"
His iron composure looked shaken. I had delivered a blow to his belief
that I was an Earthman, for it is doubtful if there are six Earthmen on
Wolf who know about _shegri_, the dangerous game of the Dry-towns.
It is no ordinary gamble, for what the better stakes is his life,
possibly his reason. Rarely indeed will a man beg _shegri_ unless he has
nothing further to lose.
It is a cruel, possibly decadent game, which has no parallel anywhere in
the known universe.
But I had no choice. I had struck a cold trail in Shainsa. Rakhal might
be anywhere on the planet and half of Magnusson's month was already up.
Unless I could force Kyral to tell what he knew, I might as well quit.
So I repeated: "I will bet _shegri_ with you."
And Kyral stood unmoving.
For what the _shegrin_ wagers is his courage and endurance in the face
of torture and an unknown fate. On his side, the stakes are clearly
determined beforehand. But if he loses, his punishment or penalty is at
the whim of the one who has accepted him, and he may be put to whatever
doom the winner determines.
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