Along his way, he stopped at every relay-post. First Captain Matt had established them to pass signals from the Realm’s Edge quickly. Now they would do the same for the sub-Commander. He paused at each of them to explain why they were still necessary—and to warn the men that they would not be relieved. General Klamath needed all of his soldiers for harder tasks.

There were many such posts. Stopping often, Hellick did not catch up with the el-Algreb during the day.

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, he traveled a region of tumbled hills. Like much of Belleger’s south, this was sheep-grazing country. In kinder seasons, the hills were cloaked with the grasses sheep preferred. Draped in swaths of low shrubs and berry-bushes, the slopes were gentle enough for comfort. Scattered copses offered shade, and brief burns overgrown with trees supplied water. But now, deep in winter, the grasses were dried and brittle, the shrubs and thickets were stiff enough to scratch blood from the legs of unwary horses, and the copses everywhere had cast away their leaves. Under a cloudless sky, the stars at night seemed to cover the world with their freezing breath.

From time to time, Hellick passed hamlets and farmsteads, usually at a distance, all deserted. In one way, the threat of raids had done King Bifalt a service. Bellegerins here had not resisted the command to forsake their homes and head north. As evening deepened around him, the sub-Commander could have stopped at any of the abandoned houses, barns, or stables for shelter and perhaps a small fire. But the thought of what the el-Algreb might do in his absence kept him going.

As the hours passed, he expected to come upon the horse-warriors at any moment. To rest their mounts if not themselves, they must have halted somewhere. Bitterly, he began to imagine that he would find them celebrating the prospect of an easy victory.

But he was wrong. He did not catch up with the el-Algreb until late that night. In fact, he did not know that he was near them until Suti al-Suri appeared at his side and stopped him with a hand on his reins.

The chief warrior seemed to arrive from nowhere, condensing out of the darkness like a figment. Startled, Hellick muttered a reflexive curse. At first, he did not understand how Suti al-Suri had contrived to take him by surprise. Then he realized that he had been expecting horses: the smell of their sweat, the munch of their jaws as they chewed fodder and grain, the soft snuffles and whickers of beasts resting. But the el-Algreb must have tethered their mounts somewhere else. Suti al-Suri was on foot.

Gesturing for silence, the chief warrior touched Hellick’s arm, urged him to dismount. Mystified, the sub-Commander complied. A moment later, another warrior came to lead his horse away. Neither of the el-Algreb made a sound.