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And it was dark. The amulet Nangulis had carried had been sky blue. She wondered if the color was a mute warning of the Traitor's activity. Too late in coming, if so.

Kiril looked up and met Raidon's anxious eyes. "You carry an extraordinary relic. She who gave this to you-who was she?"

The man shook his head. "I know not. I called her Mother. She left me when I was a child. Now that I'm grown, I've sworn to find het."

"She was an elf," Kiril stated. "Your fathet, a human?"

Raidon nodded. "He was an honorable man. I had not realized prior to a few tendays ago my mother was a wood elf of the Yuirwood."

Kiril raised a single eyebrow. "Your looks argue against that, not to mention you carry a Seal unlikely to have originated in the Yuirwood. I doubt she was a wood elf of the wood. No, she came from somewhere else."

The half-elf squinted at her, his face framing a question.

She continued, "She came from a realm behind the Yuitwood, a place called Sildeyuir."

"Another name for Stardeep? She is one of these murdering elves?"

"No. Stardeep is a splinter of Sildeyuir, long disconnected from it. Elves dwell in that starry land-I am one. And they are not a murdering people. Normally." Kiril glanced at the blood still staining her leg.

She allowed, "Something awful has happened, I fear…"

Kiril swung to face Gage. "Tell me what you know about Stardeep."

Gage swallowed, turned pale. But he nodded.

"Kiril, Sathra did steal your sword, as I explained. And only because of my efforts was it returned to you. Please remember that while you listen to the rest of my tale."

She gave a fractional nod of her head. "Time is not on our side-out with it, thief."

He swallowed, a blush heating his checks. "Sathra took your sword, but it wasn't she who worked for Stardeep-it was me. I was the spy…"

Kiril backhanded Gage so hard he spun and fell. Adrik the sorcerer took another step back, concern growing on his face. A high-pitched bell tolled from a nearby treetop; Xet was concerned about what might follow the slap.

Gage lay where he fell for a moment, rubbing his jaw. He coughed and spit out a bloody tooth. Kiril didn't much care. She said, "I knew you lied when you said you'd killed Sathra, you bastard."

The thief slowly sat up, but didn't stand. Anger threaded his voice, but he replied, "You were justified in doing that. Now, are you planning on hitting me again, or do you want to hear my story?"

"I thought you were my friend!" Gage's betrayal was the oil that fueled her fury.

He looked down. "I made a terrible mistake, Kiril. I am your friend, or would like to be, if you can forgive me."

She wanted to strike him again, oh yes. Pick him up and throw him, kick him. Eradicate him from her memory. Instead she said, "What about Nangulis? Was that a lie, too?"

Gage levered himself to his feet and backed off a pace before replying. "My contact from Stardeep was someone named Telarian. A male elf. In Laothkund he offered me a contract to steal a meaningless sword from a drunken swords-woman. That was before we ever met. If I had known-"

"I asked you about Nangulis, thief!" yelled Kiril. Rage burned her stomach; acid gave an unpleasant tang to the back of her mouth.

Gage rubbed his reddening jaw, said, "After we met, I realized I couldn't carry the blade myself, due to Angul's unique nature. So I sent wotd to Telarian-"

"How?"

"Telarian had a drop box set up in Laothkund. After I reported my failure, I was contacted again, and told to let slip the name Nangulis. I was to implicate Nangulis as the person who wanted the blade. Telarian said that would draw you to Stardeep without need for Angul's theft."

"Nangulis didn't contact you at all?"

"No, Kiril. I'm sorry."

The ex-Keeper put a hand to her brow. Was hope dead anew? She couldn't trust the thief, that was obvious. But Nangulis's name was in play. Who was this Telatian? Wait, she recalled someone named Telarian… a diviner among the Knights. Towatd the end, he had