winning way about her and stirred the young witch's sympathies She kept her maimed hand always before her, though, finding the sight of the ugly scars enough to keep her resolve strong She could not help feeling an increasing sense of uneasiness about Bronwen and she hoped the little girl was not teasing the old sorcerer too much She knew Feld would not be overly concerned about her absence since Isabeau often went on foraging trips into the mountains, though usually she gave some notice Bronwen always missed her badly, though, and tended to mope until Isabeau returned One afternoon, as they walked down through the towering trees, Maya again begged Isabeau to take her to her daughter "Ye canna know how much I've missed her and longed to find her," she said pitifully Isabeau snapped, "I canna see why, when ye wouldna hold her or suckle her when she was naught but a wee babe Ye havena seen her since she was six weeks auld and she's now almost three!" At once she regretted her words but Maya turned to her imploringly "I ken ye took her, Red, and I ken ye have no' been living here all this time She must be nearby, though, for we saw yon mountain in the scrying pool, though with another just like it Why will ye no' let me just see her?" Isabeau said, "Ye saw Dragonclaw? Who did? In what scrying pool?" The Fairge lifted her hands and let them fall "I had some spies in the winged uile-bheist's retinue," she said "They told me how ye had taken Bronwen and disappeared, and none kent where ye had gone One stole a braid o' your hair and I took it with me to Arran I went there to seek help for I knew the NicFoghnan was as much an enemy o' the winged uile-bheist as I." "Someone stole my hair?" Isabeau whispered "What about Lilanthe? Did they hurt her?" Maya shrugged "I no' ken He did no' tell me." "Ye used my braid to track me down?" Angrily Isabeau wished she had burnt the plait when she had the chance Maya nodded "Margrit o' Arran used it to spy ye out through her scrying pool Her chamberlain, a Khan'coh-ban warrior, recognized the shape o' the mountains as the Cursed Peaks I kent ye had taken my wee Bronwen and so the NicFoghnan promised to help me track ye down She lent me her swan carriage and the Khan'coh-ban to guide me and we flew all the way I should've kent she meant me only ill, though! I was wary and canny all the way, but without being able to bathe very often I was giddy and light-headed The blaygird Khan'cohban waited until I had dozed off and so couldna transform him, then he threw me from the swan carriage as we came up the side o' the mountain If ye had no' found me I would've died for sure." "I thought ye said your powers were broken with the mirror!" Isabeau instantly picked up on the word "transform," her suspicions flaring into life once more She had wondered over this question ever since she had found the Fairge unconscious on the mountainside, but had not dared ask her directly She had seen no sign of any power and in reality it seemed impossible that this thin, pale, scarred-faced woman could be guilty of half the atrocities ascribed to her Maya lowered her eyes "I did no' want Margrit to know I had lost my power for I would truly have been at her mercy then and she's a cruel, cunning woman who wishes me and my babe only ill So I let her think I could turn her into a swamp rat or a frog as easy as clicking my fingers, and she was careful never to rouse my anger." Isabeau was thinking carefully about what Maya had said when they reached the tree-house She took