Danjin looked down at Mischief. The veez had remained quiet throughout the battle so far. Danjin hadn’t dared to leave Mischief behind, sure that if he did the veez would escape and go in search of Auraya.

“Reyer and veez?” Berro snorted. He looked to the left, where grooms held the five white Bearers ready in case the White needed them. “Only the White have Bearers and they aren’t even using them—and what use is a talking pet during war?”

“Out,” Mischief said.

The weight in the cage shifted. Danjin looked down. “No. Stay.”

“Out,” Mischief insisted. “Away. Run.”

“No. Auraya will come back later.”

The veez began to turn circles inside the cage, setting it rocking. “Run! Bad coming. Run! Hide! Run!”

Danjin frowned. The veez was growing more and more agitated. Perhaps the abductor was near. He turned and scanned the faces around him. Those closest were looking at the veez in curiosity. He looked farther away, to the left and right and over his shoulder.

And saw four black shapes loping up the other side of the ridge toward them.

He shouted a warning. Screams rang out as the vorns were seen. There was a moment of hesitation as people clutched at each other in terror, or collided with others as they turned to flee. The line of watchers broke. Most of it spilled down the hill toward the battle, leaving a few individuals frozen in terror on the ridge. The centermost watchers remained still, held together by a strong, confident voice.

“Everyone into the pavilion, and stay there,” High Priest Haleed said, striding forward to place himself between the vorns and the pavilion. “I will deal with this.”

Danjin frowned as he realized the Somreyan elder was the only magically trained person among the watchers, apart from Raeli—though he had no idea how Gifted she was. Not all Dreamweavers are strong sorcerers.

All squeezed into the dubious cover of the cloth pavilion. Outside, the grooms were hastily covering the heads of the reyer with cloth, including the Bearers, in the hope that the mounts wouldn’t take fright and break free. They drew them as close to the pavilion as they could.

Songmaker was still standing outside, his back to the pavilion and his attention on the battle. Danjin saw the man look around at the people fleeing into the valley in puzzlement. He called the man’s name. Songmaker turned and his expression changed from puzzlement to alarm as he took in the scene. As he walked toward the pavilion, Danjin heard an animal yowl of pain close by.

He looked out to see one of the vorns lying, twitching, on the ground. The others were scampering backward, dodging this way and that to avoid Haleed’s attacks.

“Ah, magic,” Songmaker murmured. “A soldier might lose form as he ages, but a sorcerer remains useful.”