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the Homanan boy, and
Rogan would never permit Kellin to leave if he heard any whisper of it. So I
believe we must look at a clever trap set with the kind of bait that would
lure all of them out."
Blais' tone was grim. "An imaginary lion?"
A TAPESTRY OF LIONS
113
Kellin could no longer hold himself back; his eyes popped open. "There was a
LionI"
"Cheysuli ears," Brennan said, brows arching, "hear more than they should."
"There was," Kellin insisted. "It chased me into the bear-trap . .. after
Urchin and Rogan died."
Brennan shut his eyes. "More deaths."
Blais shifted. He sat cross-legged, one thigh weighted down by the head of a
ruddy wolf. His expression was oddly blank as he stroked the wide skull and
scratched the base of the ears.
Brennan's momentary lapse was banished. He was calm, unperturbed. "Tell us
what happened, Kellin. We must know everything."
Kellin delayed, testing his ankle. "It doesn't hurt any more."
"Earth magic," Blais said. "You've a scar, but the bones are whole."
"A scar?" Kellin peeled back the deerskin cover-
let and saw the bared ankle. Indeed, there was a jagged ring of purplish
"tooth" marks ringing his ankle. He wiggled his foot again. There was no
pain.
" 'Twill fade," Blais told him. "I've more scars than I can count, but hardly
any of them show."
Kellin did not care about the scar; if anything, it proved there was a Lion.
He looked now at his grandsire, putting aside the Lion to speak of an-
other grief. "It was Rogan," he said unsteadily.
"Rogan betrayed me to the Ihlini."
The Mujhar did not so much as twitch an eyelid.
The mildness of his tone was deceptive, but Kellin knew it well: Brennan
wanted very badly to know the precise truth, without embellishments or sup-
positions. "You are certain it was he?"
"Aye." Kellin suppressed with effort the emo-
tions to which he longed to surrender. He would be all Cheysuli in this. "He
said he would take me
114 Jennifer Hoberson to my jehan. That you knew we were to go, just the three
of us, but that we meant to go to Clan-
keep. He said he would send true word to you where we were, but only after we
were on our way to Hondarth."
Brennan's face grayed. "Such a simple plan, and certain to work. I was a fool.
Lochiel has ways of suborning even those I most value."
"Not money," Kellin said. "So he could have his wife back. Only " He checked
himself, recalling all too clearly the tiny dancing woman and Ro-
gan's horrible ending. "Corwyth killed him first.
With sorcery. And then Urchin." Pain formed a knot in chest and throat.
"Urchin's dead, too."
After a moment the Mujhar touched Kellin's head briefly. Gently, he said, "You
must tell me everything you remember about how this was done, and the Ihlini
himself. Everything, Kellin, so we may prepare for another attack."
"Another ?" Kellin stared hard at the Mujhar, turning over the words.
Realization made him breathless. "They want to catch me. Corwyth said so. He
said he was taking me to Lochiel, in
Valgaard."
Brennan's expression was grim, but he did not avoid candor. "You are important
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to the Ihlini, Kellin, because of who you are, and the blood in your veins.
You know about that."
He did. Very well. Too well; it was all anyone spoke of. "They won't stop,
then." It seemed obvious.
"No."
Kellin nodded, understanding more with each moment. "That's why you set the
dogs to guarding me."
"Dogs? Ah." Brennan smiled faintly. "We dared not allow you to go anywhere
alone. Not in Muj-
hara, not even to Clankeep." His jaw tightened.
A TAPESTRY OF LIONS
ItS
, i
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"Do you recall how you sickened after your Nam-
ing Day feast?"
Kellin nodded, recalling with vivid clarity how ill he had been after eating
his meal. He had not wanted fish for a sixth-month, after.
"Lochiel had no recourse to sorcery in order to harm you, not so long as you
remained in
Homana-Mujhar, or at Clankeep, but coin buys people. He bribed a cook to
poison the meal. We were forced to take serious steps to safeguard Ho-
mana's prince, and his freedom suffered for it."
Brennan's words were stated with careful preci-
sion. "Rogan understood- Rogan knew why. He comprehended fully how you were to
be protected."
That is why they were all so upset when 1 ran away from the fortune-teller.
Guilt flickered. "It was after I heard you speaking with granddame. About how
my jehan would not have me see him." Kellin swallowed heavily. "Rogan came and
said he would take me to my jehan."
Brennan's expression was bleak as he exchanged a glance with Blais. "I have
learned from this, too, though I believed myself wise in such matters."
He sighed heavily. "Nearly every man has his price. Most will deny it,
claiming themselves in-
corruptible, but there is always something that will lure them into betrayal-
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