hat the Earl's living quarters would be in
the wooden building at the head of the inner courtyard. As he
approached, he frowned. The windows were tightly closed against the
night air. He would have to enter through the doors, and a young squire
blocked that way. The lad was talking to a girl.

There was nothing to do but wait, so Konar poised himself a few feet
from them. They'd go inside eventually, and he would float in after
them. Then, he could wait until the Earl was asleep.

After that, it would be a simple, practiced routine. The small hand
weapon he carried would render the obsolete body shield ineffective, if
necessary, and a light charge would assure that the man wouldn't awaken.
It would be the work of a few minutes to remove the equipment the man
had, to substitute the purely ornamental insignia, and to sweep out of
the room, closing the window after him. Konar hoped it would stay
closed. The Earl might be annoyed if it flew open, to expose him to the
dreaded night air.

In the morning, the Earl would waken, innocent of any knowledge of his
visitor. He would assume his talismans had simply lost their powers due
to some occult reason, as many others had during recent times.

Idly, Konar listened to the conversation of the two before him.

* * * * *

The squire was telling the girl of his prowess in the hunt. Tomorrow, he
announced, he would accompany the Earl's honored guest from the eastern
land.

"And I'm the one that can show him the best coverts," he boasted. "His
Grace did well to assign me to the Duke."

The girl lifted her chin disdainfully. "Since you're such a great
hunter," she told him, "perchance you could find my brooch, which I lost
in yonder garden." She turned to point at the flower-bordered patch of
berry bushes at the other end of the court. In so doing, she faced
directly toward Konar.

She was a pretty girl, he thought. His respect for the young squire's
judgment grew. Any man would admire the slender, well featured face
which was framed within a soft cloud of dark, well combed hair. She
looked quite different from the usual girls one saw in this country.
Possibly, she was of eastern descent, Konar thought.

The girl's eyes widened and her mouth flew open, making her face
grotesquely gaunt. Abruptly, she was most unpretty. For a few
heartbeats, she stood rigidly, staring at Konar. Then she put her hands
to her face, her fingers making a rumpled me