was swinging shut on its heavy hinges, but my blade easily found its way through the crack and pierced the shoulder of the man behind it. It was simple enough to throw it open and leap into the chaos within.

"Marileth must have managed to squirm free, for there were three men trying to hold her down. The other four met me straight on. There was shouting outside on the steps, and bald, yellow-clad priests shouting down at us from balconies. It was one of the most agonizing moments of my life. As the four men cut in wildly, surely intent to kill, I did my best to defend myself without taking a life. But Marileth was being swept away now, and I think I let the anger get to me, because I didn't have my coolness about me anymore. One of them kicked out at my feet and caught me hard on the knee. Down I went, and as I scrambled back up, I could only see their backs retreating toward the opposite side of the temple, where an identical door and stairs led back into another street.

"I was through it as quickly as I could, but they were waiting there with horses. They mounted even as I flew down the steps, tossing the now-bound Marileth over the back of one of their steeds. She was deep within their ranks, which I now saw to number near twenty on this side. So I went for a man who was just swinging up on his horse. His hair was in my hands and then he was sprawling on the street while I took his place on the horse, for these men were skilled in movement -- already they were riding out -- and my only thought was to stay close to Marileth."

"And what were you thinking all this time?"

Taeven laughed. "Truly, at first I thought that it was some sort of kidnapping arranged by the city. That was before I saw guardsmen launch themselves toward the riders. It might have been a lot of blood, but the bandits held a tight formation and forced their way through the small knot of guards. And I did my best to keep at them. The thing is, you train your horses a little differently here than we do in the Old World. Luckily, I had researched it before I came, and I knew the amount of importance placed on the legs and seat in guiding your steeds. Still, I had never practiced it, and was used to relying more on reins. That, combined with the crowds, set me well behind them. When they broke into two groups, I thought everything was lost. I couldn't tell which held Marileth, so I followed one and prayed."

"Perhaps that was the folly that brought you here. Praying to the wrong deities. Here in Japura your gods are far away."

Taeven smiled and shook his head. "I'm not a religious man, Tirin Shay. It's my own wits and skill that have brought me this far through life. And I've found them to be reliable weapons. But luck hadn't run out just yet. I followed my chosen group out of the city, past more startled faces than I've ever seen, for the bandits seemed to care little for propriety. It was then that I saw Marileth's form over one of the horses, and knew I had chosen rightly. It was also then that one of the men in the rear suddenly stopped his horse, turned, and leveled a crossbow bolt at me.

"It took my horse squarely in the chest, and hit with enough power to bring it down. The fall was hard, but I was thrown clear and rolled to a halt in the leaves. It was all the marksman had wanted, because as I tottered back to my feet, I saw him turn and set off after his compatriots."

"The horse was badly wounded?"

"Badly. I thought it might live, for it had picked itself up and was doing a strange sort of prancing trot back towards the city, shaking its head about. I let it tend to its own fate and set off on foot."

"I imagine it was easy to track them."

"It was. But they were much faster, of course, and it was not until well after nightfall that I found their camp at last. I was very close, hatching my plan, when I met the masked fighter who watched their perimeter. He was unbelievably quick. In truth, I didn't put up much of a challenge. But I hadn't seen his style. Now I have, and I've survived it as well. I think that our next meeting will find me more able to give him a fight."

The physician smiled and gave a small shrug. "I suppose it is men such as you and he who keep my skills in practice. So I shall not preach peace."

"Well enough. I can have the medicine now?"

Tirin Shay folded his arms and nodded. "Indeed. But as it may make you tired, I should ask you a favor first."

"A favor?"

"Yes. You have been two days unconscious with me here."

"Two days?!" He sat upright, eyes wide.

"I fear so. And your companions at your ship have sent messages of concern. They fear for your safety, as you have not communicated with them at the times they expected. Of course, none but yourself and Marileth have been allowed onto our docks, so they have sat in worry, having only word from our servants that you have been injured but are quite safe. I am not so sure they trust us. If you were to write them a letter, assuring them that we are treating you with care and courtesy, and doing all that we can to regain the safety of Marileth as well. . . then we could assuage their fears."

"Of course," Taeven returned. "I'd be more than happy to. Especially as I won't be able to visit them since I'll be looking for Marileth as soon as I've emptied that medicine cup of yours."

"Good," Tirin Shay said. "Can you sit?"

"I think so." Taeven sat up slowly and swayed only slightly. Tirin Shay came close and set a hand under his elbow. He accepted the support and leaned into it as he swung and put his legs to the floor. Carefully, slowly, he stood.

"You are dizzy?"

"Only a bit. Weak, I guess. I must have lost a good amount of blood."

"Here. Sit. I will fetch you parchment and a quill."

Taeven took his seat and watched as the physician moved toward the other side of the room. He let his eyes settle back on the table before him. There was the black cup with its clear liquid contents, there was Tirin Shay's cup. And the many reagents of a physician's apothecary. Bottles of dried herbs, vials of distillations and essences. Tiny jars of pills.

"Here," said Tirin Shay, and Taeven turned to look up into the dark eyes. A thin sheet of parchment was set on the table, along with a fine-tipped quill and a vial of ink. "I'll give you some time. You'll find the medicine to be quite tasteless. Drink it all."

"I shall. I've no desire to hurt any more than necessary."

The physician nodded and stepped over to the window. For a moment Taeven watched the man as he folded his arms and took a long, smooth breath.

Taeven took up the quill and set it to the parchment.

---------

"There," Taeven said at last. "That should reassure them."

Tirin Shay, who had stood still and silent as Taeven had composed his letter, looked over his shoulder, smiled, and stepped to the table. He took up the black cup and peered inside.

"Your medicine was agreeable?"

Taeven smiled. "Like water."

"Here," the physician said, setting the cup back down. "Let me help you back into bed."

Taeven nodded and accepted the proffered arm. In a moment he was lying back on the sheets. He breathed deeply and looked over to Tirin Shay, who sat upon the chair and took up the sheet of parchment. The physician moved his eyes over the writing as he took up his own cup and drank from it. After a few moments he looked over and smiled.

"This is well phrased," he said. He stood, quite abruptly, and set his arms behind his back with the parchment clutched in one hand. With graceful steps he moved across the room.

"You know," he said, "in Japuran culture, we do not so readily brag about our abilities."

"Brag?"

"Yes," said the physician. "You so easily say that you shall accomplish your goals, when you have made it quite clear that you fail at them."

"But I don't fail. I've always succeeded, and I shall do so again. Especially with Marileth at stake."

The physician turned once more, and this time his features did not look so kind.

"The reason we do not trade with your provinces, my friend, is because you think that the world is yours. You are nothing less than. . . pompous."

Taeven smiled. "I've never had that word attached to me before."

"And now you do. I regretted having to lie to you."

Taeven looked across at the man who now stood with a quiet, easy smile upon his face.

"But your Marileth, or should I say our Marileth, is much too valuable to remain in your custody. In fact, we have decided to keep her here, in Lord Kirshai's abode."

Taeven blinked in surprise.

"Ah. Your coolness melts away. You see now the net laid upon you. The wound was meant to kill you, but you survived. Very impressive. It was only after we brought you back here that we realized it was better this way. We have no desire to do business with you, other than relieving you of your beautiful bit of woman-flesh, but we also have no desire to anger your queen. With slight alterations, your letter shall be sent to her, and we will be released of guilt in your death. And, of course, in the 'acquiring' of your woman."

"But I am not dead."

Tirin Shay smiled, and Taeven found the expression cold. "It would take only a few drops of the poison you drank to kill a man. You, my friend, drank enough to take your life a hundred times over."

Taeven sat very still.

The physician lay the parchment on a shelf behind him and looked thoughtful. "We, of course, are more subtle and artistic than your people. That is why we are the superior race, after all. So Lord Kirshai had me kill you softly. In a moment, your breath will leave you. You will find it quite sudden."

Taeven sat up, his eyes hard. "You've forgotten one small thing, physician."

"And that is?"

"That I am a warrior. If I am to die, I'll not do so without taking you with me."

"That is not a situation I fear, my friend."

Taeven put a hand to his throat. His eyes went wide.

"I see. It is coming upon you. A pity, for I thought you might truly attempt to attack me."

Taeven dropped one hand to the covers of his bed and clutched them tightly.

"Of course, that would have given me nothing more than amusement, for it was none other than myself who defeated you in the woods. Friend."

Taeven stared, his hand clutching at his throat as no breath came from his lips.

Tirin Shay crossed his arms and smiled coolly. And then, abruptly, the smile faltered.

"I told you that I never fail, Japuran."

Taeven took in a sweet, deep breath of air and smiled.

Tirin Shay's hand came to his throat. Then, with uncanny speed, he reached to the side of the shelf and withdrew his long, thin blade into open air with a wicked sheeting sound.

Taeven swung himself easily to the opposite side of the bed, his eyes roving for a weapon. But as he looked up at the approaching man, he saw him stumble to his knees halfway across the room. The dark eyes were filled with fear.

"You wonder how?" Taeven asked. "It was your scar, Japuran. Above your thumb. One of the only things you didn't hide behind cloth when we first met. I remember it well, for it was holding the blade that I thought was my death-bringer. Clumsy on your part, I must say. I told you I'd win the fight."

Tirin Shay tried to form a word, but none came. Taeven smiled.

"In truth, I didn't know whether that was poison or truly a medicine as you said, but I thought a bit of it in your drink wouldn't hurt, and the rest I disposed of under my sheets. I thank you for the weapon."

Tirin Shay gurgled something, the flesh of his face going purple. Then, with a clattering of steel, he fell forward onto the stone floor.

Taeven waited only a moment, and then he moved around the table and took the blade up from where it lay upon the floor. He smiled and hefted it, testing its balance.

It was superb.

"Marileth, my feisty wench. Here I come for you."

And with a wicked smile he opened the door to the room and stepped into the outer hall.

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