It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimness.  We were in a huge room with a long table and benches as the prominent pieces of furniture.  There was a very large fireplace in one wall, but no fire burned on this bright spring day.  The hearth was carved with intricate designs and animals just like the doors.  Three large hounds lay on the stone floor, heads now raised, sniffing the air and looking at us.  After a moment, however, they all settled down again.  Daryn’s subtle gesture was not lost on me.  Maybe it didn’t always take a strange whistle or verbal whispering.  Daryn moved through the hall to a smaller table in one corner.  We all sat and I wondered where Das and the other maj were.  There had been five of them, I thought.

“Well, to what do we owe this pleasure, ladies?” Daryn asked carefully.  “Please, sit.”

Only after this invitation did Marda pull out one of the chairs.  Trenwyn and I followed her example and Lucian, I was delighted, settled next to me instead of Trenwyn.  I distractedly patted his head.  

 “Daryn,” Marda began with in low voice, “Ethereal does not believe she should rename tomorrow, and I agree with her.”

Daryn slowly shook his head, running a hand over his bald scalp.  “How did I know that’s what this would be about?” 

Marda made a disgusted sound and frowned at him.  “You can’t force these things, Daryn Costwell.  She has not been able to discover a new name.  You cannot force her to rename.  That would be murder and you know it.”

Daryn turned to me, “I know you don’t want to do this, Ethereal, and I do understand, but I cannot stress the importance of finding a suitable new name.  Are you sure you can think of nothing?”

I didn’t answer his question, instead asking one of my own.  “I’m curious, Daryn.  If I accept your offer to rename me, won’t you majai have to know my new true name?  Won’t I just be trading Seti control for Duri control?”  My eyes narrowed as I saw Trenwyn look at the other maj dubiously.  Daryn met Trenwyn’s gaze and raised an eyebrow in question

“Well?” I persisted. 

“My lady, you do not know this world.  Our circle has been doing its best to arrange for you to return to your world as soon as possible.  I do not know why you insist on waiting to rename.  It isn’t going to make it any easier.”

“Thank you for your concern, Daryn, but I have concerns of my own and questions that need answers.”

“Always more questions,” Trenwyn muttered under his breath.  Both Daryn and Marda glared at him.

“Does renaming involve turning over my new true name to you, or not?”

Trenwyn made an exasperated sound but Daryn held up a hand.  “No, she has the right to know.  Ethereal, for a renaming, you must entrust one other person with the new name you’ve chosen.”

So I was right.  The Duri would be able to control me.  I settled back in my chair, lips tight.

“My lady, that is why we must get it over with and get you back to your world,” Trenwyn finally broke in.  I had been wondering when the pent-up words were going to explode from his mouth.  He’d been looking like a strained balloon.  “If you are renamed and then return to Earth, even if one of us knows your new name, we can’t use it to control you.”

I looked from one Duri to the other.  “And you expect me to just trust you that you won’t try to control me?  Why should I?”

“Frankly,” Daryn laced his fingers together behind his head, “you’re caught between a keet and a keighter, my lady.  You must trust someone, either us or the Seti.  From your point of view, either circle could be lying to you and trying to control you, but at least you know the Duri don’t want to kill you.”

I really didn’t know what to say to that.  And what was a keet?

“It’s all irrelevant,” Marda broke in.  “You cannot force her to rename.  That would be something the Seti might do, but not you.”

Both men glared at Marda, until Daryn finally sighed.  “I suppose you’re right.  You have an uncanny knack for that,” he shot her a suspicious look before turning his eyes on me.  “If you cannot find the right name, or refuse to take the risk, Ethereal, that is your choice.  But that leaves us with the question as to what we do with you.  You have to go back to your world, but if you go without renaming, you can never be certain you are safe.”

“But even without renaming, she would be safer on Earth.  Is that not so?”

Daryn nodded affirmation to Marda’s question. 

“Then I propose that, after the festival, on Posonsday, you take her back to her home.  Once you are back on Earth,” she turned to me, hazel eyes piercing, “you will have to leave your home and move somewhere else at once.  The Seti still might check your last known location for a time.  Do you have a relative you can live with for a while?”

“I’m sure,” I muttered, not sure if I liked this compromise much better than the first one.  I was between a keet and a keighter.  Why was I so resistant to the idea of returning to Earth?  Yes, there was always Navarre, but it was more than that too.  Whenever I thought of returning home, a sinister foreboding clawed at the edges of my mind, almost as if something terrible awaited me there.

Daryn frowned, rubbing his chin.  “The sign is gone.  The Seti can no longer feel you in that way.  But judging from what Trenwyn has told me, the fact that they can no longer feel you does not mean that the Seti will stop hunting you.  For whatever reason, it seems that you are rather significant to them and it is a top priority to ensure your death.  They do not know where you are now—if they did, you would surely be dead—but they know the general area in which you disappeared.  Depending on your significance, they will start a search for any earther within a certain radius and expand outward.  Enough people in Rhir have seen you and heard about you that word will get out and there is always someone willing to gab with a courier—or someone that looks like a courier.  And, don’t forget, at least one maj knows what you look like.  He can pass around your physical description quite easily.  I do agree with Marda in that, if you return to Earth without renaming, you must travel far from your home to some other state, or even a different country.  Mexico might be best.”  

I looked at him, incredulous.  He wanted me to go to Mexico to be safe?  Majai had some strange ideas.  

He went on, “It’s not the ideal situation, is it?  But it seldom is when the Seti are involved.”

I nodded.  This was probably the best and most sensible compromise I would get.

“Since that’s settled, we can turn to lighter things,” Marda said in a fresh voice.  “You all will be attending the festival, will you not?”

This time Daryn’s smile was genuine.  “Naturally.”

“Excellent.  The children do so love the tricks you do with the animals.”

Daryn chuckled.  “Sometimes I wish everyone could be so easily fascinated with a dancing horse or tame bear. And you will be helping Meggie with the food, I understand?”

“Oh, that reminds me, I need to get back to the Bane.  I am supposed to meet Meggie later this morning.  Would you care to come Ethereal?  I’m sure Zita will be by the Bane at some point, and then you can go with her to her stead from there.”

I nodded, glad for the company and grateful that Marda had accompanied me to argue with the Duri.

 “I suppose we must bid you good day, then, Master Daryn, Master Trenwyn.  We’ll see you tomorrow at the festival.”

As we all rose, Lucian went to Trenwyn, looking at him meaningfully.  Trenwyn put a hand on his black head, then looked to Marda and me.  “Lucian will go with you,” he announced.  “He thinks there will be scraps for him at The Bane.”  He smiled down at the wolf, amused.  “I’ll come down a little later to get him.” 

“Of course we will be happy to escort you, master Lucian,” Marda addressed the wolf with a smile.  Lucian seemed content by this reply and walked out with us, down the steep path.  “Thank you, Marda, I said at last.

She nodded.  “I know you wanted more freedom, but if Masad hasn’t met you by the day after the festival, I think it would be unwise to remain, hanging on a thread of hope, while every day increases the chance of a Seti maj or agent finding you.  I am curious, however.  What, exactly, are you planning to do if Masad reappears, as you hope?  People notice outsiders here, whether they bear Seti insignia at the time or not, and Masad, as a Seti agent, is known in Rhir.  He stays at The Bane occasionally.  I understand that he comes as a hunter too, though not everyone knows that the hunter and the agent are the same man.  How are you going to explain your connection to either of them—the hunter or the agent?”

I found her mirthful smile rather cruel and frowned at the path as I continued to walk.  My eyes strayed to Lucian a little ahead of us.  Surely the wolf didn’t understand human speech well enough to spy for Trenwyn.  That was just silly.  “Do you really think he’ll be that overt?” I asked.

Marda shrugged.  “Knowing Masad I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him embarrassing you in The Bane or some such.  But that’s not entirely what I meant.”

I looked at her, questioning.

“You said you’d return to Earth with the Duri after the festival.  Will you go through with this even if Masad returns?  If he does return, how will you convince the Duri that it is better for you to stay on Orb with a Seti assassin?”

I saw her point.  “I guess I thought that if Masad did come back, he might know what I should do,” I answered honestly.  “He might even insist, like the Duri, that I return to Earth.  I don’t know.”

Marda gave me a calculating look as we approached the east gate.  “He might.”  That was all she said, but I could tell she was thinking more.