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of temple used a woman dressed in armor as a guardian anyway?—but now he’d walked Uri down the road to yet another rock, and he stood waiting for someone to appear and allow him entrance to a place that, up until half an hour ago, he wasn’t quite sure actually existed. Mayhaps it was all a ruse, he thought, glowering at the rock. It was almost as tall as he was and he saw no door, no way in or out of any temple.
    Of course, the guardian— the woman , his mind corrected, and he felt another twinge of guilt at what he’d done—had appeared out of nowhere, or so it seemed. Mayhaps this rock was the same. Or mayhaps they were all just bandits, a ring of reavers working together with the pirates who had given him passage and had told him where to go, how to find his way to this strange island, to this particular crossroads and rock outcropping. Mayhaps the woman was just a distraction, and even now, there were men hidden somewhere with arrows pointed at his head.
    Although if they were hidden somewhere, he didn’t know where.
    There were no trees on these rolling green hills, nothing from here until the sea.
    Griff lifted his nose and sniffed the air, but caught nothing except the scent of his horse, the salt of the sea, and the green of the grass mixed with a carpet of heather. And the woman. He scented her still, something he’d noticed during their encounter, but had dismissed. He’d thought it was just the smell of a youngster, a pup. He’d realized the smaller figure in armor was just a lad right off, but why hadn’t he realized she was a woman? He chastised himself again, squinting at the sun overhead, remembering the way she’d pulled off her helmet, the fire that flashed in her grey-green eyes.
    He’d been more than surprised, truth be told. The lad—the figure in armor he was sure was just a young boy—had put up a good fight. He... er, she ... had been taught well. If she’d been comparable in size, mayhaps she would have stood a chance. He’d started to feel a little bad for her, before he found out she was actually a girl. Now... he wasn’t sure what he felt. Whatever it was, it was strange. He’d felt something when he first met her eyes, just peering into the slit in her faceplate.
    But when she’d yanked off her helmet and glared at him, and he watched a cascade of red fire roll over her shoulders, it hit him with the force of a herd of horses. It had literally taken his breath away. At first, he thought it was just the fact that she was a woman, that he had spilled a woman into the dirt and threatened her bodily harm. But it wasn’t just that. There was something else, something about her. He wondered if she’d felt it, too.
    Then he remembered the way she’d glared at him, how her spine had straightened, her pride clearly bruised, maybe even more than her body, and chuckled to himself.
    He was so lost in thought, he almost didn’t see it happen.
    Griff frowned, seeing the rock move out of the corner of his eye, an effect that startled his horse. Uri whinnied and stepped sideways, shaking his head, and Griff grabbed hold of his reins to keep the big animal from bolting.
    “Ye’ve bested our guardian, and so’ve earned entrance t’the Temple of Asher’n’Ardis.” The voice made Griff whirl around and he stared at the man who stood at the cave entrance. It had been quite hidden by the rock, and Griff frowned, wondering how the man had moved the giant thing. “Follow me.”
    “M’horse,” Griff said, but the man was already moving back underground, into the cave.
    “Bring ’im,” the man called over his shoulder.
    Griff urged Uri forward, but the horse fought him. The animal didn’t like the idea of going underground, not knowing what was down there in the dark, and Griff didn’t blame him. But he hadn’t traveled all this way to stop now. He tugged the horse’s reins, making a gruff noise in his throat, and Uri reluctantly followed.
    “Is the... uh...” Griff realized he