“Isla? No, we don’t need Isla, and she has things of her own to do,” Jonaton said absently. But then he looked up and really saw her, and beckoned to her. “Sit here,” he ordered, pointing to a stool that was behind the pair of stone “horns.” She saw now that he had moved them farther apart. “She needs to make sure none of the cats gets down here. Herding cats is enough of a job for ten people, but Isla is an army unto herself. Ivar should be here any moment.”

And just as he said that, Ivar did appear, from a different entrance than Delia had come by. His unruly blond hair was confined by a practical sweatband, and he was burdened with a pack and a belt festooned with weapons. There was a crossbow and a quiver of bolts, a good long knife, an axe, a sling, and a bag of shot, and perched on the top of his pack was a helmet.

He himself wore a good set of leather armor: tunic, bracers, and upper arm pieces, a gorget, and a pair of the stoutest boots Delia had ever seen in her life. His great black mastiff Bay was at his side, looking solemn and business-like, right up until Ponu exclaimed, “Doggo!” and Bay’s tail wagged. Sai confirmed, “That’s a fine big pupper, that is.”

Jonaton glanced over and asked, “He didn’t go after the cats, did he?”

Ivar patted Bay on the side with firm thumps. “Didn’t need to. They fled at first sight.”

“What a good boy,” Ponu declared, despite a glare from Jonaton.

Dole looked Ivar over skeptically. “No sword?” he asked.

“Swords are good against humans, not so much against animals. Not that we’ll actually fight unless we have no choice,” Ivar replied easily. “If we run into anything like that bear, Bay will harry it on one side while I plink at it on the other, with the idea of making it run away. I’m not there to do anything more than look for your body of water. Not even long enough to need my horse. Besides, the horse won’t fit through this Gate.”

“Well said,” Ponu agreed. “You’re smarter than you look.”

“If I wasn’t, I’d also be deader than I look,” Ivar laughed.

Delia had to smile a little. Ivar really was smart.

“All right, then, let’s make this thing happen!” said Sai. It seemed to Delia that despite his eager tone, he was covering up a lot of anxiety. She was pretty sure she was right when she noticed that, as he lined up two sets of six large crystals with each of the two stone horns, his hands shook a little.