If it was his weakness to fall in love with short-lived Mabden women, then he must reconcile himself to the knowledge that he would outlive many lovers, must experience many losses, many agonies. As it was, he did not think much about it, preferring to avoid the significance of such ideas whenever possible. Besides, the memories of Rhalina were growing dim, and it was only with difficulty that he could remember the fine details of the life he had led in an earlier age, when he had ridden against the Sword Rulers.Corum Jhaelen Irsei (who had first been called the Prince in the Scarlet Robe, but, having since traded this robe to a wizard, was now known as Corum of the Silver Hand) stayed at Caer Mahlod for two months after the day when the Black Bull of Crinanass had ran its fecund course and brought sudden spring to the land of the Tuha-na-Cremm Croich, the People of the Mound. It was two months since the misshapen Fhoi Myore had tried to slay the inhabitants of Caer Mahlod, to freeze and to poison this place so that it, too, might resemble Limbo from whence the Fhoi Myore came and to which they were unable to return.Now the Fhoi Myore appeared to have abandoned their ambitions of conquest.
