Oh Benclay
Oh Benclay,
How do I leave thee
So early in the morn?
Why do I flee thee
And soar above the scorn?
Stamina and Providence
Lead me ever on.
Oh Benclay,
Home of my own,
Why do I leave thee
To seek another alone...
"Ah, to train is to gain!" These words echoed in your mind because the Master Eyri spoke them to you almost a tzon earlier, when you mounted up on your effereet for the journey. Stoie's big wings caught the crisp air gracefully as he strained gently against the harness. The sun rose up behind you. The warmth of its rays gave you a cheerie feeling. You headed almost due west and began the slow descent out of the mountains of Dondor. When you had reached the three thousand pike level above the hills, Stoie leveled off. White puffy cumulus clouds flowed above you. "Perfect flying weather!" you said to Stoie, in order to encour- age him. Below and ahead of your position, the majestic Crystal valley with its tall trees ran as far as you could see to the North and South. You lined up on Mount Crag, one of the biggest of the Baldor Mountain Chain, for you knew that Trader's Nest and Dingle existed just beneath it. You knew that it would take ten tzons of flying time to get there. The message tube felt comfortable around your neck, but you had no idea why a Master Eyri had sent a message to a Dwarf Trader, reputable or otherwise.
All these things you methodically pondered during the journey...
When you located the Vivar, you let Stoie descend into a glide again. One and a half time units later, you found the village...
He spotted you before you landed. The tour guard on top of the small hotel looked up, yelled "Approach!," and waved at you. You drifted down and landed precisely beside him. You saw his muscular build beneath his emerald green tunic. He had a gold buckler on his belt and straight long sword slung at his side. "Greetings!, and welcome to Trader's Nest, Sir!" he said brightly. "Who do you seek here?"
Before you had time to answer, a man on the ground below you said: "Hold, Nori!" as he walked across the street. "He's here to see me!"
The guard looked from him to you and said: "All right, Dingle; if you insist!"
As the man got closer, you saw that he had dwarven features. "Come down here, boy!," he said cheerfully, "and my sons will see to your beast!"
You walked down the landing area stairs and approached him. "So you're Dingle the Dwarf!" you spoke happily.
"At your service!" he said with a bow. "You must be Murki!!"
"I am," you stated. As you began to reach for the message tube in order to hand it to him, he said "Hold! Come inside!" He turned, and then you followed him into a trading hall. It held an assortment of trading and eating goods, as well as some weapons. You followed him to one side and then into a small office, which was decorated with a desk and chair and many fine animal trophies.
He turned to face you and then said "Now give me the message."
"I would be delighted to!" you said as you pulled it away from your neck and over your head, and then handed it to him. He opened it gingerly and began to read it. Suddenly, he stopped and blurted out joyfully: "Oh what joy has come to Toridar! and to Arveta! He will be delighted to receive it!"
You started to ask him: "Why...," when suddenly a big burly man burst open the door! His presence filled the small room.
He looked directly at Dingle and said in a deep voice: "He's gone!!!" Dingle's eyebrows raised and he exclaimed: "What! How?"
"I mean he left with his effereet and I haven't seen him in two days!!"
"What did you do?" asked Dingle almost hysterically.
"Well," said the big man, "I guess maybe I was a little hard on him -- but I wanted him to be home when the letter arrived..." The big man entered the office. You saw that he wore green camouflage garb and a big riding hat. You noticed a bright gold forester's pin on his lapel.
Dingle continued: "Do you think?..."
"No!" said the Forester, "No one knows -- even he doesn't know!"
"Well!" said Dingle, who appeared to think fast, "Then we'll have to search for him!" Dingle began to pace nervously and scratch his head. The big man reflected: "He's a good forester now -- I'm sure he's all right!"
Dingle ignored him and said "We have three effereet, not counting Murki's here. Yours is one, Gvin, I've two more. Let's each take a direction and search around the cabin." The big man said "I'll take West, it's closer to the ...ah, mountains!" His pause was unmistakable.
Dingle said "I'll take the North and my boy will take the East! Murki, that leaves the South to you!" The big man turned and hurried out the door. "Who are we looking for?" you asked excitedly. Dingle smiled kindly and said slowly: "We want to find a young man, Tato. He is about six and a half pike tall, and massively built. He has a tan complexion and is wearing an emerald green hunting cloak. He is probably exploring on an green colored effereet."
"Why are you looking for him?" you asked.
"Ah, well," stammered Dingle, "our future, and that of Toridar, depends on finding him. This letter is his..." The words placed you on edge. You began to ask something more when Dingle raised his hand and stopped you. "Just bring him back here if you find him. Here is a map of the valley; search south of the cabin! We'll meet back here at nightfall; and remember, his name is Tato! May he who guides be with you!" Dingle raced out of the door, while he called his son Dipple.
You charged out the front portal of the trading hall and found your effereet tied to the front hitch. Stoie had finished eating and resting. "C'mon, Stoie!" you said as your adrenalin flowed. You unhitched Stoie, mounted, and pointed Stoie down the street. Stoie's legs began to pump and his wings flapped loudly. Soon, you flew above the tiny village and began to channel your energy into logical thinking. You decided to make a sweep along the trail toward a position south of the cabin. You didn't get to fly far, because when you reached the notch between Pt. Spike and Pt. Horatio, you found a battle in progress! There, below you; were seven men in green cloaks and one in an emerald cloak engaging several dirty-green cloaked archers: One archer and a winged female were having a fist fight on the ground on the western side of the Notch at a small distance from the other two groups. The group of men on the western side, including the man in emerald, charged their archers; while the group on the eastern side were firing arrows at the archers above them. Suddenly, a terrible truth dawned on you: The archers were barbarians!
"Barbarians, here?!," you mumbled in shock. What will you do?
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© Copyright 1999 by Abram Paradies.
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