Nor did Coryn, as he drew close. He leaned toward her cheek, mindful of her reaction, and whispered: "Don't be frightened-it's me, Dalamar."

Naturally she was startled, but she impressed him by her restrained reaction. "I'm glad you're here," she whispered. "Is that Jenna over there? Is she in trouble?"

"She can take care of herself. Now, hold still." He reached out, felt for the knots, and in seconds her hands were free. A group of four bandits was rushing past as he knelt at her feet, ready to work on those bonds. Still confident in his invisibility, he merely held still so that his actions would not draw attention from the passing outlaws.

To his surprise, one of the men turned right toward him and lunged, sword pointing right at the elf's unprotected back. Dalamar couldn't imagine how the man had noticed him, but as he dodged, he was desperately aware that he was reacting too late.

"Braacius!" shouted Coryn, pointing at the lunging bandit.

A magic missile sparked from her finger and hissed into the attacker's face, drawing a scream of pain and sending him tumbling back. She repeated the command three more times, sending identical bolts at the fellow's trio of companions. Two of them were down, moaning, while the other two limped away, howling in pain.

"Nice," Dalamar admitted, standing up with a tight smile. "I don't know how he saw me."

"Their captain gave some of them a type of potion," Coryn admitted, breaking free from the last bonds. "So they could see my rescuers, if you came invisibly."

"Hum. And the magic missiles?"

"Oh, I learned how to do that by watching Jenna, a few hours ago," she admitted, looking around in growing alarm. "Now, shouldn't we be getting out of here?"

"Indeed we should," the dark elf agreed. "Allow me to teach you a haste spell."

Moons over the Night

We're going to have to get the mules across this valley," Jenna announced matter-of-factly, as if she were declaring that they were going to have to put the cat outside before they turned in for the night.

Staring at the "valley," Coryn was dumbfounded. It looked like more of a gorge or canyon to the girl, from their vantage point at the top of a precipice some two hundred feet from the floor. The rocky face plunged straight down before them and extended as far as they could see to the right and left. They had been following this rim for most of the four days since the trio had left the bandit camp. The opposite rim remained only a stone's throw away, but might as well have been across an ocean, considering the obstacles.

No doubt, Jenna had some ideas. The Red Robe had seemed even more blunt and purposeful than usual, following the trio's retreat from the bandit camp. She had indeed tripped over the alert mechanism, the faerie bells, but had easily and noisily defended herself as sentries closed in, keeping them occupied until Dalamar and Coryn could get away-their exhilarating speed bolstered by a magical haste spell. Still, the experience had been plenty harrowing, though Coryn was relieved that none of them had suffered any real harm.

The three of them, the mules plodding stolidly along behind, had pushed through the immense forest for hour after hour, and day after day. They had encountered the canyon, which seemed to surprise both Jenna and Dalamar-though it had clearly been a fixture here for ages. Still, Coryn got the idea that both of them had expected to reach some place called "Wayreth Forest," but that instead they remained disoriented, wandering around the eastern realms of Qualinesti. One forest had begun to look pretty much like another to the girl, and in fact, she found it ironic how, just a few months earlier, she had longed to see a great expanse of trees. Now she would give up her next day's food for so much as a glimpse of a broad meadow, dusty plain, or even barren tundra. But every step simply took them through more trees.

During this part of the trek she found Dalamar to be a much more engaging companion than the red-robed enchantress. She enjoyed a small sense of conspiracy with him-he had encouraged her to keep secret the fact that she had cast a magic missile spell in the bandit camp, and Coryn had willingly agreed, suspecting that his pride was hurt, since she, after all, had saved him from a sword in the back. She had told him about Captain Samuval, and been surprised when he recognized the name. "He used to be a well-known captain of knights," the elf had explained. "Ironic to think that he is now lord of a bandit horde. And proof, I should say, of how hard times are across the world right now."

Their often whispered conversations opened up new worlds, fresh ideas, for the girl, and had helped to pass the time as they moved along the seemingly impassable barrier of the canyon.

"How will we ever get the mules over there?" the girl asked Jenna, pointing across the gap.

"Well, for starters, we'll push them off this cliff. Let them float down."

She was serious, Coryn saw-not that Jenna was inclined to joke.

"The featherfall spell," Dalamar guessed, looking at Jenna. "I noticed you were reading up on it, last night."

"Yes. I read it three times-one for each mule. I myself will fly across." She looked at Coryn. "I trust you can find your own way down."

"All right." The girl frowned. During the past few days she had seen many ravines and gullies that she could have followed, carefully, down into the canyon-though no track that would have allowed the mules to descend.

"But how will we get the mules up the other side?" she had to ask, even though Jenna was intent on rummaging in Dora's pack.

"Levitation, I suspect," said the dark elf, winking at Coryn even as he addressed the Red Robe. "No doubt you read that spell three times, as well."

"Four." Jenna replied as she pulled a small pouch out of the saddlebag. She opened it to extract several small fluffs of down feathers. "The girl can climb down, certainly, but I am not as confident that she can find her way back up again… without a little assistance."

Coryn turned away to hide her irritation. She was getting tired of being "the girl" while these two talked over her head. Maybe she should tell the Red Robe that she knew how to use a magic spell or two!

"How are you getting across?" Coryn asked Dalamar.

The elf smiled his very handsome smile, but there was a hint of sadness in the expression. "Since I lack the resources of my crimson colleague, I shall climb down, just as you. Levitation, however, is one of the few spells in my paltry collection, so perhaps you and I can float upward together.

"I'd like that," Coryn said. She had learned through eavesdropping that Dalamar, while a powerful wizard in his own right, was seriously hampered, because he possessed only a very small spell book, one that an old friend had given him in an act of what the elf had described as "pity." Jenna tended to lord it over him, and though the elf took pains to conceal his deep frustration, she sensed that he was resentful. Jenna was very private and secretive regarding her personal magical trove-all of which was stored in Dora's saddlebags. She wasn't being very fair to the elf, Cory thought, especially since they were clearly very old friends.

Jenna was holding one of the mules-Diva-by its ear. The Red Robe said a word of magic and released a tuft of feathers over the animal's withers; Cory felt a tingle on her scalp and sensed that the enchantress had just cast the first featherfall spell.

Jenna was starting toward a second mule when Coryn asked her a question. "The levitate spell will cause the mules to float upward, right?"

"That's correct," said the woman cautiously.