No everyday mount stood a chance against him.

The Shadar hit the north road. As I nosed up on the most laggardly the leaders swept over the crest. And collided with riders headed south.

Horses shied. Men yelled. Riders came unhorsed. I circled a Shadar who regained his feet and tried to run. He'd lost his helmet. I grabbed him by the hair, ran him fifty yards before turning to examine the victims of the collision.

Well. Swan, Mather, and Blade. And that sneaking twit of a hedge wizard, Smoke. What now?

Mather, Smoke, and Blade had kept their seats. Swan was on the ground, groaning and swearing. He got up, swore some more, kicked a fallen Shadar, looked around for his horse.

Smoke was rattled right down to his ankles. He had no color left, was whispering some sort of prayer.

Mather and Blade ignored Swan's histrionics. I presumed that meant he wasn't hurt.

My captive tried to get away. I ran him a few yards, let him loose when the horse was moving faster than he could keep up. He flung forward, slid on his face, stopped at Swan's feet. Swan sat down on him. I asked Mather, "What are you doing here?" He was the only one of the bunch who made straight sense.

"The Radisha sent us. Wants to know what's happening down here. There have been rumors. Some say you're alive, some say dead."

"I'm not yet. Not quite."

My men arrived. "Ghopal. Hakim. Take these two somewhere and ask them why they were snooping." They were Narayan's cronies, the only two who could ride. He'd probably sent them along to keep an eye on things.

Swan got up and leaned against Mather's leg. "You don't have to twist no arms to find that out. Been some wild rumors lately. You've got Jah jumpy as a cat in a kennel."

"Oh?"

"Things were going his way. He got back from Dejagore before anybody else.