The war council meeting breaks up. The man who is called Labraid waits for me to invite him to my hut. He expects to have a gift from me to take to the unlucky one whose stolen bull ended up here at Inver Colpa, and he expects to have it now. I can't blame him for wanting to leave as soon as possible.

When I look at Labraid, he puts his head down so that his face is in shadow. There is something about him that strikes me as false. He is well dressed and carries a good sword. Obviously he is a mercenary and he must be a fine one indeed to appear so prosperous. Now that darkness is upon us, I must offer him hospitality for the night. I decide that we will settle the matter of the gift right away so that he can leave as soon as he wants. There are many other troubles afoot without having to entertain a mysterious mercenary.

Fenian passes by and motions to me. He nods absent mindedly to Labraid. "Thunder Spear, we don't want to leave the keep unguarded while we search for the Rian," he begins. I notice his brow is lined with worry.

"Of course," I assure him, stepping away from my stick to stand tall. "I'll stay at the armoury. I can help with the watch too. Who will be on the wall tonight?"

He throws Labraid a glance and takes my arm to pull me a few steps away, where we can talk privately.

When the war chief has given me his orders, I go back to where the mercenary waits. "You are welcome to spend the night with me in the hut behind the armoury. I have a small forge set up there and some fine metalwork you might find pleasing enough to take back to Cill Dara."

Labraid shrugs. He certainly doesn't talk very much. I take the shrug for consent and together we're off to the armoury.

When we arrive, there is a game of dice underway by the door.

"Thunder Spear!" one of the warriors calls out. "We're too restless to sleep. Come on, the game's just started." He ratt;es the bones in his hand and points to a large jug that sits in the middle of the torchlit gathering.

"I have guard duty at dawn," I protest weakly.

The next thing I know, Labraid and I have joined the game. The jug is passed around and the dice dance, again and again, one round after another.

Someone shakes my shoulder. "Torann! It's almost sun-up."

Ahhh, my head. I grope for my stick and feel for my sword. The stick is right beside me. The sword is gone!

"You put it up for the next to last game and Labraid won," I am told. "He has the luck on him, doesn't he?"

I can only groan in misery. Well, he has taken a gift! There was nothing special about that sword except for what was maybe someone's imagination. It came from the river to my hand, and now it has gone off to Cill Dara. I will have to find a sword in the armoury to use, for now. And - I'm sure Labraid has already left the keep and I will never see him or that sword again. I was foolish enough to believe there was something magic about that sword. Revenge, that's what the woman said it was named. Well, maybe it will be revenge to the lucky gambler who won it away from me.

It doesn't take long for me to find myself another sword, after I stick my head in the horses' watering trough to clear my head of last night's drinking. I climb the wall and say good morning to the watcher who has been there since midnight. Already warriors are gathering by the gate to ride out and search for the Rian. Try as I might, I can't stop thinking about the sword I found and lost.