pen door I briefly saw a bed, a child's small dresses
hanging on a hook, before Miellyn kicked the door shut and I heard a
latch being fastened. Behind the closed door Rindy broke into angry
screams, but I put my back against the door.

"She's right. We'll settle it between the two of us. What have you done
to that child?"

"If you thought--" Rakhal stopped himself in midsentence and stood
watching me without moving for a minute. Then he laughed.

"You're as stupid as ever, Race. Why, you fool, I knew Juli would run
straight to you, if she was scared enough. I knew it would bring you out
of hiding. Why, you damned fool!" He stood mocking me, but there was a
strained fury, almost a frenzy of contempt behind the laughter.

"You filthy coward, Race! Six years hiding in the Terran zone. Six
years, and I gave you six months! If you'd had the guts to walk out
after me, after I rigged that final deal to give you the chance, we
could have gone after the biggest thing on Wolf. And we could have
brought it off together, instead of spending years spying and dodging
and hunting! And now, when I finally get you out of hiding, all you want
to do is run back where you'll be safe! I thought you had more guts!"

"Not for Evarin's dirty work!"

Rakhal swore hideously. "Evarin! Do you really believe--I might have
known he'd get to you too! That girl--and you've managed to wreck all I
did there, too!" Suddenly, so swiftly my eyes could hardly follow, he
whipped out his skean and came at me. "Get away from that door!"

I stood my ground. "You'll have to kill me first. And I won't fight you,
Rakhal. We'll settle this, but we'll do it my way for once, like
Earthmen."

"_Son of the Ape!_ Get your skean out, you stinking coward!"

"I won't do it, Rakhal." I stood and defied him. I had outmaneuvered
Dry-towners in a _shegri_ bet. I knew Rakhal, and I knew he would not
knife an unarmed man. "We fought once with the _kifirgh_ and it didn't
settle anything. This time we'll do it my way. I threw my skean away
before I came here. I won't fight."

He thrust at me. Even I could see that the blow was a feint, and I had a
flashing, instantaneous memory of Dallisa's threat to drive the knife
through my palms. But even while I commanded myself to stand steady,
sheer reflex threw me forward, grabbing at his wrist and the knife.

Between my grappling hand he twisted and I felt the skean drive home,
rip through my jacket with a tearing sound; felt