The flame wavered in the faint breeze from the windows. It suddenly had
become very quiet in the room.

Jotan drew the flint knife from his belt and began to run the blade back
and forth through the candle's flame.

"What are you going to do?" Tamar asked.

The lips of his friend were pressed into a straight line. "He's going to
talk. Be ready to listen."

Another minute passed. Jotan continued to move the knife blade to and
fro in the heart of the fire. Fordak could not tear his eyes from the
objects in the man's hands. Great beads of perspiration stood out on his
forehead.

"Tie his arms and legs," Jotan said.

* * * * *

Those words seemed to release Fordak's paralyzed muscles. Voicing a wild
cry he bounded from the stool and was nearly to the door before Tamar
and Javan brought him down. He continued to struggle frantically while
they bound lengths of rawhide about his arms and legs. When he was
securely tied they dragged him back to the stool.

Jotan said, "Take off one of his sandals."

Fordak yelled in terror and jerked back, almost falling from the stool.

"Stuff something in his mouth before he has half the city here."

Gagged and bound, Fordak was helpless to do more than gurgle and sweat
as Javan knelt and bared one of his feet.

"Now," Jotan said grimly, "we'll see what effect this will have in
getting information."

With a quick movement he placed the white-hot length of flint firmly
against the delicate skin of the instep and held it there.

An eerie, muffled scream pushed past the gag in Fordak's mouth. So
intense was the note of animal pain that the three men felt their flesh
crawl with the sound.

Abruptly the bound guard stiffened, his eyes swam in their sockets, and
he fell back in a faint.

Jotan rose and tossed the knife aside. "Get some water," he said. "One
treatment like that should be enough."

They removed the gag from the unconscious man's mouth and doused water
in his face. After a moment he groaned weakly and opened his eyes.

"Where is Dylara?" Jotan asked, for the third time.

Words came spilling out. "I--I'll tell you. Don't burn me again. I can't
stand it. I'll talk. We took her--Meltor and I. Meltor made me help him
take her. He said Alurna told him to do it."

"Alurna?" Jotan was astonished. "What had she to do with it?"

"She wanted it done. Meltor said she ordered him to take the girl to the
house of Rydob outside Sephar. H