my brain and tricked it!»
She realized he was talking about the dragon. «What did you do, Weka Dart? What was that sound?»
He shrieked with laughter. «A mating call! What better way to get its attention than to give it something more important to think about than the two of you!»
« You know how to give a dragon mating call?»
« I was Catcher for Tael Riverine a long time! I learned how to give many kinds of calls! I would have been a poor Catcher otherwise, and I was the best that ever was! Did you like it? You had no idea what it was, did you? Did it make you wonder if maybe something was dying? That’s how dragons sound when they’re in love!»
He danced about wildly, and then started away. «Hurry, come, come! We have to reach the Dragon Line by nightfall! We need to keep moving!» He wheeled back a moment. «It was good that I was close by and watching out for you, wasn’t it? I saved you both!»
Then he was off again, racing into the distance, a small, crook–limbed blur against the haze.
Grianne stared after him and thought in despair,There must be a way.
When the battle horns sounded, Kermadec was crouched in the shadow of a half–wall atop the gatehouse where Atalan and the other Rock Trolls were hiding. He hesitated only long enough to make certain he was not mistaken about what was happening, then leapt from his place of concealment to the floor below and raced for the gatehouse door.
After leaving Trefen Morys and Bellizen, the Trolls had made it down from the parapets and found their way to the base of the north wall and the gate that Grianne had always kept open for meetings.
But the gate was closed and sealed, and Kermadec could tell at a glance that it would take too much effort and make entirely too much noise to force it. Someone had taken a good deal of time and trouble to make certain that it would not be used again. More than likely it had been discovered by Shadea and her allies after they had dispatched the Ard Rhys into the Forbidding and assumed control of the Keep. Shadea would have been quick to recognize its significance.
So for the better part of two hours, the Trolls had hidden in the gatehouse next to it, a less–than– satisfactory location given what they were now faced with doing, but one that was unlikely to be visited anytime soon. But, with the gate of choice stoutly sealed, Kermadec and his Trolls would have to breach another gate. Since the next closest gate was some distance from where they hid, there was every possibility that they would be spotted long before they reached it.
There was nothing they could do about that. The only way the Trolls were going to take Paranor was by breaching the Druid defenses from the inside. That meant seizing and holding a gate long enough for the Trolls outside the walls to get inside.
Kermadec burst through the gatehouse door. All around him, the fortress of the Druids was erupting in a frenzy of wild shouts and charging men.
« They’ve arrived,” he informed the other Trolls, putting his back to the door and facing them across the tiny, shadow–streaked room.
Atalan’s face was a mask of excitement. «Now we’ll see how strong these walls really are!» he hissed. «Let’s go!»
« Not yet.» His brother blocked his way. «Give it a moment more. Let them get to the walls and settle in place. Let them all be looking at what threatens from without so they won’t be looking at us. Then we’ll take them.»
Atalan came right up against him. «Why wait, brother? Confusion serves us better than it serves them. Delay is for cowards and weaklings. We should take them now!»
Kermadec held his ground, his gaze steady. «You are too impatient, Atalan. You rush to do everything too quickly.»
Atalan spit. «If I am too impatient, you are too cautious. You delay everything too long. Move more quickly, and we might have better success. Are we here to help the Ard Rhys or not?»
« Don’t push too hard on me,” Kermadec said softly. «And do not question my commitment to the Ard Rhys. It is not your place to do so.»
« Shhh,” Barek hissed at them. He was standing at the shuttered window, keeping watch as dozens of Gnome Hunters charged past on their way to the parapets. «You’ll be heard if you keep this up!»
The brothers faced each other a moment longer, then Atalan turned away with a shrug. «You are Maturen, Kermadec. You are leader. The responsibility for what happens here is yours. Who am I to question you?»
He slouched back to the far wall and slumped down, staring at nothing. Seething with anger and embarrassment, Kermadec turned back to the door and ignored him.
It was dark by the time Grianne and Pen began the climb into the Dragon Line. Shadows thrown by the skeletal trees and distant peaks draped the land. West, the light was fading from gray to black, and the twilight hush that marked the transition from day to night was retiring the creatures of one and bringing out the creatures of the other. Sounds faded as if swallowed beneath the surface of an endless sea, and the world became a place for the quick and the dead.
Grianne’s eyes roamed the landscape on a ceaseless scour, alert for things that might be hunting them. The boy walked quietly beside her. They had not seen Weka Dart since he had departed, but she felt certain he was close, watching their progress, ready to save them once more should the need arise. Or save himself, perhaps. She knew enough of the Ulk Bog to appreciate that whatever his good intentions, he would always look after himself first.
Still, it seemed petty of her to think of him that way after he had lured off the dragon. She wished she could form a better opinion of the Ulk Bog, but she was too familiar with how he managed to get through life to do so.
It seemed only moments later that Weka Dart appeared out of the black, materializing so suddenly that she almost struck out at him.
« Straken!» he hissed at her in a clear tone of reprimand. «You cannot continue in the dark! Too many things hunt at night, and even I cannot see them all! We must stop and wait for morning!»
She was anxious to reach their destination and get out of the Forbidding for good. But the urgency in his voice gave her pause. «Is it really so dangerous? We are almost there.»
« You are not as close as you think. This is a different pass than the one you took down. Best not to repeat your steps when Tael Riverine is looking for you. No, Grianne of the powerful magic, you must stop now. You and the boy. Rest here. Wait for dawn.»
So they did, taking shelter in a cluster of boulders that gave them protection on three sides and provided an overhang as well. They would take turns keeping watch, they agreed. When first light appeared, they would set out again. The remainder of the journey would take only a couple of hours.
Then, Grianne told herself once again, she would be free.
« Weka Dart,” she said after they had settled into the rocks. She could barely see him in the hazy darkness, a dim shadow hunched down to one side. Only his eyes gleamed, watchful and steady. «I have something to tell you.»
She heard Pen exhale in anticipation of what was coming. She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it back from her face, wondering how to put what she must say into words, and then deciding she should just say it.
« Penderrin tells me that the darkwand will not take you out of the Forbidding. It will only take him and me. No one else.»
Weka Dart snorted. «He is mistaken. Or if not mistaken, he underestimates the power of your magic. You can find a way to take me even if the staff does not wish it.»
She sighed. «I don’t think so. This is old magic, older than I am, and more powerful. The wall of the Forbidding cannot be broken by ordinary means. That is why it was so difficult for Tael Riverine to get his demon into the Four Lands. He had to work a switch to make that happen. You told me so yourself.»
« Perhaps you can switch the Moric back again in exchange for me,” he said brightly.
His enthusiasm was frustrating. «No, I can’t. I don’t know how. I don’t even know how this staff works. It responds to Pen, not to me. What matters is that the Faerie creature who told Pen about the staff was very explicit—it cannot bring anyone out of the Forbidding but us.»
Weka Dart was on his feet in an instant, arms pinwheeling. «But you promised! You said you would take me
