At least I thought we were safe. Cassana had other ideas. She waited until sounds of pursuit died away and then whispered.

  “We need to find a place to shelter for the night. The dust spiders are everywhere in this forest and even I cannot see all their threads in the dark.”

  I remembered the ring of stones I had used to arrive and described it to her.

  “That might work. I know the place and I believe I can lead us there.”

  I nodded.

  We made our way cautiously for a half hour. We stopped once and skirted a large tree that Cassana said had something in it.

  We reached the clearing, and I immediately felt better.

  “Why does it feel so calm here?” I asked.

  “This is a guardian ring. The stone buried here wards the area from creatures who might prey on the travelers who arrive.”

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  “Where is the stone?”

  “The stone is under the giant center block so it cannot be easily taken.”

  “I see,” I said.

  “How did you get into the camp? There were too many men for you to slip through.”

  “I distracted them by leading about thirty dust spiders into the camp. While they were busy, I circled around.”

  In the dark I could sense her eyes looking at me.

  “You are wearing a lot of my stock,” she said. I thought I caught a hint of a smile there.

  “Well I am hoping you will let me buy some when we get back. I wasn’t planning on keeping it all.”

  “Really,” she said archly.

  “She is flirting with you,” said the voice in my head.

  Her tone changed again.

  “How is Caspar?” she said.

  “Who is Caspar?”

  “The tanner. He came out when I screamed. Is he…”

  “He was badly wounded, but I managed to reach him in time. He killed three of them trying to get to you.”

  I hesitated, thinking about the look on Caspar’s face.

  “And he gave me these to help rescue you.”

  I showed her the bow and quiver.

  “His bow! He loves that bow!” she said.

  “Not as much as I suspect he loves the person who made it.”

  She was silent for a long time.

  “I think we should rest here for the night and then try to make our way back to Fishhook tomorrow,” she finally said.

  “Way to kill the mood, hero,” said my guide with a sniff.

  I smiled as I pulled two blankets out of my inventory and we settled in to sleep.

  “You don’t always do what is best for yourself. Sometimes you do what is best for those you care about. She is better off with him than me.”