Ella didn’t know how to respond. "Layla? I… I should thank you. My friend Amber told me about you. My name is Ella."
Layla nodded. "I know. You are the girl who was raised by Alarana."
"You knew her?" Ella didn’t see how it could be possible.
"She knew me. Only when I was very small."
"What are you doing here?"
"Your Lexicon has been stolen. The strange one, one of my people saw him carrying it in on the road south."
"They saw him?"
"Yes. One of our hunters, Yalaran, he saw him. He said it was not important, but I remembered Alarana. She told me about a book with a green cover. She said it was called the Lexicon and it was very important. I remembered. I came to tell you. I have told you now."
Layla turned to depart.
"Wait!" Ella called. "Wait!"
"What is it? I came to tell you. I’m leaving now."
Ella thought furiously. She looked at her satchel.
"Can you track, Layla?"
"Track? You mean magarana?"
"Umm… I think so. Can you follow a man by reading the signs in the earth?"
"Of course. I’m leaving now."
"Wait! Layla, will you help me? Please, Alarana told you the Lexicon is important. It’s very, very important. If the wrong people have our Lexicon they will kill all of my people."
Layla shrugged. "That isn’t good. Your people are not my people though. See my skin? It’s different from yours."
"Yes, we are different. But if these lands are conquered, your people will die too. This enemy has no love for your people."
Layla shrugged. It meant nothing to her. She stepped down from the porch, and Ella knew that in seconds she would disappear into the trees.
Ella thought of all she knew about the Dunfolk. "I know! I’ll give you a gift."
Layla stopped. She turned, regarding Ella with suspicion. "What gift?"
"How about armour, made of cloth, soft and supple, but able to stop the strongest sword blow?"
Layla shrugged.
"Umm… I know! A set of stones. Placed around the inside of a building they create warmth, enough warmth to survive a hundred winters in comfort."
Layla walked up to Ella. She was a full head shorter, yet possessed of a confidence that Ella felt she herself lacked.
Suddenly, Layla knelt down and started to rummage in Ella’s satchel. Finally she held something up.
It was a silk dress, simply designed, functional yet graceful. It was a deep brown, the colour of the earth, its hem gold.
"I want a dress like this," Layla said simply.
Ella smiled. "It’s yours. That very one. I’ll alter it to fit you on the journey."
For the first time, Ella saw Layla smile too.
28
The fortresses of Manrith, Penton, Ramrar, Charing, and Sark, known as the ‘Ring Forts,’ are to remain in Tingaran possession for a period of no less than thirteen years. At the end of this time the aforementioned shall revert to the control of Raj Halaran.
— Treaty of Mornhaven, Clause 53
"RUN! Back to the men!" Miro hissed. He sprinted away from the wall as fast as his legs could carry him. The darkness of the night quickly enveloped him.
He was wearing black and a hood covered his head. The dark garments had been quickly put together by the enchanters at Miro’s request, nothing like armoursilk, but made for stealth and secrecy.
He could sense the other men behind him — regular soldiers also dressed in black — and could hear the thudding of their boots as they ran up the hill combine with the heaving of their breath. Miro could make out Tuok’s stocky form just ahead.
The bladesingers had been split up and distributed among the ranks of the soldiers. It was thought their confidence would rub off on the men, and prepare them for the battles to come.
For Miro, it was a chance to fight the war the way he thought it should be fought. The soldiers automatically deferred to him, in awe of a bladesinger, even one so young. After Harlan’s Canyon the bladesingers had developed an almost mythical reputation. There wasn’t a man in the company who didn’t feel glad to be on the same side.
They’d been fighting to reconnect with the main Halrana force for a month now. The Black Army were well dug in, effectively blocking them from the Ring Forts and the border town of Mornhaven, where High Lord Legasa waited in strength.
And even if they managed to link with the Halrana High Lord, there was still the huge army encamped on the Azure Plains below the forts. It was as if the Emperor was simply trying to buy time, to tie up the Alturan and Halrana forces in a protracted and bloody war while he pursued a private agenda.
Miro glanced behind him as he ran, looking back at the enemy encampment and praying for success. The builders of Torakon had been hard at work, and this gamble had to pay off. A low wall, reinforced with glowing runes, had been built around the main enemy encampment. Leading up to the wall were deep trenches and holes riddled with wicked spikes. Great towers were evenly spaced along its length. A mortar fired from one of the towers could reach a phenomenal distance.