They traveled until dark, and Iris set up another barrier while Char, Rath, and the fairy set up camp. She sat down on her bedroll and tucked her knees up to her chest, staring into the flames Char breathed into life. He sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"You're doing it again."

"Sorry." She took a deep breath and gave him a weak smile.

"So, about getting into that castle," Rath said, passing out the standard dull fare of dried meat and a biscuit.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure how we'll do that. The front gate is heavily guarded, of course, but so are all the side entrances. The guards travel in pairs, and there are archers hidden in all the towers, too. I thought maybe the changing of the guard would be the best time, but they're really well organized, and I couldn't find any blind spots then, either."

"Wow. That's pretty detailed. You sound like you've been watching them," Rath commented.

"I was," she confirmed. "That's what I was doing while we were flying."

"That's a neat trick. Can you do it when you're awake?"

She looked at his smiling blue eyes for a moment. "I haven't tried, but I think so." She turned back to the fire and picked up the amulet, closing her fingers around it and taking a slow, deep breath, closing her eyes on the exhale. The whispers crowded in, and she pushed through them, reaching up and calling them along with her. She opened her eyes and found herself up in the starry sky, looking down in amazement at herself sitting between Char and Rath, the shimmering white barrier clearly visible to her in this state. A smile lit up her face, and she was about to go back down when she felt something tugging at her. Not the whispers. It came from outside herself, from somebody down below and out of sight. She scanned the shadows below and allowed herself to be pulled closer to the inexorable force. It came from a nearby town. The windows were all darkened, as she'd seen before, but the place was not vacant. People cowered in the dark. And on the northern edge of town, beneath the largest tent in a sea of tents, a distinctive snapping and crackling broke the stillness of the air.

She bolted back to camp, back to her body, back to the safety of the two dragons sitting on either side of her. The amulet fell from her trembling fingers; her heart hammered in her chest.

"What did you see?" Char asked.

She swallowed hard and turned to look at him. "Micah isn't far from here."

"What? We need to move," Rath said, standing up. "Which way is he?"

She sucked in a breath, trying to clear her thoughts. "There's a town up ahead. He and the soldiers are camped on the northern edge of it."

"Did he see you?" Char asked insistently.

"I d-don't think so," she stammered.

"Up ahead. The direction we've been traveling?" Rath pressed her, stamping out the fire.

"Y-yes."

"They're going back to the castle," Char muttered.

"Yeah, and they're going to beat us, too. Just what we need."

Rath grabbed a bedroll and rolled it up. The fairy, too, was zipping about with an unusual urgency. Char stood, pulling Iris to her feet so the fairy could get her bedroll, too.

"I wish we could fly," Rath muttered under his breath.

"Well, we can't," Char said sourly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. We'll be doing some night traveling, Iris," Rath explained, shouldering his pack. "And we're moving fast. Fast and quiet. I'd rather try to break into that castle before Micah and the army returns. Think you can keep up?"

She nodded. "They set up tents, so wouldn't that mean they plan to stay put for a little while?"

"Not necessarily," Char replied, taking her hand and starting out with long strides that made her almost trot to keep up. "They're trained to set up and break camp in under five minutes. But, with just the three of us, we should be able to get ahead and stay ahead if we get on the road."

"But isn't that dangerous?" she asked breathlessly.

"We have to go around the army first. It'll be tight, but once we get past them, we can cover some ground and put some distance between us. No more talking."

She had more questions, but she didn't dare ask them after Rath's sharp command. The grass was too loud under their feet; the stars were too bright in the sky. She swallowed her tension and focused on keeping up with Char and Rath. They moved with single-minded purpose, their sharp blue and green eyes scanning the area as their long legs ate up the ground. The minutes ticked by, and suddenly Rath put his hand up, and Char came to a dead stop, his hand tightening on Iris' in warning. She couldn't see the town or the army at this distance. She stood perfectly still, afraid to breathe, and then Rath started again, adjusting his direction slightly. Char followed, and so did she.

It was like a dance. A tense, fear-inducing dance.

The fairy was nowhere to be seen. She hoped it was safely hidden in one of their packs.

The town loomed in the distance, sharp rectangular shadows in the dark of night. All the lights were out. Char's hand tightened on Iris'.

"We're too close," he hissed.

Rath shook his head slightly and put his finger to his lips. Char didn't say anything else. They didn't stop. The town passed by, and then the tents came into view, fluttering slightly in the cool evening breeze. Rath adjusted his direction again, giving the tents a wider berth than he gave the town. They seemed to go on forever, or maybe that was Iris' imagination, tricked by the pounding of her heart into thinking time and place had frozen and they were making no progress. Then she felt the snapping and crackling, and she grabbed Rath's hand and yanked him and Char down to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Char mouthed.

"Hold onto me," she whispered, taking hold of the amulet. Char's hand tightened around her left hand; Rath's hand landed on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, in and out. Footsteps were approaching. The snapping and crackling was getting closer.

"Where are the patrols?" Micah asked sharply.

"Th-they just passed here a few minutes ago, I'm sure," an unknown man stammered.

"I ordered constant patrols. There are to be no gaps in coverage."

"B-but we are within our own territory, and so close to the capital-"

He suddenly stopped speaking, a choked gasp ending his words.

"I give the orders. They are not for you to question."

A thud hit the ground just feet away from Iris, and the choking turned into gasping for breath, desperately sucking in air.

"Get up," Micah snapped, followed by another thud and corresponding whimper. Iris guessed he had just kicked the man on the ground. "If you value your life, you will return to camp immediately and adjust the patrols as I ordered."

"Y-yes, sir," the man gasped, and then he was running, his steps as uneven as his breath.

"Weakling," Micah muttered. He waited until the footsteps faded away, and then he said, "I know you're here, Iris."

A chill ran down her spine, but she didn't move. Char and Rath lay perfectly still beside her, their tension palpable through the small points of contact she had with their hands. Micah's footsteps neared.

"You've been practicing your magic," he continued, his voice low and dangerous. "But I sensed you earlier when you came to my tent, and I know you're close."

She held her breath. His feet stopped just in front of her. She didn't dare open her eyes, but she could smell the leather of his boots, hear them squeak just slightly as he shifted his weight.

"We have unfinished business to attend to, you and I."

He had to hear the frantic pounding of her heart. He was toying with her. Any minute now, he would end this game and yank her to her feet. Char and Rath wouldn't be able to save her, but maybe she could shield them long enough for them to escape.

"Tch." The frustrated sound echoed in the air above her, and his footsteps retreated. "Hide while you can, sweet little Iris. You're only delaying the inevitable. I always keep my word, and I look forward to conquering you completely the next time we meet."

She bit her tongue to stop the terrified whimper that threatened to give her away, but she couldn't keep herself from trembling. His steps receded into the distance, and she lay still, paralyzed by fear. Rath's hand left her shoulder, and then Char was pulling her to her feet, urging her on again.

"We have to keep moving," he whispered.

If she thought they were walking quickly before, she was mistaken. This new pace as set by Rath was brutal. He angled his direction again until the tents were out of sight - for Iris, at least - curving around until they reached the packed earth of the road. Then he sped up even more, racing against the waning hours of night. The sun began to rise, and he didn't slow down. Iris' legs were burning, but she didn't make any complaint. Char and Rath were still silent, their faces more stern than she'd ever seen them. They needed to put distance between themselves and Micah. She would break into a run if necessary. If he caught her, she wasn't getting away again.