The woman looked critically down at Jermain, then back at the Captain. "Not at all," she said firmly. "He does not look in the least dangerous. I'm quite willing to believe he is extremely foolish, but a great many people are, and I have never heard of anyone being executed for it, though I couldn't say for sure that it's never happened. Of course, if he continues to run about with that wound bleeding all over everything and making such a mess, you won't have to."

Morenar frowned and tried again. "Lady, we have been chasing this man for four hours; I assure you there is no mistake."

"Well, it is certainly rude of you to contradict me, and I don't believe you at all," the woman said flatly. "At least, I believe you have been chasing him, but not for four hours, and certainly he's not a criminal. Though I can understand why you say so; it would probably be very awkward for you to explain. So many things are; awkward, I mean. Large kettles, for instance, and carrying three brooms at once, and those fat brown birds with the red wings whose names I can't remember just at present. They waddle."

"Terrel and His Royal Highness Prince Eltiron convinced Marreth that I was guilty of treason. As a result, Marreth stripped me of my lands and position and awarded them to Terrel. Isn't that enough?"

"I do see that you might think so," Amberglas said. "Were you?"

"Was I what?"

"Were you guilty? Of treason, I mean; there are a great many other things you could be guilty of, but since you weren't accused of any of them, they don't really matter. Well, no, they do matter, certainly, but I'm not particularly interested in them at the moment, though if you happen to think of anything else you want to mention, it's quite all right with me."

"I am no traitor," Jermain said stiffly.

"I didn't think so. But of course, you could still be guilty of treason. That's why I asked about it," Amberglas said.

"No, I was not guilty," Jermain said after a moment. "Unless it's treason to believe an old friend's warning, and counsel that preparation be made." Absently, he fingered the place where the short scar on his left arm was hidden by his sleeve.

"That doesn't sound much like treason," Amberglas said. "Of course, it would depend on the friend. And the warning. Telling someone that his dinner is burning isn't treason, at least, not in most places, though I couldn't say for certain about Navren. The King there has made such extremely peculiar laws that one never knows what is treason in Navren. Or what isn't," she added thoughtfully, and looked at Jermain.