16. The Eagle Riders ReturnTristan sank to his knees in the fading light, breathing heavily. Open moorland spread out before him, the last trees of the forest standing tall at his back. He rubbed his leg, trying to ease the tight ache that was swiftly forming. He should not have run so far so soon after his injury.
“We made it,” said Niamh, crouching beside him, her chest rising and falling as rapidly as his own.
Tristan nodded, his energy for speech spent. They had been travelling for two days straight, alternating between running and walking, only stopping briefly for food and water and a few hours of sleep in the darkest part of the night. Now they could see the River Luineach, snaking along the edge of the forest.
About a mile ahead the river split in two, with the Luineach heading
