"Quickly," Tungawa said. "Come."
Miro followed the alchemist out of the tent. Two revenants lay sprawled on the ground outside the entrance.
"A powerful poison," said Tungawa. "It destroys the nerve centres so the muscles no longer respond. Even revenants are susceptible. Please, we must be fast."
Sentar was evidently busy, but as soon as he finished whatever he was doing and went to interrogate his prisoner, the alarm would be raised. Tungawa was risking a terrible fate by helping Miro escape.
Miro kept his head down as he followed the alchemist, trying to move quickly without appearing to run. With his limited perspective he saw the silver robes of Akari necromancers and tall legs clad in furs: barbarian warriors. Miro passed tent after tent, any moment expecting the alarm to be raised. If they were caught, Miro decided he would force his enemy to kill him rather than suffer interrogation and torture at the Lord of the Night's hands.
He sensed they were leaving the encampment and wondered how Tungawa planned to leave without being questioned. Each footstep was leaden and Miro fought the pain in his head just to keep moving. He felt he'd been following the alchemist for hours, but he knew it had only been several minutes. Every time he heard a shout or a cry he thought the alarm was being raised, and fear made the bile come to the back of his throat.
They entered a sea of people.
Realisation hit Miro like a punch in the stomach. Rather than heading away from the encampment and raising a cry, Tungawa planned to hide in a place where no sane man would choose to travel, yet where they would disappear instantly.
Tungawa led Miro through the revenant army.
The barbarians of Oltara and Muttara formed eerily still ranks on both sides. Mingled through their numbers were the defenders of Narea and Gokan, now fighting on their enemy's behalf in death as they never would have in life. Miro brushed past a huge northerner and in his haste to avoid the man's touch he stumbled, falling into a Gokani woman. Tungawa pulled him back upright as Miro stared into the white eyes of the revenant, seeing the slash across her throat where the necromancers had ended her life.
Without orders the revenant returned Miro's stare but did nothing, and Miro and the alchemist resumed their journey through rank after rank of the undead.
They were the ultimate warriors: perfectly disciplined, needing no sustenance, feeling no pain, and loyal to the end. There was no use counting them, there were simply too many.
Miro stumbled again as weakness washed over him. This time he fell to one knee and cried out with the pain in his head.
"Get up!" Tungawa hissed. "They are slow to think, but some do."
Miro opened his mouth and retched, as the pain sickened him to the point nothing else mattered. His stomach was empty and nothing came out. He felt Tungawa's hand under his arm, pulling him up.
"Fight the pain." Tungawa said. "Do it for Amber."
Summoning strength from some hidden reserve, Miro stood up, battling his body's every desire to let unconsciousness close in and take away the pain. He took three faltering steps forward, sensing the revenants around him stir and seeing more and more of them turn their white-eyed stare on him.
He pushed the pain down, and felt his legs strengthen as his footsteps grew more certain.
"We're almost there," Tungawa said. "Just a little further."
Miro risked moving his head enough to look up. He saw trees ahead, and the sight gave him strength.
With a burst of fresh air they cleared the ranks of the revenants, and no cries were raised behind them. With Tungawa still holding his arm, Miro followed the alchemist into the trees.
Miro concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other, his entire being consumed with that task. He desperately wanted to rest, but he knew that if he stopped the relief of unconsciousness would overtake him.
Then he could go no more. Miro fell over a tree root and pushed his head up with his hands but felt the strength leave his limbs.
There was a new voice beside him. A woman's voice.
"Oh, what have they done to you, my love?" Amber sobbed. "Tungawa, help me get him to the grove."
"He nearly didn't make it," Tungawa said. "You know we can't stay here. We're going to have to put him on the cart. The army occupies this entire region, but if we head for the river I know where there's a bridge to take us into Veldria. The only problem is it isn't a short cut by any means. The army will get ahead of us."
"We need to get him out of here. Take us to this bridge. Oh, Miro! No, don't try to speak."
"Thank you," Miro whispered. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you."
"Shh," Amber hushed. "Rest now. We'll go back to Emirald and we'll get the ship we've been promised. We'll be on our way home before you know it."
Miro fell into the waiting arms of oblivion.
41