Chapter 3

Early the next morning Sheila awoke to the faint sound of music. Beautiful voices drifted up from the city below them, as if the whole city was singing. She sat up, listening in wonder.

Hank and Paul were on watch together, and enjoying the music too.

'They've been singing since dawn,' Paul told her. 'No breaks!'

Everyone was awake within a few minutes, all except Gail who was sound asleep under Eric's cloak. Not even the singing, or the noise of camp, or the smell of food woke her.

With their Hat and Pack, Presto and Paul contrived to produce a decent breakfast. It was so tasty that Alison had to confiscate part of it to make sure there was some left from her sister.

Despite the fact that they had to go and search for information about the portal, the whole group lingered over the meal, chatting. The obvious tension of yesterday had evaporated. Even Uni was feeling relaxed, and had finally let Jamie pet her. Nobody wanted to go, and for the first time since they had left the Grove, they seemed to actually enjoy each other's company.

Sheila was the only one not at ease. She had a faint memory of disturbed dreams, and the start of a headache. But worse was the way the Ranger and the Amazon were acting together. She wanted to throw her breakfast in Hank's face and the Thief's temper slowly rose through the whole meal.

Finally, Lorraine turned the conversation back to the portal with a question.

'Are we going to search the city by ourselves?'

Hank looked at her in surprise. She fidgeted with the Orchid, before tucking it safely in the top of her Staff.

'I though we would split into pairs,' said the Ranger. He looked around the group and Sheila felt as though a sliver of ice had just been dropped down her spine. Hank had planned to go off with Alison!

'Lorraine's right,' the Thief said loudly, much to her own surprise as well as everyone else's. 'It'll be much faster.'

There were nods of agreement from the others, including Eric, who was usually the last person to want to go anywhere one his own.

'I don't like it,' said the Ranger. 'It might be dangerous.'

Sheila looked steadily at him.

'We'll all be careful.'

There were more approving noises and the Thief gave a silent sigh of relief. So far so good!

'Do you have a map of the city, Jamie?' Alison asked. The Mystic nodded, and started flicking deftly through his Book.

'A-ha!' he said after a few seconds. 'Take a look!'

He showed them an open double page, with a fantastically detailed map of the city of Recadia on it. Everything, down to the smallest tree was marked in tiny, copperplate writing.

Over the next half hour, they carefully decided which person would search were. Then Presto asked a very important question.

'But who are we actually looking for?'

Jamie shrugged.

'Don't know, but he will find us,' said the Mystic. 'But don't worry, the Book's right about most things!'

'So does it know if we'll get home?' asked Presto hopefully.

Jamie shook his head, looking strangely uncomfortable with the question.

'It doesn't like me asking that sort of thing, sorry!'

Presto sighed.

'Great! It sounds about as cooperative as my Hat!'

Hank stood, gripping the Bow tightly. He looked round at the group and gave them a confident grin, his eyes shining with hope. Sheila had seen that look many times, but it had never looked so false before. Did he really believe this would work?

'Let's get going!' said the Ranger. 'We should be done by noon, but the sooner we get into the city, the sooner we'll be found!'

The others looked round at each other with optimistic smiles.

'But what about Gail?' asked Peter suddenly. 'Should we wake her?'

Alison shook her head.

'Oh, leave her be! If she wakes while we're gone, she'll just go back to sleep!'

Everyone stood, except Eric, who stayed cross-legged on the ground.

'Just let me get this straight,' he said. 'We are going to search the city, separately, for someone who we don't know, but who is looking for us?'

Hank nodded.

'It sounds dumb!'

'So do you, Cavalier!' said Diana with a tight smile. She prodded him with her Javelin. 'So get walking!'

Eric stood, and took a final glance round the camp. He noticed Sheila and smiled arrogantly.

'You can't think this is going to work, Sheila?' he asked.

She was only half listening, too busy watching Hank and the Amazon. The Cavalier followed her gaze, and then looked back sharply.

Sheila knew him well enough to know what he'd say, so she rushed past, not wanting a repeat of their conversation. She didn't want to talk to anyone, let alone have Eric try and be 'nice' to her again!

The Thief walked alone through the long grass, down to the track-way to the City, looking around her intently, in an effort to stop looking at Hank. Recadia had high, white walls, but the houses and buildings behind were still tall enough to peep over the top. It had the air of a classical Realm-style city, similar to the beautiful City of Zinn, with fantastic towers and broad arches.

As she approached the gateway, Sheila could see a seething mass of colours through the open gateway, as people danced and moved to the music. Above the gate was a sign: 'The Festival of the Flower.'

Sheila didn't stop to say goodbye to the others as she went inside, not even Bobby. The desire to be alone was too strong, and she walked through the crowds, not joining with the festivities. Part of her wanted to keep on walking, leaving the others behind. She couldn't stand to see Hank fawning over the Amazon any longer.

It took her five minutes to walk up the main street, and she turned left, towards the centre, now not paying attention to what was happening around her. Try as she might, she couldn't stop thinking about Hank.

Suddenly, she stopped, peering past the groups of people to the start of a small lane.

There was something usual about that one street. It was empty. Sheila slipped through the crowds heading towards it, glad to be free of the clinging happiness she didn't feel. The houses were more dilapidated down this street. There were boards on the windows and thick tufts of grass poked up through the road. She walked for a few minutes and the street wound slowly upwards, then she found herself beside a small, dark shop.

For some reason, this shop seemed very interesting. Perhaps it was the fact that it was completely the opposite of everything else in the city. It was very small, it was in dire need of a coat of paint, but above all it was quiet!

Sheila only paused for a second before pushing the door open.

Inside it was very different, not the dark, squalid shop she had expected. The air was heavy with the scent of spice, and glowing globes cast golden light around the room. There was a neat, thick rug over the stone floor, and a few tables with lots of extravagantly shaped bottles on them. In the far corner, beside a door, were a couple of old, wooden chairs.

Sheila stood nervously for a few seconds, then, when nothing happened, she moved closer to one of the tables.

There were all sorts of shapes and sizes of bottle on this table, each one transparent with different coloured liquids and powders in them, from crimson to emerald to lavender.

She leaned forward and pulled the top out of the tallest bottle, wanting to sniff.

'No, my dear!' said a soft voice beside her.

Sheila jumped, but didn't drop the stopper. A middle-aged woman, with a delicate smile was standing beside her, wearing a thick, red dress and a black shawl. She nodded at Sheila and pointed at the bottle.

'It is not the sort of potion you are in need of, my dear.'

The Thief blushed, hurriedly replacing the stopper.

'I…I…I'm sorry,' she stammered. 'I didn't see anyone and…'

The woman smiled enigmatically.

'Hush, my dear. I understand the strength of curiosity!'

Sheila gave a small smile.

'Who are you?' she asked.

'I am Ellice,' she said. 'And this is my shop.' She waved her hand slowly around the room.

'What do you do here?'

'I create magic!' said Ellice, her eyes gleaming. 'I make Potions, Powders and Scrolls.'

The woman looked at Sheila's Cloak a faint, mysterious smile on her lips again.

'So, you are one of Dungeonmaster's pupils? The Thief, perhaps?'

Sheila nodded, her spirits rising. They were getting quite a reputation around these parts.

'No doubt you are here on some quest, my dear? The Orchid…?'

Again, Sheila nodded, but less certainly. It was unnerving having someone know all about you like this. The woman gave a soft sigh.

'Ah, yes. The eternal search for magic. It is what drives this Realm. Yet I have not heard of the Dungeonmaster for a long age! He is always busy.' She gave a more friendly smile and added:

'You are fortunate to be his pupil, as Dungeonmaster is wise in the ways of this Realm. He will always help those who are in need. In fact, he and Zandora even helped me find this wonderful city, once, a long time ago.'

'Zandora? As in Zandora's Box?' asked Sheila eagerly.

Ellice nodded, but with a slight frown.

'The Sorceress paid a heavy price for helping, she was locked…'

'No!' interrupted Sheila. 'No, we found her Box, and she's free!'

Ellice gasped, raising her hand to her mouth in surprise.

'Well, my dear! Fate was smiling when she brought you to my shop. You must tell me more.'

The woman clapped her hands twice and a little, wooden table scuttled out of the doorway, with an ornate, bronze pot and two cups on top, along with a plate full of what looked like sponge cakes.

'We will drink and eat, my dear,' said Ellice. 'This is grass tea, and these are dragon-berry cakes. You must try some.'

Ellice poured out some thick liquid into the cups, as the Thief helped herself to one of the offered cakes. It tasted sour, but not unpleasant, similar to dark chocolate. The tea was much sweeter than she'd expected and Sheila didn't like it, but was far too polite to leave any.

'Tell me of your adventures,' said Ellice, nibbling on a cake. 'Tell me of the sorceress.'

The Thief spoke about the earthquake and finding the Box, and all their trouble in finding the Skull Mountain and freeing Zandora. Then she told Ellice all about how they had gotten back to Earth, only to have to come back to the Realm to stop Venger from destroying their home.

After eating another two dragon-berry cakes, Sheila then found herself telling this woman all about the Temple of Love, their new friends, and their increasingly desperate search for a way home.

The woman listened intently as Sheila talked, with the trace of a smile on her lips.

'Such is the fate of many who follow the Dungeonmaster,' she said as Sheila fell silent. 'The way is difficult, and danger dogs their very steps.'

Ellice looked sadly at the Thief before continuing:

'The path you tread is harsh and lonely, and love will only hurt you more.'

'What do you mean?' asked Sheila, suddenly nervous.

'The Ranger, you fear his affection has wavered?' said the woman.

Sheila nodded mutely.

'You wish him back? You wish he looked at you the way he used to?'

Sheila nodded again, trying to fight back tears.

'Perhaps…' said Ellice slowly, 'yes, perhaps you should play a little trick on him!'

The woman stood and went to one of the tables, rummaging for a particular bottle.

'I have no gift of foresight, but my heart tells me that this is the Power you need,' she said, pressing a tiny phial into Sheila's hand. 'This is the Powder of Stillness, one single measure. Sprinkle it on his hair, and the next person he touches with passion will go as still as a grave.' She gave her mysterious smiled. 'So if you cannot have him, then no one can!'

Sheila giggled. She would love to see Hanks face when the Amazon fainted and couldn't be woken. That should put Hank off kissing anyone for a while.

'But,' she said. 'I can't take this, I shouldn't, and I can't afford…'

'Hush, my dear,' said Ellice. 'This is a small token of thanks. You have brought me happy news today. So take it, and be glad!'

Sheila gripped the little phial, thinking of the delicious possibilities for revenge.

'It can be undone, can't it?' she asked in a whisper.

'Only when you wish it to be,' was the reply. 'It depends on the circumstances, my dear. When the time comes, you will know.'

Sheila nodded and smiled at Ellice.

'Thank you!' said the Thief. 'But I should go, now. I still have to search.'

Ellice nodded.

'I understand. You have tarried here at my request long enough. Take another cake for your walk.' The woman held up the half-empty plate.

Sheila accepted with a smile, and Ellice showed her out.

As she walked back down the street, Sheila felt happier than she had for a number of days and was glad to hear the singing again. She ate her cake as she walked around the streets, waiting for the mysterious 'someone' to appear, but there were only more happy revellers and singing. Recadia seemed far more pleasant, but she hardly noticed, she was busy day-dreaming about playing her little trick on Hank.

When her search was complete, Sheila wandered back to the gate, and out into the grassland, heading back to the meeting place.

Diana, Eric and Paul were already there, along with a still-sleeping Gail. There was no need to ask if they'd been successful, the glum faces said it all.

The others trickled back over the next hour, Bobby and his unicorn, then Presto and Jamie arrived almost at the same time, then Peter.

Sheila had grown increasingly jealous while she'd waited. That evil Amazon, trying to steal her man! But Hank was just as bad, since they had met the others he'd barely even acknowledged her existence.

Alison appeared just before noon, and Hank came wandering up about ten minutes later. But that didn't have Sheila fooled, not for a second. Her resolve hardened. That night she would get some payback!

They only waited a couple more minutes, then the Enchantress came rushing up. She was out of breath, but beaming widely as when she arrived back at the camp.

'I found what we were looking for!' said Lorraine eagerly, waving the flower. 'An old man came up to me, he'd seen the Orchid. He gave us instructions!'

The group cheered.

'What've we gotta do?' asked Bobby
'There's a stone circle, up river somewhere,' she said. 'A Henge. We have to get there soon and, if we do things right, a portal will open.' Lorraine looked sadly at her friends. 'Sorry, but it won't open up a portal to our home, only theirs.'

'Why?' demanded Alison.

'He picked it,' replied Lorraine, pointing at Hank.

'What are we going to do?' said Paul the Rogue, looking round at his friends.

Hank smiled, and said:

'Home is home, right? I'm sure we can get you back somehow. Maybe, Eric can hire a plane and pilot, and fly you all back!'

The Cavalier nodded half-heartedly.

'Sure! I mean, how hard can it be to smuggle six teenagers into Britain!'

'What did you mean Lorraine, "do things right"?' asked Jamie. 'What sort of things?'

'There's a ritual to do, to use the power of the Orchid.'

Eric groaned.

'Do we have to?' he asked. 'Isn't there something less formal?'

'No,' she replied. 'We have to do all the right things in the right order for the portal to open.'

'Great,' muttered Eric, hunched over his Shield. 'More dumb rituals!'

'Where do we find this stone circle?' asked Diana.

The Enchantress shrugged.

'I don't know, but it's by the river.'

'Hey,' said Jamie. 'The Book will know!'

He pulled the Book out in front of him, and started to flick through its pages.

Sheila peered over the Cavalier's shoulder to look at Jamie's book. It showed the city of Recadia, and about half-a-days journey to the southwest, there was a Henge, just below the steep mountains on the other side of the plain. There were a number of narrow paths shown on it, and they were able to plan their route.

'We should follow the river,' said Hank, running his finger along the page. 'There's a ravine that might be difficult to cross, but at least we don't have to climb more mountains!'

'Do ya really think it'll work, Hank?' asked Bobby, 'Really?'

Hank nodded.

'Whoopee!' shouted Bobby. 'We're gonna get home!'

For the first time ever, Sheila didn't share her brother's enthusiasm, as her mind was on the Ranger. She rubbed her pocket lightly, feeling the phial of Powder there. She would have to get Hank on his own to use it. No one else could find out what she was up to.

Hank grinned at them all.

'We should start walking. If we leave now, we could get to the Henge in time for some dinner!'

The Amazon nodded, and went to wake her sister. Gail looked tired, and Sheila couldn't help overhearing Alison say:

'But you've had thirteen hours of sleep. You don't need anymore. You didn't last time!'

The Harlequin seemed to disagree, and Sheila didn't hear what the reply was, but Alison snapped back: 'No, you don't! So get up! Or we'll leave without you!' then stormed off.

Within a few minutes, they all left the campsite, heading for the river. There wasn't even time for Gail to eat the leftovers Alison had kept since breakfast, so the unfortunate Harlequin had to walk and eat at the same time. She was still very sleepy, and walked slowly at the back. But the food attracted the attention of Eric, and Gail surrendered part of it, just to keep him quiet.

Sheila spent the rest of the day in a state of heightened apprehension. She couldn't concentrate on what was happening around her, and the day seemed to pass in a blur. She remembered Bobby and Jamie racing each other to various landmarks. Paul and Peter were discussing how they could get back into Britain without anyone noticing, with Lorraine beside them.

At the front, Presto and Diana talked eagerly with Hank, and Alison walked next to the Ranger in awed silence, which just infuriated Sheila even more.

They crossed the grasslands to the river, and followed it downstream for a few hours. Hank set up a brisk pace, and no one was allowed to rest. As the Ranger had predicted, the ravine was too difficult to cross, and they had to leave the river for a few miles, avoiding it completely.

As the first of the suns set, they reached the river again, luckily almost opposite the Henge. It was perched on a small hillock just above the river, surrounded by a thin forest. Behind were the steep slopes of the mountains.

Everyone wanted to celebrate, and set up camp, but Hank insisted that they cross the river before the suns set completely.

He looked at Presto, who smiled back.

'No need to ask, Hank!' said the Magician. 'The Hat will come up with something good!'

He waved his hand over the Hat and said:

'It's your chance to shine! We need to float,

Across the river in a nice, big boat!'

In his hand, the Hat convulsed, and spat out a small rowboat, the size of his hand.

'That's a good trick, Presto!' said Diana with a short laugh, 'but we need something a bit larger!'

Presto frowned, and threw the boat over his shoulder, into the water behind him.

There was a slurping noise, and everyone jumped.

Behind Presto was a full-sized boat, big enough to take three at a time. Peter clapped Presto on the shoulder.

'That's so cool!' he said, making Presto blush.

'There're no oars,' said Diana, 'but…' She held up her Javelin, extending it to her own height. 'But I think I can manage with this!'

So by the time the last sun had set and the moons had risen, all thirteen of them were across the river and setting up camp beneath the Henge.

Sheila had become increasingly nervous and distracted during the ferrying operation. Everyone was milling around too much. Even while Paul and Presto made a fire and some food, she couldn't keep watching Hank properly. People were talking, and walking around, some went down to the river; some went up to explore the Henge. It was too muddled. It was too hectic.

Suddenly, Sheila realised the Amazon had gone. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of green. Turning, she saw Hank walk briskly towards the mountain path. The surge of jealousy through her chest almost made her drop dinner into the fire.

This was it.

'Are you alright, Sheila?' asked Jamie, his head cocked to the side like a curious bird.

'I…I feel a little, funny,' she managed, trying to keep calm. 'I need a little sit down. I'll be fine. Maybe some water.'

She knew the Mystic watched her walk to the bushes, heading towards the river. Once out of sight, with a practiced flick of her wrist, the hood of her Cloak was up, and she ran through the woods toward the path, intent on catching up with Hank.

This was it, she could feel it. He was going to meet Alison.

Now.

She ran on, hearing voices ahead. Diana and Paul were walking through the woods, downhill to the camp. Looking carefully, Sheila saw Hank crouched behind a rock, obviously trying to keep out of their way. She felt another, stronger pang of jealousy, and pulled the phial out of her pocket, feeling it cold in her hand. This was the perfect opportunity. She tiptoed up behind Hank as he waited for the others to pass.

Ellice's words came back to her, and the Thief hesitated. Daydreaming revenge was one thing, going ahead and actually doing it was quite different. OK, so Hank had been a jerk and the Amazon was the most annoying person in the whole Realm, but was this really a good idea. Then she saw his face; his eyes were wide and he was grinning. A shudder passed through Sheila and she pulled the cork with a soft pop.

Just before he stood up, she emptied the vial's contents over Hank's head. Sparkling, multi-coloured Powder trickled out, covering his hair. The Ranger staggered slightly as he rose, as if disorientated, then he ran off up the hill.

Sheila took a slow breath, and smiled. That would teach him to cheat on her! She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when the Powder took effect, and had to stifle a laugh. She couldn't miss it. She ran on, up the path after him. Hank seemed to be following a trail through the forest.

Finally, the trees ended and the Thief came to a rocky plateau to the side of the steep ravine. The rock cliffs of the mountain above curved round to the ravine edge and cast deep black shadows in the moonlight. There was a steep drop to the river on the other side, the low rumble of water clearly audible in the still night. Over the stones and boulders across the ravine, there was the most fantastic view out over the Realm, made even more beautiful with the clear, starry sky and the full disks of the moons. Perfect for a midnight tryst.

Sheila struggled to overcome the jealousy once more. This was going to serve Hank right. She stopped beside the cliffs, a discrete distance from the Ranger, feeling secure and safe under her Cloak.

She waited.

The Ranger stood close to the edge of the ravine, and peered down. He kicked at some of the loose stones and watched as they tumbled down to the churning water below.

'Hey!' said a voice from the shadows, a familiar voice.

Hank turned, and smiled. Sheila looked to the shadows, frowning. Something wasn't right, that voice belonged to…

'Hi Eric,' said Hank casually.

Sheila took an involuntary step back against the cliffs, holding on to the rock to steady herself. What was he doing here? This wasn't supposed to happen! Sheila was staring. Her eyes were open so wide that they began to hurt. Hank meeting Eric? What was going on?

'Any problems?' asked Eric.

Hank shook his head.

'They're all to busy with food and exploring. They probably wouldn't notice if you pranced around nude at the moment!'

'How tempting!' said Eric with a smirk.

Hank giggled and looked out over the valley to the full disks of the moons. Sheila suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Something wasn't right.

'This is a great place,' said the Ranger. 'How did you find it?'

'The Book was very cooperative.'

Hank laughed as Eric strolled up beside him, standing close, far too close, and looked down into the ravine.

'It is a long way down.'

The Ranger nudged the other boy playfully in the ribs and smiled THE smile, her smile, the one he used to reserve for her alone. Sheila felt sick, her knees give way and she sank to the ground, but she couldn't stop watching at the two boys.

Suddenly Eric stood back, and crossed his arms. He looked sternly at the Ranger.

'You just can't help yourself, can you?' said Eric. The Ranger grinned impishly and reached up flick hair out of his eyes. There was a faint shimmer of light, then it wasn't Hank standing there, it was the Harlequin, the moonlight shining around her. She tied the Mask round her wrist, still grinning at Eric, and gave an extravagant bow.

'You know me too well, good sir! But, pray tell, how could I pass up the opportunity? I believe it was a certain Cavalier that told me I needed more practice!'

Sheila was far too surprised, far too confused, and far too embarrassed to do anything but gawp. She watched them for a number of seconds, her mouth hanging open, trying to understand what she had stumbled on.

Eric and Gail were here.

No Alison!

No Hank!

The Harlequin folded her arms round Eric's neck.

'Do you still mean what you said earlier?' Gail asked. 'You haven't changed your mind?'

Eric gave a greedy smile, and pulled Gail as close as he could. Then he kissed her, gently at first, but with increasing passion. From the mountain high above, there was the loud howl of a wolf that made Sheila jump, but neither the Cavalier nor the Harlequin noticed.

Eric and Gail? Had she missed something? When had THAT happened?

The Thief stayed crouching at the base of the cliff, her shock and acute embarrassment slowly fading. She tried not to watch the two people entwined in each other's arms, and a faint smile crept across her face. Part of her was pleased: Eric needed a girlfriend.

Thinking back over the previous two days, it was obvious. Those two had been in each other's company for almost the entire time: the night watches, the walk to Recadia, and the walk to the Henge. In fact, now she thought about it, Sheila wouldn't have put it past Eric to have deliberately missed searching Recadia in favour of returning to camp to be with Gail. The contented way that they kissed and touched each other suggested that this was not the first time they'd been alone together. No wonder Gail had still been so sleepy earlier, she'd probably spent the previous few hours making out with her secret boyfriend.

And no one had suspected anything was going on! Sheila's smile widened as she thought back to the conversation she'd had with the Cavalier a few days before. And she'd said he couldn't keep a secret!

The Thief waited for a while, wondering what she should do, and if she could get back to the path without being caught, when suddenly her breath caught in her throat. The Powder! She had put it on the wrong person! She had put it on Gail!

She stared for another minute, unsure what to do, running through the possibilities. Then there was a dull scuffling noise from the path, and her vague confusion turned to complete shock. The Thief shrank back against the rocks.

Orcs! Here! How? This couldn't be happening…

Three Orc soldiers with clubs, and a huge Orc Captain, crept onto the plateau. The pair by the ravine were still kissing, even as the Orcs stepped out of the shadows.

Suddenly they jumped apart.

'What the hell's happening!' demanded the Cavalier. His face was flushed and his breathing heavy, but he reacted very quickly. 'Can't we get any goddamn privacy in this place!'

The Orc Captain stepped forward, drawing a sword. Eric pushed the Harlequin behind him, holding his Shield up. He glanced to the ravine below them. They were trapped.

'Cavalier and Harlequin!' growled the Orc.

'Don't come any closer, Pork-face!' ordered Eric, his voice surprisingly clear and steady. His lip curled into an arrogant sneer. 'I'll have you know that this Shield is… This Shield…is…'

He raised his free hand to his forehead and took an unsteady half step backwards, closer to the edge. He turned to Gail, a look of surprise on his face.

'I don't feel so…good. I'm …' He swayed against her, and started to slide to the ground. The Shield hit the ground with a dull clang.

Gail staggered, trying to support the full weight of Eric. The closest Orc stepped forward, and she kicked it squarely in the shin. It snarled, but moved back. The Harlequin took a desperate glance down to the unconscious Cavalier then let him slip to the ground. She stepped in front him and stood up tall, taking the same fighting stance as she had earlier against her sister.

'What do you want?' she said loudly, but the shake in her voice betrayed her fear.

The Captain pointed to the fallen Cavalier.

'WEAPONS!'

Sheila couldn't see what happened next clearly, it all happened so fast. The three Orc soldiers all seemed to attack at once. Two of them got swift punches to their faces for their trouble, but the last one ducked fast enough and stepped back to swing his club round at the Harlequin.

Gail saw it, and raised her arm to block, but either the Orc was stronger, or the club was heavier than she'd anticipated and it hit her arm with a sharp crack. The Harlequin gave a squeal of pain and stepped backwards, loosing her footing as she tripped over the prone Cavalier. The squeal turned into a terrified scream; she was unable to keep her balance on the loose stones and toppled over the edge into the churning waters below.

There were a few seconds of emptiness, filled with the roar of the waters, then the Orcs gave a rousing cheer.

Sheila was shaking, her body felt as if it had shut down. She couldn't feel anything, and her heart was thumping so loudly she was sure the Orcs would hear it. God, what had she done?

The Orc Captain gave a hoarse shout as he looked down into the water.

'Fools, we have lost the Mask!'

The cheering petered out. The Orcs looked sullenly around at each other.

'This was not part of our orders,' bellowed the Captain. 'Venger will not be pleased! He laid this trap carefully.'

The Orc beside him laughed.

'Foolish, trusting humans,' it said. 'Betrayed by one of their own kind!'

The Captain cuffed it brusquely.

'Silence! Get the Shield!' shouted the Captain. 'And bring the boy! Quickly, we have to meet the others! We are already late!'

Sheila barely heard them, as the thump of her heart was deafening her. She watched in horror as they lifted Eric off the ground and carried him towards the path.

'Can't we get rid of this one?' one of the Orcs asked. 'Can't we dump him over the edge too?'

'No!' snarled the Captain. 'Venger wants all the children, has something special planned. Bring him! Hurry! And give me that Shield!'

The words registered vaguely with Sheila. They were taking Eric to Venger! She had to get to the others, to get help.

The Orcs ran past her, dragging the unconscious Cavalier along with them, and Sheila struggled to stand up. She forced her legs to straighten and she pulled herself up by clinging to the rocks. Her mouth was dry and she was cold to her core. She had to get to the others. She had to get help.

It was a very long time before she managed to take even a single step. She could barely stand without her head spinning. What was she going to say? Gail was gone! Oh God, she was gone…

Sheila stifled a sob.

And what about Eric? What did Venger want with him? Did they have a chance to help before the Orcs reached Venger's keep?

It was the though of the Cavalier trapped by Venger that finally made her move. She half-walked, half-staggered down the path, heading back down to the river all the time. Each step was an effort, her head was spinning, and she felt sick.

Sheila stumbled into the clearing, pulling the hood of her Cloak back. The campfire was still smouldering and everything was quiet. Had she really been away so long? Had they all gone to sleep?

'Hey guys! Guys wake up, you've gotta come!' she said, her voice beginning to crack. 'Guys, please!'

Nothing moved in the clearing

'Hank, wake up! Bobby? ANYONE?'

There was still no sound.

'Anyone…' she repeated, her voice suddenly soft.

A feeling of despair settled on the Thief, filling her with a chill that went all the way through. She looked around properly for the first time, suddenly understanding the blackened scorch marks on the trees, the broken tents and the churned mud.

For the second time that evening, Sheila sank to the ground.

She was alone.