"If I had great courage, lord?"

"If you dreamed of reward."

"I would take her to the royal palace, lord, to Bontarc the King or to
his sister, Princess Volna the Beautiful, who, some say, is the real
power behind the Nadian throne although Bontarc is a great soldier."

* * * * *

They had reached the gate. "Way passes," a bored guard said.

Lulukee mumbled something uncertainly. His heart beat painfully
against his ribs. His brain refused to function. There was intrigue
here, he could sense that. More intrigue than he cared to have a hand
in. As a Nadian citizen, he owned a way pass, of course. But the
giant? Obviously the giant did not. Lulukee was sorry he had ever
agreed to go along with B'ronth the Utalian. Now he only wanted to get
out of the entire situation as quickly--and safely--as possible.

He pointed an accusing finger at Bram Forest. "_He_ has no way pass!"
Lulukee cried.

The guards stiffened, their whip-swords ready. They looked at Bram
Forest. Overhead, the air-car hovered, its peltasts stationed there in
the event of trouble, their slings poised.

Ylia was in there somewhere, a prisoner. Bram Forest spurned violence
for its own sake, but Ylia might need him. Ylia, who had nursed him
back to health when Retoc had left him for dead on the parched Plains
of Ofrid. Ylia, the lovely.

"I'm going through," Bram Forest said softly. "Don't try to stop me."

For answer, the nearest guard let his left hand drop.

It had been a signal. Overhead, the peltasts drew back their slings.
"Will you go in peace?" the guard asked, his eyes narrow slits now,
his right arm tensed to bring the whip-sword around.

Bram Forest waited. Every muscle in his superbly-conditioned body
cried for action, but he would not initiate it.

The guard pointed back along the path across the ice fields, where
hundreds of visitors to the city were waiting impatiently. "Then go,"
he said harshly, "before your flesh feeds the stilt-birds on the banks
of the River of Ice."

The guard raised his sword menacingly. Standing rigidly still and
giving no warning, Bram Forest lashed out with his left fist, hitting
the guard in the mouth. Lips split, teeth flew, blood covered the
guard's face. Someone screamed. The guard fell, but his companion
lashed out with his own whip-sword. Bram Forest lunged to one side and
grabbed the sword-arm, twisting it. The guard howled, dropping his
weapon. Lulukee made a di