They both burst out laughing again, thoroughly pleased with themselves and each other. He was an extraordinarily fine-looking young man, possessing both style and charm, and merely to have him seated beside her, hanging on her every word and never taking his eyes off her, was making her feel better and forget the strain and eerie bewilderment of the afternoon. She might not have known how to handle that-who would? she thought-but she knew how to handle this all right. Ah, if only they had been in Bekla!
"I suppose there'll be dancing or juggling and that after supper, will there?" she asked. "Is that why the king wanted it early-to leave time?"
"Nothing so pleasant, I'm afraid," answered Zen-Kurel. "No, the truth is-" dropping his voice and glancing sideways for a moment at Karnat, who was talking to his other neighbor-"the king's called a captains' meeting to be held after supper. I can't imagine what about. I thought we'd finished for today, but with him you never know. He may do anything at all, and he quite often does. Once, for instance, when we were down on the Belishban frontier-"
He was good enough to eat, she thought. He was even better than Elvair-ka-Virrion. His warmth and gallantry, his high spirits, his good manners-Suddenly she knew that if she could possibly help it she wasn't going to waste an opportunity like this.
"I dare say you'll be-er-very busy, then, all the evening?" she said, looking down at the grape she was peeling and slowly laying the strips of skin one by one along the edge of her plate.
"Well, as to that I can't say," he answered ingenuously. "A captains' meeting, you see-that could mean anything-"
Maia, still looking at her plate, let her knee touch his for no more than a moment. "Why?" he went on. "Is there anything I can dp to help you?"
"Well, the thing is, I very much need a new knife-a dagger, really-something with a blade and a point-and I was just wondering whether you could possibly get hold
of one for me. Only I lost mine crossing the Valderra, see-it was a good one, too-and these Subans don't seem to have anything that suits me at all."
"I'll bring you four or five to choose from," he said, "and sheaths to go with them. Shall I bring them round to your lodging? I don't know where it is, but if you can give me some idea-"
"Oh, that would be kind of you! I'd be so grateful. Only perhaps we'd better keep it a secret, do you think?-it's only-well, the Subans-they can be so touchy, you know."
"I won't give them the chance."
"I'll tell you where to come, then. You go-"
But at this moment they were interrupted, as Bayub-Otal broke off his conversation with the Suban lady on his right and once more turned to Maia at the same moment as the king. Soon Zen-Kurel was smoothly putting into Beklan the king's account of how he had once crossed the Telthearna into the wild land of the far north, where for the only time in his life he had seen the great blue eagles; that was in the Shardra-Main, the Bear Hills. Had Maia ever seen these eagles? Never, she replied, and to please him asked what they were like. Looking into Zen-Kurel's eyes as she listened to his smiling description, she felt she could have melted acres of the snowy wastes which they frequented.
Soon after, with supper ended, Karnat apologized to the ladies for the tedious necessity of holding a meeting of captains, both Terekenalt and Suban: however, he assured them smilingly, he would not be long about it-there were just a few trifles that needed discussion, nothing more.
Left among the ladies who had befriended her that morning Maia, after a decent interval of conversation, had no difficulty in pleading sleepiness and fatigue, and eagerly slipped away to her little house on the knoll. A lamp was burning, placed in a bronze basin as a precaution against fire, and three or four more had been left near-by, ready for lighting. She lit the lot, wishing as she did so that she had some pretty night-robe or dressing-gown, like the one she had put on-and then taken off-for Randronoth of Lapan on the night when he had stayed with Sencho. Well, there was no help for it. She would have to remain in the dress she had worn at dinner, and when Zen-Kurel came, pretend that some preoccupation or other had made her forget about changing. If he delayed too long, it wouldn't
seem very convincing. Never mind, she thought. He liked her: she liked him; and anyway, for all she knew Katrians cared little or nothing for such niceties.
