"I'll have to leave." Sariana began to pace the room. "I'll have to go home."

"Home to what?" Etion asked bluntly. "There's nothing for you at home except a dead-end career and a marriage that offers considerably less potential than this one does."

Sariana's head turned sharply. "Are you implying that my… my association with this Shield might have

some potential?"

"Who knows? The Shields are unique. They have a certain degree of power here in the west or they wouldn't be allowed to live by their own laws. You know as well as I do that the original social philosophers were adamant about the laws applying equally to all social classes. With the exception of the Shields, the westerners have abided by that philosophy, just as we in the east have followed it. Think about it, Sariana. The Shields must have wielded some fairly impressive authority in order to get themselves exempted from the laws everyone else abides by. I've told you I don't know much about them, but it seems to me it might be worth your while to explore your new situation before you give up entirely."

"I can't think straight." Sariana stared at the ornate facade of the building across the street. "My mind is in chaos."

"Not surprising under the circumstances. But panic will do you no good, Sariana. What's done is done. You must find a way to make things work in your favor."

"All of my plans are going up in smoke before my eyes," she whispered.

"Then you must make new ones," Etion said reasonably.

"I know you're right, Etion, but I'm having a hard time dealing with this. Who are they?"

"The Shields? I'm not sure."

"They must have their roots in one of the original social classes that arrived on The Serendipity. Perhaps the crew of the ship? It was intended by the philosophers that the crew members would be absorbed into the established social classes after the landing. But what if they refused to be adopted into the other classes? It's possible they invented a whole new class."

"It's possible," Etion said quietly. "Your explanation is a reasonable one, although it doesn't explain how they managed to convince the other classes to grant them certain exemptions from the laws. But it might interest you to know that according to local legend, the Shields were not on board The Serendipity."

"What?" Sariana was so stunned she nearly lost her balance when she spun around to confront Etion. "Not on board? But that's impossible."

"I know. I'm only telling you what scraps of the legend I've picked up during the past few years." "Do you realize what that legend implies? It would mean that the Shields were already on Windarra

before The Rendezvous and The Serendipity arrived. It would mean they didn't descend from the original colonists. It would mean they weren't… aren't… human." Sariana floundered at the enormity of the implications involved.

Etion looked at her. "It's only a legend, Sariana."

"But it's so wild, so ridiculous. The westerners have a dramatic bent, everyone knows that, but to invent a legend like that is too much, even for them. If the Shields weren't among the original colonists, where could they have come from?"

"Sariana, calm down." For the first time Etion's voice held a harder edge. "We've agreed, it's only a legend. The point is that, for whatever reason, the locals have granted the Shields certain privileges as a social class. You, apparently, have just married into that class. You would do well to study your new status before you panic. Use the training you were given in dealing with problems, Sariana. You've had a fine education, even if you didn't make it into the academy. Stop and think. You might be able to use your new situation to some advantage."

Sariana tried to absorb Etion's logic, but she seemed incapable of putting aside her agitated emotions long enough to think clearly. "I need time," she murmured. "I've got to think this through. It's all so crazy." She looked at Rakken and admitted the harsh truth. "I'm scared, Etion. I'm more frightened now than I was the day I found out I failed the academy entrance exams. What am I going to do?"

Etion moved toward her, his hands outstretched to take her into his arms. "I don't know, Sariana. But I do know that nothing will be accomplished with panic. Sariana, my dear Sariana, if only you had accepted my proposal the other day."

"Oh, Etion, I've been so stupid." Tears bumed in Sar-iana's eyes. At any other time she would have been appalled at the public display of such emotion, but right now she needed comfort as she had never

needed it before in her life and Etion Rakken was the only one who could understand what she was going through. She moved blindly toward Etion's arms.

The scarlet-toe hissed angrily as Etion started to put his hands around Sariana's waist. The lizard bared its small teeth and eyed the man with a menacing, jeweled gaze.

Sariana paid no attention to the lizard. She was too intent on accepting Etion's comfort. Etion's hand rose to flick the scarlet-toe off of her shoulder and out of the way, but before either he or the lizard could act the door to the office slammed open with sufficient force to rattle the tiny panes of glass in the windows.

"Touch my wife and I'll slit your throat," Gryph said calmly from the doorway. His hand rested lightly on the weapon kit at his belt.

Etion's hands fell away from Sariana as he jerked around to confront the intruder in his office. Sariana spun around, too, appalled.

"Gryph! What are you doing here?"

"That's obvious, isn't it? I'm retrieving my possession before she strays too far. Let's go, Sariana, you have caused enough scenes this morning."

For some reason that accusation was just too much. Fury began to replace the desperation and panic she had been experiencing. It was an emotion unlike any she had ever felt before in her life. It raged through her, threatening to take control of her the same way passion had taken control of her last night.

"Scenes? You've got the nerve to imply that I'm responsible for these scenes in which I find myself? Of all the arrogant, outrageous, disgusting things to say. How dare you, Gryph Chassyn? How do you dare to say such things after what you have done to me?"

His sea green eyes flicked from Etion's face to hers. Sariana was dumbfounded to see the flare of warmth that lit his gaze when he looked at her. Nothing altered the hard, taut lines of his face, however. He held out his hand arrogantly.

"Let's go back to the Avylyn villa, Sariana. I'm sure you would prefer to scream at me in private. When you're finished and you've had a chance to calm down you will thank me for depriving you of an audience."