Disclaimers: see part 1, chapter 1

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By Jane Fletcher

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Tevi bounced down the steps of the guildhall. She hit a wall of heat. Ekranos was simmering at the height of summer. Sun beat down on her head and shoulders, baking her into the pavement. Shade was at a premium. Tevi set off through the scorched, airless town, keeping to whatever shade she could find.

On a tree-lined avenue, a group of mercenaries were drinking outside a busy tavern. Tevi stopped for an exchange of stale jokes and gossip. Several invited her to stay but the offers were half-hearted. Tevi declined - and pretended not to notice the general relief. She did not let the pained grimace show until after she had turned away.

The noise of the tavern faded behind her as Tevi joined the wide thoroughfare leading to the western gates. The midday heat had reduced the usual crowds to a trickle. Guards, standing in the shadow of the high stone arch, gave a nod of recognition as she passed. Beyond the town, there was nothing to offer protection from the sun, although a breeze blew off the sea, cleansing the air of dust. The road ahead scratched a line across the parched landscape, up to the top of the cliffs. Tevi adopted an easy, mile-eating stride. To the rhythm of her steps, she mused on her current social standing.

During the previous month she had divided her time between school of herbalism and the mercenary guildhall, and had felt an uncomfortable outsider in both. At the school, she was neither a healer nor a patient; she had no place, and was made keenly aware of it by virtually everyone. At best, she was ignored. At worst, reduced to Jemeryl's unwelcome toy.

When grudgingly offered a bed in the servant's dormitory, she had opted to remain in the guildhall. However, this was not as easy as before - as demonstrated by the group at the tavern. The other mercenaries now treated her with strained politeness. Gone were the horseplay and outspoken, crude good-humour. Tevi could not restrain a groan. The others were inhibited by her newly perceived role as a sorcerer's lover - or should the word be partner? She was unsure if the term needed official ratification.

Tevi shook her head, partly to clear the sweat from her eyes and partly to dismiss the troubling thoughts. She paused to catch her breath in the shade of one of the rare stunted trees. Branches fanned out close to the ground, covered with bark that pealed in ragged fibres. Dull olive leaves rattled in the dry wind.

Tevi rested a hand on the twisted trunk and looked down at Ekranos - white walls and black shadows set in a bleached brown landscape. Only the blue sea was unfaded. It threw back the sunlight in sparkling ripples until it blended into a silver plain, meeting the sky. Tevi's eyes rested on the familiar horizon of her childhood, but the sight stirred no memories of Storenseg. Somewhere out there was a woman who had tried to murder Jemeryl. The thought overrode all others.

Tevi resumed her trek. The climb in the heat was draining. She knew she could have made use of Jemeryl's name to borrow a horse from the guildhall. It was something Tevi was unwilling to do, though it was doubtful if it had any effect on her peer's perception of her. Sweat made rivulets down her sides. Her shirt clung to her back. She was cursing her own pride by the time the road levelled out and the walls of the school appeared above the crest of the hill.

The main school entrance was set in ivy-clad walls, guarded by nothing visible to the eyes of the ungifted; yet, there were guards. Tevi shuddered, remembering the way she had first charged in. She was wiser now - Jemeryl had made sure of it.

The school layout had become very familiar to Tevi over the previous month and no one challenged her as she made her way across the site. She reached the small upstairs study to find the door wedged open and Vine sitting alone at her desk. A book lay open in front of her, although the young sorcerer was showing no sign of reading it.

She leapt up eagerly at Tevi's arrival. "Hi. Jem's expecting you. She's outside. I'll show you where."

Vine was one of the rare exceptions who was willing to talk to Tevi as an equal. In her more cynical moments, Tevi wondered if it was because you could not pick up gossip by offending your sources.

"Is there any news of Bramell, or Levannue?" Tevi asked as they walked back along the veranda to the stairs. The best way to deflect Vine's curiosity was to ask your own questions.

"Bramell should have reached Lyremouth but it'll be some time before a message comes back. As for Levannue..." Vine shrugged.

"I heard she'd been seen."

"She was lucky, and she took some risks. She had no choice with the pursuit so close on her trail. It was touch-and-go, but I think she's slipped the net."

"I'd have thought the school defences could have stopped her."

"But she was the one who set them. And nobody here could match her in the sixth dimension. Lyremouth should be able to do better, which is why Bramell went there to help co-ordinate things." Vine explained.

"It must all be awkward for him. Do you think he'll resign?"

"I don't know. When he returns it will be..." Vine's voice faded away. It was obviously an idea that interested her.

They rounded the end of the building. Close by, a low couch was set in the shade of a faded blue canopy. Jemeryl lay sprawled amid piles of cushions with Klara asleep on the headrest.

"You found me then." Jemeryl glanced between them. "Has Vine been quizzing you?"

"Actually, I've been the one asking questions." Tevi suppressed a grin at Jemeryl's almost imperceptible nod of approval.

"Tevi was asking for news of Levannue. I don't suppose Neame has told you anything?"

Vine's casual tone did not hide her eagerness for the merest hint of gossip but, for all her news gathering skills, Tevi suspected she did not pick up on the faint twitch of Jemeryl's eyebrows.

"No. Nobody tells me anything. They're worried about upsetting me."

Vine sighed and directed a frown at Jemeryl. "But then you aren't saying much either. I wish I knew what it was all about. I don't even know what Levannue has done - apart from trying to murder you, of course."

"It must be very trying for you." Jemeryl was more amused than sympathetic. "But you know we can't say anything."

"Come on... a faint clue, a hint? You could do a mime." Vine's plea was met by laughter.

"I thought you were supposed to be studying?" Jemeryl said pointedly.

"All right, I'm going." Vine stalked away with her nose in the air, but the exchange was good-natured. Her pout consisted entirely of self-mockery.

Jemeryl watched her go. "Poor Vine. I think she feels physical pain to know a secret is being withheld from her."

Tevi bent to kiss Jemeryl gently and then sat on the grass. She stretched her legs straight and rested her shoulders against the couch. Her head lay cushioned on Jemeryl's lap. Above her, a sea of ripples chased across the canopy in the breeze. Tevi shifted her focus to the upside-down face. Jemeryl's lips were pale and a yellow tinge stained the whites of her eyes, but health was returning. The skeletal gauntness had left Jemeryl's naturally sharp-boned features. The listless weakness had also gone and today there was an extra glint in her eyes.

"You've learnt something important about Levannue." Tevi stated it as a fact.

"How do you know?"

"By the look on your face when Vine mentioned her name."

Jemeryl sighed and brushed the hair back from Tevi's forehead. "Just don't teach the knack to Vine."

"So are you going to tell me? Has she been caught?"

"No. It's only some guesswork on my part."

Tevi swivelled around to sit cross-legged, facing Jemeryl. "What is it?"

"I've been thinking. They've lost track of Levannue. The only thing we can do is work out where she'll go next and try to get ahead of her. This would be difficult, except we know where she'd claimed her destination was. It was probably the truth. She had no reason to hide it, since she didn't know we were hunting her when she announced her plans, and she wouldn't have wanted to raise an alarm if she didn't arrive when and where expected."

"So we can eliminate that town and narrow down our search to the rest of the world?"

Jemeryl laughed at the ironic tone and raised Tevi's hand to her lips. "It's actually a rather significant piece of information. Levannue was due to stop off at a few other places on the way, but her final destination was a small town called Corrisburn, near where Whitfell Spur joins the Barrodens. It's a plausible place to test out wards. A lot of nasty things live in the high mountains. But, far more significantly, it is only 80 miles from where Lorimal did her original research."

"There's something there she has to get - something Lorimal left behind." Tevi guessed immediately.

"That's one possibility and I'm sure the Guardian will spot it. I've come up with another idea. The name Corrisburn struck a chord when I heard it. Yesterday I remembered why. There's a plant that grows wild in the mountains that's used in various spells. There are half a dozen towns where it's harvested and processed. I think it's relevant that Corrisburn is the source the school uses. I must have written the name down a dozen times while I was tidying the dispensary. I suspect Levannue wants the plant and checked the school records to see where she could get it."

"Surely the closeness to where Lorimal did her work can't be a coincidence." Tevi remonstrated.

"It's not. This plant only grows on the southern slopes of the Barrodens. Elsewhere, you have to get it dried, or in the form of a distilled drug. It's known by a number of local names. The least romantic is 'stinking dog-root', from which I assume its fragrance isn't its greatest charm. Several sorcerers claim that the fresh berries have additional properties that are lost when the plant is processed, but these haven't been thoroughly investigated. To tell the truth, nobody is certain what potential these berries have. It's exactly the sort of thing an ambitious young sorcerer would study, given the chance. Lorimal invented her spell at a time when she had access to the plant growing wild. If fresh berries are used in the spell, it would explain why Levannue had to go the same region to repeat the work."

"You say if. Do you have any firm evidence the plant forms part of the spell?"

"Two things." Jemeryl counted the points on her fingers. "One: Levannue's arrival at the town would have coincided with the fruiting season in early autumn. Two: and this is the clinch, while I was working with her, I noticed she was growing several potted plants under alpine conditions. I went and checked this morning. It's the dog-root."

"So why would she need to go to the Barrodens?"

"They were weak, stunted specimens. It isn't a tropical plant and wouldn't reach its full potency here - probably no more than to confirm the spell would work."

Tevi nodded slowly. "Will the Coven leaders be able to guard the entire area where this plant grows?"

"They may not realise they have to. I don't know if anyone in Lyremouth will realise the significance of the dog-root - we can be certain that Bramell won't. The only ingredient Iralin knew about was the orchid nectar, because Lorimal needed to make special requisitions to get it sent to her. If Lyremouth get their supplies of the dog-root from a different town, they might not make the link. We've got to catch Levannue ourselves." Jemeryl finished resolutely.

"How can we cover the entire mountain range?"

"There's no need. The Barrodens are where the Coven holds its strongest defences. The northern border of the Protectorate has always been prone to attack. Even at quiet times, the Coven has it completely monitored. Levannue won't dare visit any spot on the Barrodens that's controlled by the Coven, since every witch and sorcerer will be on the lookout for her. And there's only one place outside the Protectorate where she can get the dog-root - Horzt. And that's where we'll wait for her."

"It could be another trap of hers."

"I don't think so. Levannue isn't omnipotent; she can make mistakes. Like when she fled that night, rather than challenging you at the gates. She could have overpowered you, taken the warrant and lied to Bramell about it."

"Pretending to flee might be part of her plan."

"No. From what she'd said to me beforehand, I'm sure she assumed you were the messenger for a powerful group of sorcerers who had seen through the school shields. It can't have occurred to her that she had effectively sent the signal herself. My link to Klara had always been very weak through the school shields and Levannue didn't know anything about her. So when she ensnared me with the collar, the bond was completely severed and Klara was just an ordinary magpie again."

Tevi's head dropped. "When she pecked me, I thought you were dead."

"Yes, well, killing me outright would have had the same effect, as far as Klara was concerned."

Jemeryl's light-hearted tone only intensified Tevi's fears. "We don't need to chase her ourselves. We should tell the Guardian where you think Levannue's going - it would be a safer."

"There isn't time to get a message from here to Lyremouth and on to Horzt. We're going to have to move sharply ourselves to be sure of getting there before her."

"What will Neame say?"

Jemeryl shrugged. "She'll say I'm not well enough. So we won't tell her. We'll slip off and leave her a note."

"Might not Neame be right?" Tevi said slowly.

"Levannue has to be stopped. I know I'm not fully recovered but I'm still the strongest worker in the sixth dimension left at Ekranos. Everyone else has been sent out already."

Tevi frowned but said nothing.

Jemeryl studied her expression. "Don't you want to go after Levannue?"

"Oh yes." Tevi took a deep breath. "And it's not just the quest. I'll never forgive that she tried to murder you, but it's going to be dangerous tackling Levannue on our own. Especially if she's just acquired a new weapon."

"It'll come sooner or later. I'm sworn to die defending the Protectorate if need be. A surprise attack before she's managed to master the spell might be my best chance." There was no humour in Jemeryl's voice, but then her grin returned. "Anyway, it's vital that we leave Ekranos soon."

"Why?"

"Probably a sign that I'm getting better - but it's really starting to get to me that they won't let you share my room."

* * * * * *

The road cut a diagonal slash that climbed steadily up the side of the gorge,. Two deep ruts marked the passage of carts. Tufts of spiny grass braved the ridge at the centre and fern-like patterns had been scored by rain in the dust. Pines overhung on the left and purple heather clung to the exposed rocks of the cutting. On the other side, the slope dropped so steeply that the tops of tall trees were at eye level with the riders on the road. At one point was a breach caused by the fall of an old pine.

Tevi stopped her horse and looked down through the gap. Far below, the river Danor thundered through the ravine. Her eyes shifted back along the trail. Apart from songbirds, the only sign of movement was the first of the wagons rounding the bend several hundred yards down the road. A second team of horses came into view - huge beasts, making light of the load they pulled. Tevi spurred her own horse forward to rejoin the other two mercenaries in the caravan's vanguard.

After half a mile, the gradient levelled out. The roar of water grew close and then softened. They rounded another bend and abruptly the sides of the valley fell away. Ahead lay a wide basin, hollowed in the mountains. The rim was a circle of wooded slopes, broken by bands of scree, leading up to bare mountaintops.

The three mercenaries reined in their horses on the grass beside the road. The eldest pointed to a tumulus on the far side of the basin. Even at a distance, it was clearly covered with buildings and surrounded by a high stone wall.

"That's Horzt. We'll be there by evening. Beyond is the high pass - if you've changed your mind."

"I haven't." Tevi's voice was soft but obstinate.

"I'm sure the caravan master will have no trouble hiring someone to replace you." The older mercenary said curtly. He indicated a nearly stretch of grass. "We'll stop for one last break. The wagons will be here shortly."

Tevi swung a leg over her horse's rump and dropped to the ground. She walked to the top of a bank to view the scene. Horzt was too distant to make out details; all that could be seen was a confused mound of walls and towers. The river Danor threw a silver loop around the base of the tumulus before winding through swathes of farmland dotted with small hamlets. The water flowed slowly over shingle as it eventually passed the slope where Tevi stood.

The Danor had carved the only wagon route through the Barrodens east of Whitfell Spur. The waterway was navigable as far as Gossenfeld, which was also the boundary of the Protectorate. There, Tevi and Jemeryl had been forced to leave the river-barge. To continue their journey, Tevi had taken a guard's contract on a caravan to Horzt. Part of her salary paid for Jemeryl's place on a wagon. This was necessary since the sorcerer was disguised and even Tevi was using a false name. She suspected Jemeryl was enjoying the game but, personally, she thought it an unnecessary strain.

The wagons began to arrive on the pasture. The creek of axles and the shouts of drivers and crew broke the peace. A few passengers appeared from covered wagons, yawning and stretching cramped muscles. Traders clambered over the loads, pulling on ropes. More wagons arrived and suddenly travellers seemed to spring from everywhere.

Tevi trotted around the perimeter of the site to one of the long covered wagons. She pulled back the awning at the rear. All the passengers had left except for a withered old crone. Ancient eyes, lost in folds of skin, blinked in the light. Etched lips puckered on toothless gums. One knotted hand gripped a walking stick, the other hugged a wicker cage containing a sorry looking magpie.

"Is that you Laniss?" The ancient voice quavered.

"Yes. I've come to help you down Gran." Tevi spoke loudly, as if addressing the deaf.

"Are we there yet?"

"Nearly, you can see Horzt from the roadside."

Tevi assisted the old woman from the wagon and carried the cage to a spot where they could see Horzt and, more importantly, not be overheard.

"Are you sure this disguise is really worth it?" Tevi asked wearily.

"Yes I am." Jemeryl spoke with her own voice. "Levannue may scry the town before she risks showing her face. Even disguised like this, I'll need to keep a low profile, but hopefully all she'll have on you is a name."

"If it's so risky won't she avoid the town altogether?"

"She has no choice if she wants to get the dog-root in quantity. It doesn't grow profusely this far east, and it's usually in inaccessible spots. Levannue isn't young. She's not up to clambering up cliffs and enthralling people won't help her, as they'd be too clumsy to do much apart from fall off."

"Who normally harvests the dog-root?"

"It's too rare for anyone around here to do it commercially. Herdsmen on the high pastures gather the odd sprig if they spot it and trade to the alchemists in Horzt. Which is where Levannue will have to go to buy it in quantity."

The magpie gave a pathetic croak. Tevi held the cage at eye level. "Poor Klara. She's not enjoying this game. I'd be happier without it as well. I'm no good at acting."

A bell sounded behind them; the signal for the midday meal. Tevi's expression was unhappy as they turned to join the queue by the food-wagon. At least the worst of the acting would be over when they reached Hortz and were no longer in such close contact with their fellow travellers. She offered Jemeryl her arm to lean on for the short walk.

"Think of this disguise as a rare opportunity." Jemeryl's voice reverting to the elderly quaver.

"For what?"

"It gives you the chance to work out if you'll still love me when I'm old and wrinkly."

Tevi snorted derisively, but the corners of her mouth twitched in a smile. "I'll let you know."

* * * * * *

A rolling blanket of grey hung above Horzt, hiding the mountaintops. Light rain blew in clouds of mist over the city walls. In the narrow streets, sheltered from the fitful wind, rain fell as a persistent drizzle, running down walls and dripping off ledges and lintels. Everywhere smelt sour of damp stone.

The road split just inside the city gates. The lanes fanned out through the packed mass of inns, shops and houses that clung to the sides of the tumulus. Wet cobbles glistened with an oily sheen. Inadequate gutters held small torrents that cascaded over wedged dams of rubbish. More water flowed from the entrances to passageways where worn flights of steps scaled the hillside between featureless walls.

Tevi stood in the shelter of one such alley - not that it offered much protection from the rain. She made another futile attempt to adjust the collar of her militia-issue cloak so the water running off her militia-issue helmet did not drip down her neck, while again cursing the militia authorities for issuing such a poorly devised uniform.

Tevi had joined the militia the day after her arrival in Horzt. Although the town was independent of the Protectorate, well over half its militia bore the red and gold tattoos of the mercenaries. There was even a semi-official guildhall. It was a good disguise and gave her a free hand to examine every traveller who entered town. Yet, nearly a month had passed without sign of Levannue. Jemeryl still spoke confidently but Tevi knew she was starting to question the reasoning that had led them to Horzt.

From the alley, Tevi had clear view of traffic entering the town. She studied each face. The people on the road wisely did their utmost to avoid attracting her attention. She was off-duty but the passers-by were not to know. The Horzt militia were notorious for their ready use of fines, stocks and whipping post. It left Tevi with mixed feelings. She was in favour of lawful behaviour and the militia uniform was a useful cover but she did not enjoy playing the bully.

The cloud begun to break up, although a moist wind still gusted under the gatehouse. The faint outline of the sun floated clear in a brighter patch before dark tendrils obscured it once more. A last burst of rain splattered the cobbles. Tevi ran a thumb along the eye-guard of her helmet to dislodge a row of drips and then froze at the sound of an urgent metallic beat - three taps, a rest, one tap, and then two taps. The sequence repeated.

The helmet made it hard to locate the source of the drumming. Tevi looked left, right and behind her without success. Then she looked up. A rusted iron bar stuck out from the wall a few feet above her head. The drummer, Klara, was perched on it. Raindrops rolling like diamonds off her stark plumage. The magpie's head bobbed, again beating out the signal, but Tevi did not wait for confirmation. She spun around and leapt up the stairway behind her. Puddles filling the hollowed treads splattered explosively under the impact of her feet. The last flight was taken three at a time.

Tevi burst onto the street above and raced along between shops stacked high with barrels and baskets of grain, dried meat and cheese. Only the thinnest band of grey sky snaked above her head between the cantilevered buildings. Civilians melted away from her path. A stout trader stumbled over a box as he flatted himself against a wall. Running militiamen meant trouble.

The streets flew by. Tevi ducked into a crooked alley that twisted behind the backs of shops. Around a bend, she collided with a handcart. The porter mumbled a confused apology. Tevi squeezed between cart and wall. Her cloak scratched on the rough stone and her jerkin became drenched as it wiped along the slippery side of the cart. The material flapped cold against her stomach as she ran on.

Another bend hid the cart from view. Tevi slowed her footsteps to a purposeful, military stride while fighting to steady her breathing. With her best attempt to give the air of a routine patrol, she rounded the last corner and emerged into a small square.

Technically, the open space was more a bent triangle, formed by an offset junction where five roads met. On all sides, tall buildings fenced the flagstones. A drinking fountain, shaped like a lion's head, spewed water into a stone basin at one end. Tevi halted by it and looked up at her destination - the short steep road known as Abrak's Alley. Here, charm sellers, alchemists, healers and witches plied their trade. The shop-fronts seemed to revel in an arcane sleaziness. The gradient was so steep that steps had been cut to one side for the benefit of pedestrians.

Directly facing the road, with an unobstructed view up its length, stood an inn. Its tottering facade bore witness to a history of modification. Tevi resisted the temptation to seek out the window to the room she shared with Jemeryl. Levannue was about. Jemeryl would not be so stupid as to stand where she could be seen, on any plain of existence, normal or otherwise.

Tevi leaned against the wall by the fountain and folded her arms, as if waiting for trouble - a typical militia pose. She glared around the square. A group of drunken barbarians, from the far north-east, quietened instantly. Tevi hardly noticed them. Klara was the object of her search.

The plans had been made and rehearsed over the previous month. Jemeryl dare not let herself be seen, so she would use Klara's coded signals to identify Levannue. A simple physical description was no use, as demonstrated by Jemeryl's own disguise. Levannue could be anyone - the street urchin with gap-tooth grin and filthy clothes, darting between the slower adults; the rich trader sauntering by, with the edge taken off her arrogant swagger by Tevi's attention; the lounging whore whose clothing, or lack of it, left no doubt to his profession. He noticed Tevi watching and smiled coyly; the militia were good customers. Tevi's eyes swept on. Still, Klara did not arrive.

As the minutes passed, it got harder for Tevi not to betray her anxiety. People flowed in and out of the square about her. Already, Levannue might be leaving with her purchase complete. Jemeryl had been sure that Klara would be safe and undetected, but something had gone wrong.

Tevi pushed away from the wall. Her first impulse was to rush into the inn. She forced herself to stop and think. In all honesty, if Levannue had discovered Jemeryl there was nothing an ungifted mercenary could do to help. It was better to be optimistic. Klara's signal meant Jemeryl had spotted Levannue buying dog-root. The place to look was in the alchemists' shops. Maybe Klara was waiting further up the street. Tevi turned her back on the inn and started to climb the uneven cobbles. Her feet adopted the unhurried tread of a militia patrol.

The first alchemist opened on her right. It was a cave-like opening, lined with ramshackle wooden shelves. The walls stretched back into darkness. The ceiling was an upside-down forest where bunches of herbs hung from the rafters. Tevi glanced in. The bandy-legged owner stood, smiling benignly at two potential customers who were examining a small bag. Tevi noted their hawkish features and the dark hair falling in knotted waves over their shoulders. She recognised them as two traders, travelling with a mule train from the eastern reaches. It's one useful thing to do, she told herself, remember who's in the street. Jemeryl will be able to describe Levannue's current appearance so I can identify her later.

Tevi continued the climb. People slid away from her belligerent gaze. A dozen yards further up the street, she passed another alchemists', identical to the first. Only one customer was here, lost in gloom at the rear and further hidden beneath a voluminous grey cloak.

There was an almost imperceptible pause in the rhythm of Tevi's stride. She could have laughed. The customer had to be Levannue; her posture said it all. The whole stance from rigid neck to shuffling feet shouted fear and guilt. If the customs officers of Ekranos ever saw a captain or mate stand like that, they'd have torn the ship apart, plank by plank.

Tevi stopped at the top of the street and looked back. Rooftops fell away before her, stretching down to the city walls. On the fields beyond, over a hundred wagons were camped in a temporary city, doubling the size of Horzt. Tents wove rivers of canvas along muddy trackways. Herds of lumbering carthorses filled the water meadows. Further away still were farmlands and mountains.

Tevi's gaze returned to the street. The woman in grey scurried out of the shop, clutching her purchase. Tevi smiled as she caught a glimpse of the traitor's disguise. Levannue had chosen a face so lacking in distinctive features as to defy description; once seen, instantly forgotten. But the way she moved! Short desperate steps spoke of tension in the knees. Tevi could have picked her out of a crowd at a hundred paces.

Tevi strode after the retreating figure, but hesitated at the entrance to the inn, tormented by the urge to go and check that Jemeryl was okay. The window to their room jutted out just below roof level. The shutters were half-open, as she had left them that morning. Everything appeared normal. Surely, there would be some sign if Jemeryl had been attacked?

Tevi bit her lip. There was no time to lose if she was to keep track of Levannue. After her month in the militia, Tevi knew every alleyway and short cut in Horzt. It would take all this knowledge to keep ahead of Levannue without attracting suspicion, although the anonymity of the militia uniform would help. The sudden appearance of militiamen would never come as a surprise to anyone familiar with Horzt. The militia were expected to be everywhere, asking questions. There were lots of questions Tevi had to ask. She threw one last pleading look at the window before setting off down the hill. The hunt was now on in earnest.

* * * * * *

Darkness had fallen by the time Tevi made her way back to the inn. An unbroken sheet of cloud allowed no moonlight to relieve the thick shadows, yet few folk were deterred from venturing forth. Shouts and laughter echoed along the ill-lit streets. They were high points over the continuous chaotic background murmur of Horzt nightlife, the sound of eager people in search of pleasure. At times over the previous month, Tevi had been reminded of Torhaven, especially by night. Horzt was also a frontier town, outside the Protectorate, with a raw edge. However the differences were equally strong and the action on the streets was, if not completely harmless, at least mainly devoid of malice.

Horzt was the first taste of familiar civilisation for those returning from the north. It was also the last that those passing in the other direction would get for months, maybe years, maybe forever. There was always danger in the barbarian outlands. Some would never return to the Protectorate and their bones would rest for all time in a wayside grave.

The caravan masters, traders and guards indulged themselves in Horzt, aided by the sizeable proportion of the local population who made their living from providing a range of services for travellers. As long as the road beyond was passable, the nights in Horzt were one continuous party. The excesses had frequently shocked Tevi. Her month in the militia had seen the end of what little naiveté she had still possessed on her arrival. There was, she reflected, small wonder that the Horzt militia had needed to acquire their reputation.

By now, she was inured to the debauchery and other worries claimed her attention. She reached a quieter street, lined on both sides with the shuttered shop-fronts of tanners and cobblers. The smell of leather vied with the stale beer on passers-by. A straggling group blocked the road and forced Tevi to squeeze her way through. One of them, too lost in drink to register her uniform, shoved her and cursed. It took a few staggered steps before Tevi could regain her balance. She glared at the offender, but her assailant was already being hauled away by his more sober companions to a chorus of nervous apologies.

Tevi let them go. She wanted to get back to the inn and had no wish to waste time on improving the manners of a drunk. All afternoon, while she had followed Levannue's trail through city and camp, Tevi had refused to indulge her fears. She was sure there was nothing sinister in Klara's non-appearance. It was a feeling based largely on Levannue's behaviour. The traitor had not acted like a woman who had just defeated a major adversary. However, each passing minute was now eating away at that confidence. As the inn came into view, Tevi's tension solidified into a knot in her stomach.

Light from the inn's open doorway fell across the square and glinted on water flowing from the lion's mouth. The gentle splashing was incongruous in the decadence of Horzt by night. Tevi paused, absorbing the calming sound, before rough voices erupted in the barroom, drowning out everything else. The racket was intended to be singing, but the raucous cacophony was hardly inviting. Tevi knew it would be a slow job to fight her way through the press of bodies to the stairway at the back, not least because the innkeeper regarded her as his personal police force.

There were other routes to the room she shared with Jemeryl. An alley to the right led to an archway into the inn's tiny inner courtyard. In it could be found empty beer barrels, broken furniture and, more often than not, drunkards, sleeping off their beer. It was not Tevi's favourite way into the inn. The putrid stench of urine lay thicker than the shadows. Tevi tried to hold her breath until she emerged from the archway into the marginally fresher air of the courtyard.

Directly opposite, a rickety external stairway climbed the walls. Its decaying timbers revealed years of neglect. Tevi stood cautiously and listened. Horzt had its share of footpads. Nothing stirred between the dark mounds of trash, except maybe a rat.

As Tevi stepped into the open a small shape detached itself from a darker patch of shadow and sprung at her. Too late Tevi realised it wasn't a rat.

"Laniss. Laniss. I've been waiting for you."

Tevi jumped even as she recognised the shrill voice of Rill, the innkeeper's young daughter. The child was awake, as usual, long past a sensible bedtime for her age. The girl grabbed hold of Tevi's hand and swung back and forth on her heels. This did not throw Tevi off balance, but it effectively prevented her progress.

"Have you been in any fights? Have you killed anyone today?" Rill yipped.

"No. I've told you before, the militia isn't like that. I've hardly drawn my sword since I got here. I just walk around all day and shout." Tevi's patience with the girl had been severely tested on many occasions.

"In winter we could be overrun by bandits. You'd have to fight then. I wish I was grown-up and could join the militia. I am going to join, just as soon as I'm big enough."

Rill's voice screeched in the confined space. She let go of Tevi's hand to practice wild swings with an imaginary sword. Tevi suspected another twenty years would see Rill as an overweight and overcautious barkeeper.

"Is my grandmother all right?" Tevi asked. She skirted around the prancing child and headed for the stairs.

"Oh, she's been asking about you all afternoon." Rill sounded uninterested, but Tevi's heart leapt at the reassurance.

Rill tagged along after Tevi. Her chubby legs made hard work of the first few uneven steps. Tevi sighed. She wished there were some easy way to shake off the jarring hero-worship. However, help was at hand. The kitchen door was flung open. Flickering candlelight played among the dark shadows of the courtyard.

"Rill! Is that you making that noise? Get yourself in here. Haven't I told you..." The innkeeper's angry voice boomed out.

Rill hastily scrambled crab-like back down the stairs. She scuttled quickly passed her father but was only partially successful in her attempt to duck the swipe aimed at her ear. The innkeeper scowled at Tevi and made the barest token effort at a civil nod of acknowledgement before returning to his customers. The door slammed shut behind him.

Darkness reclaimed the courtyard. Then Tevi was aware of a new light falling from above. She looked up. The disturbance had attracted Jemeryl's attention. The sorcerer's disguised form was framed in an open doorway at the top of the stairs.

"Tevi. You're safe. I've been..." Jemeryl was too agitated to use the false name. Fortunately, there was no one to hear.

Tevi did not answer. She leapt the remaining stairs and shepherded Jemeryl back along the corridor and into their room. Once the door was shut, she held Jemeryl tightly, unperturbed by her seventy-year-old appearance, and soaked in relief from the rhythm of Jemeryl's heart thudding against her own.

"What happened? I couldn't see Klara. Did something go wrong?" Tevi asked.

"Levannue had a passive watch-ward set on the sixth dimensional channels. It must have taken her weeks to construct - it's probably why she's so late getting here. It meant I didn't dare let Klara get within 100 yards of her. She'd have spotted the link at once. But what happened to you? I was expecting you to come back here so I could give a description of how Levannue looked. I've been so frightened." Jemeryl's voice shook.

"And I've been worried about you. I'm sorry, I really am. You are alright, aren't you?"

Jemeryl grabbed Tevi's hands and held them to her lips for a second. "Yes, now I know you're safe." She let their hands drop and raised her eyes to meet Tevi's. "What have you been doing? We've got to find Levannue, she was..."

"The utterly non-nondescript middle-aged woman wearing the large grey cloak." Tevi interjected.

"How did you know?"

"By the way she stood. It's something I learned on the docks at Ekranos - how to read someone's posture. I knew it had to be her. She looked so ineptly guilty. She was obviously doing something very wrong but wasn't a professional criminal."

Jemeryl studied Tevi with surprised appreciation, which turned to a broad smile. "So I suppose you've found out where she's staying, when she's leaving, where she intends to go next and what colour underclothes she's wearing?"

"I didn't make any progress on the underclothes, but I got answers for all the rest." Tevi joked back.

She threw herself onto one of the two lumpy mattresses that took up most of the floor space. These constituted the only furniture in the tiny room. The walls were greasy and damp-stained; the woodwork was splintering and bedding was filthy. Even this depressing scene failed to diminish the self-satisfied grin on Tevi's face.

Jemeryl sunk onto the other mattress. "When does Levannue leave Horzt?"

"First light tomorrow, with a caravan bound for Uzhenek."

"That makes sense. She'd leave getting the dog-root until the last possible moment before leaving Horzt. It leaves less time for alarms to be raised."

Tevi frowned. "But why is she going to Uzhenek? Why isn't she returning to the Protectorate?"

"Perhaps she wants more time to master the spell. Or perhaps, even with it, she doesn't think she has the strength to tackle the whole Coven. Maybe her ambitions now lie with claiming an empire outside the bounds of the Protectorate." Jemeryl suggested.

"So what's our next step?"

Jemeryl rested her shoulder against the wall, impervious to the chill of the damp plaster. "I don't want to challenge her in Horzt, even with the hope of getting her before she completes her spell. There are defences against magic built into the walls - wards to counteract anyone tinkering with the higher dimensions. They attempt to nullify spells or turn them back on the caster."

"You mean magic can't be used here? I could have taken Levannue prisoner on my own?" Tevi's voice rose.

"No you couldn't!" Fear for Tevi's safety made Jemeryl's voice sharp. "The wards wouldn't stop a sorcerer. I could blast through them, and so could Levannue."

Tevi swallowed, taken aback by the vehemence of the response. "Oh."

Jemeryl's expression softened. "I just don't want you doing anything stupid. The wards are no more than an inconvenience to sorcerers and some passive types of magic aren't affected, like my bond with Klara and my disguise. Although it only goes unnoticed as long as I don't try to alter it. If Levannue or I were to shape-shift, even by reverting to our true forms, the wards would react. They wouldn't stop us but they would certainly alert the Mayor who monitors the wards. And neither of us want to attract attention at the moment."

"I thought you were just being overcautious in keeping disguised all the time."

Jemeryl laughed and shifted across to the other bed. She scooped up one of Tevi's hands, interlocking their fingers. The back of Jemeryl's hand was uppermost; the swollen red knuckles and blotched skin contrasted with Tevi's smooth fingers. "I can't wait to change back."

Tevi tilted her head to look sideways at her lover and grinned mischievously. "Don't be so hasty. Has no one ever told you wrinkles add character to your face? And I'm not sure if teeth really suit you."

Jemeryl barged Tevi gently with her shoulder. "Thank you!"

Tevi's face became more thoughtful. "If the Mayor controls the wards, perhaps he would help you, if you were to explain the situation to him. I know Horzt prides its independence but I'm prepared to bet he'd rather keep in the Guardian's good books if he could."

"He might help if he were able, but the Mayor has no real control over the wards. They're purely reactive devices built into the foundations of Horzt. They were a gift from a sorcerer long ago. The Mayor has some artefacts that let him interrogate the state of the wards, but as for making them attack someone, or even turning them off..." Jemeryl shook her head. "He can't do a thing. Not that you think it from the way he talks. By all accounts he seems to think he can defend Horzt against anything on his own and doesn't need the Coven's assistance. The wards keep out minor threats, such as basilisks, but it would be stupid to think they can do more."

"Surely the rest of the population know they're at risk?"

"The rest of the population know the Coven won't allow a belligerent sorcerer to start carving out an empire south of the Barrodens whether they pay taxes to Lyremouth or not, and on the whole they prefer not." Jemeryl said dryly.

Shoots and whoops from the square below echoed through the night. Tevi leaned her head back against the wall and grimaced. She would not be sorry to leave Horzt. "I'm still not sure why you don't want to tackle Levannue here. Won't the wards affect her as much as you?"

"It would be dangerous. Remember wards are Levannue's speciality. Even if she can't control them, she'll know what to expect. I'd be the one more vulnerable to surprise and in sorcerer's combat any distraction can be fatal." Jemeryl gave a sharp shake of the head. "No. We'll let Levannue get away from Horzt, and wait until she starts to think she's safe and relaxes her guard."

"What about my contract with the militia?"

"I'm afraid you're going to have to desert."

Tevi frowned. "The guild-masters won't like me breaking contract."

"Your chief guild-master personally assigned you to this quest, which will have to take priority over other tasks you've taken."

"I suppose so, but..."

"If you want, I'll command you to desert. As an ordinary Protectorate citizen you're supposed to obey sorcerers of the Coven."

Tevi could not stop herself tensing. There was nothing condescending in Jemeryl's tone, but it raised uncomfortable issues for Tevi.

Jemeryl must have seen the reaction and realised. She leaned over and kissed Tevi on the lips tenderly. "Don't worry. I wouldn't dream of ordering you around."

"But you could if you wanted."

"Believe me, I never will."

Continued in chapter 2.

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