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was a peace offering, and from then on, a wary rapport existed between them.
    In fact, much to her surprise, Grimya found that she held an honored place in the citadel. Even Uluye, though reluctant to unbend from her air of rigid authority, treated her with courtesy, and the attitude of some of the lower-ranking women bordered on reverence. Grimya had complete freedom to roam at will through the settlement, and wherever she went, she found people greeting her, bringing her small gifts of food or bowls of water, even gently touching her fur as though they believed she would bring them good fortune. Grimya rapidly realized that as Indigo’s chosen companion, she was looked upon almost as an avatar of Indigo herself, and until Indigo recovered from her relapse and could come among them again, Grimya would be her proxy in these women’s eyes.
    Under other circumstances, Grimya would have thoroughly enjoyed the attention being paid to her, but her pleasure was negated by dark and troubling thoughts. From their behavior, and from the offerings that were heaped outside the cave’s entrance each day, it was obvious that Indigo was deeply revered by the priestesses, so much so that her status in the citadel seemed only one step removed from that of a goddess.
    Yet beneath the surface, there was an undercurrent of something the wolf could sense but not pinpoint, like a scent on a changeable wind. She couldn’t forget what had happened at the climax of the ceremony on the cliff top, and she couldn’t forget the rapt and avid look on the priestesses’ faces—and particularly on the face of Uluye—when the eerie thing had occurred. Although the knowledge had been submerged during the last few days by more immediate events, Grimya hadn’t forgotten that the lodestone had led them here to find a demon. But what manner of demon might it be?
    Worried by her speculations, she resolved to put her freedom to move about the settlement to good use. Aided by her telepathic abilities, which sometimes enabled her to glean the gist of unspoken intentions from unguarded minds, she first applied herself to learning more of the Dark Isle’s tongue. She followed groups of women when they gathered to wash clothes in the lake and listened to their talk, committing as many unfamiliar words as she could to memory. She played with the children, whose constant repetition of favorite games made them excellent, if unwitting, teachers. She sat in the high cave while Shalune tended Indigo and fed her with a strong-smelling broth, and listened to the ritual healing chants the woman murmured as she worked. And by listening, watching, memorizing, Grimya quickly learned a great deal about her new surroundings.
    She discovered early on that the inhabitants of the citadel within the cliff were indeed exclusively female. Men—of any age—were forbidden to enter the citadel, and the taboo, it appeared, was strictly adhered to by the local population. Like the trading family at the kemb , the people of the villages and settlements hereabouts held the priestesses in awe. They were not only the undisputed guardians and interpreters of all spiritual matters, but also lawmakers, judges, healers and advisers. Supplicants came frequently to the citadel, and as word of the new oracle’s presence spread, their numbers rapidly grew.
    On her first morning, Grimya saw several parties and individuals arrive at the lakeside, including a procession of some eight or nine nervous-looking people pushing a handcart laden with provisions. The convoy halted beside a tree whose lower branches were hung about with scarves and wooden fetishes, and there they waited until two robed priestesses walked haughtily from the bluff to meet them. The contents of the cart were inspected and, presumably, found acceptable; two more women came to carry the offerings away, and the visitors sat down by the lake’s edge to parley with the priestesses. They talked for a little over an hour; then the