The three vanished from sight and Vaintè’s eye rolled back and came to focus on Enge who had come up silently and now stood before her, bent in a gesture of supplication.

“Leave me,” Vaintè said, as curtly as she could. “I speak with no one.”

“A matter of greatest importance. I implore you to listen.”

“Go.”

“You must listen. Stallan beats the ustuzou. I am afraid she will kill it.”

Vaintè gave Enge her full attention now, demanding an instant explanation.

“The creature tried to escape but was recaptured. Stallan beats it terribly.”

“This is not my wish. Command her to cease. Wait—I will do it myself. I want to hear more about this escape. How did it happen?”

“Only Stallan knows. She has told no one.”

“She will tell me,” Vaintè said, grim authority in her gesture.

When they reached the prison chamber they saw that the door was open and could hear the thudding sound of blows, the moans of pain, as they came down the corridor. “Stop,” Vaintè ordered, halting in the doorway, speaking the word with such strength that Stallan halted, her arm still raised, the blood-drenched leash in her hand.

At her feet Kerrick lay twisted in agony, his back raw bloody flesh, beaten half unconscious.

“Tend the creature,” Vaintè ordered and Enge rushed forward. “And you, put that thing down and give me an instant explanation.”

There was such certain death hovering behind her words that even the strong and fearless Stallan quavered before it. The leash fell from her powerless fingers: it took all of her will to force her body to answer. Knowing that Vaintè had but to speak the few words more and she was doomed.

“The creature escaped from me, ran. Very fast. No one could catch it. We followed it to the fields, keeping close behind it. But never close enough. It would have escaped had it not been caught by one of the traps placed around the fields to stop the ustuzou night raiders.”

“That close,” Vaintè said looking down at the small form. “These wild animals have abilities we are not aware of.” Her anger was dying away and Stallan quivered with relief. “But how did it escape?”

“I do not know, Eistaa. Or rather I know what happened but cannot explain it.”

“Try.”

“I shall. It walked beside me, obeying my commands. When we had gone some distance it stopped and raised its hands to the collar of this leash, choking and saying it was being strangled. This was possible. I reached to the collar but before I could touch it the ustuzou ran away. And it was not choking.”

“But it told you it was choking?”

“It did.”

Vaintè’s anger was gone now as she thought hard about what the hunter had said. “Were you not holding the leash?”

“I had released it when I reached for the collar. The beast was choking, it could not escape.”