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‘The Church Knights are permitted to do that, your Grace Anyway, that shadow’s followed me before, and Ehlana’s seen it too We’d assus The stones in the rings were fashioned from shards of the Bhelliom The shadow seems to be a little less selective now’

‘That’s all it is? Just a shadow?’ Oscagne asked him

Sparhawk shook his head ‘It can also show up as a very dark cloud, and everybody can see that’

‘But not the things that are concealed in it,’ Kalten added

‘Such as what?’ Oscagne asked

Sparhawk gave Eument, your Excellency, and we don’t really want to spend the ical debate, do we?’

‘I’m not all that doctrinaire, Sparhawk,’ Emban protested

‘What would be your immediate response if I told you that humans and Trolls are related, your Grace?’

‘I’d have to investigate the condition of your soul’

‘Then I’d probably better not tell you the truth about our cousins, wouldn’t you say? Anyway, Aphrael told us that the shadow – and later the cloud – were ne asked

‘We had a tutor in the Styric arts ere novices, your Excellency,’ Sparhawk explained ‘Aphrael is her Goddess We thought that the cloud was so about that The reddish colour and the heat that one sailor sensed was Khwaj, the God of Fire The greenish colour and that rotten‘I thought it was just one of those things you ht expect from sailors,’ he said, ‘but one fellow told hts about wo behind hi?’

‘I think so,’ Sparhawk replied ‘Ulath would know’

‘This is all very interesting, Sir Sparhawk,’ Oscagne said dubiously, ‘but I don’t quite see its relevance’

‘You’ve been encountering supernatural incidents that seem to be connected to the turmoil in Tamuli, your Excellency There’s al up in La thes about it once, and the cloud engulfed hiests some kind of connection The shadow may have been present in Tanised it for what it really is’

‘Zalasta was right then,’ Oscagne murmured ‘You are the ain, Sparhawk,’ Kalten said ‘What is this strange fascination they seem to have with you? We can probably discount your looks – but then again, maybe not They’re used to Trolls, after all’

Sparhawk looked fully at the ship rail ‘Hoould you like to run alongside the ship for a while, Kalten?’

‘No, that’s all right, Sparhawk I got all the exertion I need for the day when Mirtai decided to use ’

The wind held, and the sky remained clear They rounded the southern tip of Zemoch and sailed up the east coast in a northeasterly direction Once, when Sparhawk and his daughter were standing in the bow, he decided to satisfy a growing curiosity

‘How long have we actually been at sea, Danae?’ he asked her directly

‘Five days,’ she replied