Page 15 (1/2)
HAD SEEN IT ALL
"Well, ain’t this a keg o’ beer in a co around the s as a teic that Ivan did not understand, the ether, blocking all exits with a nearly solid wall of trunks
Ivan, of course, was none too happy with that Pikel reclined in the middle of the field, hands tucked co up at the stars His sandals were off and the contented daggled his stubby toes happily
"If they hadn’t takeda trail or ten!" Ivan blustered
Pikel giggled and waggled his toes
"Shut yerdefiantly at the tree wall
He blinked a moment later and rubbed his eyes in disbelief as one of the trees drifted aside, leaving a clear path beyond Ivan paused, expecting the elves to enter through the breach, but the n the their captors The dwarf hopped about, started for the break, then skidded to a stop and swung around when he heard his brother giggling
"Ye did that," Ivan accused
"Hee hee hee"
"Well if ye could do that, then why’ve we been sitting here for two days?"
Pikel propped hio!"
"Uh uh," said Pikel
Ivan stared at him incredulously "Why not?"
Pikel hopped to his feet and ju "Shhhhhhr
"Who ye shushing?" Ivan asked, his expression going fro to the damned trees," he realized
Pikel looked at hi that the damned trees’ll tell the damned elfs if alk outta here?"
Pikel nodded enthusiastically
"Well, shut ’eed helplessly
"Ye can h ’eged again
Ivan storound "Well, let ’em tell the elfs! And let them elfs try to catch me!"
Pikel put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side, his expression doubtful
"Yeah, yeah," Ivan called to hi to hear any of it
Of course he had no weapon Of course he had no aret out of there Of course he wouldn’t likely get fifty feet into the forest before being recaptured, probably painfully
But none of that really , do anything, to stick his finger in the eyes of his captors That was the way of dwarves, after all, and of Ivan beyond the norm for his taciturn race It was better to head-butt your ene a full-faced plated helmet, even if it was spiked, than to stand helplessly before hih the Pikel-hed anda coain and fell back to the grass and stared up at the stars Perfectly content
"Never would I have believed that a dwarf couldan axe," Innovindil remarked
She stood at Tarathiel’s side, on a low branch overlooking the lea, observing the brothers
"He truly is possessed of druidic reed "How is that possible?"
Innovindil giggled "Perhaps the dwarves are h it is hard to believe when you consider that one as the source"
Looking at Pikel and his waggling toes, Tarathiel found it hard to disagree with the last part of her statement
The pair watched silently as Ivan stormed out of the meadow then patiently waited the fewdwarf to be reunited forcibly with his brother, a trio of elves dragging hierous," Innovindil remarked
"We still can’t be sure of their intentions," Tarathiel replied
She had been pushing hi heavily in favor of escorting theo
’Then test hi that she had just found a revelation "If he is a druid, as he seems, then there is one way to prove it Let Pikel Bouldershoulder find his judge at Montolio’s grove"
Tarathiel stroked his thin chin, a s as he considered the words Perhaps Innovindil was on to so, which really didn’t surprise Tarathiel when he thought about it Ever had Innovindil been the farsighted one, finding roads out of the darkest dilemmas
He looked to her appreciatively, but she was eyeing the field, concern growing on her fair face She nodded his way and bade him to follow, then hopped down from the branch and moved onto the field, where it looked like the confrontation between the yellow-bearded Bouldershoulder and the three elves ht be about to explode
"Hold fast, Ivan Bouldershoulder," she called, and the attention of all five turned to her "Your ire is not justified"
"Bah!" the dwarf snorted, so predictably "Ye’re locking me in, elf? How’d ya think I’d take it?"
"And I am certain that if one of us went into your homeland, he would find himself welcomed with open arms," came the sarcastic reply
"Probably would," Ivan retorted, offering a snort at Pikel, who led "Cadderly’s always been a soft one, even for a human!"
"Your dwarven homeland," the quick-on-her-feet Innovindil clarified
"Nah," Ivan had to agree, "but ould an elf want to go there?"
"Why would a pair of dwarves walk out of a tree?" caue, but realized the futility of that
"Point for yerself," he agreed
"And how does a dwarf coax a tree toat Pikel
"Doo-dad," ca his thuht," Tarathiel said sarcastically
"Nothing coreed
"So please excuse our confusion," said Innovindil "We do not wish to hold you captive, Ivan Bouldershoulder, but neither can we readily dismiss you and your curious brother You must appreciate that you have intruded into our home, and the security of that hoive ye that point, too," the dwarf replied, "but ye gotta be appreciatin’ that I got better things to do than sit here and watch the stars Das don’t even move!"
"Oh, but they do," Innovindil enthusiastically replied, thinking she may have found a coether
Her hopes only grehen Pikel hopped up and gave an assenting squeal
"Some do, at least," the elf explained
She ht star, low on the horizon, just above the tree line She continued for just a