Maerad was the first to wake up; she found it difficult to sleep with the sun beating down on her skin, heating her body beyond comfortable levels. Shielding her eyes, she glanced up to the sky. The rains had cleared to a warm, spring day. She had got to the point where she doubted she would ever see sunlight again. Her legs felt shaky as she stood up, but the warmth of the sun gave her strength. Maerad looked around before making a beeline for the dark figure sat just a little way from her. She lowered herself to the floor beside Cadvan, bringing her knees up to her chin and hugging her shins. For a while, they both just looked out over the expanse of the Hutmoors, and once again, she was glad she could no longer see those visions of death.

Eventually Cadvan cocked his head towards Maerad and glanced at her. 'You should be sleeping.'

She shook her head. 'The sun was too warm,' again she looked up to the sky, shielding her eyes against the brightness. 'Never thought I'd see the sun again,' she commented, meeting Cadvan's warm gaze, 'didn't think I'd see anything again to be fair. I thought I'd died.'

'As did I,' replied Cadvan, taking her hand. 'Such darkness filled my mind when I saw you lying there, I was sure I had saved you from slavery only to lead you to your death.'

Maerad smiled, and then chuckled after a moment. 'Even if I hadn't been the Fated One, with the life you lead, it could have been a very real possibility anyway.' She thought about all the times her life had nearly come to an end before her Name had been revealed to her. 'And it might still come to an end, with the Black Army between us and Innail.'

'Aye,' agreed Cadvan, 'it is likely that even if the Hulls have be destroyed, then we may run into the scattered forces as the flee Annar, and that I fear could be even more dangerous.' He looked back out over the Hutmoors.

With their talk of the Black Army, Maerad knew where Cadvan's thoughts lie. 'I'm sure Irc has made it,' she reassured him, squeezing his hand. He replied with a tender kiss to her knuckles, and her heart soared once again. 'Should we not move from this place,' she asked after a while, his words about a fleeing Black Army scared her more than the well organised army they had seen riding north a few days before.

'We should,' agreed Cadvan, 'but our friends need rest.' He looked over at Saliman, who he had been worried for ever since he had revealed that Hem had healed him from the White Sickness. The Turbansk Bard had not yet regained his full strength and yet they could not tarry. But then, neither were Hem or Maerad well enough for the journey, but if they remained it would surely be to the death of them all.

Maerad, had momentarily forgotten that she and Cadvan were not travelling alone, as they had been over the past year. Had it just been the two off them, they would have just left when she had awoken. Instead she huddled in closer to Cadvan while he kept watch and waited for the others to rise of there own accord.

The five travellers pushed their horses hard so that they would not be anywhere near the Hutmoors or the road that lead to Lirigon by the time the fleeing Black Army reached them, they were also doing there best to avoid the corrupt schools of Desor and Ettinor. When they reached the road, they were faced with utter devastation. Trees had been uproots, the road crushed to gravel and it was littered with festering dead bodies.

'What happened here?' asked Maerad, looking around. Her face was a horrified mask as she looked up and down along the wide unwinding road.

Cadvan turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. 'Slaves of Den Raven,' he said simply.

Maerad breathed in, her body shocked. It had not been long ago that she had been a slave, and for all the injustices, it seemed nothing to what was before her. She closed her eyes and leaned into Cadvan's back, not noticing the look of distress on her brother's face.

Hem was looking among the bodies, his face drawn and empty. Saliman drew up to the boy and lay his hand on Hem's small shoulders. He knew what the boy was seeing; his friend, Zelika, over and over again. Hem kept Keru walking sedately on, and Saliman drew back, leaving Hem beside Hekibel.

'Cadvan,' muttered Saliman in a low voice, 'we should get away from here,' as he looked over at Hem.

Both Cadvan and Maerad looked over to the youngest member of the group. Maerad suddenly felt herself wash over with panic. She looked back to Saliman, the unasked question on her lip.

This time, Saliman addressed Hem's concerned sister. 'He had a friend, Zelika, she tried to follow her brother into Dagra and was killed.' Saliman paused for a moment, looking down to the ground thinking of the spirited young girl who had hidden in Turbansk when she should have been headed to safety. 'Hem didn't see it happen, thank goodness, what was done to her…' Saliman looked up from his thoughts and back at Maerad. 'No doubt he is feeling the loss of her deeply, and seeing all this.' He stopped talking to Maerad and looked at Cadvan. 'Look at them all, they're just children.'

That's when Maerad realised. She hadn't looked too closely, but now she did, a gasp of horror left her lips and she put her hand over he lips. 'By the Light,' she muttered, looking around. For the first time, she could see the horror of Sharma and it made her not only sick to the stomach but also glad she had been given the power to destroy what had caused the scene before her. It was worse than the visions of Afinil.

Maerad climbed down from Darsor and slowly walked over to Hem and Keru. The young horse nudged Maerad's neck as she stroked her. 'Hem,' she said quietly, taking the boy's hand. 'It's okay, come on.' She took Keru's rein's and walked out towards the road, leading Keru carefully through the maze of destruction. Hem remained sedate long after they had left the bodies and road behind.

The travellers had decided to make there way across country and avoid the long road that lead from Lirigon to the south. The day after the harrowing experience at the road, Maerad was once again riding with Cadvan on Darsor. They moved swiftly on, the desire to see their friends in Innail pushing them harder than they had before. Cadvan lead the way over the flat landscape as he knew the area well, but, of course, he knew all of Annar well.

From the back of the group, where Hem had fallen back a little, Keru was not as strong as the other horses and was flagging slightly, came a call of surprise. Cadvan spun Darsor around so sharply that Maerad had to squeeze Cadvan hard to remain the on the horse, let alone upright. 'Sorry,' he muttered to Maerad.

'Irc,' cried Hem, once he had recovered himself, and scratched the large bird's neck.

'Irc flew long and hard,' said the bird, 'but I found the Bard and gave him the message. The Bard said I was a clever bird and they made better plans to defend the city. He gave me plenty to eat but no shiny things.'

Cadvan smiled brightly. 'Irc, you are most certainly the Saviour of Lirigon.'

However, the bird had put his head under his wing and had fallen asleep on Hem's arm. 'Don't let him hear you say that,' said the young Bard darkly, but visibly brightened by Irc's return. 'He'll gone on about it for the rest of his life, even now, daily, he reminds me he is the King's Messenger.'

There was laughter from the group.

'Well, Hem,' said Saliman, smiling at his young charge, 'you have certainly showed an aptitude for excellent idea's since I've known you,' Saliman turned back to look at the group as they turned and continued on there way. 'Did I tell you that in Turbansk, Hem called all the birds in the city to try and defeat the deathcrows that Imank sent to attack us?' Saliman laughed as he looked over his shoulder and saw Hem was blushing. 'The birds succeeded and now songs have been written about the deed. He'll be remembered and honoured by the people of the Suderain for a long time.'

Maerad looked around to see her brother blushing even more furiously that he had when Saliman had started the story. Hekibel was looking at the four Bards in amazement, as she realised she was in the company of living legends. She looked down to the floor, watching the floor moved underneath her as her horse trotted along. She suddenly felt very small and insignificant in this company, not, she thought to herself, that she had been much before.

All of a sudden, Saliman's large hand grabbed her own small fingers. 'Are you alright, Hekibel?'

She suddenly looked very impish. 'I'm suddenly starting to feel slightly overwhelmed by this all,' she said, 'here I am in the company of Bard's who are things of legend, and all I am is a lowly player, without an audience to play to.' She was speaking very quietly, so that the others would not hear her, as she was fond of everyone she now travelled with. 'Yet,' she said, suddenly becoming more confident, 'I could not have bore the thought of leaving you, when I was offered the chance, not again. If I had gone with Grigar to Innail, I would be sat there now, grieving, believing you to be dead, and yet, we still might not make it, but know this, Saliman, Bard of Turbansk, I would follow you anywhere!'

A wide grin spread across Saliman's face and he gently squeezed Hekibel's hand. 'And I rather think I would want you to follow me,' he admitted as he leaned over to her to kiss her gently on the cheek, which was not an easy thing to do on horseback.

At the back of the group Hem rolled his eyes and smiled. Maerad had found Cadvan and Saliman had Hekibel, but then a pain pierced his heart, and in his mind's eye he saw Zelika, beautiful and smiling at him. Ahead of him, no one saw him shed a tear for the girl he swore he would have married.