Her cry of shock was lost in the gasp that went up from all around. Pelys bit his lip, and even Rate's jaw dropped. Back, front and sides, neck and upper arms, Hal's skin was etched and crisscrossed with the scars of a thousand wounds. But even in contrast with Rate's smooth form, his tortured body had a grace all its own.

Broad shoulders, well-developed muscles and self- possessed movement gave the onlookers an impression of power and beauty, like the well-weathered granite of a seaside cliff. Rafe felt a vague unease, a stirring of sec- ond thought. Then Hal dropped to a crouching, catlike posture, and the fight was on.

It hardly lasted long enough for Rafe to know what had happened. This was not one of those practice bouts in which he attacked and Hal waited while he wore himself out. Instead, Hal came at him in a blur of mo- tion. Rafe struck at him hastily, but Hal eluded the knife with fluid grace, moving under Rate's arm and grasping his wrist. The room spun around, and Rafe found him- self on his back. A grip of great power crushed his hand;

he cried out in pain, his fingers loosened and the dagger dropped. Then the blade touched his throat. He closed his eyes and waited for certain death.

But, unbelievably, no blow was struck. Rafe opened his eyes and saw two daggers, nearly point to point, stuck like a V in the rafter far above. The crowd was in an uproar. As he scrambled to his feet, he came face to face with his gray-eyed adversary. "Why did you not slay me?" he demanded. "From the day you first came here I have offered you nothing but enmity."

The crowd fell silent again as Hal spoke slowly, with lowered eyes. "You are a brave man, Rafe of Celydon.

Even with the knife at your throat, you did not flinch or beg for mercy. It seems to me that my Lord Pelys may one day have need of you."

"So I shall," growled Pelys tartly, "if he ever regains the sense he was bom with."

"If you really want me dead, or worse than dead,"

114 THE SILVER SUN.

added Hal bitterly, "there is no need to fight me. Just carry news of me to the Dark Tower. You might soon see me in such torments as should satisfy even your ha- tred."

As he spoke, their eyes met and locked. Rafe probed those gray eyes with his own, and all his confused feelings came to one focus: he had been wrong. Hal was not a cold-blooded, calculating bemg in human form. He bore a gentle heart; he was no stranger to human emotions. In those eyes Rafe saw loneliness, longing and hurt. Sud- denly Rafe realized that Hal rather liked him. Shaking, he passed a hand across his forehead, as if waking from a bad dream.

"I have been acting like a fool,1' he said brokenly.

"These past three months I must have taken leave of my senses. Can you forgive me, Hal?"

Hal took his proffered hand with joyful relief. "If you will forgive my childish words. You are indeed a brave man, Rafe, and honest to your core. I want no better gift than your friendship."

They gripped hands before all present Rafe turned next to Alan and took his hand in friendship also. Then he apologized to Pelys and Rosemary. "My lord, my lady, I beg pardon for my unseemly conduct."

"Put your shirt on, boy," snapped Pelys happily, "and let us have some merriment. Musicians, ho!"

As the fiddlers struck up a lively tune, and as the vol- unteers surrounded Rafe to welcome him back to their fellowship, Hal walked slowly toward Rosemary. He was grieved to see the pallor of her face. She had been pierced by the sight of his scars and the thought of the torment he must have withstood. She bad been faint with terror when he flicked his knife into the rafters and moved empty-handed against Rafe. When the dagger was at Rafe's throat, many had turned their faces away, but she had watched stonily; a moment later she chided her- self for her fear. Now that the fight was over. Rosemary felt weak. And still ringing in the back of her mind, pushed there by the pressure of recent events, was the echo of that timeless moment with Hal.

He did not know what to say to her. He came to her with saddened heart, met her eyes, and suddenly the memory of that moment came back to both of them- Its

Celydon 115

warmth glowed in their faces and lifted their heads.

Nothing needed to be said; they clasped hands to dance once more.

Thus it was that Hal did what he had vowed he would not do. The seed of love was planted in the young heart of the lady of Celydon.

Chapter Four.

The next day Rafe came back to the barracks and the practice yard, for Pelys had let him know quite certainly that he was to do so. But he was hanging his head, though not sullenly, and all the volunteers tried so hard to wel- come him that he grew more abashed by the moment.

Will even offered to return his captain's badge, but he shook his head in red-faced shame. He could not face Alan or Hal.

After a few days of this, Alan grew anxious to talk to him. Many other people had the same thought, and Alan was finally forced to follow Rafe through the courtyard in order to speak to him alone. He cornered him against a buttress.

"First you were tireless in rage," he scolded, "and now you are as persistent in sorrow. When will I know your smile, Rafe?"

But Rafe looked more likely to cry. Alan gesticulated helplessly.

"Rafe, whatever is the matter? Can you not see that everyone likes you, even when you are being bull- headed?"

"Bullhead ed!" Rafe burst out. "I must have been in- sane, Alant I was like a rabid dog. And what if it hap-

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pens again? I-I could have killed him, and I am not worthy to clean his boots."

"He cleans his own boots, and you are as worthy of that task as he." Alan settled back against the wall, see- ing he had a long talk ahead of him. "Rate, everything that happened is quite understandable,"

"Understandable I" Rafe shouted.

Alan waved him into silence and plunged on. "Rafe, do you believe in goblins and nixies and that sort of thing?"

"Believe?" Rafe stared, not comprehending that there was an alternative. "I have lived with the unseen folk since I was born. What of it?"

"Well, think, Rafel What was the day that Hal and I came?"

"The eve of November, when the denizens of the dark. . . . Ay, I thought that of him then, Alan, but no morel I-"

"Believe your senses, Rafel" Alan interrupted- "What happened, that day?"

"You saved my life," Rafe said miserably.

"And you were angry, frightened perhaps. Why? What happened as I dragged you away from Anmdel?"

Rafe covered bis face with his hands.

"Rafel" Alan urged him.

"Hal's eyes," he whispered. "They flashed like cold fire, like spook lights. I thought I was mad then, but perhaps I am mad now."

Alan nodded in satisfaction. "He spoke to the steed in the language of power, and you saw. No one else saw, or perhaps no one else had eyes to see, Rafe. Now let me tell you a tale."

They sat down on the cobblestones; Rafe was limp with unbelieving relief. Alan told him about his first meeting with HaL "The horses ran away," he explained, "and perhaps I would have run too, if I had the strength-I can't say; it is hard to know what we might do when we are put to the test. But I held no credence in any things of Other then, whether gods, demons, warlocks or what- ever. So I told myself that I had seen nothing, I was faint and confused. Hal took me into the Forest, to safety, and nursed me."

'To the Forest?" Rafe asked weakly. The Forest was a dark haunt of terror to him.

118 THE SILVER SUN.

"Ay, the Forest. The touch of the Lady lies on it, Rafe." Alan told him more, something of the Gypsies, and the spirits, and Veran's flower. Rafe listened in awe.

Hal himself came and sat down quietly with them as Atan finished.

"So, having seen what you saw, and believing what you believed-do you still think you were mad, Rafe?"

"But I was wrong," Rafe protested. "He is-he is good,"