There were plenty of fresh streams that flowed into the Ramr so they didn't have to worry about water. Food was also not a problem as Cristvir said there was enough for two weeks with care. This just meant that Halbre could focus all his attention on not being followed. They did their best to avoid soft mud along the river while using the vegetation as cover from prying eyes.

They were currently resting in a small copse of trees. Three days out of the city and no signs of pursuit which worried both of them. Brend had scrambled up a nearby tree with his dragon to keep watch. Halbre filled their waterskins then lay against a tree to rest. Considering it was a tree he didn't get much rest so his mindset to pondering questions. Mainly about what the future would bring. The future troubled him. Brend was now immortal and would have to stay with the elves for his training while Halbre grew older doing who knows what.

His thoughts were interrupted by a dragon landing in his lap. It must've glided down from the tree. Suddenly something touched his mind. It was a strange feeling to have a mind touching yours. It was foreign and alien but from it he caught some slight message … a message of fear, danger, and urgency. A low whistle came from the tree Brend had climbed. Halbre picked up the dragon but it scurried up his arm to his shoulder. When he got to the tree that Brend was sitting in he saw what was so disturbing.

Ten or fifteen horsemen were riding in a line from the bank of the river as far into the plain as possible without losing sight of each other. Brend let out his breath.

"That is going to be a problem."

"Aye, but there's nothing we can do about it," Halbre replied, watching the horseman grow closer. They were less than two miles from their resting spot.

"We better get going before they find us."

They got to the ground and grabbed their packs immediately. They couldn't outrun the horses but the men were so spread out that they couldn't go fast without losing each other. There was a chance.

An hour after sunset Halbre and Brend were still walking hoping to gain some distance from their pursuers. They were tired, sweaty, but the horseman had torches that would allow them to search well after dark. They needed somewhere to hide until the horseman passed. The plains were too open and the river was too wide and swift to cross safely. So they were driven ahead of their pursuers like cattle to market.

Without respite all day the boys were tired beyond belief. Brend's dragon on the other hand was full of energy and would climb or glide from Brend to Halbre and back again. Halbre's thoughts were moving as slowly as a snail due to his exhaustion. Yet he knew they needed a place to hide from these mysterious hunters. If only he knew where to find one.

Brend looked back to see the line of lights frighteningly closer. He tapped Halbre's shoulder and weakly gestured behind them.

"We need. . .to move. . .faster. . .or else. . .we're caught." Brend was barely able to get the words out.

Halbre wiped the sweat from his brow "If only. . .we knew. . .some magic. . .then we. . .could. . .hide ourselves." Halbre replied in the same breathless manner.

"Whatever. . .we do. . .we need to. . .do it. . .now."

After all the struggles of the day the boys had only managed to stay ahead of the horsemen by a little less than a mile. If they didn't find somewhere soon their journey would be for nothing. A loud snap stopped both boys in their tracks. Halbre fumbled to draw his shortsword, turning around in fear that the horsemen had caught up to them.

"Halbre, look at this." Seeing nothing coming he turned to whatever had caught Brend's attention. On the bank in front of them was a badger who had just snapped a bone in half to get at the marrow. The badger was blissfully unaware of their presence.

The boys looked at each other and burst out laughing, scaring the badger. The animal retreated, taking the bone with it. When the two friends had recovered from their laughter they observed their surroundings. There were trees, gulleys leading to the river, and game trails. The red glow of torches behind them shattered the small moment of respite. With their attention wrapped on the badger, the horseman had gained much ground reducing the distance to about half a mile.

Halbre looked around for a way out of their predicament. His eyes landed on a nearby tree with many branches and leaves, enough to hide all three of them. He sheathed his blade and grabbed Brend's shoulder, spinning him towards the tree.

"We can hide there and let the horseman pass then continue on behind them," Halbre explained his plan.

"Should we hide our packs? Even if we're captured they won't find the egg at least." Brend added. They agreed and began digging a hole at the base of the tree.

They dug with their hands which slowed the process, and the lights were approaching. They sealed the packs and put them into the newly dug hole. A red glow was coming around a bend in the river. Brend was already climbing the tree with his dragon way ahead of him, Halbre was busy pouring dry dirt onto the freshly turned soil.

Halbre scrambled up the tree. Brend was near the top while his dragon was perched in one of the highest branches. The red glow came around the bend revealing a horse and rider. And something that chilled Halbre's blood. A hound. It snuffled the ground, zigzagging in front of the rider. Halbre's apprehension grew with every step the hound and rider took. If the smell of sweat didn't give them away, the smell of a dragon might give them away.

As the rider approached Halbre began to pick out small details. The riders scratched sword sheath, the flickering lantern, the worn boots, ragged cloak, and dented helm. And least of all, the brooch of a black hand. It seemed familiar to Halbre somehow but he couldn't place it. Brend was as stiff as a board and his dragon was doing its best to blend in.

The horseman had stopped right under them as he watched the dog. The hound had stopped and was snuffling back and forth around the tree. The boys held their breath hoping beyond hope that the dog would just move on. Halbre loosened the dagger in its sheath, prepared to kill the man if necessary.

Sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead. A droplet rolled down his face to the tip of his nose. It dropped through the branches and onto the ground. Right in front of the hound. The dog snuffled and looked around. It looked up.

For a few strained moments, none of the trio moved. Halbre held his breath. Unconsciously his muscles began to tense in preparation to spring. Between one breath and another, the hound moved on and away from the tree. When the rider was finally out of sight Halbre let out his breath.

"Close." Brend sighed.

"Too close." Halbre agreed.

"Should we get down and head back down the river?"

Brend asked.

"Maybe, let's stay up here a while longer before we decide." Brend settled on another branch to get comfortable.

They waited in silence for a long time. The torchlight was long out of sight. The moon had risen to its apex before they descended the tree. Stiff and weary as they were they dug up their hidden supplies. Much like the badger they had seen earlier.

"What do we do now? I suppose Gilead would be the best option to get to Du Weldenvarden."

"Aye, but we'll need to be careful. I don't know who those men were but I don't think we should get captured by them. I don't know who they are but I get the feeling we shouldn't trust them." Brend nodded.

"We better go. Maybe if we stay close behind them they won't notice us!" Brend's dragon seemed to agree with the idea because it bobbed its head up and down while warbling.

"Alright then. Can't get too close. Those dogs might just turn around."

They set off after the strange men. Far into the night, they followed the men, and early into the morning. When the sun began to peek its head above the horizon the boys were at a dropping point. Their eyes had large black bags and they were only staying upright by holding onto each other. They only snapped into half wakefulness when they tripped over each other. They were exhausted, tired, and sore. They lay on the ground for a long while before hauling themselves to their feet.

Wordlessly they made for the closest thicket. Burrowing inside they lay aside their packs without eating and collapsed. They slept like the dead. Their bodies didn't even have the strength to snore. Anybody in passing wouldn't have noticed the silver dragon hidden among the leaves of a nearby tree. The hawks and small birds went on their ways, business as usual. None noticed the shadow that was circling high above.