will carry it out if he can – and you will meet the same fate for stealing Xandim. You know the law, Aelwen. We can’t let them catch us. We’ve got to get
moving.’
Though Aelwen didn’t feel like moving for the next century or so, Taine was already clambering to his feet, with a speed and ease which made her envious and faintly annoyed. It was all
very well for him, she thought.
He
had just been the passenger in the apport. She had done all the hard work.
‘Come on, you can do it.’ He grinned at her and held out a hand. Unable to resist grinning back, she took it and let him haul her up. For a moment her head spun and she lurched
against him.
‘Are you all right?’ She heard the concern in Taine’s voice.
‘I feel as if I’ve been stamped on very hard, by a giant boot, but it’ll pass.’
‘Here, take my arm – no, not the sword arm, the other one – and I’ll help you.’
‘Just for a little while, until I pull myself together.’ With a flash of pain, she thought of her black stallion Taryn, the bay Alil and the pretty skewbald mare Halira, all left
behind in Eliorand when she had apported out of there. ‘I wish I could have brought the horses, too. It would have helped both of us.’ She was very aware that Taine had recently
suffered some dreadful injuries, after being mauled by a bear. First Iriana and then Athina had done first-rate jobs of healing him, but his body would still need time to recover its full energy,
strength and balance.
Taine, as he did so often, seemed to pick up on her thoughts. ‘It can’t be helped about our mounts, love,’ he said. ‘Or Tiolani. There was nothing you could have done.
Even
you
couldn’t apport the two of us, Tiolani and three horses too – though knowing how you love them, I’m surprised you didn’t try. Come on, we’ll help
each other.’
As they emerged from the undergrowth, Aelwen gave a gasp of surprise. There in front of them was a torrent of fast-moving water, so broad that the great trees on the opposite bank seemed to be
no bigger than the bushes they had just left. ‘It’s the Carnim, that flows between Hellorin’s lands and the realm of the Wizards. I brought us all the way back to the
border!’
‘By the Light, Aelwen! How did you manage that? No wonder you’re so exhausted. I see I shall have to watch my step in future.’ He smiled at her. ‘You don’t know
your own strength.’
‘It must have been pure instinct,’ Aelwen said, ‘to get as far from the Phaerie as I could. At least we’ll be safe from search parties for quite a while, since they no
longer have the flying spell.’
Taine frowned. ‘Unless Tiolani betrays us to save herself. If that has happened, they could have the flying spell right now.’
‘She wouldn’t—’ Aelwen’s protest died away. Try as she might, she couldn’t deny the possibility.
‘I think she would.’ His voice took on a hard edge. ‘Remember that, to Tiolani, it will seem as if we abandoned her.’
‘But I couldn’t have apported three people,’ Aelwen protested, horrified. ‘And we were the ones whose lives were at stake.’
‘Of course you couldn’t.’ He put a comforting arm around her shoulder. ‘And you’re right – we were the ones in peril. I don’t know what Cordain plans
for Tiolani, but he won’t risk hurting Hellorin’s daughter and angering the Forest Lord, should Hellorin come back. And if the Forest Lord cannot return to his body, then Tiolani is the
last remaining scion of his line, and the only one who can perform the flying spell. Cordain cannot harm her. As you say, we are the ones whose lives were at stake. But Tiolani might not see things
that way, and the worst of it is, she knows all our plans.’
The plans, such as they were, had been made in haste back at Athina’s tower, before they had all taken their leave of one another. If all had been well in Eliorand, and Tiolani had taken
up the reins of power, as they had
moving.’
Though Aelwen didn’t feel like moving for the next century or so, Taine was already clambering to his feet, with a speed and ease which made her envious and faintly annoyed. It was all
very well for him, she thought.
He
had just been the passenger in the apport. She had done all the hard work.
‘Come on, you can do it.’ He grinned at her and held out a hand. Unable to resist grinning back, she took it and let him haul her up. For a moment her head spun and she lurched
against him.
‘Are you all right?’ She heard the concern in Taine’s voice.
‘I feel as if I’ve been stamped on very hard, by a giant boot, but it’ll pass.’
‘Here, take my arm – no, not the sword arm, the other one – and I’ll help you.’
‘Just for a little while, until I pull myself together.’ With a flash of pain, she thought of her black stallion Taryn, the bay Alil and the pretty skewbald mare Halira, all left
behind in Eliorand when she had apported out of there. ‘I wish I could have brought the horses, too. It would have helped both of us.’ She was very aware that Taine had recently
suffered some dreadful injuries, after being mauled by a bear. First Iriana and then Athina had done first-rate jobs of healing him, but his body would still need time to recover its full energy,
strength and balance.
Taine, as he did so often, seemed to pick up on her thoughts. ‘It can’t be helped about our mounts, love,’ he said. ‘Or Tiolani. There was nothing you could have done.
Even
you
couldn’t apport the two of us, Tiolani and three horses too – though knowing how you love them, I’m surprised you didn’t try. Come on, we’ll help
each other.’
As they emerged from the undergrowth, Aelwen gave a gasp of surprise. There in front of them was a torrent of fast-moving water, so broad that the great trees on the opposite bank seemed to be
no bigger than the bushes they had just left. ‘It’s the Carnim, that flows between Hellorin’s lands and the realm of the Wizards. I brought us all the way back to the
border!’
‘By the Light, Aelwen! How did you manage that? No wonder you’re so exhausted. I see I shall have to watch my step in future.’ He smiled at her. ‘You don’t know
your own strength.’
‘It must have been pure instinct,’ Aelwen said, ‘to get as far from the Phaerie as I could. At least we’ll be safe from search parties for quite a while, since they no
longer have the flying spell.’
Taine frowned. ‘Unless Tiolani betrays us to save herself. If that has happened, they could have the flying spell right now.’
‘She wouldn’t—’ Aelwen’s protest died away. Try as she might, she couldn’t deny the possibility.
‘I think she would.’ His voice took on a hard edge. ‘Remember that, to Tiolani, it will seem as if we abandoned her.’
‘But I couldn’t have apported three people,’ Aelwen protested, horrified. ‘And we were the ones whose lives were at stake.’
‘Of course you couldn’t.’ He put a comforting arm around her shoulder. ‘And you’re right – we were the ones in peril. I don’t know what Cordain plans
for Tiolani, but he won’t risk hurting Hellorin’s daughter and angering the Forest Lord, should Hellorin come back. And if the Forest Lord cannot return to his body, then Tiolani is the
last remaining scion of his line, and the only one who can perform the flying spell. Cordain cannot harm her. As you say, we are the ones whose lives were at stake. But Tiolani might not see things
that way, and the worst of it is, she knows all our plans.’
The plans, such as they were, had been made in haste back at Athina’s tower, before they had all taken their leave of one another. If all had been well in Eliorand, and Tiolani had taken
up the reins of power, as they had
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