CAT YELPED IN PAIN AND Kassie jerked around to see her stagger up from the ground then rip her sword up the torso of a creature. When she turned to retrieve her dagger from the body Kassie saw the blood running down her chin. 'CAT!' she shrieked in alarm. 'I'm bokay,' Cat yelled back, her voice oddly thick. 'It bade be bite by friggen thongue.' She spat out a mouthful of blood.SIAN YANKED ANOTHER ARROW FROM the quiver and set it to the bow. Drawing, she quickly sighted and released, hitting a creature behind Kassie's back. The feathers that sprouted from its forehead gave her a quick sense of satisfaction. It wouldn't get up again.A hard slam to the back sent her sprawling off the boulder onto the ground.Sian jerked to the side just in time before a mace smashed down. Grunting, she heaved herself to her feet and whipped out the dagger Cat had given her, thrusting it into the throat of the mace wielder. Blood spurted from its mouth over her arm and it slumped to the ground dead.

SIAN TURNED BACK TO SEE Cat gaze at Alek in a somewhat awed manner.Ooh no, she thought and marched over, giving Cat a shake to snap her out of her reverie and shot Alek a hard look.'You'll have to forgive her, she's useless with lack of sleep. We're digging our packs out of the shelter we'd been sleeping in when those things attacked.' She indicated to Loi who'd just retrieved a bag and tossed it over.PACKS. ATTACKED. RIGHT. NODDING, I got a grip on myself and turned back to help. Alek walked back to the men and they spoke rapidly to one another in a foreign tongue.Our packs now retrieved I rummaged through mine until I located the loaf of bread and tore it into chunks. I wasn't about to use the daggers to cut food until I'd boiled them. I grimaced in disgust at the muck that coated the once silvery blades. I passed the bread along to the others and we slumped to the ground, leaning on each other. Exhausted, we chewed while watching the men set up a shelter.A shadowy moveme

SABYN AND DARON EXCHANGED A glance when Catherine headed off to the river. As their second in command Gredel usually stayed calm and ready. Then he'd met Citaan. It was odd in a way, he'd never appeared to really notice women before, probably the reason Elena had assigned him as Citaan's bodyguard when the Sorceress sent Citaan into the Scrodian Mountains. After that short, week-long trip, the change in their friend had stunned them. From a man who'd looked to be a life-long bachelor to a man so smitten he'd take every word his father-in-law said as absolute fact.Sabyn shook his head; he liked Gredel's wife and so did the other guys, but he couldn't understand why Gredel's brain seemed to stop functioning at the thought of her.Muttering under his breath he followed Daron into the bush after Gredel.THE TRACK QUICKLY LED TO the river and I dropped my stuff near the edge. Kneeling, I dunked my top in the water and scrubbed it full of soap, smiling when I heard splashes further out

'NO, WE LEFT THE CASTLE at dusk on the evening we found you,' Alek could see the surprise on their faces. 'Elena told us she had seen your arrival and that you either were, or soon would be, in grave danger and she needed us to protect you.'Sian spoke up, 'But that's only a matter of hours? How did you do that?'Alek explained, 'It only takes moments for us to travel that far, but it took a bit longer to pinpoint where you were.' He took a seat and the other men settled themselves comfortably, they knew the story well.I WATCHED WHEN HE CLOSED his eyes for a moment, a slight frown on his forehead. A lock of his dark hair fell over one eyebrow and my fingers tingled with the urge to brush it away. I decided to sit on my hands for the moment, it seemed the safest course. Kassie caught the slight movement and smirked. I gave her my best innocent look. Alek cleared his throat and we turned our attention back to him.'Were you aware there are dragons in this realm?' Alek stared quest

BACK AT THE CAMPSITE RUMAL and Kassie sat deep in a conversation about which creatures that she knew of that existed in this realm. Kassie felt vaguely comforted to discover lions, tigers and bearsoh my!existed here. Cats, dogs and chickens did too. Ridiculous as it might seem, but right at the moment Kassie needed those familiar things, little as they were. The sky still showed blue and the people seemed normal-ish. The enormous griffons lazing around them, enjoying the sun, thrilled one part of her mind and terrified the other. What else could be here? What if we can't get home? What's happening at home?'Pigs?' Rumal suggested breaking her panic for an instant. Kassie blinked then nodded with a half-smile, relief and fear making her more anxious. Making an effort to relax, she let a breath out.'Yes. We have them too.'RUMAL SMILED AT KASSANDRA, AMUSED at how relieved the girl looked to recognize some of the species he'd rattled off. Is where they come from so very different, h