Part 54 (2/2)

Kyot lifted his head and watched the swans flying from gully to gully. It was true, their leader was white. 'They are searching for something,' he whispered, lifting Rockspray up. 'Fly with them, search the gullies.'

Eventine stood up, took her cloak from the bows and shook it, scattering rain drops across the steep hillside. Ousious flew low across the reed bed, twisting her head from side to side.

Eventine shook Kyot's arm. The owl sees something in the reed beds. Look!'

Ousious descended into the gully, wheeling and turning slowly across the place where Thane lay, crying out his name with her silent voice. Rockspray stooped beside her shrieking in the dawn light. Eventine shaded her eyes against the stinging rain and stared out at the winter black reeds. 'There's

something there, in the reed bed,' she said, quickly drawing a gla.s.s-tipped arrow and necking it on to her bow.

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aSprint had lifted his head as the swans flew over and:: neighed as if calling to a lost friend. Tanglecrown pawed at the wet gra.s.s and cantered down to where Eventine stood. Kyot shook out his cloak, flung it across his shoulders and ran into the shadows of the gully, his hand on the feather flight of an arrow.

The gully had become treacherously swollen from the heavy rainfall and Kyot sank almost to his knees in the black mud on the edge of the reeds. 'Nothing could live in there,' he called over his shoulder as Eventine ran to join him. 'Be careful where you tread.'

Eventine suddenly stopped and knelt. 'Look, look at this!'

Kyot retreated out of the mud and looked down over her shoulder at a neat hoofprint in the soft earth. Stepping forward he found another, then another, right on the very edge of the reeds.

Sighing sadly he turned to Eventine. 'The horse we followed must have wandered into the gully and been swallowed by the marsh.'

Eventine s.h.i.+vered and began to turn away, pulling the hood of her cloak up over her wet hair against the weather, but something made her stop.

Something in the reed bed glittered in the grey morning light.

'Kyot, what is that?' she cried, pointing.

Kyot followed her hand, balancing on tiptoe to see between the reeds. 'There is a dark shape on the surface of the mars.h.!.+'

he said, uncertainly, stepping back and steadying Eventine on the edge of the reeds while she peered through the tall stems.

'Tanglecrown, stand for me,' Eventine asked as she sprang up into the saddle and looked over the top of the reeds. 'There is a clearing, the reeds have been cut and woven into a mat. It is floating on the surface of the mud with two figures lying on it. I think one of them is a horse. Wait! Something s.h.i.+nes on the mat, something s.h.i.+nes with the glint of beaten silver. ~

Kyot scrambled up on to Sprint's saddle and peered oui

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into the reeds following Eventine's pointing finger. 'Search for me, Rockspray!' he urged, calling to the owl who hovered silently into the air above the gully.

Stumble heard Kyot's voice sending the owl to look for them and tried to raise his head but the sticky black mud held him stuck fast on to the mat. Stumble's struggles woke Thane from his dark feverish dreams and he fought to open his mud-heavy eyelids. Far away he could hear a familiar voice above the rattle of the rain. Blinking, he looked up at the owl.

'Rockspray,' he cried, weakly, lifting the hand that held the finger bowl. 'Find Kyot and tell him ... tell him that the Nightmare has taken Elionbel.'

Thane's hand began to sink back into the mud at his side but as the base of the finger bowl touched the mud Rockspray's talons hooked around the rim and he took it, pulling it free of Thane's weakening grip, taking it up into the rainswept sky, beyond the tall circle of reeds.

Thane smiled, tears running down his dirty face. 'Kyot will rescue Elionbel,' he whispered, using the last of his strength to lift his hand and stroke his horse's neck. 'He will take up the task we cannot finish.'

Stumble suddenly freed his head from the mud and lifting it, he neighed as loudly as he could, his flanks shaking from the effort.

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