4
“Ready, Running Feet,” said Tarkyn briskly two days later, as the last of the sun’s rays winked out between the trees. “Let’s go.”
The pair of them walked away from the firesite into the gloom of the overhanging trees. Despite the difference in height and power, Running Feet no longer felt the slightest anxiety in Tarkyn’s presence. He and the Forest Guardian had become a firm team that formed naturally any time that Tarkyn needed directional assistance in linking with an animal. When they were well away from the sound of voices, they found themselves a comfortable, mossy spot where they could sit with their backs against a fallen birch log.
“So the first step, as I understand it,” said Tarkyn, “is to reconnoitre inside Kosar’s tent while he is seated with Jarand and their retainers a
