My heart lifted. My soul to the Winds, I had never dreamt of such a thing, but to arrive in all our power when the Gedri were in need—ah, yes, it would be the best introduction we could hope for.
"Come, then, Idai. Bring the Kantri home," said Shikrar. He told me again to keep high, and how to avoid the wall of air that was the edge of the Storms. "A moment, my friend" he said.
"I need your counsel," I said, turning to the other Gedri. "Where should we meet with the Kantri?" I hissed a little in faint amusement. "Where is there room for all of us to meet at once?"
"There's a plain just north of Wolfenden," said Will at once. "How many of you are there?"
"A hundred and eighty-nine," said Varien quietly.
"Then there should be enough space," said Will. "It'll be a good place to meet, there's little enough traffic comes down that road this time of year."
He told me how to find it and I bespoke Idai once more.
"Very well, my friend," she said, when I had instructed her. "We will meet there in about three days' time."
A thought crossed my mind. "What of Nikis, Idai?"
A dry little laugh escaped her. "Kretissh has said he will stay with Nikis for now, until we think of an easier way to carry her or until she wakes. All is well, Teacher-Shikrar. We come."
"Come then swiftly, my friend," I said. "We will meet in the plain in three days. Fly well and strong!"
It was done, then. The Kantri would arrive soon. But I had no intention of meeting my people on that plain.
Jamie turned to me as if he read my thoughts. "There is no need for us all to be there," he said. "I will not go. I am for Verfaren as fast as I can make those horses run. How much longer must we wait?"
"But a moment more, Jameth," I said. "I am as anxious to be gone as you are." I turned to Will and the young healers. "You have not spoken, Will, Vilkas, Aral. What will you do now?"
Aral opened her mouth and, looking at Vilkas, thought better of it. He spoke.
"I go with you, if you go to seek out Berys. The Lady La-nen will need us all, I think. And in any case I have a vow to fulfil." He glanced at Jamie and at me, half smiling. "Between the three of us, we may give Berys something to think about."
"Vil, you can't count any better than Varien," said Aral. She looked up. "Lord Shikrar, I hope you will forgive us for not accompanying you, but if we are to reclaim our lives we must seek out this bastard. Not what I'd choose to do, but there it is."
Shikrar nodded, but he was troubled. "I understand your desire for speed, my friends, but on behalf of my people I beg you to spare a brief hour to greet the Kantri." He gazed at each of us and I found that I was ashamed. "We have lost that only home that we have ever known, and we have flown to the limit of our strength to come here." He gazed full at me, then, and I heard the rebuke in his voice. "You at least must be here to greet them, my friend" he told me in true-speech. "For all that has changed, you are yet the Lord of the Kantri."
I bowed. "You speak truth, Hadreshikrar. I at least must meet with you all. La—" My throat closed as grief threatened to overwhelm me, but I took a long breath and spoke again. "Lanen would wish it so, I know it," I said.
It was Rella, ever practical, who then said dryly, "That field is right close to the road, and at this stage a small delay won't hurt. Surely we can all meet togemer and form a plan of action, rather than rushing into Verfaren waving our swords?" She turned to Jamie. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather have all the help I can muster."
"The Kantri are life-enemies of the Rakshasa," added Shikrar quietly, and I saw the smallest touch of the Attitude of Amusement in his stance. "If you are to face down a demon-master, what better weapon could you hope for than several hundred souls who delight in destroying demons?"
Vilkas and Aral nodded, and we all turned to Jamie.
"No," he said quietly, in the dispassionate voice that fell cold as ice on the ear. "I see the sense of your words, but I will not wait even so short a time." He turned to Rella. "We should get back to Wolfenden in a few days. When we come to the road, you go with the rest and talk to the dragons. I'll go ahead on my own to Verfaren and learn what I can about Berys. Meet me at the gates to the College of Mages at noon the day after we split up."
"Are you sure, Jamie?" asked Rella quietly, her face and voice carefully neutral.
"Sure as life," he said. I shivered.
She turned back to Shikrar. "Very well then, Shikrar. All but Jamie will meet with the Kantri. Perhaps together we can find a way to defeat Berys and get Lanen back."
"We do not yet speak for all, Lady Rella," I said, turning to the two who had not spoken. "Will? Salera?"
I was proud of myself, for I could understand all that was said. It was harder to form words than to understand them, but I was certain that would improve in time.
The strangest part of that time was how swiftly we of the Lesser Kindred took to our newfound senses. We had been but a breath away in any case, so perhaps it was not so strange after all, but when Aral asked what Will and I were doing I did not have to stop and think.
"Hhow sshould I not seek to aid the Lady of my people?" I asked. "Sshe it wass who brought uss reason, sshe and the Ssilver King. It iss a great debt. I sshall go with you."
Will laid his hand on my neck. "Then off we go all. We can plan the subtleties on the way, but I for one cannot wait longer."
We all stood and began to gather up our packs.
Only one thing more happened to delay us. We were preparing to leave when a great shout came up from deep in the trees. Aral had gone to fill her water skin when she caught sight of something lying in the wood.
It was the body of poor Maikel, Marik's healer, near an altar surrounded by demon symbols. Vilkas said it was the base of the demon line and performed a swift ceremony to dispel the darkness. "There is no way to tell where it goes, but Berys was in Verfaren when we left. There's a good chance he has returned there," he said grimly. "As long as he didn't have another one ready, we may have a chance."
Vilkas seemed to think that Maikel had paid the price of service to the demons, but I saw the expression on that poor dead face, above the ravaged body, and I knew in my soul that Vilkas was wrong. Maikel's face was at peace, almost there was a glimpse of joy about him. He had died fighting, for my money, and I sent a swift prayer for the soul of a solitary warrior winging to the Lady. We buried him beneath the trees and built a cairn over his grave.
The sun was setting as we left the high field and set off down the mountain.
I woke after what seemed like many long hours. I tried to speak, to cry out aloud, to call to Varien in truespeech. I could not make a sound.
I had been plagued by evil dreams, but to be truthful the waking was little better. I woke to find myself lying on a hard bed in a cell deep underground, or so I guessed from the cold and the damp. There was a lamp at one side, a heavy wooden door that was locked from the outside—of course— and a tiny grate with a tinier fire in it. I rose and threw on more coals. There seemed to be plenty.
I knew Berys had caught me, I remembered that much of the battle. At least, I had assumed that the man with the hideous face was Berys. I also seemed to remember seeing Shikrar arrive just as I was taken. I could only hope it was so. I remembered Akor and the efficient contempt with which he had killed demons. Perhaps Varien and the others lived after all.