I had never seen Idai so angry, and in that moment I was sincerely grateful that I had followed my own deepest instincts and had kept on her good side ever since she was the merest youngling. To speak truly I do not know what would have happened had not Varien walked up to put his hand on her forearm.

"Idai, my friend, it is enough," he said gently. "Let him go. We are unharmed, all is well. Let him go."

Varien's voice shook me out of my self-indulgent anger. I stood back and let go of Rinshir. I don't think I have ever seen him move so quickry. I turned to Shikrar, who stood beside me, and winked. Just as well he should never know how near I had come to murdering Rinshir for even thinking of putting Akhor in danger.

"A moment, if you please," said a voice from near the ground. The Gedri woman, who had very sensibly moved away while I was instructing Rinshir, had returned, and now she laid her hand on my forearm as Varien had. "I have you to thank for my life," she said simply. "I am deeply in your debt."

Varien stepped forward and stood beside her. "As am I, Idai. As ever. Again."

I hissed my amusement. "It was worth it to see Rinshir's Attitude change. From fury to absolute terror in a single moment. Most satisfying." I glanced down at the Gedri woman, then to Varien as I said, "And now, if ybu please, Maran of Besskin, you will tell us what it is about you that so reeks of our life-enemies."

"I've been using the Farseer to keep up with Lanen," she said simply. "Whenever I use it the stink wears off on me. I must be overdue to make my devotions to the Lady. I never meant to set everyone off. Seems you folk are a lot more sensitive to it than we are." She scrubbed at her face with both hands. 'The damned things barely worth the bother of keeping, when all's done," she said wearily, "but as long as I have it, Berys can't bloody well make another one. That's the only reason I didn't smash it twenty years ago—though I'd never have found you in time if I had." She paused for a moment. "Do you have the first idea where Lanen is?"

"No," said Varien cautiously, "though one of our number has gone to seek her in Verfaren."

"Thank the Goddess," she said, and unfamiliar as I was with Gedri faces, even I could recognise the relief in her voice. "It's Jamie, isn't it?' It wasn't a question.

"Yes," said Rella, speaking quietly as she appeared behind Maran. "Well-met, my friend," she said, nodding to the newcomer. "Jamie's gone after her."

"Blessed Mother Shia, we might have a chance yet," Maran replied, but before she could say more I heard Kedra's voice calling out to us all. At least he sounded pleased.

Kedra and Will returned at just that moment and provided a much-needed distraction. The sounds at the edge of hearing were growing noticeably louder. I could nearly make out words. And it seemed to be coming from somewhere near at hand.

While he was still high up and a little way distant, Kedra called aloud to us all on the ground, "All is well! We have food, my friends, and water in abundance, and a place to rest as long as we need it!" Kedra landed awkwardly, allowing Will to drop just the little distance from his hands as he backwinged frantically. As Will picked himself up and brushed the earth from his clothing, I bespoke my son.

"Kedra, how fare you? Is it well, truly?"

"It is very well, my father," he replied aloud, though his eyes were troubled. "I must speak with you soon, Father," he said in tightly focussed truespeech, then continued aloud, "Farmer Timeth is presendy recovering from the acquisition of sudden wealth, but his kine are healthy, his water is good, and his farm backs up to a high rock wall to the north, under the shelter of which there is room for us all."

"Blessed be the Winds," I murmured. "Good news at last."

Mirazhe came to join us then, her tiny youngling Sher6k awake now and riding between her wings. He looked so terribly small and fragile. When I frowned a litde at Mirazhe and opened my mouth, she hissed a laugh and said, "Fear not, Hadreshikrar. Your son's son is perfectly safe, and the soulgems of the Lost are in Gyrentikh's keeping."

I shut my mouth with a snap and turned my head away briefly in embarrassment as Kedra and Mirazhe laughed. "Am I so transparent, my daughter?"

She replied, her eyes dancing, "You are, my father. But none the less valued for that."

Sherok, for his part, was delighted with the view despite the hunger that he was broadcasting in waves. Kedra greeted his son by touching his soulgem to the raised spot on Sherok's faceplate where his soulgem would eventually break through, and Sherok's thoughts turned from hunger to joy in the instant. The wash of his pleasure at seeing his father again was as the dawning of a second sun to my weary soul, and I stood and called to the Kantri, aloud and in truespeech, telling them Kedra's news.

"It is nearby, dear heart," muttered K6dra to Mirazhe. "I have not eaten, but it will not be long now." Indeed, most of the Kantri were preparing to depart when Vilkas came running up to me.

"Lord Shikrar, please, you must not let them eat right away!" he cried, a little out of breath. "Will told me what you were doing, but you must listen. Don't let them eat at first! Start by drinking. And when you kil the catde, start by drinking the blood."

I stared at him. "Surely how we eat is no concern of yours," I said, annoyed at his tone of command.

"Please, I beg you, listen to me. Your bodies are very similar to ours, I saw the results of fatigue in your blood and muscle. Just exactly like us. And I tell you, if you eat meat too quickly after such desperate exhaustion and hunger, you could die of it. Even water is not the best. Blood has salt and enough sugar to help you back to enough strength to eat. Drink the blood, I pray you, and wait an hour until you are recovered. Then drink water, slowly, and very small amounts of food at first—that is the most important. Eat much less than you want, lest your hearts stop from the shock."

"We have managed to five so long without your assistance, Master Vilkas," I said dryly. "I thank you for your concern, but—"

"Shikrar, didn't you tell me once that some of the Ancestors died when they reached the Isle of Exile?" asked Varien quietly.

"Yes, the greedy ones who gorged themselves on the few large creatures who lived on the island, and left the rest to—oh."

I closed my eyes and sighed. When I opened them again, I bowed to Vilkas, to his great surprise. "Master Vilkas, forgive my foolishness. We will do as you have asked."

Vilkas nodded to me, an attenuated bow, and strode back to where Mistress Aral spoke with Will. I called out in truespeech to all the Kantri, who, groaning and complaining, nevertheless began to rise and flex stiff wings. I took a moment to bespeak Kedra.

"What did you need to say to me, my son?" I asked, but he did not answer immediately.

I was just as glad, for the murmur in my head was growing now with every breath. I listened again—nothing distinct yet—and shook my head to clear it. And watched my son do precisely the same thing.

"Kedra, do you hear this whispering?" I asked urgently.

"Nearly shouting now," he replied, frustrated. "But I can't make out the words. Have you the faintest idea what it is or where it is comingfrom?"

"Not the least" I began, but I was interrupted by a loud mind-voice under very poor control.

"The Hollow Ones have risen! Be 'ware, my elders, the Hollow Ones follow me close!"

We all, every Kantri on live, looked up into the western sky. Salera was flying on the Winds' wings, desperately powering ahead of a great cloud of... of...

Of the Lesser Kindred. But as they drew nearer, I could see that these were the Lesser Kindred as we had known them of old, as our Ancestors spoke of them: no soulgems, no sign of intellect, no spark at all. They appeared to be mobbing Salera as crows will mob a hawk, but when she flew past at speed and just as I was preparing to fly to her aid, they all came to land. There must have been nearly two hundred of them, all dark of hue like rusted iron, falling clumsily to earth in a great crowd. The Kantri, now fully roused, surrounded them—but even so I was not prepared.