I listen to Lugh, then chuckle softly and shake my head. Scathach does not frighten me so much as she irritates me. I heard her laughter ring out when my attempt to cross her bridge ended with a backwards flight through the air and a hard landing. Then I watched as several of the warriors leaped the chasm, one nearly falling short only to be pulled to safety by Bear-Slayer's powerful arm. Are we all, one by one, supposed to risk our lives for her dark amusement?

Lugh has been staring at the bridge-that-is-not-a-bridge. He seems to be contemplating taking his turn now. I cannot allow Scathach to steal one of my most loyal and trusted warriors from me, just to satisfy her thirst for blood.

"There must be another way," Gar suddenly speaks up. He glares into the mists that hang like pale veils across the ravine. The bridge sways gently in the wind, as if teasing us to come across it.

A battle-roar shatters the tense silence. My blood-brother, Elpin, charges forward with all the swiftness and strength of a raging stag. His feet pound the boards of the bridge and for a moment it would seem that the haunted span will permit his passage. I hold my breath, and then groan with disgust as a tremor abruptly ripples across the expanse. Brave Elpin flexes his haunches and springs up, in ardent imitation of the leap that carried the others across, but he is flipped from the bridge as easily as a fly is flicked from a horse's tail. Without so much as a scream or a shout, he falls and there is none to catch him. As soon as he disappears into the black chasm, strange snarls, growls, gnashings and thrashings, the likes of which I have never heard, echo from the pit.

I turn to Lugh and shake my head again, this time with no chuckle. "Is this how she strikes her fear? It is a cowardly warrior who hides behind these deadly games! Is this is test of courage and skill or a test of foolishness? Gar speaks true, there must be another way."