Windhaven

"Pay her no mind, sir," Sahn said. "The flyers are not behind her. Only a few one-wings. Trash of the sky.

When they leave, no one will take their place. You need only wait, my Landsman." Something in his tone, beyond his words, shocked and sickened her, and all at once Maris knew why; Sahn spoke as a lesser to a superior, not as equal to equal. He feared the Landsman, and was beholden to him for his very wings, and his voice made it clear that he knew it. For the first time, a flyer had become his Landsman's creature, through and through.

The Landsman turned to face her again, his eyes cold. "As I thought," he said. "Tya lied to me, and I found her out. Val One-Wing tried to frighten me with empty threats. And now you. All of you are liars, but I am cleverer than you think me. Your black flyers will do nothing, nothing. One-wings, all of you.

The real flyers, they care nothing for Tya. The Council proved that."

"Yes," Sahn agreed, head nodding.

For an instant Maris was consumed by rage. She wanted to storm across the chamber and seize the frail flyer, shake him until he hurt. But Evan squeezed her hand hard, and when she glanced at him he shook his head.

"Sahn," she said, gently.

Reluctantly he turned his eyes to meet hers. He was shaking, she saw, perhaps in shame at what he had become. As she looked at him, Maris thought she saw a bit of all the flyers she had ever known. The things we will do to fly, she thought… "Sahn," she said. "Jem has joined the black flyers. He is no one-wing."

"No," Sahn admitted, "but he knew Tya well."

"If you advise your Landsman," she said, "tell him who Dorrel of Laus is."

Sahn hesitated.

"Who?" the Landsman snapped, eyes flicking from Maris to Sahn. "Well?"

"Dorrel of Laus," Sahn said reluctantly. "A Western flyer, my Landsman. He's from a very old family. A good flyer. He is about my age."

"What of him? What do I care?" The Landsman was impatient.

"Sahn," said Maris, "what do you think would happen if Dorrel joined the black flyers?"

"No," Sahn said quickly. "He's no one-wing. He wouldn't."

"If he did?"

"He's popular. A leader. There would be others." Clearly Sahn did not like what he was saying.

"Dorrel of Laus is bringing a hundred Western flyers to join the circle," Maris said forcefully. An exaggeration, probably, but they had no way of knowing.

The Landsman's mouth twitched. "Is this true?" he demanded of his pet flyer.

Sahn coughed nervously. "Dorrel, I — well, it's hard to say, sir. He's influential, but, but…"

"Silence," the Landsman said, "or I'll find someone else for those wings of yours."

"Ignore him," Maris said sharply. "Sahn, a Landsman has no right to bestow or take away wings. The flyers have united to prove the truth of that."

"Tya died wearing these wings," Sahn said. "He gave them to me."

"The wings are yours. No one blames you," Maris said. "But your Landsman should not have done as he did. If you care, if you agree that Tya's death was wrong, join us. Do you have any black clothing?"

"Black? I — well, yes."

"Are you mad?" the Landsman said. He pointed at Sahn with his knife. "Seize that fool."

Hesitantly, two of the landsguard started forward.

"Stay away from me!" Sahn said loudly. "I'm a flyer, damn you!"

And they stopped, looking back at the Landsman.

He pointed again, his mouth twitching. He seemed to be having difficulty finding words. "You will — you will take Sahn, and—"

He never finished. The doors to the chamber burst open then, and Coll was dragged bodily into the room by a brace of guards. They shoved him forward toward the Landsman; he stumbled to his hands and knees, then rose unsteadily. The right side of his face was a massive purplish bruise, and his eyes were as black as his clothing.

"Coll!" Maris said, horrified.

Coll managed a feeble smile. "My fault, big sister. But I'm all right." Evan went to him and examined his face.

"I did not order this," the Landsman said.

"You said he shouldn't sing," a landsguard replied. "He wouldn't stop singing."

"He's all right," Evan said. "The bruise will heal."

Maris sighed in relief. Despite all their talk of death, it had been a shock to see Coll's face. "I'm tired of this," she said to the Landsman. "Listen, if you want to hear my terms."

"Terms?" His tone was incredulous. "I am Landsman of Thayos, and you are nothing, no one. You cannot give me terms."

"I can and will. You'd do well to listen. If you don't, you won't be the only one to suffer. I don't think you realize the position you and Thayos are in. All over this island, your people are singing Coll's song, and the singers are moving from island to island, spreading it through the world. Soon everyone will know how you had Tya killed."

"She was a liar, a traitor."

"A flyer is not a subject, and cannot be a traitor," Maris said, "and she lied to stop a senseless war. Oh, she'll always be controversial. But you'd be a fool to underestimate the power of the singers. You're becoming a widely hated man."

"Silence," the Landsman said.