Faraday inclined her head slightly, but immediately returned her attention to DragonStar and StarLaughter. What had DragonStar told her about StarLaughter? Not a great deal, when she thought about it.

Faraday narrowed her eyes.

"What StarGrace is trying to say," StarLaughter said, rising in a sinuous movement, "is that while the Demons helped us as far as getting us back into Tencendor, they haven't done much else. Well, not much else apart from completely destroy the land."

"You must have known they were going to do that," DragonStar said.

StarLaughter shrugged dismissively. "That's as may be."

She walked slowly in a circle about DragonStar, moving ever closer with each step. She shifted the material of her scarlet and gold robe slightly, pulling it closer against the curves of her body. She did not take her eyes from his face.

"Now it appears that the Demons have wandered off on their own crusade," Star Laughter continued, "and forgotten entirely their promises to us. StarGrace and I admit some impatience."

She pouted, then tilted her face to one side and smiled at DragonStar. "We are tired of the Demons," she said, "and would rather concentrate on our own purpose. WolfStar."

DragonStar stared at her, then looked down to StarGrace. "And you? And the other Hawkchilds?"

"We are being used to hunt you," StarGrace said, and smiled. Unlike StarLaughter's, her expression was utterly feral and malicious. "But we would rather hunt WolfStar!"

"Thus, we," StarLaughter said, moving away a pace or two and airily waving a hand, "are prepared to do a deal. Help us find WolfStar and we will help you against the Demons. We all have a chance at succeeding if we work together."

"How?" DragonStar said. "How will you help?"

StarGrace laughed, low and husky, and answered for them both. "By not telling the Demons where you and yours are, DragonStar SunSoar. Qeteb will use the Hawkchilds in the effort to hunt you down.

We will soar and we will swoop, but, oh dear me, we will never find!"

"Do we have a deal?" StarLaughter said. "Do we? You give us WolfStar, and we aid you against the Demons."

DragonStar stared at her, wondering what it was that she wasn't telling him. These were explanations that he could accept ... on the surface. But there was something else going on here that he could not yet discern, and that made him unsure.

He turned to look at his five witches. Well? he asked them.

DareWing, who had previously heard StarLaughter and StarGrace's deal, nodded. Can we afford to refuse? We need every piece of aid offered us.

Gwendylyr and Faraday again exchanged glances. / don't like her, Gwendylyr said in DragonStar's mind, but does that mean we can't trust her? DragonStar, you know these two. You decide.

DragonStar's mouth twitched in a very small grin — who could ever know StarLaughter and StarGrace? Their inner minds and emotions were the end product of three thousand years of twisted hate, and their inner writhings could not be tracked by any observer who had not travelled the same three-thousand-year road with them.

Faraday? he asked.

She shrugged. Your decision.

Thank you very much, he replied, but without any rancour. Goldman?

He grinned, including StarLaughter and StarGrace in his smile. Surprisingly, StarGrace returned it, although StarLaughter looked surprised. I'm with DareWing, he said. We have little choice.

Besides, they are an adventure, and I for one relish the chance to explore them further.

Just don't let them bed you, DragonStar said, grinning himself. It's murder.

Now Faraday did look at him sharply, the question all over her face, while Gwendylyr's mouth dropped open.

DragonStar ignored them, squatting down before Leagh. Well?

She smiled, a very gentle and sweet expression. I think they are true ... or, at least, true enough for us. If you think WolfStar's sacrifice worth the bargain, then agree. Trust them as much as you dare, DragonStar.

DragonStar blinked, surprised more by Leagh's inner calm and happiness than by what she'd said —

what had happened to her since she'd fallen screaming to the floor earlier? — then nodded, and rose again.

"I think we have a bargain," DragonStar said to the two birdwomen.

"Do you know where WolfStar is?" both asked in unison, both equally eagerly, and DragonStar narrowed his eyes.

StarLaughter and StarGrace had, at that moment, revealed completely different purposes: to him, if not to each other.

"Yes," he said. "WolfStar is in Sanctuary."

They ate from the remains of whatever dried food had been stored in the lower levels of Star Finger, and then DragonStar told his witches to lay down and rest.

"In the morning," he said, "we will begin."

Faraday curled up next to Leagh, pulling her cloak tight about them both, and DragonStar smiled cynically. He and Faraday were, it seemed, back to the coolness of their initial pilgrimage north to Gorkenfort and back to Carlon.

Goldman had cleared a space for him close to the fire that DareWing had built, but DragonStar shook his head.

"There is something else I need to do first," he said, and turned away.

He looked around. StarGrace had left an hour earlier saying that she needed to return to her sky patrol before Qeteb and the other Demons reappeared, but StarLaughter was curled up in a thick woollen cloak against a far wall.

DragonStar walked over, and gently shook her shoulder.

StarLaughter opened one eye and peered irritably at him. "Yes?"

"We need to talk," DragonStar said. "Now."

"Then talk," she murmured, closing her eye.

"Alone!" DragonStar said, and shook her harder.

Now StarLaughter opened both her eyes, and she grinned lasciviously. "So! I thought you would never ask!"

"Don't play games with me\" DragonStar snapped, and grasped her arm tightly, hauling her upwards.

"You're hurting!" StarLaughter said, and tried to wrench herself free.

But DragonStar was too strong. He pulled until she was on her feet, then gave her a none-too-gentle shove towards the door. "Outside."