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was looking for the wrong thing. It’s on this ship. Hiding. That’s why I didn’tunderstand sooner.” As her throat tightened, her voice rose toward shrillness. “On this ship.”
    Covenant came forward, gripped her shoulders as if to prevent her from hysteria. “Where is it?”
    Honninscrave cut off Covenant’s question. “
What
is it? I am the Master of Starfare’s Gem. I must know the peril.”
    Linden ignored Honninscrave. She was focused on Covenant, clinching him for strength. “I can’t tell.” And to defend him. Gibbon-Raver had said to her,
You are being forged
. She, not Covenant. But every attack on her had proved to be a feint. “Somewhere below.”
    At once, he swung away from her, started toward the stairs. Over his shoulder, he called, “Come on. Help me find it.”
    “Are you crazy?”
Surprise and distress wrung the cry from her. “Why do you think it’s
here
?”
    He stopped, faced her again. But his visage was obscure in the moonlight. She could see only the waves of vehemence radiating from his bones. He had accepted his power and meant to use it.
    “Linden Avery,” said the First grimly. “We know nothing of this Raver. You must tell us what it is.”
    Linden’s voice reached out to Covenant in supplication, asking him not to expose himself to this danger. “Didn’t you tell them about The Grieve? About the Giant-Raver who killed all those—?” Her throat knotted, silencing her involuntarily.
    “No.” Covenant returned to stand near her, and a gentler emanation came from him in answer to her fear. “Pitchwife told that story. In
Coercri
I talked about the Giant-Raver. But I never described what it was.”
    He turned to the First and Honninscrave. “I told you about Lord Foul. The Despiser. But I didn’t know I needed to tell you about the Ravers. They’re his three highest servants. They don’t have bodies of their own, so they work by taking over other beings. Possessing them.” The blood in his tone smelled of Joan—and of other people Linden did not know.
    “The old Lords used to say that no Giant or
Haruchai
could be mastered by a Raver. But
turiya
Herem had a fragment of the Illearth Stone. That gave it the power to possess a Giant. It was the one we saw in
Coercri
. Butchering the Unhomed.”
    “Very well.” The First nodded. “So much at least is known to us, then. But why has this evil come among us? Does it seek to prevent our quest? How can it hold that hope, when so many of us are Giants and
Haruchai
? Her voice sharpened. “Does it mean to possess you? Or the Chosen?”
    Before Linden could utter her fears, Covenant grated, “Something like that.” Then he faced her once more. “You’re right. I won’t go looking for it. But it’s got to be found. We’ve got to get rid of it somehow.” The force of his will was focused on her. “You’re the only one who can find it. Where is it?”
    Her reply was muffled by her efforts to stop trembling. “Somewhere below,” she repeated.
    The First looked at Honninscrave. He protested carefully, “Chosen, the underdecks are manifold and cunning. Much time will be required for a true search. And we have not your eyes. If this Raver holds no flesh, how will we discover it?”
    Linden wanted to cry out. Gibbon had touched her. She carried his evil engraved in every part of her body, would never be clean of it again. How could she bear a repetition of that touch?
    But Honninscrave’s question was just; and an answering anger enabled her to meet him. The ship was threatened: Covenant was threatened. And here at least she had a chance to show that she could be a danger to Lord Foul and his machinations, not only to her friends. Her failures with Joan, with Marid, with Gibbon had taught her to doubt herself. But she had not come this far, only to repeat the surrender of her parents. Tightly she replied, “I won’t go down there. But I’ll try to locate where it is.”
    Covenant released his pent breath as if