"Stop with your madness. Do you hear me?"

"Don't touch me!" Squint-Eye jerked trying to free his arms but only hurt himself worse. "Make the Unclean let me go!" He tried to turn to Nikto.

Nikto twisted his arms even more; his joints cracked. Squint-Eye shrieked in pain.

"What are you doing, Nik?" Orel asked half-surprised, half-frightened.

"He wants to break his arms off!" Lis laughed. "Go on, don't restrict yourself!"

Nikto pushed Squint-Eye away, letting him go. He cursed in Unclean.

Squint-Eye fell on the floor, his arms didn't obey him. He curled in a ball on the floor not looking at them. Orel knelt next to him. "Bert, where have you been?"

"I fulfilled the order," Squint-Eye sobbed. "Then I decided to take a swim."

"Dressed," Lis added. Squint-Eye looked at him askance, sniffed.

"Do you know that Bey attacked us while you were taking a swim?" Orel said in a calm, icy voice. "We fought without you. Enriki nearly died. Do you know why? Because you were not there to help him. He led both his and your soldiers. And Bey has flair about such things. He understood at once Enriki was alone. He sent Edin Ol to attack. Enriki was unhorsed, he was wounded, horses stomped on him. There was no one to stand by him."

"But I didn't know! Everything was quiet! You stayed in your castle, they went for a routine check, I went to fulfill an order in the Upper City," Squint-Eye swallowed hard. "Who could know Bey would attack!"

"You had to know Bey could attack any moment! You always have to be on guard, wait and be ready! You cannot do anything else," Orel squeezed his shoulders. "You cannot do whatever you want. You cannot go for a swim or wherever you've been. You don't have such a possibility. Do you understand me? You have to be here, with us, do only what I order, and as soon as you do it, you have to come back at once, for another order, and then again and again. You're not free, you're on the team!"

Squint-Eye raised his eyes at Orel.

"Am I a slave?"

"Yes, if you want that, you are a slave. If you like it this way. If you feel like a slave, it's your choice!" Orel turned to Lis. "Lis, do you feel like a slave in our team?"

"Of course, I don't!" Lis snorted looking at Squint-Eye with contempt.

"You see, Bertran Dallen, you're the one to blame in your unenviable position!" Orel continued. "You couldn't make others take you into consideration. There was time when you were one of the best! Everyone loved and respected you! I loved you too! Huh, Bert, do you remember?" Orel talked quietly, almost tenderly. "You were brave and fierce, everyone was afraid of you. And your face wasn't grey like now, your eyes were not red and swollen, always bruised. Your hair," he touched Squint-Eye's dark hair, cut jaggedly, "your hair was long. You were a real warrior. I was proud you were with me."

Squint-Eye covered his face. "Orel, shut up, it was a long time ago! And I don't care! I don't even want to recall it, I became different."

"Why? Bert, why?" Orel moved closer to him, took his scratched hand. Squint-Eye shuddered, yanking his fingers away from Orel convulsively.

"Don't! Don't call me by my name! Everyone knows here my name is Squint-Eye! My name is Squint-Eye! Squint-Eye! Squint-Eye!"

Lis looked at him in disgust.

"Why are you treating him like a child, Arel? Don't you see he became a complete nonentity?"

Squint-Eye glanced at Lis furiously.

"I hate you so much, Lis! I would cut your throat a long time ago, if Orel didn't love you. It's your luck I respect Orel and don't want to hurt his feelings!"