Chapter 55 Change in Plans

"I thought I'd end up as the hero.
Thought the glory would be mine.
Very soon I was to find it wasn't to be.
Cause in this part I've got to play,
It doesn't quite turn out that way."

Meanwhile
Justin Hayward

From the moment he'd heard Ruri'iro Kujaku's voice through the opening, Yumichika had felt his hopes and his anxiety mounting. The recognition in the peacock's voice, the presence of Hoozukimaru and Captain Hlayma . . . could it be that they just might be able to salvage the situation?

Despite Ruri'iro Kujaku's lamentations about the state of his powers, Yumichika had no doubt that his zanpakuto could regain his strength, free him, and restore Campion to health. Knowing that the kujaku was an Atmen had given him foolish assurance that the worst was over.

He returned to Campion's side to wait as the three rescuers continued to clear the blockage at the cave's entrance. He uttered a steady stream of platitudes but received no response. The only indication that Campion was still alive was the erratic and nearly imperceptible rise and fall of his back as he breathed. Yumichika wondered if he would survive long enough to be rescued. If not, would Ruri'iro Kujaku be able to bring him back to life or was that a skill reserved only for use upon his master?

At last, the opening was large enough for a man to pass through, and Ruri'iro Kujaku entered, stepping gingerly over the rocks and debris, Hoozukimaru and Captain Hlayma directly behind him.

Hlayma went immediately to Campion and crouched down beside him. Hoozukimaru leaned over his shoulder and examined the boulder crushing the captain's lower body.

It was a difficult moment for Yumichika, coming face-to-face with Ruri'iro Kujaku, unconstrained by bonds or the need to put up a façade, the first time in thirty-five years. The temptation, the urge to forget their current predicament and indulge the emotions pounding inside his chest pushed the limit of his forbearance. Yet, Yumichika knew that an appropriate reunion would have to wait. He could already tell, looking in the kujaku's eyes, that there was much to discuss, that old injuries had already been forgiven.

"You have to save Campion," he commanded gently. "It's not too late."

"I can probably lift this boulder off him," Hoozukimaru put forth. "But it's up to you to heal him."

Ruri'iro Kujaku walked over to where Campion lay. Without even extending a hand, he stated, "He's very nearly gone." Then, after a doubtful hesitation, "I don't think I have the energy to save him. There's so little spirit energy in the seki-seki rock, and it takes energy even to absorb it, so for what I expend, I've been gaining very little."

Hlayma got to his feet. "Take some of mine."

Ruri'iro Kujaku regarded him with silent appraisal. He narrowed his eyes. "How are you so powerful? Even with the seki-seki's interference, I can feel your spirit energy. It's . . . greater than even my master's used to be."

"I've been around a long time," came the reply. "I've had plenty of incarnations through which to accumulate spirit energy." It was a nonsensical answer, and everyone knew it. But there was no time to debate the veracity of the statement.

"Use some of mine, too," Hoozukimaru spoke up.

Ruri'iro Kujaku turned to him with wide eyes. "Yours?"

"Flashy, you can do it," the dragon said with surety.

The azure peacock still appeared uncertain. "What if I start to take your spirit energy and then can't stop? I could end up draining both of you."

"Why wouldn't you be able to stop? You have mastery over your powers—" Hoozukimaru began, but the peacock cut him off.

"Not anymore," he protested. "I'm so weak, I can't be sure what will happen. My soul is so thirsty for spirit energy that . . . I may get started and lose all control."

"That won't happen," Captain Hlayma said with such definitiveness that no one dared to contradict him. "I won't let it happen. I'll know how to stop you, if it comes to that. But you won't lose control. You'll know when you've absorbed enough energy to be able to heal him."

"How will I know?"

"Because it's part of who you are as an Atmen," Hlayma answered. "You know how to give life . . . and take life. Maybe you've forgotten, but it's innate in you. Your soul knows what to do. And me and Hoozukimaru are the only ones with the level of spirit energy you need to absorb to get stronger. You have to do this." He took a step closer. "Trust me."

Ruri'iro Kujaku was thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Very well."

He closed his eyes and, keeping his arms at his sides, turned his hands palms upward. A bluish-green haze began to form around him, expanding out until it enveloped both Hoozukimaru and Captain Hlayma.

Instantly, Ruri'iro Kujaku experienced a sense of desire, a desperate hunger for the energy with which he was now in direct contact. One energy – wild and untamed, full of fire and brutality. The other – as vast as the sea, without depth or limit, seeming to continue its expansion with every breath of its owner.

It should have been impossible. What human soul had ever possessed such vast stores of spirit energy? Ruri'iro Kujaku had only known of one: his master. And even his master had limits. But what he was now sensing . . .

The cloud faded.

Ruri'iro Kujaku had not consciously stopped his taking. Something deep inside him had known its mark and acted independent of thought.

"But how is that possible?" the peacock wondered.

"That should do it," Hlayma stated, drawing Ruri'iro Kujaku's attention. "I know it only feels like a drop of water to you, but believe me . . . it felt like losing an entire ocean to me."

Next to Hlayma, Hoozukimaru was looking at Ruri'iro Kujaku with a mystified expression, yet there was something unspoken in his eyes – a sense of wonder, even titillation at the experience he'd just undergone.

"Come on, let's see if we can move this," Hlayma said, getting straight to business. "Hoozukimaru, Yumichika . . . come help me." He turned his gaze to Ruri'iro Kujaku. "Don't hold back. I promise you . . . you have enough spirit energy now to save him, so don't be afraid to use it."

"I'm not afraid," Ruri'iro Kujaku said, sounding rather defensive. But the truth was that he was afraid – afraid of using all his power again, of fading away into the same oblivion he had just escaped.

"Good," Hlayma nodded resolutely. "Then, let's get it done. On three."

When the count of three came, Yumichika and Hlayma gratefully and humbly accepted the monumental physical disparity between themselves and the great dragon zanpakuto spirit at their side. The boulder, which neither human soul could have budged even an inch, Hoozukimaru was able to lift with some effort.

Yumichika reached down and dragged Campion free. When Hoozikimaru let the boulder drop, the ground shook and the dust flew, but the walls and ceiling of the cave held firm.

Ruri'iro Kujaku did not need to be told what to do. But again, he did not call forth the vines. Rather, the same mist that had emanated from his body before now reappeared and stretched out to settle around Campion. Almost immediately, signs of the restoration appeared as crushed limbs reformed and Campion's breathing grew deep and steady.

Less than thirty seconds had passed before the cloud dissipated, and Ruri'iro Kujaku staggered a few steps before some fallen rocks tripped him up, and he fell back, Hoozukimaru catching him before he hit the ground.

"Are you alright?" the dragon asked.

"Y-yes," came the reply. "I just . . . that took a lot of energy."

Hlayma, who was helping a dazed Campion sit up, spoke. "As the owner of an Atmen, Campion requires a lot of spirit energy to heal. You know that from healing your own master." He turned his attention to his fellow captain. "Campion? Are you alright?"

Still somewhat bewildered, Campion gave a single nod. "I think so." He looked up to see Ruri'iro Kujaku standing beside Hoozukimaru. "You rescued us?"

"And he saved your life," Hoozukimaru pointed out, craning his head towards his companion.

"Then there's still a chance we can make this plan work," Campion stated.

Hlayma grinned fondly and helped his friend to his feet. "It's as if none of this even happened, it didn't even break his focus," he said. "Not even time to be grateful. He's all business."

Campion was grave. "I am grateful, but we're still in the middle of a huge mess, and other people's lives are depending on us. We can't stand around hugging and celebrating when the mission isn't even close to over." He looked at Hoozukimaru. "Go to your inner world. Tell Madarame what's going on. From here, we're still going up to the north pastures to meet up with Pelqua."

"Do you think she's still there? We're way behind schedule," Hlayma pointed out. "She may have already left for the coast."

"We won't know until we get there."


Nara was used to things not going according to plan. A common refrain among the Gotei 13 was "no plan survives contact with the enemy." Therefore, while concerned about the failure of Lieutenant Dunkip to show up with Yumichika, she was not ready to abandon her post yet. Circumstances had a way of going awry, and patience and a steady nerve were what she needed to exercise now.

An hour before sunrise, she heard the agreed upon signal – the well-executed call of a Hundewahl, a coyote-like creature that roamed the desert tracts by night. She returned the call with her own less-convincing cry, and a moment later, Lieutenant Dunkip appeared like a ghostly shadow from behind some scrub bushes not more than thirty feet from where she was standing.

Nara had to admit her own surprise that he'd been able to get that close undetected. Clearly, this man whom she'd never met was well-trained in stealth.

"Fifth Seat Pelqua?"

"Yes. Lieutenant Dunkip?"

Dunkip came forward, noticing that it was only the woman and three horses. "Yumichika isn't here?"

"No, I thought he'd be coming with you," Nara replied.

"Things took a wrong turn," Dunkip said. "By the time I got back to the room to take Yumichika, he was gone. So was Yiowue – he's another one of Kennah's sex slaves. I followed their trail to the edge of the Devil's Warren, but then it vanished. Kennah's storm covered their tracks with sand and dirt." He paused and knit his brows. "Yumichika knew he was supposed to come here, but he may not have known the way on his own. He may have decided to head straight for the coast."

"What do we do now?" Nara asked.

"Head for the coast and rendez-vous with the others," Dunkip replied. "And we'd better make it fast. Kennah knows he's been tricked, and you've already seen his wrath."

"Right, let's go."

But before either of them had even mounted their horses, a voice stopped them.

"It's as I suspected."

The mounted figure of Currier appeared atop a low bank above where Nara and Dunkip stood. Another mounted figure appeared beside him. "You were right to think they would meet here, Hayjus."

Nara drew her sword. "Master Currier," she said, maintaining a certain deference for a man she truly admired. "I don't want to fight you."

Currier was placid. "You wouldn't stand a chance," he answered. "But that's not why we're here."

"Then why are you here?" Nara demanded.

"For the same reason you are." A pause. "This is about trying to rescue Yumichika and get his Atmen as far away from Kennah as possible, isn't it?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I'm an Atmen, and I knew from the outset you weren't a simple house servant," Currier replied.

"Another Atmen?" Nara blurted out. "How many of you are there in Gonow?"

"There are at least a dozen in the entire lower east, six of us in the near vicinity," Currier answered, then he returned immediately to topic. "Am I right that you are planning to rescue Yumichika?"

This time Dunkip, having already known that Currier was an Atmen and an honorable one, answered. "We're in the middle of that rescue, but things have gone wrong. I was supposed to get Yumichika out of the palace and bring him here. But when I went to get him, he was gone. I don't know where he is. I thought he might have come here, but now I think he headed directly for the sea."

"I would use the fourth wall to search for him, but it's been blocked somehow," Currier stated. "I don't think even Kennah has the power to do that, and that worries me. That means we're dealing with a power greater than Kennah."

Hayjus added from the side of his mouth, "And I know of only one being in the area who can do that."

"And it might be that being, or there may be someone else," Currier replied. "We have no way of knowing. Either way, we have to find Yumichika and make sure he gets out of the lower east before Kennah finds him." He turned to Hayjus. "I want you to stay at the ranch and protect it from Kennah's temper tantrums. I guarantee you, he's going to go wild. Do what you can to minimize the destruction and loss of life."

"Yes, my lord," Hayjus replied. "And what will you do?"

"As an Atmen, I can use my speed to search for Yumichika," Currier said, then to Nara and Dunkip. "You two head for the rendez-vous. Is Nelphune involved in this? Then tell him to use his fourth wall, if he can. If not, he should join me searching. I'm sure Kennah will be out searching. He might even be able to use his fourth wall, for all we know."

"It will take us at least three hours to reach the rendez-vous," Dunkip stated. "How will we know if you find Yumichika?"

"Where is the rendez-vous?"

"At the Capleston ruins."

"It would only take me minutes to get there. I will let you know if I find him. Otherwise, I will meet you there in three hours, regardless."

Nara and Dunkip set off, bringing the other horse with them in the event they should encounter Yumichika enroute. At sunrise, the ground shook again, the wind roared, and the fury of Kennah swept across the land. Nara and Dunkip took cover in an old stone lean-to and waited for the tumult to pass.

It was the most difficult waiting either of them had ever had to do.


"We've found Little Pretty—"

Hoozukimaru got no further before Ikkaku cut him off. "Where is he? Is he alright? What the hell is going on?! They should have been here by now."

"He's alright," the dragon assured his master. "Things got a little messed up. Yiowue escaped with him from Kennah's, but Yiowue was the reincarnation of Heykibi—"

"The reincarnation of Heykibi?!"

"Yes, and he wanted to draw Ruri'iro Kujaku out for himself," Hoozukimaru continued. "So, he tricked Little Pretty into believing—"

"Wait, how did Heykibi get back to Soul Society? How did he remember who he had been before? How—"

"I don't know any of that, and what does it matter right now!" the dragon bellowed. "Just shut up and listen to me, partner! We don't have time to fool around! We're on our way to rendez-vous with the horses—"

"No! Just come straight here! We're already so far behind, and every second is one more second when Kennah might discover where you are or where we are—"

Hoozukimaru, his patience at its end, shot his hand out and flat-palmed Ikkaku square in the face, sending him flying backwards to slam into the volcanic cave's wall. "Now, I'm telling you to shut up and stop interrupting me!" As Ikkaku picked himself off the ground, the dragon went on. "As soon as we get to the horses, we'll head for the ruins. But listen to me – Ruri'iro Kujaku's powers are nowhere near what they used to be, and it's going to be a long time before they return. There's no way he can stand up to Kennah, even if he is in the Seventh Choir. We need to make sure Kennah doesn't find him while we're trying to reach you."

"You're asking for a diversion," Ikkaku presumed, walking back towards him and shrugging the kink out of his neck.

"See if you can think of something," the dragon said. "But don't do anything that will draw attention back onto you. You're where we're headed; we don't need Kennah focusing in that direction either. Maybe you can cause some kind of calamity and get out of the way."

"Give me a minute to talk it over with the others," Ikkaku replied. "We'll come up with something, and then I'll come back to you."

As soon as Ikkaku departed his inner world, so did Hoozukimaru.

The dragon faced his companions. "He's still at the ruins. I explained what had happened and that we were going to need something to draw Kennah's attention away from this area. He's going to come up with an idea and let me know."

Campion, well-recovered and leading the way, spoke over his shoulder. "I think it would be easier for Nelphune to do that."

"But will he?" Hlayma asked.

"He's helped us so far," Campion answered. "Granted, with Nelphune, that doesn't signify much."

"He didn't come to you when you were injured," Ruri'iro Kujaku pointed out. "He had to know you were in danger of dying."

"I'm sure he did," Campion replied.

"Then why didn't he come? He could have saved you – and much faster than I was able to," Ruri'iro Kujaku pressed, feeling indignant at the actions of a fellow Atmen.

"I don't know why," Campion replied. "But that doesn't change the fact that I can try to meet him in my inner world and ask his help."

"You'd better do it, then," Hlayma said. "And quickly. Kennah won't need a lot of time to find us."


The door burst open into the great hall of Nelphune's palace. The Orator was not surprised to see Regent Kennah storm into the room; nor was he perturbed when he strode directly up to the throne where Nelphune was sitting, climbing the dais and stopping with his face only inches from the Orator's.

"What do you know about this?!" he demanded.

Nelphune was a master of false placidity. Plus, although he had a healthy fear of Kennah and his superior powers, he also had an equally healthy appetite for seeing the vile ruler humiliated and bested. And so, his response was measured and carefully contrived to elicit just enough outrage without risking his own annihilation.

"That depends on what 'this' is," he replied in a dulcet timbre.

"Don't play games with me," Kennah warned. "You know what I'm talking about." His expression was one of seething rage. "Where's Yumichika?"

"Ah, is that why you've been throwing tantrums? I wondered about that," Nelphune said with no more show of concern than if he were noting the time of day. "I knew the storms and earthquakes weren't the result of . . . natural causes." A pause. "So, you've lost Yumichika, have you?"

"You've wanted him back since the day I took him from you," Kennah boiled. "And you used some kind of trickery to lure me away from my palace just long enough to steal him away."

"Why would you suspect me of such a thing?" the black swan asked, the innocuous tone of his voice in contrast to the provocative gleam in his eye. "We made a fair deal, and you know I always keep my word. Why would I risk your wrath by taking Yumichika away from you?"

"Because you want Ruri'iro Kujaku on your side—"

"That may be true, but that's not a good enough reason for me to risk my own destruction," Nelphune deferred. "Besides, I am on your side. So, if Ruri'iro Kujaku is on my side, that makes him on your side as well. Maybe someone else is responsible."

"I just spent an hour going over the land from the Devil's Warren to the mesa and its canyons," Kennah growled. "He was nowhere to be found, and no one can move that fast that they'd be beyond those boundaries in so short a time."

"When did he go missing?"

"Don't fuck with me, Nelphune," Kennah threatened, reaching out and grabbing the strands of gold chain around the Orator's neck. "No one could sneak him out of my estate except another Atmen. That means you."

"Ah, but I am not the only other Atmen in the lower east, as you well know," Nelphune replied.

"Currier doesn't have the guts, and neither do—"

"But Ruri'iro Kujaku might," Nelphune purred. "Perhaps he found a way to free himself."

Kennah bit back on a knee-jerk reply. He hadn't considered the idea that Ruri'iro Kujaku might be behind the escape.

"Maybe," he said after a moment's consideration. "And if that's true, then that means he's trying to evade me. But he won't get away."

"Are you sure you want to confront him? He is, after all, another Atmen of the Seventh Choir. His power is equal to your own. Why, he may be the one blocking the fourth wall—"

"Yours is blocked, too?"

"It is."

Kennah was silent as he scrabbled through the possibilities and options. When he spoke, it was with a hint of perverse shrewdness. "Come with me. Between the two of us, we can find him quickly enough. We can force him to make himself known."

Nelphune held up a hand. "I cannot. I have made a promise that I shall not break."

Kennah scowled. "What promise?"

Nelphune inclined his head to the right. "I promised Campion I would look after Lamos."

Kennah now noticed, for the first time, that Lamos was sitting, dejected and forlorn, in one of the window respites.

"Is Campion part of this?"

Nelphune grinned. He seemed proud. "Of course. You know as well as I do, that he is more clever than either you or me. We may have greater power, but he is the better thinker."

"Who else is involved?" Kennah demanded.

At that moment, Nelphune heard his captain calling out to him from his inner world; but there was no way Nelphune could risk responding to him when Kennah was only feet away. The Orator ignored the summons and focused on Kennah.

"I do not recall Campion mentioning any other names," he fibbed.

Kennah was not convinced he was hearing the truth, and he was one breath short of flying into a rage; but then he remembered Lamos. He approached him with as much calmness as he could muster.

"Campion must have told you something," he said. "Who else is helping him?"

"My father tells me nothing," Lamos replied. "He despises me, and I despise him. I don't know anything about any of this."

Nelphune breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief. He hadn't been sure that Lamos would go along with the deception.

"He can't despise you that much if he told Nelphune to protect you," Kennah said, his voice as thin as his patience.

"I don't care what he thinks about me," Lamos spat. "I know how I feel about him. I don't care where he goes or what he does."

A terrible idea took form in Kennah's head. "Maybe so," he said with a diabolic grin. "But he clearly cares about you." He grabbed Lamos's arm and pulled him to his feet. "Maybe a little incentive is all the good captain needs."

Nelphune reached out and put his hand on Kennah's arm. "Lord Regent Kennah, I have always been loyal to you, so I hope you will listen to me now. You are assuming that by using Lamos against Campion, you will be able to turn Campion. But if it is Ruri'iro Kujaku who is . . . directing the stream, then using Lamos against Campion will have no effect on the peacock's actions."

"I guess we'll find out, won't we? And now, you have only one decision to make: to join me or not. And if you choose not to, I'll put an end to you right here and now," Kennah said.

Nelphune smiled a mouthful of white and tittered like a bird. "Oh, you know it would take some effort to destroy me. But that is of no matter, because I do not want to be destroyed. I will join you, but I must insist . . . let me try to appeal to Campion's sense of loyalty . . . " He eased Lamos out of Kennah's grasp. " . . . before you attempt to use his son against him."


"He isn't coming to me," Campion told the others as they drew near the point where they had planned to meet Nara and the horses. "I've been trying this whole time, and nothing.

"You don't suppose he's turned on you?" Yumichika asked.

Campion was grim-faced. "He's done it before."

A few minutes later, they came to the rendez-vous and gave the signal. After trying several times and receiving no response, they moved into the clearing.

"No one's here," Campion said.

"She must have figured that things had gone wrong and headed for the ruins," Hlayma discerned. "But she didn't leave the horses . . . that seems odd to me. You'd think she would have left them here just in case Yumichika and Dunkip showed up."

"What do we do now?" Yumichika asked.

"We head for the ruins," Campion replied. "But we can't do it on foot. That's a long way. We're going to have to get some more horses."

"Well, we're in the right place for it," Hlayma said, looking off to the south. "Currier's paddocks are just there."

Hoozukimaru grunted, "No horse for me. I don't need a horse. I'll go into sword form. Besides, there's not a horse in existence that could carry my weight."

Hlayma nodded. "You stay here and keep guard over them," he instructed the dragon, referring to Yumichika and Ruri'iro Kujaku. "We won't be long."

As soon as the two officers had disappeared behind the scrub brush, Yumichika turned to Ruri'iro Kujaku. He'd not had a moment's time to speak with him since they'd left the mesa canyons.

Now, as he looked at his zanpakuto, he wished they were alone. There were many things he wanted to say. Many things he wanted to do – most of all, to simply reach out and embrace the reikon, to feel his physical presence, and know his touch once more. But he could not do that with Hoozukimaru standing watch.

Still, there were some things that could fill the space of the moment. "You remember me."

"I'd never forgotten," Ruri'iro Kujaku replied. "I just pretended to, so I could buy time to figure out what to do. I was so weak, I couldn't use my powers. I had to find some other way to defeat Heykibi. In the end, it was Hoozukimaru who saved me."

"And your powers now? Are they increasing?" Yumichika asked.

"Very slowly," the kujaku replied. "Look at me, I'm still in my most basic form."

"Yes, I noticed," Yumichika said with some little difficulty. "I think we all can't help but notice."

"I still have that effect on souls, even if I am weak," the peacock puffed with a semblance of his former pride.

"Are you able to return to my inner world?"

"No. I've tried, but I can't."

Yumichika glanced uncomfortably at Hoozukimaru, moved a step closer to his zanpakuto, and spoke in a quiet voice. "I never knew you were an Atmen." He said it almost as an apology.

Ruri'iro Kujaku replied gently. "Neither did I."

"How could either of us have forgotten something like that? If we were together every time I returned to Soul Society after another incarnation, how could that knowledge have faded away?" Yumichika asked.

"Perhaps because we were both focused on something more consuming – each other," came the tentative answer. "If I had always viewed you as the perfection of creation, perhaps I never wanted to create anything else, and the desire passed away in nothingness."

"Do you remember anything of those previous times together now?"

"Bits and pieces are coming back to me," the peacock nodded. "They're like tiles in a mosaic . . . just a glint here and there."

Yumichika steeled his nerves before asking the next question. "Do you have any recollections of Kennah?"

"I have no recollections of any fellow Atmen," Ruri'iro answered. "I could feel the evil twisting inside him though, when he assaulted you. He was in a fury to find me, but somehow, I knew he'd never be able to do it. He couldn't even get close. Neither could Nelphune. They thought they were getting near, but the barrier was something they couldn't even make a scratch in. I have you to thank for that."

"Me? I didn't even know you were still inside me," Yumichika replied. "The barrier wasn't my doing."

"Maybe not consciously, but there something inside your soul that was protecting me," Ruri'iro Kujaku insisted. "Nelphune and Kennah never had a chance."

"But now that you're free . . . they do have a chance, don't they?" Yumichika lamented.

"I suppose they do," the peacock agreed.

"Maybe . . . maybe you should go back to where you were. You'll be safe there," Yumichika said in a halting manner.

"I can't go back," Ruri'iro Kujaku replied. "I can't go back on my own anymore than I could get out on my own. And when I . . . when I brought you back to life, I didn't know that I'd be . . . sequestered off somewhere inside your soul. I thought I would fade away and dissipate. I wouldn't know how to go back, even if I wanted to." A pause. "But I don't want to. I wouldn't put you through that kind of torture again. It was agony knowing what they were doing to you and not being able to do anything to stop them."

Yumichika had nothing to say to that.

The three passed the next fifteen minutes in silence until Hlayma and Campion returned with the horses.

Campion looked at Yumichika. "You know how to ride without a saddle?"

"I don't know how to ride at all, but I'll be okay. Just help me up there and I'll hang on for dear life."

"Ruri'iro Kujaku?"

The azure peacock simpered. "Of course, I can ride."

"Then let's get going. Hoozukimaru?"

The dragon retracted into his sword, which Hlayma sheathed before helping Yumichika onto his mount.

"We're going to be doing this in broad daylight," Hlayma stated. "So, we need to stick to cover. That means instead of going across the plains, we're going to have to follow the line of the ridge and use the trees as cover until we get to the river."

"So, we'll cross . . . above or below Tregardican?" Campion asked.

Hlayma considered. "With Kennah's tantrums, there's been a lot of rain, so the water will be moving fast, probably too fast above the falls. We'll see when we get there, but I'm thinking, below."

"There are no bridges for miles in either direction of the ridgeline," Campion reminded him.

"The bridges will probably be watched," Hlayma surmised. "There's the ferry at Upper Ilkay. Or we can always swim at a calm stretch."

Campion gave a single, curt nod. "We'd better get moving."