‘I have a lot on my mind just now.’ Sparhawk pulled the cinch of his saddle tighter. Faran grunted, filled his belly with air and deliberately stepped on his master’s foot. Almost absently, the Pandion kneed his mount in the stomach. ‘Keep your eyes open today, Stragen,’ he advised. ‘Some peculiar things are likely to happen.’

‘Such as what?’

‘I’m not really sure. If everything goes well, we’ll cover a great deal more ground today than usual. Stay with the Domi and his Peloi. They’re an emotional people, and out of the ordinary things sometimes upset them. Just keep assuring them that everything’s under control.’

‘Is it?’

‘I haven’t got the foggiest idea, old boy. I’m trying very hard to be optimistic about it, however.’ Stragen, he felt, sort of had that coming.

The dawn came slowly that morning, since the cloud-cover rolling in from the east had thickened during the night. At the top of the long slope leading up from the northern end of the lead-grey sheet of Lake Randera, Kring and his Peloi joined them. ‘It’s good to be back in Pelosia again, friend Sparhawk,’ Kring said, a good-humoured grin on his scarred face, ‘even in this cluttered and over-ploughed part of the kingdom.’

‘How many days to the Zemoch border, Domi?’ Tynian asked.

‘Five or six, friend Tynian,’ the Domi replied.

‘We’ll start out in just a few moments,’ Sparhawk told his friends. ‘There’s something Sephrenia and I have to do.’ He motioned to his tutor and they rode some distance away from the group sitting their horses on the grassy hilltop. ‘Well?’ he said to her.

‘Must you really do this, dear one?’ she pleaded.

‘I think so, yes. It’s the only way I can think of to protect you and the others from ambushes when we reach the Zemoch border.’ He reached inside his surcoat, removed the pouch and took off his gauntlets. Once again the Bhelliom felt very cold in his hands, a chill almost like the touch of ice. ‘Blue-Rose!’ he commanded, ‘bring the voice of Ghnomb to me!’

The jewel sullenly warmed in his hands. Then the greenish-yellow spot appeared within its depths, accompanied by the rotten-meat taste in Sparhawk’s mouth. ‘Ghnomb!’ he said, ‘I am Sparhawk-from-Elenia, and I have the rings. I hunt now. Ghnomb will aid my hunting as I commanded. Ghnomb will do it! Now!’

He waited tensely, but nothing happened. He sighed. ‘Ghnomb!’ he said. ‘Go away now!’ He put the Sapphire Rose back into its pouch, knotted the strings and thrust the pouch back inside his surcoat. ‘Well,’ he said ruefully, ‘so much for that. You said He’d let me know if He couldn’t help. He just let me know, all right. It’s a little awkward to find out about it at this stage of the proceedings, though.’

‘Don’t give up just yet, Sparhawk,’ Sephrenia told him.