"Right. And you're about as wood-wise as a fish. You wouldn't even last long enough for them to find you! They'd take those from your corpse after you tripped in a mud puddle and drowned."
"You haven't even given me a chance to prove myself!" Kalen protested. "I've been in the army since I was eleven. Four years training and two battles have taught me more than you think."
"I don't care. I'm not letting you take off with these." Eldan brandished the three little scrolls in his face.
"Well, I'm not leaving them with you. Their magic clearly works better on you than me."
Eldan snorted at the word. "Magic? Objects are not magical. I don't believe in any real magic. I've seen Fellyrian conjuring tricks and heard tales of spellcasters across the mountains, but I have seen no spirits, or enchantments, or any true magic."
"And what of Ithien? Or Zerak, for that matter?"
"Ithien is not magic. That's blasphemy--he is our god! And don't class him with Zerak. Zerak is a Fellyrian legend, created by their kings to maintain control of their people."
Kalen did not reply, so she went on. "But even if these are magical, and some spell makes them visible to you and invisible to me, you could just as easily be the one enchanted to see something that isn't there."
"Then it looks like as long as we have those, we're stuck with each other."
"I suppose so--until one of us drives the other mad."
Living in the forest was better than Kalen expected, and, contrary to Eldan's prediction, the more time passed, the less they irritated each other. Eldan's satirical remarks grew less frequent and more mild as Kalen's skills improved. The hours separate as one slept or hunted while the other kept guard over the scrolls definitely helped. It was during one such time that Kalen realised that something was wrong.
The final embers of their cookfire were fading, throwing their last sparks into the cold night air. Eldan was curled up in a tight ball under her cloak with her quiver for a pillow. It had been a little over a week, with no sign of pursuit or trouble, and Kalen's watch was growing a little slack. He idly cut away at a fallen branch. He had never been able to whittle, but then, he had never before had the time to learn.
The horse head slowly began to take shape. It was rough, like a child's drawing, but better than any he had made before. Ouch The knife suddenly slipped and cut into his fingernail, nicking the skin underneath. He set the knife again. The blade trembled. No. It vibrated. He held out his hand. There was no tremor. His trained instincts set in, and he stabbed the knife into the ground. Setting his ear to it, he could feel the vibrations in the earth. A distant rumble, not of thunder, ran up the hilt.
"Eldan." The girl did not stir. "Eldan!" He shook her lightly, then more earnestly.
"What? Is it time already?" She mumbled, not opening her eyes.
"No--but we have a problem." That roused her. She sat up quickly, still tangled up in her cloak. "I think we have company. Listen here."
Eldan had her ear to the hilt for only a moment, then she was on her feet. "It's Fellyre. It must be. No one else has a force of that size. They're advancing again." She began strapping her gear back on. "We can't stay here. I need to warn the Tassin."
"So we are going to the Tassin after all? How do you know that's where the Fellyrian army is headed?"
"It's not. They're going to Elni. Elni is the only free city left. They would make an end of us--the Tassin would not last long alone against Fellyre. But we can do what we do best."
"And what's that?"
"Sting." Eldan offered no further explanation, but stamped out the remains of the fire and started off into the night. She set a hard pace, but Kalen had always been swiftfooted. The sun rose, and they took to the thicker parts of the forest, slowing their pace slightly.
Suddenly, Eldan stopped, putting her hand out for silence. She smiled after a moment. "Rystar, you're mad if you think you could hit a horse from that distance. Put that down before you hurt yourself." A tree far to their left rustled as its occupant scrambled down. He was a slight youth, younger than Kalen, with a frizz of golden hair sticking out from under a poorly sewn hat and a short bow and quiver slung over his shoulder. He returned Eldan's smile innocently.
"I was waiting for you to get closer. Eldan, it is good to see you! We thought you were dead. Ellesanne is going to take you to task for the scare you gave her. Aevin blames himself for letting you go."
"I have much to tell them, but there's more pressing news now. You should get back to your post. There'll be a rallying tonight. I'll see you then."
"Er, Eldan..." Rystar fidgeted nervously. "I don't know if I can let you both pass. I don't remember all the rules, but I'll need to know his name and where he's from, and I am supposed to accompany him to the Scevva."
"Kalen is an Elnite and one of us now. We don't have time for this. Fellyre is on the move. If there's aught to answer for, I'll do the answering. Now get back up that tree and have your bow ready for Fellyrian scouts." Rystar did not need to be told twice. The mention of Fellyrian Scouts was enough.
The Tassin village--or Scevva as they called it--looked more like a mess of brambles and birds nests high in the trees than anything else. It took Eldan sometime of yelling up into the trees before they were persuaded to throw a rope ladder down. She didn't tie the bottom, but the tree kept it from swinging too badly as they climbed. Through a thick net of branches, they came out on to a rough hewn wooden platform, where they were immediately surrounded by lightly armed men in leather armor.
"Eldan!" One of them took half a step forward and Kalen recognised him as Aevin. A heavy set dark bearded man, evidently their leader, interrupted.
"Eldan Tellisade. You have been gone without leave three weeks. Where have you been?"
"Around. It doesn't matter. Fellyre is on the move. They are marching on Elni. If we don't intervene, we'll be the only resistance left."
"How do you know this? Have you seen their forces?"
"No, but I heard them. A force large enough to make the ground shake could only come from Fellyre." The man crossed his arms and did not move. "Zerak's blood, Hallin, what reason would I have to lie? We failed Syxel. We can't abandon Elni. Fellyre is one step away from total dominion; it's our job to stop that final step."
Aevin spoke up. "Thank you, Eldan. Our scouts have already brought back reports of this force, so we know you're telling the truth. Hallin's just being boorish because he doesn't want to fight for Elni."
Hallin turned on Aevin like a storm. "Elni be damned! They've never so much as lifted a finger to our aid. They live in peace and prosperity, thanks to their wealthy army, while our people starve. Attacking their army? It's madness! My plan would work a thousand times better. If you want to kill a beast, you don't hack at its limbs. Go for the heart--one quick blow and the Fellyrians will be the homeless ones."
Aevin didn't so much as blink at the tirade. "The council will meet shortly and bring this to vote. It's really come down to Hallin and Fendrel. I can guess which side you're going to take. But come--you and your friend must be hungry."
Hallin put up a brief protest, then turned and left, with a warning that he would tell the council of Aevin's insubordination. A short walk along a precariously narrow bridge with a thin rope on either side for railing led them to an odd triangular hut with a thatched roof.
Within minutes, a basic, if a bit scant, meal, consisting of herbs, fruit, and dried meat, was spread out before them on a blanket on the floor of the hut. Eldan and Aevin sat cross legged and took their food with their fingers, so Kalen followed in suit. Aevin plied them with questions about the past three weeks. Eldan's answers somewhat surprised Kalen, as he frequently came up in rather heroic context. If she saw him that way, she had certainly never shown it.
After dinner, Aevin took the blanket, shook it once, then offered it to Kalen. "You should take some rest. Sounds like you've earned it." It felt vaguely like being offered a table for a bed, but Kalen was too tired to mind.
"My thanks, Aevin. Can I sleep here?" Permission granted, he immediately acted upon it.
No comments:
Post a Comment