“All right,” he said finally. “I shall try—”

“Nay, sire. I’ll do the stealing. I’m experienced at this, remember?” “Experienced at stealing horses, not darsteeds. They’ll eat anyone they can reach.”

“I know that,” she said impatiently. “One has already learned my scent. I’ve been working to gain its trust.”

“Trust?” he echoed more sharply than he intended. “Darsteeds have no trust to give. This is not some skittish horse, but a monster.”

“Which I can control,” she retorted. “You aren’t the only one who—” “Perhaps,” he said, worried that a longer argument would bring discovery. “But you could get eaten while bridling it.”

She hesitated. “That part worries me,” she admitted at last. “It might take two of us to do that.”

It usually took a neck-pole and several stalwart lads manhandling a darsteed to get it saddled and bridled, but Dain did not point out such details. He gave her hand a quick squeeze to indicate agreement and together they rose to their feet.  Thum, however, stayed on the ground where he was. Worried about him, Dain bent down again.

“Can you stand?” he asked softly. “Come, my friend.” Thum struggled upright, gasping with every breath. Dain gripped his arm to support him and felt the heat of Thum’s fever through his clothing.  They limped along a few steps before Thum stopped and slumped against the wall.  “It’s no good,” he moaned. “I’m only in the way. Get away if you can. Leave me here.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Dain whispered angrily. “I’m not leaving you behind.” “I can’t do it,” Thum said, and rubbed his forehead fretfully. “If I only had some water.”

Dain looked around at once. “Where’s the horse trough?”

Alexeika blocked his path. “No,” she whispered. “He tried to drink it earlier.

He said the water tastes like blood.”

Gently Dain pushed her aside. “Wait and see.”

Slipping inside the stables, he dipped the god-steel bowl into the water, carried it outside, and held the brimming vessel to Thum’s lips. “Drink.” Thum turned away. “It’s no good. It burns like fire and—” “Drink,” Dain urged him. “This is pure.”

He supported Thum’s head, tightening his grip on the bowl when Thum began to gulp greedily at the water. When he’d drunk it all, Dain slipped back to the trough to fill the bowl for Alexeika.

She took it warily, then nearly dropped it. “What is this?” she asked suspiciously.

Dain held the bowl for her. “Just drink,” he said.

She lowered her head to the water and sniffed it. Cautiously she took a sip, then began to drink faster until she was gulping it as greedily as Thum had been. When it was empty she stepped back and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Praise to Thod,” she whispered with a new lilt to her voice. “Nothing has ever tasted sweeter.”

Dain tucked the bowl away inside his surcoat, then took Severgard from his belt and handed it to her.

She gasped audibly and gripped the sword with both hands. At once its blade began to glow in warning, and she sheathed it hurriedly.  “Where did you . . . how did you get it?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” Dain said, casting a look over his shoulder. He heard nothing to alert him, but just the same he felt uneasy. “We’d better hurry.” Leaving Thum outside to keep watch, they hurried into the stables together and slipped over to the darsteed area.

At once, several of the creatures bugled a warning. Stamping and snorting, they peered over the tall walls of their pens, red eyes glowing demonically.  Dain stared at them in annoyance, wanting them to be quiet.

“That one,” Alexeika said, pointing.

Without giving Dain a chance to respond, she darted over to its pen and opened the meat box. The darsteed reared up eagerly, its hooves striking sparks off the top bricks.

Dain gripped her arm to stop her. “Don’t feed it!”

“Why not?”

“Look!” He gestured at the other darsteeds, now alert and snorting eagerly.

“They all want feeding.”

“Oh.” Alexeika shut the box. “Give me a moment to prepare.” “We don’t have a moment,” Dain said. He heard a muffled voice of inquiry from the loft where the grooms slept. Swiftly he hurried to the gear hooks and pulled down an odd-shaped saddle and bridle designed for darsteeds. He pushed the saddle into Alexeika’s hands. “I’ll go in first and bridle it. While I hold it you get the saddle on. Agreed?”