They had won. The three of them against a dozen or more foes, and theyd won. It seemed that everything theyd said about the Knights of the Spur was true.

And what if there had been more of them hiding in the buildings? Til demanded. What if there had been just one more, to distract Fenir while you were nearly dying?

Ease off, Fenir said. She fought well.

Til shook his head. She took stupid risks, almost died, and got herself wounded. More than that… He returned his attention to Erin. More than that, you ignored everything I said about the need to wait.

What if theyd run? Erin shot back. What if theyd left while we were waiting? What if theyd gotten away with it?

Til must have heard the fury in her voice at that thought, because he took half a step back.

Do you think I wanted them to get away with what theyd done? he asked, softly. Im as glad theyre dead as you are, but we have to think bigger than that. We have to think about saving the people who are still alive.

Well, weve stopped them from killing anyone else too, Erin said.

Fenir spoke then. Not about that. These are Quiet Men.

Which means what? Erin asked. Maybe it was the pain in her leg, but she didnt have time for his terseness right then.

Which means, Til explained, that theres something bigger going on. The Quiet Men are the spies and advanced forces of the southerners. King Ravin sends them out to do specific tasks, or he sends them out like here, as scouts.

Scouts? Erin said. You mean

I mean that they took this village so they would have somewhere safe to bring more men, Til said. Theres nothing special here, nothing valuable, so its the only thing that makes sense. They were preparing the ground, opening the way. And if wed died trying to stop them, no one else would have known. Do you understand?

Erin understood. If these were scouts, it meant that the rest of an army wouldnt be far behind. There was an invasion coming from the south, and shed just experienced the first touch of it.

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

Nerra went to the woods, because she didnt know where else to go. She could feel the tears falling from her eyes as she walked, but they just blended in with the damp and the strangeness of the forest. Her hands trailed over the trees around her, identifying the plants there by touch: fungus and trailing leaves, flowers and bark.