now of none," they said. "He lives in the forest."

Before Rodriguez quite despaired he asked each one if they knew not of
any castle of which their King was possessed; and each of them said
that there was no castle in all Shadow Valley. The ten still stood in
front of them with their bows: and Rodriguez turned away then indeed in
despair, and walked slowly back to the camp, and Alderon walked behind
him. In silence they reached their camp by the great gate that led
nowhere, and there Rodriguez sat down on a log beside the dwindling
fire, gazing at the grey ashes and thinking of his dead hopes. He had
not the heart to speak to Alderon, and the silence was unbroken by
Morano who, for all his loquacity, knew when his words were not
welcome. Don Alderon tried to break that melancholy silence, saying
that these ten bowmen did not know the whole world; but he could not
cheer Rodriguez. For, sitting there in dejection on his log, thinking
of all the assurance with which he had often spoken of his castle,
there was one more thing to trouble him than Don Alderon knew. And this
was that when the bowmen had appeared he had hung once more round his
neck that golden badge that was worked for him by the King of Shadow
Valley; and they must have seen it, and they had paid no heed to it
whatever: its magic was wholly departed. And one thing troubled him
that Rodriguez did not know, a very potent factor in human sorrow: he
had left in the morning so eagerly that he had had no breakfast, and
this he entirely forgot and knew not how much of his dejection came
from this cause, thinking that the loss of his castle was of itself
enough.

So with downcast head he sat empty and hopeless, and the little camp
was silent.

In this mournful atmosphere while no one spoke, and no one seemed to
watch, stood, when at last Rodriguez raised his head, with folded arms
before the gate to nowhere, the King of Shadow Valley. His face was
surly, as though the face of a ghost, called from important work among
asteroids needing his care, by the trivial legerdemain of some foolish
novice. Rodriguez, looking into those angry eyes, wholly forgot it was
he that had a grievance. The silence continued. And then the King of
Shadow Valley spoke.

"When have I broken my word?" he said.

Rodriguez did not know. The man was still looking at him, still
standing there with folded arms before the great gate, confronting him,
demanding some kind of answer: and Rodrigu