(Chronicler's note: "The badges of Thaelu royalty are as follows:

1. Family lineage of d'Ganech, specifically of the First-king, Chyrlon d'Ganech, under whose leadership much of the organization and unification of the lowland provinces that came to be called Thaelia took place. Physical signs of said line age are red hair, deep green eyes, tall and/or husky build.
2. Possession of the Royal Seal. Documents, directives and decrees of all kinds issued by the ruling monarch must, by Law, bear the stamp of the Royal Seal to make them legitimate. Only the King himself is allowed to wield the Seal, even to bringing it from the Treasury for use and returning it after use. Possession of the Seal by anyone other than the ruling monarch is considered treasonous and punishable by death.
3. Possession of the Glymm. A pendant glymmstone, containing various powers of its own, can only be worn by the ruling monarch. The Glymm seems, in the legends that surround it, to have been imbued in the Ancient Times with a power that made it dangerous or even deadly for anyone but the rightful King to either handle or wear it. Transference of the Glymm takes place upon the deathbed of the ruling King, whereby he hands it physically to the one he chooses as his successor. Without the Glymm, claim to the throne is suspect." HISTORY OF THAELIA, Vol. I.)

All at the table looked up as Shora, the serving girl-now supervising housekeeper, entered the diningroom clearing her throat. She turned her attention to Karinna and curtsied deeply. "I'm sorry for the interruption, Lady, but I knew you would want to know that Shima has returned."

"Thank you, Shora," Byrol grumbled good-naturedly, "although I wish you had told us that Choran and Darla were here instead."

"It's only been one day since Choran left, Father," Larm reminded him. "They couldn't possibly be back yet."

Shora had not left her spot in the doorway, and now she cleared her throat again. Everyone in the room could now see the funny, worried expression on her face. Karinna felt a tightening in her chest that had nothing to do with the lively action in her stomach. "What is it, Shora? Is Shima alright?"

"Except for a slash on his muzzle, he seems fine, Lady. But it also seems he has brought a friend back with him." Shora swallowed hard. "Another thatz."

"Another thatz?!" Byrol leapt up, his hand automatically dropping to his dagger.

"No, wait!" Karinna struggled clumsily to her feet. "Let me explain..."

"Shima is one thing. He came here with you as a cub," Byrol said pointedly, "but a wild thatz in the hyl is something I cannot in all good faith . . ."

"Listen to me!" Karinna insisted sharply. "You don't understand. Thatz are intelligent. I have dealt with them before."

Larm snickered. "I think you're going to have to give up the mimosia, Karinna!"

Byrol's face went blank with disbelief. "What do you mean, intelligent? 'Dealt with them before?'" He stared at her. "You mean you communicate with them?"

"Yes," Karinna declared urgently as she made her way around the end of the table and moved toward the door. "It was before I met Larm and when I acquired Shima in the first place. It's a long tale that can wait for later." With that, she slipped out the door.

Byrol and Larm looked at each other wordlessly and shrugged in unison before following in Karinna's wake. They caught up to her just as she knelt on the steps outside the hall portal to throw her arms around the neck of her prodigal pet. Only a pace away, the other huge animal watched warily, tail swishing nervously back and forth at the sight of so many humans, some with daggers already drawn.

Karinna reached for but did not touch the marks on Shima's cheek, one of which still seeped fresh blood. "Oh, Shima," she choked, "whatever happened to you, and why another thatz?"

For the first time since she arrived at Rhyls'hyl, she felt the twitch in her mind that signaled the thatz's telepathic touch. "I bear the honor-marks, as we all do. They are nothing. But I also bear news to prepare you for a visitor. It was decided that, if my mind still could not touch yours, Wrrowya would bear the message in my stead."

Karinna looked up and silently acknowledged Wrrowya's presence, noticing at the same time the ring of clansmen with daggers drawn surrounding them. She turned her head, looked sharply at Byrol and snapped, "Tell them to put their weapons away. The other thatz will not attack unless provoked."

"You're sure?" Byrol ventured warily.

"Trust me. His name is Wrrowya, and I have met him before," Karinna said less sharply. "They bring a message for me. Now, tell your clansmen to put those daggers away!"

Byrol eyed the unfamiliar thatz cautiously. As if realizing the man's distrust, Wrrowya crouched down and laid his head on his front paws in a submissive posture. Deciding against his better judgment to have faith in Karinna's wild assurances, he slowly motioned to his men to put their blades away. The ring of daggers slowly lowered. Karinna turned back to Shima.

"What is this news? What visitor?"

"There comes to this hall a human bearing news of an injured man in need of a Healer, such as you are. The companion he left behind I heard myself speak your name, but his connection with you is unclear." Shima stretched languidly. "This messenger follows us by not long. He will arrive before the light dies at the end of this day."

Byrol saw the look of worried confusion that passed over the woman's face, and he touched her shoulder gently. "What is it?"

"Shima says there is a man coming with news of someone who needs a Healer, and that there was another who was heard mentioning my name." Karinna's voice betrayed her confusion. "Why would anyone here in the mountains be calling on my name?"

"Your name!" Byrol frowned. "Who would know of your being here in the mountains with us besides just those of us here at Rhyls'hyl?"

"If I may," Wrrowya's voice broke into the turmoil of Karinna's mind. "The man who is uninjured knows nothing of where you are, human-called-Karinna. His thoughts speak your name only in times of great stress."

Karinna rose slowly to her feet. "Thank you for bringing me this news, Wrrowya, Shima."

Wrrowya rose from his crouch and stretched as if bowing. "I return to the circle, human-called-Karinna, and tell of this meeting. It is obvious that humans and the circle can exist peacefully together when neither try to harm the other. Our experience with you has shown us a way to break the circle of death that surrounds and threatens us as you had fortold. I therefore give my word on behalf of the circle that we no longer will hunt humans and proclaim a truce between our two kinds. Tell this to your elder and ask his agreement to this."

Karinna, startled at the rapid and unexpected development, stammered a hasty explanation of the thatz's words and gave a quick background explanation as well. Byrol's mouth dropped in surprise. "You mean to say that the thatz is promising not to attack us anymore?"

"That is Wrrowya's truce. They only defended themselves against our hunts before, anyway. Their way of thinking is different from ours, but they have honor, my Lord. Please won't you agree? What will it harm not to kill thatz at first sight?"

"And if they attack us?"

"Wrrowya promises not to attack, but I'm sure he would understand if we defend ourselves in the same way they have."

Wrrowya tipped his head as if he were listening to the discussion, and Byrol could not help seeing the intelligence and curiosity in the glowing eyes. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If thatz really are intelligent, the..."

"Not if," Karinna corrected. "They are intelligent. Look at him!" She pointed to Wrrowya.

"Very well, I accept," Byrol said finally. "I will order my clan to refrain from hunting thatz, and I'll make sure that the message is passed to the other clans." He shook his head in disbelief. "I cannot swear that the others will abide by my promise until there is proof of this "intelligence", Karinna; and I will probably be called mad by the other Lords."

"Your own clansmen will be witness to the contrary," Karinna reminded him with a smile, "and then you will have your proof."

Byrol watched as Wrrowya dipped his head, turned and gracefully made his way through the parting ring of men and out the gates of Rhyls'hyl. "They'll be witness only if this man you claim is coming does arrive." He took Karinna's arm as much to support her as to escort her back inside. "I think I'd like to hear this long tale of yours about the thatz, and I don't want to wait until the next meal to hear it, either!"

~~~~~~~~~*

The last rays of the sun were turning the western mountain peaks violet and green as Boku crossed the gorge and approached the tall walls that protected Rhyls'hyl. He unslung the bundle of pelts from his shoulder and dropped it to the ground, appreciating his pack-karlian more than ever before. His shoulder ached where the narrow strap had chafed skin and muscle through his clothing, and raising his right hand to grasp the dangling mallet and tap the tube-bell was a great effort.

The heavy gates swung open silently, and Boku reached for the bundle again, wincing. He bowed greeting to the rough-clad clansmen holding the gates. "I am on a mission of aid and need to speak to Lord Byrol. He knows me and my family, as we are also Rhyl clansmen. I am Boku." Byrol and Larm, summoned by the deep note of the tube-bell, met Boku and his escort in the middle of the courtyard. Boku knelt and placed the bundle of pelts at Byrol's feet. "I am Boku, Ch'kon ny'sim trapper of the outer slopes. I bring these as payment on a mission of aid for two men."

"Be welcome, Boku, and come in from the cold. We will speak of your mission," Byrol stated grandly without glancing at Larm, whose eyes were as large as falu's eggs. He motioned for Boku to follow him and nodded at the clansmen to close the gates.

Larm leaned toward his father and whispered, "Well, here is the messenger that..."

"I know," Byrol shushed his son. "I know. We'll think about that later. For now, you'd better send for Karinna. She might be able to discover just who it is that supposedly knows her." Larm nodded seriously and trotted on ahead.

In the dining area, Byrol motioned the new arrival to a seat and poured him a large mug of steaming cha. He allowed the trapper to drink in silence until Larm appeared in the doorway with Karinna not far behind. As Boku eagerly downed the last of the cha, Byrol cleared his throat. "Now that you are somewhat refreshed from your trek, let us hear of your mission of aid." He spoke in the formal manner of clan chief that the trappers were accustomed to hearing.

Boku immediately set about telling the tale of how he came upon the two old men in the abandoned hut, describing the condition of the one for whom he had been sent for help, and finally ending with, "...and these pelts were sent as payment for the services of your Healer."

Karinna moved quietly to Byrol's side during the narrative; and as the young trapper finished his story, asked quietly, "Did you not learn any names or anything about their past history?"

Boku gazed calmly at the young woman as he answered, "Lady, I have only my impression that the names given me were not true ones, yet I was told of their coming into the mountains during the "unrest," whatever that was. That much of what I was told rang true in my ears. The one bore himself proudly, as if he were a clan chief himself. The names they gave were Kyrol and Harik." Seeing a faint rush of color in Karinna's cheeks, the trapper continued, "Whoever they are and wherever they come from, I owe life-debt to the one called Kyrol and am bound to ask assistance in his name."

"I am a Healer," Karinna began tentatively, not wishing to allow that the rush of hopeful emotion to overwhelm her. She could be mistaken. "What is the condition of the one called Harik?"

"He suffers the coughing weakness. In all honesty, I don't know if he will be still alive should help arrive. Seldom have I seen even Ch'kon ny'sim so afflicted live more than two days, and that only with a Healer's aid." Boku picked up the bundled pelts and handed them to her. "Will you accept these, and aid these men?" He waited for the Healer to agree, for the furs were worth a small fortune to the one who possessed them. Would that he and his family had the luck to trap so many!

Karinna buried her hand in the soft, silvery-white fur, reluctantly remembering her fondness for them in the years past. Byrol looked at her, his expression filled with questions for the woman at his side. "Well," he whispered finally, "do you..."

"I don't know," she murmured back. "I can't tell anything but that they sound as if they are truly in need of our aid." She reached a decision. "Yes, send help for them, and quickly."

Boku pointed at the bundle of pelts further in Karinna's grasp. "Then these are to be for you, Lady."

Karinna made a show of examining them while complaining, "I cannot accept them, as I..."

Suddenly her eyes found the faint mark stained into the soft white leather on the back of the outermost pelt. With a cry of surprise, she leaned forward to take a closer look, bringing both Byrol's and Larm's frowns at the outcry. Her face had lost every trace of color, and both men could see her trembling. She clasped the bundle close to her heart. "Oh, fetch them, please! And hurry!"

Byrol put a comforting arm about her shoulders. "Think, Karinna! It is dark already, and we won't be able to find our way. We will leave first thing in the morning."

Boku nodded in agreement. "The shelter is not easy to find in the best of times. It would be impossible at night."

"Besides," Byrol continued, "who..."

Karinna wasn't listening. She was chafing at the delaying arguments and her own inability to leave and go to the hut herself. Then it struck her. She turned an excited face to Byrol. "Shima! Shima knows where it is, and he can lead you there, day or night!" Byrol stared at her. She was right, but to have to trust a thatz - even Shima - was something he had never considered.

Boku looked back and forth between the older man and the Healer, feeling as if he were missing something important. "Who is this Shima? He would have to be able to see in the dark to..."

Larm moved and put a hand on the trapper's shoulder as he saw his father finally nod. "That's just the thing. Boku, it's a long, long tale that you're going to find hard to believe!" ~~~~~~~~~*

Gyrl could remember no other time when he had felt so exhausted and totally helpless. He had not rested since seeing Boku on his way the morning before, and was amazed that but one day had passed since the young trapper had left. Hariki's condition now required constant supervision, as the ailing King had developed an ominous rattle in his chest and, on occasion, ceased breathing altogether. At those times it was necessary to pound on the old man's chest to get him to start breathing again. Gyrl, while recognizing his efforts were only postponing the inevitable, again and again pounded on Hariki in hopes that the trapper would return with a Healer for his old friend.

Sitting dejectedly on a stool he had dragged up to the pallet and sipping a cold mug of cha, Gyrl noted for the first time the traces of dim light filtering through the tiny window, signaling the dawn of a new day. He bent down again and heard the soft rattling of Hariki's breathing, then took another sip of the cold brew and willed the rattling to continue.

So great was his concentration that he did not hear the commotion outside until Boku's voice called out and there was a loud pounding on the door that made him drop the mug in surprise. He rushed to the door and threw it open to reveal the trapper, as well as two other men and several burris. Silently, he clasped the trapper's hand tightly and then led the group into the hut.

"Does your friend Harik still live?" Boku queried as his eyes grew accustomed to the dimness.

"Barely. I was almost out of hope that you would return in time." Gyrl's voice reflected his weariness. "Which one of you is the Healer? Wait!" He scanned the three faces and found them all male. "Where is the Healer? Why is she not with you?"

"She is unable to travel and sent us to bring you and your friend to her at Rhyls'hyl, the hall I spoke of." Boku looked toward the hearth hopefully. "Have you any cha? We traveled all night and can use some refreshment."

Gyrl shrugged and turned his attention back to Hariki for a moment, noting in the growing light the slight movement of the robes signaling another breath taken. "It's cold, there in the pot," he murmured absently. Then something Boku had said made him turn back to the knot of men still standing in the open door. "You traveled all night?! How in the name of the One did you find us in the dark?"

"That one knew the way," came Boku's voice from behind him. He spun about to face the trapper kneeling on the hearth and followed Boku's pointing finger to a spot near the other men. Gyrl's heart skipped a beat as he saw two glowing orbs near the floor. One of the men shifted and allowed a shaft of morning light to reveal the crouching form of a huge thatz. Gyrl's hand dropped to his dagger, but was stilled in the action of drawing it by a sharp "No!" from the shorter of the men.

"This thatz was raised from a cub by our Healer, and she sent it to guide us to you." The shorter man approached slowly and extended his hand. "I am Larm, son of Byrol, Lord of Rhyls'hyl. The thatz is called Shima." Gyrl shook Larm's hand hesitantly. Larm moved to Hariki's side and motioned to his companions. "If your friend is truly as ill as he appears, we had best waste no time getting back to my ryhl. My sister, who is a Healer too should be there when we get back, or soon thereafter."

Larm called Boku and the larger man, and together they lifted the flimsy pallet carefully and carried it and Hariki out the door to where a slightly charred burri-cart waited. Gyrl hastily filled three skins with the rest of the cold cha, threw them and six strips of dried zolu-buck meat into a leather pouch and grabbed up every pelt he could carry. These he tied together for the moment with a rawhide strap. Boku returned and took the pouch and pelts out while Gyrl threw on his fur cloak and, skirting the still-crouching thatz, seized his spear. He shrank back against the wall as Shima rose, stretched lazily and flowed silently out the door. Gyrl followed with a shudder, his mind agog at the changes that obviously had taken place in the Halidu people since last he had been among them and wondered at the kind of people he had delivered himself and the old King up to.

Shaking his head at the offer of a burri to ride, he clambered into what space the cart had left to offer at Hariki's side and began to arrange more pelts from the bundle on the recumbent figure, which gave a rattling moan. As soon as Gyrl was settled next to the pallet, Larm clicked at the burri, and the cart began to move over the rough ground. Gyrl again forced himself to focus on the King's breathing and hoped the jolting and bumping of the cart would keep his friend alive just a little while longer.

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