'Them? Macsen asked. 'You mean the bandits?
'The ones from Ashwell. He's dressed exactly the same as they were that night. I swear on the Lady, he's got to be one of them. He became aware of the nervous glances the others were trading. 'Them, he insisted.
'To be expected, Topar said. 'They chased me before.
'That's no bandit from the wilds, Larby said.
'Are you okay? Macsen asked in concern.
Edeard nodded a slow reassurance. Seeing this nemesis return out of his own past was profoundly shocking. But I've grown since then. This time it's their turn to know fear.
'Do you recognize this actual one? Dinlay asked.
Edeard returned to the ge-eagle's view. The bird was still gliding higher, keeping level to the bandit and his fastfox. The profile was hardly distinct, but… 'No, Edeard said. 'I don't remember any faces, not really. Though there's one mind I will know forever.
'All right, Topar said, 'Let's follow him, see where he takes us.
The ge-eagle stayed high in the air above the bandit, gliding idly to keep pace. Topar got them all back in the saddle as the bird reached the edge of Edeard's perception, and they started to ride slowly after the bandit, leaving the forest behind. All of them cast a seclusion haze, even though the nebulas above were wan shadows of their usual iridescence. The mild psychic baffle should be enough to deter all but the sharpest farsight at night. To bolster their safety the ge-wolves ranged around them, while two of the night-viewing ge-eagles under Verini's instruction scouted ahead. Their own farsight was used to guide the horses through the darkness.
'Is it just one? Macsen asked after half an hour. The bandit was making good time, alternatively jogging, then walking, heading south east, and making use of the spinnies and thickets that were scattered across the plateau. He was clearly adept at moving unseen across the land, even the ge-eagle had trouble keeping track of him in some of the deeper terrain.
'I can't see any others, Edeard admitted. They'd deliberately kept a long way back in case the bandit had a powerful farsight. 'But I know from experience they can all use concealment.
'Great Lady, Boloton said. 'There could be an army of them following us.
'There isn't, Edeard promised him.
It was almost midnight when the bandit reached the top end of a narrow gulley. He stopped, and squatted down amid a clump of tall weather-worn stones coated in thick kimoss. The fastfox sped away, back the way they'd just come.
'Let's get into cover, Topar said. They guided their mounts towards the nearest small wood.
The fastfox chased back along its path, stopping to sniff cautiously every now and again.
'He's double checking, Fresage said. "Wherever he is, he considers it important. He's not going on until he's satisfied he's clear.
'Pull the ge-eagle back, Topar told Edeard. 'If their camp is nearby, we can't risk exposing ourselves.
Edeard instructed the bird to spiral higher. The lay of the land was revealed to him, falling away to the east and split by several rocky gullies.
'Two of those gullies meet up, look, Verini said. 'It's a hollow with a cliff along one side. Perfect place for a concealed camp.
'This is where I go in and check, then, Edeard said.
'I'll come with you, Dinlay said immediately.
'Thanks, but this is just a scout round to see if they're there. My concealment is stronger than anyone's, and I know I can shield myself if they do spot me. He could sense the concern in everybody's mind.
'Just be careful, Macsen said. 'There's no city to protect you out here.
'I'm just going to look, I swear on the Lady.
They all watched through the lone ge-eagle as the fastfox returned, and the bandit started down the gulley.
'You've got two hours, Topar said. 'After that we will come looking for you.
It took Edeard a while to decide his approach. The top of the little cliff would surely be guarded; and fastfoxes had an excellent sense of smell. But the gullies, too, would be watched. Possibly there'd be a tripwire that he might not detect.
The cliff top it is, then.
As soon as he left the wood he spun a concealment around himself, becoming no more than a dense wisp of dark air. His farsight swept out, alert for any hint of danger.
Just as he'd suspected, there were fastfoxes acting as sentinels above the cliff. They were curled up amid the boulders littering the long grass, wide awake, sniffing the night air for foreign scents. He reached out with his longtalk, and began subverting their orders, coaxing them away from their obedient attentive state, allowing them to stretch and settle down comfortably, scratch their hides and groom some of the day's mud away. A sensation of contentment began to percolate through their thoughts. When one finally registered his scent, it dismissed the intrusive smell as being an irrelevance.
There was a lone human watcher standing near the edge of the cliff. He was concealed, but Edeard could sense his farsight washing back and forth intermittently. Once he'd worked out the approximate location, he used his own farsight to gently prise apart the concealment. The bandit was revealed, with the customary twin belts of ammunition boxes across his chest, and a repeat-fire gun on a strap over his shoulder. There were also several knives and blade discs in various pouches. He even had an ordinary pistol. For all his toughness and weapons, he hadn't noticed how slack the fastfoxes had become. His thoughts remained blissfully unsuspicious.
Edeard picked a section of the cliff eighty yards away from the bandit, and crept forward.
'Nine of them? Topar asked. 'You're sure?
'Yes, Edeard said for the third time. 'One on top of the cliff controlling the fastfoxes. Five asleep below an overhang, and the one we followed settling down for the night. Then there's two watching the gullies, both concealed. There's also two fastfoxes in each gulley. I saw five ge-eagles, and nine terrestrial horses.
'What about supplies? Larby asked.
'A pile of sacks and bags, probably enough food for three weeks at least. And three boxes of ammunition. They're not done with raiding yet.
'Bastards, Verini growled.
'So can we take them? Topar asked. 'They outnumber us.
'By one, Fresage said dismissively. 'And we have surprise on our side.
'I think it's possible, Edeard said. 'We'll need to approach down a gully. I can keep the fastfoxes calm long enough for us to get past them. The trouble will be the three watchers, they longtalk each other all the time. As soon as one is taken out, the others will know.
'So we have to be within striking distance of the camp when that happens, Topar said.
'I can take out the three watchers fast enough, Edeard said. 'But I can't guarantee they won't call out; so you'll have to deal with the others. Especially if we're going to take one alive.
'I'd prefer to take two of them, Topar said.
'Can our ge-wolves tackle the fastfoxes? a mildly apprehensive Dinlay asked.
'We can't take them with us, Edeard said. 'That's a whole new instinct I'd have to soothe out of the fastfoxes, and a much stronger one than human scent. We have to keep this as simple as possible.
'Lady… fastfoxes.
'They look fierce—
'Look!
'They are fierce, but that's all they've got. Don't waste time trying to shoot one, especially not in the dark. Heartsqueeze them, or pulp their brains. It barely takes a second to kill one. Fear is their only ally.
'Oh Lady, Dinlay groaned.
'Can you do this? Topar asked with quiet authority.
Dinlay took a breath, managing to appear quite offended. 'Of course I can do this. It's only a fool who won't admit his worry.