Page 7 (1/2)

Their journey on the road had thus far been surprisingly un-eventful They had encountered a band of goblins on the southern edge of the Moorlands, but dispatched that group with typical efficiency - three shots fro bolt fro down those couple that roup Search-ing the area afterward, the ranger and the elf, both expert trackers, had found no signs to indicate that any greater nuht be in the i, for the present, was at its end

Things got even quieter when they left the alild Moor-lands far behind, crossing into the kingdom of Honce-the-Bear, just south of the Timberlands The northwestern corner of Honce-the-Bear was not heavily populated, and there was really only one path that could be considered a road, that covered the ground be-tween the Wilderlands and thePaloblins and powries hadn&039;t found enough sport in the in at all that any were about

Soon, though, the trio was farther south, in erows and stone walls, and with many roads to choose from And all of those roads showed rooves of the wheels of laden carts and poar engines

"Landsdown," explained Pony, pointing to a plu in the distance, just over a short hill She had been through this area only a couple of ties, knew it far better than either of her co monstrous army had first come to the three towns of the Timberlands, it was Pony who traveled south to warn the folk of Landsdown and the neighboring coer

"Occupied by er reasoned, for it seemed un-likely to hiiven the sheer nu the roads And the sry, billowing blackness of buildings burning, but rather the siray plu town in a similar posi-tion," Belli&039;mar Juraviel reasoned "It seems as if our enemies are well- entrenched and mean to stay"

"Caer Tinella," Pony reht "The next town in line is Caer Tinella" She looked back to the north as she spoke, for the group had veered from the one main road, the one be-tween Palh the forest, and had come in from the west, below the level of Caer Tinella, the northernanized township in Honce-the-Bear, and thus the closest to the three towns of the Timberlands

"And beyond Caer Tinella?" Elbryan asked

"The road back home," Pony answered

"We should start in the north, then," the ranger reasoned "We will swing back around Caer Tinella and see e ht"

"You will probably find a fight waiting for you right over that hill," Juraviel reees, if there are any in the area," Elbryan replied, and it was not the first time he had expressed those sentiht find Belster O&039;Co any resistance bands operating in this area

The ranger looked to Pony, saw a smile on her fair face, and knew that she understood the reasoning behind the urgency in his voice, and knew, too, that she was of like heart It would be good to be a, Pony climbed up behind hiht on the road?" Belli&039;mar Juraviel asked

"Both of them are," Pony replied "Landsdown to the south and Caer Tinella just a few ive Caer Tinella a wide berth to the west, going right around the town," Elbryan explained "It is possible that any resis-tance bands would be encamped farther in the north, where the fields and roads are less, and the forest is thicker"

"You go west," Juraviel agreed, eyeing the north road "I will go closer to Caer Tinella to see if I can get a goodfor his diminutive friend, started to protest, but bit the words back, considering the stealthiness of the Touel&039;alfar Belli&039;ht up behind the most alert deer and pat it twice on the rump before it ever kneas there

Juraviel wouldn&039;t have listened to any arguular face, an observation confirolden eye and added, "And our ene away, a shadow a shadows

"Ye will tell er sat as straight as his tight bindings would allow and painted a disarulne&039;s head snapped forward, the powrie&039;s bony forehead crushing Roger&039;s nose and knocking the er sputtered and tried to roll away, but the cords held his are A pair of powries were beside hi hiulne declared The powrie sers

The sound jolted poor Roger&039;s sensibilities; he could only groan as the door to the s on a short leash the biggest,strained in his direction against the powrie&039;s strong pull, baring its for its powerful jaws

"Craggoth hounds eat lots," the grinning Kos-kosio Begulne said "Now, boy, ye got so to steady hi hard not to panic The powries wanted to know the location of the refugee encae, no ," said Kos-kosio Begulne, snapping his fingers again The powrie dropped the leash and the Craggoth hound caer threw his scoring theat his jawline

"Don&039;t ye let the beast kill hiulne instructed the others "Just make him hurt real bad He&039;ll talk to us, don&039;t ye doubt" With other matters to attend to, the powrie leader left the roo the spectacle

For poor Roger, all the world was blood and snapping jaws

Belster O&039;Coreatest fear he had known since leaving Dundalis According to the returned scouts, the powries had Roger, and now the appear-ance of so large a ly to the north, led the portly ive theht in his disdain for Roger&039;s nightly antics

There was no way that nearly two hundred refugees, et away from such a force, Bel-ster realized, and so he and his fellows had only one apparent op-tion: the able-bodied would go out and fight the powries in the woods, occupy theht could get far, far away

Belster wasn&039;t thrilled with the prospects, and neither was To at an orga-nized and prepared group of reatly and probably spell the end of any real resistance in the region Belster suspected that any huht would have toaround the et into Palmaris Many times over the last couple of weeks, Belster and Tomas had considered just such an option, and each time had dish pressure being exerted on the monsters from the forces of Palmaris; the monster lines were too thick and too well-entrenched

Still, the innkeeper had suspected all along that it would come to this, and in fact had known that the priet the noncombatants far froht with danger, but the su would not likely survive the cold nights of winter in the forest

Belster blew all those thoughts aith a profound and help-less sigh He had to concentrate on the business at hand, on di-recting the coone out to both the east and west of the advancing monstrous horde

"The eastern flank is ready to strike," To near the innkeeper

"They hit hard, and retreat fast," Belster explained

"And those in the west have to come in hard and fast as soon as the monsters make their turn to the east," Tomas replied appropriately

Belster nodded "And then comes our job, Toth of our eneanized enough, for a full assault If so, then we send our fighters straight in, and signal for east and west to close like the jaws of a wolf"

"And if not," Tomas interrupted, for he had heard all of this be-fore, "those in the west flee into the forest and those in the east coulne&039;s turning line"

"While you and I and our fellows go to the others and begin the long circuit to the south," Belster finished, his deflated tone showing he did not like that prospect

"You would begin that at once?" Toht that they would finish the night, however it was to be decided, in the forest, and wait for the revealing daylight to lay their plans

"If we o south - and if this force is on to us, then we have few options - it would be better that we go while the mon-sters are preoccupied with our archers," Belster decided

"We have to get word to them, then," Tomas replied "When they finally break ranks, they must knohere to find us"

Belster considered that for a rave "If in their fear they turn directly to the south, they will be chased, and thus ill be chased," he reasoned "They have already been instructed to flee into the forest if the at-tack is routed They will find their way froo" Those were indeed the most difficult words Belster O&039;Co to be correct, but still felt as if he was abandoning his comrades

Tomas&039; first reaction called for an i Belster&039;s pained expression, and, be-cause of that, taking the ree with the decision, and understood that no ht become for the archers, it would be no less so for Belster&039;s retreating group, for by all reports they would have to cross miles and miles of land even thicker withtoward theiant allies," he reported "They&039;ve just crossed Arnesun&039;s Creek"

Belster closed his eyes and felt weary indeed Four giants, any one of which could probably wipe out half of his warriors Even worse, giants could return the arrow volleys by hurling huge stones or spears the size of tree trunks

"Should we change the plan?" Toravely "Send the eastern flank into action And may God be with the the word Barely ten minutes later the forest to the south erupted with screa arrows and the thunder of giant-hurled boulders

"Powries, goblins, and giants," Juraviel explained to Elbryan and Pony when he caught up to the north, with purpose, it would seeuess easily enough what that purposehis hand to the elf

"Three on Symphony?" Juraviel asked doubtfully "He is as fine a horse as ever there was, I do not question, but three is too many"

"Then run, ht best fit into the battle"

Juraviel was gone in the blink of an eye, scah the forest

"And keep your head low!" Elbryan called after hihtbird!" caiving her that prebattle expression, a look of sheer determination she had come to knoell "Are you ready with the stones?"

"Always," Pony answered grie in the one froht you with the heer chuckled as he turned back and kicked his great stal-lion into a run Pony had a diaht the way, and as they rode she removed the cat&039;s-eye circlet from around her head and set it on her cohtbird would guide Syh the ical turquoise, it was alh his eyes Even with that guidance, though, the ranger found the trail diffi-cult, with thick brush and tightly packed trees, and paths that seemed to always lead him farther to the west instead of directly north, and so it was Juraviel, cutting a straighter course than the riders, for trees were hardly an obstacle to the ni distance of the battle first He saw the ht, to the east, apparently in pursuit

"Giants," the elf said grie forms Even as he watched, one of the behele of trees, s down hard froiant made for him, while the other lanced all around, hoping that Nightbird and Pony would coainst so powerful a force?

The noble elf shook those thoughts away Whatever he ht do, he had to try; he could not stand idly by and watch aa solid branch

The fallenhis lips On caoblin, spiked club in hand

Juraviel&039;s first bowshot took the creature in the kidney

"Blioblin howled "I been stuck!"

Juraviel&039;s second arrow took it in the throat, and it fell over, gur-gling, clasping futilely at the h, after having seen the giant&039;s tactics Sure enough, a heavy stone ca into the tree, where Juraviel had just been standing

The elf, far to the side in another tree, giggled loudly - giants hated that "Oh, big and stupid is not the way!" Juraviel sang out, eiant&039;s face

Even so perfect a shot had little physical effect, though, the be-he the tiny arroay as if it were noinsect The e The giant roared and charged blindly, soblins to follow

Soon the elf was running, skipping lightly along high branches and stopping every so often to hurl a taunt, or, when the opportu-nity presented itself, to shoot an arrow, just to keep his pursuers on course He doubted he would kill the giant, or would even get enough of a clear shot to bring down a goblin, but he figured that having the behe him far from the field of battle was a solid contribution

The elf&039;s keen ears picked up the sound of battle again soon after, but it was far to the north now, or at least he and the pursuers were far to the south, closer to Caer Tinella than the spot where the ht if need be, past Caer Tinella and all the way to the south of Landsdown

"Oh, well done," Elbryan congratulated when he saw the second band of hu east, behind the monstrous force

Pony looked at hier explained "They hit side to side, trying to confuse their eneer&039;s face

"I know it, too," Pony agreed, catching on "And so does - "

"Belster O&039;Coer reasoned "Let us hope"

"And let us see where weSyed, thundering along the path, closing ground to the second wave of Belster&039;s aruide Sy forces - except for one roup that, for soing off far to the south Pulling up behind the cover of a line of thick pines, the ranger slid down from the horse and handed Pony the reins

"Stay safe," he whispered, reaching tip to touch the woman&039;s hand To his surprise, Pony handed the s too et close - " Elbryan started to protest

"Do you remember the copse in the Moorlands?" Pony replied evenly "They were close then"

That ier&039;s concerns If the et close to Pony, pity theets for me," the woman explained "If you can use the heic of each stone is low on a band of powries, and then run clear"

Elbryan grabbed her handup on tiptoes that he could give her a kiss "For luck," he said, and started away

"For later," Pony replied slyly just as Elbryan ht She reh, and gave a frustrated sigh This as getting too long for her liking

For Elbryan&039;s liking as well With the cat&039;s-eye, the ranger could see well in the night Still, when Pony&039;s teasing reply drifted to his ears, he al

He took a deep breath and put aside any i himself fully into the present, to the situation at hand Then he was off and running, using the sounds of fighting to guide hishih his veins; he fell into that almost trancelike state, the warrior incarnate, the same perfect balance and honed senses that he found inbi&039;nelle dasada, his htbird now, the elven-trained warrior Even his step seeile

Soon he was close enough to view the movements of the co hieoblins were perfectly blind outside the tiny peri torches, this night fighting in the dark forest was astheir ene hard not to chuckle at the utter ridiculousness of it all, as huht by each other, barely ten feet apart, without ever noticing

The ranger knew that it was tioblins huddled low at the base of a tree, peering to the west, the direction from which the most recent assault had been launched He saw the pair clearly, but without any source of light, they did not see hi a clear run to them, then inched closer, closer, and leaped into their htbird turned back to the left, driving his sword out straight with all his weight and strength behind it, a sudden, explosive thrust that skew-ered the first

He tore the blade free and pivoted back the other way, to find the other goblin down on its knees, clutching its belly, staggered from the first strike Te off the creature&039;s ugly head

Nightbird ran on, cutting swiftly across open patches of grass, clie of the unfolding scene around hiht be waiting and of what help the woquiet on Syrove Every so often she spotted or heard some movement not so far away, but could not tell if it was huhtened by the tuers about several chosen stones: graphite and netite, the powerful ruby and protective serpentine and , Elbryan," she whispered, anxious to get into the fray, to launch the first blows that she ht be rid of this typical nervousness That was how battles - except, of course, for unex-pected fights - always started for her, with the churning sto anticipation One strike would rid her of that edginess, she knehen purpose and adrenaline would surge through her body

She heard a coe silhouette Pony needed no diaht to discern the identity of thatstone, Pony holding it up at aries She hesi-tated a bit longer, letting the power iant and its handful of allies settle into position on a ridge across a short de-pression of thin trees

Still she waited - she doubted that her lightning stroke would kill many of the creatures, and certainly it would not destroy the giant If she loosed the iven away and she would indeed be in the thick of the fight Perhaps a better opportunity would be presented to her

But then the giant roared and hurled a huge stone to the west, where a group of hu, and the issue was settled Goblins and powries howled in glee, thinking they had am-bushed and would quickly overrun this one s burst of searing white energy Several goblins and a pair of powries went flying to the ground; the giant was thrown back so forcefully that it uprooted a small tree as it stumbled