Aspar started after the beast, but suddenly heard the thrumming of hooves and glanced to see what it was. The monster looked, too, but not in time to dodge the spear that struck it in the ribs and lifted it off the ground, propelling it along with the weight of a bay charger and an armored knight behind it. The knight slammed it into the trunk of an ash, and the spear shivered. The terrible beast crumpled and then started haltingly to get up.

The knight dismounted, drawing his sword.

"Wait," Aspar said. "It might be poison."

He was trying not to think that if it was like the greffyn, Winna was already venomed.

The knight hesitated, then nodded.

Aspar walked over to the creature. Its skin was barely cut, but it was clear that much was broken inside. It watched him come with curiously blank eyes, but when he was close enough, it hopped at him again. It was slower than before.

Aspar sidestepped, caught the leg above the claws with his left hand, and severed the whole limb with the feyknife. Dark, almost purple blood jetted from the stump as the head darted down to bite him. Aspar kept the knife coming up, however, and it went through the serpentine neck as if slicing soft cheese.

He turned away from the bloody work and found Winna hobbling toward him.

"Stay back," he shouted more loudly than he meant to.

She stopped, her eyes widening.

"The blood," he explained. "Every one of these things is different. Its touch may not be so bad, but its blood might."

He noticed she was rubbing her elbow.

"Were you hurt when you fell?"

"It's you," she said feebly. "I should have known. All I had to do was find a monster…"

"Yah, it's me," he said more softly, unable to keep his gaze from jumping down to her belly.

"You're-"

"Yah," she said. "Yah." She smiled a wavery little smile. "I knew you couldn't be dead. I told them." He saw that tears were streaming down her face. She reached out her arms, but he took a step back, and she nodded.

"Saints, then," she said, straightening and wiping her cheeks. "Get cleaned up so I can greet you proper. And you can tell me where you've been all this-"

Her gaze went out over his shoulder and became suddenly less tender. "Oh," she said. "Hello."

"Hello," he heard Leshya say behind him.

Ah, sceat, he thought.

The knight had his helmet off, and he looked familiar.

"There's a spring just over here," he said. "You can leave your clothes and take my cloak. We can be to Ermensdoon in under a bell."

"I know you," Aspar said.

"Auy. I hait Emfrith Ensilson. You saved my life."

Aspar nodded. "You look better than when I saw you last."

"I should think," the greftson said. "How are you feeling?"

Aspar shrugged. "I'm not so easy to poison as some."

"From what I've heard, I'd hardly guess you were human at all," Emfrith said, trying on a little grin that didn't fit and was soon put away. Aspar didn't miss the shy glance at Winna, either.

"Human's not all your mother told you it was," Leshya said.

"He's human enough," Winna said.

"Where's Ehawk?" Aspar asked.

"In the mountains, looking for you."

Aspar had been aware that more horses and men were approaching, and now they were there: twenty-two of them, most in the livery that Aspar remembered from Haemeth. A couple were dressed more roughly, and he reckoned they were trackers or hunters.

"We've a few extra horses," Emfrith said. "I'd be happy if you and the lady would use them."

"I'll stay on foot till I'm clean," Aspar said. "Where's this spring you were talking about?"

"Just there," the fellow replied, gesturing.

Aspar nodded and headed in that direction.

The spring came cold and clear from the ground and fed a pretty pool edged in moss and ferns. He wearily stripped off his leather chest plate and the gambeson beneath, which was so threadbare that it was worn through in places.

Next to go were the elkskin boots and breeches, and he slipped into water that was almost painfully cold at first but after a few moments felt perfect. He closed his eyes and soaked for a moment, letting the toxic blood flow away from his skin in lazy banners.

Truth to tell, he didn't think that as sedhmhari went the-what, wyver? drake?-was all that poisonous, at least not compared to the woorm or greffyn, whose mere glances were enough to bring death to the weak. But he needed a moment to think, and with Winna in her condition…

In her condition. He suddenly remembered the huge sow back in the Sarnwood, the thing within her tearing to be free from its mother's belly, and felt his breath quicken.

"The next human being you meet, you'll take under your protection. And you will take that person to the valley where you found the Briar King sleeping."

That was Winna. Of course it was, Grim damn it all.

Well, he wouldn't do it. To the hanging tree with the Sarnwood witch.

But why would she want him to take her there? Why would she want that?

He heard a twig snap and shifted his gaze. It was Emfrith, coming toward him.

Aspar cast a glance at his armor, a kingyard away, but there wasn't any time to get that on. The knife was within arm's reach.

"It's me," Emfrith said unnecessarily.

"Yah," Aspar agreed.

"I've brought my cloak. It's probably best we burn the clothes, don't you think?"

"Probably," Aspar replied.

Emfrith nodded but didn't go toward the abandoned garments.

"Didn't really think I'd see you again," the greftson admitted. "She kept insisting we search, and I did, because, well, I suppose I owe you."

"Was that the reason?"

"Not really. But I did search for you nevertheless, followed the waurm's trail into the Bairghs and lost it there. That still wasn't enough for her. Two days ago she had a dream, she said. Said she saw you coming down through these woods. I reckoned one more look wouldn't hurt."

"But it did."

He shrugged. "I could wish we hadn't found you."

Aspar nodded, trying to take in the whole scene. Were there archers out there? But this boy had taken on the woorm with only a lance and a horse. That was almost the only thing Aspar knew about him, but it suggested he didn't lack courage or conviction. Honor sometimes went with that.

"I never reckoned I could feel this way about someone with common blood," Emfrith went on. "But it's not so unusual in my family. We're not high royalty, after all." His voice lowered. "I can give her a better life than you can, holter. And the child, too."

"I know," Aspar said. "How does Winna feel about all this?"

"What do you think? She's been waiting for you."

"And here we are."

"Here we are," the greftson concurred. Then he started forward, toward Aspar's clothes.

"Maunt you we should destroy the cuirass, too? I can give you another."

Aspar glanced at the worn piece of armor. He'd had it for a long time. He'd already lost Ogre.

Stupid. It was just a thing, a thing nearly used up. And if Emfrith wasn't going to try to kill him now, he probably was telling the truth about replacing it.

"I'm being chased," Aspar said.

"Chased? By whom?"

"A pack of monsters," he said.

"How far behind you?" Emfrith asked. He didn't seem surprised.

"Well, the flying ones are here already, aren't they? The rest could be a day behind or a nineday. I'm not sure about their route or how well they track."

"We can fight them at Ermensdoon."

"No, we can't," Aspar said. "Trust me."

"What, then?"

"I-" Aspar began, but then his throat tickled. What he meant to say was that he and Leshya would continue on, draw Fend and his beasts off someplace.

That was what he meant to say.

"We can keep ahead of them. I know a safe place; it's just a matter of getting her there."