"Yes, a river canyon, certainly. Only parts of it don"t fit." Williams spoke with a curious intensity.

"That"s not enough, somehow." His gaze turned to the canyon exit. He rested his elbows on the high railing, his chin in cupped hands, and did not go into what parts he was referring to.

Ethan shrugged. Williams"s obsessions differed from his own and September"s. Then as if on cue, a familiar bellow sounded from the main deck. He moved to the helmdeck edge, stared down to see the giant beckoning to him.

"Come on, young feller-me-lad. The local Land-grave deigns to chat with us. "Pears we"re going to get our chance to enlist the second state in the union of ice."

Leaving Williams alone at the railing, contemplating ancient geologies, Ethan joined the party a.s.sembling on the dock.

Moulokin was much like Wannome, save that it rose in steps instead of the smooth incline of Hunnar"s home. Icepath switchbacks formed the way from one level of the city to the next.

As expected, curious crowds came to stare at the newcomers. Black pupils expanded on yellow fields as the humans pa.s.sed, looking more alien than ever in their brown, shiny survival suits.

"Tell me, Mirmib," Ethan inquired of the diplomat leading them, "you and your people have done well for yourselves here. Apparently these Golden Saia have done likewise up at the canyon"s end." He gestured hesitantly at the cliffs surrounding them.

"But what of all the land around here, behind the Saia? The forested canyon on our right looks as if it runs right up to the edge of the plateau. There are no cliffs there barring settlement of the interior. Who lives on all that land?"

Mirmib regarded him with surprise, great furry brows twisting. "Why, no one, friend Ethan. That is to say, no one to the knowledge of Moulokin. And Moulokin," here he gestured at the city, "has been here as long as there are records to read and legends to precede them."

"Then you can"t be sure no one lives in the interior?" He smiled at the antics of several fascinated cubs fumbling along in his footsteps and eying him as if he were a refugee from a bad dream. "Has anyone ever been in there?"

Mirmib spoke gently. "Friend Ethan, you question me thus in your search for others to join in your idea." Ethan nodded, added a yes when he remembered that the gesture would be unfamiliar to Mirmib.

"You will find none in there. Yes, we have been above the can-yon"s rim. There are no natural ice paths up there, no ice ocean." He raised one foot off the ice to show his sharpened chivclaws.

"How would we travel and explore? We could melt ice and let it refreeze to form icepaths as we do here in the city. But to journey any significant distance inland would require more labor than "tis worth."

"But you said some of you had been above the rim?"

"Yes. Despite the difficulties. They tell of flat, barren lands with little vegetation and no game. There is naught to eat but a low, thin form of plant, not nearly as rich as the pikapina we harvest outside our own upper canyon. Nor are there trees worth cutting. They are stunted and scattered. There is little enough ice to melt for drinking, let alone to spread out and form paths to travel upon." His voice dropped and he looked away.

"Besides, there are spirits that haunt the inlands. They feast upon the minds of those who venture within, and it is told that the farther one goes from Moulokin, the faster his thoughts melt like drinking water. Enough."

They had reached the castle. Ethan forced aside the visions of the inner continent his considerable imag-ination had conjured up. They had another new Land-grave to confront, and they"d best have better luck here than in Poyolavomaar.

Smoke and distance had obscured their view of the castle from the harbor. Up close, Ethan found it un-expectedly modest in dimension. It was not built on nearly so grand a scale as the stone ma.s.sif in Poyola-vomaar nor even as that of Elfa"s father back in dis-tant Wannome. Its location high above the city lent it a grandeur it would otherwise not have had. Also, it was far wider in proportion than it was deep, basically a Jong rectangle of cut rock.

So shallow was it that the thirty-meter high cliff rising to the edge of the plateau which backed against it appeared ready to tumble and demolish it at the first strong wind.

The guards lining the entrance in expectation of their arrival looked more solid than the structure they defended. A high main gate admitted them to a narrow courtyard. From there they entered the main interior building. Only after they"d walked a substantial dis-tance without stopping, and windows had given way long since to torches, did Ethan and his companions realize that most of the castle was hewn out of the cliff face.

They"d hardly adjusted to this surprise when Mirmib directed them into a room distinguished only by its lack of ornamentation. A few furs covered the walls, torchlight adding to their exoticism. Hunnar, Elfa and Tahoding looked unimpressed. When informed by Mirmib that they stood in the throne room, the visiting Tran could not believe it.

The barbaric magnificence of Elfa"s father"s throne room in Wannome, with its brilliant banners and dom-inating stavanzer tusks, was absent. So was the spa-cious ostentation of the throne chamber of Tonx Ghin Rakossa of Poyolavomaar.

The feeling here was intimate instead of overpower-ing. In addition to the pelts and torches, the only color was in the floor. It was a crazy-quilt pattern of pentagrams, triangles and other geometric shapes, each made from a different wood. The inlays ranged from a rich, almost s.p.a.ceblack through the darker shades of brown to one deep-grained square that was nearly yellow.

The throne itself bore closer resemblance to the Trannish version of an easy chair than that of an impressive seat of state. Ethan, having absorbed his impressions of the room in a few seconds, now directed his attention to the figure seated in that chair. It raised both paws and slid back the hood which had been shadowing its face as it stood to greet them. Finely woven robes clung to unexpected curves.

Never intimidated by position, September mur-mured an appreciative comment. There was no real reason for the surprise Ethan experienced, he told himself. The power positions of women within the Commonwealth were so commonplace that they were never remarked upon. Anything else would have seemed unnatural. But it was not so in many primitive societies, particularly those of a feudal/barbaric inclination.

Yet had not the leader of the Horde which he and September and Williams had helped Hunnar"s people to defeat been female, the repelling Sagyanak the Death? And wasn"t Elfa the one who would inherit t.i.tle as Landgrave of Sofold?

Leaving the throne, the Landgrave of Moulokin came to exchange breath-greetings with them each in turn. Mirmib performed the individual introductions. The Landgrave did not hesitate or shy away when she came to the two humans.

The Landgrave (Landgravess? Ethan wondered) was named K"ferr ShriVehm. She had the typical broadness of all Tran, though was slimmer than the other females present, Elfa and Teeliam. Perhaps the Moulokinese ran to unusual thinness. They did if their Landgrave and guardian of the gate were any indica-tion. Her slimness by Tran standards made her appear almost human, save for her height. She was nearly as tall as Hunnar or Skua September. September might find her attractive, in a bizarrely alien fashion, but to Ethan she was merely intimidating. Her sequined dan could envelop him completely.

Her smile when she greeted each of them seemed genuine. Despite her beauty and presence, reflected in the admiring gazes of Hunnar, Tahoding and Balavere, nether Teeliam nor Elfa appeared apprehensive.

Possibly it was due to K"ferr"s aura of authority. She seemed neither male nor female so much as Land-grave. This despite being the youngest Tran in the chamber, excepting Teeliam.

For reasons he never quite understood, it fell on Ethan to tell the tale of their accidental arrival and crashlanding on Tran-ky-ky, of the presence of a humanx outpost at Arsudun, their various adventures in reaching this point and their joint interracial decision that the best way for all Tran to improve their status was to form a Trannish government including many city-states which could then pet.i.tion for admittance to the Humanx Commonwealth.

K"ferr absorbed this barrage of new ideas and con-cepts quietly, listening with both pointed ears c.o.c.ked intently at Ethan. Occasionally she would make a small gesture of agreement or disagreement, or mutter something softly to Mirmib, who stood close on her right. She said nothing to anyone else until Ethan came to the part of their story where they were greeted and then betrayed and imprisoned by Rakossa of Poyolavomaar, who acted in collusion with the Landgrave of Arsudun, Calonnin RoVijar. Before Ethan could finish, K"ferr rose and began pacing the open area between her throne and the a.s.sembled visi-tors. Her chiv clacked on the wooden floor, making her sound like a nervous tap-dancer. Ethan studied the inlaid wood, wondering if the chiv marks were polished out after each audience or if the chamber was simply little used.

When Ethan related the lies RoVijar had employed to sway the mind of the unstable Rakossa, K"ferr"s soft voice angrily launched into a list of old grievances Moulokin held against Poyolavomaar.

"But Moulokin is a half-legend in Poyolavomaar," said Hunnar.

"And their mendacity is legend in Moulokin! Tis true," she continued furiously, "we have no contact with them. But they have contact with many peoples who trade with us. Though they cannot match the skill of our shipwrights, out of jealousy they try to keep others from contracting for our rafts. Their merchants are known as arrogant and their traders bully many who would deal with us. They are fat with power, from cheating at every opportunity. Yet we are told others are afraid not to deal with them. The capriciousness and evil of their Landgrave is well known to us." Teeliam Hoh murmured a comment which none could hear clearly, but Ethan could guess at its substance.

"This Rakossa is famed for the taxes he wrings from his people. However," she said more easily, lowering her voice, "you are here and not in Poyolavomaar."

"And grateful for it, my lady," added Hunnar.

K"ferr slid with a remarkable hirsute sensuousness into her chair, leaned on her left arm. The claws on her right paw appeared, vanished, reappeared, a nervous Tran habit Ethan recognized immediately.

"Tell me of this idea, this plan you have for our world, outlander-man. This-what did you call it, Mirmib? This confederation you call a union of ice." She glanced sharply at Hunnar. "I have never heard of this Sofold, nor know any who have. Yet you subscribe to this proposition made by a few of another race. You can speak for your city and a.s.sure me that you will keep the peace if we eventually agree to become part of this union?"

Confronted abruptly with the reality of an idea coming true, both Hunnar and Elfa looked questioningly at Ethan. He said nothing. Finally, Hunnar replied. "We had not considered that we might so soon have to commit our state to this proposal, my lady."

"So you are willing to agree in principle, but not with your own selves."

"I did not say that," Hunnar hastily corrected her. " Tis only that I?" He paused, drew himself up impressively as he could. "I am a knight. I have no authority to make treaties."

"I can."

K"ferr turned lidded eyes on Elfa. "And you are also a knight of this distant land of Sofold?"

"I am the Elfa KurdaghVlata, daughter of Torsk KurdaghVlata, Landgrave of Sofold. One day I will be Landgrave, upon confirmation of the knights and n.o.bles of Sofold. I give my warmth as forfeiture in the event Sofold should ever act belligerently toward our friends in union, the people of Moulokin. We will join in peace forever, for the betterment not of two small city-states, but of all the people of all Tran-ky-ky." Aware everyone was staring at her, she continued less imperiously, "In so doing we but implement a larger vision from friends who exist in a greater universe than our own."

K"ferr came forward, grabbed Elfa"s wrists with her paws. Elfa did likewise to her counterpart, and they exchanged breath, to brief but animated cheering from the others. It had all happened a bit fast for Ethan, used to dealing with the intricacies of Commonwealth bureaucracy. Once more, the informal nature of Tran government had shown its value.

It did not at all feel like a critical moment in the history of an entire world.

XIII.

"There is Jinadas, which lies forty-three satch south-west of Moulokin," Mirmib was telling the now re-laxed visitors. "They might well be willing to join in this union, especially if we send representatives along with you to a.s.sure them of its efficacy. And we have good friends in Yealleat, a most powerful state lying some hundred satch to the west."

"We forget ourselves, Polos." K"ferr ShriVehm looked solemn yet pleased with herself. "You must all remain several days now. An event of this magnitude and importance cannot be consummated properly without much feasting and celebration." Topaz eyes flickered in the torchlight. "We Moulokinese seize readily upon any excuse for a holiday."

"I don"t know." Ethan tried to sound apologetic. "It might be a good idea if we hurried on our?"

"We"d be _glad_ to stay awhile," September cut in anxiously, with a sharp look in Ethan"s direction.

"Af-ter the last couple o" months, we could do with a bit of celebratin". Couldn"t we, feller-me-lad?"

"Skua, don"t you think we ought to?"

"That"s settled, then."

" "Tis agreed." Mirmib entwined his fingers in a ges-ture indicating extensive satisfaction. "Preparations will commence. Meantimes, I would inspect this won-drous vessel of yours." He directed his next query to Elfa.

"How did you manage such an enormous raft?"

" "Twas made possible by the special metal which our human friends call dur"loy, and which Sir Ethan insists can be supplied to us in quant.i.ty and at fair trade rates."

The diplomat swung his fur-framed gaze toward Ethan. "Is this truth, outlander Ethan?"

"Commerce is the lifeblood of the Commonwealth, friend Mirmib." As he spoke it, Ethan wished for something less trite than that ancient government aph-orism. He was better dealing with specific items than generalities. At the same time he wondered at Polos Mirmib"s t.i.tle. He"d called himself Guardian of the Gate, but his presence as K"ferr"s sole advisor here hinted at a much more powerful role. Was he chief minister, perhaps? Or father, or consort? Given the un-certainties, Ethan thought it best not to risk a breach of courtesy by inquiring. At least, not until the new Trannish confederation had been in existence somewhat longer than a few minutes.

"I"m sure something can be worked out," he added.

"It promises abundances for the peoples of Moulokin and Sofold," the Lady K"frr agreed. "And to our friends in Yealleat and Jinadas if they too will join, as I believe they will." Her easygoing manner and beatific expression lulled Ethan completely, so that her next words were twice the shock they"d have been if he"d been expecting them.

"There is one thing, an obvious trifle, that all should agree to, of course. The treacherous inhabitants of vile Poyolavomaar must naturally be excluded from this."

Ethan"s heart skipped a beat. Hunnar shook his woolly head and regarded the salesman with eloquent silence. The slant of his lips, the narrowing of double lids, said as plain as words, "See now? No matter how accommodating or friendly these folk of Moulokin are toward us, there will always be hatreds among the Tran which a mere idea cannot obliterate."

"Details of the confederation can be worked out later, my lady." It was a desperate attempt to forestall a possibly crippling argument. "For now we should re-turn to our ship and prepare properly for Sir Mirmib"s visit."

Either K"ferr sensed his discomfort or else he"d gen-uinely taken her mind off the subject of Poyolavomaar. "There is no need for you to trouble yourselves with special preparations for us, for I am coming also." Mistaking his att.i.tude of discomfort, she added, "But if you desire to rest yourselves and warn your crew, I fully understand. We will await word of your readiness."

They made formal gestures of leavetaking and were preparing to exit the room when a Moulokinese soldier came running in.

The mere action was indicative of the importance of his message, for the Tran disliked running and avoided it except in extreme situations. Their sharp, long chiv were magnificently adapted for chivaning, or skating, across the ice. Running was awkward and dangerous, but this soldier came clip-clopping into the room at an impressive pace.

While the visitors stood grouped to one side and po-litely pretended to ignore the soldier"s anxious words, Ethan strained to overhear. Not only the soldier"s method of locomotion, but his manner and the rapidity of his speech hinted at news of some urgency.

As was the case with all Tran they"d observed thus far, the panting soldier did not prostrate himself before his ruler, or perform other time-consuming obsequious gestures. He simply approached the throne and began talking, pausing every so often only to catch his breath.

"My Lady-outside the first gate- a ship. And beyond, near the mouth of the canyon, many ships!"

"Conserve thy warmth, soldier," said Mirmib quietly. "Now, how many is many?"

"Twenty to thirty, minister," the exhausted messen-ger poured out, ignoring Mirmib"s admonition to relax. "All filled to the railings with armed soldiers."

Ethan"s imperative whisper broke into the conversa-tion between Hunnar and September.

"What is it, feller-me-lad?"

"Just listen." He gestured surrept.i.tiously toward the throne. Elfa, Teeliam and the others also stopped chatting, strained to hear.

"They say they come from Poyolavomaar," the soldier continued.

"Speak of the devil." September looked atypically upset.

"They say they know that?" he looked around the room and finally focused on Ethan and his companions, "-they are here."

"How can they know that?" K"ferr"s nape hairs were bristling.

"From the depth and sharpness of the marks their ship"s runners leave in the ice, my lady." Mirmib nodded sagely. "They demand that these visitors, their great raft, and the woman among them hight Teeliam Hoh be turned over to them. This done, they will quit their position and leave us in peace.

Otherwise, they threaten to take the city." At the close of this the soldier"s voice, despite his evident fatigue, took on a note of disbelief.

K"ferr stood abruptly, raked the left arm of her chair with sprung claws. "The _arrogance_. To come thus to our gate and demand by virtue of arms that we sur-render _any_ visitor. I would not turn over to such chil-dren an injured k"nith!"

The soldier unabashedly admired his ruler"s stand. "It seems incredible, my Lady. He insists he will de-stroy us if we do not comply."

"He? Who is he?"

"Their Landgrave, Tonx Ghin Rakossa, leads them, my Lady."

"Does he deign to allow us time to consider his generous offer?" she asked sarcastically.

"Four days, my Lady."

"So much time? Why do they grant us so much?" Taking her question literally, the soldier explained.

"They realize, their representative told us at the gate watch, that it may be a difficult decision for us to make, going as it does against traditional laws of hos-pitality. We should be permitted time to consider.

However, it was made clear to us that as long as their fleet blockades the canyon entrance, no ship of ours nor any other can move in or out to trade."

"Or to escape," added an unperturbed Mirmib. "Tell me, soldier, what is your name and profession?"

"Cortundi, minister. I am a leathersmith by trade."

"What would you do, Cortundi?" Common soldier regarded ruler and minister. His paws tensed into digging mode. "I wish only to return to the first gate, my lady and sir. I expect I will be needed there."