"Well--no, you wouldn't believe it. At least not if I told it that way. Arkor, the friend who's with me, is one of the forest people. He left the forest to spend some time in Toron, which is where I met him. Apparently he managed to accumulate an amazing store of information, about all sorts of things--electronics, languages, even music. You'd think he could read minds. Anyway, here we are, through the forest, across the prison mines, and in Telphar." "Jon, what were the mines like? It always made me wonder how Dad could use tetron when he knew that you were being whipped to get it." "You and I'll get drunk some evening and I'll tell you what it was like," Jon said. "But not until. When you're trying to convince Dad, bring that up about me and the mines." "Don't worry," she said. "I will." "Anyway," Jon went on, "we had to get through the forest without being seen and with all those leaves it was pretty dark. Arkor could get through because he was a forest man and nobody would stop him. But because they'd have seen me, I had to go most of the way naked as a jaybird." Clea frowned. "I don't understand. Are you sure you're all right?" Jon laughed. "Of course I'm all right. I can't really explain to you just yet. I'm just so happy to see you again, to be able to talk to you. Sis, I've wanted to be free for so long, to see you and Dad again, and--there's nothing wrong with me except the sniffles." It welled up in her like a wave and the tears flooded her lower lids, and then one overflowed and ran down the left side of her nose. "You see what you're doing," she said. And they laughed once more. "To see you again, Jon is so ... _fine_." "I love you, Sis," Jon said. "Thanks, and so long for a little while." "I'll get your message out. So long." The phone blinked dark and she sat there wondering if perhaps the tension wasn't too much. But it wasn't, and she had messages to deliver. CHAPTER X During the next couple of hours, two people died, miles apart. * * * * * "Don't be silly," Rara was saying in the inn at the Devil's Pot. "I'm a perfectly good nurse. Do you want to see my license?" The white-haired old man sat very straight in his chair by the window. Blue seeped like liquid across the glass. "Why did I do it?" he said. "It was wrong. I--I love my country." Rara pulled the blanket from the back of the chair and tucked it around the stiff, trembling shoulders. "What are you talking about?" she said, but the birthmark over her face showed deep purple with worry. He shook the blanket off and flung his hand across the table where the news directive lay. CROWN PRINCE KIDNAPED! KING DECLARES WAR! The trembling in Geryn's shoulders became violent shaking. "Sit back," said Rara. Geryn stood up. "Sit down," Rara repeated. "Sit down. You're not well. Now sit down!"