The Speaker turned, astonished. "Can it be that you believe in the Founder? Is it possible, a hunter, a killer—"
"No. Of course not. All their business about resignation to death, non-violence—"
"What is it, then?"
Conger shrugged. "I've been taught not to mix with such as these. They have strange abilities. And you can't reason with them."
The Speaker studied Conger thoughtfully. "You have the wrong idea. It is no one here that we have in mind. We've found that killing them only tends to increase their numbers."
"Then why come here? Let's leave."
"No. We came for something important. Something you will need to identify your man. Without it you won't be able to find him." A trace of a smile crossed the Speaker's face. "We don't want you to kill the wrong person. It's too important."
"I don't make mistakes." Conger's chest rose. "Listen, Speaker—"
"This is an unusual situation," the Speaker said. "You see, the person you are after—the person that we are sending you to find—is known only by certain objects here. They are the only traces, the only means of identification. Without them—"
"What are they?"