"Eket priest," Andora said, as though she only now remembered what they had discussed on the journey. She paused, looked at the group, and then nodded. "We go on."
Rory would have gone on alone anyway and wondered if that might not have been a better idea. Why hadn't he considered it?
Too late now. Rory didn't try to dissuade the others. Besides, they'd come this far and faced a lot of dangers, and this was probably less dangerous than their escape by boat.
Rory had time to prepare to use his magic this time. He gathered it up in many strings and tied them to his companions. By the time he finished that first stage, he was already feeling weaker. However, it would only take a single thought to hide them all. He explained it. Then they continued on straight down the trail the soldiers had made.
It didn't take long to catch up with them. Euriday, beyond a doubt, and not particularly happy ones.
"Hold on to each other," Rory reminded them yet again. "That's how you'll be able to see each other, but no one else will see us. Quiet, though. And remember that we can still cast shadows, so if anyone looks our way with interest, just freeze. I plan to take us along the shadows of the trees as much as I can."
"Listen for anything about why they are here," Andora added. She took hold of Rory's hand. He would have rather had Jamison there, but only because he knew Jamison better.
Rory went first, Andora after him, then Jamison, Keltrina, and Zorian. They made quite a line. Rory wanted to rush through the camp, but they came here for a reason. It would have been easier to find a way around this mass and maybe only deal with an outer guard. This way, they all hoped to hear something helpful.
Because it seemed that every day they found more questions and not a single answer.
Rory was careful of where they went, moving from one spot to the next, staying away from the cooking fires that might have cast shadows, and trying to spot someone of rank. They were all in a meeting in the single tent, he suspected.
So he kept moving, listening, and heading for the darkness ahead. The sun had gone down, and they would soon be out beyond the sentries.
The others were no trouble at all. They followed Rory, and he took them down the road in silence, well past the sentry -- but the road was straight and the moon already up. Rory didn't dare drop the magic until they were well out of sight. Either he had to go to where the road dipped and turned- a couple miles ahead- or he needed a deer path or some other opening in the hedge-like growth. He wasn't sure he could make one for them. The tingle of magic had started to become painful.
"Rory?" Andora said.
She could feel the clammy dampness to his hand and probably knew he trembled. Keeping this many people invisible for so long was not easy. He had to go --
Amanda grabbed his shoulder with her other hand and turned him toward the bushes. He looked back, saw no sign of the sentry just then, and dropped the magic just in time to use another spell to spread branches silently back.
The others scrambled through at his signal, and he followed. The opening wasn't very deep, so he let the one behind them close and opened the second, following them to a tall old tree.
And everything went black.
Sometime later, he knew he was moving, even though he wasn't walking. He forced his eyes open and saw an array of branches and leaves swirling over his head. His shoulders and feet hurt. So did his back --
People carrying him. It hurt.
"Put me down," he ordered, though softly. He had that much sense left, fearing what might be near.
They quickly obeyed -- Zorian and Andora. Rory could tell they'd carried him for some distance. He could not, however, get any sense of where they were or which direction they were headed.
All of them sat down by him. Rory started to protest, but he could see they were all worn. They kept silent for a moment, and then Andora nodded.
"No one around," she said but still spoke softly. "We went several miles northeast, and we're heading back west hoping we can reach the Sciwhen outpost at the border before they are attacked. If we are lucky, they'll have some horses for us."
Now that sounded helpful.
They were going again after just a few bites of food and a few sips of watered wine that Zorian provided from his pack. It helped. Even so, Rory felt unsteady on his feet and gave Jamison a look of apology when the man caught him before he fell.
"My apologies," Rory said with a sigh.
"You saved us," Jamison reminded him. "More than once. I never realized how much I like to think we could have managed without magic -- most people do, even in dangerous situations -- but I'm too aware that you kept us alive."
Rory waved that away. "Just another tool to use. Did you hear anything while we went through the camp?"
"First, they didn't plan to move until dawn," Keltrina reported. "So we've just kept moving in hopes of getting there first."
"And they were not happy," Andora added. "Kellic's name came up a few times. Not, by the way, as King Kellic. General Unanik is in charge of the troops on this border."
"Unanik," he said and looked to find Jamison glancing his way in anticipation. "Not someone who likes Kellic, and that might be the only reason he doesn't use the title of king."
"Do you really think it is that easy?" Jamison asked.
"No, of course not. There is too much going on."
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