Toward afternoon a drizzle began—proper rain, not Thread, though for a moment the grayness of the sky over the western range almost caused a few hearts to stop. But Thread always moved from east to west. Red had prudently built into the eastern face of his precipice, so that every window would give a view of the direction that danger came from.

To make up lost time, they ate a quick lunch while they watered the animals at one of the many streams they had to cross. Maybe he should put something about streams in the name of the place. His land had almost as many as Fort did, since this eastern side of the High Ranges drained well into the sea.

A wet nighttime camp meant cold food again, though Mairi contrived enough of a fire under the high sled to boil water for hot drinks all around. She also managed to heat enough warm water to soap and soften the harnesses, which Red personally checked. He also inspected every one of the burden beasts, just to be sure no new wounds had developed.

Despite the wet chill damp of the early-spring rain, Red was asleep beside Mairi almost as soon as he got himself comfortable. Snapper coiled between their warm bodies, as protected from the cold and wet as he could get, and Red wondered how much longer the little fire-lizard would remain faithful in this inclement land.

The rain was heavier the next day. Mairi insisted they have a hot porridge in their bellies to keep out the chill, and quantities of hot klah were made for the thermoses. The availability of the warming beverage did make the difference during that very long cold day.

The trace, for it certainly couldn't be called a trail, was more mud than dirt now and further slowed them down. Despite that, by the time light was fading from the sky, Red knew they were not that far from the river he had chosen as the border for his stake—the river that Maddie had warned him had risen. The ford they were to cross was a wide basin where the river spread out over a shale rocky bottom.

He ordered lanterns lit. The mycelium luminescence with which Ju Adjai Benden had been experimenting cast sufficient light in an enclosed space, but suitable shielding to make it useful outside hadn't yet been developed.

"We've reached the river, Dad," Brian yowled from the darkness ahead. "And it's in spate."

Red groaned. He'd wanted to make the crossing as much because the land on the other side was his as because the farther bank was a better site for an overnight camp. He briefly considered waiting for daylight, but discarded the idea almost immediately. The flatter land on this side of the river was already under an inch or so of water. If the river was this high now, then by morning the water would be too high for the wheels of the smaller sleds. They might float away downstream if they got loose. And this was the best ford within klicks—if he could find it in the murky darkness.

Now, so close to his own private place, he was loath to let high water bar his way.

He borrowed a lantern from one of the smaller carts and trotted through the mud to the front of the caravan. Reining King in beside Brian, he looked glumly at the swiftly moving surface of the swollen river. Rising up in his stirrups and holding the lantern high over his head, he peered to his left, trying to find the cairn of stones he had placed to mark the upper edge of the ford.

"Under water, too, damn it," he muttered.

"Would we have to worry about an undercurrent here, Dad?" Brian asked, pointing to a large branch floating serenely—and quickly—past them.

"If it gets too high, that's a possibility. By tomorrow, it will definitely be high enough to cause us problems with those lower-loadbed sleds. Damn it, we've got to try tonight or we might spend days here, just in sight of our destination!"

"Let's give it a go then, Dad," Brian said firmly. "I'll try to the right. After all, I have been across this ford a couple of times. And Cloudy's a good swimmer."

He kneed his gray into the water, but the animal, head down, snorting at the rushing flow, was not as eager to go forward as his rider had boasted.

"Don't push him, Bri, " Red shouted. "Horse's got sense. I'll look to the left. If I could see the rocks… Ah!" His high-held lantern showed the bulge of water surging over an obstacle just below the surface, and he kneed King forward. A brave horse under any circumstances, the stallion stepped in and moved smartly out, Red legging him to the left as the ford took a diagonal slant across the river. The bank on the far side was too dark to make out, and since the water was high on this side, the incline there might be submerged, as well.

As King waded confidently forward, the water not up to his knees yet, Red pondered the wisdom of crossing now, tonight, in the dark. Yet, if they found the ford, they could make a safe passage—and be on their own land! But floating sleds might haul the burden beasts off their feet. Rope the sleds, then, and have riders alongside to keep the sleds within the ford. King walked on, and through his horse's body, Red knew that the stallion had stepped onto the rocky shale base of the ford.

"Thataboy, King, that's a good lad!" Red encouraged his mount, trying to peer ahead in the feeble light of the lantern. Oh, for a power torch! The ones allotted to his operation were naturally all up at the cliff premises, their clear beams penetrating the stygian darkness of the tunnel complex.

"Brian! Follow me!" Red called, swinging his arm in a wide circle so that the light color of his waterproof gear would be visible in the darkness. In moments, Cloudy's light head and body came out of the night, splashing as he cantered forward.

"We need the power beams that are up at the Hold to get us across tonight," Red said. "As soon as we reach the other side, I want you to go hell fer leather and bring ‘em back. Bring anyone still awake, too. We'll need all the help we can get. And ropes, and those great horses Kes has been using to break ground."

"Whoa, Dad. I get the drift," Brian replied, laughing.

The water was over King's knees suddenly, and the horse tossed his head in surprise. Red looked over his shoulder, trying to gauge their angle from the bank, but they were about halfway across and neither bank was clearly visible now.

"I'll put a lantern where we entered," Red told himself, "and another where we emerge. The beams will give a broad enough swath to light the ford itself adequately. At least we'll see where we should be going." King pulled to the right; Red corrected him and was instantly in water to his own knees. King gave two plunges leftward and, snorting mightily, was back on the shale footing. The horse gave an offended snort as if criticizing his rider's directions. "All right, boy, you know which way to go, so go! I didn't do so well, did I?" Affectionately he slapped the stallion's muscled crest, letting the reins slip through his fingers. God, that river was cold! Ice melt, as well as the rain.

Behind him, Brian avoided a similar mishap. One more time, just where the shale bank ended, the water surged up to caress Red's stirruped feet, but then they were obviously ascending the slope out of the river, splashing through fetlock-high water.

Standing in his stirrups, Red swung the lantern, ki-yiing their success. Brian added his own yodels of triumph.

"D'you know the way to the Hold from here, son?" Red asked, slightly anxious. Brian had not made the trip all that often, and in the dark, most landmarks would be obscured. "Here, better take my lantern." He leaned over toward Brian.

"Look, Dad, you'll need that as a beacon."

"I'd rather you had it and got safely to the Hold. Off with you, and trust Cloudy."

"Don't I always!" Brian said, bringing Cloudy up beside King to take the lantern. "Whoops! Got it!" And with that he trotted off to the left, up the gentle incline.