«Good,» said Blade, with a sigh of relief. He kissed her. «You are a fine, brave woman, and make me think well of your city.» That was almost telling the truth. «Now-let's get some sleep. Nugun will keep watch.»

Nugun kept watch as faithfully as ever, and the night was undisturbed. They scrounged some berries for breakfast and were on the move well before full daylight.

Moving across this open highland was different from moving through the forest. It would be almost impossible to meet any enemy unexpectedly. Nor could anyone readily lay an ambush for them. But there were also fewer places to hide. If they encountered an enemy, the odds were that they would have to fight.

They covered some twenty miles on their way to the mountains that day. The air was becoming noticeably thinner; Blade guessed they must already be more than a mile above sea level. Nowhere in all the highland they crossed did they find any water. By nightfall they had emptied their water bottles, but could find no place to refill them. Licking dry lips, Blade asked Nugun about the chances of finding water tomorrow.

«Oh-we find water tomorrow. No trouble,» said Nugun cheerfully. «We go to Purple River forest, yes?»

«Of course.»

«Then-big river on way. Much water. We have to swim river. But-«He hesitated.

«Yes?» said Blade.

«Many Senar live by river, catch fish. We cross river, they maybe see us, fight, kill.»

«Maybe,» said Blade. «But we will try to get there at night. They will not be able to see us so easily then.»

«Good, good.» Nugun nodded enthusiastically.

After a waterless and half-sleepless night, they pushed on. From what Nugun said, Blade guessed the river was just under twenty miles farther on. They pushed on hard for about ten, rested an hour, then pushed on for another five. Several times during this second stretch they saw moving parties in the distance. But none ever closed or showed any curiosity. Nugun was surprised at this, but after thinking it out had an answer.

«They see-we just three. Three people not kill, do much. They not think about us.» Blade hoped that Nugun was right and that the local Senar would go right on not thinking about his little party.

At the end of the five miles, Blade called a halt. The party went to earth in a nearby patch of shrubs like miniature fir trees. Blade's own throat felt as though it were filled with sand, and Wyala was on the point of collapse. But only five miles ahead lay water. Nugun didn't seem at all affected by the lack of water, any more than he had been affected by the lack of food or the hard marching or his injuries from the fight. The Senar seemed as tireless and tough as if he had been made of metal instead of flesh. Blade was gladder than ever that he had decided to try winning the man's loyalty and friendship, rather than just killing him. Without Nugun-and without Wyala-he would have a hard time getting anything worthwhile done in this dimension of more than usually strange peoples.

It seemed like forever before it happened, but eventually the sun went down and darkness covered the land. Flexing cramped and stiffened limbs, Blade rose to his feet and oriented himself. Straight ahead, on the route they had been following, lay the river. Without a word he urged his companions to their feet and led them out into the darkness.

Before they had gone more than a mile, the trees began to grow thick again. It soon became almost impossible to move as quickly and quietly as Blade would have liked. Blade was also worried about running into some night-prowling Senar by accident. «Senar sleep at night. Think night full of dimbuli-bad things,» Nugun assured him. But the reassurance did not make Blade relax his alertness.

Another mile or so, and Blade saw the yellow glow of fires off to the right. But they were far away in the forest. He did not slow down. If they ran into anybody from that Senar village, it would be purely by chance.

The fire had just drifted out of sight behind them when they came to a clearing. Blade led the way out into it, then froze abruptly. From behind a fallen tree he could see the faint glow of a small fire. In its light he saw four hunched shapes sitting around it. As Blade froze in mid-stride, one of them stood up, stretched, and turned toward him. A moment later, Blade saw light reflected off the man's eyes as he opened them wide, staring at the three figures coming out of the darkness. The man growled angrily and his comrades sprang to their feet, snatching up their clubs. In the next moment they were climbing over the log toward Blade, brandishing the clubs. Then Blade was running at the four, drawing his sword and knife with sharp metallic rasps as he ran. Nugun ran close behind him, waving his own club.

Nugun's mouth opened to shout a war-cry. Blade looked back over his shoulder at the Senar and snapped, «Quiet!» The cry died. Then the four charging Senar were on them.

One rushed at Blade, swinging his club low. Blade danced out of the way, at the same time thrusting high with his sword. The point drove into the Senar's skull squarely between the eyes. Blade felt the thin bone shatter under the thrust. As he jerked his sword free, the Senar toppled and fell face down on the ground, to lie motionless.

The two Senar behind Blade's victim had to swing wide around the body of their comrade, which opened a gap between them. Blade leaped into it, clear over the body on the ground. In the same moment he thrust to the right with his sword and to the left with his knife. The knife drove into a meaty thigh and drew a howl of pain. But a club plunged down on his sword, smashing it out of his hand. It plunged pointdown into the ground, and Blade frantically tried to fend off the Senar with his knife while shaking his numb and tingling right hand.

But the Senar did not follow up his victory. Clutching his club, he turned and plunged off into the darkness at a dead run, short legs churning frantically.

Blade let him go. Even if he had been able to use both hands, there was no sense in dashing off into the darkness, to blunder about in search of the fleeing Senar.

Instead he turned to help Nugun with his opponent. But as Blade turned, Nugun's club smashed down the other's clumsy guard and descended on his skull. There was a sound like a watermelon hitting a stone floor, and the last Senar also dropped. Like Blade's first victim, he did not even twitch.

Blade beckoned to Wyala, who had been hanging back out of the way while the two men fought. «We've got to move fast now,» he said. «One of them got away, and he may give a warning.» Wyala's face paled, but she nodded. Nugun merely growled defiantly and bent to wipe the blood off his club.

Blade led the others across the clearing at a run, slowing to a trot as they entered the forest on the other side. There were three miles to go to the river, more miles of populated territory on the other side, and not much time to cover both.

On they went through the dark forest, no longer daring to take the time to move slowly and silently. They plunged along, crashing through bushes, snapping twigs underfoot, occasionally tripping over outstretched roots. Blade went sprawling more than once, coming up with blood on his grazed cheeks and knees. Twice he had to help Wyala to her feet: Only Nugun never stumbled, but ploughed on, as noisy but nearly as unstoppable as a tank.

They must have covered nearly half the distance to the river before Blade saw the glow of any more fires. The first ones he saw were well off in the distance, so he did not bother even slowing down. A few minutes later, he saw a yellow glow coming closer, less than a hundred yards off to their right. He motioned the two behind him to slow down to a walk, and drew his sword. Step by step they slipped past the settlement, so close that Blade could see the bulky silhouettes of Senar against the fire. The moment he could be reasonably sure that the settlement was out of earshot, he sped up to a trot again.