ere in a spreading pool of crimson. His eyes remained open. He
was staring with hatred at B'ronth. In a matter of minutes, B'ronth
knew, he would bleed to death. B'ronth turned on the girl.

She stood before him swaying. She had almost swooned, but as B'ronth
approached her, she flung herself at him, crying Hammeth's name, and
they both fell down in the snow. B'ronth let the whip-sword fall from
his fingers. Half a bag of gold for a dead girl, but the whole bag if
she lived. She fought like a wild cat and for a few moments B'ronth
regretted dropping the weapon and actually feared for his life. But
soon, his courage returning and his whole being contemplating the bag
of gold, he subdued the girl.

She lay back exhausted in the snow. "Please," she said. "Please bind
his arm. He'll bleed to death. Please."

B'ronth said nothing. Ylia staggered to her feet, then collapsed and
crawled on her knees to Hammeth. The blood jetted from the stump of
his arm. He was watching her. A little smile touched the corners of
his mouth but pain made his eyes wild.

B'ronth licked his lips. He had earned his bag of gold and, earning
it, thought of more wealth. He thought: _why should I accept one bag
of gold from a common Abarian soldier when there are millions of bags
of gold in Nadia City_? He could deliver the girl, who obviously knew
something the Abarians did not wish the Nadians to know, to Nadia
City. He could sell her to the Nadians. Or, if the Abarians outbid
them, then the Abarians....

Bruised, her cloak in tatters, Ylia reached Hammeth. His eyes blinked.
He smiled at her again, smiling this time with his whole face. Then he
turned his head away and his eyes remained open and staring.

"You ... killed ... him," Ylia said, sobbing.

B'ronth dragged her to her feet. "Lulukee!" he called. "Lulukee!"
Where was the boy?

Lulukee did not answer. Cursing, B'ronth stripped the corpse and
dressed in its warm clothing. The blood on the right sleeve was
already stiff with cold. Where could Lulukee have gone off to?
wondered B'ronth. Well, no matter. They were only a few jeks from
Nadia City, where wealth awaited him....

"Come," he said. He dragged the girl along. She looked back at the
dead old man until a snow drift hid him from sight.

* * * * *

After the Utalian had dragged the beautiful girl beyond the ridges of
snow, Lulukee the Nadian came down into the valley. He was a small boy
of some s