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gasping on the ground, his face pale and his hands clutching at his stomach.
    ‘Are you all right?’ Sparhawk demanded, kneeling beside his friend.
    ‘Leave me alone,’ Kalten wheezed.
    ‘Don’t be stupid. Are you hurt?’
    ‘No. I’m lying here for fun.’ The blond man drew in a shuddering breath. ‘What did it hit me with? I’ve never been hit that hard before.’
    ‘You’d better let me have a look at you.’
    ‘I’m all right, Sparhawk. It just knocked the breath out of me, that’s all.’
    ‘You idiot. You know what that thing is. What were you thinking of?’ Sparhawk was suddenly, irrationally angry.
    ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’ Kalten grinned weakly. ‘Maybe I should have thought my way through it a little more.’
    ‘Is he hurt?’ Bevier asked, dismounting and coming towards them, his face showing his concern.
    ‘I think he’ll be all right.’ Then Sparhawk rose, controlling his temper with some effort. ‘Sir Bevier,’ he said rather formally, ‘you’ve had training in this sort of thing. You know what you’re supposed to do when you’re under attack. What possessed you to dash into the middle of them like that?’
    ‘I didn’t think there were all that many of them, Sparhawk,’ Bevier replied defensively.
    ‘There were enough. It only takes one to kill you.’
    ‘You’re vexed with me, aren’t you, Sparhawk?’ Bevier’s voice was mournful.
    Sparhawk looked at the young knight’s earnest face for a moment. Then he sighed. ‘No, Bevier, I suppose not. You just startled me, that’s all. Please, for the sake of my nerves, don’t do unexpected things any more. I’m not getting any younger, and surprises age me.’
    ‘Perhaps I didn’t consider the feelings of my comrades,’ Bevier admitted contritely. ‘I promise it will not happen again.’
    ‘I appreciate that, Bevier. Let’s help Kalten back down the hill. I want Sephrenia to take a look at him, and I’m sure she’ll want to have a talk with him – a nice long one.’
    Kalten winced. ‘I don’t suppose I could talk you into leaving me here? This is nice soft dirt.’
    ‘Not a chance, Kalten,’ Sparhawk replied ruthlessly. ‘Don’t worry, though. She likes you, so she probably won’t do anything to you – nothing permanent, anyway.’

Chapter 3

    Sephrenia was tending a large, ugly-looking bruise on Berit’s upper arm when Sparhawk and Bevier helped the weakly protesting Kalten down the hill to her.
    ‘Is it bad?’ Sparhawk asked the young novice.
    ‘It’s nothing, My Lord,’ Berit said bravely, although his face was pale.
    ‘Is that the very first thing they teach you Pandions?’ Sephrenia asked acidly, ‘- to make light of your injuries? Berit’s mail-shirt stopped most of the blow, but in about an hour his arm’s going to be purple from elbow to shoulder. He’ll barely be able to use it.’
    ‘You’re in a cheerful humour this afternoon, little mother,’ Kalten said to her.
    She pointed a threatening finger at him. ‘Kalten,’ she said, ‘sit. I’ll deal with you after I’ve tended Berit’s arm.’
    Kalten sighed and slumped down onto the ground.
    Sparhawk looked around. ‘Where are Ulath, Tynian and Kurik?’ he asked.
    ‘They’re scouting around to make sure there aren’t any more ambushes laid for us, Sir Sparhawk,’ Berit replied.
    ‘Good idea.’
    ‘That creature didn’t look so very dangerous to me,’ Bevier said, ‘- a little mysterious perhaps, but not all that dangerous.’
    ‘It didn’t hit you ,’ Kalten told him. ‘It’s dangerous, all right. Take my word for it.’
    ‘It’s more dangerous than you could possibly imagine,’ Sephrenia said. ‘It can send whole armies after us.’
    ‘If it’s got the kind of power that knocked me off my horse, it doesn’t need armies.’
    ‘You keep forgetting, Kalten. Its mind is the mind of Azash. The Gods prefer to have humans do their work for them.’
    ‘The men who came down that hill were like