into the writhing ma.s.s of Nightbeasts, slashing and cutting to left and right.

'Arbel, Rubel,' she cried as the shadows closed around them. 'We must save them,' she shouted across to her mother.

Elionbel and Martbel sprang forwards, their spear shafts gripped fimnly in both hands and charged, heads down, across the hall. With reckless speed they crashed into the monsters, driving their spear blades deep into the Nightbeasts' armour, sending up bright showers of burning sparks.

'Arbel, Rubel, back to the stairway,' the women shouted as the impaled Nightbeasts crumpled before them leaving a clear gap for the boys to retreat through.

Turning, they fled in a tight knot to the safety of the stairs and fell exhausted behind the wall of sewers' spears.

'Next time I give an order you must obey it!' Martbel snapped breathlessly.

The Nightbeasts renewed their attack, surging in a ma.s.s of black shadows against the stairway. Elionbel s.n.a.t.c.hed up two hot fire-brands and thrust them down into the Nightbeasts'

faces, searing into their coa.r.s.e hairy flesh with the burning metal. Rubel took up a spear, and Arbel a broad Marching sword, and together they defended the lower stairway.

'Bring every light and spark to the stairway,' Martbel cried, thrusting her dagger between the bannister rails, and with one sweep of the blade cutting a Nightbeast's throat. 'It will weaken them.'

Elionbel returned to the stairhead fire and quickly pa.s.sed out the white hot fire-brands. 'We are ready, Mother,' she whispered, turning her head and looking back up the stairway to where the sewers waited, the glowing fire-brands in their hands.

Martbel counted what were left of the Nightbeasts in the Great Hall and sprang forwards. 'Now,' she shouted, leading

the defenders of the Wayhouse down on to the broad flagstones and singing in a clear voice of the beautiful sunlight that would fill Elundium with the coming dawn. Screaming and howling, the Nightbeasts retreated, fighting each other to escape the hot irons and bright lights that burned through their scaly armour. The Great Hall quickly became fogged with bitter smoke, heavy with the smell of seared skin. Rubel and Arbel chased the last fleeing Nightbeasts to the doorway and slew them on the threshold stone. 'Victory, mother,' they laughed, returning into the ruined hall and resting wearily on their swords' hilts.

Martbel surveyed the wreckage and a frown drew her eyebrows together. 'Victory is only a short breath away from defeat. We have little time to rest. Quickly, barricade the door and windows before the Nightbeasts return.'

Elionbel stepped over the Nightbeasts' carca.s.ses that littered

the floor, her face grim with disgust.

'They will come back, mark my words. They will return in black hordes to smother the starlight,' Martbel muttered, sheathing her sword, and turning to the servers.

'Clear the hall, pile the Nightbeasts in a heap beside the doorway. We will burn them before the new sun rises.'

Turning back to her sons she ordered them to fortify the Great Hall as for a siege. Elionbel she sent to the larders with baskets for all the food she could carry. 'Before the new sun sets this Wayhouse must become a fortress. Something terrible is loose in Elundium, I can feel it, a black shadow at my shoulder, a gnawing coldness in my bones.'

Elionbel shivered, feeling the coldness of her mother's fear

and looked out at the black forest's edge. 'The grey hours have come,' she whispered without hope.

63.

64.

The Hilt of Thorns

Darkness blurred the Causeway Fields and spread in deep shadows under the eaves of Mantern's Forest as Esteron pa.s.sed between the trees and took the ancient road that led towards Notley Marsh. Thane crouched low in the saddle, hunched against the rushing wind, his eyes narrowed by streaming tears.

'Forgive me, Elion. Forgive me...' he whispered in rhythm with Esteron's pounding hoofbeats. Without a backward glance at the Battle Council or a thought of the danger on the road ahead he pressed Esteron for all the speed he could give, keeping him to the crown of the road, racing between the fleeting moonshadows. Before them, less than half a league distant, stood the tumbledown Wayhouse hut of thorns that Thane remembered from his earlier journey to Underfall. Mulcade suddenly shrieked a warning, digging his talons sharply into Thane's shoulder. All about them Nightbeasts swarmed up on to the Greenway, roaring and screaming.

The hut! Run for the hut!' Thane shouted, urging Esteron to gallop faster. Mulcade spread his wings and stooped, sinking his talons into the nearest Nightbeast. Thane drew his dagger and slashed at the black Nightbeasts that blocked his path. The door of the hut shimmered in the night air, barbed thorns were shining in the moonlight. Esteron surged forward, taking the last stride to safety, rising Tom the ground in a graceful arch. He did not see the Nightbeast spring out

from the shadows of the hut and thrust the cruel spear at his flank, but the force of the crippling blade sent him crashing to his knees. Thane, unbalanced, fell beside him, rolled once and leapt back to his feet.

'Into the hut! Into the hut!' he cried, as the injured horse staggered through the doorway. The Nightbeast was hanging on to the spear shaft, driving it deeper into Esteron's flank.

Thane ducked under the monster's outstretched arms and drove his dagger upwards through the thin strips of foul armour with both hands on the hilt. He pushed his weight against the Nightbeast and sent the screaming animal toppling backwards, releasing his grip on the spear shaft. Thane pulled the blood-sticky dagger out of the Nightbeast's chest and followed Esteron, jumping through the door of thorns.

Snorting and whinnying with pain Esteron half lay, half knelt on the earth floor, beads of sweat forming on his neck as he tried to rise. Thane sheathed the dagger and knelt beside him. Mulcade stooped through the doorway and perched on Thane's shoulder. The curtain of thorns fell across the opening and rustled and shook as the Nightbeasts tried to force their way through, but it remained impenetrable.

Thane shivered in the darkness and felt his way along the spear shaft until his fingers reached the blade. The force of the thrust had driven the barbed blade deep into Esteron's flank and it would clearly need a Healer's skill to cut it out.

'I cannot pull it out!' cried Thane, taking Esteron's head into his arms. 'The more I touch it the deeper it sinks.'

Esteron snorted through the pain, the whites of his eyes showing in the darkness, and rose to his feet. With each painful movement the spear shaft dipped and swayed wildly, making the pain worse. Thane grasped the shaft as close to the blade as he dared and, raising his knee, he snapped it in two. Esteron shrieked and backed away until he stood against the far wall black with sweat. He was trembling from head to foot. Thane moved quickly to his side, gently unbuckled the girths, removed the saddle and cut the

abridle knot, taking the steel bit out of Esteron'smouth.

'Tomorrow,' he whispered, untying the summer scarf from his arm and binding it around the spear blade to stem the flow of blood, 'tomorrow, when a new sun burns above World's Edge the magic will fade and the Nightbeasts will overrun this Wayhouse. We must escape in the first shafts of sunlight. I will go alone to Woodsedge and you must return to Underfall, for only Merion the Healer has the skill to remove the Nightbeast's spearblade.'

Esteron neighed fiercely, arching his sweat-soaked neck, and tried to cross the Wayhouse, forgetting for a moment the crippling spear in his side. Thane watched his slow halting steps and whispered to himself, 'They will cut you down long before you reach the Greenway!'

Quickly he unclasped his cloak and pulled off his fine chainmail shirt. With the edge of his dagger he unpicked the rows of fine glittering steel loops and spread the opened shirt across Esteron's back. Taking his cloak he cut the lower half into strips and bound the shirt securely. Stepping back he smiled in the darkness. 'Now you have a battle coat that even

Equestrius, the Lord of Horses, would be proud to wear. It is not steelsilver, but it will turn the Mghtbeasts' blades.'

Esteron snorted, rubbing his head wearily against Thane's arm.

'Merion is the only one with the power and the skill to pull that black blade. You must go to him,' said Thane as he pulled the shortened cloak about his shoulders. He felt the owl's talons squeeze his shoulder and lifted his hand to caress the soft downy chest feathers. 'Mulcade will go with you and defend you on the road. I will clear a path through the Nightbeasts as the new sun rises and win you the best road that I can.'

Thane paused, biting his knuckles with despair, knowing that the road to Woodsedge would be endless without Esteron, yet he had no other choice. Sighing, he pulled offhis boots, and with two swift cuts of the dagger he cut them down

to just above the ankles so that he could run in them. Esteron whinnied. He would go as Thane had begged him and seek the Healer of Underfall, but once the spear blade had been removed he would use the gift of speed and raise a Warhorse army greater than the one that had gathered on the high plateau to free Thoronhand, and they would follow Thane into the heart of Elundium to rescue Elionbel; and Mulcade, the Lord of Owls, would call a stoop of Battle Owls great enough to darken the sun. Thane would not stand alone against the Master of Nightmares!

Beyond the door of thorns dense black shadows were crowding in, the grey hours would soon touch the horizon's edge with pale moving fingers. Thane shivered in the darkness, drawing his cloak tightly around his shoulders; night silence p.r.i.c.kled at his scalp, for he knew that beyond the thorncovered walls the powers of night crouched encircling the Wayhouse, waiting for the magic to fade. Thane rose to his feet and quiedy lifted Mulcade up towards the blackened smoke hole.

'Fly high, great bird of war,' he whispered. 'Rise above the Nightbeasts' shadows that trap us here, be our eyes and find the morning. Bring a new sun to the Greenway's edge to drive our enemies back.'

Mulcade dug his talons into Thane's arm, hooted softly, and lifted on silent wings, spiralling up through the sooty chimney towards the distant stars. Thane stood for a moment peering upwards, searching the night sky for a hint of the grey hours that would herald the dawn, but only cold faraway stars filled the blackness. He shuddered and turned back to comfort Esteron, weeping as he looked upon the ugly spear blade embedded in his flank. As Thane crossed the Wayhouse floor, moving silently between the upturned furniture, something made him pause and hold his breath. Something of terrible malice had arrived outside and was circling, testing the tumbledown walls for weakness.

'Krulshards!' Thane whispered, drawing his dagger and

67.

ahurrying to stand between Esteron and the door, following the Mghtrnare threat with his eyes as it circled their refuge.

'I wish we had Kyot'sgreat bow and those gla.s.s arrowheads from Stumble Hill,' he hissed, summoning up the courage to shout a challenge at the Master of Nightmares. 'None can enter this Wayhouse against the power of Nevian, for he is the Master of Magic who built it!' he cried, dry-mouthed.