The Demons are about to attack.

I know, DragonStar.

You must stay safe.

At that Katie smiled bitterly. For the moment.

DragonStar's arms tightened about her, and he could not help the sudden dampness in his eyes. You have a way to travel before you, my girl. This is not the place.

DragonStar felt her nod, and he let her down.

"A/hure?" he said. "Katie must be protected at all costs. Whatever happens, whoever else dies in this attack, Katie must be protected."

Azhure did not speak, merely wrapping her own arms about Katie and nodding, her eyes determined.

"The Ravensbund will prove as good a guard as any," DragonStar said. "Stay inside their tents, away from what prying eyes might penetrate these trees."

Again Azhure nodded, then she leaned forward, briefly kissed DragonStar's cheek, and ducked inside one of the tents, Katie still locked in her arms.

Several Ravensbund warriors quietly surrounded the tent, and DragonStar spoke softly to them.

Then he turned to go, but was halted by StarDrifter.

"I know this is not the time," StarDrifter said hurriedly, "but Zenith is in danger."

DragonStar sent a rushed glance back towards the head of the convoy, but let StarDrifter hold him back.

"Danger?"

StarDrifter took a deep breath, and DragonStar was horrified to see the emotion in his grandfather's eyes. "WolfStar has her," he said.

DragonStar opened his mouth, but for the moment could not answer.

"WolfStar has captured Zenith's soul," StarDrifter hurried on. "Stolen her will! Dammit, DragonStar!

WolfStar has convinced Zenith that she has no future apart from him!"

"But... how ..." DragonStar said.

StarDrifter threw up his hands in despair. "DragonStar, if you have the time ... help her, please ..."

"I'll —" DragonStar began, then got no further, for the sounds of a frightful battle crashed down through the trees.

That the helpless millions who'd escaped Sanctuary had somehow found a source of enchantment to protect them had not surprised Qeteb.

After all, the heart still beat.

As he and his approached the column from high overhead, they'd observed the tens of thousands of trees lining and protecting the people and animals inside.

"Enchantment," Sheol had murmured, and Qeteb was pleased to hear no anger or amazement in her voice.

"I smell that old woman about this," Qeteb had said, and the others had silently agreed with him.

Below, the trees waved their branches, lifting leaved tentacles high into the sky as if to grab the Demons down into their twigged depths.

None of the Demons needed to be told that that might be somewhat inadvisable.

"When DragonStar is dead," Qeteb said, "the trees will become useless. I can wait."

"And so ...?" Raspu said. All of the Demons circled some hundred paces above the highest of the tentacles waving above the avenue, Qeteb very slightly above the others.

They had now assumed different forms: wingless, although they managed to remain aloft easily.

Muscled forms, and garbed in heavy checked-cloth jackets with thick leather belts and trousers.

All, save Sheol and Roxiah, sported thick heads of hair and beards, and even the two female Demons had their femininity almost completely hidden behind their outward facade of resolute determination and muscled strength.

The Demons had taken on the forms of woodsmen, and in their hands they gripped shiny metal axes.

They might not mean to battle the trees here and now, but they did mean to give them a scare. And there were three other targets in mind.

Whittle down DragonStar's support one by one, Qeteb whispered through their minds.

First...

First the three who taunted and then trapped us, said Sheol.

Oh yes, Qeteb agreed. First those three ...

But his mind was wandering elsewhere. He could sense DragonStar down there, and, more, he could sense that there was the sixth — a child! a girl! — that he wanted to protect.

Qeteb smiled. The sixth was a girl. A child!

Knowledge was power, and power was victory.

Urbeth and her daughters had regained some strength during their few hours of rest, but they were still abysmally tired. In particular, Urbeth had seriously depleted her strength, first by creating the rip in Sanctuary that had enabled the peoples and animals hidden there to escape and, second, leading her daughters in the mad dash to draw the Demons away from the still vulnerable convoy.

Now, all three found themselves attacked by murderously calm and determined Demons who had split into two groups to target both ends of the avenue.

At the front of the avenue, Urbeth turned in the snow to find two woodsmen walking towards her.

Both had grins splitting their faces, both had axes raised.

Urbeth growled, and tried to transform into her bear persona, but found her power so seriously exhausted that she could not manage it.

Yet she had to defend her end of the avenue, for otherwise the Demons could walk right in!

Behind her people scrambled further back into the avenue, terrified by the sense of evil emanating from the two strutting woodsmen, Qeteb and Barzula.