And so began a long period of hurried flights interspersed with short periods of rest. Eru-Tovar, while only a few days distant, might as well have been on another world, for it seemed that the army of monsters never slept.
They dogged the nomads' footsteps, following whatever path they chose, whether by night or by day, and they were not deceived by false trails or the most clever of traps.
The nomads tried all of Hornsbuck's tricks-from deadfalls to sweeping the trail behind them-and they even used one of Mika's spells of illusion, creating an exceedingly realistic chasm where none had previously existed. But nothing worked.
The gnolls showed an uncanny amount of intelligence for creatures that were not known for their ability to think. It was almost as though they knew what the nomads were planning and were taking steps to anticipate their tactics.
They were well into the hills now and all were glad to see the last of the empty prairies. The hills were barren, mostly stone and hard-packed earth, but here and there were soft green patches of grass and these the mules and horses cropped greedily.
There were also small pools of water to be found, and the nomads did their best to see that these were either emptied or concealed before they moved on.
Everyone was tired. Horses and mules showed their exhaustion in the curved bend of their necks and their slow, shambling gaits. The men rode loosely, often slumbering in the saddle. Even Mika and Horns-buck felt the lack of sleep in their muscles, which were stiff and slow to respond, and in their eyes, which felt as though sand scraped beneath their swollen lids.
Only Recknass seemed untouched by the lack of sleep and food. His back remained straight and his eyes alert. His arms still held the swaddled princess in a tight embrace, and he glared forbiddingly at any who rode near.
The wolves themselves were showing signs of exhaustion-their tails dragged the ground and their tongues lolled from their mouths dispiritedly. They flung themselves on the ground and panted whenever they stopped, licking their footpads, which were sore and cracked from the rough terrain.
In spite of his promise to Hornsbuck, Mika still thought about Princess Julia. The giant was an abomination. Nothing that ugly should hold someone that beautiful.
Mika thought of Julia as he rode throughout the long endless night. Her delicate beauty filled his mind and the subtle scent of her body lingered in his nostrils. He craved her as he had never craved another woman, even Celia. And the thought of her was the cause of his every action. Just thinking of her dowry filled him with a warm glow. He was determined that he would have her yet.
A sliver of a moon, cold and white, shedding no warmth, rose above the stony hills, allowing them to continue their journey that night. The tramp of many feet could be heard behind them as the gnolls and their foul companions trudged along, following in their still-warm footprints.
Mika dozed fitfully, his hands gripping the reins without feeling, his knees numbly clenching the big barreled chest of the grey, moving automatically in rhythm with its movements. The grey was too tired for tricks. Its head bobbed listlessly at the end of its long neck as it sought out and followed the easiest path.
Mika slipped in and out of slumber, his sluggish brain flickering back and forth between the happy illusion of dreams and the pain of wakefulness. Not surprisingly, his mind chose to rest in the warm pleasantness of the dream state more often than the physical and mental traumas of wakefulness.
Wrapped in his cocoon of illusion, Mika felt the whispery patter of tiny feet on his neck. To his exhausted mind, it seemed the soft caress of Julia's tiny hand.
Some small corner of his mind which had not surrendered itself to sleep recognized it for what it was. A fly. A tiny black fly…
Annoyance flared briefly and Mika thought to raise his hand. To sweep it away. But exhaustion was greater than the effort required, and the moment passed and was gone.
Mika fell into a deep sleep, an ongoing dream of Julia which was far more pleasant to contemplate than the fly.
So deeply immersed was he in the dream, that he barely even noticed when the fly bit him on the neck. His exhausted mind imagined it to be a love bite from Julia, a small hint of what was to come. Her way of showing gratitude for his bravery in single-handedly saving her from the spell and the horrible army of monsters.
The black fly crouched low over the puncture it had made on Mika's neck, tensing itself for the blow that might fall, readying its tattered black wings for flight, but it had chosen its moment well, and the man did not move.
Soon the fly began pumping a thick, black noxious fluid out of its mouth and down between its hooked mandibles. Directing the flow of the spittle, the fly channeled the awful stuff directly into the open wound.
The spittle entered the wound, thinning the blood on contact, and it quickly entered the man's bloodstream, where it spread throughout his system until it pervaded every inch of his body, even the heart and mind, with its evil poison.
Mika slept on, dreamed on, unknowing. Satisfied, the fly left the site of the wound and flew off, abandoning the man to his fate.
The tenor of Mika's dreams changed. He saw Julia in his arms, waiting for him with a sultry, knowing look in her eyes. This was no demure maid bestowing soft kisses, this was a woman using a woman's body, taking greedily as well as giving freely of her favors. Mika felt her hot flesh roll beneath him, the scorch of breath on his chest and the rake of sharp nails down his back.
Then he wakened, cold and chilled, racked with more than fatigue, and as the grey stumbled up yet another hill, Mika knew with a fevered intensity that whatever the cost, he would have Julia for his own.
Julia controlled his every thought from that point on. The slender sleeping girl locked in Recknass's arms had little or nothing to do with the woman he saw in his mind's eye. They were the same, but somehow different.
He had changed. This was obvious to everyone from Hornsbuck to Recknass. He was quick to follow Hornsbuck's every suggestion. He encouraged the men and rode point, scouting out the lay of the land ahead, pushing his tired mount and himself to the very limits of endurance.
The giant had little to complain about for it seemed that Mika had found fewer excuses to ride at his side, and he ceased offering to hold the princess should Recknass grow tired. Even Hary noticed the change and mentioned it to Homsbuck.
"Aye, I have eyes. I can see what is happening," said Hornsbuck. "Sometimes it happens that way. Trouble can do that to a man, be the making of him. I've seen it happen before-a boy growing up before your eyes, becoming a man."
"More frequently it happens the other way," said Hary. "Trouble, hard times will reduce a man to jelly, make him useless. Frankly, that is the path I would have expected Mika to take. I did not figure him for leadership."
"I am surprised as well," said Hornsbuck, "but glad. I always knew he had it in him. Whether he chose to use it or not was the question."
"What bothers me," continued Hary, "is why the gnolls haven't overtaken us yet. It almost seems as though they're content to remain behind us. Sort of like they're driving us forward, herding us."
"Don't imagine things that are not there," replied Hornsbuck. "We've just been smarter than they, and we've chosen our course. They're not herding us anywhere."
As though in reply, the gnolls began to chant. Their voices could be clearly heard even though they themselves were not in sight. The words were indistinguishable. Their tongue was not one spoken by man, but the meaning was obvious.
"HUNhunhun! HUNhunhun! HUNhunhun!" they intoned over and over in deep bass tones, a shrill chorus of hyena and hyenadon wails providing an eerie contralto counterpoint. After a short time, the sound thrummed in the ears of the listener, striking over and over, maddening in its insistent repetition.
The horses and mules tossed their heads and hurried their pace unbidden, breaking out in nervous sweats. The wolves turned and faced the unhuman horde, whimpering softly, their dark eyes darting in all directions as though searching for an escape.
It was then that Mika made his move. Riding up alongside Hornsbuck, he spoke.
"You remember when you said that if I did not tell you what was happening, you would take the men and ride away?" he asked. Hornsbuck nodded.
"Well, I think that the time has come to do just that," said Mika. "I think it is our only chance."
"What do you mean?" asked Hornsbuck.
"Look ahead," said Mika, gesturing toward the series of peaks that rose before them.
"We are entering some sort of watershed, a place where the hills form a series of ridges like the spread fingers of a hand. I suggest that we split up into many different parties, each of us choosing one of the fingers to climb.
"The gnolls will be unable to decide what to do, which path to follow, or how to divide themselves. They will not likely fight among themselves while trying to come to some agreement.
"Eventually, of course, they will follow. But we are bound to gain some time through their confusion. Once over the top, we will regroup at some place that we decide in advance and then make our way to the city in safety."
Hornsbuck looked at Mika in admiration, while examining the plan for some flaw. He could not find anything wrong with Mika's logic, although there was something odd, something he could not place, in the man's attitude.
"There should be no more than two or three of us to each group," said Mika. "I will go with Hary or some of the drivers."
"No," said Hornsbuck, convinced by Mika's demeanor. "Go with the giant. He should have someone to protect his back since he has his hands full."
"If you insist," Mika said quietly, turning his head aside so that Hornsbuck could not see the smile of triumph that flitted across his face. As he wheeled his horse around, the grey nearly trampled on TamTur, who was inexplicably skulking behind.
Tam whined low in his throat and backed up a few steps. Hornsbuck stopped and looked at the wolf. RedTail touched noses with Tam and looked at Mika with uncertainty.
"What's the matter with Tam?" asked Hornsbuck, recognizing the disturbed tone in the wolfs voice.
"Nothing to be concerned about," Mika said smoothly. "He's highstrung. Gets this way once in a while."
Hornsbuck stared at Tam with narrowed eyes. He had never thought Tam to be highstrung, but still, a man knew his own wolf better than anyone else, and it was considered a serious breach of nomad etiquette to meddle between another nomad and his wolf. Hornsbuck held his tongue.
A council was quickly called and instructions given. Mika listened intently to Hornsbuck as he carefully described the point where they should reconvene. For the first time since the gnolls appeared, a feeling of elation swept over the men as they grasped the possibility of escape.
Hary and Recknass looked as though they might choose to disagree with Hornsbuck's directions, which paired Mika with Recknass and separated him from the company of the others. But as Hornsbuck spoke, delineating the reasons for the small parties, they remained silent, for his stature had risen among the men.
Mika conducted himself in a cool, detached manner, speaking politely to the giant and expressing concern for his imperiled mission. Recknass eyed him suspiciously but could find no fault with Mika's words. Still, Mika knew by the way that the man watched him that he was far from being a trusted friend. But as he led the giant into the dark hills, he smiled to himself; friendship wasn't what he was after.
TamTur trotted after the two men, then wagging his tail slowly, he looked back at Hary, Hornsbuck and the rapidly dispersing riders and whined unhappily. His dark eyes rested on Mika's back as the man rode into the shadows, and he whined again. Then, head hanging dejectedly, knowing that something was terribly wrong, he hurried after the man who was his bond companion.