Page 28 (1/2)
The as brisk across the aters of the Masur Delaval as Elbryan, Pony, and the disguised Juraviel boarded the ferry in Pal- h, pretending he was her son - her ailing son, and since disease was a too common and much feared event in Honce-the-Bear, no one dared move too close
In truth, Juraviel&039;s moans held more than a little touch of re-alis his wings
The huge sails unfurled and the square-decked ship eased out of Palainst her low sides There wereabout the wide and flat deck, with the crew of seven working e twice every day, when the weather perather information," Ju-raviel whispered to Elbryan and Pony "People crossing the river are often afraid, and frightened people often echo aloud their own fears in the hope that another will speak co them," Elbryan offered, and he slipped away from his "family"
"Yer boy sick?" caer roup of five adults, three men and tomen, fishermen, by the looks of theer explained "Our hoe For a oblins, scraping for food where we ryfoul, a uess, and has not yet recovered, nor ht some sympathetic nods, particularly fro?" the same man asked
"East," Elbryan answered cryptically "And you?" he asked quickly, before the man could press the point
"Just to A to the city across the water, the destination of the ferry
"We all live in A friends in Palmaris, now that it&039;s all calmed down," the man added
Elbryan nodded and looked away, out to the aters, the docks of Pal ship found sooing beyond Amvoy," the woman offered
"We are"
"To St-Mere-Abelle," the fisherman reasoned
Elbryan snapped an incredulous stare over the ive anything defi-nite away
"That&039;s where I&039;d go if I had a sick boy," the ht the expression on the ranger&039;s face "They say theh they&039;re not quick in giving theh fro, who looked at the ranger earnestly "Ye take care if ye&039;re to go east of Aain, more deliberately "There&039;ve been reports o&039; powrie bands roving the land And them monsters&039;re not to care for yer sick boy, don&039;t ye doubt"
"And one nasty band o&039; goblins," the man added "Rumor says they were left on their own by the powries, and now they&039;re run-ning scared"
"Nothing oblins," another rateful s with powries, or goblins" With that, he bowed andconcerns about roving bands in the east, but garnered nothing truly valuable
Heback to Pony and Juraviel The elfreclined with his blanket tightly wrapping hi the horses, for Greystone, in particular, had grown quite uncoh water The horse sta, and sas beginning to glisten about his muscled neck
Elbryan went to hi, straight down, and that steadied the horse ht back to sta his head
Symphony, meanwhile, had calmed considerably, and when Elbryan found the ainst Syical turquoise, he understood Pony had found coed to impress upon the spirited stal-lion the need for cal that nearly launched Elbryan away The horse tried to rear up, but the ranger dug in and pulled all the harder
Several other people, a pair of crew to help steady the beast, for a nervous horse on an open ship deck could be a dangerous companion indeed
But then Sy past Elbryan and laying his head across the top of Greystone&039;s neck Both horses snorted and neighed, Greystone staain and tried to rear, but Sy down harder, even lifting one front leg over the s Greystone in place
Then, to the amazement of all the onlookers, Elbryan and Pony included, Symphony came down fro and shaking his head Greystone issued a few more protests, but they sounded halfhearted
And then both horses were calm
"Good horse," one man muttered to Elbryan as he started away
Another asked if Elbryan wanted to sell Symphony
"Avelyn&039;s stone proves itself useful now and then," Pony re-ain
"I understand the communication between yourself and Syer said "But a that Sye to Greystone?"
"So of that nature, so it would see her head, for she had no practical answers
"How full of arrogance you hu looks from both of them "Does it so surprise you that horses can communicate with each other, at least in a rudimentary way? Hoould they have survived all these centuries if they could not?"
Elbryan and Pony, defeated by the sier&039;s expression, though, changed quickly, back to serious
"There is talk of powrie bands roving the eastern reaches of the kingdom," he explained "And of one band of particularly trouble-sooblins"
"Could we have expected any less?" Juraviel replied
"Froather, it would seem that our eneer went on "The powries deserted the goblins, so say the rue as enerally wicked nature"
Juraviel nodded, but Pony quickly added, "You hsome of our eneoblins nor powries rank as our worst enemy at this time"
That painful reminder of their destination and the potential di-saster they faced at the place quieted theroup They spent the next, and last, hour of the voyage in relative silence, tending to the horses, and all were glad when the ferry at last docked in the s beside the entrance to the gang-plank, reiterated warnings about goblins and powries to all the pas-sengers as they disereat care if they traveled out of the city
Needing no supplies, the friends cut right through the walled city to the eastern gate, where again they arned about po-tential dangers in the open lands beyond Their passage was not hindered, though, and so they rode out fro miles behind them
The terrain here was far less wooded than that north of Palmaris
The land was more cultivated, crisscrossed by wide roads, some covered in cobblestones - not that any were really needed, for the grassy fields were easily crossed Paralleling the road froroup passed another town that sah it wasn&039;t walled, they could see that its defenses - archers on rooftops, even a catapult in the town square - were securely in place
Far, a few even giving a friendly wave or calling to them an offer of a free meal But the friends pushed on, and as the sun ht of yet another town, this one much smaller than the previous, as the land was reat river
They swung around to the east of the settles visible in the distance, deciding to keep a watch for the townsfolk that night
"How far do we have to go?" Juraviel asked as they sat around a low fire, eating their supper
Elbryan looked to Pony, who had spent years in this area
"A couple of days," she replied "No more" She took a stick fro the Masur Delaval and All Saints Bay "St-Mere-Abelle is no more than a hundred miles from the river, if I remember correctly," she explained, and then she drew out the land farther to the east, e and, finally, Pireth Tulme "I was here, in Pireth Tulme, but after I met up with Avelyn, ent back to the river - not near to St-Mere-Abelle, but along a course to the south of the abbey"
"Two days," Elbryan in to formulate our plans"
"There is little to decide," Juraviel said with cavalier flair "We alk up to the doors of the abbey and demand our friends be returned And if they are not, and promptly, ill knock the place down!"
The atte nize how daunting this quest really was St-Mere-Abelle was home to hundreds of monks, they knew, emstones If Elbryan, or particularly Pony, was discov-ered and recognized, the quest would be over, and quickly
"You should not bring the gemstones into the abbey," Elbryan remarked
Pony looked at hi theirtool, as well
"They ht be able to sense the presence of the stones even if you are not using thereed
Pony nodded her agreeet into that debate just yet
"And if we are discovered," the ranger went on in gri his remark directly at Pony, "you and Ifor an exchange"
"The two of us for the release of the Chilichunks and Bradwarden," Pony reasoned
"And then Juraviel will retrieve Avelyn&039;s stones and go with them to the west, and then with Bradwarden back to Dundalis," Elbryan continued "Then you take the stones back to Andur&039;Blough Innin-ness," he explained to the elf, "and bid your Lady Dasslerond to hold the his head before Elbryan finished "The Touel&039;alfar will not be involved in the matter of the stones," he said
"You already are involved!" Pony insisted
"Not so," said Juraviel "I a more"
"Then help us in this matter," Pony continued, but Elbryan, with his better understanding of the aloof elves, had already given up the fight
"You ask for political involvement," Juraviel explained "That we cannot do"
"I ask for you to uphold the ued
"This is a matter for the Church to settle," Juraviel was quick to answer "They, and not the Touel&039;alfar, must decide their own course"
"This is ahis hand on Pony&039;s arm to quiet her She looked him square in the eye, and he shook his head slowly, deliberately, conveying the hopelessness of such an arguive theer said to the elf "Let him take thereeer," Pony went on "And Syain the elf nodded and a long an to laugh suddenly
"Ah, but a hopeful group we have beco our defeat, not our victory Is that as you were trained, Nightbird?"
Elbryan&039;s smile widened across his face, shadoith the stubble of a three-day-old beard "I was trained to win," he said "And ill find a way into St-Mere-Abelle, and be out of the place with Bradwarden and the Chilichunks before the ht with raised food and drink Then they finished theirthe caht, leaving Elbryan and Pony alone
"I fear this," Pony adan when first I met Avelyn Desbris"
Despite his earlier bravado, Elbryan could not disagree
Pony moved close to him then, and he put his arms around her She looked up into his eyes, slid up to her tiptoes and gently kissed hi his stare with her own, the ten-sion building She caently, and he returned the kiss, brushing his lips against her, feeling her strong back under the press of his ar the muscles
"What of our pact?" he started to ask, but Pony put her finger across his lips, silencing hiround beside her
It seemed to Elbryan that they tere alone in the orld, under the sparkling stars and with the gentle su their exposed skin, tickling the the their horses hard, as dawn pinkened the eastern sky before theet into St-Mere-Abelle secretly fell apart before they really began, for they would have no practical understanding of the place until they had glimpsed it and seen its fortifi-cations and its state of readiness Were the doors opened wide for refugees from any nearby towns, or were they sealed shut, with dozens of ar thetheir discussion off until it could produce sohtened their pace, de-ter
But then they saw the se lined with trees All three had seen such plumes before, and kneas froency of their h stakes, no one questioned their course Elbryan and Pony together turned their rassy slope to the tree line Juraviel, bow in hand, fluttered away fro high to better scout out the area
Elbryan and Pony slowed and dise cautiously Spread below the the ons, laden with goods and turned into a defensive, roughly circular for, and Elbryan and Pony could hear the shouts fro for water, or for preparation of the defenses The pair could see, too, that onized screams of the wounded rolled up out of the bowl
"Merchants," the ranger reo down to the the soul stone"
Elbryan looked at her skeptically, not wanting to use that stone, or any other, so near to St-Mere-Abelle "Wait for Juraviel&039;s re-turn," he bade her "I see no dead , and so it seeun"
Pony nodded her agreereatly
Juraviel was back soon enough, fluttering to a tree liood and bad," the elf ex-plained "First and oblins, and not powries, a lesser foe by far But they are four score in nu a second strike" He pointed across the dell, to the southern ridge "Beyond the trees"
Elbryan, ever the tactician, and understanding goblins&039; ways, surveyed the area "They are confident?" he asked Juraviel
The elf nodded "I saounded, and none in arguht over that ridge," the ranger rea-soned, "using the down slope to speed their run at the merchants Goblins never concern themselves about their own dead They&039;ll not expend the time or the effort to coordinate a more comprehen-sive attack"
"Nor will they have to," Juraviel added, looking down at the wagons and the pitiful atteuards cannot hope to hold them off"
"Unless we help them," Pony was quick to put in, and her hand subconsciously slipped to the pouch of gemstones, a motion El-bryan did not miss
He looked Pony in the eye and shook his head "Do not use the gems unless we absolutely need them," he instructed
"Four score," Juraviel reer "If we can kill one of four, the rest will likely flee Let us prepare the battlefield"
"I will go and watch the goblins," the elf said, and he disap-peared froht so quickly that both Elbryan and Pony blinked in disbelief
The two led the horses around the dell, ons, then up the southern slope to the tree line "They are hungry and frightened," Elbryan noted
"The er replied "But I speak of the goblins They are hungry and frightened and desperate, and that erous"
"So if we kill one in four, they will not run?" Pony asked
The ranger shrugged "They are too far fro back I suspect the rumors are true, that the powries deserted theave hilance "Do you intend to offer ht "Not for goblins," he said firmly "Not after Dundalis I pray they do not flee, for then they will live to cause more sadness Let four score come over the hill, and let four score die at our hands"
They were up to the top of the ridge by then, and the goblins were in sight, huddled on the side of a ridge half a mile to the south
There weren&039;t ob-lins, but both Pony and Elbryan quickly discounted any ideas of spotting Juraviel as he made his way down to them They turned in-stead to the tree line, to see what surprises they could put together for the onco trees suitable for snares, while the ranger focused on one large and dead ele
"If we could drop this in their er remarked when Pony ht indeed," Pony replied sarcastically, for the dead tree was indeed huge
But Elbryan had an answer to that He reached into a pouch and took out a packet of red gel "A gift of the elves," he explained "And I think this trunk h for it to work"
Pony nodded She had seen Elbryan use that sael in Aida, to weaken a le swipe of his sword had cut right through it "I&039;ve already set one snare, and I can see possibilities for several more," she said "Also, a few sharpened sticks in the underbrush er nodded absently, too immersed in his oork to even notice as Pony went back to hers
Elbryan found the weakest point along the trunk and tested its width and give He was convinced that with several s of Teood enough, for he would never find the tioblins But if he could properly prepare it now
He took up his sword and gave a light chop, then fell back cau-tiously as he heard the responding crackles of buckling wood Again he found the proper place and cut into the tree, and then again He went to the packet next and tore it open, then smeared a line of the reddish substance - a mixture the elves used to weaken ite it in line with a pair of trees farther down the slope
As he finished, Pony ca Greystone "We should tell the toward the merchant caravan
"They know that soer replied