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"Not very long. And you can make a lot of noise through a gag. We'd better get out of here fast," he said.
She yanked the final knot tight. "Then maybe you'd better finish what you started?"
There were some humans, perhaps even most, who should be spared but Makenna wasn't sure this man was
one of them. The net seemed eager to leave her arm, curling around the priest's limp body like a cat. At least he
wouldn't be freeing himself with spells when he woke.
"Don't push it, hedgewitch." The knight glared at her with the eyes of a man who was rapidly reaching his limit,
and she was too experienced a commander not to recognize it.
"As you will," she said soothingly. Then a thought struck her. "How did you know I'd go for the bow instead of
hitting him over the head?"
"I didn't. Grab those cursed books, will you?" He pulled a large bag from the pouch on his belt and tossed it to
her.
Her fingers lingered on the spines, stroking them despite the need for haste. Here was true magic, complex,
codified, complete. This was what her mother had wanted for her.
"Hurry, will you!"
She stuffed the last of the books into the bag. But instead of coming to help her, he went to Jeriah, who sat in
silence, watching. She saw him search for words.
"I love you," he said finally, and pulled his brother into his arms, kissing his head. "Tell Mother I love her. Tell
Father ... tell Father it was the right thing to do." He let Jeriah go and stepped out of the tent ahead of her, pulling his
cloak around him.
She glanced back and met Jeriah's tear-bright eyes.
"I'll watch out for him," she promised. "And you'd better keep an eye on that one." She jerked her head at the
motionless priest. "It's a trap, you know, thinking all the right's on your side, and none on the other. A trap of the
mind, more vicious than steel spikes. Heavier than chains. And he's in so deep, he'll never even see it. Bright One's
grace, I swear, I pity him. Win or lose." Was there a flicker of understanding in the boy's eyes? Makenna couldn't be
sure. She pulled up her hood and followed her ally into the night.
He was waiting for her, trying to look confident as he scanned the quiet camp. "Do you have a plan for getting
us out of here?" He took her arm, leading her in the direction of the horse lines. How long had it been since a human
had touched her, in friendship?
"I was hoping you'd have one," she said.
"This is no time to develop a sense of humor. What about the goblins?"
"I told Cogswhallop to get the lot of them to the gap in the wall, and wait for us. I'll try to cast the spell when
we get there, though I still don't think "
He came to a stop and stared at her. "You sent them on ahead? You said you thought I couldn't do it!"
"I still don't." She took his arm and pulled him along. "But if by some miracle we bring this off, having the
goblins scattered from one end of the wood to the other would be like having a cow with a full udder and no pail. Shh!
Don't laugh like that. Someone'll recognize you and we haven't the time."
"Then you'll all be leaving as soon as you cast the spell." He sounded thoughtful. Wistful? "I wish "
Muffled shouting came from the tent behind them, and several late-awake guards started cautiously in that
direction.
The knight grabbed her hand and ran for the line where the horses were tethered. Makenna flung herself at the
nearest beast, but when she put her foot in the stirrup and started to step up, the saddle rolled off the horse's back and
fell on top of her. She sat on the ground and looked up at the knight, who was gazing blankly at the limp bridle that
had fallen off the horse's head when he grabbed it. Then she understood and began to laugh, full, free, and joyous, and
no thought of danger could stop the sound. Goblins! How she loved them.
The knight cursed, dragged her to her feet, and tossed her up to the horse's back.
"The books," she gasped. He thrust them into her arms, yanked the reins from the useless bridle, wrapped one
around her mount's neck, and handed her the ends.
He took the other rein for himself, pulled off the other horse's saddle with one quick jerk, and leapt to the
beast's broad back, compact and easy as a house cat leaping to a window sill. He kicked his horse to a gallop, and
Makenna followed.
She wasn't trained to ride bareback as the knight was. She dropped the rein and wrapped both hands in the
horse's mane, the awkward bag of books clutched in front of her. She was glad her beast followed his, for as they rode
through the seething settlement she had no thought to spare for its guidance.
Freed livestock darted, bawling, hither and thither, with the owners in pursuit. Half a dozen flapping chickens,
followed by a man with no boots on, made her mount shy, and she wobbled dangerously on its slippery back.
The alarm bell started ringing, and the confusion intensified as some ran for the church and others looked for
weapons that were unaccountably missing. She passed a tent that bulged and bellowed furiously and laughed again
when she saw that its flaps had been sewn shut.
Other horses appeared, running unbridled through the chaos with goblins clinging to their broad backs, two or
three or four to an animal. For a moment Miggy rode beside her with Regg hanging on to his belt, his face alight with
pride and terror. "I did it," he cried. "I was in command! I'm the one that did it!"
When they reached the perimeter the guards leapt for them and fell flat. Someone had tied their bootlaces
together. Makenna was still laughing when they reached the road and set off toward the wall, galloping into the
darkness after the knight.
CHAPTER 20
The Knight
TOBIN STOOD ON THE WALL, looking back down the road into the woods. They'd come all the way by road, hoping
Master Lazur would assume they'd leave it and waste lots of time searching for tracks after he'd reduced the chaos to
order, caught some horses, and stitched the tack back together! A reminiscent grin lit Tobin's face, in spite of his
tension, for it had been gloriously funny. How she had laughed at it all.
He looked down at the girl as she scrambled over the rocks around the gap in the wall to set yet another careful
rune. Some of the runes glowed faintly in the gray predawn and some were dark. He'd asked her why some glowed and
some didn't, and she'd snarled that she hadn't any idea and then demanded the Otherworld stone as an "essential
object," whatever that was. Since she seemed to need it, he was glad he'd forgotten to give it back to Master Lazur
and even more glad the hiding charms would keep the priest from scrying it.
He wrapped his arms around himself to fight the chilly air, his eyes wandering over the sea of small dark forms
crowded around the gap. There were thousands of goblins, of every sort he'd ever seen and a few he thought he hadn't,
but he couldn't be sure, for they milled about in the dimness, searching for friends and loved ones.
Cogswhallop had dashed up when they first arrived and reported that all who were willing to go were here,
which was the best he could do in a day and a night. Tobin was about to ask about the unwilling, but Makenna simply
nodded, and the goblin dashed off again before he'd had a chance.
Tobin looked down the road again and prayed with all his heart that those who were here would be able to
escape. Makenna spoke softly a word he'd never heard. She was standing in the center of the gap, reading aloud from
one of the books piled at her feet. He fought down a surge of impatience. It was a new spell and she was working at a
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