‘I would rather go on if there is clean ground to be had at the end of the journey,’ I said. ‘If there is clean water there will likely be grazing for the horses and it might be possible to do some foraging. Better to get there before we stop. Besides, I would far rather sleep on untainted ground under the sun when I know that no rhenling horde can come hunting me.’

That put an end to their arguments, for while it was true that the creatures could not come through the blocked pipe, there were other outlets and they might very well fly to this end of the pipe as they must have done many times before when the moon was near to rising.

Ahmedri and Swallow reconstructed the travois and Dragon’s bier was tied in place after it had been fastened to Sendari. In the meantime, Analivia fashioned a sling for my splinted arm. Swallow suggested I would be more comfortable riding if they bandaged my ribs but both Analivia and Ahmedri said this would do more harm than good.

I could have walked, but not quickly and I would have ridden Gahltha, as he wished, but it proved easier simply to mount me up on little Faraf again. She truly had a gentle gait; moreover, with Dameon walking alongside me emanating serenity, and the coercive net catching any pain, I could manage very well. It struck me that this would be the right moment to tell the others my body would heal itself, but by the time I was in place, I had decided to wait until we stopped.

There was no moon or sun to light our way, but Rheagor took the lead confidently and the wolves followed. Ahmedri and Swallow both carried lit torches at his suggestion, not for light so much as for protection.

‘There be beasts that do dwell in this place other than rhenlings and all wild creatures do fear the hot bite of flame,’ Rheagor had answered when I asked if he expected the rhenlings to attack us.

For a time we moved in silence over the flat barren ground. I noticed all of the wolves stayed well back from the circles of torchlight and wondered what they would do if we were on an open plain with no shelter when day broke.

Then I heard Analivia say softly to Swallow, who rode behind her on Gahltha, ‘I was never so frightened as when you opened the bottle and we saw all those rhenlings around us in the pipe. Not even when Moss threatened to throw me over the cliff when I was six.’