i_

of St. Gird. Is that so?"
Paks started to nod, but the pain lanced through her head again. "Yes, sir; it's true."
"But you wear his holy symbol. It was given to you, I understand, by a Girdsman?"
"Yes, sir. A friend—Canna."
"Ah. Did she tell you why she gave it to you? Had she been trying to convert you?"
"No, sir. I—I wasn't there when she died. The Duke told me she had left it to me. He—he said it would be right to keep it."
The High Marshal pursed his lips. "It's unusual. Most Girdsmen, if they die in battle or from wounds, want their symbols returned to the barton or grange where they joined.