Falduin dozed.

He had not slept well. All night he had puzzled over what Heric’s true mission could be. It was obvious, at least to him, that just popping up to see if there were problems at Wombourne was not their main goal. The issue for Falduin was that he couldn’t fathom any other alternative. What was at a mining camp that might attract so much attention, and yet not bring about a response from a Lord and his men? And what could Heric and Ganthe do that others could not?

Then there was the involvement of The Bandits , and The Witch. How did they fit in? Had they taken control of the mines? That didn’t seem possible, at least not beyond a few days. The lords and the king would have acted.

And then there was the most puzzling part. Why were the Bandits so inept at trying to stop them? They clearly knew Heric’s route well enough to lay several ambushes. If all those that had guarded Harnsey had awaited them by the river they would all be dead by now. Even his spells would be little defence against so many. It was fortunate they had seen no sign of the bandits over the last few days.

Life at the High Tower had been so simple. There were times when he regretted leaving. Certainly he had no friends there, but he always knew who was out to get him, and why. There was none of this mystery that appeared to exist everywhere in the world beyond The Tower’s walls.

Take Lera for instance. She was clearly annoyed with him, but she refused to tell him why. Sure, he had barked at her for waking him when she came off sentry duty, but he had apologised in the morning. Sort of. But she had refused to be mollified. She even chose to ride ahead with Heric rather than remain with him.

Ifonsa seemed to know what the problem was. She kept glancing at him. She’d laugh and shake her head, as if she couldn’t believe how stupid he was. She was frightfully annoying at times.

So he rode by himself, dozing in the saddle. He had gotten quite good at riding over the last few days, even able to remain half-asleep as his horse struggled up and down steep inclines. That said, he still missed his conversations with Lera.

They had stopped.

It took Falduin a moment to notice. His horse had simply pulled up immediately behind Lera’s horse.

Ifonsa was missing, he realised upon opening his eyes. Her horse was still there, but she had slipped away. As she often did.

They were at the edge of the forest. He could see the trees ended perhaps fifty or so paces ahead, replaced by low scrub. A stream gurgled somewhere nearby.

Then suddenly Ifonsa was walking towards them, from amongst the trees to the left.

“He’s there,” she said to Heric.

“How? It’s no longer winter!” Heric said.

“I warned you he might have waited around. It’s been quite mind.”

“What’s the problem?” Falduin asked.

“The ford is guarded,” Ifonsa answered. “What do you want to do?” she asked Heric.

“Guarded by what?” Falduin asked.

“Adus,” both Heric and Ifonsa said at the same time.

“What are Adus?”

“It’s not what, but who,” Ifonsa corrected him.

“Who is Adus?”

“Leave the horses. They might spook, and that would just get his blood up.”

“Who is Adus?” Falduin repeated.

“Come and find out.” Ifonsa said, heading towards the forest’s edge.

They were in a shallow valley, the low brush filling the depression around a fast-running stream. Falduin could see the forest reappeared on the far side. The stream must flood often for it to have cut such a wide path.

Ganthe and Lera had remained behind with the horses, but the others crept through the trees. As quietly as possible, Ifonsa had insisted. Which to Falduin’s ear was not quiet at all with Heric’s armour jingling and scraping loudly.

Ifonsa stopped. “That’s Adus.” she said pointing.

One hundred and fifty paces off to their left they saw movement amid the trees. Then a large black and grey bird sauntered out. It was easily three paces high (probably higher), with a bulbous body and a long pointed beak. It pecked at the ground, seeking food, slowly heading down to the stream.

“Why can’t we just kill it?” Falduin asked Ifonsa.

“With what?” Ifonsa answered.

“An arrow.”

“Can you comprehend how big he is?”

“Many arrows, then!”

“Hush. You’ll attract his notice.”

“So?”

“His beak is sharp. As are his claws. I saw him take down an entire mob of goblins. Unless you want to walk the rest of the way we need to keep him away from the horses.”

“What about magic?”

“What about magic? You’re the expert.”

“I’ve heard he’s immune,” Heric added.

“Immune?” Falduin asked indignantly. “There is no such thing.”

Falduin crept towards the enormous bird. He kept low, trying to keep the bushes between them. He stopped and peeked above the nearest shrub.

The bird perched at the edge of the stream, just down from the ford. Atop a large, smooth rock it peered into the water, cocking its head from side-to-side.

Falduin was only about fifty paces from it. Moving closer would require him to crawl. The plants were lower and sparser, eventually giving way to a layer of grey, rounded stones.

He heard movement to his left, and saw Orwic move up nearby.

“I want to see this,” Ifonsa whispered.

Falduin flinched. The Warden had appeared from nowhere, again.

“Try not to kill him,” she said. “Just drive him away if you can.”

“How do you know it’s a him?” he asked.

She shrugged.

There was loud squawk. Falduin ducked down behind the shrub, fearing that they had been discovered.

However, Ifonsa remained watching the bird. “Salmon,” she told him.

Falduin peeked again, just in time to see a fish leap out of the foaming cascade, heading upstream. The bird’s claw snapped out, striking the fish at the top of its arc. It slapped the salmon onto the rocky shore, far from the water. It happened almost faster than Falduin could see.

The fish flopped about, attempting to escape, but the bird loomed over it.

“It doesn’t even eat them,” Ifonsa said. “It just likes to play.”

“What about the goblins, did it eat the goblins?”

Ifonsa shook her head, “Just played with them for hours.”

“Great.”

Falduin decided that he was close enough. Casting spells at this range would be more taxing, and be less effective, but he couldn’t see a way to move nearer without being detected by the bird.

Even distracted by the fish, as it flopped about, he realised that Adus kept a close eye on its surroundings. Its head jerked from side-to-side, and it moved constantly around the fish, almost as though it was dancing.

“Well?” Ifonsa prompted.

Falduin glanced over to where he had last seen Orwic. He was no longer there. Falduin suspected he’d probably run away. Ganthe had told him how the man had reacted in Harnsey. Falduin was surprised that Orwic had made it this far with them without finding some way to leave.

“Very well,” Falduin said, eventually. He closed his eyes, and reached out toward the Essence. It felt turbulent and unsettled today, more than usually chaotic. Perhaps it was him. He was nervous, he realised. More than he should have been. It was just a bird, even if it was an especially large one.

The Essence sang to him as he drew in its power. It offered methods, not just for killing the beast, but for roasting it so that it perfectly cooked and tasted succulent and delicious. That was new. He’d experienced hints and suggestions about possible effects, and images about outcomes, but never detailed recipes.

“It’s looking this way,” Ifonsa’s voice reached him, “I think it know’s we’re here.”

He opened his eyes and stood up.

“What are you doing?” Ifonsa said. He could sense her alarm.

He needed to see the bird if he was to enspell it. That couldn’t be helped.

The bird peered right at him, just like it had when hunting the fish. However, it was too late now. He uttered the words, and phrases he had prepared. Then he slowly unleashed the Essence. He shivered in release, relishing the moment of euphoria.

The bird squawked loudly. It shook its head, as if trying to rid itself of a pesky insect. Good! The spell was working. He adjusted the spell’s parameters, mumbling the clauses, and sub-clauses that defined it. He just needed a little bit more dazzle, and perhaps some additional resonance.

“Is that you?” Ifonsa hissed. Orwic must have returned, because he doubted Ifonsa would have tried to interrupt his spellcasting.

Meanwhile the bird was becoming more agitated. It threw its head around violently, as it stamped its feet.

Just a little more, Falduin thought.

“Falduin!” Ifonsa again. “Are you causing the buzzing noises and sun in my eyes?”

No. She couldn’t be. He’d carefully detailed the limitations.

“Falduin!”

“What?” he snapped, between gritted teeth.

“Stop it. I can’t see Adus.”

“He’s right there.”

The bird stopped dancing about. It stared at Falduin. Then with a piercing shriek, it launched itself straight towards him.