Walcher and Piers hefted their bastard swords, and then Roland uttered the words that brought down the protective shell. Walcher immediately walked the perimeter of the area, searching, he said, for any signs a werewolf or ghoul had been around while they slept. Deeming it safe for the time being, he sheathed his sword, as did his brother. The men, in pairs for safety nonetheless, went into the narrow band of trees surrounding the tiny glade to relieve themselves, and then they ate and prepared to return to their journey to find the Vampyre coven’s caverns.
The first thing they did when they were back in the canyon was fill their flasks with fresh water from the shallow stream beside the narrow track zigzagging up the mountain. Then, they began walking, carefully as there were stones and
