Perhaps he would never be ready: not for this. Beyond the shallower climb of the second hillside, past the second writhe of the watercourse, he found what he sought. Below him, the stream curved into and then away from a narrow scallop of sand at the foot of an empty arroyo. And as the current ran onward, it was constricted between bluff facets of granite. There, where the flow tumbled against stone, it had spent long ages of runoff gnawing at its bed until it had formed a pool of deeper water.

From his position above the stream, the pool’s depth made the water look dark; almost bottomless. It might have been a well that reached into the heart of the Lower Land.

Ah, hell, he thought. Bloody damnation. But he did not stop. Supported by Pahni and the Staff of Law, he accompanied Stave down to the sand at the stream’s edge.

Golden boy with feet of clay.

Chary of hesitation, he dropped the Staff unceremoniously and turned to scan the northern ridgeline. After a moment, he spotted a squat boulder the size of a hut propped against the horizon.

“That big rock,” he told Pahni. His voice rasped in his throat. “You can watch from there.” For her sake, he added, “Trust your instincts. If you think we need help, call Stave.”

She was Ramen; but Stave was Haruchai. He would respond more swiftly.

Doubt and determination flitted like spectres across the background of the Cord’s gaze. “I will abide by your desires,” she replied, “as my Manethrall has commanded.” Then her expression sharpened. “And I will heed the counsels of my heart.”

At once, she spun away and began to ascend the hillside. Lithe and graceful, she appeared to glide upward in spite of her weariness.

Now, Covenant ordered himself. Now or never. Do it.

If he became any weaker, he would fall on his face.

Extending his arms, he faced Stave. “Out of sight,” he said like a man who could hardly stand. “Behind Pahni’s boulder, if you want. With your senses, you’ll probably know what happens as soon as she does. But I want you to wait until she warns you. Trust me as long as you can. Or trust her.

“You can’t care about Linden any more than I do. And you don’t need her as badly.”

Stave regarded him. “You believe that the Cord will call out. You are certain that I will sense peril.”

Covenant met Stave’s gaze, and held out his arms, and said nothing further.

After a moment, Stave surrendered Linden to Covenant’s unsteady clasp. Without pausing, the former Master turned and strode after Pahni. Like her, he seemed to move more effortlessly than Covenant could imagine.

Apparently he trusted Covenant that far. At least as far as the boulder. Perhaps his Haruchai intransigence would unbend enough to let Covenant succeed or fail.