fired arrow after arrow at them, but always Dide managed to deflect them, sending them spinning into the bodies of his attackers "Do no' kill the witches!" an armor-clad sergeant standing in the middle of the road cried "We will want them for the fire in Ardencaple Subdue them now, though, and quickly!" Dide staggered as the onslaught intensified, and Lilanthe cried aloud in alarm With a loud roar the bear launched into action, charging up the road and killing the sergeant with one swipe of her massive paw Lilanthe called for help and a grove of tree-changers came striding through the forest, branches swinging, stormy voices singing Their great, gnarled roots tore up the earth, tripping up the terrified soldiers who tried in vain to run One by one they were caught up and crushed in the tree-changers' mighty embrace Those who did escape were brought down by the shadow-hounds, their green eyes as bright as lanterns in the dim forest Dide wiped the blood from his brow with his hand "It seems ye are to make a practice o' rescuing me," he said hoarsely and hugged Lilanthe fiercely "Thank ye again!" Lilanthe hugged him back, as Gwilym said, "I no' think we could have held them off another minute Thank Ea ye came when ye did!" Lilanthe emerged from Dide's embrace to see Niall the Bear watching Unaccountably she flushed and stepped away from the jongleur's arm Dide sat down rather abruptly, his leg giving way beneath him Ruefully he examined the gaping wound, then gazed up at the tree-changers swaying away through the woods "So ye found your own kin," he said softly Lilanthe flushed, feeling suddenly angry Why does he always think o' me as more faery than human, she thought I am both! She said nothing, nodding brusquely "I'm glad," he said, and her anger left her "So am I," she answered "Can ye walk?" Niall said to the jongleur rather abruptly "The Bright Soldiers flee before us but I fear for His Highness One o' the wounded said he was at the head o' the cavalcade We must hurry and see if we can help him." "He's alive," Lilanthe said, casting out her mind "And so is Iseult I can feel pain though " Dide tried to stand and fell again, too exhausted from the battle to bear weight on his uninjured leg Niall gestured curtly to the bear and she swooped Dide up in her great paws and carried him as tenderly as a child Gwi-lym swung along after them, using his crutch with great dexterity "Ye limp?" Dide said, seeing Lilanthe's halting step "Ye've been injured?" "Someone attacked me wi' an axe in Lucescere," she replied shortly and, at his expression of horror, felt a certain grim satisfaction "Who?" he demanded Lilanthe shrugged "It all happened so fast and I was sleeping I only saw a glimpse o' him " She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled and the shadow-hounds swarmed to her heels, their jaws dripping with bloody froth