She stiffened as if he'd jabbed her with a needle and one hand clenched until the nails drew blood from the palm. «We'll have to go straight on to the cave,» she said. «I notice you've been staying where the rocks hide us. Well, there aren't any rocks like that around the foot of the mountain. It's all smooth and open there. The climb up to the cave is even worse.»

Blade nodded, realizing what Riyannah was trying to say. They couldn't risk crossing a wide stretch of open ground in daylight, not now. If they kept moving all night, though, they'd be crossing the open ground under cover of darkness. They'd be much harder to see.

Except-

«What about you, Riyannah? The cold's already getting to you, isn't it? Can you survive a night march?»

«If we get to the ship, I'll be all right. The cabin is warm, and there will be food and hot drinks.»

«We may not have time to prepare any food. With that troop carrier around-«

«There are some drugs too. They'll do everything that's needed.» She lurched to her feet, and they were off again.

Afterward, Blade would have given a good deal to be able to forget that night's march across the mountainside. Unfortunately most of the details stuck in his memory and would not leave.

The slow gnawing of the cold at his fingers and toes, turning them first into burning twigs, then taking away all feeling.

Riyannah's face turning paler and more pinched with each passing mile, until there was nothing alive in her face except the great eyes staring ahead.

His own breath freezing on his dirt-caked beard, until he could see a layer of silver-white frost over the dark hair. The frost seemed to be exactly the same color as Riyannah's hair.