Myriel kept an eye on Cher. She could barely keep her eyes open. Shadow, the beautiful grey stallion, had to walk at a very slow pace in order to keep from outdistancing the Kanokai. Myriel looked back at their charges. They were still behind but they were also almost asleep, and walking sloppily in comparison to the proud stallion. Myriel turned back to watch his beautiful companion.
"Cher," urged Myriel quietly, "We're almost there now, girl! We may need you to fight...soon ... hun?..."
Cher was dreaming. She saw a dove above her. It swooped down to her, but it was no dove. It had the face of Myriel and kissed her cheek.
"I love you, Myriel," she thought to herself. Cher merely lifted her head up to look at him, winked and went right back to dozing again. Myriel, as he gazed at her, had a feeling that he had never felt before. "Is it lust, or something else?" he thought to himself. Tears welled up into Myriel's eyes. "I must be in love with her ... When was it first, when she fell into my arms at the cave? ... or..." Myriel promised himself to tell her at the earliest opportunity. Suddenly a loud bird call filled his ears. Myriel snapped back out of his thoughts.
"Yes," he said in battle language. One of Myriel's archers stepped out from behind a bush, saluted her Captain, and followed along with him."
"Sir, we have found a very strong, well armed woman, a small timoin healer, and some kind of dwarf scout in the outer cave. They look like they are waiting for someone."
Myriel smiled.
"I am sure Dariel will be happy to see us, Belieah."
"Ah, sir... ah, do you want us to approach them?"
Myriel smiled again.
"No, Belieah, she already knows that we are coming. She is a Light Knight and I intend to lead the whole bunch of us into that cave and the others right nearby. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir!" she answered. Saluting crisply, she leapt back into the forest to tell the-other archers.
Myriel whistled back to Kip on his pegasus, Peg, the only mare in the group of pegasi.
Kip, spread the word that we are almost there!"
Kip jumped up out of his doze, spoke in barbarian to two of his sheriffs and then rode high in the saddle.
A few minutes later, the forest thinned to brush and a huge, steep mountain jutted out into the air above them. The mountain had a blue-grey cast to it that conflicted with the white color of its snow capped peak.
"Wow!" exclaimed Cher. "Now I know why they call it Mount Stark."
"Breath taking," said Myriel as he gazed upward. "When the dwarves were powerful in the world, they built a great city under this mountain. Rumor has it that there are still gold, silver, and metals found no where else in Arveta. The di4arves would still be here now if it weren't for the curse that fell upon them be cause of the greed of a few of their number... but that is another story. This mountain is almost the highest of all the Ontor range. Come, Cher, let us lead these people to that corner right ahead; there is a cave just beyond'. Kip and his men will take charge of the Kanokai when we get there. Besides, there is someone there I want you to meet..."
Suddenly, Belieah ran out of the brush up to Myriel. Obviously out of breath from running, she stopped at attention and saluted.
"Sir, news of the battle -- the Warband won -- we didn't lose a single man. Finnie, Flippie, and the archers killed a huge Tzaenae -- and Elkin fried an entire garrison! We will sing of this, Sir!..."
"That's great!" said Myriel. Then more thoughtfully: my orders are to greet the Warband on their way to us, reform our own teams and deploy about this side, North, and South of the mountain. Tell everyone to be on the lookout for barbarian Scouts and foraying parties."
"Yes, Sir!"
Belieah literally jumped back into the brush, signaling Myriel's orders to the other elven archers as she ran.
"Your men can do all that without making a sound?" asked Cher carefully.
"My men are very well trained. If we do any more traveling, could I teach you some more of our sign language?"
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© Copyright 2001 by Abram Paradies.
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