“Good. Slicer’s a keen sword, but I don’t think I could force many Smardons with him. I can see where Halik’s trick with those colored beads might come in handy sometimes.”
“Perhaps,” the sorceress said wryly. “Speaking as the one under coercion, I prefer weapon-point. Although Halik’s control was honest compared with Dathru’s.”
“Well,” Thorn compromised, “for defense, I’d use anything I could. Or almost anything. But I don’t know sorcery, so we’ll have to leave that part to Halik. Speaking of whom…” she added, hearing his boots crunch back toward his threshold. She stood and turned, wanting to keep watch on him but unwilling to voice her doubts.
“His craft is interesting, is it not?” said the sorceress. “I would return inside with you, but I think I had best learn to see otherworldly a
