Tanin felt in control again, though weakened by the experience of such colossal fear. Iona’s words strengthened him. He could sense Memine now, he was sure of it. Maybe not a scent like Iona said, but her presence floated past and through him on the wind. She was down there somewhere, amidst those foul creatures.

He would get her out, or die.

“Are you ready?” Orrock asked as Tanin at last got to his feet.

“Yes,” Tanin said, with more power than he truly felt. “Let’s go.”

Mohani slapped his back as she had at the river, hard enough that he nearly toppled over. But the courageous smile she sent him made it worth it.

The party walked back to the rim of the canyon. Where earlier Tanin had experienced panic by seeing his foes, now he began to fear the fear itself; feared another attack of panic. Iona, if not the others, seemed to sense his growing unease, and slipped one of her leafy hands into his as they walked. It reminded Tanin of walking a young Fell around Desita. Her touch brought a curious mix of strength and trust, just like a child.

I believe in you, the touch said. I know you will care for me.

Tanin pulled his shoulders back and walked with his chin up.

The four of them slowed as they neared the canyon. Taking Orrock’s lead, they first crouched, then dropped to the ground, approaching the edge of the canyon on their stomachs. Each peered over the side.

Here, the canyon wall sloped sharply, but not so much that a creature couldn’t walk on its own two legs. Based on the scrapes and fresh dust on the rocks, Tanin guessed this was the very place the Charic had descended. The nearest cluster of them was perhaps the length of ten water dragons away; close enough to see the sun sparkling on their white topcoats. Their steeds were hobbled farther downriver. He could not count how many were in the canyon, but the number was well over a hundred.

“They are intelligent, but not as clever as they think,” Orrock said, keeping his voice low. Tanin guessed it would take a mighty shout for the Charic to hear them, but keeping quiet was still the smartest idea. “They have chosen the worst place to camp.”

“Or they fear no attack,” Mohani said.

Orrock grunted.

“How did the Guar defeat them?” Tanin asked.

“Terror,” Orrock said. “Though they are many, they are not fearless. We attacked quickly and decisively. They had no opportunity to mount an effective counterattack. But we must not mistake their fear of the Guar for cowardice. They are zealots, as you say. They are perfectly content to die in the service to their god.”

Tanin met his eyes. “Are theirs and yours one in the same?”

The monk grimaced. “Yes, perhaps. But their scripture reading is wrong.”

So say we all, Tanin thought, and got the oddest sensation that Orrock read his mind.

“The prisoners, Tanin Fell,” Iona whispered.

Farther down the canyon, he saw what she meant: a large cluster of creatures other than the Charic’sada were gathered together in the center of the encampment. Tanin sought Memine, his gaze flicking from one imprisoned creature to the next . . .

“There she is!”

Orrock and Mohani squinted. “How can you be sure from up here?” the monk asked. “I do see several Fell but—”

“It’s her,” Tanin said quickly. “I’d know her at any distance. It’s Memine!”

“The one lying under the blanket?” Mohani said.

“Yes!”

Memine did indeed lay on the ground with a brightly colored quilt pulled up to her hips. The color was not one Tanin recognized as belonging to the Fell; the blanket belonged to some other race. Why she would be half-covered in this warmth, he didn’t know.

“Perhaps she is ill,” Mohani frowned. “That will make an escape more challenging.”

Orrock sat up, his eyes widening for a moment. Then he pulled Tanin away from the edge. “Tanin,” he said in a tone even lower than his usual baritone. “If you wish to change your intent, now is the time. There is no going back once we initiate an action.”

“Change my intent? No! She’s right there, Orrock, right there. I’ve not come this far to let her out of my sight or out of my hands.”

Orrock sighed and stared at the group of captives. Then, to Tanin’s surprise, he lowered his chin as if in guilt. “Very well.”

Tanin dismissed the gesture in his haste to save to Memine. He stared hard at the captives, so close and so far from him. “I don’t see your people,” he said to Iona. “Would they be kept somewhere else?”

Iona’s gaze had not left the group. She said nothing.

“I don’t understand.” Tanin glanced back and forth between Mohani and Orrock. “What . . . where are they, where would they be?”

“It is too late, Tanin Fell,” Iona said softly. “We had nothing to give them so they destroyed us. We have no texts. Our earth magic is not the like of which can be learned. So we were useless to them. They must have destroyed the prisoners.”

Behind her, Tanin saw Orrock nodding slowly, his eyebrows tightly furrowed. “That is likely.” His mouth barely moved to form the words. “If the Charic found nothing to learn from the witches, they would be—”

He stopped short.

“Eaten,” Iona finished. “To absorb their magic, Orrock Guar.”

Orrock looked away.

“So again I ask,” Mohani said through a clenched jaw, “How shall we kill them?”

“Clearly we cannot fight them creature-to-creature,” Orrock said. “At the very least we will need a diversion.”

Tanin released a tremulous breath. “I may have a solution for that. You’re both strong, right?”

Mohani glowered at the insult. Orrock looked shocked. It made Tanin chuckle, which, he discovered, was something he very much needed right then. Better still, the other two relaxed their expressions and grinned as they too realized the joke.

“Let’s move that way,” said Tanin. “I think I have a plan.”

Or possibly a very fast way to get killed, he thought.

The party backed away from the edge. They jogged along the rim to a place more parallel to where the captives were held, keeping their bodies bent at the waist to avoid being seen by the Charic below.

Tanin halted behind a cluster of jutting rocks that reminded him of his own desert. He ran his hands along the rounded boulders. These rocks were softer than those at home, but solid.

He pointed to another cluster farther along. The two large outcrops acted like natural gateposts standing sentinel on either side of a rocky dirt ramp that angled down into the canyon.

“See, further along the edge?” Tanin said. “The rocks like this? As Orrock said, we can’t fight them all, but maybe we can distract them. Mohani, if you can loose these rocks and send them into the canyon here, and Orrock does the same over there, past where the captives are held, maybe that will split the Charic long enough for me to get down the slope and save Memine and the others? Maybe I can even free all of them, all the creatures.”

Orrock studied the rocks, nodded, then frowned. “It is possible. Get in quick, get out quicker. If we can cause enough damage at either end of the camp, those in the middle should rush to help them. But understand, once you are seen—and you will be—they will attack. I doubt they will bother to take you as a prisoner. You must be fast, faster than you have ever thought possible.”

Tanin’s mouth dried. He struggled to swallow, and fought resurgent panic. “Yes . . . I believe you’re right.”

“What shall I do, Tanin Fell?”

He flashed Iona a brief, tense smile. “You’ve done so much, Iona. I can’t imagine asking you to do anything more. Maybe you should stay here with Mohani or Orrock.”

Iona followed the river with her eyes as if searching for something. Tanin couldn’t see what it might be; hundreds of Charic’sada, their mounts, the prisoners, short trees and blooming bushes along either side of the river bank—that was all.

“I will come with you, Tanin Fell. I may be able to help.”

“Are you sure? Can you move quickly?”

“I can, Tanin Fell.”

He nodded gratefully. Iona had proven herself a resilient creature; who knew what else she was capable of?

To Orrock and Mohani he said, “Anything else? It’s not the best plan, I know. I’m happy to listen to other ideas that don’t include me running into the middle of those animals.”

“Enough talk,” Mohani said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “It is time to inflict pain.”

“Agreed.” Orrock held the mighty hammer to the Agnise. “You will need this.”

Mohani regarded him. “What about you?”

Orrock slid a finger along one majestic horn. “I brought my own.”

Mohani snarled a smile at him and took the hammer, hefting it happily.

“All right,” Tanin said, taking a series of breaths to try and slow his heart. “We’ll get into position over there. The slope looks shallow enough for us to traverse.”

“Coming back up will be difficult,” Orrock warned.

“Hopefully for anyone giving chase, too.” Tanin took another breath. “Thank you all for doing this. If it goes wrong, save yourselves.”

“Close your mouth, little Fell,” Mohani said, shifting her grip on the hammer. “It is time.”

Tanin guessed it was as close to an affirmation as the Agnise was likely to give. He, Iona, and Orrock moved off to get into position.

Tanin and Iona hid behind a flat rock about half a body length high as Orrock scrambled farther along the rim to reach the opposite outcrop. Mohani was roughly the same distance away on his left.

As Orrock neared the rocks, Tanin faced Iona. “I’m sorry about your people.”

“As am I, Tanin Fell. But there are others. One day, I will search for them.”

“Then so will I.”

A cracking boom echoed through the canyon as Orrock ran full speed toward the rocks and rammed his horns into them. Another crack sounded immediately after as Mohani slugged her outcrop with the war hammer. Instantly, smaller rocks bumbled and rolled down the slope into the canyon. As the two enormous creatures continued their assault, bigger rocks were loosed, then still bigger. Their attack sounded like thunder in Tanin’s tall ears, rattling his skull.

The white-haired monsters below all looked up, just in time for the largest of the rocks to roll, crashing into some of them. The Charic flew in all directions, limbs sprawled, or else were crushed against the ground, flat and crimson.

Chaos erupted in the Charic camp. Some tried to flee the growing avalanches and others rushed to help those who’d been injured already.

Again and again Mohani and Orrock bashed into the rocks, one cannonade after another. Tanin’s very bones shook with the sonic force. The booms were amplified by the shape of the canyon, increasing their volume and power. The Charic’sada, for the moment, had no idea what to do. The captives in the middle huddled tightly together.

Tanin got to his hands and knees as if preparing for a footrace.

“Iona?”

“Tanin Fell?”

“. . . Now.”