STORYLINE
Longsilver expressed himself plainly: "What a fine place for a joust!" He took out his kar and shri and began to dance about feinting and thrusting. Tara said: "What delightfully soft grass this is!" She did a cartwheel and then a hand-spring while wearing a cheerful, delightful smile on her pretty, tanned face.
The others also felt relaxed. They let their goats graze...
Rollvag, who had begun to emerge as one of the steadfast leaders of the adventurers, suggested: "Tato, why don't you mount up on your effereet and fly over the area; to see if any Drogs are around."
"I was thinking of doing exactly that, Rollvag; now, I shall!" answered Tato kindly.
Rollvag spoke next to Byc, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground: "Byc, can you scan the area to see if you can detect anything?" Byc nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and said: "All I get is a picture of armed men marching in a swirl of snow..."
Cher, who up until now had been listening patiently, suddenly blurted out: "Snow? Here?" Tato, who snapped shut the saddle clasp on his effereet, paused and gave a possible answer to the vision: "Maybe he means the Glacier."
"Of course!," exclaimed Rollvag, "Snow-Spun Glacier! It's right here on Myriel's map!"
Rollvag blew his whistle and in moments his sleek eagle, Rhap, flew down and hovered above them. "Cry! Cry!" said the raptor.
"Fly to the glacier, boy!" called Rollvag. "Look for bad-men on the glacier!" "Cry! Scry!" screamed the eagle, who then darted away from them toward the south. After Rhap left, Rollvag decided to do a little exploring on his own. "I'll be right nearby," he said as he walked to the east, "So call me when Rhap returns..." Tato rode the effereet up into the air...
As Rollvag began to walk cautiously in the forest around the edge of the glen, he noticed first one and then a second small break in the forest cover. The square shapes of the breaks reminded him of theaters. Small maple trees stood proudly along their perimeters, and benches of oak dotted their grassy green meadows. Rollvag expected to find no one in the third theater as well, but a voice surprised him as he entered it.
"Greetings, Rollvag." Rollvag looked over to the east side of the theater, and there, he saw a very pretty female elf dressed in white garments sitting calmly on a stump. She held some shiny objects in her hands. Rollvag answered in an alarmed manner: "Ah, hello!" The elf smiled and said "You are a very adventurous young fellow."
"Yeah, I know." stated Rollvag politely.
The elf continued: "What do you seek here?" "Well," said Rollvag in a rather embarrassed fashion, "I search for signs of the Barbarians." The elf stood up fiercely and said eloquently:
- The arrows of the Barbarians
are swift and sure,
But the arrows of Dondor
are bright and pure!
"What think you on this?" she asked.
Rollvag was stunned, but he answered with bravado: "Dondor! It sounds like a place that I would like to visit! Tell me, what is your name?" She smiled again at his answer and said: "My name is unimportant; but I have these for you!" She threw the objects at his feet and said: "They will aid you until you find better armor... Beware the arrows of the Drog!"
Then, she simply vanished. Rollvag picked the objects up and expounded: "They are four pointed stars!"
They measured 10 mica by 7 mica and felt cold to the touch. Next, Rollvag approached the place where the elf stood a few moments earlier, looked around briefly, and pondered the situation. He found gold chains on the stump that she sat upon.
Rollvag withdrew an emaril arrow, placed it on the stump, and said prayerfully: "A gift, once given, gets one in return." Then he turned, grabbed the gifts tightly and ran back to the others...
After Rollvag related the story of the lady elf encounter to Elkin, Elkin smiled and spoke as if amazed: "Hmm! She must have been one of my distant cousins!"
"What are these things, Elkin?" asked Rollvag.
"They are shield stars, Rollvag -- eight to be exact. Let me demonstrate how they work. Longsilver, wear one around your neck such that the star fits across your chest..."
Longsilver did this and found that the star fit perfectly. "Now, Rollvag, go and get a small stone..." Rollvag ran to the spring and returned with one in his hand. Elkin positioned the two of them face to face, about thirty pike apart. "Fine!," said Elkin, "throw the stone at Longsilver, Rollvag!" After Rollvag pitched the stone, it headed straight for Longsilver's chest, but then it veered off to the left and smashed on the ground, ten pike away.
"Wow!!" said everyone together. In this way they learned that the shield stars repel aerial objects. They hid them under their cloaks...
When Tato returned, he leapt handily off his effereet and charged over to where they practiced busily. "Well, said Tato, if there are any Drog nearby, they've either got leaves and branches or they're invisible!"
"That's fine," said Elkin, "I don't believe that there are any nearby just now." Meanwhile, Rollvag was practicing with his bow. He concentrated on his draw, and released his arrow. It hit dead center of the moving branch.
"Ita da yinga yo!" cried Rollvag. Everyone except Elkin froze with open mouths. Elkin merely raised one of his bushy eyebrows. "Ita da yinga yo!" (which is translated: "Wasn't that a fine shot?") said Rollvag again excitedly, as he proudly pointed to the arrow. Tato looked perplexingly at Rollvag and said: "What did you say?"
"Dah, huah???" answered Rollvag (which is translated "What's Wrong???").
Byc said fearfully: "He's speaking in Drog!!!"
"So he is," said Elkin calmly. Tara gripped her spear tightly and asked quietly: "How could he be doing that and not realize it?"
"Apparently," said Elkin, "it has something to do with the energy of the glen and Rollvag's wishful thinking!"
Rollvag stood tensely, and spoke again, this time in a mixed, slurred speech. "Dah... wrong??? Dah wrong hi me??? Why are you all stucumbahm???" This is translated: "What's wrong??? What's wrong with me??? Why are you all staring???"
Elkin said, "He's sorting it out now."
"Rollvag," he asked slowly, "say hello in 'quenta."
"Hello!" said Rollvag.
"Now," continued Elkin, "say hello in barbarian."
"Dingah!" said Rollvag.
"Hey, what do you know!" said Longsilver, "Rollvag can speak Barbarian!!!"
Rollvag suddenly understood what happened to him. "I guess I can!" he said excitedly, "Why, I bet I can even say outlandish things in Drog about each of you to your faces, and you'd not even know what I said!" The rest of the adventurers chuckled at the joke but didn't feel at ease.
Cher said, "Speaking in Drog could be very useful." This realization put everyone at ease. But the calm mood did not last...
Suddenly, they all heard a sound: "Neigh! Neigh! Whinny!!!" It came from the North part of the glen. Tato turned to face the noise with his sword drawn. "That was a horse!" he said softly. Everyone but Cher stood still (which Elkin reminded them about later: "Bad position, in an open field- a perfect target for an archer") She launched herself into a quiet glide toward the North end of the glen with her bow at ready. She reached the edge of the oak trees, stopped in mid-air and exclaimed happily "Oh!!!" Then she ducked out of sight.
"What was that all about?" asked Tato of Elkin.
"Just wait a minute!" whispered Elkin quietly. Surprisingly, a grey pegasus burst out of the woods with Cher on its back. Only one slight problem presented itself: The pegasus gyrated, swerved, and kicked in all directions as it tried to buck her off its back!! "Help!!!" yelled Cher as she gripped its mane tightly.
Rollvag laughed and shouted: "Ride 'em Cowgirl!"
Next, Rollvag looked at Tato and said: "Bet you an arrow head that she falls off!" Tato smiled and answered "I don't bet and you're probably right!" Just then, the pegasus gave a mighty roll and Cher flopped away from it. She caught her fall only ten pike above the meadow. The pegasus snorted and flew back to the edge of the glen...
Cher landed next to Elkin. "Are they still there?" she asked. "Yes," said Elkin, "and this time, don't frighten them!"
Elkin held out some berries in his hands. "Remember what I told you about Pegasus?" "Yes, I know- make friends FIRST." she answered correctly. The next thing that happened was; of course, that everyone had a pegasus eating out of his hand!!! The adventurers knew the value of a good steed.
Elkin whispered to them: "You are very lucky. In this group are many young stallions who have not yet taken a mate. Young stallions are adventurous, and could serve you well..." One by one, the adventurers acquired pegasi to bear them.
Cher: "Shadow" a big grey-blue colored stallion with white mane. The oldest and strongest.
Rollvag: "Wonder" a slightly smaller, sky blue mustang with black mane. The fastest and most agile.
Tato: "Rugged" a olive colored stallion with yellow mane. Faster than Shadow and the most endurable.
When Rhap came back, he landed excitedly at Rollvag's feet. The bird paced back and forth nervously and bobbed its head. "Squawk!" it said. Rollvag, who alone could understand it, asked "What's wrong, Rhap?" "Cry! Cry! Many stick-walkers in snow!"
"How many, Rhap?" asked Rollvag. "Cry! Cry! Many some." After that, Rollvag took out some sticks and placed them upright in the ground, in order to get an idea of their number: "This many, Rhap?"
"Cry! More I see." Finally, Rollvag determined that the company consisted of between sixteen and twenty Drogs carrying sticks. They determined that the company was headed East: "Cry! Cry! Away from sun-set!"
Rollvag spoke disgustedly: "Why can't Eagles count!!!"
"Well," said Tato, "Either they're Lutarwe (Bowmen) or Shrikenwe (Spearmen) or Parwe (Pikemen)!"
"Elkin," asked Longsilver, "What do you make of all this?" Elkin had enough time to say "I think..." before a shrill whistle sounded from the woods. A figure wearing a green cloak with its hood pulled over stepped into the glen and motioned for Elkin to approach him. Elkin smiled, said "Just one moment!" and bounded over to the figure. They couldn't tell anything about him from a distance. Elkin and the green clad figure spoke for a few minutes and then Elkin returned. "I have bad news," he said as he approached the place where they all stood at ready, "A company of Light Archers has broken off and intend to destroy the village. They will arrive at Trader's Nest in six units of time. But remember this:
- When Battle leads to Vertigo,
Beware the Hills of Horatio!!!"
Elkin's eyes flashed with anger.
What will you do?...Q(1).
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© Copyright 1999 by Abram Paradies.
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