"I must get to a city, as soon as possible," the man said, and climbed painfully to his feet.

"Hey there, the state you're in, you won't be going anywhere for a while," the first shepherd pointed out.

The man glared at him. It was a harsh, piercing gaze, and the shepherds recoiled from it. "They are coming," the man said. "They are coming, and I must warn the right people!"

"Evening, Sergeant," he greeted her as she descended. "You look terrific!"

"I -" Saggitta stemmed the flow, "I am aware of all that. But unless Mordlin is more powerful than I realised, Rassillon is currently dead, isn't he?"

"What? Oh, yes. He's dead. I meant that he was only recently dead."

"This is it?"

"Yep! How do you want to go down? Rope or fingertips?"

There was a slight pause. "How far?"

"Just the one floor. We left the window open."

"Heh. Show me the window, I'll go fingertips."

"Thought you might. Good thing I didn't bring a rope."

"The South rises. The desert is moving. Sands burn and winds crush. The paths will change, and the lights of the world will be relit with fire. Fire that shepherds the Sword, the Sword of M'hush, and none can stand against it. It must be stopped."

"Those are all agents with top level clearance?"

"Going by what little info is on here, yes."

"Dashell really panicked, didn't he?"

"I think you might be right."

"But you can't!" Boruta protested. "You've got no prick!"

"I have fingers Boruta," she replied mockingly, "I have a tongue. And if all else fails, there's always ... friction."

The door was opened within a few seconds by a small man glowering at them from under heavy eyebrows. "No tradesmen except by appointment!"

"A plan?"

"Blackmail."

"Blackmail?"

"Better yet, official blackmail," Cullan grinned evilly at her.

By now steam was practically coming out of the Grand Master's ears. "I will not be threatened in my own office!"

Cullan was uneasily standing watch at the door of the vault. "I don't think we've got time to read it all here," he said.

"I don't think this is the sort of library where you can take things home to read in your own time," Alys observed.

Alys sighed and lay back on her bedroll. "Morgan, the only thing that's wrong is that you and Dalian haven't screwed each other yet. Go and pull him out of his tent, take him behind a rock, and give him the ride of his life."

"I couldn't do that!" she hooted. "Not outside! And I can't pull him out of the tent, people would know!"

"Nice threat," Alys said. "Now we know you don't want Morgan dead. Off you go Morgan, see what they want. You're not going to come to harm."

Morgan nodded. "Harm'll come to him if he's not careful."

"Leave some of them alive so we can interrogate them later," Cullan told her.

"I will."

"I'm more than just a Sword Bearer. I have been marked by Fate. I have been blessed by magic far beyond the scope of others, and I will need it to fulfil my ordained path."

"And what path is that?"

"Now now, Morgan. One mind-blowing revelation at a time."