The satyrs shouted at each other in confusion. Then Karrell loosed her second wave of magic, and the shouts turned to bleats of fear. Arvin scooped up his pack on the run, slinging it over a shoulder by one strap and praying that its contents weren't spilling out behind him. Then he reached the edge of the darkness. He burst into daylight a dozen paces or so from the edge of the brambles. The tunnel the satyrs had dragged him out of was to his left. He raced for it then flung himself prone and started to crawl. Behind him, he heard shouts and the thrum-thrum of a bow being shot twice in rapid succession; at least one of the satyrs had shaken off the magical fear. His shots, though aimed at random from inside the darkness, passed uncomfortably close to Arvin. One struck a vine just above his head.
Crawling rapidly, pack still slung awkwardly over one shoulder, Arvin followed the drag marks. They led to the spot where he'd been ambushed by the satyr with the pan pipes; from this point on he followed his own trail. All the while he prayed that the satyrs wouldn't figure out where he'd gone-that they wouldn't know a quicker route through the bramble maze. The fear seemed to have worn off; Arvin could hear them in the clearing, shouting at one another.
Tymora must have been with him, however; the satyrs didn't catch up. Soon he could see Tanglemane through the thicket of thorny vines. The centaur's ears were twitching; when he spotted Arvin, he gave a snort of delight. Arvin crawled out of the brambles, leaped to his feet, and was relieved to see Karrell slither out after him a moment later. As she shifted into human form, he turned to Tanglemane. 'We need to get out of here fast,' he told the centaur. 'We've got a hornet's nest of angry satyrs behind us. Will you carry us?'
'I would,' Tanglemane said. Then he glanced into the forest nervously. 'But there's a problem. The wolves are still waiting for their meat.'
Arvin turned and saw the wolves. They had been sitting, waiting, but when White Muzzle rose to her feet, the rest followed her lead. Tongues lolling, they stared at Arvin and Karrell. White Muzzle growled-and even without Karrell to translate, Arvin understood. The wolves were hungry.
And the satyrs' shouts were growing closer. They would be through the brambles at any moment.
Arvin glanced at Karrell. 'Magical fear?' he asked.
She shook her head. 'Not again. Not so soon.'
An arrow careened out of the brambles behind them, narrowly missing Arvin. 'What about darkness?' he asked Karrell.
'Not yet. But I have other magic that may help.' Turning, she gestured at the brambles. As her fingers wove complicated patterns in the air, the vines constricted, closing off the tunnel like a net being pulled shut. The satyrs, trapped inside and pierced by thorns, bleated angrily.
Karrell cast a second spell, and their bows twisted into knots. No more arrows were fired.
'That's one problem down,' Arvin said. The wolves, however, continued to pad closer to Arvin, Karrell, and Tanglemane. They were working up their courage with a series of low growls. Any moment now, they would rush forward and attack.
Arvin eyed the trees. He and Karrell could climb to safety, but not Tanglemane.
The centaur's ears twitched wildly. 'We should run.'
'No,' Arvin said. 'That's what they want.' He glanced once more at the vine-trussed satyrs then turned to Karrell. 'Speak to the wolves. Tell them we've brought their meat: the satyrs. The moment your spell wears off, the wolves can rush them. Then they'll have all the meat they like.'
Karrell nodded then rapidly barked this out to White Muzzle. The wolf growled something at her pack then yipped a question back at Karrell, who answered it.
'I told her I broke the satyrs' bows, but she is still fearful,' Karrell translated. 'The satyrs are fierce fighters, even without weapons.'
Arvin chuckled in reply. 'Not when they're asleep.' He spoke his glove's command word, and the pan pipes he'd vanished into it reappeared. 'Plug your ears,' he instructed. Tanglemane and Karrell did as instructed. Arvin, praying the pipes wouldn't affect the person playing them, lifted them to his lips and blew.
A shrill noise squealed from the pipes, but nothing happened. Neither the satyrs nor the wolves fell asleep. The nearest satyr, however, did twist around in the brambles, earning himself several scratches, to say something to his fellows. His voice sounded worried.
Arvin lowered the pipes. Only a satyr could evoke their magic, it seemed. But if that was the case, why did the satyrs sound concerned? He glanced closely at the pipes, noting for the first time that they were made from individual reeds, bound together with twine in a series of intricate knots.
Magical knots?
Grinning, Arvin slid the point of his dagger under one of the knots. He held the pan pipes out where the satyrs could see them. 'Do as I say!' he shouted. 'Or I'll destroy them.'
A babble of voices broke out as the satyrs conversed in their own tongue. Then one of them shouted. 'What want you?'
White Muzzle had begun to slink forward again, the rest of the pack following.
Arvin spoke quickly to Karrell. 'Can you loosen just a few of the brambles?' he asked. 'Enough to let one of the satyrs go?'
She nodded.
'Translate what I say for the wolves,' Arvin told her. Then he turned his attention back to the satyrs. 'We're going to release one of you,' he shouted. 'That one will go back to the clearing and fetch Theyron's body, and bring it to me.'
Karrell translated, and White Muzzle gave a satisfied growl. The satyrs, however, seemed reluctant. Arvin held the pan pipes a little higher, and started to saw with his blade.
'Stop!' one cried. 'We shall bring him.'
Arvin smiled. He tipped his head in the direction of the satyr who had spoken. 'That one,' he told Karrell in a low voice. Loosen the brambles around him.'
As the vines untwined themselves from him, the satyr leaped to his feet. He gave Arvin a fierce glare, then trotted back in the direction of the satyr camp. While he was gone, the brambles around the other satyrs began to loosen. Karrell recast her spell.
The satyr returned a short while later, dragging Theyron's body. He paused just before leaving the brambles, catching his breath, then readjusted his grip on the body and continued dragging it toward Arvin. The wound in the dead satyr's neck was still leaking blood; it left a trail of red. The wolves moved forward, licking their lips in anticipation. Then, at a yip from White Muzzle, they moved forward in a rush. The satyr bleated and scurried back into the brambles. The wolves converged on the corpse, growling at one another as they tore bloody chunks from it.
'Let's get moving,' Arvin said in a low voice, eyeing the wolves. 'Before they finish eating and decide they're still hungry.'
Tanglemane nodded and knelt, motioning for Arvin and Karrell to get on his back. Arvin started to climb on then heard the creak of a bow being drawn. He turned his head just in time to see one of the satyrs-the one who had dragged Theyron's body back-standing inside
the brambles with a bow held at full draw. Arvin ducked as the satyr let his arrow fly.
The satyr wasn't aiming at Arvin however, but at the wolves. One of them yelped as the arrow struck it.
'Let's go,' Arvin shouted, boosting Karrell onto Tanglemane's back.
Tanglemane, however, crumpled to his knees, spilling her to the ground. The centaur staggered to his feet a moment later, clutching his chest. A thin line of blood trickled out from beneath his hands.
'Tanglemane,' Karrell said, alarmed. 'What's wrong?'
Even as she asked the question, Arvin realized the answer. The arrow had struck White Muzzle, and the fate link had caused Tanglemane to suffer an identical wound.
The satyr shot another arrow. This one struck another wolf in the head, instantly killing it.
The pack bolted, White Muzzle in the rear, limping.
Arvin silently cursed his stupidity; he should have guessed that the satyr would pick up another bow when he returned to the camp.
The satyr nocked another arrow. This time, he turned toward Arvin as he drew his bow.
'Wait!' Arvin shouted. 'If you shoot me, you'll never get these back.' He flourished the pan pipes then vanished them into his glove.
