as he ran, and water splattered from puddles dotting the rain–soaked trail, leaving him streaked with mud. But the Valeman felt none of it, his mind crowded with emotions that spun and twisted to leave him dazed with despair at the loss of the Elfstones — anger against Cephelo, fear for Amberle, and wonderment at the words she had spoken to him.
I care for you, she had said and meant it. I care for you. So strange, to hear her say such a thing to him. Once he would never have believed it possible. She had resented and mistrusted him; she had made that clear enough. And he had not really liked this Elven girl. But the long journey they had begun in the village of Havenstead had taught them much about each other, and the dangers and hardships they had faced and overcome had brought them close. Their lives in that brief span of time had become inextricably bound together. It was not really so unexpected then that out of that binding should come some form of affection. The words throbbed in his head, repeating themselves. I care for you. She did, he knew, and wondered suddenly how much he in turn now cared for her.
He lost his footing and went down, tumbling forward into the muck and the damp. Angrily he scrambled up, brushed the mud and water away as best he could, and ran on, The afternoon was waning far too rapidly; he would be fortunate just to regain the main roadway before nightfall set in. When that happened, he would have to find his way in total blackness, alone in an unfamiliar land, weaponless save for a hunting knife. Stupid! That was the kindest description he could render for what he had done, letting Cephelo fool him into thinking that he could have the Rover’s aid for nothing more than a vague promise. Clever Wil Ohmsford, he chided himself, anger burning through him. And Allanon had thought that you were the one to whom he might safely entrust Amberle!
Already his muscles were beginning to cramp with the strain of running. Despair washed through him for a moment as he thought of all that Amberle and he had endured to reach this point, only to face losing everything for want of a bit more caution. Seven Elven Hunters had given their lives so that he and Amberle might reach the Wilderun. Countless more would have already died defending the Westland against the Demons, for surely the Forbidding had given way by now. All for nothing, then? All to no end but this? Shame and then determination rushed through him, carrying away the despair. He would never give up — never! He would retrieve the stolen Elfstones. He would return to Amberle. He would see her safely to Spire’s Reach, to the Bloodfire, and back once more to Arborlon. He would do all this because he knew that he must, because to do anything less would be to fail — not just Allanon and the Elves, but himself as well. He was not about to do that.
Even as the thought passed from his mind, a shadow appeared on the trail ahead, materializing out of the gloom like some wraith, tall and silent as it awaited his approach. The Valeman drew up short, frightened so badly that he very nearly bolted from the pathway into the forest. Breathing raggedly, he stared at the shadow, realizing suddenly that what he was looking at was a horse and rider. The horse shifted on the trail and stamped. Wil walked forward cautiously, wariness turning to disbelief and finally to astonishment.
It was Eretria.
«Surprised?» Her voice was cool and measured.
«Very,” he admitted.
«I have come to save you one last time, Wil Ohmsford. This time, I think, you will hear better what I have to say.»
Wil came up to her and stopped. «Cephelo has the Stones.»
«I know that. He drugged your wine, then took them from you last night while you slept.»
«And you did nothing to warn me?»
«Warn you?» She shook her head slowly. «I would have warned you, Healer. I would have helped you. But you would not help me — remember? All that I asked of you was that you take me with you when you left. Had you done that; I would have told you of Cephelo’s plans for the Elfstones and would have seen to it that you kept them safe. But you spurned me, Healer. You left me. You thought yourself able to manage well enough without me. Very well, I decided, I will see how well the Healer does without me.»
She bent down to examine him, her eyes appraising. «It does not pear that you are doing too well.»
Wil nodded slowly, his mind racing. This was no time to say something foolish. «Amberle is hurt. She fell and twisted her leg and cannot walk alone. I had to leave her at the rim of the Hollows.»
«You seem very good at leaving women in distress,” Eretria snapped.
He held his temper. «I guess it must appear that way. But sometimes we cannot always do what we want when it comes to helping others.»
«So you have said. I guess that you must believe it. Have you left the Elven girl, then?»
«Only until I get the Stones back again.»
«Which you won’t without me.»
«Which I will, with or without you.»
The Rover girl stared down at him for a moment, and her face softened.
«I guess you believe that, too, don’t you?»
Wil put his hand on the horse’s flank. «Are you here to help me, Eretria?»
She regarded him wordlessly for a moment, then nodded. «If you, in turn, will help me. This time you must, you know.» When he did not respond, she continued speaking. «A trade, Wil Ohmsford. I will help you get back the Stones if you will agree to take me with you when you have them back again.»
«How will you get the Stones back?» he asked carefully.
She smiled for the first time, that familiar, dazzlingly beautiful smile that took his breath away «How will I do it? Healer, I am the child of Rovers and the daughter of a thief — bought and paid for. He stole them from you; I will steal them from him. I know the trade better than he. All we need do is find him.»
«Won’t he be wondering about you by now?»
She shook her head. «When we parted company with you, I told him that I wished to ride ahead to join the caravan. He agreed that I could, for the paths of the Wilderun are well known to the Rovers, and I would be clear of the valley by nightfall. As you know, Healer, he wants to be certain that he keeps me safe. Damaged goods bring a poor price. In any case, I rode but a mile beyond Whistle Ridge, then took a second trail that cuts south and joins this one several hundred yards further back. I thought to catch up to you by nightfall, either at the Hollows or coming back this way, should you discover sooner the loss of the Stones. So you see, Cephelo will not realize what I have done until he reaches the main caravan. The wagon slows him, so he will not do that until sometime tomorrow. Tonight, he will camp on the road leading out of the valley.»
«Then we have tonight to get back the Stones,” Wil finished.
«Time enough,” she replied. «But not if we continue to stand here and talk about it. Besides, you don’t want to leave the Elven girl alone at the Hollows for very long, do you?»
The mention of Amberle jarred him. «No. Let’s be off.»
«One moment.» She backed, the horse away from him. «First your word. Once I have helped you, then you will help me. You will take me with you when we have the Stones back. You will let me stay with you after that until I am a safe distance from Cephelo — and I will decide when that is the case. Promise me, Healer.»
There was very little else that he could do short of taking her horse from her, and he was not at all sure that he do that.
«Very well. I promise.»
She nodded. «Good. To see that you keep that promise, I will keep the Stones once I have taken them back again until we are both safely out of this valley. Climb up behind me.»
Wil mounted the horse without comment. There was no way that he was about to let her keep the Elfstones, once she had retrieved them from Cephelo, but it was pointless to argue about it here. He settled himself behind the girl, and she turned to look at him.
«You do not deserve what I am doing for you you know that. But I like you; I like your chances in life — especially with me to aid you. Put your hands about my waist.»
Wil hesitated, then did as he was told. Eretria leaned back into him.
«Much better,” she purred seductively. «I prefer you this way to the way you are when the Elven girl is about. Now hold tight.»
With a sudden yell, she put her boots into the flanks of the horse. The startled beast reared up with a scream and shot back along the pathway. Down the wilderness trail they rode, bent low across the horse’s neck, limbs whipping against them as they flew through the dark. Eretria seemed to have the eyes of a cat, guiding their mount with a sure and practiced hand past fallen logs and deadwood, over gullies and ruts formed by the sudden rain,
