Alex turned to look at her, unsurprised by her presence. He had half-expected her to remain at the fire when the others went to bed. “Of course,” he said.

“I . . . I wanted to thank you for what you did,” said Kat, her voice halting as she spoke. “At the tavern.”

“I did only what I said I would do,” said Alex.

“Yes, but to face a paladin . . . that was a risk.”

“I did not know what a paladin was. If I had known, I may have been more hesitant to face him.”

“You would not have hesitated,” said Kat, sounding sure of her words. “To hesitate is not in your nature.”

“You know me so well already.” Alex laughed.

“I am a seer, and I often know things about people without knowing them for long.”

“Can you see the possibilities, like an oracle?” Alex questioned.

Kat shook her head. “There are different kinds of seers. Some see as oracles do, only not so clearly. That is not my gift.”

“What is your gift?” Alex asked.

“I have a gift for finding,” said Kat. “It is my strongest gift, though not my only one.”

“You also have a gift for knowing the intentions of others,” said Alex. “If Bane had been evil, you would not have approached him as you did.”

Kat smiled and nodded. “A useful gift, though at times it is unwelcome.”

“Bane has many demons to fight. He was not angry with you, but with himself.”

“I do not blame him,” said Kat. “But I do thank you for your actions.”

Alex nodded and smiled at Kat. She was different than he thought she would be, and yet at the same time, almost exactly what he thought she would be. It was difficult to explain, and he did not try.

Kat returned his smile and then headed to her tent.

Alex watched her go, then turned to look into the darkness again. He knew there was nothing there, but for a long time he stood watching just the same.

The following day passed with no sign of danger or other travelers. Alex began watching the road more closely, looking for anything—a footprint, a track, even a bit of garbage—that would show that other people had used it. There was nothing to be seen, however, and his thoughts remained troubled.

After three days of following the road, Alex had given up on looking for any signs, and he turned his thoughts to other things. At first he spent his time practicing some methods that relaxed his mind but allowed his body to function as normal. He found this very restful, though it removed his need to sleep at night. After a few nights of not sleeping, he decided to practice some sensory exercises instead. They were supposed to help him know when someone was coming or if danger or enemies were close. He found these exercises much more difficult to do than relaxing his mind, and he guessed that having so many people around made it more difficult than it would be if he were alone.

On their seventh day of following the road, Thrang stopped them next to a stream, the first they had found since leaving the mountains.

“We have traveled far already, and a little extra rest will do us good,” Thrang said. “We will camp here.”

“I would guess we are getting close to the Eastern Sea,” said Nellus, looking across the grasslands. “I think we’ve traveled at least a hundred and fifty miles from the mountains.”

“Closer to two hundred,” said Arconn, jumping lightly from his saddle.

“As you are so light on your feet, perhaps you can hunt us up some fresh meat,” Barnabus said to Arconn.

“I have seen little to hunt, but I will try,” Arconn answered.

“May I come along?” Thrain asked, his enthusiasm for the adventure having returned over the past several days.

“Don’t go too far,” Thrang warned. “And keep both eyes open for trouble.”

“We’ll do that.” Arconn laughed. “And perhaps, if we have a spare moment, we might look for game.”

Thrang grunted as Arconn and Thrain walked away from camp.

Alex knew that Thrang was worried about Thrain. It was true that this was Thrain’s first adventure and the young dwarf didn’t know a great deal about the dangers that came with adventures, but as long as he was with Arconn, he should be all right. Alex walked forward and stood by his dwarf friend, who was still looking north at where Thrain and Arconn had disappeared.

“He’ll be fine,” Alex said. “Arconn is with him, after all.”

“Yes, I suppose he will,” said Thrang. “And I suppose I’d better get a fire going, since Thrain has managed to sneak off before doing it.”

Alex laughed and helped Thrang gather wood for their campfire, an easy task because there were more trees along the stream than there had been along the road. They soon had a large pile of wood, and Thrang ignited a small fire and began heating water for tea.

Alex left the campsite and climbed a small hill to the northeast, wanting to get a good look at the countryside. Kat asked if she could walk with him, and he happily agreed.

The hill was small and it took them only a few minutes to climb to the top. Alex leaned on his staff and looked around, taking in the change in landscape to the east and the distant mountains to the west. He glanced at Kat and saw that she was gazing north with a look of expectation on her face.

“What is it?” Alex questioned, his voice lowered so as not to startle Kat.

“Something strange,” answered Kat in a slow and dreamy voice. “Evil intentions, but I cannot name the source.”

“Are we in danger?”

“I do not think so,” Kat whispered. “Not now, not yet.”

The dreamy look suddenly left Kat’s face, and she blinked and rubbed her eyes. She gave Alex a questioning look, and he explained what had just happened.

“A trance?” Kat questioned.

“Not exactly,” said Alex. “I think you were seeing or at least feeling something that was there. I couldn’t tell if you were looking at something in the future or at something that is some distance away from us.”

“But that’s never happened before,” said Kat, a note of worry in her voice.

“If it had, would you know?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“You will need to learn how to remember such things,” said Alex. “Perhaps I can help you with that. For now, I think we should mention this to the others.”

“No,” Kat said quickly. “Not yet. Not until we know if my words hold any meaning.”

“By the time we know, it might be too late for your words to do any good.”

“If we remain watchful and careful, we should be fine.”

“As you wish,” Alex agreed. He thought Kat’s prediction or premonition was a good thing. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that they were not in any immediate danger, so he was willing to do as Kat requested and not mention what had happened to any of the others.

The two of them walked back to the camp in silence, but they had not been back for long when Thrain came rushing back to the camp alone. He looked worried and afraid, and it took several minutes for him to catch his breath before he could speak.

“A huge snake,” Thrain managed to say at last. “Arconn told me to come back and let you know. He said it was a nag-something and that he was going to follow it.”

“A nagas?” Alex questioned.

“Yes, that’s what he said,” Thrain answered, still breathing hard and looking terrified.

“What’s a nagas?” Thrang asked.

“As Thrain said, a giant snake,” answered Alex, looking north. “They have a human-looking head, and they can speak to people if they choose to.”

“Are they dangerous?” Kat questioned, looking slightly panicked.

“They can be if they are startled or angered,” said Alex. “They are also known to protect treasure, or hoard treasure if they have not been given one to protect.”

“And Arconn is following this thing?” Thrang asked, looking back to Thrain.

“He said he would return shortly,” Thrain answered. “He didn’t seem to think there was any real danger.”

“There may not be,” said Alex. “But some nagas are evil, and they have been known to attack unsuspecting travelers.”