But that passed, too. Slowly, the pain and weariness ebbed. Jarl's strength flowed back. Once more, he was acutely conscious of the filth, the smells, the slithering vermin. Somewhere afar, the _vocorn_ pipes still were wailing. Sais twisted against him, her ripe body smooth as rippling velvet. When he rested his palm on her hip, she gripped it fiercely in the darkness. Her hand was hot; he could feel the movement of her quickened breathing. The muscles in Jarl's belly drew tight. All at once--even here, even now--he could think of nothing save this woman. His fingers trembled as he smoothed her dark hair; touched her eyes, her lips. She moved closer, till the curve of her cheek lay against his shoulder. The pressure of her body was a silent pledge, an invitation. Sais.... She was all passion, all woman. And all his. Or was she? The question came without his bidding. In spite of it. Yet once it had come, it would not go away. He shifted. But it did no good. The spell of her was upon him, melded of her woman's flesh and fragrance. She pressed closer. Rigid, he fought a silent battle ... and prayed that he would lose it. Why did he hang back? How could he doubt her? But in his heart he knew the answer to all his questions. This woman whose touch made his heart beat faster was more than merely woman. She was Sais herself, _Ktar_ Wassreck's daughter. Once, that had been a bond between them. Now it rose like a cold stone wall, setting them apart. Because now, in spite of himself, in spite of loyalty or duty, he doubted Wassreck.... A _Pervod's_ drunken laugh drifted to Jarl, dull and muffled. The faint, alluring scent of _mafrak_ reached his nostrils. Sais' fingers brushed his throat. He could stand the strain no longer. Twisting, he pushed her back. "Sais...." Even in a whisper, his voice was raw and rasping. He could feel her body stiffen. "Yes, Jarl...?" How could he say it? What words could he find? He blurted: "They said on Vesta that your father had ... surrendered." For an instant her shoulders stayed tight and straining. Then, incredibly, the tension left them. "Yes, Jarl." Her voice was the barest murmur. "They told it true. He sent a secret message to _rey_ Gundre...." * * * * * A numbness crept through Jarl Corvett. He could hear his own heart pounding in the stillness. "But why, Sais? Why? How could he do it--?" And her whisper came back: "You mean--you thought he had betrayed you?" The hurt in her voice twisted at Jarl Corvett. But he threw it off; forced himself to press her further: "You ask--when for his own gain he left you here, to die with the rest of us on Ceres?" He felt her body quiver, and it was like a knife-stab in his belly. But when she spoke, scorn edged her words: "You'd believe that, after Horla?" "What can I believe--?" He broke off; lashed out: "If he didn't, tell me! Why did he go? Why did he use you to bait me into a trap that almost snared me?"