At camp Thero’s tent was empty, and so was his own. Asking after the others, a woman pointed him down to the river, where Micum and Mika were fishing with borrowed poles. They were laughing together, and half a dozen sleek trout lay shining on the grass behind them.

Alec’s face must have told the tale; Micum took one look at him and the merriment fled from his eyes.

“You didn’t find Klia again, did you?” asked Mika.

“Where are Thero and Seregil?” Alec asked, avoiding the question for now.

“They’re up at the oracle’s cave,” said Micum. “Thero’s working out how to set the seal on this side.”

“Guess I’ll go see how they’re making out.”

“Tell them we’re having fish for supper!” Mika called after him.

Alec rode to the caves and found Cynril and Thero’s horse still tethered at the edge of the grove. Handing Windrunner’s reins to one of the guards, he made his way through the chambers to the third cave.

He found Seregil and Thero among the dripstone formations, looking at Khazireen’s skull by the light of one of Thero’s hovering orbs. Alec splashed across to join them.

Thero looked up expectantly, then his face fell. “You found her, didn’t you?”

“She’s alive, Thero.”

“But you can’t get her out.”

“No. It was just like when I tried to take you in.”

“I see.” For the briefest of instants Thero’s face was suffused with desperation, but immediately his expression hardened back into the usual mask of scholarly concentration.

“She told me to tell you that she’ll never give in to Rhazat. She said that—” Alec paused, thinking of the sharpened gorget. “She said to tell you that.”

“Of course she won’t give in,” said Thero.

“But she’s well?” asked Seregil.

Alec swallowed, wanting badly to lie. “She’s thin, and she’s hungry. She ate most of what I brought in with me. But she wouldn’t have lasted this long if she didn’t have something to eat there.”

“What, I wonder?” said Seregil. “Do you suppose Rhazat sends the dra’gorgos out to market?”

“It’s possible,” said Thero. “They are able to come out and take things back with them. Of course, Klia’s escort disappeared when she did, horses and all. Maybe they’re eating horsemeat.”

“Micum said you were looking for how to use the new seal,” said Alec.

“Yes.” Thero held it up. “I think I can fuse it to what’s left of the original gold spike—” He faltered, then covered his eyes with his hand.

“We can’t seal Klia in there, Thero.”

“Do you think I want to? If you could have just gotten her out—!”