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• • •
They covered another sixthem on with iuage, unintelligible clicks and grunts that nevertheless conveyed the clear h to freeze misted breath, the air was calht with stars and the occasional flurry of Grishak’s Breath The atmosphere took on such a depth of silence that, when it cah to make Vaelin lift his hands to his already covered ears
It wasthe ice beneath his feet andScar rear in alarave shrill whinnies and sought to break free of theircrack went on unabated, the sound at first see concentrated on the ard floe they had just traversed, Vaelin’s eyes picking out a curtain of shattered ice rising fro from north to south so fast his eye couldn’t track its course
The sound ended without warning, leaving a vast but brief silence soon filled by a great grinding, alroaning in pain Another treh force to tipin a great heave as the grinding faded About a halfof displaced snow and ice had risen, lingering for long enough to ht be so?
As the fog faded, the truth of it beca froan a southward voyage It must have measured at least five miles across, a newborn island where they would have undoubtedly perished as it bore them away
• • •
Kiral woke hi hi e is dark,” she said “So to the north”
He followed her to the northern flank of the ca a the h tracking skill to discern theaway into the blackness beyond the firelight “How many were taken?” he asked
“One, and his pony” Alturk, rose to his full height, heavy brows knitted in er and puzzlement “These marks I do not know”
Vaelin looked down at the ih for a black bear but not a brown
“Not a bear,” Kiral said, tracing an outline around one of theher bow “My song will find it soon enough”
“No” She turned at the sound of Wise Bear’s voice, the sha closer to prod at the bloodied prints with his staff “Sent to leave a trail so you would follow”
“So in his own language, ue He caught Vaelin’s enquiring gaze and provided a terse translation, “Cat People”
• • •
“I hoped they had all perished” Dahrena sat close to the fire, extra furs heaped on her shoulders, clasping hands with Cara and Lorkan “They were so few in number after the battle”
Vaelin resisted the ith or not, her gift always exacted a heavy toll and the prospect of once again confronting the Ice Horde no doubt stirred uglysht only Wise Bear assuresand her face taking on the expressionless mask that indicated she had flown free, Cara and Kiral both issuing a gasp at the sensation “She takes lanced up to find Alturk at his side, gazing at Dahrena with deep suspicion Like all the Lonak his distrust of the Dark was obvious, but so far he was the only one who dared enquire as to its nature
“She seeks our hunter,” Vaelin told him