But though they were now unseen, they had stood for a moment before the Cave entrance, fully revealed, and in that moment the eyes of an enemy had caught sight of them.
Long had Curling Smoke crouched low in his cranny in the cliff-side. His gaze had roved unceasingly over the Plain of Ash. So vigilant was he that he was sure that none could possibly have approached the Wizard’s Cave without being seen by him from his hiding-place. Nevertheless, hour had dragged slowly after hour, and still the one for whom he waited did not appear.
The giant’s eyeballs ached, and grew dim at length from his steadfast watching. Had it not been for his keen desire to satisfy his own ancient grudge against the good fairies of the Fire, he would have broken his promise to the Wizard, and careless as to whether or not the Prince went by, he would have lain down to rest.
He wondered greatly at the delay, for, long since, Black Shadow had told him that the stranger was already within the Elf’s dwelling in the Borderland. If this were true, he should have reached the Cave by now. Curling Smoke could not imagine what this important matter could be which could detain the Prince so long, yet in spite of his weariness, he continued to look away in the direction of the Elf’s house.
Growing more and more restless and impatient, he finally rose a little in his place of concealment and thrust out his head far enough to see not only the expanse of the Plain and the path up the cliff-side, but the entrance to the Cave of Darkness as well. What was his astonishment to see two figures standing before it—one of them the grey-robed Shadow Witch, whom he knew well, the other a stranger, and clad in those ruddy garments by which Black Shadow had declared he might recognize Prince Ember. He could scarcely believe it to be possible that the Shadow Witch had escaped from her brother—that the Prince had crossed the Plain under his very eyes unseen. Yet there they were, almost in his grasp. Eager to snatch at them both, he was about to emerge from his hiding-place, when, to his discomfiture, they both vanished suddenly from his sight.
That they had gone back into the cavern he did not believe to be possible. Moreover their faces had been set toward the Plain. There could be no doubt that they had made themselves invisible, and were now on their way down the cliff.