us, Rakhal. But not with this blood-feud unsettled."

That needed no elucidation. No Wolfan in his right mind will bargain
with a Dry-towner carrying an unresolved blood-feud. By law and custom,
declared blood-feud takes precedence over any other business, public or
private, and is sufficient excuse for broken promises, neglected duties,
theft, even murder.

"We want it settled once and for all." Evarin's voice was low and
unhurried. "And we aren't above weighting the scales. This Cargill can,
and has, posed as a Dry-towner, undetected. We don't like Earthmen who
can do that. In settling your feud, you will be aiding us, and removing
a danger. We would be ... grateful."

He opened his closed hand, displaying something small, curled, inert.

"Every living thing emits a characteristic pattern of electrical nerve
impulses. We have ways of recording those impulses, and we have had you
and Cargill under observation for a long time. We've had plenty of
opportunity to key this Toy to Cargill's pattern."

On his palm the curled thing stirred, spread wings. A fledgling bird lay
there, small soft body throbbing slightly. Half-hidden in a ruff of
metallic feathers I glimpsed a grimly elongated beak. The pinions were
feathered with delicate down less than a quarter of an inch long. They
beat with delicate insistence against the Toymaker's prisoning fingers.

"This is not dangerous to you. Press here"--he showed me--"and if Race
Cargill is within a certain distance--and it is up to you to be _within_
that distance--it will find him, and kill him. Unerringly, inescapably,
untraceably. We will not tell you the critical distance. And we will
give you three days."

He checked my startled exclamation with a gesture. "Of course this is a
test. Within the hour Cargill will receive a warning. We want no
incompetents who must be helped too much! Nor do we want cowards! If you
fail, or release the bird at a distance too great, or evade the
test"--the green inhuman malice in his eyes made me sweat--"we have made
another bird."

By now my brain was swimming, but I thought I understood the complex
inhuman logic involved. "The other bird is keyed to me?"

With slow contempt Evarin shook his head. "You? You are used to danger
and fond of a gamble. Nothing so simple! We have given you three days.
If, within that time, the bird you carry has not killed, the other bird
will fly. And it will kill. Rakhal, you have a wife."

Yes, Rakhal had