The prince led the group through nearly the whole length of the castle, passing by elaborate illusions of twilight and glowing flowers and plants that surely had to be enchanted purely for decoration. It gave the place a tranquil feel, which was a sharp contrast to the tension coursing through the group as the thought of the coming assault came back to the fore in their minds.
They kept going down the seemingly endless corridors turning this way and that. As they passed by what seemed to be a resting parlor, though, Tasha suddenly popped her head out of her master's hood, staring intently at a table laden with beautiful flowers and silver decorations.
“What is it?” Elathan said, having felt the cat suddenly shift.
“Something smells funny over there. Under the table.”
“Let's check it, then.” The sorcerer called for the others to stop and went over to the table, taking a cursory glance at the lay of it. A few of the others joined him and when he pulled up the cloth covering it, he was startled to see a snake suddenly slither out from under it, quickly heading away from him.
“What in the Nine Hells?”
“It looked like a poisonous viper,” said Gaylia, who watched the reptile make its way around a corner, “but something looked a bit off about it.”
Farrln frowned at the announcement, knowing that such wild creatures had never been seen in the castle before. When he informed the others, their looks quickly changed to one of both confusion and suspicion.
“What do you mean, 'wrong'?” asked Willem.
“It's hard to explain,” the ranger replied, setting her delicate chin on her hand. “It just seemed off somehow.”
Elathan conversed quietly with Tasha, nodding here and there when the cat purred and mewled at him. He took on a look of contemplation when he finally looked back to the others.
“A construct or familiar, perhaps,” he mused. “Does the court mage have a viper familiar, Your Highness?”
“I wouldn't know,” the catfolk replied. “But Master Noramros himself would.”
Willem, having a sudden thought, turned to Elathan and asked “Can you sense any magic about it?” The mage thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.
“All I know is it could definitely could be a familiar. If it doesn't belong to the court mage or someone else here, then you'll want to find it and deal with it, Your Highness.”
“If it belongs to no one in the castle, then why would it be here?” Willem asked more to himself than anyone else. “Can familiars be used for spying?”
“One can scry on their own familiar if they're strong enough,” said Elathan. “It would be an easy way to poke around and get information.”
“Does the mage we're chasing have a familiar?” Rel suddenly asked.
“I don't know, but he's certainly strong enough for it, I believe.”
Both Willem and Rel's faces took on a grim look, the both of them realizing things had just taken a very dark turn.
“We should find out,” the sorcerer said, noting the two of them. “It's not worth leaving unchecked.”
“I do not believe we have time for a battle council and a snake hunt, both,” Willem contended.
“Maybe we should split, then,” Kayla suggested. “Some of us go to the council and the others talk to the court mage to see if anyone has that type of familiar here.”
Farrln nodded and said, “I agree. Gaylia, Reldaerqel, you two excel in tracking, do you not? Perhaps you can do that while we attend the meeting.”
“We could,” Gaylia said, shooting a glance at Rel. “but I would be worried about the castle guards attempting to halt us.”
“If my mother has marked him as a friend, then he won't be stopped. And we're very much under pressure at the moment.”
“I would rather that the creature be captured than inquired about,” said Willem. “Given the impending attack, I suspect any time it spends free will be spent with ill intent.”
“If our fears are true, you're more than likely correct,” Farrln said with a grim look before turning back to the elves. “Please go and capture the creature.”
The pair nodded and headed off with their canine companions, the others heading the opposite way to their war council. Both groups knew the tension had just increased tenfold.
*
Farrln seemed right at home in the war room once they entered. The people they found within were as grim-faced as they were and spoke in quiet tones. An old dwarf in grey armor, battle-scarred and with a strong posture, stood at the head of the table looking over a map of the city, pulling idly at his thick black braided beard. His one good eye glittered fiercely and anyone could tell the man had seen his fair share of battles, and was hard at work thinking of a way to form a proper tactic to handle the situation.
As the group regarded the dwarf, Willem paused, a hint of recognition pulling at his thoughts. He gave Farrln a touch on the arm and covertly pointed to him, lowering his voice to inquire who he might be.
“That is General Millstone,” the prince replied. “He's a decorated hero in the Farrlmarrvian army. He's not active service, though, as injury made him take an advisory role.”
“...Yelfalcon Millstone,” Willem breathed, suddenly remembering the old dwarf from when the group first came to the city and he had run across him in one of the taverns. The crusader blanched and flushed with embarrassment all at once, making Farrln tilt his head at Willem's sudden change in behavior. Yenfalcon finally looked up at the map to regard the companions and broke out into a wide grin when he recognized the young warrior.
“Well, well! If it isn't me boy from the Stand. Wantin' to put that little sword o' yers to work, eh?” Willem stared at the old defender in awe which only made Yenfalcon give out a hearty laugh.
“You two know each other?” asked Farrln, looking incredulously between the two.
“Um. Yes?” said the crusader, clearly confused if he was giving the correct response.
“Came through the Stand a few tendays ago askin' fer somethin'. I'm thinkin' it were about them murders and suchlike.”
As the dwarf mused, Willem gathered enough of his wits to stand a little straighter and give the dwarf a proper greeting, bowing at the waist. “I'm sorry, m'lord, I wasn't aware...”
Yenfalcon waved a hand at him and said “Bah, don't be 'm'lord'n me and all that rubbish. Never could stand it. Commander's good enough.”
Willem looked helpless for a moment before looking at Farrln.
“He's very good at dice,” he said simply, which drew another loud laugh from the dwarf.
“Ain't been beat in a game o' bones yet, and it's a long time off 'til I do if it's a day.” The dwarf let his smile fade then, as he looked back down at the map. “But enough jawin' about the past. We're needin' to be jawin' about the future. Are all of ye lookin' to fight, then?”
The group sobered and nodded in agreement.
“I have some tactical knowledge that may also be of use. ...sir,” said Willem.
“We'll be seein' if it's worth a lick, then. From this mark-up here, we're looking at a full-on attack. Forces're gonna be split up and chargin' all our major gates. Even with warning, this'll be hare if the enemy's got any decent numbers.”
“I don't recall, but were there any marks inside the city?” Kayla asked.
“Don't need marks in the city. I'm fer thinkin' they'll know what they're doin' once they breach.”
Willem pointed to a spot on the map he'd been studying for some time and said “How well fortified are the southern gates?”
“As fas as them gates go, we've got a triple watch up top, so that's threescore on each. We'd have more, but the Queen went and sent some o' the boys out west to help protect 'em from the elements at the dig.” The old dwarf rubbed a hand over his balding head and and grimaced. “If we're dealin' with them damn orcs, though, they'll pile on the bodies and climb the dead'uns to get over the walls, if there's enough of 'em.”
“If they're grouped up like that, they'll make a nice bonfire, then,” Elathan said with a small smile.
“It goes without saying that the castle walls will be more heavily fortified?” asked the crusader.
“Aye, that they'll be. But the Queen's got her own force fer that. The Red Claw's not lettin' anything through them walls.”
“But these orcs will be marshalled,” Willem responded with a small frown. “Their leader has been conspiring with a grey elf called Hornydithers.”
“Horendithas,” Elathan corrected.
“If he's fer workin' with orcs, I'm likin' the Hornydithers a lot better,” Yenfalcon quipped. “What're ye knowing about this elf?”
Kayla took over the explanation of their encounters with the grey elf mage so far and the older dwarf's look darkened nearly every moment. He shook his head and put his hands firmly down on the table looking at the map.
“Bah, damn mages. Always making things more difficult. Excludin' present company, since I'm not fer knowing ye that well.”
Elathan gave the dwarf a small smirk and waved away the complaint.
“I imagine the northern gates will face a strong force, but I doubt they mean to take the city from that direction,” Willem said, stealing away the brief moment of lightheartedness. “But I fear for the southern gates. If the orcs can breach there, they'll be free to ransack the city and come up behind the castle defenders.”
“Aye, that's what I'm thinkin', too. If we lost them gates, we'll have to be goin' to the Nine Hells to get 'em back.”
“This one,” the crusader said, pointing to the southwestern gate, “worries me the most. And havoc the enemy can cause here will cause panic among the troops, and if they get too far into it, driving them back out will be nigh impossible.”
The dwarf pulled at his beard again and dragged a finger outside the perimeter, showing likely locations where camp sites for an impending attack would likely be, but shook his head, frustrated. “There's been scouts sent out to try and find their camps, but they're not findin' anything. Damndest thing.”
“That's part of what I've been wondering,” Elathan suddenly put in. “Whether they're simply being hidden of if they plan on using a portal to come in at the last second.”
“How taxing is it to send in a force of a hundred by magic?” Willem asked.
“Think of the portal we used this morning. If you know what you're doing, the energy to cast it will have already been prepared ahead of time. So, not very taxing at all.”
Yenfalcon gave a “Bah” and muttered more curses about mages under his breath.
“Have you sent a mage to see if they could sense anything magical?”
“Nah, but now that ye're mentionin' it, that'd be better to do sooner than later.” The dwarf gave a tug of his beard and picked up the map, rolling it smartly and sticking it in his belt. “I'll send out an order and tell old Noramros to hike his little legs down there and have a once-over. If there's something magical down there, he'll be the one to spot it.”
“These are still common orcs, though,” Willem said, giving the old man pause. “If they managed to breach, would that draw some of their forces away from the others?”
“Don't be underestimatin' orcs,” Yenfalcon said with a dour look. “When they've got little numbers and no directions, they're stupider than a drunk pig. But when they're mobilized under the right leadership, they'll throw their numbers around and wear ye down to a nub.”
“And if they saw a perceived weakness?”
“They'll be likely to go fer it.” Yenfalcon turned himself and faced Willem squarely, looking up at the young warrior. He could tell from the look in his eye that the young man had something in mind. “What're ye thinkin'? A draw?”
“After a fashion.”
“Give 'em some ground and crash into 'em, huh.”
“If we were to lost any gate, the least worrisome would be the merchant district. It's the opposite side from the citizen and the easiest to rebuild.”
“Might could work. We'd be needin' a lot of bodies to battle back, though.”
“Maybe. If we let the gate fall, they would still have to go through it. And mage forces could concentrate on the gate entrance and kill them as they come through.”
“Since the walls are stone, we can safely roast them,” Elathan said with a nod. “For a bit, anyway, unless we have more mages who can help out.”
“After that, any survivors would be rushing straight into waiting defenders in the main street, and whatever marksmen you can spare from your archery divisions can assist from the rooftops surrounding. We might need barricades in front of those areas to keep the orcs funneled into our swords.”
Yenfalcon gave a great laugh and clapped Willem hard on the back, nearly knocking the poor crusader over. “Ye might got a future in this, ye know that? I'll pass the word along when I talk to the lieutenant commanders. But I'm fer liking what ye've got set out. I take it ye're going to the southern wall?”
“If I may, sir, I would be one of those defending the street.”
“If that's the way ye're wantin' it.”
“And I would stay with Elathan in case anyone gets to where he's casting from,” said Kayla.
“All right. I'm trustin' that ye know what ye're doing. Figure it out and get back to me. I'm needing to get the word spread.”
The group gave a collective nod and, after giving a proper bow to Farrln, Yenfalcon made his way out of the room. Kayla, who had been feeding Audria several glasses of water during the entire meeting, got the poor fighter out of her chair and started toward the door herself.
“Let's see if the others found that snake yet.”
The others hoped that would certainly be the case, since it the creature had heard anything of what had just gone in the room, they would be sorely pressed, indeed.
*
The rangers had made their way along many hallways in the castle, being led by Bramble and Relk. The two canines were hot on the trail of the snake and didn't seem to be stopping any time soon. As they made their way through the halls, Rel could feel nearly every eye they passed fall on him, but the drow didn't let the looks give him pause. Instead, he focused all the more on his task, giving encouragement to both animals to find the creature.
Gaylia found herself glancing often at the dark-skinned elf, noting that he truly seemed different from all the rumors and tales she had heard in her village. She didn't see anything cold-hearted or manipulative about the man. For all intents and purposes, from what she had seen, the only thing that made him any different from any other elf she'd ever met was the color of his skin. Her mind was still trying to sort out all the idiosyncrasies about this strange drow, but she knew now wasn't the time to ask questions. There was a task at hand and failure could spell disaster for the whole city and potentially more. She focused her thoughts back to the halls and joined Rel in his encouragement, urging her wolf companion to track the snake as fast as it could.
The canines eventually led the elves into the grand ballroom of the hall, but there is where things began to take a turn. The ballroom was still full of people putting finishing touches on the walls and refreshing enchantments and the mixture of smells soon threw the two dogs off the trail. Rel grimaced when he realized their companions had become confused and cursed under his breath.
“Intelligent snake,” he said quietly.
“Familiars are intelligent, aren't they?”
“Very.”
The female elf bit lightly at her lip as she considered the situation, then, seeing that Relk was circling near a wall, she decided that they weren't likely to get very far staying in one place, she turned to the drow with a shrug.
“Let's search, then, and check the doors to see if they pick up the scent of it leaving again.”
“I think that would take down the tension in the room.”
Gaylia started to question what he meant, but when she glanced, she saw that most of the young mages currently at work were staring at the pair of them and most of that attention was focused on Rel. The drow quickly called Bramble to his side and started for the door which they had come in, still urging the dog to pick up the trail again. Gaylia frowned slightly and followed suit, still hoping in the back of her mind that they wouldn't be stopped because of Rel's heritage.
When the two exited, both the dogs quickly found the trail again and found it leading into another hall. Their stroke of luck ended quickly, though, as they came to a hole in the wall where both Bramble and Relk started to scratch and whine.
“Well, that's just great,” Gaylia said with a sigh. “At this point, I'll be very surprised if it belongs to anyone here. We may as well ask, though.”
“We would be safest to assume our plans have been compromised,” Rel said darkly.
“Yes, but we should still check, just the same.”
Rel nodded his agreement and the two inquired where they would be able to find Noramros. Soon after, the two found themselves heading to the mage's tower and found the elf inside looking over some scrolls. Gaylia cleared her throat to get his attention and felt slightly bad when he jolted, apparently startled by the sudden sound.
“Sorry to bother you, Master Noramros, but could we ask you a few questions?”
“Imiran, where have yo—oh. Oh, hello again.” Noramros looked over to Rel and straightened slightly, tugging at his robes sharply. “You must be the drow I've been hearing about.”
Rel merely nodded and stayed silent, but did give the older mage enough respect to look him in the eye.
“Well. If Her Majesty has marked you as a friend, then that's that. Now, what can I help you with?”
“We came across a tiny viper that our mage believed is a familiar, but when we tried to catch it, it eluded us. Do you or any mage here have a viper as a familiar?”
“A viper familiar? Hm...” The mage seemed to ponder over the question for quite a while before finally snapping his fingers and nodding. “Oh! Imiran has a viper familiar. He's always losing it, though, that daft boy.”
“I see. Could you perhaps tell us here we could find him, then?”
“You know, I'd like to know that myself. Haven't seen him since this morning.”
The two rangers shared a look and frowned.
“Where are his quarters? If you don't mind, we'd like to see if he's there.”
Noramros directed them along the left corridor and the pair of them headed there swiftly.
“If we can't find him to see if it is indeed his viper, then we'll have to assume we've been compromised,” Gaylia said as they walked along. “It worries me that he'd be missing, though.”
“It worries me on many levels,” the drow said quietly. The female elf stole a quick glance at him before looking ahead to the door.
“I don't like to think it, but I'd hate to find out he was working for Horendithas.”
“I would hate to find out something worse.”
“What do you mean by 'worse'?”
“It is possible to alter one's form through magic.”
Gaylia stopped suddenly and turned to the drow, eyes wide. “You mean that could have been Horendithas in disguise?”
“It is possible.”
After a deep breath to steady her nerves, Gaylia forged ahead to the door, determined to get to the bottom of things. She knocked hard on the door, and when she didn't get a response, she pushed at the portal, surprised to find it open. The pair of them went inside, finding only a tidy quarters suited for a mage's apprentice. The only thing that could be considered messy was the open spellbook on the desk under the window.
“I don't like this. Not one bit.” The ranger thought about returning to the others with the information Rel had brought to her attention, but something nagged at her that something wasn't quite what it seemed. She chewed her lip again as she considered the possible repercussions, but eventually decided that searching the room thoroughly would be the best course of action.
“If we're wrong, I hope he'll forgive us for prying,” she said as she began to look all through the chamber. Rel moved to help her and the two looked over every imaginable place in the room. It seemed like the moments dragged on as they searched, but still they turned up nothing. Gaylia finally came across a footlocker and began to rummage through it. As she knocked on the hood, she heard a hollow sound and fished around the edges until she caught the opening to a secret compartment. What she found inside brought a deep frown to her face. Turning back to Rel, she held up a set of white robes with silver trim.
“Horendithas was wearing one just like this when we saw him,” she said grimly. “We have to let the others know now.”
“It would seem there truly was a snake in our midst. Let's go.”
The pair of them raced off back to the main portion of the castle, looking for their companions. They met them in a hallway and Gaylia practically shoved the robes in their faces as she explained what they had found out about Imiran.
“Do you mean the mage's assistant?” Willem asked with an incredulous look. “The one we met when we were going to Silvershore?”
“I do. It seems that it's Horendithas himself in disguise.”
“Wasn't he searching for something?”
“Yeah, some thing from... Where was it...”
“Taintlands, is what I believe he said.” Rel looked at the sorcerer curiously.
“The Taintlands? That's a magical dead zone. It has been for centuries.”
“He said the sample scrambles magic, didn't he?” Elathan continued, largely ignoring the drow. “Are there any defense for the city that are magical in nature? If so, he could use it to render them ineffective.”
“Some of the castle's defenses are magical.” Farrln said quietly.
“We have to know if he found it,” said Willem. “He could render you fairly ineffective, too, I would imagine.”
“But if its range is limited, I could get around that, where something more permanent couldn't.”
Willem frowned and turned back to the prince, who was looking more concerned by the moment. “If the castle is crippled and we open the city from the south...”
“We'll be handing them a free pass to the castle,” Elathan finished grimly.
“We need to know if this item was found. Now.” The prince immediately sprang off back the way the two rangers had come, the others following closely in his wake. Farrln barreled into the room without announcing himself, making Noramros nearly fall off his stool.
“Master Noramros. We need to know if your item from The Taintlands was found.”
“Item?” the mage asked, confused. “Oh, oh, yes, my ground sample. Well, no, it wasn't. I don't know how Imiran managed to misplace it. That boy.”
Willem swore loudly at the mage's revelation and the others all looked to each other grimly. Noramros stood at the sudden change in mood and came around to stand in front of them.
“What's afoot?”
“It's highly likely that your apprentice is actually the mage that we've been searching for all this time, Master Noramros,” said Gaylia. We've found information and evidence that clearly implicates him.”
“That is a serious allegation,” the sage said after a time.
“What reason would he have for having this in his possession,” the ranger replied, showing him the robe they had found in the apprentice's footlocker. Noramros took the robe in hand and looked over it, shock and confusion running over his features. Gaylia fixed him with an even stare. “If I'm wrong, I'll accept the consequences, but if I'm right, that sample of yours according to our mage could potentially be used to disable the magical defenses for the castle. That's a danger I can't ignore.”
“What? Preposterous!” Noramros said sputtering. “The field it had around it only reached out so far...”
“And what powers the field?” Elathan asked.
“Well, the magic of the earth it came from. Or, anti-magic, rather.”
“And does it reach far enough to allow one person to stand by and let another thing through?” asked Rel, coming forward slightly.
A quiet “Oh, dear.” was the only response the sage could offer.
“I'm sure that thing can be used to compromise the defenses,” Elathan said to the others. “I already know that Horendithas can temporarily affect or produce a null field. I just don't know if he used a spell or if it was the artifact that's missing.”
The others all turned a curious look on the mage, then, staring at his revelation that he knew their enemy possessed such a power.
“When did you learn this?” Kayla said, asking the question that was running through everyone's minds.
“I'll explain later,” Elathan said quietly.
“You'll explain now,” said Willem, stepping closer to the mage.
“Warning the Queen is more important,” said the sorcerer, not backing down an inch. “Waiting a few minutes won't hurt you any, Will.”
The crusader stared hard at Elathan, obviously considering whether or not he should continue to press the issue. Noramros, sensing the sudden tension, knew it would be prudent to get off the subject, so he rushed everyone out the door so that they could go and speak with Karrashiva. The sage's plan seemed to work in his mind, but he missed the suspicious looks the party shot at their suddenly questionable ally.
*
The group found Karrashiva soon enough, but nothing like they left her. Her torso was clad in fine black leather armor that seemed to soak in light, her legs locked inside onyx-colored metal leggings modified for maneuverability. A pair of wicked-looking bracers covered her forearms, covering the wrist where her clawed gloves ended. With a shifting black cowl covering her head and wrapped about her neck, she created an intimidating silhouette as she stalked through the halls, a determined and focused look on her face. She stopped in front of the group as they stood in the hall, looking over them individually before settling her gaze on Noramros.
“What is wrong? You all appear agitated.”
“Your Majesty,” Willem began “we have very strong reason to suspect that our enemy has been walking unchecked among us, and may very well have a means to bring down your castles defenses.”
Karrashiva's eyes widened and narrowed to slits at the crusader's revelation.
“You will explain. Now.”
The look she fixed Willem with as she spoke froze the crusader where he stood. He sputtered and stammered, clearly unable to form words in the face of the cold, unerring gaze with which Karrashiva held him. Farrln, seeing his friend paralyzed, stepped forward.
“Mother, please.”
Karrashiva flitted her eyes to her son and softened almost immediately, then looked back to Willem, who had managed to regain his wits once her eyes were off him.
“Explain.”
Willem shook himself and shifted as he explained everything the group had learned and gave a cursory explanation of what he assumed would happen. Karrashiva stood silent and stiff at the news, only the slightest flashes of anger and deadly intent coming into her eyes. When the warrior finished, Karrashiva took a breath and appeared completely calm on the surface, though everyone could tell there was a beast prowling behind her serene facade.
“General Millstone has informed me you will be assisting the defense of the southern wall.”
“Those plans were made before we had this information, though,” Elathan dared put in.
“Those plans will go through,” said Karrashiva with a tone of finality. Elathan bowed his head slightly in contrition.
“Of course, Your Majesty. We merely wanted to make sure you were aware of the potential threat from within.”
“That threat will be addressed and eliminated.” The manner in which the catfolk queen uttered that statement left no doubt in the party's mind that she would indeed follow through on her word. “Thank you for informing me. I would strongly suggest preparing yourselves.”
The group bowed to Karrashiva and she started off, but paused when she came beside her son.
“Do not disappoint me, Farrln,” she said, and went on her way.
The group chanced a glance after the imposing ruler, but the shock wore off soon enough for Kayla, who turned to her elven friend with a wary look.
“Now then, she's been warned, Elathan. So when in the Nine Hells did ye learn that about Creepy?”
Elathan explained how he had met with Horendithas at the river that night that seemed so long ago and how he had made his offer and encouraged the mage to look closer at the Queen. Willem, shaking his head and muttering about needing to pray, walked off from the group after fixing the mage with a long, hard stare. Farrln looked between him and the rest of the group, then followed his friend, hoping to, in his mind, calm the warrior at least a little.
“Why didn't ye mention it before?” Kayla pressed her friend.
“I don't know, to be honest,” said Elathan. “I have no intention of following up on his offer. I don't even know why I thought it was a good idea to take a walk along the river.”
“Magical influence,” Rel said quietly. The sorcerer spun on him, fixing him with a hard stare.
“What?”
“If you don't remember why and it goes against what you normally do, it is likely the result of a spell.”
Elathan considered Rel's words (which was certainly a change of pace for the sorcerer) and swore colorfully when he came to realize that the drow's words were likely true. He kicked at a table in the hall and stood in high bad temper, seemingly berating himself in his mind.
“Being angry now will change nothing,” said Rel. “This mage likely cast a spell on you. He wants you for some reason.”
“That creature said it wasn't supposed to harm you back at the castle we searched,” Kayla said. “I suspect Rel is correct. It would also explain why you never told us. You were probably still feeling off from whatever spell he used on you.”
The mage shook his head and threw up his arms. “I need some air to clear my head,” he said, and he walked off toward the front of the castle. Rel, Audria, Gaylia, and Kayla could only look after the agitated mage and sigh.
“This Horendithas fellow is certainly turning out to be a pain in the arse,” Kayla quipped sourly.
“So it would seem,” said Rel.
“Don't worry about Elathan, though. He'll calm down right enough soon.” Still, neither of the elves missed the concerned look the dwarf was sending after her troubled friend.
“I suppose there's nothing to do but wait for everyone to cool their heads.”
“True,” Gaylia said with a nod. “We'd better get ready.”
The women of the party began to go off to find a quiet place to prepare, leaving Rel standing where he was. He looked in the direction Willem and Farrln went, then where Elathan had gone in his confusion and anger.
“This is going to be difficult,” the drow said quietly enough for only him to hear.
