However Tace defined 'a mile or so', it was definitely more. Kyndran was absolutely certain Tace had given them wrong directions on purpose, and that they really should have headed in the opposite direction. Rynere, however, refused to listen to him until the sun began to go down and there was still no sign of the house.

As they turned around, Kyndran muttered something under his breath that 'if I ever get my hands on Tace I'll wring his neck'. Rynere, however, was too tired to ask him to be quiet, and so Kyndran continued until it became completely dark and there was still no sign of the house.

"It was all a trick. A blasted trick! I'm telling you, there's nothing to those scoundrels but tricks! Can't trust them -they tell me you'll be safe and you end up in a den of wildcats. They're just a bunch of liars who want to make some money off of an innocent girl -if I get my hands on them -"

"Kyndran?" Rynere spoke up quietly.

"What?" he growled.

"Something's following us."

Kyndran spun around to see two orange eyes, close to the ground.

"Is that the thing that attacked us last night?"

"I think so."

Kyndran muttered something under his breath and pushed Rynere behind him.

"Stay there."

The eyes didn't move at all for the next several minutes. Rynere was ready to move on and leave it alone, but Kyndran insisted that it would attack them from behind and he wanted to be prepared.

The eyes moved a bit closer to the ground.

"See?" Kyndran said in a low tone. "It's getting ready to spring."

It sprang, but was knocked down in midair by some unseen missile.

Rynere looked up and around, not sure she wanted to meet whatever could hit a kekaila in the dark.

Then a lantern dropped from the tree above Kyndran and a face appeared upside-down in front of them.

Rynere gave a little shriek, and Kyndran started, involunatrily backing up a step.

It was Tace, swinging by his knees from a tree branch, looking positively smug.

"Miss me?"

Rynere was a little relieved  -thankful that it hadn't been something worse, and thankful for the familiar face. Kyndran, however, did his best to remain true to his vow to wring Tace's neck.

"What are you doing here? Why did you give us the wrong directions?"

"I'm here s' that you don't get killed." Tace grinned. "And I gave you the right directions. You just missed the house. But you've been going in circles, so it's still not all that far away."

"Could you take us there?" Rynere asked, not caring for anything but getting back to a safe place.

"Why do we want him guiding us? He'll probably just feed us to the cats!"

Tace raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you can stay here if y' want ...my job's to protect the lady." Tace flipped out of the tree, landed on his feet, and picked up the lantern. "Which means not leaving her out here with you and the kekailas. You can follow us, but if not there's a good-sized family of kekailas nearby. I can alert 'em."

Kyndran didn't answer.

"The lady is exhausted, sir," Tace continued, "and if you don't offer her your arm now I'm afraid I'll have to carry her the rest of the way."

Kyndran said something to himself about 'death and destruction' but took Rynere's arm, and, guided by Tace and his lantern, led her back to the house.