Corinne gave Nia a big hug. “If this works, I’ll owe you forever!”

Jason felt more than a little jealous. If he had been a bit more considerate, he could have been Corinne’s hero!

“We should get that launch ready,” Farfalee said. “We need to leave the moment Jasher and Drake return.”

The two drinlings turned the launch around. Jason, Nia, and Corinne wandered over to it. Jason watched the sea lapping against the shore with wimpier waves than ever.

Within a few minutes Jasher and Drake came bounding out of the vegetation and sprinted across the sand. They held three black shields shaped like extremely rounded triangles. Drake wore a round steel cap and a breastplate that matched the shield. A dark, velvety cloak billowed behind Jasher.

The two seedmen leaped into the launch. The drinlings shoved off and then manned the oars. Grinning, Drake held out one of the shields to Farfalee.

“Titan crab,” she said, hefting it.

“I almost got killed by a titan crab,” Jason mentioned.

“Lighter than steel,” Jasher said. “And a good deal stronger.”

“I’ll admit,” Farfalee said, “titan-crab shields were probably worth the wait.”

“The cloakroom was empty except for junk,” Drake said. “But the shop looked untouched. You would weep to know the valuables we left behind. The art alone!”

“We concentrated on useful items,” Jasher said.

“How novel,” Farfalee commented.

Jasher gave her a lopsided grin. “But that didn’t stop me from thinking of you.” He held out a jeweled necklace and a fancy silver bracelet.

Farfalee could not disguise her pleasure. “Oh, Jash! You scoundrel! You pillaged for me! That necklace is divine! It’s useful—it must be worth a fortune!”

“And since I have no spouse,” Drake said, “I thought of you girls.” He handed Corinne and Nia matching rings set with huge blue gems.

“It’s lovely,” Corinne gushed, her eyes dancing.

Jason could not help but notice that everyone was scoring major points with her today except him.

Nia said nothing. She held up the ring, transfixed by the glinting facets. At last she let out a low whistle. “I never imagined owning something so fancy.”

“Facing grim peril should have some rewards,” Drake said, rapping his titan-crab breastplate with his knuckles. “The extra shield is for Lord Jason.”

“Really?” Jason said, suddenly feeling much better.

“We don’t want to make it too easy for them to kill you,” Drake insisted cheerfully. “Windbreak Island has been good to us. We have our scroll, and our maps, and several rare and valuable items besides. Now all we have to do is get away.”

They reached the ship and climbed to the deck. As a group of drinlings took care of the launch, the Valiant set sail. Aram approached, and Farfalee filled him in about the scroll and the maps. Jasher showed off the shields and gave Aram a curved knife with a jeweled hilt.

“How do we get away?” Jasher asked.

“We took the time to study their heading from the observation room,” Aram said. “They’re coming from the northeast, on a direct course for Windbreak Island. So we’ll slip away to the southwest, using the same easterly wind, and keep the island between us until nightfall. They’ll want to search the island thoroughly, so they’ll surely stop there for the night. If the wind holds, by daybreak we should be out of sight even from the observation room.”

“A cogent plan,” Drake said with mock astonishment. “You really must have been a smuggler! I was convinced you had made it all up.”

Aram smiled. “I think we set sail just in time. Whatever our enemies may have known about our intentions before, they’ll have a difficult time finding us now.”

As the group dispersed, Drake pulled Jason aside. The seedman produced an elegant necklace set with extravagant gemstones.

“Drake,” Jason said, “you shouldn’t have.”

Ignoring the comment, the seedman looked pleased with himself. “I also swiped a beautiful necklace for Rachel, lest she feel forgotten.”

Jason smiled, wondering if Drake realized what he had just implied. “You think we’re going to make it.”

“What?”

“You think we’ll have a chance to give it to her.”

Drake tried to muster a tough stare. “Now, don’t start putting words in my mouth. We’re probably as doomed as ever.”

Jason tried not to grin. “I don’t blame you. I’m feeling pretty good too. Things could have gone a lot worse on the island.”

“Things went plenty bad. But yes, we bested the Maumet, we found the scroll, and we might even get away before our enemies catch our scent. Things could have gone worse. There’s still plenty of hardship and uncertainty ahead. Only a fool would predict we’d survive this . . . but who knows?”

“You brought the necklace just in case.”

“Exactly. One never knows.” He jangled the necklace. “Just in case.”

CHAPTER 17

MARCHING

A warm spring sun glared overhead as Rachel rode along a wide dirt road through pastoral country. The sounds and smells of men and horses surrounded her and stretched out behind. She was glad that her status as the Dark Lady allowed her to ride toward the front of the column. It turned out that thousands of soldiers on the move churned up a great deal of dust just about wherever they went. Her position near the front helped her avoid the worst of it, and the black veils that screened her face provided additional protection.

Of course, she was not truly at the front. Not in a vulnerable way. Scouts ranged far ahead in all directions, and a vanguard of mounted troops rode well beyond the main body of the army.

Galloran had anticipated trouble crossing the Telkron River. Any of the viable crossings would create a bottleneck where a relatively small amount of fighting men and manglers could stall the entire host. But there had not been any resistance. Not at the Telkron, not before, not after. The scouts continued to report no threatening enemy movements. So far the experience of marching to war had been rather dull.

Snowflake was as good a horse as Rachel had hoped—strong, tireless, and quick to obey. The mare moved more smoothly than any horse Rachel had ridden. Tark and Ferrin rode near her, but conversation was scarce. Io had been assigned as Galloran’s assistant and bodyguard, the same role Dorsio had once filled.

Galloran spent a surprising amount of time among the troops. He rode up and down the column during the day and visited their campsites at night, never lingering anywhere long, just allowing the men to see him and receive a few encouraging words. Sometimes Rachel wondered when he slept. It could not have been more than a few hours each night.