THEGAN CAME WITH him to his horse the next morning, a great mark of favor. He handed Leof the stirrup cup himself, and said, “Keep me informed. You are doing well, but don’t forget to keep the officers on their estates up to date. We will be calling the levies in soon enough, I suspect.”
Leof nodded, feeling like a traitor because his heart was leaping at the thought of returning to Sorn. He was determined not to betray Thegan, but the image of her, waiting in her hall, that shaft of sunlight gilding her autumn hair, her green eyes wide and welcoming, made his heart turn over. And there was betrayal, right there, whether he did anything about it or not.
He had opened his mouth to say a formal goodbye when a shriek like a cold demon dying deafened them. Arrow and Bandy’s horse, Clutch, reared and Thegan stood back, swearing. Leof fought with Arrow and got her under control, but Clutch bolted down the main street, straight for the harbor.
The shriek came again and this time Arrow stood, feet planted, head down, shaking uncontrollably. Leof looked up. Thegan was staring at the clear blue sky, his face pale. Leof followed his gaze and saw… something. A ripple in the sky, like a shadow on water; not quite a cloud, not quite anything.
“Wind wraiths,” Thegan said, tight-mouthed.
They were hard to see, but now he knew what was there, Leof could make out vague figures, misty and curving through the sky, long arms out as though reaching for the ground. He expected them to pass over the town.
“Where is he?” one of them screamed. The sound scraped over Leof’s nerves and Arrow trembled so hard he thought she would collapse. He dismounted and went to her head, soothing her. She turned her face into his chest like a child seeking comfort.
“Where is the enchanter who will feed us? Find him!” The voice was neither male nor female; it was high and low together, as a storm will have a deep voice and yet wuther high at the same time.
Thegan stared straight up at them, his face stern. “There is no enchanter here. Begone! You are forbidden in this realm.”
“Hah!” The shriek rose high and passed the border of hearing, but Leof’s ears still hurt as though the sound continued. “Soon!” it declared. “He will feed us spirit and body! Find him! Find him!”
The wraiths swirled out over the town, for all the world like hunting dogs looking for a scent. They shrieked and screamed and laughed so sharply that every dog started howling, or hid in terror, and every horse they passed panicked.
Thegan turned to Leof with sudden urgency. “Quick! Follow them. If they find this enchanter for us, so much the better!”
Leof mounted Arrow, who was still trembling. He bent low over her neck, patting her and murmuring reassurance. Bandy had regained control of Clutch and was trotting up the street from the harbor.
Thegan watched the wraiths intently. They were gathering around the town’s southern gate. It was hard to see them, but it looked like there was a local mist there, or a low cloud. Then it disappeared and the shrieking died away.
“South,” Thegan said. He slapped Arrow on the rump and she jumped forward and then began trotting up the slope to the gate. “After them, Leof! Find me this enchanter!”
Bandy clattered behind them, but Arrow was already picking up the pace. They swept through the gate at a canter and on the level ground of the cliff plateau Leof urged her on.
She responded to his hands and knees and began to gallop. Not her best pace, but one that she could sustain, if need be, for some time. He thanked the gods that he’d lost weight recently, having had so little time to sit down for meals and so little appetite when he did. Bandy was already far behind. Leof allowed himself a fleeting thought of Sorn, and then settled in the saddle.
He kept his eyes on the horizon, where a flowing mist, a ripple in the sky, showed where the wraiths were flying. As he watched, they began to veer inland, following a minor road toward the farmlands of Central Domain. This was his chance to catch up with them. They were following the way the enchanter had taken, and he had clearly kept to the roads. But Arrow and he weren’t bound to marked routes. They could go cross country and perhaps even get ahead of the wind wraiths.
Leof headed Arrow at a low stone wall and she pricked her ears with pleasure. Like all chasers, she loved the sport and had missed it in Sendat. She took the jump flying and landed with precision on new hay. Leof couldn’t bother, this time, about wrecking farming land or crops. Too much was at stake.
“We have to win this one, sweetheart,” he said to Arrow. “This is the chase of chases.”