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“I had nothing to teach you of gentleness except how to express it. And you have made me see my own strength.” She shrugged. “As for stubbornness,” she said, “what else could have driven us so far through a shifting bog of questions and secrets?”
    “And stupidity?” I prompted. “And nastiness?”
    She had found what she was searching for, a folded piece of thin leather. She stood up, pushing aside her packs, and offered her hand.
    “I believe neither of us is guilty of the first,” she said. “As for the second, we both fear we have it, and that serves to drive it away. Shall we refresh ourselves, and think of the day ahead?”
    I took her hand, and we stepped out under the spectacular Gandalaran sunrise. Across the courtyard, Thuren appeared at the single doorway and hurried across to us. He was followed by an older man who limped, but carried himself with the same quiet pride I had seen in every one of the Elders I had met.
    “Greetings, Respected Elder,” Tarani and I said, almost in one voice.
    “Welcome, my friends,” the old man said, touching our hands lightly with his own. “Thuren told me of your arrival as soon as I woke. One of the household apartments is, of course, available to you. After you have refreshed yourselves, I would ask your presence in the inner courtyard. A judgment is necessary, and it has awaited your arrival.”
    “A judgment?” Tarani echoed, and looked at me. I shrugged, and we both looked at Charol.
    “One among us has broken Fa’aldu law,” the old man said. “He must speak and be judged before the family. He asked for delay until you could be present. The delay was granted.”
    “Who is being judged?” I asked. “What for? How are we involved?”
    “It is Veron who faces judgment,” Charol said. “I may say nothing of the lawbreaking. If you please, Thuren will show you to your apartment now.”
    Tarani started to say something, but I squeezed her hand to signal silence.
    “We will join you as quickly as we can,” I assured the Elder, and we followed the straight-backed boy.
    Thuren led us through the doorway, down a shadowy corridor, and out into a bright courtyard which lay at the center of the family area. This inner courtyard was much larger than the one in which the vleks had bedded down. Around it were arranged rooms and suites in which resided the members of this House, who were all kin of some kind and were led by the Elder.
    After Thuren had conducted us to a large apartment and left us there, Tarani demanded: “How did they find out Veron has been helping slaves escape from the copper mines?”
    “The sooner we get out there,” I said, “the sooner we’ll know.”
    We washed at a ceramic basin and quickly changed to fresh tunics and trousers. Although I had been ravenously hungry when I had awakened, I left the fruit and bread and cheese untouched. I noticed Tarani made no attempt to eat, either, and wondered if her stomach had turned queasy too. We glanced at each other, and stepped out into the courtyard.
    The entire family was assembled. Though they did not form ranks but sat on the hard-packed ground in an uneven semicircle, there was the air of parade formality about the assembly. There were fifty or more people in the courtyard. After Tarani and I had sat down at the back of the crowd, the Elder was the only person standing, until he said: “The judgment begins.”
    Toward the front of the crowd, a young man stood up, moved forward and turned to face his family. He was slim and pale.
    “Veron,” the Elder said, “tell the family of Iribos why you are to be judged.”
    “I have broken the law of neutrality,” the young man said in a loud if somewhat shaky voice.
    Silence greeted that announcement. The young man took a deep breath and continued.
    “I sought to help Eddartas slaves escape to freedom,” he said, then his voice turned bitter. “Recently I learned that my good wishes only led the slaves of the copper mines into a