I started to open my mouth to argue with her, when several things occurred to me. The first was that words were not going to convince her that what I felt was real. Only time would do that. The second was that she felt something, too—both her words and her response to my kiss told me that much. Knowing she cared gave me the hope to be patient.

So I smiled at her and started back for camp.

Unless she told me to leave her alone, I would pursue her unto the ends of the earth.

KELLEN’SMAN ROSEM HAD THE LOOK OF A SOLDIERabout him. Something in the way that he stood spoke of long hours in ranks and parade rests. Stala wasn’t big on fancy marching, but I knew what the results looked like. He was wary of me, and unhappy at having to trust someone else to rescue Kellen: very unhappy at how we were going about it.

“Why does he have to go off alone—why can’t he work the magic here?”

I shrugged, not about to tell him that Oreg intended to fly to the Asylum under the cover of night and take a good look at what spells were put on Kellen’s cell. “For,” as he’d said to me, “Kellen is too rich a prize to leave out with the common discards. They’ll have other safeguards about him even though he’s not in the wizard’s wing.”

“Oreg knows what he’s doing, Rosem,” said Tisala patiently for the third or fourth time. “Trust him.”

“Do I have a choice?” he said finally. The edge of desperation clung to his tones.

“No,” said Duraugh. “But Hurogs pay their debts.”

“The Hurogmeten got himself out,” replied Rosem.

Duraugh shrugged. “Maybe so, but you risked a lot to help us—we can do no less.”

The atmosphere of Menogue after dark didn’t help, I thought. If we’d been back at camp with the men, the familiar noise and bustle would have drowned out Rosem’s realization that he was standing on a place reputed to be haunted. No good Tallven would have been caught dead on Menogue after dark—unless he was awaiting the rescue of his liege lord by a pack of wild-eyed Northmen.

It affected everyone. Duraugh had been careful to lean up against a tree so that nothing could sneak up behind him. Tosten stared off into the darkness of the woods as if he expected to see something there. Tisala played with the hilt of her sword.

I closed my eyes and took up a more comfortable perch on the waist-high boulder I’d found to sit on. If something out there meant harm to us, the Tamerlain who was curled up, unseen, behind me would give warning.