White Cloud had been hard at work in the top field spreading feed for the cattle when he heard it. A cry so loud that at first he had thought it was thunder. He straightened his back and put a hand up to shield his eyes as he stared down the field in the direction of the noise.

People charged onto the fields and met the slavers head on in a desperate clash of weaponry. White Cloud listened to the alarmed shouts from the slavers working his field as they quickly rushed to the aid of their comrades. The cows lowed and lifted their heads and he put a hand out to settle the one nearest him.

"The Elani, it's Elani!"

White Cloud peered hard to see who the shapes were, to see if his son was among them, but he was too far away. Elani, the slavers had cried, but there seemed too many of them! Wait...

"There's Lamya too! Come on! Where's Noan?"

Joy surged through him and he desperately tried freeing himself from his chain to go and fight with his friends. The familiar thud of hooves made him pause and, lifting his gaze, he saw Slavemaster Noan.

Noan looked down from his new horse. He gave a tight smile and said, "Don't bother. Your friends won't get far." Then he yelled an angry command at the few of his slavers who had stayed where they were. "Get this lot back to their cells! Quickly! Then those in the next fields. Those Elani won't win their friends back that easily!" He smiled again and charged away.

White Cloud struggled as slavers pulled him away, digging his feet into the ground. "Rebecca!" he cried, hoping that wherever his wife was she could hear him. "Rebecca, our boy's here! Our Cloud is here!"

#

The seedling field was the first place the fighters hit, and they hit it hard, meeting the first slavers with a crash and catching them off guard.

The Elani slaves all stopped what they were doing and started to chatter excitedly. Mariko quickly severed the chains from another slave and looked at her when she seemed slow to react. "Well? You're free aren't you? If you can't fight, run!"

She moved to release the next slave when the woman held her back. "Is Little Cloud here?" the woman asked, her face pale. "Please tell me!"

Mariko tugged her arm free from the Elani and looked irritably over her shoulder. "Near Sorrel, where 'e always is. Now..."

The woman turned from Mariko and rushed towards Cloud, calling his name as she went.

Little Cloud felt he was doing nothing more than getting in Sorrel's way, but he turned from her when someone called his name. "Mum?" he cried. "Mum! Look out!"

Rebecca turned as a slaver loomed up at her side and swung his sword at her, she screamed and ducked, and when she looked up again Sorrel was at her side, with eyes glinting and the light bouncing off her sword as she parried skilfully with the slaver. "Sorrel?"

"Mum! Out the way quick!" Cloud put his arms around his mother and hurried her to one side. "Go down there, where Jia is. She'll direct you to Granddad. He's already looking after a few others. Quickly!"

He watched his mother hurry away to safety before turning back to be at Sorrel's side. He was not much of a fighter but he would do his best for her and besides, his father was still captive somewhere.

#

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The arrival of Slavemaster Noan heartened the slavers who had been fighting the Elani. They came together now and fought with more order and discipline than what there had been. Noan soon took control and directed them into a tighter group so they were no longer spread out where the Elani could attack them from all angles.

He was a seasoned fighter and any who came within striking distance from his horse he ruthlessly cut down. He had already killed two freed Elani slaves and one of the rogue Lamya in this way, though these were the only fatalities to the Elani side so far.

The sight of other Lamya fighting with the Elani infuriated him but he wasn't surprised when he saw who it was. Sloane was an old enemy of his and he turned his horse towards the man.

Noan narrowed his eyes as Sloane struck down one of his best slavers and was just about to put his heels to his horse and charge towards his target when he heard a cry from one of the Elani leaders.

"Get to the other fields, quickly! Free the others!"

He gritted his teeth and called out in retaliation to his men. "Follow them! Stop them! Tell the others to stop the Elani from getting to the cells at all costs. Go!"

His men raced after the Elani and he turned to Sundi who had stayed by his side. "Take as many slavers who are not fighting and get them to the stables. We'll see how well the Elani cope against a mounted attack."

Sundi nodded and hurried away. Noan smiled grimly, struck down an Elani slave who made the mistake of running at him, then turned his horse to defend the next field.

#

Saoirse had quickly taken the lead and guided her friends towards the entrance that led down to the underground cells. She stood aside and allowed Sloane and a few of his men to go first before she turned to Leif. "We mustn't let them get to the towns, if they get reinforcements we're done for."

Leif nodded, stood back as Malin and Kirin rushed past him down to the cells, and then gave her a confident smile. "Don't worry, Saoirse, I've sent Lachlan and Mariko with a group of volunteers to spread out and stand guard on the towns' side. If any Lamya appear, we'll be informed straight away. Now listen carefully, I've got to get to the castle but I'll need to leave someone in charge here."

Saoirse shook her head. "Not me!" she cried. "I wouldn't know what to do!"

Leif touched her wrist and glanced over his shoulder to see how the others were faring. "Yes you," he said turning back to her. "You take control of the freed slaves, they'll need your guidance. Sloane will stay with his men and I've put Honovi in charge of the warriors I'm leaving here. Please, Saoirse, don't let me down!"

Saoirse clutched at his hand and he knew she didn't want to be responsible for anything that might go wrong – she still felt guilty about leading the slavers to Silence Gorge. He stared at her, he was biting his teeth together so hard his jaw ached.

Saoirse nodded, gripped her sword determinedly and faced the first slaver who was fleeing from her friends underground.

Leif relaxed, adjusted his grip on his staff and hurried away.

#

"Leif!" Little Cloud rushed up to him and pointed towards Sorrel. "She's fighting three of them and she won't give up!"

Leif looked towards where a small group of slavers surrounded his sister. She fought like a mad thing, her blade whirling and cutting. She was oblivious to anything else that was happening as all around her the Elani and their Lamya allies freed the slaves.

He nodded and brandished his staff, about to go to her aid when he noticed Gaeshi Sarkany run up from nowhere and strike one of the slavers across the arm with a sword he had taken. "Where did he come from?"

Little Cloud shrugged, half-turned to pick the chains of a young slave who rushed up to him, and watched as together Gaeshi and Sorrel defeated the group of slavers. "He has a habit of disappearing and then reappearing just when you need him. I think he goes off to free slaves and returns when he senses Sorrel in trouble."

"Well, we're leaving Saoirse in charge of the freeing now. We're going straight to the castle!"

Cloud nodded and called out to Sorrel and Gaeshi.

Sorrel thrust out at a slaver and her blade slid smoothly between the man's ribs. She opened her mouth and a breath of surprise escaped her lips. This is it, she thought, this is who I am. She wrenched her sword free with a cry and bared her teeth as she looked for her next opponent. She was aware of Gaeshi fighting by her side and his presence there encouraged her. Then she heard Cloud calling for them and hurried to where he stood by her brother.

She grinned, wiped a bloodied hand across her forehead and said, "We're going to get Mum back!" She turned and held her hand out to Cloud. "Don't you want to stay and see your Dad safe?"

Cloud shook his head. "I'll trust Saoirse with that. I'm with you, Sorrel!"

She nodded and together the four of them ran to the end of the field where they met with Lachlan and a grumbling Mariko on guard.

Leif didn't stop as he hurried on to the towns but rather half-turned and yelled a command to them both to follow, leaving the few remaining volunteers to close the gap and keep watch.

Noan and a group of slavers on horseback breasted the hill. He watched the Elani in action above ground and cold anger swelled inside him as the entrance to the underground cells swarmed with freed Elani. He watched and his men waited for the signal to charge.

Slavemaster Noan smiled and raised his sword.