“My sight isn’t what it was, but even a blind man could hear that the crickets in the distance ceased to chirp.”
The man shook his head, disgusted with himself that he had failed to notice the same thing. It was a lesson he would not forget, but he was not alone. None of the other Raithlin had observed it, otherwise they would have signaled a halt themselves.
Talgin allowed a faint smile to play on his lips. Age might have blunted his senses, but it had not yet dulled his skills.
The approaching rider drew up beside him. He saw now that it was Arawdan.
“We’ve found a spot,” the Raithlin said.
“I take it that there’s no point in delaying and looking for a better one?”
“There might be more suitable places further along, but not by much. Better to let everyone rest first, and then get things over and done with.”
Talgin noted that Arawdan was vague about what ‘things’ needed to be over and done with. He did not blame him.
“You’re right, I expect. How far away is it?”
“Not far, but the going is rough.”
“Is Arawnus still there?”
Arawdan shook his head. “He went to scout further along the trail and make sure that he could find a way out of the swamp.”
Talgin rubbed his chin. That was good knowledge to have, but he hoped they would not need it.
“Take the lead,” he said. “We should still have an hour’s head start.”
Arawdan turned his horse around and went to the head of the column. What sort of spot he and his brother had settled on, Talgin did not know. He would find out when he got there, but he did not doubt that it would be suitable.
As Arawdan had warned, the trail grew rougher. The land continued to slope upward, and what little vegetation there was that resembled the swamps back home disappeared. They were now surrounded by tufted grasses growing along ridges and between outcrops of rock. A forest of stunted and dry-leaved trees overshadowed everything.
Although the land was drying out, and there was much shade, it grew hot. Talgin wiped sweat from his face and felt it dampen his tunic and trickle down his sides.
It did not take them long to reach the spot the brothers had chosen. The column came to a halt and Talgin rode up to Arawdan at the front. Of Arawnus, there was no sign.
He looked around, studying the terrain through the eyes of many long years of experience.
Trees stood to either side of the path. They were not tall, but they grew quite thickly. The ground on the left was higher, the trees covering a rocky slope that ran up to a crest out of sight above. To the right there was also a slope, though not so steep or rocky. The trees grew taller there, but just as thick.
The trail ran through a gully between the two slopes. It was dry, and yet at times, when it did rain, water obviously collected here for the grass grew well. It stood over a foot high, covering much of the trail, but it was mostly dead now, dried and withered by heat. The sun came from before him, and would do so for a few hours yet.
He turned to Arawdan. “The path is wide,” he said, “So the guards won’t be strung out.”
“That’s if they ride into it. If they suspect an ambush, they may not.”
“That’s true. But it’s still wide ahead of the gully, and if they don’t enter it, we’ll have to make them.”
Arawdan looked at him grimly, knowing what he meant. “I don’t much like the thought of using fire, but this place is perfect for it.”
“You and your brother did well. The rest of it will be up to bold hearts and luck.”
“Isn’t it always?”
“More than most realize,” Talgin answered.
He signaled the column forward. “Let’s keep appearances up,” he said. “It’s better that whatever trackers they have with them see our trail continue forward through the gully. When you’ve gone through to the end, halt them and give them instructions. I’m going to find a place in the middle of the trail to wait.”
“Are you going to talk to the guards when they arrive?”
“I’m going to try.”
“They won’t listen.”
“No, but I’ll try anyway. I don’t like fire either. And if that fails, at least it will help to ensure that they’re bunched up in a group.”
Arawdan rode through the gully with the Raithlin. What his exact thoughts were on trying to speak to the