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Lia was not, so she released her cloak and covered the other girl’s shoulders with it She gave Lia a grateful look and hugged herself

The h the woods in every direction, concealing even the light froloom The woods were thick and oppressive They still had not reached the summit yet It would be a while before that happened still

"How far behind are they?" Colvin wondered

"I have tried to throw the has worked so far They arethe distanceus more time, but not much It will be easier on the way down We may reach the valley floor by dawn and then cross the valley by mid-day if we do not stop"

"I need to rest," Ellowyn said "I can scarcely breathe"

From behind them, the Fear Liath roared The trio stopped at the sound It was the same as before and it struck terror inside them Ellowyn’s eyes were as wide as dishes and she quailed with fear "What was that!"

Colvin stared down the mountain "It is behind us?" he said in disbelief

Lia understood It was not hunting therabbed Colvin and buried her face against his tunic "What is it?" she said, her voice quavering

"A grey-rank," he answered "It cannot hurt us"

Lia sed, her throat tightening "But it will hurt the Elloith him Lia froze "What can we do?" he demanded "If we help them, will they help us? If the Aldermaston told them ere bound for Dahomey ultimately, ould they have followed us so swiftly if not to stop us? If they are wise, they will go back down the mountain to the safety of their Abbey They cannot pass"

Lia struggled with her feelings They were her country to happen to them Even Martin, who had betrayed her She could not explain her feelings They surged in her so strongly, she hestitated, not knohat to do

"Co forward in a hard walk "There is nothing you can do"

They heard the screa Panic Another roar sounded, blasting froer More screams Horror-filled screarabbed her shoulder and pulled her close to hiht intensified, as a cry of agony was suddenly ripped short He buried her head against his chest, covering her ears frohter A sound that would haunt her the rest of her life

He squeezed her hard and she clutched at hiust hat they had heard The Fear Liath was ht sounded fro and loud and throbbed with triu we could have done Those hunters chose to follow us They chose to pursue It sickens et off thethe trail noard they walked, pressing up the steep slope of the mountain Tears fell down Lia’s cheeks She looked back, searching for the glow of a torch Even a single torch The fog had lifted, revealing a snowy ht following Nothing but blackness behind them and the silhouettes of massive trees all around How old were the trees, she wondered Howyears atop the mountain? A place where no woodcutter dared harvest A place where the things of the wild reigned as kings

First Jon Hunter

Now Martin

She wished there was a way to leave a Leering there, as she had with Jon But she knew nothing about it, nor did she trust their safety where the Fear Liath h the treacherous woods

They straggled into the haed with dirt and tear-tracks She wobbled on her feet, barely able to keep upright through her exhaustion Her hair was own in tatters at the hes sore but she did not stop Colvin seemed unaffected, his jaw firm with determination He did not speak as they entered the hamlet Lia peeked at the orb which pointed the way to Pen-Ilyn and his boat He was pacing back and forth by the soods were already loaded and he turned on his heel and started with surprise when they appeared