It was not an obviously organised settlement to the Balaian eye because there was no discernible centre or dominating structure. Groups of buildings were gathered loosely around cleared areas in which fire pits sat, tables and benches were arranged, and cooking and hunting paraphernalia lay scattered. Every house had a wide covered porch, roofs angled to take the rain into shallow channels that ran away downhill and back to the Ix.

As they approached, the rain smearing their faces, Erienne thought she could see what looked like a moat along the edge of the village, bridged by lashed-together logs. Ilkar was speaking for all their benefits.

'There'll be about five hundred in all here, though at any one time half are fishing, hunting or farming. Or on Balaia mage-training, if they feel the calling. I know it looks a bit jumbled, but like every other village, it was originally settled by one family and has grown as others were accepted and joined.'

'Why did it happen that way?' asked The Unknown. 'Protection presumably.'

'That's right. The elves of Calaius have a tribal history no less torn by war than the Wesmen's. Even so, this is one of the biggest settlements you'll find this deep in the forest.'

'So how come you're allowed to hack down the forest but when we break a twig Captain Miserable has a fit?'

'Because, Hirad, it's our land. We were born to it and we husband it. This isn't wanton destruction. We benefit the forest; strangers destroy it,' said Ilkar. 'Like I say, just respect elven beliefs and you'll have no trouble.'

It was a moat. Dug square, and she could see as she neared that it was the best part of six feet deep and around eight feet wide. Log bridges crossed it in five places.

'Expecting attack, are you?' she asked.

'Not exactly,' said Ilkar, turning and smiling through the downpour, his black hair smeared on his head. He stopped on the bridge. 'It keeps our animals in and some of the undesirables out.'

Erienne caught her breath. The moat was lined with an inch or so of water and seemed to be teeming with life. Lizards, rodents, snakes - she could see them all in there - scuttling or slithering here and there or testing the sides of the moat. There had to be dozens of the things in the stretches she could see to either side.

'It's hardly going to stop a spider, is it?' said The Unknown.

Ilkar shrugged. 'Probably not, but we fill it periodically with a mild alkali. Creatures don't like it. Then, in the morning, we clear it out and get them back into the forest where they belong.'

'Is it that bad?' asked Darrick.

'Unless things have changed radically, it varies,' said Ilkar. 'It's just a safer environment, particularly for the young ones. They need to be taught to treat animals correctly to avoid trouble. Some of these things don't give you a second chance.'

Erienne walked briskly across the bridge, feeling altogether safer. It all made perfect sense to her. But, like crossing from light into shadow, the hostility hit her immediately too.

All activity had stopped in the village. Children came running out until voices stopped them. Adults moved deliberately and with common purpose. There were no weapons evident. None was needed to convey the message. Most of the villagers were dressed simply in dark-coloured tops and trousers. All were dark-skinned with p.r.o.nounced cheekbones and deep frowns.

'Always this welcoming, are they?' asked Hirad.

'Now's the time to be quiet,' said Ilkar sharply. 'Remember, most of these elves have never seen a non-elf. I suggest you stop and let me see what's going on.'

The Raven did so, each of them a.s.sessing the threat. Erienne saw The Unknown move to the centre of the group, Aeb to one side, Hirad the other. She found herself behind them with Denser. Darrick had seen the line forming and came to Hirad's right shoulder. Thraun too moved instinctively into the line, his hand resting easily on the pommel of the sword he now carried, mimicking Darrick's stance. Only Ren stood apart, caught between Ilkar and The Raven, unsure what to do. None of them fingered weapons but they were ready.

Despite herself and the clouding of her mind, Erienne was impressed. Well over two seasons since they had last fought together and the instinct was as strong as ever. And for the first time for so long, she felt a release in the comfort of their close company. Perhaps Denser was right. Perhaps this would be the beginning of her recovery.

Knowing she'd be unable to understand what Ilkar said to his people, she moved so that she could see the villagers clearly and tried to gauge their body language. She looked at Ilkar, seeing him ramrod straight, and felt total confidence in him.

It was not shared by Ilkar. The Julatsan mage, who had last seen his home before any of The Raven's parents had been born, had rehea.r.s.ed this moment in his mind over and over since they'd boarded ship at Herendeneth. In his dreams, he'd seen smiling faces and open arms as he strode across the bridge to his family group of homes, the lost son returned. But in his waking thoughts, he'd known suspicion would hide the smiles and that those arms would not be opened to him or those he brought with him.

But he'd expected nothing like this. There was no confusion on their faces, some of which he recognised although others were too young for him to know. There was no surprise either. What he could see were anger and fear. He scanned those in front of him, seeing neighbours and members of his wide family group, some of whom had aged, some not. Of his immediate family, his parents and less surprisingly his brother, there was no sign.

Ilkar glanced behind him and saw The Raven's formation. It was unnecessary, of course, but it gave him security and faith. And more than anything else it reinforced who his family really were. They stood behind him, not before him. Ren looked at him a little helplessly. He smiled at her, gestured her to stay just where she was. To Hirad he nodded and mouthed his thanks before turning back to his family group.

He made a wide angle with his arms in front of his face, fingers linked at the first digit to mimic the canopy. It was an ancient greeting, and was returned by most of the thirty or so in front of him, more in reflex than friendship.

'h.e.l.lo, Kild'aar,' said Ilkar, settling on a middle-aged elven woman, distantly related to him on his father's side. She was standing near the centre of the group, arms folded firmly under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her jet-black hair covered by a soaking cloth and her light clothing sticking to her thin body. She looked very tired, her slanted oval eyes red around her pupils, the crow's feet deep and p.r.o.nounced. 'I've come back seeking help. May I and my friends enjoy the hospitality of Taanepol?'

Ilkar was glad of the traditional opening speech required of any visiting an elven rainforest village, which included reasons for the visit and a request for lodging should it be desired. Kild'aar stepped forward, her face severe.

'As a child of this village, you are welcome, as is the child of Drech with you,' she said, c.o.c.king her head at Ren behind him. 'But these strangers must go. Now.'

Ilkar started at Kild'aar's vehemence.

'What I ask affects us all,' said Ilkar. 'Calaians and Balaians alike. Julatsa stands on the verge of extinction. The Heart is buried and not enough mages remain on Balaia to raise it to beat life through the college again. What consequences for the elves of Calaius if it should fail? Please, let us all get out of the rain and talk.'

'Julatsan magic has nothing to do with those who stand near you,' said Kild'aar.

'Until you hear me, you will not know how wrong you are,' said Ilkar. 'Kild'aar, have things changed so much in my absence that you cannot even begin to extend the hand of friendship?'

'Perhaps they have,' said Kild'aar. 'A great crime has been committed here. Strangers are to blame. And now illness is sweeping the village. You saw the fishing boats tied up; it's because there are too few fit to crew them. Who's to say the strangers didn't bring the sickness with them? Who's to say those you stand with don't support the desecrators?'

Ilkar held up a hand. 'Wait, wait. You're losing me.' He looked at Kild'aar and then past her into the scared and angry faces of those behind her. 'We saw evidence of illness in Ysundeneth when we landed there three days ago, but what's been desecrated?'

'Ysundeneth has sickness?' Kild'aar ignored his question and looked around at her village folk. 'Strangers visit there.' She shrugged.

'But not here,' said Ilkar. 'And it may not be the same sickness. Why don't you let our mages see? We helped elves in Ysundeneth.'

Kild'aar sighed. 'In truth, we're stretched,' she said. 'We can't find a reason or a cure and it strikes at random. Tomorrow the victim could be me, any of us. Our people have started to die.'

'Then let us try and help you,' implored Ilkar. 'These people behind me, they're much more than just friends. I love them like family. They are good people and I swear on every creature in the forest that they have nothing to do with any desecration.' He paused. 'Kild'aar, what has been desecrated?'

The elven woman looked older and more exhausted as she looked at him then, biting her lip. 'Aryndeneth,' she whispered.

'What?' Ilkar's mouth was suddenly dry, the drumming rain on his head forgotten. 'How?'

'We don't know,' said Kild'aar. 'But we know Al-Arynaar have been killed.' She stopped. 'One moment.'

Ilkar nodded and watched as she turned and spoke in low tones to a group of young and old elves. He saw nods and shakes of heads, he saw fingers being pointed and he heard sharp tones. In the end though, it was clear Kild'aar had got her way.

'Take your friends, if such they are, to your father's house. They can take drinks from the firepot if they are so inclined. I'll wait for you. There's something you have to see.'

'And what of my parents?' asked Ilkar, knowing it was the question she had been waiting for and he had been avoiding.

'What do you think, Ilkar? You've been away too long.' She shook her head. 'We needed people like you here and you didn't even send word that you were alive.'

She turned and walked away, taking the crowd with her, a murmur growing as they dispersed into smaller groups. Ilkar turned back to The Raven, catching Ren's eye as he did.

'Did you hear all that?' he asked her.

She nodded and put a hand on his arm. 'Are you all right?'

'We didn't get on,' he said. 'Or else I might have come back when I was supposed to.'

'That wasn't what I asked.'

'I know,' he said, but in truth he wasn't sure how he felt. He hadn't worked out whether he expected his parents to be alive or not; and finding out they weren't had left him immediately saddened but hardly gripped with grief.

'Hey!'

Ilkar looked over at Hirad. The barbarian was standing with his arms outstretched and palms up, his long dark hair dripping with the rain that still fell with no sign of letting up.

'Sorry, Hirad.'

'When you've quite finished nattering in elvish, I wondered if there was any danger of you letting us in on the big secret. Are they going to run us through or let us dry out a little?'

'Well, I had to haggle,' said Ilkar, wandering back up to Hirad and patting his soaking wet cheek. 'They were concerned that you were too ugly to be allowed into such a beautiful setting. There are children here after all.'

Denser laughed aloud, hugging Erienne to him. She too could not suppress a smile. The comment had been worth it just for that. Hirad swung round to the Xeteskian.

'You haven't heard what they said about you and that miserable mould you call a beard,' he said to Denser.

'At least it doesn't frighten children.'

'Only because they don't understand,' said Hirad. 'Scares the s.h.i.t out of me that you think it's attractive.'

'Let's get in out of the rain, shall we?' said The Unknown. 'I don't know about you but I'm getting a little tired of this particular shower.'

Ilkar nodded. Once again, a couple of sentences from the big man and they all fell into line.

'Follow me. And don't make a mess. This is my house you're about to see.'

He took Ren's hand and led the way into the village, uncertain of what they were about to face and with the sceptical eyes of the people upon them. There was so much more to be done than he'd hoped. He sighed. It had seemed so simple. Just show up, get trained mages and gather a friendly support network. He should have known. When The Raven were involved, somehow things were never simple.

Chapter 20.

'Why won't you let Denser and Erienne help you?' Ilkar was fast losing his patience.

He'd seen The Raven to his house - it had been almost exactly the same as when he'd last seen it - and had sought out Kild'aar very soon after, suddenly anxious to be anywhere else than in his past. But his enquiries into how many villagers were actually sick were met with vague estimates and his offers of help with a blank refusal. The house they were headed for was no more than fifty yards across the village but this was the third time he'd asked.

'Because you must understand first,' said Kild'aar.

'I understand already,' he replied. 'People in my village are dying and you won't let two brilliant mages try and save them because of your intractable distrust of every non-elf. I don't remember it being this way when I left.'

'Ilkar, you have been away a very long time. And you've been with strangers for all that time. You are the one who has changed, not us. Even your skin is light. And now we're seeing good reasons why we've been ever suspicious.'

'But you need help.'

'It can wait,' snapped Kild'aar. 'Gyal's tears, Ilkar, you come wandering back into our village a hundred years after you left it and you expect us to accept you with open arms? And your Balaian friends? Maybe over there people are quick to trust. Here, as you well know, trusting the wrong people has led to so much harm.'

Ilkar had to concede the point though he would never admit it to her. They had never seen eye to eye. Truth was, Ilkar hadn't seen eye to eye with anyone. Except his brother. And even that bond was gone now. Buried under a hundred years of separation.

'What happened to my parents?' he asked.

Kild'aar stopped briefly. 'They died of old age, not knowing whether their son was alive or dead. Whether he had made a success of his talent or whether he had perished in the Mana Bowl or in some petty conflict of the Balaians. Perhaps the question should be, what happened to you?'

'It's a long story,' said Ilkar.

'And one we don't have time for at the moment,' said Kild'aar, setting off again across the soaking village. The rain was beginning to ease at last, blue cracks in the heavy grey sky.

'What is it you want me to see?' Ilkar struggled to keep up with the sudden pace, slipping on the muddy ground, unused to the texture underfoot, his reactions dulled by his absence. Kild'aar, of course, looked as if she were walking on flat dry rock.

She led him to a house on the southern periphery of the village. On the porch sat an elf dressed in jet black with a face painted in black and white halves. At his feet a panther lay, licking its paws.

'What the h.e.l.l is going on?' demanded Ilkar. 'What are they doing here?'

'Waiting for answers,' replied Kild'aar.

'Fine,' said Ilkar. 'So what's inside?'

'You'll see.'

'G.o.ds, but you're frustrating, Kild'aar.'

'Any particular G.o.d? Or just that amorphous deity Balaians always invoke?'

'Now I'm remembering why I didn't come back sooner.'

Kild'aar pushed open the door. 'I'd hate to disappoint your memories, Ilkar. Room to the left.'

She waited while he went in. The room was lit by heavily scented candles set on the floor and on low tables. Otherwise it was bare but for a high-legged bed in its centre on which lay a shrouded figure. Ilkar turned, frowning, but was ushered on. He walked to the head of the bed, the sweet scents filling his head, and pulled back the shroud.

On the bed lay an elf of about his age, though it was hard to tell in truth. His face was wrinkled as if the moisture had been leached from it, a trail of blood ran from his nose and another from the corner of his mouth. There was no relaxation in death, as if the pain that had gripped him as he lost his fight for life had endured beyond. Ilkar knew him.

'There was nothing we could do,' said Kild'aar as Ilkar replaced the shroud. 'He was all but dead when he was brought in. Nothing we did, magical or herbal, did anything at all bar relieving his pain a little. Everyone here knows the agony in which he died and they know our helplessness. All that lie sick know their fate unless we can find a way to save them. That's why we're so scared. Who's next?'

'Then let Erienne help,' urged Ilkar. 'She is the best healer mage I've ever met. She's saved my life before now. Let her examine him, find out what she can. Please, Kild'aar, trust me on this.'

Kild'aar shrugged. 'We'll see. Come.' She led Ilkar to the room next door. It was similarly bare though the shutters had been opened to let in natural light. On a table under the window sat a bowl of water draped with cloths. A single bed was pushed against a wall and on it an elf lay on his stomach, head to one side. A sheet covered him to his waist and his back was largely swathed in bandages, heaviest on his left shoulder.

'Oh dear G.o.ds,' said Ilkar, rushing to the bedside and kneeling down to stroke the hair away from his face. It felt hot. 'Not him too.'

'No,' said Kild'aar. 'His fever was caused by an infected wound and it's broken now. He'll live. For now at least.'

Relief flooded Ilkar and he exhaled heavily, his breath playing over the p.r.o.ne elf's face.