Shadow and Sword, page 11
He was puzzled by his master’s disappearance. Vereinen prided himself with his punctuality. If he said he would be somewhere, he would be there at the agreed upon time. He must have a good reason for not being there. Or else …
He didn’t even want to think about the Gray Man and what he might have done to Vereinen. His only hope at the moment was that Vereinen had gotten away from Coeden before the Gray Man had arrived.
He came upon Rangel about three miles north of their previous night’s camp. When asked if he had seen anything, Rangel replied, “Nothing.”
The two rode in silence, side by side. Reith was content with the lack of conversation but kept looking at Rangel out of the corner of his eye. Rangel seemed perfectly happy to exist beside Reith in solitude.
They soon reached the previous camp and were now walking through foreign country. Without a word, Rangel prodded his horse into a trot and pulled ahead of Reith. Caught by surprise, Reith urged Aspen forward and they soon caught up.
The ground was littered with the obvious signs of a large party. Footprints were visible in the soft dirt. Grass was trampled down and crushed. He even saw several discarded pig’s ribs which someone had evidently been snacking on during the journey.
Eventually Rangel found a place to stop and dismounted, and the two of them shared a silent meal. Once or twice, Reith tried to engage Rangel in conversation but was given only one- or two-word answers in response, so he soon gave up. The attempt wasn’t completely in vain, however. He did learn that Rangel had been a cobbler in Suthrond, a maker of shoes.
At the end of the meal, Reith planted his apple core in the soft earth. It was one of his last fruits from Erador. After lunch, they continued at a trot until the Suthronders were in sight again. By now, Reith estimated that the group had traveled five miles since the morning.
I wonder how long until we reach the elves?
For the afternoon, he and Rangel alternated maintaining a half mile gap between them and the group while the other rode a few miles north to check for pursuit. After three such tradeoffs, it became clear that Heth had called for a halt for the day. They had gone perhaps ten miles again. Reith and Rangel trotted into camp.
“No sign of any pursuit, whether elven or the Gray Man,” Reith told Heth for both he and Rangel.
“Well that’s good,” Heth said. “Let’s hope it stays that way until we reach safety.”
In the morning, Reith was again shaken awake by Kydar. He gathered his things and they met Dema at the north end of camp again.
“Let’s go further left today, into the woods,” Dema suggested. “I bet there is more living in there than out here.”
Kydar and Reith agreed with this course of action. They made a diagonal path to the northwest and soon found themselves surrounded by more trees. The trees leaned in on them, looming over them. They seemed to be listening to the three humans. It gave Reith a foreboding feeling. A glance at the other two told him that they felt the same way.
They continued on their chosen path, none of them wanting to be the one to break the silence and admit their discomfort. Reith didn’t know why, but this forest felt older than the one on the other side of the river.
After an hour of fruitless searching, they turned back to the east, back to where the trees thinned out again. Once free of the forest, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’m sure glad to be out of there,” Kydar said. “That place creeped me out.”
“Tell me about it,” Dema added. “It felt like there were a million eyes on us the whole time.”
Reith nodded. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt it.”
They continued roaming the land, but over the next hour, they saw nothing larger than a squirrel, so it was with great disappointment that they went back to the camp empty handed.
As they approached the camp, they saw that it was strangely quiet. They had anticipated that the Suthronders would be busy packing up and getting ready to move, but no one did. Most were standing around or sitting by the fires. As they reached the edge, Kydar asked one of the women, “What’s happening?”
“There’s an elf,” she said.
Reith, Kydar, and Dema rushed into the camp, picked their way through between the tents and the people, and came to Trigg who was standing near the southern edge of the camp. A few feet beyond him was Heth. She was facing a tall figure who was perhaps thirty paces away from her.
The figure was tall, perhaps six feet, with an abnormally angular face. It seemed to Reith to have more lines than curves. He had on brown leather boots that came up to his knees along with a green cloak. A sword hung at his side, a quiver of arrows sat snug against his back, and a bow was in his hand, which he held down by his hip.
Heth displayed freely that she had no weapons and walked slowly toward the elf, who for his part laid his sword and bow on the ground and took a few steps closer to her. When they were ten paces from each other, each stopped. They began speaking, but Reith could not make out what was said.
“What has happened?” Dema whispered to Trigg.
“About five minutes ago, the guards raised the alarm of a figure coming up from the South,” Trigg whispered back. “It seemed like he was going to come into the camp, but then he stopped around where he is now. He came no further until Heth began walking toward him.”
“I wonder who he is and where he’s from,” Kydar remarked.
“And how many more of them are around.” Trigg added nervously.
“Well we are in elven country,” Dema said, rolling her eyes. “I’m sure this isn’t the only elf we’ll ever meet.”
“Hush, I’m trying to listen,” Trigg scolded.
It was a futile effort, as both Heth and the elf maintained conversational tones. Every so often, Heth or the elf would gesture toward the assembled camp. Heth’s back was to them, so they could not read her expression and determine how things were going. Of the elf’s expression, they could glean nothing.
The talking continued until a half hour had gone by. Trigg had taken to pacing back and forth at the edge of the camp. Kydar and Dema remained on high alert, ready to fight if the need arose.
“Reith!” Heth’s voice rang out in the silence. “Come here.” She had turned around to look at him and her expression was tense.
He glanced over at Kydar and Dema. There was fear in their eyes. Trigg gave him a little push.
“Go on, now.”
He turned to Heth and slowly began walking out. It felt like walking out into a lake. With each step, safety was a little further away.
Heth gestured for him to lay down his weapons, which he slowly did. He felt naked without his bow and his sword. But still he walked on.
The elf was sizing him up as he approached, and Reith returned the favor. Now that he was close, Reith could see that the elf had ears that were slightly pointed at the top. The elf had forest-green eyes, which looked at him with a level of ferocity that made Reith want to recoil.
“Yes, this is him,” the elf said to Heth in a voice that was rich and musical. “This was one of them.”
“Sorry, what’s going on?” Reith said, incredibly confused by the conversation he had joined.
“The elves saw you, Kydar, and Dema this morning as you hunted.”
“We were in the woods among the trees,” the elf stated plainly.
Reith remembered the feeling that they were being watched and shuddered.
“Why did you not reveal yourselves to us then?” he asked, meeting the fierce green eyes of the elf.
“Such meetings must not come about by chance, human,” the visitor said. “Long have our races lived separate lives. Should not the meeting of our two peoples be an occasion of formality and courtesy?”
“I have explained our story and why we are here,” Heth told Reith. “And he is very interested to hear your part.”
“Please, tell me your tale,” the elf said, holding out a hand of welcome. “But before you start, allow me to introduce myself. I am Pallin, Captain of the Legion of Crain.”
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Reith replied, stumbling over words that felt foreign and formal to him. He sounded like someone of old from one of Vereinen’s stories.
Pallin stared back. “Tell me how you came to this place.”
Reith began his story with his relationship to Vereinen and his hunt that fateful morning. He told of finding Coeden burning and his run-in with the Gray Man. He told of his escape and journey to Erador and of the Gray Man there. The elf found great amusement in his story of the rescuing of Aspen.
“We came with haste to Suthrond to discover what had become of the survivors. I came upon their trail and found them on the bank of the Rammis River. We crossed the river that day. This is the third day since our crossing.”
The elf was silent, pondering this tale. Reith could make nothing from his face. Finally, he spoke.
“The Shadow walks,” Pallin said, mostly to himself. “These are troubled tidings indeed.”
“Shadow? What shadow?” Reith asked.
The elf appeared to not hear him. Reith looked to Heth, who shrugged.
“I have a question,” Pallin continued. “My scouts discovered an apple tree some miles north of here, between us and the river. It most certainly wasn’t there before you humans came through. Do either of you know anything about it?”
“Oh, that would be me,” Reith replied. “I did that.” He told Pallin of the trees and the stream at Erador and how he had been planting fruit all along his journey.
“Streams in the wasteland? Ever-spring fruit? These are strange times, indeed.” Pallin’s brow furrowed.
“You mean you had magic fruit that you never told us about?” Heth asked curiously.
Reith flushed. “Sorry, it didn’t seem as important as warning you about the Gray Man.”
“There will be much time to discuss these matters later,” Pallin said. “For now, we must decide what to do. I am afraid that your danger is not yet abated.”
“You think the Gray Man will come and attack?” Heth asked.
The visitor shrugged. “Perhaps, but that is not the danger I had in mind. No, the danger I fear is from my own people. It has been many years since we interacted with any humans. And our memories are long. There are some who will not forget or forgive the sins of the past.”
“It goes both ways,” Heth retorted, and Reith knew she was thinking about Trigg and his deep-seated hatred of the elves.
“Now it does no good to argue about the wrongs committed by our ancestors and yours. I am simply warning you that your reception will not be warm.”
“Anything is warmer than cold steel,” Heth said.
“I’m afraid you are right. But you cannot go back while your doom still roams the earth. All that is left is moving forward.”
“To where?” Heth asked.
“To Crain. I told you I am the Captain of the Legion of Crain. Crain is the name of our city and our province in the Kingdom of the Elves. To Crain we shall go. You will throw yourself upon the mercy of the Lord Gwandoeth. He is honest and true. He will provide for you. As for the rest of my people …” He sighed at the thought. “Well, I hope they have the same courtesy. But know that I am not optimistic. It will be hard for you among us. But I will advocate for you.”
Heth nodded. “Thank you, Captain. Your generosity shall be told for generations among our people.”
“You’re very kind. Now Crain is but a half day’s march from this place. Are your people able to make such a trip today?”
“We are old and we are young, Captain. As you already know, we cannot travel far in one day.”
“Then perhaps we shall camp together this evening after a day on our feet,” Pallin said. “Please ready your people, Heth.”
“We will be ready soon.”
Heth and Reith turned to walk back to camp and gasped. Beyond the camp stood hundreds of elven soldiers, each clad similarly to Pallin. It seemed that no one in camp had noticed, as intent upon watching Heth and Reith as they were.
“What is this?” Heth asked furiously.
“It is no trap, if that is what you are thinking,” Pallin said. “I simply commanded my legion to wait. They shall escort us to Crain. You have nothing to fear from any of them. I shall wait here until you return, ready to march.”
Behind them, Heth and Reith could hear the camp starting to stir. Muttering rose like a beehive disturbed.
“They’ve seen the soldiers,” Heth said grimly. They walked back to the camp, picking up their weapons as they went. Trigg, Kydar, and Dema rushed out to them. Titus followed them like a puppy.
“Shall we fight?” Trigg asked, a hand on his sword. He was frantic.
“Calm yourself, Trigg,” Heth said, placing her hand over his sword hand. “They mean us no harm.”
“No harm? No harm? There are hundreds of them. They’ll kill us all.”
“No they will not. Pallin is honorable,” she said, gesturing back at Pallin, who was waiting patiently. “They will escort us to their city, Crain. There we will petition their Lord for mercy and safety. Now, go get everyone ready to march. Keep them calm. If someone gets anxious and shoots an arrow, we are all dead.”
By now, the rest of the refugees were crowding around, wanting to know what was happening.
“Listen up,” Heth called out. “The elves are not our enemy. As you can see, they are making a wall between us and our real foe, the Gray Man.”
That’s a very shrewd way to put it, Reith thought.
“They are going to escort us to their city where we will ask their lord for mercy. You have nothing to fear. They are going to help us. Now, get ready to march.”
The muttering between Suthronders continued, but they did turn and pack their meager belongings for the trip.
“What was the elf like?” Kydar asked Reith.
“He was hard to get a read on,” Reith replied. “He’s very intense, and his eyes see right through you. But I think he’s good.”
“What did you talk about?” Dema asked.
Reith gave them the synopsis of his encounter with Pallin.
“Of course, he can’t know who the Gray Man is,” Kydar said.
“Actually, he said something weird after I told him about the Gray Man. He said, ‘The Shadow walks.’ Does that mean anything to you?”
They both shook their heads.
“What a time to be alive, though,” Titus said, officially joining the conversation after lurking. “Elves and humans meeting at last. After so many years.”
Kydar nodded. “You’re right, Titus.”
“Strange times, indeed,” Reith said, echoing Pallin’s words for earlier.
Chapter Ten
In a short time, the refugees of Suthrond were ready to begin their march. Already half the day had gone and the sun was high in the sky. It was warm and would only grow warmer, especially on the march. Heth and Reith walked out to meet Pallin.
“We are ready, Captain,” Heth announced.
“Good.” Pallin raised a fist into the air and immediately his legion began to march forward. Those on the edge of the line walked quicker to come along the sides of the humans. The result was a large semicircle on the northern side of the humans. Heth turned and beckoned to Trigg, who announced the march.
Pallin set the pace and Heth and Reith fell in behind him. Soon, several more of the elves joined Pallin at the front. The rest maintained the semicircle around the humans. Kydar and Dema walked quickly to catch up to Reith and the three followed after Pallin toward their next home.
Reith watched the elves with fascination. As he had noticed earlier, they were all clad in a military uniform of some sort. They also had the same pointed ears as Pallin, but other than that, there seemed to be quite a difference from one elf to the next. Some had dark hair, almost black. Others had hair so blonde it was nearly white, but not from age. Still others were red headed.
From what Reith could tell, nearly all of the elven legion were male, but he saw a few females among them. These, he noted with interest, had more graceful faces than their male counterparts. Not that the male elf face was not graceful; it was that the female face surpassed it.
They marched for several hours, with a break every hour or two. The humans kept their distance from the flanking elves, and the elves for their part seemed content to stay away from the humans. He didn’t know if this was from commitment to their marching arrangement or that they simply did not want to be near them. Reith felt like the elves were taking it in turn to study him, but whenever he turned his head to see if he was being watched, the elves faced forward, focused on their march.
It was late afternoon when Pallin called Heth and Reith to him.
“It is late in the day, and we still have several miles to go. Perhaps it would be best to camp here and come upon the city in the morning light.”
Heth agreed to this course of action. A halt was called and the humans began setting up their camp. The elves split into two camps, one in front and one behind the humans.
“It is for your protection,” Pallin explained. “We want to keep you safe from all dangers.”
Privately, Heth shared her idea of what that meant with Reith.
“I think he is concerned that elves from the city might come upon us at night.”
“That would be catastrophic,” Reith said.
Two large bonfires were set between the humans and each elf camp. At the southernmost one, Pallin invited Heth and Reith to join him and a few of his officers.
“This is Laneras, Drierden, and Baros,” Pallin announced, introducing the three. “And this is Heth. She is the leader of these humans. This is Reith. He is the one that warned them of their danger.”
The three elf officers nodded to the two humans. Laneras was fair haired, Drierden had dark hair, and Baros had a lighter brown complexion. Of the three, Drierden looked to be the oldest and Laneras the youngest, though Reith really had no idea how old they actually were.
“Tell us about your homeland,” Laneras said, leaning forward to hear the reply.
