Her thakur had ordered her to die, in humiliation and agony, even as he had said she had done nothing to deserve such a death. Then he had told her to do whatever a Sandeman 'na would do under the same circumstances. And she had absorbed enough of their ways to think that a proper response--except that, as far as she knew, similar circumstances had never arisen. For the moment, at least, she was too stunned to be really afraid. She turned to the w'woman. "Lady--can you help me?" "Help you how?" the w'woman asked. "To do what's needed--except that I don't know what is needed!" She hesitated. "I mean . . . I've been dismissed, but he said I haven't done anything wrong!" The w'woman shook her head slowly. "Nothing like this has ever happened before. All I can tell you is that custom says a 'na who has been dismissed must make atonement for allowing @'s thakur to accept one who proved unworthy." Dana was silent for a moment, absorbing that, then she nodded. In her misery, it didn't seem too unreasonable that she should have to die just for being of no further use. She had tried to live by Sandeman custom; she couldn't change that now, simply because it became . . . inconvenient. "You're right, of course. But I can't do it myself right now, and I don't have a clan-chief to help me." The w'woman looked at her with what seemed to Dana like approval. "Perhaps a clan-chief can be found for you." "I'd . . . appreciate that." Dana licked her lips, fear beginning to emerge from her stunned misery, but her mouth was so dry it was little help. "I should talk to them myself, I suppose--at least if they'll talk to me--but I can't dial the phone. Would you, please?" The w'woman nodded. "What clan?" "I don't think it matters that much," Dana said. "Alanna first, if I have to pick one. If their chief won't help, just keep going until we find one who will." "A good choice." The w'woman dialed the bedside phone, obviously a familiar combination, then spoke to the warrior who answered in High War Speech. Dana could understand only an occasional word of that variant of Classical Russian, though she could read and write it fluently; all she could gather was that the w'woman was asking for the Alanna. A few moments later, a man wearing the arms of Alanna's chief appeared on the screen, introducing himself as Killian. The w'woman started to speak, but before she'd said more than a few words, Killian frowned and interrupted with a question. She answered with a "Da, Glavniy," then there was a brief conversation Killian closed with a decisive statement. The w'woman stepped aside, and Dana found herself confronting the image of a stern-faced clan-chief. He let her wait a few seconds, then spoke in Imperial English. "The lady Arden tells me that your thakur has dismissed you and that you require a clan-chief's aid to atone."