No reprise this chapter, as I don't think it's needed.

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I stumbled after Cadvan, wheezing, as he led us up a small hill.

"We shall spend the night out of the open," Cadvan said as we reached the top of the hill and I leaned on him for support. "This used to be a guardhouse. The city was lost in the Silence, but this still stands." He walked inside, under a thick granite lintel, with me leaning on his shoulder. My breathing was starting to ease slightly, but I could really have done with my inhaler. The walls were tall and smooth, though there were no floors or ceilings. If it rained, we would get wet.

Cadvan threw down his pack and glanced around the tower critically. "We will need to build a fire. Can you collect some?"

"Gimme a sec," I replied, still wheezing and clutching my chest.

Cadvan placed his hand on my chest again and suddenly I could breathe properly again. He ran his thumb down my throat, and my stomach leapt. "That should help for the moment," he said, already making for the door. "Come, we must hurry."

I followed him to the bottom of the hill, and he started cutting at a thorn tree which had been uprooted in a storm. "You take this up and I'll cut some more," he said, thrusting half a tree at me. I tried to hold something that wouldn't spike me in the hand, and eventually succeeded in dragging it up the hill. When I returned, he dumped another load on me and went up the hill before me with a small dagger.

I dumped the wood down in the centre of the tower's single room and sat on the floor close to the edge. I closed my eyes and put my head back against the wall.

I heard Cadvan's footsteps enter the tower, pause, and go out again. I thought he was going to get some more wood but I couldn't be bothered to cart any more up the hill so I pretended to be asleep. I felt guilty for it but I knew my asthma would slay me if I tried it again. Cadvan could only keep it at bay for so long.

A few minutes later, he returned, and I opened my eyes to see him drop some more wood with a clatter onto the ground.

"This will have to do," he said. "It is growing dark. I only hope it will last us until the morning." He spared me a glance, looking faintly disapproving, and started building a fire. The heat washed over me deliciously. "This is not the best time to ask you, but can you fight with a knife?"

"No," I replied, terrified at the thought of having to kill anything. Perhaps my stepfather, I thought savagely.

Cadvan looked at me expressionlessly for a moment. I could practically hear him thinking, so what are you good at?

I shifted uncomfortably and he looked away. Passing a hand over his eyes, he said, "There is little we can do to remedy that at this point. Leave any fighting to me. Do not be afraid. Fear is their worst weapon, and you must hold it back with everything you have." I watched as he drew his sword, the ringing noise echoing against the walls. There was nothing that felt more like a fantasy novel than this. The fire crackled as Cadvan stretched. He reached for his pack and tossed me a biscuit and some nuts and fruit.

I ate the biscuit, practically breaking my teeth in the process, polished off the fruit but only picked at the nuts.

"If you don't want them, leave them," Cadvan snapped irritably after a while.

I glanced up in surprise and gave the nuts back to him silently. "God, I'm tired," I announced, yawning.

"God?" he asked quizzically.

"Erm. At the School of Pellinor, we sometimes called the Light 'God'."

"Why?" Cadvan asked curiously.

"We…just…did."

Cadvan went to speak, but was cut off by a long howl.

"Is that them?" I asked nervously.

"Aye," he confirmed. "We are safe for now. You should get some sleep."

I shrugged. "Alright. Wake me up if anything interesting happens."

I just caught sight of his smile before I lay down. "Rest assured that I will," he chuckled. "I will be watching."

He gazed into the fire, the flames dancing in his blue eyes. His head was slightly bowed, and he looked completely calm, though alert. My eyes began to droop, and when I slept I dreamt of those beautiful eyes, the fire reflected in them like water.

--

I awoke with a start what seemed only seconds later, as Cadvan tapped me on the shoulder and called my name softly.

I tried to say "yeah?" but it came out "mnyeh?" I rubbed at my eyes, which were stinging, and squinted at him.

"They're coming," he told me simply.

I jerked to attention and looked above me, shuddering despite myself.

"They're going to rush the barrier," he whispered.

I couldn't believe he wasn't going to let me fight. I would be great, I knew I would. My heart beat faster as I waited for something to happen, pounding in my ears. I was aware that my eyes were wide as I strained my ears to hear them. I could hear little except the enraged howling as they were thrown back.

The anticipation manifested itself as an uncontrollable shivering. I hid it as best I could, not wanting Cadvan to think I was afraid. However, my efforts were in vain, as after a while he said softly, "Have no fear, Kayla. All will be well."

"I'm not scared, exactly," I replied. "Just…I dunno, nervous." As I spoke, one of the wer's howls suddenly changed in pitch, becoming thin and low, and I could almost make out words in it. Though it started quietly, it became louder and louder.

"Counter-spell," I murmured.

Cadvan nodded. "We are unlucky," he agreed, picking up his sword. I saw him frowning into the fire, and I knew he was fighting back their attack. I watched him for a while, seeing sweat start on his forehead. I shuffled over to him and took his hand gently. He squeezed mine momentarily, and let go. The voice outside reached a crescendo and suddenly there was some sort of wave of power, causing me to flinch and Cadvan to lean back against the wall with a grimace of pain. But, as I had been fearing would not happen, the wers could not enter.

There was silence from outside.

Cadvan rested his sword on the ground and handed me a bottle. "Drink," he said. I took a swig and handed it back, and after he had drunk from it himself he wiped his mouth and continued, "We must be vigilant. Keep your eyes above us, as that is the only way they can get in now. Hopefully the fire will spook them a little."

I sat close to Cadvan, the warmth from the fire washing over my back. I listened as hard as I could, but Cadvan's Bardic-enhanced ears were much better than my own, and soon I found myself wondering why the scrying had not revealed me as not who I said I was. Perhaps I was. I could be. I could be a Bard if I wanted.

My musings were sent off track as I heard wings high above me. Cadvan threw a few logs onto the fire and I stared into the hot, angry flames and was caught in a horrible memory until Cadvan jogged my elbow. "Stay alert," he said impatiently. "They are coming, and you must stay behind me."

I did as he said, actually afraid now as I cowered back from the flames. Cadvan pushed me towards them, and I knew it would keep the wers away but at that point I was more afraid of the flames than the wers. They terrified me, set me to remembering an awful event. I didn't see the first three wers go down, but as I turned to look at Cadvan the world seemed to slow as I saw him fall, his silhouette framed by the fire. Without second thought, I grabbed his sword out of his limp hand and starting swinging it with all my might at the horrible creatures around me. There was nothing I wanted more than to kill them all, and I felt an incredible sense of power as they fell, one after another, spurting black gouts of blood as they died.

I walked around the lifeless bodies, thrashing at them with Cadvan's sword. They deserved to die, to hurt, to burn.

I turned to Cadvan to see he was watching me warily. He drew back ever so slightly as I handed back his sword, then took it slowly.

"That's twice you've saved my skin," he noted softly.

I shrugged. There was a long pause as he went around to examine the corpses.

"We need to talk," he said, his eyes burning into mine.

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So what do you think? It would make me tres happy if you would review =)