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hostile territory with only two warriors, but he needed Shan s help and he
knew Miranda would get it for him.
Miranda, it is the only way. You must get Shan to help. If you love me, go!
he said.
Why must he put it like that?
she thought miserably. If I must, she muttered.
With no more time for soft words, they rode in opposite directions. Dreibrand
with eight Yentay hurried to join the Temu while they still could, and Miranda
raced back to Shan.
Large drops of rain starting smacking Miranda s face, but she hardly noticed
them because she could only think of Dreibrand s peril.
I must not fail!
~
A sentry shouted and Shan heard the alarm relay through the Yentay. He hoped
it was Dreibrand and Miranda returning. He had not monitored their progress,
losing himself instead in the power of the storm. A light drizzle remained
over the land in the wake of the storm, which had been long and terrifying. A
furious wind had brought an intense downpour that had soaked everybody.
Surely this storm cooled Taischek s temper, Shan thought.
Miranda and the two warriors who accompanied her drove their mud-spattered
mounts straight for
Shan. The exhausted horses almost stumbled when they finally stopped.
A wave of sick distress hit Shan when he realized that Dreibrand had not come
back. Although in his heart Shan knew Dreibrand still lived, he panicked and
realized something was very wrong.
Abandoning his solitude, Shan ran toward Miranda. Dripping wet and muddy,
Miranda babbled incoherent alarms.
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What? Catch your breath, Miranda. What is happening? Shan said.
The Temu are in a battle with the Sabuto. Dreibrand says the Temu will not
win, she answered.
Dreibrand says you must use your magic to help or the Temu army will be
lost.
Where is he? Shan said urgently.
He went to help Taischek, Miranda moaned, clearly opposed to the action.
Damn Taischek s foolishness! Shan snarled.
Shan, forget your anger. Dreibrand says you must help. Surely you have seen
the battle. Is he all right? Miranda said.
Angrily, Shan waved a hand and paced a few steps. I have not been watching,
he admitted. I
will not reward Taischek s bloodlust with my attention.
Miranda grabbed his hand and stopped him. You must look! You must help them,
she insisted.
Shan gripped her hand and compassion tore now at his anger.
Taischek deserves this trouble, he growled.
Perhaps he does, Miranda conceded. But he is still your friend and he needs
your help.
Shaking his head sadly, Shan whispered, I wish Dreibrand had come back.
Miranda saw that Shan stubbornly resisted ending his dispute with Taischek.
She had to make him understand the severity of the situation. Not knowing what
else to do, she clutched Shan with her other hand and fell to her knees.
Shan, please look at the battle, she pleaded. Dreibrand would not ask for
your help if he did not need it. We need the Temu army, and& and I need
Dreibrand. Please help him. He would do anything for you.
Shan gaped at her appeal. What desperation could drive Miranda to her knees?
Proud Miranda, who stood against Onja, now begged for his favor. Shan would
not let her debase herself because he was upset. Shan would not see her beg
anymore.
Gently he lifted her into his arms. I hear you now, Miranda. I will do as you
say.
Miranda took a shaky breath and held back a sob. So close to Shan, she could
feel that his wrath had finally left him.
Tell Tytido to prepare the Yentay to ride and I will look at the battle,
Shan whispered tenderly.
Miranda hugged him gratefully but quickly let him go. She did not want to
delay him. She feared that it had been too long already. It had taken her more
than two hours to return to Shan. At one point the storm had forced her and
the warriors to stop during the worst of the rain and the wind.
Miranda backed away from Shan as he entered his meditation. Tytido was waiting
to speak to her, and she told him everything, including Shan s order. The
lieutenant glanced at the gloomy horizon.
The afternoon was late and he contemplated another night battle.
Preparing to leave, Miranda pulled the soggy gear off her tired horse and went
to saddle Freedom.
After cinching on the saddle, she noticed her hands shaking. She wondered how
much longer she would be immune to her weariness. The stress got worse every
day, but it seemed to be her only source of strength now.
Nearby Starfield nickered tentatively. Miranda looked at the statuesque
warhorse that obviously wondered where his master was. Dreibrand always rode
Starfield into battle. Thinking of him fighting hasas away, Miranda hoped his
spare horse served him well.
A wretched scream shattered her thoughts. The wailing shout came from Shan,
and the rys hugged himself as if in pain. But he remained deep in his trance
and no one disturbed him, not even
Miranda.
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15 ~ The Parting of Friends ~
Dreibrand staggered back from his opponent, relying on his shield. He had
heard a scream in his head and been briefly distracted by it. The scream
seemed to come from Shan, and he dreaded that something had happened to the
rys, but the pressures of staying alive did not let him contemplate the
haunting sound any further.
In the press of struggling warriors, he thwarted relentless attacks from the
two Sabuto warriors nearest to him. It seemed like a century since his horse
had been cut down and even longer since the Sabuto had achieved their
stranglehold on the Temu.
Dreibrand had caught up to the Temu just as the Sabuto trap had closed. A feat
he instantly regretted. He knew it had been honorable of him to rush to
Taischek s side, but in hindsight, it did not look practical. He had seen the
Sabuto trap from the ridge, and it looked worse from the inside.
Taischek and Xander had been thrilled to see him but were disappointed that he
had not brought all of the Yentay. Dreibrand had seen the worry on Xander s
face. Xander knew he was not the first general to rush to his greatest defeat
out of loyalty to a king, but the knowledge consoled him little.
The Temu army was still large and strong, but the Sabuto bottled them up
between the ridge and the river. If it had not been for the storm, Dreibrand
believed the Sabuto victory would have already happened. The rain and wind had
been so thick and strong that an arrow could barely fly.
As the storm hit, Dreibrand had convinced the Temu to shift their fighting in
favor of a retreat. With evident disappointment Taischek had acknowledged his
error. The heinous storm had covered their retreat as much as it hindered it.
The Temu army was only halfway out of the river bottoms, and
Dreibrand could see that they would only escape with heavy losses. The Sabuto
continually pressed on their flanks and the Temu had no space to maneuver.
All Dreibrand could do was fight until he got away. Miranda should be with
Shan by now and he would reach them somehow. Assuming Shan was unhurt, they
could still get to Jingten.
Fighting carefully, Dreibrand did not allow his desperation to reduce him into
a sloppy frenzy. With controlled movements he spared his stamina, knowing he
would need it.
Finally, Shan s assault on the Sabuto came.
The lethal rys magic hit with greater intensity and recklessness than the
other battles. By the dozen, Sabuto warriors crumpled and crisped in blasts of
merciless heat spells.
The intervention by the rys relieved Dreibrand, but the display of awesome
power also made him afraid. He felt the heat roll off the victims. He knew
Shan was very accurate, but standing so close to the scene of deadly magic
still made him nervous.
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