The path that now faced Sorrel and Little Cloud was like no other they had ever faced before. The red stone walls that towered before them were so impressive that they took Sorrel's breath away, and as for Gaeshi, he just couldn't stop staring at the dragon carving. The towns were at their backs and the castle lay ahead. Fire crackled and leapt all around. Sorrel shivered and turned to Mariko. "Is this the way?"

Mariko nodded. When her brother had been the leader of the Lamya she must have travelled the path so many times. "It's the safest route," she said.

"You said an aide of Corrinus's was looking for fighters?" whispered Cloud nervously. "What if he's just around the corner waiting for us?"

"Then if it's a fight they want, it's a fight we'll give them," Sorrel said. She put her hand down to her sword and felt the leather grip between her fingers. It was an instinctive reaction now, to reach for her weapon, and she felt comforted by it, knowing it was there.

Leif touched her lightly on the shoulder and she relaxed a little. To Cloud he said, "Don't worry. We're only interested in getting to Corrinus and freeing any slaves in the castle. We'll try to avoid as much trouble as possible."

Cloud nodded and tried a weak smile. Sorrel knew he was frightened and she also knew she was the only reason he had come this far. She reached out and touched his hand. "I can't do this without you, Cloud," she said. And she meant it.

#

As the sky grew ever darker over the slave fields, the Elani moved through the group, checking on their companions and making sure the slavers were together and watched over. Old Synan and his daughter Rebecca worked together on stitching Saoirse's nasty leg wound, while White Cloud set about with a few others lighting lanterns in case a few slaves had become lost in the confusion.

Saoirse shifted impatiently and winced as Rebecca slipped.

"I wish you'd stop wriggling!"

"I want to go with Sloane and his men into the towns. There are other slaves out there to free," Saoirse grumbled.

"You will stay put," Synan chided her. "Maemi, Malin and Kirin are with him, plus I've sent Jia along in case there are any injuries. Besides, young miss, I think you've done enough for one night."

She had to admit defeat but she wasn't happy about sitting doing nothing. She struggled to her feet, leaning heavily on Rebecca for support, and started across the field.

"Where are you going?" Old Synan called after her.

She called back over her shoulder, "I'm going to keep an eye on the slavers, just in case they try anything."

Synan sighed and turned to his daughter. "Go after her, my dear, make sure she doesn't stress that leg of hers too much."

Saoirse stopped, rolled her eyes in mock annoyance and waited for Rebecca to join her. She smiled at White Cloud's wife and took her arm to go and stand watch over a very defeated bunch of Lamya slavers.

#

Millicent and a tough-looking group of fifty Lamya stood patiently waiting for the arrival of the so-called 'swords–master' that Corrinus had told her to keep watch for.

"Stand still!" she ordered one of the more fidgety men. "We've orders to keep to and if any of you disobey me then you are disobeying Corrinus himself. They will be here soon enough," she spat, "and when they are, you lot better fight like you've never done before."

"Pah! I don't need an aide to tell me how to fight!" one of the men scoffed, one of the older, more scarred members of the group. "Especially not a female one."

Millicent narrowed her eyes and she turned on the man who had spoken. Her favoured weapon was a long thin-bladed dagger, neatly decorated at the hilt with a lavish navy tassel, and she held this under his chin menacingly. "Any who cares to challenge me may do so now. But unless someone can beat me you will work under my command."

The man she had picked on backed away a little and not one other from the group dared take up her challenge. She smiled and relaxed her hand then, just when the man thought she'd forgotten him, she turned back and struck him dead, sliding the blade between his ribs. She did not need men like him.

"Get rid of him," she said disdainfully as the body fell. She wiped her dagger as two of her fighters dragged the corpse to the edge of the pathway and threw him into the fire pits below. She smiled. "Be patient. They will be here very soon now."

#

Sorrel looked up at the stars briefly and then back down at the red stone path she was treading. The fire pits lit everything strangely and everything shone orange and red. She glanced across at Cloud and Gaeshi, both with a flickering glow on their cheeks and then up at Mariko who was on her own in the lead.

The Lamya stopped just before a sharp turning and turned back to give them all a warning. "Now if we're gonna be attacked then more n' likely it's gonna be round this bend 'ere. We're near the castle and the path ahead is about the widest one you'll find – big enough for a group to gather. Plus we can't see what's ahead of us 'til we get there and they'll see us first. So, do we still wanna go on?"

"Of course," Sorrel and Leif said at the same time. She smiled at her brother.

Mariko nodded, Cloud gulped and Lachlan shifted about and gripped his staff ready. Then with a final shrug as if to say that the whole trip was one of madness, Mariko turned and started round the bend.

#

Millicent heard the footsteps of her enemies before she saw them and she held her hand up to silence her men. She smiled, and as the first shape came round the bend, she ordered her men to charge.

It was lucky Mariko had suspected just a thing because she was ready with her long dagger and struck dead the first man she came across with a blow to his stomach.

Sorrel had not expected to come across such a force. What could six fighters do against so many Lamya? She drew her sword and pulled the blade fiercely across an unprotected Lamya back as the man edged past Mariko to get to Leif.

"I can turn, Sorrel!" Gaeshi cried as she spun wildly and met her next opponent. "It might be the only way!"

Shouting. The smell of sweat and smoke. Her vision narrowed and sharpened and she focussed on the bloodshot eyes of the man before her. He stumbled in the narrow space, his comrades bumping into him, and she took advantage, disarming him before dragging her blade across his stomach.

The width of the pathway was the only thing stopping the Lamya rushing them all at once and Sorrel made sure she and her friends kept to the narrowest part. The next man came at her, and another, and she fought with both of them.

"Sorrel, I can turn!"

"You will not! Just fight, Gaeshi. I know you can, I've seen you do it!"

Gaeshi shook his head and pursed his lips. For a moment, she thought he was going to argue with her. With no amulet she couldn't protect her friends from the dragon. But the Sarkany struck out at a Lamya and tumbled him into the fire pits below.

By her side, Leif leapt forward to block an attack aimed at Mariko's back and as he did so Cloud fell alarmingly still.

Sorrel pushed away another Lamya as he sought to come forwards and hurried to Cloud's side. "He's having one of his visions!" she cried to Leif, just as the Lamya seemed to gain confidence and push more violently forward. "Let's just hope it's something good!"

There was not one among her small group of warriors now who was not wounded in some way, and even Cloud, in his trance like state and with Sorrel to protect him, received a buffet or two.

Then, with a sharp intake of breath, the seer opened his eyes and pointed to the darkened sky with an amazed cry of, "Look!"

So strange was his cry that even the blonde–haired leader of the Lamya party stopped from trying to push her men forwards and turned to stare into the night sky. Sorrel could see nothing but the shadowy outline of a black raven and the Lamya woman snorted impatiently.

Then the ground began to shake and tiny stones danced at her feet. Coming from behind her, she heard the thunder of horses' hooves.

Seven white horses each with a rider cloaked in matching white, galloped towards them and with cries of 'Freedom!' they charged into battle.

"Who are they?" Leif cried, looking from Sorrel to Cloud and then to the newcomers fighting the Lamya. "Elani?"

Little Cloud, not quite out of his trance, turned his back on the fighting and looked at Leif. "This is Gunda and her band," he said in a voice not quite his own. "I've sent them to you, like Gaeshi Sarkany they are here to protect the One Star, treat them with respect, they are Elani, but most special indeed."

"Running Bear?" Sorrel gazed at her friend's face. She opened her mouth to say more but her warrior spirit took effect again as one of the Lamya came at her from the side.

She turned powerfully with her sword and struck him down, then she re-joined the battle and fought stronger than she had ever done before.

#

Millicent dropped right to the back of her men now and watched as the Elani on horseback fought with the strength of ten warriors. She turned and stared up at the dizzy heights of the castle, knowing she couldn't go back there to face Corrinus again.

With a sly grin, she slunk back into the shadows against the mighty stone walls, then she turned and with not one look back, she was gone.

#

One of the riders fought his way through to Sorrel's side, he nodded respectfully and held on to his horse tightly with one hand while he gestured to the castle with the other.

"Get to the castle now. We'll finish off here!"

Sorrel nodded and called to Gaeshi and the others, trusting these new Elani could look after themselves well enough. The man on horseback charged through the ranks of Lamya to clear a path and Sorrel quickly took the lead and followed him, trusting that her friends were close behind.

"Where now, Mariko? Lead on!" she cried, raising her voice above the shouts of battle. She took one last look back at the Elani left to fight and wondered which of the cloaked riders was Gunda. Then as Leif and Lachlan jogged past her to follow Mariko she took up the rear with Cloud and followed on.

The Castle of the Lamya was within range now and there was nothing and no one on Earth that could stop Sorrel from reaching it.