‘You sent Gahltha to wait at the lake because Atthis told you that the wolves would send us there to await their decision,’ I said, careful not to couch my words as a question.

‘The oldOnes told Marumanyelloweyes that if ElspethInnle could convince the wolves to hear her, we would come to the Skylake,’ Maruman sent.

‘The irony of it is that I think Rheagor would have refused to hear me if that old wolf had not beastspoken me when he tried to attack.’ I heaved a sigh. ‘I will be glad when we finally get to the ken and Atthis tells me why we need them.’

‘We will not go there,’ Maruman sent.

I turned my head to look at the old cat. ‘I know we have to go to the lake first,’ I said.

‘No,’ Maruman said. ‘We will not go to the ken.’

I stopped, baffled by his words. ‘Atthis …’ I began.

‘Is dead,’ Maruman concluded, his tone flat and sorrowful. ‘She died the night she sent Darga and me from the ken to the barud-ha.’ He wriggled from the hood and sprang to the ground, no doubt discomforted by the emotions his words had roused in me.

‘That can’t be.’ I sent. ‘I was supposed to talk to her before I set off on the final part of my quest. She promised she would answer my questions! She would have seen if she was to die!’

‘She saw it,’ Maruman said, sitting down and curling his tail composedly around himself. ‘She said that was the price you had agreed to pay, to save your mate. She said it was too soon to call you to her for there were things you had yet to do. That is why Marumanyelloweyes was summoned to the ken. The oldOne showed and told me many things. Go to Innle and say this and that. Lead Innle to the mountains this way and go that way. Bring her to the wolves’ barud, and thence to Skylake.’

My mind raced. The last memory I had of Atthis was of calling to her to help me from within the depths of Rushton’s mind. He had been striving to die, stricken by what had been done to him and what he had almost done to me. Atthis had warned me not to let Rushton drag me with him into the mindstream, for he had been too heavy for me to resist. I had refused to let him go, begging her to help me hold him. She had done so, warning me that a price would have to be paid for her intervention. ‘I will pay it,’ I had sworn, desperately heedless.

‘You will not be the one to pay …’ she had answered.