"Kedra, how fare you?" I asked.

"We are well, Idai, and we are here!" He sounded quite pleased. "The castle rises above a huge lake right at the edge of the mountains. If you veer north-by-west when the lake appears the size of a soulgem, fly a double hand of heartbeats then roll a quarter right, you will find yourself above a long curving valley between two ridges. At the end of the valley is a grassy field, almost like the Summer Plain. There is a waterfall to the south and a little stream runningfrom it."

"Have you spied out the land around the castle?" I asked.

"I considered it, Lady," Kedra replied, "but it is still light. Surely it is best if we are not seen?"

"True. Ah, well," I sighed. "The moon is with us, at least, she nears the full. We must trust that it will be enough."

"Shall we light afire to guide you, Lady?" he asked. "I would not hazard our discovery on such a thing, for all the comfort it would bring."

"If our enemy can see a fire through a mountain range, we . surely are doomed in any case," I replied dryly, and Kedra laughed.

"Very well, then. Come to the fire, and bring my poor father as swiftly as you may. He will be suffering agonies at this enforced silence!"

I sent a swift thought to Shikrar, no more than "all is well," and shut my mind to him. Our plans, such as they were, would not take long to communicate to him once we came to land.

It seemed likely that all would be over and done by the morrows sunset. I shuddered, making Aral and Vilkas cling more tightly to my foreclaws, the poor souls. I longed to turn from this path, fly on powerful wings in any direction that did not take us to our fate.

I could no more turn away than fly on my back. Our path was determined when the first Kantri who ever breathed chose order over chaos: thus we balance the Rakshasa, our life-enemies, who chose the path of chaos. The poor doomed Trelli chose not to choose, and they have vanished from the world. The Gedri alone among the Four Peoples from the dawn of life had chosen choice itself—each individual soul was free to decide if it would follow order or chaos.

The Kantri could no more abandon the Dhrenagan to their fate than walk on water. We are bound, by blood, by honour, by our very nature, to stand by them.

I took some comfort in the knowledge that for all the suffering the Lost had endured, for all those endless years of captivity, the balance that is in all things decreed that there was a terrible price yet to be paid. I for one intended to make sure that the Demonlord and that Rakshadakh Berys paid it as painfully as possible.

It did occur to me that the battle that loomed before us could be a blessing from the Winds, in a strange way. As if we were being given the chance to undo the great evil that had created the Lost all those long ages ago.

It eased my heart to think that, at least.

I have slept nearly a full day. The sun was setting when at last I opened my eyes, fully rested and ready to welcome the Demon-lord. I sent a Rikti to find out when he would arrive. The useless creature said that he could see the East Mountains only as a mist in the distance, and that it was not possible that he should arrive before the morning.

"What delays you?" I demanded sharply. "Are you lost? Have you fought the Kantri again though I forbade you?"

"I haven't fought them, but what should I do when the damn things throw themselves at me?" he complained. "There have been at least half a dozen of them that couldn't resist the urge to kill themselves today." I could hear the pleasure in his voice. "I have let this body do most of the work. They do burn nicely."

"Are all the Kantri close to you?" I asked. "Do they follow you or precede you or fly by your side?"

"Damned if I know," he said, snorting. "I've been flying through mist and rain and cloud most of the day. Until the last half hour I have only seen the ones who attack. The rest could be anywhere."

"The skies are clearer now?" I asked.

"Yes, enough at least to know I can't see a trace of a dragon, but clouds still obscure the moon. Even now I can barely see to fly."

"I care not for your excuses. Keep coming. On the whole, I would rather you got here before the Kantri."

"I don't know why you are concerned about them," he replied. "They are just as stupid now as they ever were. They are doing now exactly as they did then, throwing their little lives away in a temper." He laughed briefly.

"Are you entirely stupid, or have you forgotten how to count?" I snarled. "Only six of them! There are hundreds more left."

"There would not be if you would let me engage them."

"Patience, foolish one. You are not yet at half the strength I have prepared for you. Get you here as swiftly as you may. This castle is vulnerable without you to serve as my guard."

"Guard! Little demon-spit, you have much to learn," he hissed. "I come because you promise me the Kantri, all together, all at my mercy."

"You bore me," I said, yawning. "Boasting is so tedious. You come because you are bound to my service, whatever your pride might wish were the case. Come swiftly and be ready to destroy the Kantri. If they are not here before you, they will not be far behind."

"I have been ready to destroy the Kantri for thousands of years," he snarled. "Let them come when they will. I will throw them from the sky, each and every, until they fall upon the earth like drops of rain. I will tear their souls from them and take them back with me to the deepest Hell, there to feast upon that rich harvest down the long ages."

I had never asked, and I was curious. "You were man, you are now demon for the most part—how long do you expect to live?"

In a low, drawn-out voice, it replied, "Forever."

I have to say, it's quite handy travelling with the Kantri. True, we were all still damp and cold from the mornings rain, but if you ever want to get warm fast, talk to a dragon. Gyrentikh, who seemed to be enjoying the adventure, brought a young mast for firewood, broke it up, and lit it as well. Dragonfire bums hotter than normal fire, so the wood was consumed swiftly until it settled down to being normal flames, but that first blast of heat was more than welcome. Still, I'd have given a great deal for a hot bath.

While the Kantri were making their preparations, we humans all sat around the fire and tried to come up with some way of taking Berys out of action. Maran used the Farseer to check on him, and the image was the last one any of us wanted to see. He stood before a makeshift altar, obviously preparing something important, and all around him fluttered a small army of Rikti and a few Rakshi fetching and carrying. Jamie cursed and Rella shook her head. "That's work for the Kantri," she said. "I'd happily carve Berys into steaks, but I couldn't get anywhere near him like that."

We all looked to the Healers. Will and Aral looked to Vilkas, who sat very still indeed. It was left to Varien to ask, "What say you to that, Mage Vilkas?" His voice he kept carefully neutral. "Can you do aught to dispel those creatures?"

He took a long time to answer. "Yes, I can," he said, "but whether I will be able to do so on demand tomorrow is another question." He frowned. "I cannot in all conscience let you make any plans depending on my abilities," he said calmly. "I cannot give you my assurance that I will be able to do anything at all about Berys's demons."

Aral opened her mouth to protest, but Will put his hand on her arm and she held her peace.

Varien nodded. "It is as well we know this now, Mage Vilkas. I appreciate your honesty." He glanced around the circle. 'The Kantri have said that they will bear us to a hill near the side of the lake tomorrow morning, that we may see with our own eyes everything that occurs. We should keep well away from the water's edge."