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were wide with fear. 
    His spear was upon his back, but as he crouched over the woman’s still form he turned and faced the sixth warrior. 
    Kaichen knew at once that he had made a mistake that could prove fatal.  He had sought to take out the leader with his first arrow.   But somehow he had mistaken the actions of the first man as those of a leader. 
    The man that approached him with a battle-hardened gaze challenged him with the ferocity of a wild animal.  Kaichen held a spear but the fury of the other man let him know that such a weapon would have to be hurled with great force to stop his opponent. 
    Kaichen did not doubt his own strength, but he had witnessed the madness that overcame men when they fought for their lives.  Anger gave men strength.   Kaichen called his own anger forth as the man charged him and he only hoped that it would be enough. 
    As the man ran forward a hail of arrows pierced the ground around them.  Kaichen’s heart lurched in his chest as his limbs started to tremble.  Antuk!  
    There was very little that could put fear into his heart, but Antuk’s aim had caused greater men than him to gasp in fear.  The warrior facing him screamed in agony as one of the arrows pierced his thigh. 
    An arrow passed to the right of Kaichen’s ear and he tasted death for a moment as he took cover.  The warrior screamed a vile curse as he shook his fist in their direction. 
    Kaichen huddled against a cavern wall as he dragged the woman away.  She broke free for a moment and he saw that she scrambled to grab a long stick from the ground.  Perhaps she sought to arm herself. 
    He was not certain, but she also could not know that Antuk would not stop his volley of arrows once he was caught in his own battle rage.  Even now Kaichen could hear Antuk’s fear-inspiring war cry as it echoed through the many caverns. 
    The sound caused the hair on the back of his neck to stan d on end.  There was no cry quite like Antuk’s battle cry. 
    Kaichen grabbed the woman by the ankle and pulled.  He heard her cry out as her fingertips grazed the stick that she sought.  She glanced back at him once and he caught sight of her stricken gaze. 
    Her eyes were an odd shade that caused him to loosen his hold on her small ankle momentarily.   She seized the opportunity to grab hold of the stick even as he renewed his efforts to pull her out of danger. 
    Amara reached toward her flute as blind panic caused her to react instinctively.  In her panic, she did not see, she did not hear and she could not fully comprehend all that had occurred. 
    The man that pulled her toward him might well have been another enemy.  For all she knew he was bent on killing her as well.  His grasp was firm and unyielding.  She could not say why he had let her loose only a moment ago, but now he held on to her with a rock hard grasp. 
    “Be still.” Kaichen murmured to the woman as he looked into the shadowed canyons behind them. 
    He did not see the wounded man that had run away , but that did not mean that his enemy did not have an arrow aimed at his heart even now.   Kaichen stood and immediately ducked down as an arrow flew through the air directly where his head had been.
    “Antuk!” Kaichen bellowed his friend’s name.  He could tell by the feathers on the back of the arrow that it belonged to Antuk and he shook his head in disbelief as he realized that his friend had almost hit him again.  “Stop!”
    Kaichen carefully raised his head and looked up at the ledge where his friend stood, fully exposed.  He scowled as Antuk raised his bow above his head and shook it back and forth.  Kaichen motioned for Antuk to lie flat against the ground. 
    He had not seen a bow upon the other man’s back, but perhaps he had managed to grab a weapon during the time when Kaichen had been distracted. 
    The woman in his arms trembled violently.  He saw that she shivered even though the sun was now almost directly above