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feels good to get off my feet. They’re aching.”
    Malja checked out the wheel. “What do you think this is for?”
    “It’s a valve wheel. Controls the flow of —”
    “I know what a valve wheel is. I meant the pipe.”
    Fawbry glanced at the chipped paint. “I don’t know. It doesn’t look like it’s dumping, though. So maybe it’s bringing something in.”
    “To where?”
    “I’m guessing that’s what Harskill wants us to see. Why else tie a groyle to a post for us to find?”
    Malja grimaced. “What if we hadn’t found that groyle? Harskill plans more carefully than that.”
    Fawbry leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Maybe there were groyles tied to posts all over that world. We couldn’t have missed them if we tried. Or maybe he was there, watching us, and if we didn’t find the groyle, he would have done something else. And maybe we shouldn’t be questioning the best lead we’ve had in months.”
    Four of the widest leaves that surrounded the pipe rotated to show their undersides. Bulbous jelly spheres covered the leaves. Each sphere gave off a yellow glow.
    Jumping to his feet, Fawbry said, “Are those eggs?”
    Malja brandished Viper. “I hope not.”
    The voice of a young woman echoed in the distance. “I see your call, Lord. I’m coming.”
    In response, the leaves rotated back, covering the egg-like spheres and hiding their light. Malja spied the young woman running up the path. She hustled into the open area around the pipe and halted. Though breathing hard from her run, the woman showed little sign of exhaustion. In fact, Malja noted, this woman appeared to be in prime condition.
    She also wore a do-kha.
    “Gate!” Fawbry said.
    “My name is Reon,” the woman said. “Not Gate.” To Malja, the woman bowed her head. “What are you here to teach me?”
    Malja raised an eyebrow. She sheathed Viper. “Teach you?”
    “The Lord sent me along this path. Are you not here by his command to teach me?”
    “I’m Malja, and nobody sent me here for you. What Lord do you follow?”
    Reon brightened. “Of course. I only recently learned that there are many other gods like the Lord Harskill.”
    “Harskill? You know where that bastard is?”
    Malja had not meant to speak with such aggression, but the words tumbled out. Reon jumped back, her feet in a fighting stance different from any Malja had ever seen. The front foot pointed forward — nothing strange in that — but the back foot was raised on the toes and also pointed forward. This forced the woman to bend low and be taut, ready to strike.
    “Don’t talk of the Lord Harskill that way, you blasphemer.”
    With a placating hand, Malja said, “I don’t know what you’ve been taught, but Harskill is no Lord, no god, nothing but a power-hungry —”
    “Enough! I see that you are not here to help me. You must be one of my challenges.” Reon slid to the left.
    Malja understood at once. The girl attempted to put Malja between her and Fawbry so she would only have to fight in one direction. “You’ve had some experience fighting.”
    “Maybe I’m here to teach you something.”
    The corner of Malja’s mouth twitched. “I highly doubt that.”
    “Then perhaps you’re one of the Lord’s other chosen. Perhaps this test is to see which of us is truly worthy.”
    This odd girl appeared to be talking to herself. Malja tried to better her position with a casual step to the side, but Reon matched her movement. She leveled a fierce glare at Malja and shook her head.
    “This girl’s crazy,” Fawbry said.
    “Tell me now,” Reon said. “Are you my next test?”
    Any other time, Malja would have dispatched with Reon already. But she wore a do-kha and she revered Harskill. Stranger still, she did not act like Gate — not that Malja had known many, but between Harskill and Abrazkia, Malja had encountered enough Gate to know the high level of arrogance they held. Reon had too much doubt to be Gate.
    “Where did you get that