Ranmut did not let the relief show on his face. Words now, just words. They were going to let him go. And somehow, for the first time in his life, he wanted to live. It was very important that he lived. He had no wish to die. Because he did not believe? In truth, he could not tell himself that. Because he had always been a good man, if a lowborn, and had no desire for reincarnation if the highborn were men such as Felg and Gawroi? Something of that passed through his mind, but it was not altogether clear. I'm going to live, he thought. After all, I'm going to live. And he allowed himself the luxury of a slow smile. The smile dropped from his face when Gawroi said: "All right, Felg. Do as you wish. I won't interfere with your pleasure. But I'm going downstairs. I'm renting a sand-car to take us to Balata 'kai. I'll meet you outside." "Alive, he--" "Don't try to rationalize it for my benefit. Do as you wish. I have utterly no interest in the matter." Gawroi gave Ranmut one final, utterly indifferent look, and left the room. That look told Ranmut his doom was sealed. He was small and weak and Felg was a strapping, strong highborn. Felg said, when the door shut, "You had an extra day of life, for you should have died by my mace." Ranmut said nothing. Felg said, "Are you happy? You probably led a life exemplary for its lack of significance, as a lowborn should. You ought to be happy--your next incarnation will be a higher one." "Please kill me if you are going to, lord," said Ranmut. "Don't you believe? Aren't you glad for the chance to die? What have you to live for?" Beads of sweat stood out on Felg's forehead, and Ranmut did not understand. "Kill me, lord. I won't resist, I won't prolong it." "Then you do believe?" demanded Felg softly, passionately, his fingers closing on Ranmut's frail throat without applying pressure. "No, lord," said Ranmut. "I do not believe." "You've got to believe in reincarnation!" Felg screamed. "I no longer believe." "You must! Don't you see, you must?" "I only know that my belief fades like the leaves in autumn in deep southern climes." "Believe!" screamed Felg. This was all madness to Ranmut. He waited for the fingers to tighten on his throat, to constrict there. But they did not. "Believe!" The hands uncoiled, made weak fists and beat without strength against Ranmut's chest, beat beseechingly. "I need your belief!" Felg screamed, and, when next he spoke, he was sobbing with bitterness and fear. "I need your belief, please oh please, I need it to make my own belief strong. I need it, I need you, Ranmut, please, you've got to believe, because you're a lowborn and you have nothing to live for and if you don't believe then surely I, I can't believe either and that leaves nothing.... Ranmut, Ranmut, I don't want to die, Ranmut...." Despite everything, Ranmut felt himself engulfed by waves of pity. He said, softly, "But you're not going to die, lord."