The soup was delicious and very welcome, since none of us but Dragon had eaten since the night before, and the fire was a boon, for not only was the night cold, it grew very dark after the sun set. Yet when I went to relieve myself at one point, I saw how vividly it stood out against all that darkness and I quailed at the thought of the rhenlings seeing it. Later, when I went to the lake to get some water in a bowl, it seemed to me I heard something in the deeper shadows beyond a lake that was now full of glimmering darkness and stars. My heart beating uneasily, I formed a probe, but there was too much taint around for it to locate anything. I stood still for a long time, straining my ears and eyes, my skin prickling with the feeling that something was watching me.

When Dameon laid a hand on my arm, I started violently.

‘I am sorry, I felt your fear,’ he said. ‘What is it?’

‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘At least, I feel like there is something out there in the darkness, watching us. It is probably just my imagination.’

‘Not necessarily,’ the empath said. ‘This seems to be the sole source of clean water about and doubtless many small creatures usually come here to drink, but instead here we are with our noise and our fire.’

I heaved a sigh and shook my head at my foolishness. ‘You are probably right. It is some small thirsty thing longing for us to be on our way.’

We walked back to the fire together and I announced to the others that we would not leave until the moon rose, whether or not the wolves had come. We sat staring into the dying fire and listening to the soft pop and hiss of the firenuts.

‘They will come,’ Analivia said suddenly, and rising decisively she moved a few steps away and began to sand scrub the bowls. She sounded more like her old self and I had no doubt this was the result of her being able to help Dragon. I had noticed true healers were always strengthened by the exercise of their calling.

‘You sound very sure,’ Swallow said, moving to help her, the teasing note to his voice suggesting he, too, had noticed the easing of her manner.

But she gave him a serious look that wiped the smile from his mouth, saying, ‘The bird would not have sent Elspeth here to die with her quest undone.’