Sidudu was at the front, mounted on a chestnut pony. She pointed up the valley towards where Taita was hiding. Meren spurred past her and took the lead. The party came on at a trot, Meren followed closely by a lovely young woman on a grey colt. Her long legs were bare and her blonde hair was tumbled by the wind on to her shoulders. She was slim, the set of her shoulders proud. Even from this distance Taita could see her breasts standing out under the bleached linen of her tunic. The wind flicked aside her golden curls to reveal her face, and Taita drew a sharp breath. It was Fenn, but a different Fenn from the girl he had known and loved. This was a confident, poised young woman in the first flower of her beauty.

Fenn was riding her grey colt and she had Windsmoke on a lead rein behind her. Hilto rode at her right hand. Nakonto and Imbali followed them closely, both mounted and sitting their horses well — they had learnt new skills in the many months he had been away. Taita left the ledge on which he squatted and scrambled down the cliff. He jumped out and dropped down the last steep pitch. The scarlet cloak opened round him like a pair of wings, but the visor of the leather helmet obscured the top half of his face. He landed in the path directly before Meren.

With the reflexes of a trained warrior, Meren saw the Jarrian uniform and rode at him with an intimidating yell, drawing his sword and

swinging it high. Taita had only just enough time to straighten and draw his own weapon. Meren leant from the saddle and hacked at his head.

Taita turned the blow with his blade and jumped aside. Meren pulled his horse down on its haunches and dragged its head round. Then he came back at the charge. Taita ripped the helmet off his head and threw it aside. 'Meren! It is Taita,' he yelled.

'You lie! You are nothing like the magus!' Meren did not check his charge. He leant out from the saddle and levelled his blade, sighting along it at the centre of Taita's chest. At the last moment Taita swayed aside and the point of the sword grazed his shoulder as Meren swept past.

Taita shouted at Fenn as she rode forward. 'Fenn! It is me. Taita.'

'No! No! You are not Taita! What have you done with him?' she screamed. Meren was gathering his mount under him, bringing its head round for his next attack. Nakonto had his throwing spear resting on his shoulder and was ready to hurl it as soon as he had a clear view past Meren. Imbali jumped down from her horse and hefted her battleaxe as she ran forward. Hilto followed her with drawn sword. Both Fenn and Sidudu were nocking arrows to their bows.

Fenn's eyes glittered like emeralds in her anger. 'You have done away with him, you villain!' she yelled. 'You shall have an arrow through your black heart.'

'Fenn! Behold my spirit sign!' Taita called urgently, in the Tenmass.

Her chin jerked up. Then she saw the sign of the wounded falcon floating above his head and blanched with shock. 'Nay! Nay! It is him! It is Taita! Put up your sword, I tell you! Put it up, Meren!' Meren swerved, then reined his mount back.

Fenn sprang down from Whirlwind and raced to Taita. She flung both her arms round his neck and sobbed brokenheartedly. 'Oh! Oh! Oh! I thought you were dead. I thought they had killed you.'

Taita held her tightly to his chest, her body lithe and hard against his.

The sweet smell of her filled his nostrils and made his senses swim. His heart swelled in his chest so that he was unable to speak. They held each other with a silent intensity, while the others stared at them in bewilderment.

Hilto tried to maintain his usual phlegmatic air, but he was unsuccessful. Nakonto and Imbali were mute with the fear of witchcraft, both spitting to left and right, making the sign against evil spirits.

'It's not him,' Meren was repeating. 'I know the magus better than any man alive. This young buck is not him.'

After a long while Fenn drew back and held Taita at arm's length.

She studied his face raptly, then stared into his eyes. 'My eyes tell me it

is not you, but my heart sings that it is. Yes, it is you. It is verily you.

But, my lord, how have you become so young and surpassingly beautiful?'

She stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips. At this the others burst out laughing.

Meren jumped down from the saddle and rushed to join them. He pulled Taita out of Fenn's embrace and wrapped him in a bear-hug of his own. 'I still cannot believe it! It is not possible!' He laughed. 'But I give testimony that you wield a pretty sword, Magus, else I would have run you through.' They crowded round him excitedly.

Sidudu came to kneel before him. 'I owe you so much, Magus. I am so glad to see you safe. Before you were beautiful of spirit, but now you are beautiful in the flesh too.'

Even Nakonto and Imbali at last conquered their superstitious dread and came to touch him in awe.

Hilto exclaimed loudly, 'I did not doubt for a second that you would come back to us. I knew it was you the instant I laid eyes on you.' No one took any notice of this blatant falsehood.

Meren demanded answers to twenty different questions and Fenn clung to his right arm and gazed into his face with shining eyes.

At last Taita recalled them to stark reality: 'There will be time for this later. All you need to know now is that Eos can harm neither us nor our very Egypt again.' He whistled for Windsmoke, who rolled her eyes at him coquettishly and came to nuzzle his neck. 'You at least recognize me, my darling.' He hugged her round the neck, then looked again to Meren.

'Where is That?'

'Magus, he is already on the march for the Kitangule river. The Jarrians have discovered our plans. We must ride at once.'

By the time they had left the valley and started towards the plain, the sun was setting. It was dark when they entered the forest and, once again, Sidudu was their guide. Taita checked her heading by the stars and found that her knowledge of the land and her sense of direction were infallible. He could devote all of his attention to Fenn and Meren.

The three rode side by side with Taita in the middle, their stirrups touching, while Fenn and Meren described to him all that had transpired while they were apart.

Then Taita told them, 'While I was in the palace I was able to eavesdrop on Aquer's battle council. He is taking command of the army himself. His scouts have reported the movement of the main body of our people along the road towards the east. He has deduced that That is trying to reach the shipyards at the head of the Kitangule river and seize the boats there, for he knows that our only escape from Jarri is down

that river. Tell me where exactly That is now and how many are with him.”

'He has about nine hundred people, but many of the men are sick and weak from the treatment to which they were subjected in the mines.

He has only a few more than three hundred who can fight. The rest are women and children.'

'Three hundred!' Taita exclaimed. 'Aquer has five thousand trained warriors. If he catches That it will go hard with him.'

'Worse, That is short of horses. Some of the children are very young.

With them and all the sick, he is moving slowly.'

'He must send a small band of fighting men ahead with all speed to seize the boats. In the meantime we must delay Aquer,' Taita said grimly.

'That hopes to give him pause at the Kitangule Gap. Fifty men can hold an army there, at least until the women and the sick are on the boats,' said Meren.

'Don't forget that Aquer has scouts who know the country as well as Sidudu does,' Taita reminded him. 'They will certainly know of the other route to bypass the gap and reach the boatyards. Instead of waiting for him to come at us, we should strike at him before he expects it.' Meren had glanced at Sidudu as Taita mentioned her name. Even in the moonlight his expression was doting. Poor Meren, the famous philanderer, is smitten, Taita thought, and smiled inwardly, but he said, 'We will need more men than we have now if we are to hold Aquer. I will stay to watch the road for him. Meren, you must take Fenn with you and ride as fast as you can to find Tinat—'