Lark and Wren

camps of the conspirators ended.

She knew that Talaysen was worried. However well-meaning Sion was, how could he stay out of the hands of those people for long once he revealed who and what he was? And if he somehow managed to, against all odds, how long would he be able to hold his throne? How long could he play their game without getting caught at it?

She sighed, and the mules flicked back their ears at the sound.

They'd turn against him eventually-unless he managed to play the Church against the nobles, and vice versa-and use the Guild to keep both sides stirred up.

She shook her head, and rubbed her temple. Her head ached from all the unresolved problems. A man as old as Rolend, and as experienced, could probably do just that. In fact, there were some signs that he had begun to play that very game, now that his country was stable and prosperous. Several of the little cabals they had visited had been very suspicious of outsiders, and not as agents from the King, but as agents from one of the other groups. That must surely be Rolend's work, at least in part.

But could Sional play that kind of game?

I don't know. Talaysen could-but Sional-he's no older than I am. And I don't think I could, not for long.

And there was one final concern-insignificant so far as the fate of a kingdom was concerned, but one that was tearing her heart in two.

Gwyna.

Gypsy Robin had fallen in love with Kestrel, and he with her. And now, the nearer they came to the palace and the throne, the more Gwyna looked at Kestrel and saw Prince Sional.

Prince Sional, who could not possibly marry even with a commoner, much less with a Gypsy.

Gwyna grieved-characteristically, in silence, hiding her grief behind a smile and a quick wit. But she mourned Kestrel's loss already. Rune felt it, and she could do nothing, for there was nothing she could do. Their worlds could not be reconciled. If Prince Sional took his throne, Kestrel died.

If Prince Sional failed in his attempt to take his throne, Kestrel died.

But if Kestrel was to live, something must be done about the assassins. And what that solution was, Rune had no idea.

It wasn't possible that the King would believe that Sional didn't want the throne. And even if he did, he must know that the moment his enemies discovered Sional's existence, they'd try to use him.

So even if Prince Sional gave up his throne, sooner or later, Kestrel would die.

If Talaysen had any plans on that score, he hadn't confided them to her.

So they had their answers now-but they weren't any help. And Rune couldn't keep herself from feeling that she was driving their little wagon into a maze with no escape.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The wagon seemed the safest place to stay, all things considered. Rune found a travelers' inn that would let them pull their wagon in behind the stable for a fee. It was clean, shaded and secluded back there; evidently there were often travelers staying in their own conveyances, and the inn had set up this little yard for them. A little more money produced fodder and water for the mules, and gave them use of the inn bathhouse. While the others got their baths, she fetched some hot food from the inn's kitchen; they were all tired of their own limited cooking abilities. They returned about the same time she did, and she went for her wash.

By the time she got back, it was obvious from the tense atmosphere in the wagon that Kestrel was about to make a decision, and had been waiting for her to return. He and Gwyna sat on one bunk, not touching, and Talaysen sat facing them. The food was hardly touched, Gwyna was sitting very still and her face had no color at all, and Talaysen had not bothered to light the lamps.

Rune climbed into the wagon, lit the lamp beside the door herself and shut the door behind her. Kestrel cleared his throat self-consciously, and Gwyna jumped.

'I-I d-d-don't want the d-d-d-d-damn th-throne,' he said, thickly. 'I w-wouldn't b-be ha-ha-half the K-King m-my uncle is. I'm a g-g-good m-musician. I'd be a ho-horrible K-King!'

Gwyna made a curious little sound, half laugh, half sob. Talaysen let out the breath he'd been holding in, and Rune sat down on the bunk with a thud.

'I can't tell you how glad I am that you've decided that,' Talaysen said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. 'I agree with you. But that just gives us another problem. How the hell are we going to keep you alive?' He reached for his mug of cider and took a long drink. Rune picked up a barely warm meat pie to nibble on. Their problems weren't over yet; in fact, as Talaysen had pointed out, they'd just begun.

'C-can't we k-keep d-doing what w-we have b-been?' Kestrel asked, after a moment of forlorn hesitation.

Rune and Talaysen both shook their heads, and Rune spoke first. 'Sooner or later he's going to find another kind of seeking-charm, and give the new ones to his agents. We won't know how to counter them, and they'll find you again. And while we're waiting for that to happen, some of these other lunatics we've seen are going to realize you really are alive, and come looking for you themselves. Then what?'

She put the pie down; her appetite was entirely gone.

Sional set his mouth stubbornly and raised his chin. 'I t-tell them t-to g-go t-to hell.'

'And when they find a mage to change your mind for you?' Talaysen asked, gently. 'Oh, don't shake your head, Kestrel. They've got mages, especially Church mages. And ask Gwyna how powerful some of them are. She spent several days as a bird-a real bird, with feathers-and for anyone who can turn a woman into a bird, taking over your mind would be a mere exercise.' He closed his eyes for a moment. 'What we've begun to learn-it's nothing compared to what happened to Gwyna. I think that one day, we will be powerful enough to protect you from all of them. Rune, especially; I've never heard of anyone facing down elves the way she did. But