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Kyrie nodded grimly. "Yes. It looks like he went willingly, though. No signs of a struggle, no blood, nothing."

Wren frowned. "Then why would he go? If there was no threat ..."

"I think I know." Kyrie didn't look happy. "Lin, would he be the type of person to give himself up if it meant keeping the rest of us undiscovered?"

Kyrie nodded. "Then I'm sure that's what must have happened. I can't be certain, but I think I counted at least eight sets of other footprints. Soldiers. Armed and armoured. I really don't think we could have taken them on, not safely."

She sighed. "The best thing we can do is keep going. We won't get anywhere near him, not on our own."

Andarien didn't feel right either. He wanted nothing more than to snuggle with his mother, hear her reassure him and tell him that everything was fine ... but he was too big for that, and he knew it.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, trying to sound brave. His voice was shaking, though, and that was something he couldn't hide.

Andarien was amazed, and for a moment he felt a glimmer of hope. "So wherever he goes, he can leave whenever he wants to?"

"I don't think he would do that," Kyrie said seriously. "Grab your things, we need to go."

Andarien let Ponydash out of his ball and tied his chest onto the Pokemon's back, but he was confused and troubled by Kyrie's remark. What did that mean?

Andarien sighed. He didn't like it.

"I want him here with us," he said in a small voice.

"Swords on," Kyrie reminded him brusquely. "Come on. I want us gone from here now."

Wren and Lancaeriel joined them as Kyrie started to lead them off.

They traveled all through the day without stopping except to eat, and when they stopped for the night Kyrie insisted on watching the entire night herself. She woke them again early the next day and once again, she pushed them for the entire day. She made no apologies for it but simply explained that she wanted to get them to safety as quickly as she could.

The sun was beginning to lower in the sky on the second evening when Kyrie put out her arm to halt them all.

"Wait here, behind the trees," she told them in a low tone. "I'll make sure it's safe."

She made sure they were fairly well hidden before she vanished into the trees.

Dark as it was, Kyrie was not gone long before she returned.

"We're good," she told them quietly. "I hope none of you are claustrophobic."

Andarien's brow furrowed. "What's that mean?" he asked in confusion.

"Afraid of small places," Lancaeriel supplied. "I'm sure we'll be fine, Kyrie. We haven't much choice, at any rate."

Kyrie nodded. "At least we'll be able to sleep without any fear," she murmured. "Come on."

She beckoned for them to follow her and started off again. She led them through the trees to a large clearing with two cabins on opposite sides of it. In the middle was a small field or a large garden as well as a stone well with a small roof over it. Smoke was rising from the chimneys of both cabins, and, completely ignoring the closer cabin, Kyrie led them towards the farther one.

When they arrived, she knocked gently twice and opened the door without waiting.

"It's me," she said in a tongue that was very close to the Ancient Tongue, though her words were accented differently.

"Bring them in," a man's voice came from inside the cabin.

Kyrie held the door open and motioned for the others to go inside first. "Quickly," she murmured.