Okas withdrew ever more into himself, often riding with his eyes closed, lost in thought. Once he almost fell from the saddle, but Beltzer caught him.
On the afternoon of the seventeenth day Okas moved his pony alongside Chareos. ‘We must find a hiding place,’ he said.
‘Why? Are there enemies close?’
‘Yes, those too. But this will be the night of the demons.’
Chareos nodded and rode to Finn. The hunter galloped off towards the west, where rearing rock-faces rose from the snow-speckled ground. By dusk the questors were camped in a deep cave on the side of a hill.
They ate in silence seated around a small, flickering fire. Okas forbade any meat to be eaten and sat with head bowed, eyes closed. At last his head came up and he looked at Chareos.
‘This is a night of great peril,’ he said softly. ‘The forces that will come against you are strong in their evil, powerful in their malice. They have been fed with the deaths of many, many people.’
‘Tell us of the old man we are to protect,’ invited Chareos. Sweat shone on his face and he could feel the cool breeze of the night on his skin. Watching the swordsman, Kiall felt his fear. Beltzer too remained silent, his small round eyes peering intently at Okas.
‘His name is Asta Khan and for many years he was shaman to Tenaka Khan, Lord of the Wolves. When Tenaka . . . died … he left tribe and travelled – eventually – to Mountains of Moon. Tenaka’s son, Jungir, and his own shaman, have decided it is time for Asta to die. They have sacrificed forty of Asia’s blood kin to feed the spirits and weaken the old man. Tonight the demons will fly.’
‘Why is he such a threat to Jungir?’ Finn enquired.
‘He knows a secret which Jungir wishes kept silent. Jungir Khan murdered his father.’
‘And that is all?’ asked Beltzer.
‘Not all,’ admitted Okas, ‘but all I know for certain.’
‘Can we defeat these demons?’ asked Beltzer. ‘Can my axe cut them?’
‘We shall be entering their world. In that place, yes, they can die. But their powers are very great. You are strong, fat Beltzer, but where we travel it is not strength of body but strength of heart which is important. It is a place of faith and miracles, a place of Spirit.’
‘How do we go there?’ Finn asked.
‘You do not go there,’ replied Okas. ‘Two must remain to protect the fleshly forms of those who fly. You, Finn, are best man for this.’
Kiall’s breathing became shallow and he could feel his heart fluttering like a caged moth. But he remained silent.
‘I will go,’ declared Chareos, ‘as will Beltzer.’ He looked at Maggrig, then at Kiall. The blond hunter smiled at Kiall, reading his terror.
‘I will come with you,’ stated Maggrig.
‘No,’ said Okas. ‘You will remain. There are enemies who have discovered our trail and they will come in the night. Your skills with the bow are needed here.’
‘Then,’ said Kiall, his voice shaking, ‘I must come?’
‘There is no must, my friend,’ answered Okas with a gentle smile. ‘This is a task for ghosts-yet-to-be. Perhaps we can win with only Beltzer, Chareos and myself.’
‘I … I will come,’ said Kiall. ‘I began this quest and I will walk where the dangers lie.’ He swallowed hard.
Chareos reached over and patted his shoulder. ‘Well said, Kiall.’
‘You stick close to me, boy,’ Beltzer told Kiall, hefting his axe. I’ll see you safely home.’
‘It is time,’ said Okas. ‘Finn, when we have departed put out fire and watch trails. With good fortune we return by dawn.’ He rose and led the three companions deeper into the cave, where they sat in a circle. Okas began to chant in a hissing tongue which the others could not understand. Listening to the chant, Kiall found his mind spinning. Stars swam before his eyes and the roar of rushing rivers filled his ears. Then a darkness fell, a darkness so complete that all sense of being departed from him.
He came to awareness with a sudden blaze of light and found himself standing, with the others, before a fire in another cave. The body of an old man lay there, seemingly asleep. The man’s spirit rose from the still form and approached them.