dge of his mind was vague, uneasy wonder, obviously not his own
thought. There was a dim caricature of himself standing over the body of
the Earl. And there was a feeling of the need to do something without
understanding of what was to be done, or why.

He could remember clearly now, the Earl's explanations of the action of
the coronet. One incident stood out--a time when the old man, having
overindulged in the local wine, had demonstrated his ability to divine
the thoughts of others. Flor twitched a little in painful recollection.
The kitchen master had been especially enthusiastic in his use of the
strap that night.

The Earl's mount was eying Flor, who realized without knowing just how,
that the vague images and rudimentary thoughts were a reflection of the
beast's mind. He looked over at the thicket into which the little
animal which had started the charger, was hiding. It was still there,
and he could feel a sense of fearful wonder, a desire to be gone,
coupled with a fear of being discovered.

Again, he looked about the woods. In a way, the _husa_ and he were akin.
It would be bad if he were caught here, too. To be sure, he would be
hard to capture, with his new protection, but many men would hunt him.
And some of them would be other Earls, or possibly some of the great
abbots, who had their own coronets and belts, and possibly other things
of great power. These, he knew, might be too much for him. He slunk into
the thicket, looked down the hill, and decided on a course which would
avoid the paths of the foresters.

As he walked, he plotted methods of using his new-found powers. He
considered idea after idea--then discarded them and sought further. With
his new awareness, he could see flaws in plans which would have seemed
perfect to him only a few short hours before.

First, he realized he would have to learn to control his new powers. He
would have to learn the ways of the nobility, their manners and their
customs. And he would have to find a disguise which would allow him to
move about the land. Serfs were too likely to be questioned by the first
passer-by who noticed them. Serfs belonged on the land--part of it!

He hid in the bushes at the side of a path as a group of free swordsmen
went by. As he watched them, a plan came to him. He examined it
carefully, finally deciding it would do.

* * * * *

The man-at-arms sauntered through the forest, swaying a little as he
walk