‘And some most unusual plants,’ Gavor added.
Andawyr looked at them both. ‘True,’ he said unen-thusiastically. ‘But I think short rations might be preferable.’
‘Nonsense,’ boomed Dar-volci, chattering his teeth ecstatically. ‘They’re delicious. I’ll bring you one tomorrow-as a special treat. I can… ’
‘No fish!’ Andawyr said definitively.
Dar-volci chuckled malevolently.
Andawyr’s forceful declaration seemed to sweep aside the concerns that had been mounting, but nevertheless, progress over the next few days became slower and more fraught, with Andawyr walking some way in front of the group and pausing longer wherever alternative routes offered themselves. Dar-volci occasionally ran ahead and the group would have to pause until he returned with a simple nod or shake of the head for the Cadwanwr.
‘Why don’t these Alphraan help more?’ Yrain whis-pered to Hawklan at one point.
‘It is not the time,’ came the reply before Hawklan could speak.
Yrain jumped, and looked about awkwardly. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I… ’
‘Do not doubt the deep wisdom of the Cadwanwr and the way-maker,’ said the voice. ‘We are wise in this lore, but even we learn with his every step.’
Then the route began to move steadily downwards, sometimes quite steeply. The temperature, which had been for the most part cool so far, began to grow very cold, and an unpleasant staleness began to pervade the air. Once or twice Hawklan caught the anxious look in Andawyr’s eyes.
‘What’s the matter?’ he asked discreetly as they were making camp later.
‘We’re very deep, and getting deeper,’ Andawyr replied quietly. Then, hesitantly, ‘We’ve moved well beyond the reach of Oklar and even the writ of Theowart… ’ His voice had fallen to an awed whisper and he caught Hawklan’s sleeve nervously. ‘I’m beginning to doubt… ’
Hawklan raised a hand gently, to stop him. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You’ve always doubted. Now you’re beginning to fret. Your people have been deep before. Wasn’t it Ethriss himself who told you to go beyond? You’ll guide us through safely.’ Before Andawyr could reply, Hawklan signalled Dacu.
‘Go a little way away, beyond our chatter here; sit in the darkness and be still,’ he said, looking at Andawyr intently. ‘Dacu, you go with him. Remember the Great Silence that roused me. Alphraan, share this as you need.’
A soft voiceless whisper of thanks floated around him briefly.
Dar-volci jumped up into Andawyr’s arms unbid-den.
As the two men walked off into the darkness, Hawk-lan motioned the others in the shelter.
‘I sense some kind of trial ahead for us,’ he said. ‘What it will be I don’t know, but you’re Helyadin and you’ll cope with it whatever it is. Stay aware and, above all, don’t cling to your fear. We must keep to a mini-mum the burden we impose on Andawyr.’
It was a long time before Andawyr and Dacu re-turned, and most of the others were asleep when the two men quietly entered the tent. Andawyr did not speak, but he smiled at Hawklan before he lay down and apparently went to sleep immediately. Dar-volci curled up beside him.
Dacu looked at Hawklan. His manner was relaxed and his eyes were alive with some silent animation. ‘This is a strange… alien… place,’ he said, enigmatically, to Hawklan, then he too lay down and fell asleep.
During the night, Hawklan woke twice. On both occasions he thought he heard the dying notes of a faint, howling cry, far in the distance. It chilled him.
The message had been brought to Eldric’s mountain stronghold by two exhausted but triumphant Orthlundyn. While they rested after their difficult journey, posts of High Guard riders carried it rapidly across Fyorlund to Vakloss.
Now, Eldric pushed it away angrily, and looked up at Gulda. ‘You knew about this?’ he said.
‘About what?’ she replied.
‘About Hawklan not leading the army. Wandering off somewhere on this wild… expedition. No one knowing where he is, how he’s faring, anything.’ Eldric struggled to keep his feelings under control.
‘Yes,’ Gulda replied simply.
Her calm did little to help Eldric’s restraint and his colour rose noticeably. Before he could erupt, however, Gulda continued, as calmly as before. ‘It needs no great knowledge of strategy to see that his mission is necessary,’ she said. ‘Nor any great insight into affairs or people to know that he alone can undertake it.’
Eldric tapped the table in mounting frustration, trapped utterly by Gulda’s brief yet all-encompassing, remarks.
‘But… ’ he spluttered eventually.
Gulda raised her eyebrows, like a school teacher at an intelligent but too presumptuous pupil. Eldric breathed out noisily and, sagging into his chair, reached out and picked up the message again.
‘I should have thought you’d be a little more pleased at the news, Lord,’ Gulda said.
Eldric nodded. ‘I am, I am,’ he said genuinely. ‘I can’t pretend to understand what the escape of Creost and Dar Hastuin implies, but the Morlider defeated and Riddin secured; that’s good news indeed. As is the approach of the rest of your army, though I’m con-cerned that Urthryn’s taking the Muster into Narsindal.’
Gulda looked pensive. ‘He’d little choice, presuma-bly,’ she said after a moment. ‘The route that Loman’s taking was the nearest but if what the Goraidin told Urthryn made him decide it wasn’t suitable for a large cavalry force, then… ’ She shrugged. ‘Besides, he couldn’t leave the Pass undefended. It’d be a threat both to his country and his supply lines. He’d want to sweep and secure it properly before he left.’
Eldric turned to Arinndier and the others, silently watching this exchange.
‘I think it forces the issue,’ Hreldar said. ‘Dan-Tor will see them coming days before they reach Narsindal-vak. And he’s not going to assume they intend to ride straight past.’
There was a general agreement with this. ‘He’ll see them as an attempt to cut off his retreat,’ Hreldar went on. ‘I don’t see that he’s any alternative but to attack them.’
No one demurred. There was no indication what portion of his force, if any, Urthryn intended to leave at the head of the Pass, and there was little doubt that the Muster could not be deployed at its best in the rocky terrain through which they had to travel. A force of Mathidrin and the renegade High Guards the size of that occupying Narsindalvak could do them great damage.
‘He must realize this,’ Darek said.
‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Eldric replied. ‘Urthryn’s an experienced leader. And he’s got Yengar and Olvric to advise him, but he was thinking on his feet after a bitter journey by all accounts, and with several contradictory needs to be met. We can’t take the risk of his force being harried excessively, perhaps even defeated. I think we’ll have to move against the northern estates and Narsin-dalvak, if only to occupy Dan-Tor’s forces.’
‘Commander Yatsu, what’s your view?’ Gulda said as Eldric paused after this conclusion.
‘I agree,’ the Goraidin said. ‘There’s little else we can do, but I’ve a feeling that Dan-Tor may choose neither alternative. I think he may simply abandon Narsindal-vak.’
Eldric looked at him questioningly.
Yatsu returned his gaze. ‘The real army, His army, are Mandrocs. And they’re in Narsindal; waiting for who knows what signal, but waiting certainly for their officer corps.’
‘The Mathidrin,’ Darek said.
Yatsu nodded. ‘I think they’ve been using Narsin-dalvak as little more than a winter barracks in which they could recover from their defeat,’ he said.
‘So much the better then,’ Arinndier said heartily. ‘If they’re there and venture out to face either us or the Muster, then we can engage them. If they’re not, then we can join up with the Muster and go after them.’
The room fell suddenly silent as the implications of Arinndier’s almost off-hand remarks became clear.
Darek brought his fingertips together and tapped them on his chin.
‘Thus casually we slip into war, gentlemen,’ he said quietly, looking around at his friends. His eye came finally to Gulda. ‘Memsa, what say you?’