[Estelyn Telcontar]

Wyrma felt a rush of elation. Though she had hoped to gain some advantage by using the drug that countered Hasrim’s medication, she had not thought that it would work so quickly. How fortunate that his madness caused him to see his deceased wife in her, and that at a time when they were alone together! Her thoughts worked feverishly to find a message that she could implant in his crazed mind before she sent him back to his quarters. She must not go too far, or he would break down completely.

“You must help me to fulfil my dream, my dear spouse,” she said softly. “Bring all the Maenwaith together and protect them. Those who resist do not know of their danger and must be made to come against their will, of need be. Hurry, for there may be another attack sooner than you think. But now you need rest – come to your rooms with me.”

He allowed himself to be led by her to a guest room; she called one of his men to bring his personal servant to care for him, then turned and walked briskly to her own room. As so often when she thought and made plans, she paced the floor restlessly. Flying away as she longed to do was out of the question at the moment. She had to make use of Halfr’s situation while he was susceptible to her influence. Yet she no longer wished to wait for messages from scouts as to the whereabouts of her youngest son. Decisively, she rang the bell on her desk and informed Elsta that she wished to see Kumat immediately.

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Tinar gazed at the southern horizon; he had stopped counting the times he had looked, hoping to see some movement that would signal a change. But both sky and desert remained empty, and he sighed impatiently. How long would they sit on this tiny island of dusty green inmidst the barren brown wasteland? He no longer asked Kor and Hasrim for explanations; he could tell that they knew more than they were willing to tell him.

One of them was with him constantly; when he asked if he could not fly to the Eagle encampment with them, thy had curtly replied that it was much too dangerous. “But can we not then ride back north to our home?” he had pleaded. He had hoped for adventure, but there was little to be had here, at least for him, and anything seemed better than just sitting and waiting.

“Not yet,” Kor had answered, looking at him sharply, then admonishing, “and don’t even think of flying away by yourself again. Have you any idea what your mother would do to us if we let you come to harm?”

Crestfallen, he nodded submissively. He had heard enough whisperings to know that Wyrma was merciless with those who made mistakes. As her youngest, he was treated with a little more leniency than others, but he did not wish to test her patience, whether for himself or for his friends.

And so he waited, pacing the oasis to pass the hours and to keep his body strong and supple. He no longer needed to heed his surroundings; by now he knew every stone, every half-parched blade of wild grass, and the exact position of the shade of each scraggly tree at every time of the day. For much of the time, he was lost in thought, reflecting on the happenings of the past weeks and months. He pondered the irreconcilable positions of his mother’s politics and the rebellious actions of tribes like the Eagles. He remembered how cooped up he had felt in the Umbarian city and the exhilaration of flying free over the desert. He recalled the open, friendly faces of the Northerners, comparing them to the closed, wary expressions of many of his own people. With a new-found feeling of responsibility, he wondered what he would do if he were to lead them.

Finally another long day was over; the darkness fell, and though they sat at the fire for awhile, there was little talk. It seemed they had exhausted their store of conversation, and they did not care to talk only for the sake of hearing their own voices. Tinar was thankful for the weariness that soon enabled him to fall into the deep sleep of youth.