DragonStar turned, and would have moved, but Qeteb's hand snaked the distance between them and caught him fast.

They were sitting at a small tea table covered with a snowy cloth under the blackened skeleton of a tree on the ridge above Fernbrake Lake.

Small blue cups and saucers, and tea and sugar pots sat innocently on the linen.

"We are tied in our own immortal combat now," the Demon said softly, hardly. "And neither you nor I can leave it."

"Zenith is my sister," DragonStar whispered.

"Then what bad luck she should get herself into so much trouble right now," Qeteb said, "just when her brother can't leap to her rescue."

Qeteb grinned. He was suddenly glad he hadn't managed to catch up with StarLaughter after all. She was doing splendidly, just when Qeteb needed it.

He let DragonStar's arm go, and sat back complacently. Raspu had lost, but Qeteb had more trust in his other companions.

There was a long way to go, and more death yet, before the final act could be played out.

WolfStar circled StarLaughter and Zenith once, then landed softly on the ground before Zenith.

StarLaughter stood just behind the pole, a length of rope in her hand. Her hair had matted into thick, oily twists that wriggled like snakes, and her face was twisted into ugly lines curving about bared, yellowed teeth.

StarLaughter looked frightful.

As WolfStar landed, she wrapped the rope about Zenith's neck, and tugged it tight.

Zenith made no sound, but her entire body stiffened, and her eyes widened in anguish.

"Let her go!" WolfStar said, and took an aggressive step forward. Damn StarLaughter. If she harmed Zenith ...! "She has done nothing to you."

StarLaughter snarled, and jerked the rope tighter.

Zenith's face contorted in agony, and WolfStar stopped. A dead Zenith would not be a useful Zenith at all.

StarLaughter loosened the rope, and Zenith relaxed in relief, although her eyes were desperate —

frantic — as they stared at WolfStar.

Help me!

"What has she done to me?" StarLaughter whispered. "What? She seduced you, and bore you a child that should have been my right —"

"You fool!" WolfStar cried, but made no move forward. "That was not her! It was —"

"She is all the women you cheated me with!" StarLaughter screamed. "When she dies, I shall be avenged on you and all your whores!"

WolfStar tried to think. How could he handle StarLaughter? She was completely demented, and yet so coldly calm within that dementia, that he didn't know how to reason with her ... or how to defeat her, if it came to violence.

And what else, after all this time and all this hatred, could it come to?

"Let her go," WolfStar said, keeping his voice calm and reasonable. "This is between you and I, not Zenith."

"Ah! Zenith!" StarLaughter said. "So now I have a name for the harlot!"

She bent a little closer to Zenith's head, and laughed, low and mocking in the birdwoman's ear.

"Zenith-harlot. How that suits you!"

"StarLaughter —" WolfStar began.

StarLaughter whipped her eyes up, although she remained bent over Zenith. "You lied to me when you said you loved me. You plotted against me when you said that I would share your power and glory

—"

"StarLaughter —"

"— you murdered me and our son when you'd said that we were all you cared about. Liar! You cared about nothing but your own power and glory!"

Now StarLaughter was crying, but she still continued shouting through her sobs. "You condemned me, our son, and hundreds of the most beautiful Icarii children who had ever lived to a frightful eternity in order to sate your own lust for fame and control. You have never regretted that for one —"

"For the Stars' sakes woman!" WolfStar shouted. "Neither of us have ever pretended to each other to have a conscience in our ambitions. Don't start throwing trivialities at me now!"

"My love was no triviality," StarLaughter whispered, "and our son was no triviality." Once more she tightened the rope about Zenith's neck.

"I should have killed her," Axis muttered, striding towards Pretty Brown Sal.

"How?" Zared said, "when she has power and you not?"

Axis halted and whipped around to stare at Zared, but he said nothing, and after a moment continued on his way.

"I should have killed her," he repeated.

"WolfStar will stop her," Zared said, almost running in order to keep up with Axis.

"WolfStar has so many secret intrigues that he is more likely to kill Zenith than StarLaughter. No doubt StarLaughter will be more useful to him in the long run. What is Zenith? Merely a woman who is loved! She has no power! Nothing to offer him!"

They had reached the horse lines, and Axis took Sal's bridle, quickly slipping it over the mare's head.

"Axis —"

Whatever Zared had been about to say was interrupted by the arrival of Urbeth.

"I will come with you," Urbeth said, and growled.

For the first time Axis felt the faintest glimmer of hope.

"And I have a thousand trees at my back," Urbeth said further, and Axis' hope soared.

"Zenith will be saved if you offer yourself!" a new voice said behind WolfStar. "You are all she needs!"