Max removed his things from Starlight, putting them on one of the fresh horses while Tyco rode to the west side of the camp. Finished, he mounted the horse, but Mr. Penna stopped him before he could join Tyco. Eve leaned against Mr. Penna, her head down.

"Maxwell, do you remember that bundle of biscuits that Mrs. Ta.s.si gave you before we left Swift.w.a.ter?"

Max nodded.

"Good, in there you will find a piece of paper declaring you the owner of Evangeline. Whatever happens, do not lose it. Do you understand?"

Max stared blankly at Mr. Penna. Mr. Penna grabbed Max's knee, his voice stern.

"Do you understand, Maxwell? Do not lose that paper."

Max blinked, then nodded. "I...I won't lose them. But, I don't understand what you mean by..."

Mr. Penna's voice softened as he relaxed his grip. "I am sorry Maxwell, but you are about to learn a lot of things that are not very pleasant. The story I told you of the lacarna and the Protectors was only the start. Just remember, your own experiences with Evangeline. Most importantly, be sure to be at the eastern gate in Moenia three days from now to meet us."

Mr. Penna let go of Max and slapped the backside of the horse causing it to rear up. It dropped back on all fours then broke into a dead run for the opening in the camp wall. As he exited the camp he glanced behind him. Eve waved pitifully at him, her face bearing the same worry and uncertainty that he felt. He saw something else too, something he couldn't identify. Noticing his stare, she stopped waving, turning to Mr. Penna with her head lowered.

CHAPTER TEN.

Two hours of hard riding had begun to wear on both Max and his horse. Even though he had already fallen several lengths behind Tyco, he slowed the horse to a walk. Ahead of him, Tyco turned his horse as quickly as he could and trotted back in his direction. Max's shoulders sagged.

Now I've made him mad.

Looking intently at the ground, Tyco stopped his horse 20 yards short of Max. When Max reached them he bent over to see what had captured Tyco's interest. In the dust he saw a confused mess of hoof prints all around the trail. Farther out, he spotted a large number of prints leading away towards the north.

Tyco raised his head. "It appears a group of bandits attacked our friends, causing them to split up. Most of the tracks lead north, but a few head towards the next camp. Whoever made for the camp will be riding even faster now. Come on, we need to keep moving if we intend to catch them."

Max sat up straight. "We're riding for the camp? What about whoever headed north?"

"Not our concern."

"Not our concern? But, there's nothing out there. They could be in serious trouble!"

"Max, if we don't reach Moenia before the other riders, we'll be the ones in trouble."

"I don't understand, Tyco. They didn't seem to mean us any harm. What's the danger?"

Tyco's hand tensed and relaxed repeatedly on the reins of the horse. "Maxwell, the Children of the Immortals are not friends to the Protectors. They are never to be trusted. Their early departure this morning can only mean that they have ill intentions. I don't want us to find out the hard way what those intentions are, so get moving."

Tyco turned the horse west and started down the trail. Max sat still, tracing the tracks north out of sight.

"Come, Maxwell!"

Tyco had stopped along the trail and now faced Max. "When we reach the camp we can send guards back this way to look for the others."

Max shifted uneasily on his horse. "It will be dark by the time they get here. They won't be able to follow the trail."

"Yet another reason for us to keep moving, Maxwell. If we go after them we will be caught out in the dark. We will all be lost. Now, for the last time, move!"

Max nudged the horse to move, but pulled on the right rein, steering the horse in a circle. What do I do? Tyco knows a lot more than I do, and I don't want to be caught out here in the dark either. But, I don't want to leave the others out here, especially Melody.

"Maxwell!"

Wouldn't dad try to help them? That's what always happens in the stories Mr. Penna and the villagers tell about him. I know Eve would go. Eve! What will she say if it's Melody that's out there and I don't try and help. She'd never forgive me.

Max sighed. I hope this doesn't mess up my chances of getting into the Protectors.

When the horse once again reached the tracks that led north, Max pulled him left, loosened the reins and kicked him forward. Behind and to the side he heard Tyco yell for him to stop. Max pushed the horse even faster, followed by a string of obscenities from Tyco that quickly faded from the growing distance.

The numerous footprints made the trail easy to follow allowing Max to keep the horse running as fast as he could. His mind racing with the possibilities of what might await him once he caught up.

Nearly an hour later, with the horse slowed to a weary trot, he entered into a narrow canyon. Rounding a corner, he found the bandits. Startled, Max jerked back on the reins, causing the horse to rear up. Max wrapped his arms around its neck to keep from sliding off. When the horse dropped back to all fours, he grabbed the reins and spun it around, leading it back behind the corner. Holding his breath, he stopped the horse and waited to see if anyone came after him.

A minute or two went by before Max convinced himself that the bandits had not seen him. He let his breath out in a gust.

That was stupid.

Max dismounted the horse, this time carefully sneaking up to the corner. With his nerves on end, he poked his head around. A hundred yards out, he counted the backs of at least fifteen bandits in a half circle facing towards the canyon wall. There, with her back pressed against the wall, stood Melody. Trapped, she was trying to inch her way towards a large crack to her left. Max scanned the rest of the area, but saw no sign of the diggers.

Turning his attention back to Melody, he tried to find what kept the bandits from attacking her. She kept one empty hand stretched out towards them and used the other to feel along the stone wall behind her. Yelling, one of the bandits threw a rock at her. To Max's surprise, it only made it a short distance before bouncing back, flying past the bandit who threw it.

Max focused in on the area a short distance in front of the bandits. He caught a shimmer in the air. Squinting as hard as he could, he made out a slight disturbance surrounding Melody ten feet out from her body. Max stood dumbstruck. He had never seen anything like it. As he watched in awe, Melody took a step sideways. The barrier flickered out for a brief second, prompting all of the bandits to throw rocks. Melody froze in place, the rocks bouncing off the renewed barrier. Max shook off the initial wonder at the spectacle, realizing he had to do something quickly before the barrier disappeared for good.

Max weighed his options. I could creep up from behind, taking as many of the bandits out as I can before they notice me. Ahh, but I'm horrible at sneaking, and I can only take one, maybe two, before they catch on and overwhelm me. Although, that might give Melody enough time to reach the cave.

I guess I could charge in and try to reach Melody before the bandits could react. I could protect us as we made our way to that crack. It looks about four feet wide. There, at least, the bandits would have to fight me one at a time. But, the bandits would eventually wear me down, not to mention I've only practiced fighting with Tyco. I haven't actually done it.

Wait! I know, I can try the trick Eve and I have done on occasion. Max studied the bandits surrounding Melody. "Yep, that will have to be it."

Max walked back to the horse, patting it on the shoulder. "I hope you're ready for this."

Max mounted the horse and led it back to the entrance of the canyon. Swinging the horse back around, he took a deep breath then let it out.

"Well, here goes."

Max tightened his hold on the reins and gave the horse a hard kick to the sides. Startled, the horse bolted forward. Rounding the corner, Max steered the horse straight for Melody. A smile appeared on Max's face.

This is going to work.

A heartbeat later the smile faded away. The barrier! If I hit that...

Max shouted at the top of his lungs. "Melody, the barrier!"

Melody jerked her head in his direction, along with all of the bandits. Dropping her hand, the barrier dissipated a split second before Max and the horse would have smashed into it. Ignoring the near miss, Max leaned left, reaching his hand down. Melody realized what Max had in mind and grabbed his wrist as he pa.s.sed by. In that moment, Max realized two other pieces of his plan that he had overlooked. One, Eve was lighter and much more agile than Melody. Two, he and Eve had practiced several times before getting the maneuver correct.

Max swung Melody up with all the strength he had, but was pulled down a little as he did so. The horse, fast approaching the canyon wall, panicked when it felt Max slip. Attempting something between a stop and a hard right turn it slipped on the loose stone, falling sideways. Already loose in the saddle, both Max and Melody fell free of the horse as it went down, all three hitting the ground hard.

Max, full of adrenalin, leapt off the ground. He grabbed Melody's arm as she struggled to regain her footing, dragging her towards the crack in the wall. Inside, Max let go of Melody and reached for his swords, but grasped only air. Horrified, he realized the swords remained on the horse with the rest of his goods. Not stopping to think, he dashed out of the cave where the bandits had recovered from Max's surprise appearance.

The horse had managed to stand by the time Max reached it. He grabbed the hilt of one of his swords, sliding it out of its sheath. On the opposite side, a bandit slapped the horse's haunch. The horse reared, neighing in surprise, giving Max a head start towards the cave. The horse dropped to all fours and ran off, allowing the bandit to chase after Max. When Max reached the inside of the cave he spun, swinging his sword as he did so. The blade clanged against the descending sword of the bandit.

Melody yelled from behind Max. "Knock him back!"

Max put all his weight behind his sword and thrust hard, shoving the bandit back a foot. The bandit took another swing at Max. Max brought his sword up again to block the bandit's blade, but his sword stopped short, rebounding off the air. Max managed to hang on to the hilt as the sword reverberated from whatever it had hit. The bandit wasn't as lucky, his sword sailed out of his hand, nearly beheading a second bandit who had come to aid the first. Both bandits shouted obscenities at Max, who moved back with caution and stood beside Melody, his eyes never moving from the cave entrance.

"Where did that barrier come from?

Melody stood, hand outstretched, shaking and short of breath. "I...created...it."

"How long can you keep it up?"

Melody breathed deeply in and out, trying to calm herself. "Since I only have to block...the entrance...I should be able to keep it up for several hours." The shaking slowly subsided. "But I'll need to keep my attention focused on it."

Max nodded as he began to feel pain all down the right side of his body. Max lifted his shirt a little to reveal minor cuts and bruises along his side. He didn't see any tears in his pants so he a.s.sumed it was the same for his leg. Concerned that Melody might have received injuries as well, he visually checked for any sign of blood or tears on her clothing.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I think I twisted my ankle, other than that, just sore from the fall."

Max saw that she favored her left leg, but found no other signs of injury. "Do you need to sit down?"

Melody nodded. "Yes."

She started to sit, but lost her balance. Max wrapped an arm around her waist before she fell and helped ease her to the ground.

"Is anyone else coming, Max?"

"Tyco went on to the next camp. He said he would send guards back to look for us. I'm not sure they will be able to follow the tracks at night though."

Melody nodded at Max's sword. "How good are you with that thing?"

Max blushed, "Truthfully, I've never actually used it in a real fight, only practice."

Melody gave a weak smile. "That's more experience at fighting than I have."

Max studied the entrance. It was smaller than he had first thought, perhaps only about one and a half the width of a normal man.

"At least they can only come one at a time. I should be able to hold them off for a little while once the barrier is gone. Do you have any weapons?"

"No. I can only create the barrier. There isn't anything else alive out here to use. It's a wonder as dry as the air is that I can even use it."

Max wore a quizzical expression. "Huh?"

Melody gave a weak, amused smile. "You haven't met anyone from the Children of the Immortals before have you?"

Max shook his head. "Huh uh, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Melody sighed. "Well, now's not the time to go into it. Let's just say I'm not going to be able to offer much help."

"Got it."

Max turned to the back of the cave. "It looks like the cave continues back into the canyon. Maybe there is another way out."

Melody shook her head. "Without a torch we won't get very far. Besides, the few creatures that can survive in the dead lands make their homes in these caves, most of which make the bandits outside seem downright friendly. We will have to stay here and hope the guards reach us in time. I will hold the barrier up as long as I can. After that, it will be up to you."

Max nodded with little enthusiasm. He sat down next to Melody. There was nothing else to do now but wait. Melody kept her concentration on the barrier. For Max, time pa.s.sed slower than during one of Mr. Penna's lectures.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

A few hours had pa.s.sed and Max had slipped into a trance-like state. The unexpected scream of a man shook him free.

"What was that?"

Melody's eyes were wide with shock. "I have no idea! Maybe one of the bandits?"

The cave echoed with another scream. "Noooo!"

The cry came from the bandit's camp outside the cave. Max stood and moved to the edge of Melody's barrier, next to the cave's entrance. From his limited view, he could see a few of the bandits had risen to their feet, weapons in hand. They milled around, looking just as confused as Max.

"Lacarath! Ahhh!"

The new scream arose from beyond the light of the torches. A wave of terror swept over the bandits, temporarily freezing them in place until a growl filled the canyon. The bandits dropped their weapons, scattering like bugs as they ran for their horses. Leaving everything behind, they rode off as fast as the horses would carry them. Behind Max, Melody gasped before crying out in a whisper.

"Max, the barrier!"

When the sun had set the bandits had lit torches, causing Melody's barrier to shimmer in their light. The dancing light resulted in Max's drifting into a trance. Now the shimmer flickered in and out of existence. Melody closed her eyes, concentrating; the barrier steadied.

"I don't think I can hold it much longer."

Max remained calm, scanning the bandits' camp. "We shouldn't need it. It looks like the bandits have left."

Melody began to panic, her voice cracking. "Didn't you hear the bandits? There is a lacarath out there."

Max smirked. "You mean the ferocious animals that prey on remote villages and feast on naughty children?" He cleared his throat, his smile gone. "They're just legends...right?"

Melody looked grim. "Lacarath are believed to be the predecessors of the lacarna, but I must admit, n.o.body has seen one in years. However, something sure scared those bandits away."