ot?" Ewyo himself had stepped quietly out from the trees,
directly in their path. In puce velvet, a great trumpet-mouthed gun in
his hands, he stood beefy and menacing before them. "Do you tell me I
won't, Revel the Mink?" He chuckled icily at the looks of amazement.
"D'you think I wouldn't have rucker spies? D'you think we don't know
about your foolish hideaway in the forest, and couldn't clap our hands
down on all of you in an hour if we wished to?" Two more squires, tall
and red-faced and prominently armed, came out behind him, "Gentles,"
said Ewyo with mock politeness, "I give you Revel, the Mink, and two
minor henchmen."

Revel lifted his pick and came forward, roaring defiance. Ewyo's gun
thrust out at his belly. "Don't die now," said the big squire
pleadingly. "I want you for a fox, Revel."

Jerran snatched a handgun from his belt. One of the squires loosed off
at him instantly, the slug striking the handgun more by accident than
design, sending it spinning as Jerran howled and gripped his numbed
fingers.

"Nice shooting, Rosk," said Ewyo. Revel still stood with his pick
raised, wondering what his chances of a swipe at Ewyo would be. "Put it
down," said the squire. "Drop it!"

"Drop it, Revel," said Jerran. The Mink did so, and Rosk picked it up.

"Come along," said Ewyo then. "I have some excellent torture rooms I'd
like you to inspect. Personally!" With a grin like a weasel's, he
motioned them through the maples. Several others of the gentry came up,
and the three rebels were surrounded and marched off to the great house
of Ewyo of Dolfya.

* * * * *

The room was large, of field stone, set below the house like a mole's
den; portions of the walls were black with age-old soot, from what
hellish fires Revel did not like to guess, and the rafters were grimed
and looked like axe-blades, darkened with dry blood, ready to fall upon
him. One wall had thongs hanging from it, beside a nine-lashed whip
hanging on a post. Candles illumined other instruments, the purpose of
all of which was torture.

"Strap him to the wall," said Ewyo. Two of his servants did so; they
were evil-faced ruckers, fat with good living in the squire's huts.
Rosk, the lean-jawed, red-cheeked squire who was Ewyo's closest friend,
said, "Shall I flay a part of him? The left hand, say, or one foot so
he'll be slow in the hunt?"

"No. I want him hale and hearty." Revel breathed easier. "The gods want
to do s