Sandreena studied them both for a moment, then turned her attention back to the task at hand. “You have your orders,” she said to Farson, and he nodded. Slowly he turned the animals around and she knew he didn’t relish the idea of leading three horses back up that trail. She watched closely for any sign they might have been observed, while the returning Knight-Adamant tied her horse’s reins to the saddle ring of Jaliel’s, then that mount’s reins to his own. “See you tomorrow, Sergeant; Jaliel,” he said as he led the three horses back up the shallow gully and started the tedious climb back to the top of the ridge.

“Now what?” asked Jaliel quietly.

“We wait,” she answered, looking at the sky. “Best if we rest. You try to sleep. I’ll stand watch.”

The more experienced of the two Knights she had recruited nodded, not needing further urging. It might only be morning and they might have a long day ahead to wait out, but years living in the wilderness had taught him to take rest when it was offered.

Left to her own thoughts, Sandreena crawled up so she could rest her arm on a big boulder, then her chin on her arm and study the distant construction. Flickers of movement gave tantalizing hints of something going on, but she could make out no useful detail. She would have to be content to wait until darkness fell—a good nine hours or more away—and then creep down for a closer look. She offered a prayer to the Goddess, for them to remain undiscovered, because she had no illusions of making it back to the top of that long switchback being chased while they were on foot. Being undiscovered was their only hope.

So she settled in and prayed, and waited for the sun to crawl across the sky, and she tried very hard to drive thoughts of Amirantha from her mind every time he intruded into her thinking.

Night came slowly, but after the sun set, they began moving carefully down the side of the mountain. The frustrating thing for Sandreena was that even as she got closer, she could make out less detail because of the failing light. Little Moon was the only one rising this early in the evening, and the smallest of Midkemia’s three moons provided scant illumination. Middle Moon wouldn’t be seen until just before dawn and Large Moon wouldn’t rise until after dawn. Still, as they needed stealth, she would just as soon deal with having to get closer than trying to approach on a Three Moons Bright night.