As I sat with what I hoped was an appearance of ease, the sun shining on that band of metal, I was certain the stranger's oddly set eyes widened.  For a moment, perhaps two breaths, his gaze held on that.  Then he dropped his reins in turn, the shadow steed standing quiet, all four feet planted rock fast, as its rider's hands arose in an answering gesture of peace.  At least in this much he followed Dale custom.

Cautiously, half fearing that my horses might come to life and bolt, I slipped from the saddle.  None of the three moved as I watched them warily before advancing through the tall grass toward the cat-crowned man.

He waited until I was a sword's length away before he spoke - soft slurred words with a lilting cadence.  He might have been reciting some formula.  I shook my head, then replied in Dale speech:

"Greeting to a sharer of the road; may the -" I hesitated now.  I could not wish him Flame Blessing - such words might be an insult to one who worshiped other powers.  Nor could I, in all honestly, call upon the Flame myself, since I was marked as one with no right to the belief of true men.

He frowned.  For the fist time there was a shadow of expression on his impassive face.  Had a faint tinge of surprise also crossed it for an instant?  When he spoke again he used Dale speech, accented, but clear.

"Where ride you, man?" He made the word "man" sound like a title of disrepute.
"In search of -" I hesitated again.  To inform the first comer of my reason for riding the Waste was folly.

"In search of -" he prompted.  Now it was true he wore an expression and it was grim.  "Old treasure, of scrap heaps to burrow in, scavenger?"

His hands dropped, not to seize sword as I had first thought, rather to gather up reins.  I knew he was preparing to ride on where my mounts would not follow.  At that moment I knew fear.  For I had a strong feeling if he went I would not again see him or discover more of his kind, while it could well be he represented just those I had been sent to find.

"I am not a hunter of old metal - a scavenger." I hastened to say.  "I ride with a message."

"What message and to be given to whom?"  He was plainly impatient.

"The message I do know - but to whom it is to be delivered - of that I am not sure."
"Riddles!" he snapped scornfully.

"Not riddle but ignorance.  I am out of the Dales where there has been war for two years and more..."

He had been on the point of turning his horse, now he stayed that movement.

"War."  Again there was scorn in his tone.  "One petty lord man against his fellow, quarreling over half a hillside of near-barren land."

His contempt for the Dalesmen was open.  I half agreed inwardly that he was right.  That was all that war had been for years - hot family feuds in which men died, to be sure, but there was no wide ravening of the countryside.