A glowing sphere formed in the air before Chareos. ‘Thank the Source!’ he whispered. The sphere floated away to the right. Chareos and the others followed it and soon climbed above the mist into the relative safety of the trees. Okas was still squatting on the grass, but he opened his eyes as the questors entered the clearing. ‘Sit around me in a circle,” he said. ‘Place the girl at the centre.’ Beltzer gently laid the unconscious Tanaki to the grass and they formed a circle. Okas closed his eyes and began to chant once more, his voice low and rhythmic. Beltzer looked closely at him. The old man was painfully thin and his face was streaked with grey, his lips as blue as the tattooes on his chin.
Beltzer nudged Chareos and pointed to Okas. Chareos nodded. Whatever magic the old man was working was taking a terrible toll.
Nadir horsemen rode into the clearing and Beltzer jerked, and reached for his axe, but Chareos gripped his arm. The horsemen seemed insubstantial, like ghosts. They rode slowly past the questors.
Kiall shivered and watched the wraith riders as they passed. Okas opened his eyes and sagged sideways to the grass. Chareos and Kiall moved to him, but the old man waved them away and curled up to sleep. Chareos covered him with a blanket as Kiall turned to the girl. Under the bright moonlight he could see her face was swollen and bruised. Her left eye was closed tight, the right darkened and discoloured. Carefully he lifted the blanket from her body. Her legs and buttocks were also badly bruised and scratched, and there was dried blood on her thighs.
Beltzer knelt on the other side of Tanaki. ‘You want some help?’ he asked Kiall.
‘No. There is nothing we can do. But a fire would help; we could keep her warm.’
‘We cannot risk that,’ said Chareos. ‘I don’t know how powerful the magic is, nor how long it will last.’
‘I do not know why she is still unconscious,’ said Kiall. ‘The bruising is severe, but no bones seem to be broken.’
‘I have seen this before,’ Chareos told him. ‘It is not the injury to the body, but to the spirit. This is an ugly business, Kiall.’
Tanaki moaned softly and Kiall lay alongside her, stroking her face. ‘You are well now,’ he whispered into her ear. ‘You are with friends. Sleep, lady. Rest.’ Chareos covered her with his own blanket, while Beltzer removed his jerkin and rolled it for a pillow beneath her head. She turned to one side, her hand outside the blanket. The fingers clenched into a fist, then opened and dug into the earth. Kiall took her hand gently and held it. Tanaki’s breathing eased, and she slept.
Three times ghostly Nadir riders entered the clearing. Once a man dismounted within three paces of the que-stors, and knelt to examine the tracks. He looked puzzled and spoke to his companions, but the questors could hear no words. Then he mounted and rode away through the trees.
The night passed slowly. Kiall slept fitfully alongside Tanaki, while Chareos and Beltzer sat talking in low whispers. Harokas moved away to the edge of the trees and slept alone.
Dawn found Chareos and Beltzer on the hillside, scanning the horizon for signs of Finn or Maggrig. The Nadir camp was deserted, the town silent.
‘They’re canny men,’ remarked Beltzer. ‘They’ll be all right.’
‘I wish I could be sure,’ said Chareos. ‘The risk was too great; I should never have asked them to go.’
‘They’re grown men; they could have refused. And we did get the girl.’
Chareos was tired. His back ached and he stretched out on the grass. ‘You should sleep for a while,’ said Beltzer. ‘I’ll stand watch for Finn.’
Chareos nodded. ‘Keep an eye on the Earl’s man also. Don’t let him move behind you.’
‘You think he’s an assassin?’
‘I just think he needs watching.’ Chareos closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The sun climbed higher as Beltzer sat beside Chareos, his axe in his lap, his mind on the mountain. He felt alive now, almost young again. Almost. Carrying the girl had sapped his strength, as had the battle in the town. His huge hand curled around the axe haft. ‘There’s still a skirmish or two left in us, eh?’ he said.