passed. The ground was uneven and jarred her and she stumbled. But she was on her feet again, heedless of her bleeding knees. She found a rope bridge and she ran across without stopping until she reached the other side and her sword severed the bridge supports and it collapsed with her pursuers on the other side. But she did not wait to see what they would do. The sounds of something splashing in the creek the rope ladder had spanned rose up to her. They were across. She headed down a hill and found a gully but she wouldn't be able to reach the top of the other side before they caught up with her. Daura had to lose them. She followed the gully downward faster and faster she ran and she collided with something, another body in the darkness and screamed.
"Who?" said the other, gripping Daura hard. She could not pull away.
"A traveler." Her heart pounded. They looked closely at each other in the darkness. A woman, dressed in dark green, a pouch slung over her shoulder.
"Daura?" asked a familiar voice.
"Cara, is that you?"
"Yes. Sorry I'm late. You gave me quite a fright. What do you have for me?" She patted Daura on the shoulder, but Daura grasped hers and jerked her to attention.
"No time. I think Kaell has someone tracking me. Parean and I separated but I know something is on my trail." She pulled Cara to her feet. They both looked behind Daura, hearing the slight noises in the thicket.
"Something's coming behind you," said Cara. "Is it Parean?"
The tall tuft eared shapes came bursting through the darkness. Both women screamed. Daura turned immediately, her legs churning.
"Amogrihens! Run for your life!" cried Daura as she saw the faint shapes through the trees. She ran without knowing the direction and without a thought for Cara who fell to the ground in terror, unable to run. Daura ran and ran and she would not stop until daylight when she would be safe. She heard the screams of her savior, the messenger from Gareth, Cara. The screams were terrible and Daura could taste the pain in that voice and felt sick to her stomach. She ran and ran. The screams continued and then stopped. Why couldn't Cara have died at once? She tried to push away the images that came to her, but the sounds remained in her mind. Daura was safe. She would not think about Cara. Poor Brice! Who would tell him? She must find the rebels. But she could not go back toward Rhath. She should find Gareth and tell him what had happened. Kaell had never used Amogrihens against the rebels before. Parean would have to return to the High King without her. And if they had been discovered, which was likely, since Kaell controlled the High King's Amogrihens then she could only go to Gareth. Poor Brice! She would not think of Cara. She would not. She wiped the tears from her eyes and ran.
She ran as far as she could before her legs betrayed her and she rested briefly and then moved on toward the mountains and the rebels. But the death cry of Cara would always haunt her dreams.
The chase was short. Parean heard the screams and the terrible silence that followed. It was several minutes before he could bring himself to push aside the bushes. It was worse than he expected. There in the trail were the bloody remains of Daura. He could not move closer. Flesh and clothing red-soaked covered the leaves. He had run in pursuit of Daura's ghost but there was nothing there but her shell, her face was gone, there was nothing to remind him of her. The Amogrihens had moved on and he screamed to them to come and get him. But he found no reply. He cradled his head and wept.
Kaell found him early in the morning. The wizard had brought several soldiers with him and they buried what remained of the body. Kaell frowned at Parean.
"I am disappointed in you. I thought you were a more formidable adversary. But I am in error. Pity Daura was too. You were the only one who could have saved her from the Amogrihens but you hid."
"I came after they had....killed her. I screamed to
"Who?" said the other, gripping Daura hard. She could not pull away.
"A traveler." Her heart pounded. They looked closely at each other in the darkness. A woman, dressed in dark green, a pouch slung over her shoulder.
"Daura?" asked a familiar voice.
"Cara, is that you?"
"Yes. Sorry I'm late. You gave me quite a fright. What do you have for me?" She patted Daura on the shoulder, but Daura grasped hers and jerked her to attention.
"No time. I think Kaell has someone tracking me. Parean and I separated but I know something is on my trail." She pulled Cara to her feet. They both looked behind Daura, hearing the slight noises in the thicket.
"Something's coming behind you," said Cara. "Is it Parean?"
The tall tuft eared shapes came bursting through the darkness. Both women screamed. Daura turned immediately, her legs churning.
"Amogrihens! Run for your life!" cried Daura as she saw the faint shapes through the trees. She ran without knowing the direction and without a thought for Cara who fell to the ground in terror, unable to run. Daura ran and ran and she would not stop until daylight when she would be safe. She heard the screams of her savior, the messenger from Gareth, Cara. The screams were terrible and Daura could taste the pain in that voice and felt sick to her stomach. She ran and ran. The screams continued and then stopped. Why couldn't Cara have died at once? She tried to push away the images that came to her, but the sounds remained in her mind. Daura was safe. She would not think about Cara. Poor Brice! Who would tell him? She must find the rebels. But she could not go back toward Rhath. She should find Gareth and tell him what had happened. Kaell had never used Amogrihens against the rebels before. Parean would have to return to the High King without her. And if they had been discovered, which was likely, since Kaell controlled the High King's Amogrihens then she could only go to Gareth. Poor Brice! She would not think of Cara. She would not. She wiped the tears from her eyes and ran.
She ran as far as she could before her legs betrayed her and she rested briefly and then moved on toward the mountains and the rebels. But the death cry of Cara would always haunt her dreams.
The chase was short. Parean heard the screams and the terrible silence that followed. It was several minutes before he could bring himself to push aside the bushes. It was worse than he expected. There in the trail were the bloody remains of Daura. He could not move closer. Flesh and clothing red-soaked covered the leaves. He had run in pursuit of Daura's ghost but there was nothing there but her shell, her face was gone, there was nothing to remind him of her. The Amogrihens had moved on and he screamed to them to come and get him. But he found no reply. He cradled his head and wept.
Kaell found him early in the morning. The wizard had brought several soldiers with him and they buried what remained of the body. Kaell frowned at Parean.
"I am disappointed in you. I thought you were a more formidable adversary. But I am in error. Pity Daura was too. You were the only one who could have saved her from the Amogrihens but you hid."
"I came after they had....killed her. I screamed to
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